#sneaks in to help people and visit family

[chleem]

Casual /extra IV

One shot; college students drew x reader

explicit language and scenes, read at own caution

⋆.˚ "two weeks and your mom invites me to her house in Long Beach, is it casual now?"

♡⸝⸝ elevator | other | more casual!drew

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The sun is casting that golden-hour glow across the backyard of the Starkey’s summer house, a little over the afternoon.

The yard, is decorated with a large banner that reads “Lil’s Second Bday,” and a few balloons are scattered around. The long table on the stone patio is stacked with snacks, and the smell of BBQ fills the air.

There aren’t many people- just the Starkey family; Mr and Mrs Starkey, Drew, his four siblings, his baby niece, and a couple of close relatives. 

It’s nothing big. Other than their baby niece’s birthday, it’s also a chance to catch up. Laughter and chatter fill the air, a warm vibe surrounding the entire afternoon, with the distant sound of waves crashing against the shore. The view of the beach just beyond the low fence adds to the relaxed, coastal atmosphere. 

…and you? You’re chilling, calm, and- and…and you don’t really know why you’re here. 

No, you do know. 

Drew’s mom invited you. 

A week ago, when you and Drew were casually lounging on the couch, watching tv, he picked up a call, suddenly handed it to you with a defeated look on his face. 

His mom. Mrs Starkey. 

She urged you to join them at their house on Long Beach, celebrating their granddaughter’s birthday, if you weren’t too busy. 

It was weird. 

Casual, yet you’re here, celebrating his niece’s birthday. 

You didn’t want to come. But Mrs Starkey sounded so excited on the phone, and it seemed like she liked you- a lot. 

And Drew? He didn’t resist much either. Last time you visited, it was his idea to bring you, thinking you could act as a ‘distraction’- both for his family, a new person to annoy, and for him, a way to sneak away from the constant questioning and attention.

On the way here, he’d admitted that yes, his family liked you, and it would definitely be boring without you.

The whole day flowed smoothly- a long drive in Drew’s car to the summer house his family owns. Upon arriving, you’d helped with setting up, meeting some relatives that Drew introduced you to- as his ‘best friend,’ of course. 

His niece? Adorably cute. His siblings and parents, would pull you away to chat privately, either about their random hobbies or just to get to know you better. 

You didn’t even realize how long it had been since you’d been alone with Drew today, until he suddenly appeared behind you, his hand lingering around your lower waist. 

You were holding his niece in your arms, standing by the fence, entertaining her with the seagulls flying just a few miles away- when Drew decided to join. His height loomed just over your shoulder, his broad chest brushing faintly against your back.

“Hey you,” 

Drew whispered into your ear, his voice low and flirty, just like it always was. 

You turned around, a smile pulling at your lips as you showed him Lils, his niece, held against your hip. 

“Look,” you whispered back, her pacifier snug in her mouth, her little eyes wide with curiosity.

“My sister’s… freaking out,” Drew started, a smirk tugging at his lips as his blue eyes met yours, the light catching from the afternoon sun, making them almost glow. “But it’s just you that kidnapped her.”

You shot him a glare, making him chuckle, the sound warm and full of amusement.

“Go away. We’re watching seagulls,” you half-heatedly tease him, turning back to the beach view. 

Drew, of course, wasn’t done. He laid his palm against your hips, gently turning you back to face him.

“Hey- hey,” he murmured, forcing his face into your view, the sapphire orbs meeting yours again, “I’m bored. Talk to me.”

“What do you want to talk about?”

“I don’t know,” he said, his smile soft and unbothered. “Just, just talk to me.”

His fingers came up, gently brushing the corners of your mouth.

“So?” he asked, his voice low, curious. “Was today fun?”

You looked away on purpose, pretending to think deeply for a second before answering with a playful shrug, “Hmm… could’ve been better.”

He laughed like it was the funniest thing he’d heard all day- bubbling straight out of his chest.

“God- I missed you,” Drew suddenly said, like the phrase weighted nothing.

“Missed me?” you echoed, brow raised.

“Yeah.”

“We’ve… you’ve been in the same place as me all day.”

“I know.”

“You sat next to me like ten minutes ago.”

“I know.”

“You talked to me during lunch.”

“I know.”

“You’re literally talking to me right now.”

“…I know.”

His smile never wavered. If anything, it deepened, pulling at the corners of his mouth, creasing the skin around his eyes- those soft, familiar smile lines you could trace from memory.

His hand rested at the base of your neck now- light, warm, grounding. He was close. Too close. And he wasn’t looking at your eyes anymore.

He’s looking at your lips.

And you were pretty sure that if the two of you were alone right now, he’d kiss you. He’d kiss you like he’d been holding his breath all day and just remembered how to breathe. Like you were the cure for something he didn’t know he had. He’d kiss you like he’d thought about it a thousand times and still wasn’t ready.

Which… was not how casual people behaved. 

Before you could say anything, Lils, lets out a sound that’s muffled by her pacifier. 

You let out a quiet laugh at that.

Drew gently pulled his hand away from your neck, the warmth of his touch fading as Lils reached out to grab his finger- the one with the gold ring he always wore. Her tiny hand curled around it with the kind of fascination only toddlers had, but her attention quickly drifted. 

She reached for the chain bracelet on his wrist instead, the one he never took off. The one you gave him.

She tugged at it curiously, eyes wide with wonder. 

“Hey- she likes it,” Drew says, his voice warm as his gaze flicked from you to his niece. That smile still playing on his lips.

“I wonder who picked it,” you tease, rocking Lils gently on your hip.

“Someone amazing,” he murmurs, low enough that it felt just for you, punctuated by a quick wink that somehow made your heart skip in the dumbest, most inconvenient way.

He said things like that; and each time, it made you wonder if it’s still casual. 

Drew’s tongue poked out, resting on his lips for a beat as he stared down at yours. The look in his eyes said everything; Shit- he wants to kiss you so bad.

“…Stop that.”

You barely recognized your voice, rougher than you expected.

“Stop what?” he laughs, dropping his hand from your waist.

“Looking at me.” You try to play it off, but your pulse betrays you.

“‘Looking at you’?” He laughs again, “Where- where am I supposed to look then?”

“…no, I mean, stop looking at me like that.”

“…you’re confusing me, babe.”

The nickname slid off his tongue effortlessly, and it stirred something in you. Butterflies erupted, trapped somewhere between your chest and your stomach, without a doubt every single time he said it. 

“…never mind,” you whisper.

Drew laughs, for the thousandth time. 

Suddenly, a voice calls his name from across the crowd. You glance over, seeing two of his cousins standing together, probably wanting to talk to him. They waved over at you; eyes at your direction.

You turn back to Drew, but he’s still staring down at you, completely lost in the moment.

“Drew?”

“Mhm?” He hums absently; eyes still staring down at you. 

“Your cousins- they want you.”

“…Mhm.”

Before you can say anything else, Lils tugs harshly on Drew’s bracelet, causing his hand to shift slightly. That’s when he snaps back to the present, the playful, seductive gleam returning to his eyes.

“…Let’s get out of here,” Drew says, a hint of something else laced in his words. 

“What?” you ask, a little surprised. 

“Yeah, you heard me. Let’s get out of here.”

“What? ‘Get out of here’?” you giggle nervously, trying to mask the pulse that suddenly races through you, though part of you already knows exactly what Drew means. “But I’m taking care of Lils- ”

“Not anymore.” Drew’s voice is calm, but his hands are quick, effortlessly lifting Lils out of your arms and into his hold without much work at all. “You’re not- not the babysitter,” he adds.

“Drew, this is your niece’s birthday party. You can’t just leave.”

“She’s two. You think- you think she’ll remember this shit?” Drew glances down at Lils, the innocent little face beaming up at him, then back at you, the smirk still teasing at his lips.

You give him a soft glare, but it barely registers as he begins making his way toward his sisters, Mackayla and Brooke, both in deep conversation with each other.

“Drew- stop,” you say, a soft giggle escaping your lips. You tug at his arm gently, trying to keep him in place. “The party’s almost over anyways. Just a few minutes, yeah?”

He slows down for just a second but doesn’t stop, his steps continuing with that same purposeful stride. He glances back at you, his lips still curled in that devilish smile. 

“I- I don’t wanna wait.”

A heat rises to your neck as you fall silent, following him as he closes the distance to his sisters. Without hesitation, Drew interrupts their conversation, forcefully but gently placing his baby niece into Mackayla’s arms. Her mother instincts kick in immediately, holding Lils close to her.

“Here- take your kid,” Drew says, his tone that demanding, teasing way that siblings use when talking to each other.

“What-” Brooke glares at her brother with an exaggerated expression of disbelief. But then her eyes flicker to you, standing close to him, and her gaze softens as she shifts between you two.

You awkwardly stand on your feet under her scrutiny.

“Where are you guys going?” Mackayla rocks Lils in her arms, also looking at you.

“Showing y/n the house,” Drew says, his voice dropping low as his arm slides around your waist, guiding you away from them.

His sisters stare suspiciously at you two. Brooke already gave you a tour.

“Be right back,” Drew murmurs. He doesn’t wait for their response, tapping your waist to get you to move. Your feet follow his lead before you can think about it.

In seconds, you’re inside the house, the hum of the backyard party fading as the kitchen door clicks shut behind you. Drew’s presence envelops you, and you can’t ignore how close he really is, how the space between you seems to shrink.

“You’re showing me the house?” you tease, a playful smile tugging at your lips as you spin around, your sundress flowing with the movement.

Drew’s eyes land on your figure for just a moment, the smirk on his lips sharp, before they quickly flicker behind you, his attention drawn elsewhere.

“Alright- don’t- don’t do that near a window,” he mutters.

You laugh softly, out of shyness and amusement.

You follow him as he walks through the kitchen into the living room, purposely trailing behind.

It’s hard not to notice the way his eyes flicker around, scanning the space, his steps urgent and his back muscles flexing under his shirt.

When he starts walking up the stairs, you stop at the bottom. 

Drew’s a few steps up before he realizes he doesn’t hear your footsteps following. He looks down at you, a mix of a smile and something resigned tugging at his features. 

Without a second thought, he hurriedly walks back down, and grabs your wrist with a firm, almost commanding grip.

“What are you doing?” Drew asks, a chuckle escaping him as if he already knows the answer.

“What are you doing? Show me around,” you tease, mimicking his words from earlier.

“Babe, c'mon,” he groans, tugging your wrist.

“No, show me the living room or something,” you murmur, the corner of your lips lifting in amusement.

Drew stares into your eyes, his gaze intense, but surprisingly, he lets go. 

You smile, before turning to point toward the pictures along the fireplace. The Starkey siblings’ childhood memories sit there, arranged like a timeline of their past. Brooke already introduced you to them, even showing you the entire family album. You’d seen Drew’s younger self, his bob haircut embarrassingly cute.

“Tell me about those- Drew!”

Before you can even finish your sentence, he lifts you off the ground, throwing you over his shoulder. Your ass sticks in the air, and one of his hands comes up, flattening your dress back down.

He lets one hand stay there; caressing the back of your thighs, the other hand on your lower back to steady you in place.  

“Drew, what if someone sees us?” You breathe out, as you realize he’s making his way upstairs.

His throaty laugh replies instead. 

“Drew- put me down-“

He slaps your ass, rather roughly, the sound echoing for a brief second. 

Your gasp follows after, and he laughs once more. 

“What? Want me to do it again?” Drew teases. 

And because your face is close to his ass, you hit on it; hands balling into fists as you attempt to frustrate him into putting you down. 

You wiggle in the process; which just makes him hold you even tighter; not even flinching at your protests. 

Your white ballet flats slip off, rolling down the stairs. 

The familiar flooring of the second-floor hallway approaches, the sound of it under his heavy steps making it clear that you're getting closer to his room. The moment you hear his door click open, you give up, knowing exactly what’s coming next.

Without a word, he drops you onto his bed, your body bouncing slightly from the force, and you try to prop yourself up with your elbows. 

Drew stands at the edge of the bed, watching you with that smirk of his, his chest rising and falling quickly. His hair is slightly messy, a few strands falling over his forehead, adding to the casual look that only seems to make him more irresistible. 

The way he’s looking at you, though, is anything but casual.

“Comfortable?” he teases, his voice low and mischievous as he takes a step closer.

You giggle, and instinctively, your feet come up, pushing lightly against his stomach to keep him from coming any closer. “At least show me your room.”

Last time, at Drew’s childhood home, you remember Drew’s bedroom like it was yesterday. The basketball posters, his sports car bed frame, a small table, shelves filled with trophies and books, etc. It was the typical teenage boy’s room. 

This, however, was a bit different. This was the summer house. 

You scanned his room quickly, taking it all in. 

It wasn’t as decorated as his childhood room, the interior different too. The white walls were bare in comparison, except for a couple of posters and a surfboard leaning against one side of the room. In the corner, a guitar rested. His table was cluttered with papers and a few random items, and on the wall, a small basketball hoop hung above his trashcan.

Your eyes don’t linger long because Drew grabs your legs, forcing them apart as he leans down, slowly pressing his weight on you. 

“You play guitar?” You continue, as he signals for you to wrap your legs around his waist. 

You do; your dress shifting upward, riding up past your hips. Drew glances down at your panties; licking his lips as his hand covers the back of your neck. 

“Shut up,”

he practically growls, his voice low and rough as it vibrates through the air.

Instead of feeling embarrassed or insulted, you let out a giggle, a flutter deep in your stomach, a rush of warmth flowing through you. 

Casual, casual, casual. 

His lips inches from yours, the tip of your noses brushing as he closes the distance. 

He finally kisses you after being deprived of it all day; his tongue darting in without hesitation. 

You gasp at his urgency, your arms naturally wrapping around his neck. One of his hands steady himself against the bed; the other sliding down further, from the back of your neck, lower, lower, lower, moving to your stomach. 

The heat escalates as you explore each other’s mouths; licking, sucking, caressing, or whatever you would use to describe a passionate and lustful kiss.

Moaning into his mouth as he cups you over the pussy, your hips buckling instinctively against him. 

You didn’t even know how wet you are from the make-out; until Drew chuckled into your mouth, his chest shaking against yours. 

“Soaked, you are,” he murmurs, letting his lips drag along your jawline, before sucking on the skin just below your chin. 

You whimper softly as his teeth sink in, head leaning back into the mattress. 

He tugs down the waistband of your panties, lugging it just above your knees. At the same time, his lips trail to your cleavage, and he gives each side a quick peck. Your hands play with his hair now; messing, ruffling it just enough to see him smirk, clearly enjoying it. 

Drew shifts; positioning himself so his face lies on your stomach, your legs now lazily dangling by his sides. 

He plants kisses on your bare tummy; a hand kneading your breast, the other still resting on the bed. 

He basically has you trapped under him. 

Your back arches as his mouth goes from light brushes to aggressive savoring; tongue licking your skin, moving lower, lower, lower. 

Until the tip of his tongue teases your sensitive nub. He teases it; slow and deliberately, earning your breathy gasps, your fingers tangling with his hair. 

“Drew…” you whined, the throbbing of your pussy growing louder by the second. 

“Mhm?” 

Tongue flat against your folds, he licks a long stride of your arousal. 

Your breath hitches, moans rippling out of you. 

His laughter, all shaky and trembling, echos between your folds, his hot breath fanning the cold sensation. 

However, just as you expect him to dive in, eat, clean up the crumbs, he tears himself away. 

Your eyebrows knit together, your arms and legs dropping onto the bed. 

Drew has that devilish, almost mocking smile on his face as he pushes himself off the bed. You don’t miss the glossy shimmer of saliva (or arousal?) dripping from the corner of his lips, the blue eyes of his taking in your position; your sprawled-out body and dress barely worn right. 

You prop yourself up by your elbows; the strips of fabric flowing off your shoulders. 

“You got something on your…” 

You point to your own lips, before giggling, clasping your thighs back together. 

The smirk on his lips remains, and he wipes it off with the back of his hand. 

“Now get back here,” you whisper, eyes dropping to his crotch, seeing a very, very obvious outline of his erection.  

Drew touches his back pocket, and his expression drops, the playfulness in his eyes quickly replaced with something unreadable.

“What?” you ask, your voice a mix of curiosity and concern, your gaze following his every move.

He pokes his tongue against his cheek; eyes darting around the room as he thinks. 

And swear, you could see the exact second when it finally clicks through his mind. 

“Don’t- don’t go anywhere,” he murmurs, his tone soft but firm as he walks out of the room.

As his footsteps fade away, it’s only then that you realize- he never closed the door. 

…Idiot. 

A small, frustrated laugh escapes you. 

You can’t believe you didn’t notice earlier.

What if someone saw? Idiot, really. 

You bite on your bottom lip as you waited, looking around his room. Oh, there’s even a CD player resting on the shelves, with booklets of of albums. Mostly old ones, worn at the edges, the artwork faded with time.

You hear footsteps again.

Sure enough, Drew’s back.

A light smile plays on his lips as he steps in- and then, casually, effortlessly, he rips open a small foil package.

“Close the door!” You whisper-yell. 

He pauses, glances over his shoulder- then quickly shoves it shut. The force of it sends a loud thud echoing through the house.

Good thing everyone’s downstairs, outside.

You let out an excited laugh as you sit up slightly, spreading your legs to let Drew in. 

“Where did you get that?” You ask, as he yanks his pants down, just enough to let his hard-on spring out. Your eyes flicker to his cock; already leaking his precum. 

“Logan,” he murmurs, knees sinking into the mattress. “Lay down.”

You do as told; resting your elbows and letting your hands lay on your stomach. “What, he’s- he’s next door?”

“His suitcase,” he clarifies, a hint of frustration peeking through as his hands grip his cock, trying to wrap the plastic around it. 

Wait-

It’s pink. 

You fail to hold back your laugh, watching as obviously, it’s a different color, and it’s not his size. 

“Fuck,” he groans, a smile tugging at his lips, whether from the situation or your laugh, you can’t tell.

But you just laugh harder, watching him struggle. 

“Here- lemme help you- ” you murmured, sitting up and brushing his hands away, “- princess Sophia.”

You giggle at the name, biting your lip as you watch his reaction.

But the moment your gaze meets his, the air shifts.

His smile disappears like a switch flipped off, his jaw tightening. His blue eyes- dark, narrowed- lock onto you with a heat that’s no longer playful.

His hands fall to his sides as yours wrap around his length, gently tugging on the plastic, and adding a few strokes. 

“Never,” he breathes out, obviously trying to hold out a moan at the way you touch him, “never say that again.”

You blink, still grinning, but your breath catches a little.

“Or what?” You press. You get the condom on him; tight and barely covering him, but it works, the translucent pink standing out from the corner of your eyes. 

His hand comes up fast, covering your mouth. With one sharp push, he forces you back down onto the bed, your body hitting the sheets with a soft thud, your laughter muffled by his palm. 

“Shut up,” he murmurs, licking his lips. 

You sigh into the palm of his hand, letting your legs wrap around his waist, guiding him downward. 

Then fuck me already, your eyes say. 

Drew lets out a throaty laugh; hands leaving you to run through his hair, pushing it away from his eyes. “You’re killing me,” he comments, lifting your hips to angle your entrance with his dick. 

You feel his tip drag along your drenched clit; smearing the wetness. You shudder, you head dropping back as he continues to glide his cock against your folds.  

With a slow push, he sinks into you, nestled between your legs. 

Fuck, fuck, fuck. 

“Drew,” is all you manage to breathe out as he stretches your folds. 

He groans at the way you say his name; gripping your hips as if it was the only thing keeping him from collapsing onto you. 

Your walls tighten around his thick length; and his eyes flutter close at the feeling, pausing to savor it. 

Reaching out, you let your hand overlap his, holding lazily. 

Move already, your eyes say.  

He smirks, and his hand catches yours in a firm, rough grip. He drives it down, pressing the palm of your hand flat against your own hip, now completely claimed beneath his touch. 

Holding you, he pulls out, before pushing his cock back in. He makes sure to return fully in- making you soak in every bit of his length. 

“Oh,“ you moan, your other hand clinging onto the sheets. 

“Yeah? I haven’t even started,” he grunts, pulling out of you, before rolling his hips back in. 

He’s knee-deep into the mattress, the bed sinking under his weight as he continues the same process over and over again. 

Each thrust begins slow, drawn out- intentional, like a tease. He chuckles at the way you squirm underneath him; your mouth agape as your eyes fluttered up at him. 

“Wait- wait,”

Drew breathes out, and his smirk widens, his eyes glued down at your stomach. 

You follow his line of focus- and you see it. 

A bulge peeking out with every snap of his hip. 

You couldn’t help but giggle dumbly at that; your head falling back. 

“Shit- that’s- fuck,”

Is all Drew manages to stumble out as he slides faster, rougher, sloppier into you, amused by your tummy bulge. 

It’s happened before; he’s noticed this before; but he gets excited like a child getting a new toy, every time he sees it. 

“Mhm, you- you like that?” You breathe out, your own body shivering with the way he’s hammering into you. 

The slapping of skins develops into a sloppily rhythmic melody, paired with soft moans and low grunts, with occasional low chuckles. Your eyes focus on the way his bracelet dangles, the metals shining just briefly, adding to the liquid heat building in you. 

He lets go of your hand; tracing the hard outline of your tummy. 

“You- ” he starts to lean down, slowly letting his weight crash onto you. It allows his cock to sink deeper, nudging against your g-spot. You moan, loud and unfiltered into his ear as he presses a kiss on your cheek. “-you have no idea.”

Your arms wrap around his shoulder as his movements become jerky and messier, repeatedly attacking your g-spot. 

To the point where your knot snaps, without warning, unexpected. 

Maybe it was the sex, his words, or just him. 

But it sends you over the edge, moaning his name, shivering as it flows through you. 

Drew laughs, and he kisses the corner of your mouth, “oh, my baby,” he coos, giving the last few thrusts to chase his own high. 

Your arms fall to the side; panting as his length still slammed into you, your body trembling beneath him. 

His cock twitches, and- and he bites your shoulder. 

It’s so random and unlike everything before; the pain and pleasure mixing in together as his cum spills into the condom, that you just lay there, breathing in his sweat, cologne, everything. 

His teeth latched onto your skin, hard enough to leave a mark, definitely. 

“Aw, fuck,” he mumbles, a low groan escaping. 

He presses a hand into the mattress beside your head, lifting his weight off of you, but still close, hovering on top. 

Drew’s blue eyes look down at you, lazy and satisfied, a corner of his lips twisted into a smirk. There’s a faint trail of saliva clinging to his mouth, catching the light.

“Ow,” 

you whisper, delayed, breathy, but not really complaining. Your tired smile mirrors the haze in your eyes as your hand drifts up, fingers brushing the corner of his mouth.

You swipe the trail away gently, holding his face in your hands. 

His eyes flicker to your lips, and the smirk curves into a full smile- the one that produces winkles at the corners of his eyes.

It’s the kind of smile that feels warm and dangerous all at once.

The kind of smile that settles under your skin before you even realize it.

The kind of smile that feels casual. 

The kind of smile with no attachments. 

“Your skin’s soft,” he compliments. 

“But you didn’t need to bite me,” you shoot back, a soft giggle following after. 

“Aw, but you like it,” he murmurs, eyes dropping to your shoulder.

You follow his gaze- and it’s there, red, indented, a blooming imprint of teeth. 

That’s when it hits you; his family’s still downstairs, and your sundress isn’t going to cover this. Not even close. It’s not the kind of mark that fades in a few minutes either. 

You turn your gaze back to him, eyes narrowing, your smile quickly replaced by a pout. “Drew,” you whisper, dragging his name out like a warning. “You bit me.”

“I did,” he says, completely unbothered, the pride in his voice unmistakable. He leans in and gives your lips a quick, smug little peck- before slowly pulling out of you. 

He pushes himself off, the proximity gone. 

“Drew, this is serious. How am I supposed to hide this?”

He takes care of the pink condom; wrapping it up and disposing it in the trash. 

“It’ll fade in a few minutes,” he says with a lazy grin, adjusting his pants. His eyes trail over your wrecked form sprawled across the bed, and he licks his lips slowly. 

Then leans back against the edge of the table, arms crossed, his muscles flexing, “you’ll be fine. You- you are fine.”

A few quiet seconds pass before Drew moves again. 

He walks back to you, and handles you by the waist, pulling you to sit upright. You sway slightly, but he steadies you, letting your head lay on his chest.

His heartbeat hammers against your walls. 

Casual, casual, casual. 

He’s got tissues in his hands; and he wipes your pussy clean, gently taking care of you. 

When he’s done, he fixes your attire; adjusting the straps back over your shoulders, sliding your underwear back on, smoothing the hem of your dress back to its place. 

The bracelet and ring brushes against your skin ever so often. 

Casual, casual, casual. 

You study the side of his face; taking in the slight part of his glossed lips, the way his blue eyes stay locked on you. His hair is messy, a little damp with sweat. Your gaze trails over the tip of his nose, then down to the soft curve of a double chin that appears at this angle. 

“It’s not so bad,” Drew murmurs, fingertips grazing the bite mark on your shoulder-  the one your sundress strap barely manages to cover.

Casual, casual, casual.

“Let me do it to you, then it’s even."

“…do me then.” the double meaning doesn’t go unnoticed. 

You’re laying on his chest, looking up, eyes locking for a split second before it crumbles- you break into laughter, unable to hold it in. He snorts, then laughs too, chest shaking beneath you. 

Somewhere between the laughter, he presses a quick kiss to the corner of your eye.

Your gaze drifts around the room, and you’re remembering that this is his childhood room. The one he spent summers in. The surfboard propped in the corner, the guitar leaning against the wall, shelves cluttered with music and memories. It smells like him, like salt and dust and something warm you can’t name.

If you’re going to be here a little longer, you figure, you might as well make it count.

“You play guitar?” you ask again. 

“Sometimes,” he murmurs. One hand comes up to the back of your neck, fingers curling gently, rubbing slow, lazy circles into your skin. 

“‘Sometimes’? But I’ve never seen you play.”

He shrugs, “you never- you never asked to see me play.”

“…play it right now.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why not?”

“Barely remember shit,” he mutters, and you see those sapphire orbs of his flicker to your lips, “…barely remember shit.”

You cock your head to the side, eyes beaming at him. Your hands slip under his shirt without warning, palms pressing against his stomach- warm skin, hard muscle, the faint trail beneath your fingertips. You start to massage gently, slow circles over his abs, coaxing.

You watch his jaw flex like he’s trying not to smile, but really, already folding.

“…okay,” he murmurs, giving in.

Your smile spreads as he walks over to the guitar propped against the wall. He picks it up with a quiet kind of care, fingers brushing off a thin layer of dust from the body. Then he walks back and sits beside you on the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight.

The guitar rests comfortably in his hands, though it's clear it’s been a while. He strums a few hesitant chords- a little off, before reaching up to adjust the tuning pegs at the headstock, testing each string.

“You got a, a song in mind?” Drew asks once he finishes tuning, blue eyes flicking up to meet yours, searching.

You shift on the bed, lying on your side to face him, propping your head up with one hand, your palm cradling your cheek. “Thought you barely remember.”

He smirks, fingers hovering over the strings. “…just recommend one.”

You glance away, thinking. One comes to mind almost immediately- the one that’s been on loop lately.

“Shallow.”

He bites his lower lip, nodding slowly.

Yeah, he knows. He’s heard you humming it, caught it on the shared playlist, playing in your AirPods, playing in the car. 

“Sing- sing the start again,” Drew purposely says. 

You give him a shy smile, already feeling the warmth rise to your cheeks, but you do it anyway. You hum the beginning of the song, soft and unsure, the melody slipping from your lips a little uneven. The lyrics come out half-mumbled, half-forgotten, but you keep going, biting back a laugh as you stumble through them.

His eyes don’t leave your mouth.

Then, when you finish, he finally looks down at the guitar. His fingers move slowly, thoughtfully- and he begins to play the melody exactly as you sang it, mistakes and all.

Your heart hammers in your chest as you watch him, listen to the quiet chords filling the space between you.

“I’m falling... in all the good times…”

Drew sings the line without thinking, his voice low, a little rough, laced with that lazy drawl he always has when he’s not trying too hard. Somehow, that makes it worse. Or better. You’re not sure.

Your breath catches before you even realize it, and the playful smile you wore a second ago slips, just a little. Your eyes soften, doe-eyed and open, completely undone by something so small.

Casual, casual, casual. 

But it’s not.

Not when he’s sitting this close, not when your heartbeat stutters just hearing his voice wrapped around a song that’s been sitting in your chest for weeks. Not when he’s still so unaware of the weight he’s tossing around with every offhand lyric.

Drew strums once more, half-heartedly, then stops just before Gaga’s next verse. Looks up at you, totally oblivious, grinning like nothing's changed.

“You like that?” he asks, lips tugging up at the corner.

Yeah. You do. Maybe more than you should.

“Not bad,” you manage to say. You hope he doesn’t see how flustered and completely gone you are right now. 

“‘Not bad’?”

“Yeah. You- you got some parts wrong.”

He chuckles under his breath, “you sang it wrong though.”

“Blaming me now?” 

“…maybe.”

It’s quiet for a moment, that perfect little stretch of tension hanging between you, before he says softly, “come here.”

You glance at him, confused for a second. “…I’m already here,” you say, laying on the bed next to him.

But then he gestures with a shift in his posture, opening his legs slightly. “No, I mean, come here.”

It clicks in your head, and you crawl, sitting in between his legs. 

You lay your back against his chest, the warmth of him immediately surrounding you as the guitar nestles in front of you. 

His arms come around you, and you melt, melt into him like butter. His hands move- one guiding yours to the fretboard, the other settling on the sound hole. 

You feel his fingers slide over yours, teaching you the placement, Drew wrapped around you in the most natural, intimate way.

“You’re gonna teach me?” You murmur, your face inches from his, your nose grazing his jawline as you look up at him.

He hums in response, that soft sound vibrating against your back.

You can barely focus as he shows you how to strum, how to move your fingers, how to hold the chords. 

Your brain’s fogged, lips slightly parted, eyes half-lidded. 

You’re not listening to the melody. Not really.

"You’re a natural," Drew whispers- and that’s when you realize he’s stopped, at the same spot, right before Lady Gaga’s verse. 

“I am,” you whisper back, as he leans in and kisses the tip of your nose.

“You getting comfortable?”

“I am.” he kisses the corner of your mouth.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you murmur- and this time, you close the distance.

Your hands reach up, fingers threading through his hair, gentle and certain. 

The guitar slips away somewhere between your bodies, forgotten on the bed. 

His arms wrap around you, pulling you closer like instinct, like gravity.

You kiss him- slow, tender- and he kisses you back like he always does. Like he can’t help it. Like he physically can’t do it without you.

A few seconds, minutes, maybe even hours might’ve passed by the time you finally pull apart-  both of you gasping, smiling giddily. 

“You wanna head downstairs?” Drew asks, voice low, still breathless.

“Is it gone?” you whisper, tilting your head slightly, referring to the bite mark on your shoulder.

He shifts, his head cocking to the side as he stares at the spot. Your fingers lazily wrap around a soft strand of his shirt, as he squints, inspecting.

“Yeah.”

You turn your head, following his gaze.

It is gone.

So, reluctantly, you peel yourself off of him, standing slowly, hands smoothing over your dress.

Drew leaves the guitar on the bed, and then-  he reaches for your hand.

No words, no glance- just his fingers brushing yours, finding them easily. And sure enough, your fingers interlock like they’ve done it a thousand times before.

He leads you out of his room, and as you walk beside him you glance at his face; neutral, unreadable.

Holding hands. Something very causal to do, apparently. 

You trail a step behind him as you both descend the stairs, your eyes stuck on the place where your hands are joined. How could you not? The way his thumb brushes along your knuckle feels thoughtless, natural, nice.

“Shit-  your shoes,” 

Drew says suddenly, half-laughing.

You blink down and remembered how they slipped off on the stairs earlier. 

He bends down slightly- still holding your hand, and grabs them. He places your shoes neatly in front of your feet so you can easily slide into them.

“Thank you,” you whisper, as you slip your feet into them.

Drew gives you a quick wink, a playful glint in his eyes, before continuing down the stairs.

Nearing the end, the distant hum of voices starts to grow louder; laughter, silverware, footsteps. 

Thought everyone was outside? 

It’s not coming from the living room, as the two of you checked.

However, just as Drew turns the corner, just as the noise becomes real, closer, and the world outside of the two of you floods back in- 

He lets go.

Just… drops your hand. 

Immediate, sharp. 

When you look at him, he’s already a few steps ahead, like it never happened at all.

“What are you guys doing in here?” you hear Drew say.

You try to stop the frown forming at your lips, but it’s slowly sinking in. Quiet and slow, like an ache. Your hand- the one he had held- you rub it against your stomach, feeling the material. Like that’ll distract you. Like it’ll help.

You glance around the kitchen. His two siblings are moving through it like a well-rehearsed routine, grabbing plates, reaching into cabinets, passing things between each other.

Drew’s by the fridge now, grabbing a bottle of water. Or sparkling water. You don’t really know.

You don’t really care, actually.

“We’re cutting the cake now. Where’s y/n?” Brooke asks, glancing around the kitchen with a plate in her hand.

Drew leans back against the counter, then nods in your direction, chin tilted just slightly, and those blue eyes of his lock on yours.

Two almost identical pairs of eyes follow, putting you under a spotlight. 

You force a smile, your legs moving on their own, carrying you forward.

“How’s the house tour?” Logan asks, and the second the words leave his mouth, you feel your ears burn.

Your eyes flick to Drew before you can stop yourself. His expression changes in an instant. Not dramatic, very subtle- his jaw tenses, lips pressed into a flat line, his entire body suddenly still as he leans against the counter. He stares at the back of Logan’s head with a look that could cut glass.

Brooke catches it too. She nudges Logan in the shoulder, a silent knock it off, passed between siblings like a second language.

“It was fine,” you say finally, pushing the words through a tight smile. You meet Logan’s teasing gaze with one of your own- friendly, distant, like you didn’t just come down the stairs with Drew’s warmth still clinging to your skin.

“Mhm,” is all Logan replies, but you catch the way his lips twitch at the corners. Logan grabs the plates in both hands, muttering something under his breath as he speeds out of the kitchen, escaping before another sibling can ‘attack’ him. 

"Ignore him," Brooke assures, holding the silverware and knife in one hand, her other ready to grab the cake box. 

“Here- let me." you immediately reach out to take the cake box from her. 

“Oh- um, thanks,” Brooke smiles as your hands brush the blue handles of the cake.

As his siblings leave, Drew takes the box from you.

You look up at him. He’s staring down at you intently, his blue eyes searching yours as he holds the box by the handle. 

“You okay?” 

No, no, I’m not okay.

“Of course.”

He hums, and simply nods, accepting your answer without question.

You look away, your chest tight. 

You walk out the house, the noise of his family sweeping over you as you blend into the crowd of Starkeys. 

Drew steps out shortly after, and placing it on the long table, he undoes the cake box, revealing a big, cute cake decorated with colorful frosting.

You stand a few steps away, quietly observing, letting the warmth of the scene wash over you. 

Drew laughs at something someone says, his eyes lighting up, his hands expertly lighting the candles on top. His mom is next to him, helping with the candles, a bright smile on her face. Makayla stands nearby, holding Lils in her arms, her husband leaning in to kiss her cheek.

They start singing Happy Birthday, and you can’t help but smile, the whole scene feeling like a snapshot of something genuine. 

And while everyone sings to the little girl squirming in her mom’s arms, Drew’s eyes are glued to you.

He’s not looking at the candles.

Not at the cake.

Not at the birthday girl.

Just you.

There’s a slight smile on his lips, relaxed, familiar- and you can’t help but smile back, even as your heart kicks up in your chest.

Once the song is over, Makayla urges her daughter to blow out the candles. Clueless, Drew does it instead, a quick puff of air before the family applauds. 

You stay off to the side, watching as they start cutting the cake, handing out slices on plates.

People move around you, but you just stand there, wondering; 

Is it still casual?

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

word count: 7.3k

࣪𖤐 a/n: longest fic i've ever written. also, I SUCK AT WRITING SMUT TF

also i finished new girl. i have a crush on nick miller

casual taglist: @maybankslover @rafeyswifey @sabrina-carpenter-stan-account @amb3rsaurus @bananaminn @rafecamerons-national-anthem @milky321 @drewnationalgf @iraslore @ursogorgeous13 @jamimers @hockeybabe87 @jqtsblyth @virgochaos @wolvestitches @dontblamethedrunkcaller @esposamultifandom @starkeysfile @rlalliehayes @pillowprincess4him

elevator | other | more casual!drew

[clownakai]

Akam Princess Mononoke AU with Shuuichi as Ashitaka and Rei as San. That is all

[justalittlebluetiefling]

I haven't been involved with coaching for almost 3 months now and somehow I am still getting dragged into the drama.

[sttoru]

outlaw!toji who initially kidnapped you for money, to rob you from your valuable belongings, eventually forms a strange attachment to you. he can’t help but feel a faint twinge of guilt for robbing a pretty and delicate little thing like you.

so, he decides to let you return to your beloved family in town. though he does not let you go completely.

every now and then when toji is passing by the town you reside in - avoiding sheriffs and other people whom could possibly recognise him from the wanted posters plastered on every wall - he looks for you.

of course, you freak out the first time he sneaked up on you. however slowly yet surely, you let your guard down. the outlaw didn’t harm you in any way after all.

“how ‘re ya doin’, princess?” toji would always greet you with that signature, cocky smirk of his, leaning against a nearby wall with his arms crossed over his chiseled chest or his hands on his worn gun belt.

sometimes you reply quickly, but on other occasions you indulge him and continue the conversation. it’s often at night that he visits you, so you have less of a chance to get caught together.

you don’t know when or how toji found out where your family’s house is. he simply started showing up at your balcony once in a while, just to catch up. after a couple times, you even let him in.

those nightly visits swiftly turned into something more intimate. it feels so wrong yet so right. a dangerous criminal who’s killed hundreds, who had even kidnapped you one day, being invited into your bed— how scandalous.

though you can’t help it. his callused yet warm hands that touch your skin, his burly body that presses you into the mattress just right, his slightly chapped lips that nip at your flesh and leave marks. . . you don’t regret a thing.

especially when you’re both catching your breath after an intense encounter. toji’s muscular body, filled with countless of scars, blankets yours easily. his arms cradle you to his bare chest afterwards and all you can do is relax against him.

“i think i really hit the jackpot with ya, aye? may not have robbed ya of yer stuff that day, but i got ma prize money one way or ‘nother,” the rugged outlaw grins as he lights up a cigar and holds it between his lips.

you can’t even tell him off for smoking in your room. toji’s fingers massage your scalp so good to the point you’re putty in his hands. the scent of tobacco is also comforting. it’s one you associate with him, because he always smells like it. it’s always a combination of tobacco, nature, horses and gunpowder.

toji knows that he has to leave before anyone comes checking in on you, but he can’t leave you when you look so adorable, clinging onto him like a lifeline.

every time he visits, it’s the same exciting story.

when toji is in a more sentimental mood, he takes you out on a ride. he settles you on the back of his horse, speeding off into the sunset, letting you enjoy the view outside of town.

the beautiful freedom that comes with the life of an outlaw. the freedom of seeing nature in all its glory. you get to experience it all.

at times, when you’re out and about, he takes his chance and teaches you how to handle a gun. toji knows you’ve been spoiled rotten by your parents growing up, so you probably haven’t touched a gun a day in your life. that’s where he comes in.

“oi, watch out. yer gonna blow my fuckin’ face off, girl,” toji grunts with a faint chuckle as he notices your clumsy hand gestures while holding his revolver. it’s endearing, truly. he doesn’t yet understand why it warms his heart to see you try and shoot at the targets he set up.

what the outlaw loves more than that, is when you’re both resting against a large oak tree, with his head on your lap. especially after he gets back from a long and successful heist in a far away town.

toji often lets his cowboy hat cover his face while he naps and uses your thighs as the perfect, plush pillow. the gentle breeze only adds to the perfect moment.

when you take his stetson and put it on your head instead in a innocent gesture, he lazily opens one eye and raises a brow in amusement.

“oh? that yer way of telling me y’ want a ride?” toji teases before pinching your cheek. he loves seeing that flustered expression on your face when you’re once again reminded of the cowboy hat rule he taught you the other day.

toji never misses the opportunity, however. he sits up and leans back against the tree trunk, patting his thick thighs which he spreads lightly.

“hop on f’ me then, pretty. show me how good of a cowgirl y’ are, yeah?”

well, briefly said, it’s never a dull moment with outlaw!toji.

[flwrkid14]

The Curious Case of Phantom

It starts during patrol.

At first, Tim barely notices the small, white blur with eerily green eyes trailing behind him as he scales rooftops and darts through alleys. Gotham’s stray population is no joke, so he figures it’s just another cat—until it keeps happening. Night after night, the same cat follows him like a shadow, no matter how far or fast he goes.

He tries to lose it, but somehow, it always finds him. And soon, he realizes the cat isn’t just following him—it’s helping.

One night, the cat leaps from a rooftop and claws a mugger who’s sneaking up behind Tim. Another night, it leads him to a drug deal in progress, meowing insistently until Tim follows.

It’s eerie how good the cat is at finding trouble, but it’s also undeniably useful. Tim names it Phantom, mostly because of its hauntingly white fur and the way it moves like a ghost in the shadows.

He’s not ready to admit that he’s started looking for the cat on patrol, waiting for it to show up like some unofficial partner.

———

Then Phantom starts showing up at Tim’s apartment.

The first time, Tim finds the cat sitting on his fire escape, staring at him through the window. He brushes it off as coincidence. But then it happens again. And again. Every night, Phantom is there, waiting.

Tim tries ignoring it, but Phantom doesn’t scratch or meow—it just stares, patient and expectant.

Eventually, Tim gives in and lets the cat inside. Phantom struts in like he owns the place, jumps onto Tim’s desk, and curls up right on top of his notes.

“Guess I have a cat now,” Tim mutters, scratching behind Phantom’s ears.

Phantom quickly becomes a fixture in Tim’s life.

He lounges on Tim’s lap during stakeouts, naps on his keyboard, and somehow always knows when Tim needs a break. Phantom is weird, though. His movements are too precise, too deliberate, and sometimes Tim swears he’s glowing faintly green.

But Tim doesn’t question it too much. Phantom’s good company, and Gotham’s seen stranger things.

———

The family eventually notices Phantom soon enough.

“You adopted a stray?” Dick asks when he visits Tim’s apartment. He crouches to pet the cat, who immediately swats at him. Dick recoils, laughing. “Okay, wow. Even the cat thinks I’m beneath him.”

“He doesn't seem to like new people,” Tim mutters, watching Phantom hop onto his desk like nothing happened.

Steph is obsessed. “He’s adorable! Can I post him?” she asks, taking a hundred photos of Phantom lounging on Tim’s keyboard. “He’s like your spooky little sidekick.”

Jason, on the other hand, has a reaction.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?” Jason yells the first time he sees Phantom.

Tim frowns. “It’s a cat, Jason. Calm down.”

“No, it’s not! That thing is glowing green, Tim! It’s haunted or radioactive or something!”

Tim rolls his eyes. “He’s just a cat.”

Jason isn’t convinced, but Phantom doesn’t care. He just glares at Jason like he’s the dumbest person in the room and stretches out on the couch.

Damian, though, reacts... differently.

The second Damian sees Phantom, he freezes.

“This cat,” Damian says, voice trembling with reverence, “is extraordinary.”

Tim barely has time to blink before Damian has his hands full of silk-lined cat beds, imported food, and custom collars engraved with “Phantom, the Great.”

“He’s my cat, Damian,” Tim says when Damian tries to scold him for not brushing Phantom’s fur properly.

“You are unworthy of him, Drake,” Damian snaps. “This is a creature of unmatched perfection, and you’re treating him like a common house pet.”

Tim sighs, but Phantom climbs into his lap and starts purring loudly. Damian looks betrayed.

“Traitor,” Damian mutters at Phantom, who clearly doesn’t care.

———

But Phantom isn’t just a cat.

Danny Fenton—currently stuck in his ghost form as a cat and unable to shift back—has been following Tim for weeks, hoping the smartest Bat could help him figure out how to fix his situation.

At first, it was desperation. Danny didn’t know how to communicate with Tim or explain what had happened to him. But then Tim let him in, fed him, and started treating him with such quiet care that Danny couldn’t bring himself to reveal the truth.

Phantom became his escape. For the first time in ages, Danny didn’t have to fight or run or worry about anyone discovering his secrets. He could just... exist.

And, okay, messing with the family was a bonus.

Danny knew he couldn’t stay a cat forever, but with the way Tim scratched behind his ears and muttered soft compliments, he thought, Maybe I can stay like this for a little longer.

Or maybe a lot longer. Phantom had a good thing going, after all.

[terrestrialnoob]

Harley crawled into the apartment. It was organized, but it looked like the occupant didn't have a lot of time for cleaning. She walked softly through it, taking it in. There were photos of her target and what had to be her family, but no friends or romantic partners. Some had a pair of older adults, matching traits meant bio-parents. More of the photos were of the target and a younger boy - a little brother, the highest likelihood of becoming another target if things go bad.

Harley continued forward, following the light to where her target was. She stood in the doorway, looking in.

Dr. Jasmine Fenton, Arkham Asylum's newest psychologist, just got her degree and everything. She did what most newbies do, actually thinking she could get through to the Joker. Harley didn't want to say it was impossible, but everyone who tried ended up in a new job or dead. Harley would try and make sure it was the former and not the later.

Harley watched as the redhead read over a file as she ate from a takeout box. She didn't want to scare the girl, yet. The scaring her away from Joker came later. So, she had to wait for the perfect moment to-

"I know you're there." Jasmine didn't look up from her file, but held out the last box of Chinese food in Harley's direction. "There's plenty if you want some."

"Awe, you ruined the surprise." Harley walked out of the shadows of the hallway into the girl's home office. She snatched the offered box of food and took a few bites as she jumped to sit on the desk.

"I'm hard to sneak up on." Jasmine said, closing her file and finally looking at Harley. "So, Dr. Quinzel, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit this evening?"

"Oh, call me Harley!" She laughed, she wasn't called Dr. all that often any more. She tapped her chop sticks on the file Jasmine just closed. "I thought you'd like a consult on your new patient, Dr. Fenton. I've got a lot of experience with him."

"I prefer to go by Jazz." She said with a smile, "While I appreciate the offer, I'd like to see how far I can get on my own. And, sorry, but I'm pretty sure your license was revoked."

Harley nodded as she swallowed to get the noodles out of her mouth. "I get it! You're new, fresh outta school, gotta prove yourself. But Joker ain't the guy to do that with. He eats people like us for breakfast, and in all the years he's been in Arkham, no one's been able to get anywhere with him."

Jazz sighed, "I don't like to believe people are lost causes. There's always something we can do to help."

"You can't help everyone, especially when they don't want it. And it's not just a question if whether or not he can be saved or whatever." Harley set down the now empty box, Jazz pointed to another one that still had food in it, but Harley declined. "If you keep it up, he'll think you're worth his time to torment. There's no telling what he'll do when he inevitably gets himself out again."

"I'll be fine." Jazz said, but Harley had to cut her off before she said something stupid.

"It's not just you! You've got family out there he can target, your parents. Your Brother! Anyone you date will become a target! He'll do everything in his power to make your life miserable!"

Jazz chuckled. "If he wants to target my family, his funeral. My parents are - were supervillains. They've really only become less- well, hyper-focused on eradicating an entire race of being- in the past few years. And my brother - I'm pretty sure he's conditionally immortal. So that's nothing to worry about."

"If it's conditional, Joker will find a way around it." Harley said, but she had to admit, this might have been an unnecessary trip. "You sure y'ain't got nothing to worry about? What about you? How conditional is your mortality?"

Jazz smiled. Her mouth seemed too wide and with too many teeth. "Oh, I am nowhere near immortal. But..."

She stood up and the room was suddenly a black void. Toxic green eyes and mouths filled with glowing white teeth opened around them. "I doubt anyone could get close enough to test it."

The room was suddenly back to normal, but whatever that thing was was still there. Harley could see its eyes watching her with amusement from inside Jazz's oversized cardigan.

"Well, I guess this really was a wasted trip. You've clearly got it covered."

"Not entirely." Jazz said, her hand wend up to her neck to rub nervously, "Well, you see... I don't really have a lot of friends. People tend to get - uh, creeped out, you know? Or chased off by my parents or brother or whatever..."

"You wanna be friends?" Harley laughed so hard she almost fell over.

Jazz's face turned bright red and the shadow eyes looked way less amused. "Yeah, stupid question. You've clearly got your own things going on."

"No! No, no." Harley had to take several deep breaths before she could look Jazz in the face again. "I 100% wanna hang out with you!"

"Really?"

"Oh yeah." She took another deep breath, "I mean, I really should have made a support system before trying to take on the Joker back when I worked for Arkham. This" she pointed between them "can only end well."

Jazz's face turned brighter than the sun. "Oh my gosh! This is amazing! We should - I have Thursday's and weekends off - What - what kind of things should we-"

Oh man, Jazz was like an excited kid. She must have had a really lonely childhood... they can psychoanalyze each other later. "Come over for girl's night next week. I'll tell my gf and bff to expect an extra person... Does the-" she motioned to the cardigan creature "-go everywhere you go? Does it need food?"

"Oh, don't worry about Jet, they only eat who I tell them to."

Harley barked out more laughter. "You're going to fit right in!"

---

Now featuring a Part 2

[steveseddie]

empty handed

written for @steddiebingo hop into spring mini event | prompt: flowers | wc: 1,4k | rating: g | tags: injured eddie, hospitals, pre-relationship, steve is a sweetheart

read on ao3

Steve never shows up empty handed when he visits Eddie at the hospital. 

The very first time– only a handful of hours after Eddie wakes up– he walks in carrying his battle vest.

“Whatcha got there, Harrington?” He asks, sluggish from the pain meds being pumped into him. 

Hanging a hand from his neck and looking shy, Steve says, “Your vest. I, uh. I washed off the blood as best as I could, and I fixed some of the rips–”

Eddie’s droopy eyes widen, and he glances down at the vest and notices that it does look better than the last time he saw it, back when Steve shrugged it off after they fled the War Zone. 

“Oh, thanks. You– you didn’t have to do that,” Eddie says, a fluttery feeling building up in his chest. 

“Wayne told me how hard you worked on it,” Steve says with a shrug and Eddie can’t help but wonder for how long he was out that Steve is now on a first name basis with his uncle (he knows it was only a week, Wayne himself told him, but clearly a lot happened in that time). “And it helped– having something to do while we waited for you to wake up.”

Eddie thinks of Steve sitting in his house alone, waiting for news about Eddie, giving himself a task to focus on instead of worrying about Eddie. He feels a little lightheaded suddenly, and he doesn’t think it has anything to do with his medication. 

“Why don’t you hold on to it a little longer, big boy?” Eddie says, watching as Steve’s cheeks pink up at the name, his fingers twisting around the denim. “Until I’m outta here at least. I don’t think it matches my look right now.” He gestures at his hospital gown, and Steve chuckles.

Hours later, after filling Eddie in on everything he missed while he was out, he leaves, taking the vest with him.  

***

The next time, he brings a book. It’s Eddie’s own copy of The Lord of the Rings. Apparently, he asked Wayne for it after Eddie mentioned that he needed some entertainment now that he’d read every magazine in this hospital. 

Eddie accepts it with a smile and that same fluttery feeling in his chest. “Thanks, Harrington. I’ll read it later when this headache finally fucks off.”

Steve bites his lip. “Want me to read it to you?”

“You– you’d do that?”

“I carried your ass out of the Upside Down, Munson. This is nothing,” Steve jokes, grabbing the book back and sitting down on the chair next to Eddie’s bed. 

Except it’s kind of everything to Eddie– how sweet Steve is to him. 

Eddie ends up falling asleep after one chapter, lulled to sleep by Steve’s voice. He wakes up a few hours later and finds the book on the nightstand and a note stuck to it.

Not bad for a nerd book, we’ll pick it back up next time. x Steve

P.D., you drool in your sleep.

***

On his next few visits, he starts sneaking in snacks after Eddie complains about the hospital’s food, most of them from Family Video’s candy display. 

He’s so happy that he even lets Steve steal some of his Cheez Balls. “I’m telling you, Steve, the food here tastes worse than the sole of Gareth’s boot,” he says, spewing orange dust all over his hospital gown.

Steve’s hand pauses mid-air. “Do I wanna know why you know that, man?”

Eddie only grins manically and sloppily licks his fingers clean. Steve’s cheeks look a little pinker when he stands up to get rid of the evidence so the nurses don’t see it.

He sticks to the snacks for his next few visits, taking note of Eddie’s favorites and making sure to bring those more often. By now, the fluttery feeling that Eddie could write off as not being used to having many people do nice things for him has grown into a full-on, undeniable crush that keeps getting bigger and bigger the more time he spends with Steve. 

***

When he doesn’t show up with a snack but with something different, Eddie isn’t disappointed. He’d told Steve that now that they weren’t giving him as many meds, he was having trouble sleeping because of the beeping of the machines still attached to him, so Steve brought him a cassette player and a couple of tapes he grabbed from the trailer. 

“I didn’t know which were your favorites but– Black Sabbath, that’s the one with the guy who bit the head off the bat, right? And Metallica is the one with the puppet song, and Henderson said you nailed that one with the demobats, so I figured you probably listen to it a lot–”

Eddie’s eyes flit from Steve to the tapes, and he has to remind himself that he’s hooked to multiple machines and that there’s an IV stuck in his arm– he can’t jump from the bed and tackle Steve into a hug, no matter how much he wants to. 

“Eddie? Shit, was it a bad idea to bring up the bats?” Steve says with an apologetic grimace. 

Eddie shakes his head. “No, no, you're good, Stevie.”

“Good. Good, man. I don’t know how having guys screaming in your ear is better than beeping machines, but–” Steve shrugs, his hands settling on his hips.

“It is, I promise,” Eddie says with a laugh, sticking Heaven and Hell into the cassette player. When he hears the first few notes from the earphones hanging around his neck, he grins. “Thanks, sweetheart.”

Steve’s breath catches, but he offers Eddie a smile. “No problem, Eds.”

***

By now, Eddie shouldn’t be surprised when Steve shows up with something, but when he walks in with a nice flower bouquet on the day that Eddie is finally being released from the hospital, he can’t help but stare at him in disbelief.

“Got a big date to get to after driving me home, Harrington?” Eddie asks, ignoring the sting he feels at his own words. 

“Hopefully,” he says before taking a deep breath and holding the flowers out to Eddie. “These are for you.”

Eddie swallows thickly, taking the flowers with a shaky hand. “What? No snacks this time?” He jokes, but his voice comes out shaky as well because Steve got him flowers.

“Well, Cheez Balls didn’t seem appropriate for– this,” he says, gesturing at Eddie and then at himself. Eddie doesn’t know what he means, but Steve continues before he can ask. “And I didn’t want to show up empty handed, not if I’m gonna-”

“Gonna what, Stevie?” Eddie prompts softly. 

Steve brushes his hair back with his hand. “If I’m gonna ask you out on a date.”

Eddie’s breath hitches. He’s glad he’s no longer hooked to the heart rate monitor, or Steve would’ve been able to hear the way his heartbeat speeds up almost worryingly. “A date? With me?”

“Yeah,” Steve says with a sheepish grin. “I’ve been thinking about asking you for a while, but disgusting hospital food and watching whatever is playing on that crappy TV wasn’t what I was thinking about for our first date.”

“You– you’ve thought about our first date?” Eddie asks, his voice slightly strangled. There’s a glass of water on the nightstand, and if he could move, he’d love to drink some, but for now, all he does is lick his lips– and watches as Steve’s eyes follow the movement. 

“I’ve thought about a lot of things, Eds,” he says, his eyes still fixed on Eddie’s lips.

“Jesus Christ,” Eddie mumbles, his face feeling hot. He attempts to hide it behind the flowers and realizes they smell really nice. Steve got him nice-smelling flowers, and he asked Eddie out on a date, and–

Eddie still hasn’t given him an answer. 

“Yes,” he says and watches Steve’s face split into a grin. “How soon can we do it?” He adds, feeling only a little embarrassed at how eager he sounds, because well, he is. He’s eager to go on a date with Steve and to find out what other things he has been thinking about. 

Not that it matters anyway because Steve’s smile only gets bigger and he says, “I can drive us to my house instead. We can watch a movie, I’ll make you dinner.”

“Much better than terrible hospital food and crappy TV,” Eddie says, his grin just as big. “Alright, big boy, let’s do it.”

This time, Steve doesn’t leave empty handed either. He grabs Eddie’s free hand and interlocks their fingers together before he leads them out of the hospital room.

[mr2swap]

The Incident: It's not her

-It's not her, It's not her, It's not her- I repeated over and over again from the laundry room where I was hiding, between one of my hands I held my small slippery cock and with the other I held the gym clothes of " Mama,” his tank top was completely soaked with his hot, sticky sweat and his boxers were so wet that he could squeeze the sweat out and drink it like the most delicious juice.

I felt like hell doing this with my mother's clothes... but she was no longer my mother or at least that's what I told myself to try to silence the guilt, "Mama" or rather Frank was living with me and we were increasingly In the same room all I could think about was kneeling before his long hairy legs and taking out his huge cock and worshiping his huge hairy shaft.

It had been a big surprise for the whole family that my own mother was one of those affected by one of those incidents that a group of terrorists were causing throughout the country. This time it happened in the supermarket. My mother was shopping at the supermarket when they released that gas everywhere.

When we saw the news about the terrorist attack we tried to call mom, but no one answered. And hours later the police knocked on our door to bring “mom” back to her home.

I and dad stayed silent for several minutes watching a huge hairy man, almost 2 meters tall, enter our house with a bag full of groceries. “Mom” looked quite embarrassed. His movements were totally feminine and contrasted with that body. A thick beard. It covered his face and the thin fabric of his tank top revealed his muscular, hairy chest.

“Mama” ran to hug us with his long, strong arms, while a couple of tears of sadness stained his handsome face. Mom still didn't control his strength so that strong hug only made things even more awkward between us.

All of this was too much for my dad, He… just stayed silent for days, the house had never felt so bad, but luckily I lived alone and was only visiting to help mom and all the changes she was going through.

A week after the Incident, Mama arrived at my apartment with a suitcase in her hand and with a sad expression on her face.

-Your father and I... we are taking some time-

I knew what that meant dad was always very homophobic, that's the reason I left home, when I came out of the closet dad had the same reaction, ignoring me completely, but this time it was his own wife who was now a “faggot”

At first Mom's posture, movements and way of speaking were very effeminate, when we went to buy some clothes I heard some boys call us “faggots” without knowing that I was only shopping with my mother, but now I barely recognize her .

In just one month Mom started to change, she seemed much happier with her much younger and fit body, she started going to the gym and made new friends, loud, smelly, and extremely masculine guys, little by little Mom got used to his new friends and his new body and he completely became “Frank” Not only with his friends but also with me.

He stopped behaving like a 50-year-old lady and became a muscular airheaded caveman. When he's not devouring everything in the refrigerator while watching a football game in front of the TV, he's fucking some girl in what used to be my room. .

-That loser? Oh yes it's my... friend, his ex just left him and I let him sleep on my couch... but don't worry about him, now let me see those huge tits... -

That's usually his excuse when he brings a girl to my apartment, to fuck her loudly all night. And I... well, I sneak into the laundry room so I can listen much better as he fucks a new girl while I masturbate with her clothes, just like now.

If you liked this story about the "incident" there is a whole series of stories about people who lost their real bodies thanks to one of those attacks that are happening all over the country in my Ko-Fi archives… if you're lucky you could be next.

[wholemeallbread]

prince!rin is often overshadowed by his older brother. it's near impossible for him to have his moment when his brother always does it better. to everyone, he's "itoshi sae's younger brother". he's even had people trying to marry him just to get closer to sae.

his heart is ice at this point. steadily melting, but impossible to just crack through. it's a slow, slow process, his initial thought anyway, and he was convinced it would take ages for him to find the one.

prince!rin who's nothing but rude when you try and talk to him. it wasn't your own choice in the first place, purely for building relationships between different nations, but how were you going to explain that he was the one making things impossible?

prince!rin who genuinely couldn't believe he fell for the "love at first sight" trope. it's stupid – he was stupid, and he flunked his first impression. how has talking to you for a brief fifty seven seconds (he was counting) equate to his heart shattering into a million pieces with nothing but a gaze?

prince!rin who seems nicer than he lets on. this may sound corny, but he's protected you more times than you'd think.

weird people of importance that are way out of your age range eying you funny? he's only sharpened the sword in his scabbard last night, and he's not afraid to use it. he watches your drink from across the entire hall when you're gone just to make sure nobody tampers with it. believe him, it's more common than you think. when he knows you're visiting the kingdom soon, he makes sure every inch of the town is far from dirt and mud, in fear of ruining your outfit for the special night.

prince!rin panics and keeps the entire relationship undercover. this entire thing was spontaneous. god, it wasn't even him who asked, it was you. he didn't even know you liked him!

nobody knows, not even his brother. actually, he told the diary that he stress-writes into, but now it's locked up, in a locked up box, in another locked up box, and then in a locked up drawer. just the word "marriage" makes him flinch. how suspicious, but somehow, nobody was able to make the link between the two of you.

prince!rin tries to seem cool in front of you, but fails miserably. he has a short temper despite his outward appearance, and even tiny misfortunes cause the dormant anger inside of him to start bubbling up. luckily, you're always there to calm him down, so no more training dummies or random civilians have to suffer from his wrath.

prince!rin who would risk his life for you, but still struggles to bend or completely break the rules. he follows his curfew diligently, straight up refuses to sneak around, and is always on his best behaviour when around his family. the chances of you meeting during the night are near zero, and the only time you see each other is when you coincidentally cross paths or during royal events.

prince!rin always blames himself when the two of you get into an argument. you'd think he's ignoring you with how busy he magically becomes, but his brain is so full of thoughts and conflict. instead of talking things out, he releases stress by overtraining, spending all day working on his swordsmanship. yep, his communication skills suck.

prince!rin tweaks the fuck out when sae magically manages to find out. he could be halfway across the nation and he would still feel the disapproving glare he fears so much. he's pretty much begging on his knees for sae not to tell anyone, not for his own reputation, but he doesn't want to get you in trouble. and then everything comes out, confessing everything on the spot; how it happened, how he feels, how he wants to say sorry to you. sae gives him a weird look, claiming that he'll "help him out", but he doesn't get any advice in the following days.

and he feels utterly betrayed days later when his own brother set the two of you up. as evil as it was, he told you that rin was injured, and he told rin that you were going to break up with him. evil, so evil, but it worked. rin was not ready to receive a big hug, mumbles of missing him and telling him to never get hurt again beinf whispered in his ear. just what is going on?

whatever. at the end of the day, you were in his arms again, ans that's all that matters.

@lizbix CMERE I WROTE!!! oops its a bit late actually r u awake

[fastandcarlos]

My Little Graduate : ̗̀➛ Max Verstappen

summary: you're all prepared to graduate with your family by your side, and an unexpected extra sneaking into the crowd

“There she is...my little graduate!” Max cheered as he watched you walk through the crowd of people, opening his arms up and inviting you straight into the room. 

You were lifted up of your feet as soon as Max’s arms wrapped around you, your hand reaching up to keep a hold of your cap that was on the top of your head. Max pressed a gentle kiss to your cheek before pulling away, studying you closely. His hand slipped into yours as he twirled you around, his eyes drawn to the wide smile on your face. 

It was everything that Max wanted to see, after watching you stress and suffer for so many months, he was finally seeing the proper you in front of him again. 

“You’ve got no idea how proud I am of you,” Max smiled, taking both of your hands into his, “you’ve worked so hard to get that moment today.” 

He was in awe of how hard you’d worked, relentlessly researching, typing, proofreading, whatever you needed to do in order to get yourself your degree that you’d dreamed of for so long. Max was hardworking himself, but nothing could compare to how hard you’d pushed yourself. 

Little did Max know the part that he had played though. The constant late night visits, dashes to the shop to help you, offers to read over what you’d written to make sure that it made sense in your sleep state.  

“Graduation suits you too,” Max complimented, taking a closer look at you. 

The slight breeze blew your gown up slightly, showing off the dress that you wore underneath. The finishing touch for Max though was the cap that you wore on top of your head, the one thing you’d talked about wanting to wear for so long, and at last it was finally yours. 

“I can’t believe I’m dating a graduate,” Max smiled, keeping his eyes firmly on you. “How does it feel to finally receive the recognition that you deserve?” 

“This is the moment I dreamt of when I sent that application in all those years ago,” you chuckled, smoothing down your gown. “There were plenty of moments too when I was sure that I wasn’t actually going to see the end of this degree.” 

There had been many conversations between you and Max when you felt like giving up. He was there every time though, reminding you of how hard you’d worked and how rewarding it would be if you saw it through to the end. 

He wasn’t sure at the time whether you truly believed him, but now as you celebrated your moment, he was relieved that you had listened and stuck it out, no matter how many times you wanted to turn around and say no. 

“I always knew you’d get here,” Max shrugged, as if it was the easiest thing in the world that you’d achieved. “There was no doubt in my mind with that incredibly smart mind of yours.” 

Your hands rested against Max’s chest, tilting your head back to look up at him. “I don’t think I’d have got to this moment without you, you’ve always been my biggest cheerleader.” 

As your eyes met Max’s, you couldn’t help but smile, reaching up and taking your cap off. You twirled it in your hands before placing it on top of Max’s head instead, taking a step back so that you could admire how well it suited him. Although your degree was yours, Max had played a huge part in it too. His smile turned up as he positioned the cap so that it was straight, allowing you to pull your phone out and take a picture of him. 

Once he had it, Max didn’t want to take it off, finding himself quite comfortable with a graduate cap on his head. He knew it was never going to be his, but he didn’t take for granted how appreciative you were of everything that he had done for you over the past couple of years. 

“You deserve to wear that for a moment,” you told him, handing it back as Max went to take it off. “It probably doesn’t compare to all those fancy trophies that you win on a podium, but that to me is probably the biggest trophy I’ll ever earn. So, I want you to hold it, like you tell me to do with yours.” 

“This is all yours,” Max protested, taking the cap and popping it back onto the top of your head. “I’m just enjoying the fact that there’s so many graduates around here today, and yet I’m dating the best one.” 

“I’m emotional enough as it is today without you getting soppy.” 

You hit hard against Max’s chest as his arms snaked back around your frame. He pressed a kiss against the top of your head, blocking out everything that was going on around you. Despite the hundreds of names that had been read as people walked across the stage, there was only one that meant anything to him. 

A hand poked against your side, dragging you out of your daydream. “What’s the plan now that you’ve got a super official degree to your name?” 

“I guess I have to go and get a job now,” you chuckled, “I can’t study and travel the world supporting you forever, as nice as it’s been for the past couple of years.” 

“You’ll still come to some races though, won’t you? Even though you’re going to be busy?” Max nervously asked you. 

It didn’t matter how career driven you were, there was no way you were going to stop going to races completely. Depending on what direction you were about to go in, you knew every race would be impossible, but if there was any chance that you could get there, then you absolutely would. 

“Wherever you go next, I’ll be supporting you,” Max assured you, “and wherever that place is, I know you’re going to go on and do absolutely amazing things too.” 

“I should probably go and collect a few more degrees to try and match all your world championships.” 

“Yours is a lot more impressive than mine,” Max grinned. 

Your eyes narrowed back at him, “millions of people get degrees, but there’s only one champion of the world, and that just so happens to be you.” 

Although you had a point, Max was still far more impressed by what you achieved then what he had. He was at the top in his field, and he knew now that the world was your oyster that you were absolutely going to rise to the top of your field too. 

“I really am proud of you,” Max told you once again, kissing against your forehead. 

“I know you are,” you giggled, “it’s taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to this moment, but I’m so happy that we’re finally here.” 

“I’m just looking forward to having you back, without the stress, the late trips to the library,” Max couldn’t help but joke, “it’s just going to be you again, with that big, beautiful smile on your face.” 

Your eyes widened as Max spoke, “are you suggesting that I’ve been stressed and stroppy over the past few months?” You challenged. 

“Love, you’ve been an absolute nightmare.” 

˗ˏˋ 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ! ´ˎ˗

[cumironi]

THAT TIME OF THE YEAR : TOJI FUSHIGURO

spooky season is your two boys’ favorite month out of the year. they will take halloween to another level with their stupid prank and their obnoxious self. (credit)

warning. established relationship, non-sorcerer, megs is three.

october was always a special month in your house, especially with your two favorite boys: your husband and your son. halloween brought out an extra spark in both of them. for toji, it was all about scaring the living daylights out of you at every turn; for your son, it was an endless excuse to indulge in as much candy as his little hands could grab. together, they were the ultimate halloween duo, and they made sure every night was full of fun, frights, and family bonding.

every evening, the three of you would cozy up on the couch, draped in halloween blankets, surrounded by pillows covered in tiny pumpkins and ghosts. the night began with spooky cartoons for megumi, gradually building up to horror movies that made you jump with every scare. it didn’t help that toji took every opportunity to add to the horror, sneaking up on you in the dark or making the house creak in just the right spots to give you chills. megumi, meanwhile, giggled at every one of his father’s pranks, clinging to you in excitement every time the movie reached a scary part.

decorating the house was another thrill entirely. toji insisted on going all out, hanging fake cobwebs on every wall, sticking glow-in-the-dark spiders to the ceiling, and even placing a life-sized skeleton by the front door to spook anyone who dared to visit. megumi helped, eagerly grabbing handfuls of fake bats and pumpkins to scatter around the living room. you let him stick the bat decals on the windows, watching his eyes light up as he carefully placed each one, talking excitedly about his plans to “scare all the monsters” away.

and then there were the costumes. toji, knowing your household’s halloween excitement, had gone above and beyond by sending over matching costumes for all of you. “just a little family fun,” he’d said, though you suspected he was reveling in the idea of seeing you all dressed up. the first box you opened held matching vampire costumes, complete with tiny fangs for megumi and a dramatic cape for toji that he wore with far too much pride. another box had skeleton onesies, which made megumi squeal in excitement, and of course, the classic pumpkin outfits that had you all laughing so hard you were nearly in tears.

it was the perfect blend of spooky, silly, and sweet—your little family creating memories in a halloween wonderland, one costume and candy bar at a time.

stepping out of your bedroom, you were greeted by the stillness of the house, a quiet that was almost too quiet. usually, there was the faint sound of toji’s steady footsteps, or the familiar soft noises from the tv, maybe even megumi’s playful laughter filling the air. but today, the silence seemed to linger, thick and expectant. instinctively, you felt your guard go up a little, knowing that your two favorite troublemakers were probably lying in wait, planning to jump out and startle you at any second. with halloween right around the corner, their pranks had become even more relentless.

smiling to yourself, you made your way down the hallway, keeping your eyes casually peeled for any flicker of movement. as you turned the corner, passing by the living room, something outside caught your attention. you stopped mid-stride, your gaze pulling toward the large window. there, across the street, the once-empty house stood in stark contrast to its quiet surroundings. a moving truck was parked in the driveway, its back open and overflowing with boxes, furniture, and household items. a handful of people moved back and forth, unloading and organizing, their voices carrying faintly through the early morning air.

a small flicker of surprise mixed with curiosity as you watched. the house had been vacant for so long that you'd almost grown used to the sight of its empty driveway and dark windows. seeing life there now, the bustle of activity, felt like an unexpected change—a new piece settling into the familiar puzzle of your neighborhood.

“well,” you murmured to yourself, a slight smile tugging at the corner of your mouth, “someone finally moved in.” your voice was soft, almost lost in the quietness of the room, but the words held a certain warmth, a bit of welcome for the unseen neighbors across the street.

you lingered for a moment, watching them go about their work, wondering what they’d be like. would they be friendly? reserved? or maybe they’d have kids who would join megumi in his little neighborhood adventures. the thought made you chuckle, imagining your son roping in yet another person into his halloween antics.

finally, you tore your gaze from the window and continued your path to the kitchen, the need for a warm cup of tea pulling you back into the routine of the morning.

you were in the middle of pouring hot water over your tea leaves, the soothing scent wafting up as you busied yourself with the morning routine. but then, a faint, haunting tune drifted into the kitchen—a melody so unmistakable, it sent a chill up your spine. the michael myers theme. you froze, brows knitting together in confusion, until you looked toward the large window that gave you a view of the front yard.

outside, right at the edge of your property, stood two figures. one towered over six feet tall, their body broad and muscular, while the other was smaller, tiny in comparison. both were dressed in full michael myers costumes, their faces obscured by the eerie, pale masks. the larger figure was seated at a piano, somehow dragged onto the lawn, fingers moving ominously over the keys. meanwhile, the smaller one—who looked eerily like your son—was doing a little dance in front, his moves synchronized to the creepy beat. both were facing the house of your new neighbors, like some twisted ‘welcome to the neighborhood’ display.

your eyes squinted, trying to make sense of the bizarre scene, but the realization hit you like a freight train. it was toji and megumi. a mix of horror and exasperation washed over you as your eyes went wide. you barely took a breath before you muttered, “fuck, fuck, fuck,” and quickly turned off the stove, abandoning your tea.

moving as fast as you could, you made a beeline for the front door, already imagining what kind of impression this little ‘performance’ would make on the unsuspecting newcomers. as you reached the door, you could hear toji’s deep chuckle even from inside, clearly enjoying every second of the prank. it was obvious this was his idea—megumi just his willing accomplice.

bursting out of the door, you hurried across the lawn, ignoring the curious looks from some neighbors peeking out their windows. “toji!” you whisper-shouted, trying not to make too much of a scene but already knowing that was a losing battle.

you glanced down at little megumi, whose enthusiasm was evident despite the mask. his tiny frame, barely reaching toji’s thighs, was bouncing with excitement as he held up a plastic knife—though, much to your horror, he had it sticking through one of the eye holes in his michael myers mask.

“megumi,” you began, struggling to keep a straight face, “you’re absolutely adorable, baby, but for the hundredth time—take the knife out of your eye, please.”

he paused, looking up at you with a glimmer of mischief as he slowly lowered the fake knife. “it’s scarier this way, mom,” he replied, sounding all too serious for a kid his age. you couldn’t help but chuckle at his dedication to the act, but a look over at toji confirmed your suspicion that he was the mastermind behind the “knife-through-the-eye” idea.

toji’s head tilted up slightly, those familiar green eyes glinting mischievously behind the mask. he slowed his playing but didn’t stop, while megumi just turned to give you a small, amused wave before going back to his exaggerated dance moves.

just as you’re about to speak, a voice called out from across the street. you looked up to find two men watching the scene unfold—one tall with stark white hair and the other with long, dark hair, both wearing expressions that looked equal parts amused and bewildered. near them were two kids about megumi’s age: a boy with a shock of pink hair and a girl with short ginger-colored hair. all of them seemed captivated by the bizarre performance happening on your lawn.

your cheeks flushed as you realized they’d been watching the entire time, and you let out a sheepish laugh, raising a hand in an awkward wave. “i promise we’re normal... well, at least 11 months out of the year!” you half-shouted across the street, your voice laced with a mixture of embarrassment and humor.

the white-haired man let out a deep laugh, clearly entertained. “oh, don’t worry, we’re all for a little halloween spirit,” he called back, grinning. the dark-haired man beside him shook his head, though you could see the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he held back a laugh.

the kids, meanwhile, seemed more than intrigued, their eyes sparkling with excitement as they whispered to each other. the boy with pink hair pointed at megumi, who was still brandishing his plastic knife with pride, while the girl watched, already sizing up his costume.

toji didn’t miss a beat as the neighbors began walking over, his fingers still gliding across the keyboard with dramatic flair. his eyes flicked to you briefly, a playful challenge in his gaze, daring you to try and make him stop.

you let out an exasperated sigh and rolled your eyes, marching over to him and giving him a firm smack on the back of his head. “enough, toji!” you muttered through clenched teeth, trying to hide the grin tugging at the corners of your mouth. “the neighbors are coming over, and you’re about two seconds away from terrifying them out of town.”

toji chuckled, continuing to play his ominous tune as he looked up at you. “lighten up, love. it’s all in good halloween spirit,” he said, his eyes crinkling with amusement behind his mask. you couldn’t help but shake your head, trying to resist the urge to laugh at his ridiculous antics.

the neighbors finally approached, the two men offering polite waves as the kids looked on, their expressions a mix of curiosity and delight. they seemed to take the display in stride, treating it as just another quirky neighborhood occurrence.

the two men extended friendly smiles, each one exuding a different type of charm. the tall, white-haired man with bright blue eyes stepped forward first, a grin plastered on his face that seemed as wide as the moon.

“i’m gojo satoru,” he said with a playful glint in his eye, offering his hand. “and this is my husband, geto suguru,” he added, gesturing to the dark-haired man beside him, who greeted you with a warm nod and a more reserved smile.

“we noticed your… uh, halloween spirit,” geto added, his smile deepening as he cast a sidelong glance at toji, who was clearly reveling in the entire scene.

before you could respond, the kids had already gravitated toward megumi, their own curiosity and excitement uncontained. the pink-haired boy waved enthusiastically, introducing himself with a big grin. “i’m yuuji itadori!” he said, his voice bursting with energy, “and this is nobara kugisaki,” he added, nodding toward the red-haired girl beside him, who wore a confident, no-nonsense expression.

megumi, still holding onto his plastic knife on the eye hole of his mask, looked at them through his mask’s eye holes, a spark of excitement in his eyes. he lowered the knife, waving back with a shy but intrigued look.

“i’m megumi,” he said simply, and before you knew it, the three of them were deep in conversation, already planning a halloween adventure that you could only imagine would be both thrilling and chaotic.

“looks like they’re already fast friends,” you chuckled, watching the kids with a fond smile.

smiling, you nodded in return. “nice to meet you both. i’m y/n, and this is my husband, toji,” you said, glancing up at him. toji finally lifted the michael myers mask, pushing it up to reveal his face. his sharp gaze, set jaw, a scar across his lips, and faint smirk had gojo blinking, momentarily taken aback before he broke into a grin.

“you guys don’t mess around, do you?” gojo said, chuckling as he took in toji’s intimidating appearance.

toji shrugged, crossing his arms with a casual ease. “we’re serious about halloween,” he replied, his tone a mix of dry humor and pride. he made his way over to you, slinging an arm around your waist. his touch was always casual but reassuring.

he was so close that you could smell the lingering scent of his cologne mingled with the crisp autumn air. his thumb grazed your hip in a small, intimate gesture that sent a familiar shiver down your spine. his presence was always comforting, yet at the same time, you couldn’t help but feel a tiny pang of embarrassment at the spectacle toji was making. you didn’t mind a bit of mischief, but this was a new neighborhood, and first impressions were important.

you cleared your throat softly, glancing back at gojo and geto with a slightly embarrassed smile. “i’m really sorry about these two,” you said, nodding toward toji and megumi, who was now giving nobara a serious demonstration of his fake knife skills. “they get a little… overly excited for halloween. it’s kind of their favorite time of year.”

the two men shared an amused glance before turning back to you, their expressions understanding. “don’t worry,” gojo said. “i totally get it. halloween brings out the craziness in everyone, doesn’t it?” his toothy grin grew wider as he looked over at megumi and nobara, who were now both brandishing their plastic knives like they were swords.

geto shook his head slightly, his lips quirking into a smile. “it’s nice to see such enthusiasm for the holiday. and your husband seems like quite the character as well,” he added with a nod toward toji who’s still standing beside you.

toji simply chuckled in response, his arm still casually wrapped around your waist. he watched as megumi and nobara dueled with their pretend weapons, his expression a mix of pride and amusement. “what can i say? halloween is our time to shine,” toji said, looking at you with that familiar spark in his eye.

gojo chuckled, his grin widening as he watched the scene unfold. “honestly, i respect the dedication. halloween should be a full-production event, don’t you think, suguru?” geto nodded, his smile warm and reassuring. “absolutely. it’s good to see people who go all out. besides, i think it’s rubbing off on the kids—they already seem like best friends.”

you looked back at toji, who gave a slight, unapologetic smirk as he caught your gaze, his thumb brushing lightly over your hip in a way that reminded you exactly why you loved his confidence, even if it did border on outrageous at times. it was moments like these that you could see how much fun he had with megumi, encouraging that playful side, even if it sometimes made for interesting introductions.

“well,” you sighed, turning back to your new neighbors, “at least they’re enthusiastic.”

geto’s eyes sparkled with a warm, inviting smile as he looked at you. “you guys should definitely stop by for trick-or-treating later,” he said, his tone light but sincere. “we might not have all the decorations up just yet, but i promise, we’ve got the best candy.”

his gaze shifted briefly to megumi, who was still showing off his michael myers costume with a serious expression, and geto chuckled softly. “i’m sure yuuji and nobara would love to have some company for the night. we could even make it a little neighborhood halloween kick-off.”

there was a genuine warmth in his voice, a subtle excitement that told you he wasn’t just being polite; he genuinely wanted to get to know your family and share in the halloween spirit. his easy smile and welcoming demeanor made it feel like this might just be the beginning of a new friendship.

you felt your heart warm at geto’s easy kindness, and you found yourself nodding with a smile. “we’d love to,” you replied, glancing at megumi, who looked thrilled at the thought of spending halloween with new friends.

toji, standing beside you with a relaxed grin, let out a chuckle. “oh, we’ll definitely be there,” he said, his eyes glinting with amusement. “can’t let the best candy in the neighborhood go to waste, right?” his arm found its way around your shoulders, pulling you close as he continued, “besides, someone has to make sure you two aren’t just bluffing about the candy quality.”

geto laughed at your husband’s teasing comment, a warm chuckle that filled the air with a sense of camaraderie. “we’ll make sure not to disappoint in that department. our house will be a must-visit on halloween night, no doubt about it,” he said, his voice carrying enthusiasm that mirrored yours. the idea of forming new friendships so soon in the neighborhood filled you with a mix of anticipation and comfort, and you were happy to find that your new neighbors seemed to share the same eagerness.

after spending a moment with your new neighbors, you finally stepped back inside with megumi in your arms, his mask now set aside, and toji casually draping his arm around your waist as he walked beside you. the warmth of your home felt like a cozy contrast to the crisp, autumn air outside, and the three of you made your way to the couch, settling in for some downtime together.

you shifted megumi in your lap, playfully poking his little bolted tummy. “you’re such a scary little thing, you know that?” you teased, your voice filled with exaggerated seriousness.

megumi’s reaction was immediate—a burst of giggles as he squirmed, trying to dodge your finger. “no, mama! i’m not scary!” he squealed, his small hands batting at yours as if to defend his tummy.

toji chuckled softly from his spot beside you, one arm still lazily wrapped around you while he watched the two of you with a grin. “oh, i dunno,” he drawled, reaching over to ruffle megumi’s hair. “i think you had all the neighbors spooked. you really pulled off that michael myers act, kiddo.”

megumi looked up at toji with a wide-eyed grin, as if realizing the compliment was as good as a badge of honor. “did i scare you, papa?”

toji raised an eyebrow, pretending to think it over. “hmm... maybe a little. you’re lucky i didn’t run away screaming,” he joked, which only made megumi giggle harder.

you couldn’t help but smile at the two of them, warmth spreading through you as you watched them. with a sigh of contentment, you leaned into toji, letting the comfort of your family’s presence sink in. “guess we’ll have to keep an eye on you, baby,” you said, tickling him one last time. “we can’t have a little monster running around unchecked.”

megumi beamed, resting his head on your shoulder as his laughter finally softened, his small arms wrapping around you. nestled between you and toji, he looked utterly content, his little halloween antics forgotten for now—until the next big scare he was already planning.

you smiled softly, brushing a stray strand of hair from megumi’s face before leaning down to plant a gentle kiss on his chubby cheek. his skin was warm against your lips, and he looked up at you with wide eyes, a soft blush dusting his cheeks at the attention. “are you excited about your new friends, baby?” you asked, your voice gentle and encouraging as you met his gaze.

megumi nodded eagerly, his eyes shining with anticipation. “uh-huh!” he said, his voice filled with a mixture of shyness and excitement. his small hands fiddled with the fabric of his halloween costume, unable to contain his emotions.

toji leaned over, ruffling megumi’s hair playfully. “looks like someone’s already won over the neighborhood,” he said, his voice full of pride. he looked at you, a smirk. “who knew our little terror was such a social butterfly?” he teased, his gaze flickering with warmth as he glanced between you and megumi.

you smiled warmly, your heart swelling as you took in the sight of your son’s excited, flushed face. reaching out, you gently brushed your thumb over his chubby cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin as he fidgeted with the fabric of his costume, still caught up in the thrill of meeting new friends.

“so,” you asked softly, your voice tender, “do you like your new friends, sweetie?”

megumi nodded, his little face lighting up as he met your gaze. “uh-huh! they’re really nice, mama. yuuji said he can run super fast, and nobara said she’s gonna show me how to be ‘extra spooky’ for halloween!” he replied, his voice filled with wonder and a touch of admiration for his new friends.

toji chuckled, leaning back with his arm draped around your shoulders, clearly amused by megumi’s excitement. “looks like we’ll have the best little monster squad in the neighborhood,” he added, his voice a mix of pride and warmth. you laughed, pressing another kiss to megumi’s cheek. “then we’ll just have to make sure you’re the spookiest of them all, won’t we?” you said with a grin, watching as his eyes sparkled with anticipation for the halloween fun yet to come.

megumi nodded eagerly, his small face beaming with joy as he looked up at you. his little hands still fidgeted with the fabric of his costume, betraying his excitement.

“mm, i wanna be the scariest,” he said with a determined nod, his words filled with both excitement and a touch of shyness as his gaze flickered between you and toji. toji chuckled, reaching out to ruffle megumi’s hair gently. “oh, i have no doubt you’ll scare the socks off them all, kiddo,” he said, his voice warm and reassuring.

megumi’s enthusiasm was infectious, and you couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of joy seeing him so happy. toji’s arm wrapped around your shoulders, pulling you closer, his warmth a comforting presence as you both watched your son’s imagination take off.

megumi squirmed with excitement, his eyes wide with wonder as he continued sharing his plans for halloween. his excitement was palpable, and it was heartwarming to see him so engaged and filled with anticipation for the spooky holiday ahead. toji chimed in with a smile, his voice filled with pride, “we’ll be the scariest family.”

you chuckled warmly at toji’s comment, your eyes sparkling with pride as you looked down at your little trickster, the light dusting of red on his cheeks betraying his emotions.

megumi was clearly brimming with anticipation and excitement, his gaze flickering between you and his father as he imagined all the spooky possibilities that halloween night held. he nodded eagerly, his small hands still fidgeting with the fabric of his costume. “we’re gonna scare everyone!” he declared with a grin, his small voice filled with a mixture of determination and delight.

you watched, a soft smile spreading across your face, as megumi wriggled his way down from your lap, his little hands gripping your knees for balance. his determination was written all over his face, brows furrowed with that serious concentration only kids seem to master, as he landed on his feet and looked up at you with a gleam in his eyes.

“i’m gonna find the best costume!” he declared, his tiny voice filled with such conviction that you couldn’t help but chuckle. then, without waiting for a reply, he started his short trek towards his bedroom, his steps determined but still slightly wobbly in his excitement.

“come on, mama!” he called, pausing just long enough to flash you and toji a grin before continuing his enthusiastic march.

toji chuckled beside you, his arm tightening around your shoulders as he pressed a warm kiss to the side of your head. “looks like he’s on a mission,” he murmured, his voice a mixture of pride and amusement. “he really does look so excited.”

you leaned into him, savoring the closeness as you both watched your little trickster disappear down the hallway. “i know,” you whispered, warmth filling your voice as you took in the happiness and energy he brought to the house.

“he’s going to be the most serious little monster on the block,” you added, a fond smile tugging at your lips. toji let out a soft chuckle, resting his chin atop your head. you laughed lightly, leaning into toji, enjoying the warmth of his embrace as you watched megumi toddle off. he looked so determined, already lost in planning for the best costume to outdo everyone else.

you nodded, a soft smile gracing your lips. “he really is,” you agreed to yourself, your voice filled with pride for your little boy.

toji tightened his arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer to him, the warmth of his body a comforting presence. he chuckled softly, his voice affectionate as he teased, “just like his mama.” his words were said with a warmth and familiarity that spoke of the deep bond you shared, not just as a couple, but as parents to this spirited little boy.

as megumi disappeared into his room, you turned to toji with a sigh of contentment. there was a soft, peaceful look in your eyes as you rested your head against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. the warmth from his embrace seemed to envelop you entirely, making you feel safe and loved.

toji, feeling the shift in your energy, pressed a soft kiss to the top of your head, his free hand rubbing gentle circles on your back. words weren’t needed at this moment; the silence was filled with understanding and a deep sense of contentment. the two of you sat like that for a while, simply enjoying each other’s presence, before toji broke the silence. “he’s getting so big already,” he murmured, his voice filled with a mixture of pride and a hint of bittersweetness. “we won’t have these moments forever.”

you hummed softly, feeling the warmth of his hand on your back and the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath your cheek. there was a comfort in the silence, a quiet exchange of love that didn't need words. but as toji’s voice broke through, his words struck a chord, pulling at your heartstrings in a way that made you realize just how fleeting these moments truly were.

slowly, you lifted your head from his chest, meeting his gaze with a gentle smile. “then we’d better go see what our little monster is planning for his grand debut,” you said, a glint of playfulness in your eyes as you nudged his side, feeling the warmth of his arm around you.

toji chuckled warmly, his eyes twinkling with amusement at your playful nudge. “absolutely,” he agreed, his voice filled with a mix of anticipation and excitement. he held your gaze for a moment longer, his hand resting on your shoulder, before slowly standing up, pulling you to your feet alongside him. “who knows what kind of mischief our little rascal has planned.”

with a shared smile, the two of you made your way down the hallway towards megumi’s room.

[gay-dorito-dust]

Master list 2

Gravity Falls (more to add soon)

Reader trying to confess to Ford w/ Mabel’s help - part two

Kissing Ford/ Stanley

Stan/ford reaction to reader smoking weed as a form of destress

Reader and Ford laying in bed together (not sexual)

Being Ford’s controversially younger s/o in their 20’s

Demon reader who use to work for bill becomes good

Ford gets sick/injured and is stubborn about it

Stealing mullet!stan’s jacket and Ford’s trench coat

Ford w/ a partner who acts like they’re still crushing on him no matter what he does

Bill chiper sick fic

Stan/Ford and why they love to call you their wife/husband/ spouse

Ford w/ a crush who’s obsessed with his hands

Bill cipher’s current obsession being in a love triangle with Ford and Stanley

Reader who’s sick/ injured w/ Ford

Bill cipher w/ a kaidou! Reader

Stanley’s s/o gets stuck in the portal instead of Ford - part two where reader comes home

Demon reader who visits bill in theraprism

Ford kissing reader after coming back from the portal

More kissing Ford cuz I wanna kiss that senior citizen

Reader goes into the portal with Ford

Fellas grab your ladies, if your lady fine trend w/ Ford by Mabel

Teaching Ford to kiss/ being his first kiss drab

God! Reader who’s seen timelines where the kids die, and protects them, only to break down in front of Ford and Stan about it

Ford comes back, only to be told that reader is dead

Ford missing his s/o while in the multiverse

They’re my boyfriend/ husband actually w/ Ford/ Stan

Bill/ Stanford with a clumsy s/o

Reader comforting bill

Reader being Ford’s assistant and being fake married to Stanley, only to find out that they actually like him romantically - part two

Reader being Stan and Ford’s childhood friend who they fall for when older

Reader being Ford’s s/o and their relationship with Stan, dipper and Mabel

Domestic Ford hdc

Stan/ Ford being told by bill that reader dies in every universe including theirs

Platonic Stan and Reader

Ford in dimension 52 missing reader

‘What are you waiting for? A kiss on the cheek?’ W/ Stan/ Ford

Being sort of friends w: bill cipher

Bill doing readers makeup

Baby bill

Dad! Stanford

Stanford and reader taking a nap

Dad! Stanley

Ford drab

Bill and reader and then destroying the portal

Bill getting princess treatment

Bill bakes w/ reader

Ford protecting reader, even if it means pushing them away and cutting contact due to threats from bill about harming them while possessing him

Ford fluff drab

Ford reacting to reader wearing his turtleneck for the first time (aka me going feral over a senior citizen by insinuating that reader isn’t wearing anything underneath the turtleneck cuz I wish it was me)

Controversial young s/o things w/Ford and Stanley

Reader reacting to Stanley loosing his memories after Weirdmagedon

Stanley looses his spouse again

Rainy day cuddles w/ Ford/Stanley

Stan and Ford being saved by reader

The pines family meeting reader who pops out of a portal in the middle of their living room.

Ford drop kicks a gnome (not clickbait)

Reader possessed by bill pushed Ford into the portal, but is told by Ford to get out of his house upon his return.

Part two; bill tells all

Ghost! Reader

Reader who knows the equation offers themselves to Bill, asking him to leave the twins and people of gravity falls alone while condemning Stan and Ford to whatever punishment he could think of

Alternative: reader joins Bill after reader is kicked out of the shack by Ford

Reader erases their memory of the pines family after getting kicked out/ Weirdmagedon and can’t recall their memories because they didn’t have enough to help jog them

Reader tells Stan that without them, he’d be a lonely old man

Stan and reader try to domesticate a raccoon and call him bandit

Ghost reader during Halloween

Stanford tried to read but reader is feeling affectionate

Percy Jackson

Luke fluff

Percy and reader who is the child of the god of dreams

Luke and reader sneaking out of the cabins to cuddle and kiss

Percy being a bro

Luke Drabble

It’s rotten work/ not to me w/ Luke

DC (Batfam) (more to add soon)

Jason/ dick with a reader who distance themselves from them upon realising they have feelings due to abandonment issues

Batfam w/ reader who hides their hurt from them

Damian fluff

Jason wanting his s/o’s attention cuz they’re being less affectionate as of late

Batboys forgetting to kiss their s/o after patrol

Ignoring batboys as a prank

‘My boyfriend doesn’t love me anymore’ w/ Jason and dick

Jason/ dick chilling with their s/o, only for their brothers to come in and see them for the first time

Batboys w/ shy s/o trying to hold their hand first but getting flustered

Batboys reaction to their s/o saying their full name

Dick/ Jason getting jealous over shirtless Hugh jackman scene in dp & wolverine

Jason gets stuffed animals as gifts from his s/o

Dick and Jason’s crush telling them that they know their vigilantes when healing their wounds

Batboys reacting to reader being in hospital

Jason w/ an author! S/o

Jason meeting his s/o who died with him again after so long

Jason/ dick reaction to their crush asking them while they’re in vigilante form if they’ve seen them (Jason/dick) and being worried.

Dick called reader a good girl (fem reader coded)

Another Damian scenario

Damian meeting his brothers s/o

Jason w/ a s/o who loves to compliment him, even in their sleep

Jason head cannons

Bat fam nightmare comfort

Batfam w/ a reader who zones out but doesn’t tell them why they’re smiling and or frowning

Batfam w/ a reader who loves to give them spontaneous hugs

Dick being dramatic cuz reader called him rich and not dick or Dickie bird or boy wonder

[darkmuffinstudios]

headcanons/delusions that i have for the bad sanses part 86 because i'm not normal

(apologies for the length this post will be. I needed to write all of these down or I would explode <3)

(These can be general headcanons, found family, queer platonic, or poly if you want to interpret them in any way ^^)

All of them. Every single one is touch-starved.

Despite all being touch starved, all of them have different (typically negative) responses to being touched suddenly/without warning.

Killer's love language is touch, both giving and receiving (funnily enough).

He also has a habit of sneaking up on the others. This is half-unintentional, since he's light on his feet naturally and makes no sound whenever he walks.

For no coincidence at all, Killer also has been thrown the most by the gang.

He doesn't resent them for it at all.

Cross wears his old uniform (despite his initial dislike for the design) a lot. He claims its out of habit, but deep down, it's because it *proves* that he was worth something once. It's his accomplishment as a royal guard, and that's something that despite the bitterness of the job, he takes pride in. Yes, he still hates the design, and yes, he hates how complicated it is. But he also appreciates the attention to detail, how meticulous and organized you have to be to put it on.

If the last bullet point didn't emphasize enough, Cross has self-worth problems.

So does Killer, but he's accepted it.

Nightmare has a catacomb of trinkets and items alike that has grown sentimental value over the years. He visits there when he's feeling particularly nostalgic, usually in the quiet of the night.

Dust doesn't like seeing his own bones. Gloves, long sleeves, scarves, hoods, slippers and socks- nothing can show. It's probably because of all the dust that practically clung to him from all the people he's killed. It's stained his fingers, his knuckles, his feet.

Horror's eye can actually roll to the other side of his head if he tilts his head enough. No, it isn't painful.

Something very stupid that Horror does (rarely) is he stores small things in the hole in his head. Yes, that one can hurt if forgotten.

Killer has so many cats that it's a problem. Nightmare can't bring himself to make him get rid of any though.

Dust has trained a murder of crows in Nightmare's realm. They follow him in the trees whenever he goes out to walk, and he keeps small pieces of food from his dinners to feed them.

Cross cannot, for the life of him, hide whenever he feels embarrassed (and he feels this often).

Not to say Cross can't mask his emotions. You know, with all the royal guard training and all. And the trauma.

Nightmare suffers from chronic insomnia. He can't bring himself to relax enough to. Although, he doesn't mind mimicking the behavior when he naps with any of the guys, if only to encourage them to sleep.

Nightmare feels safer when sleeping near or with someone in his bed. I'd say its because he probably got jumped as a kid whenever he slept. They're all long dead, but do it enough and the body never forgets.

Killer always picks up small little gifts for the guys every time he goes out. He'll look at something and go "Hey, he'd like that", and nab it. Probably a behavior he picked up when Nightmare first brought him on, since he noticed Nightmare liked to collect things.

Cross's love language is receiving gifts and words of affirmation. (haha). Everyone has picked up on this already, and abuses this knowledge to no end.

Horror waits for everyone to start eating before he eats his own food.

Horror also always carries emergency snacks/food bags with him wherever he goes. Not necessarily for himself though.

Dust loves pancakes. His mood immediately improves if he eats them.

Killer has a large scar that never quite healed right.

Nightmare used to write with a feathered quill. Killer had gotten him a very nice fountain pen long ago though, and he's since abandoned the quill.

Horror has a garden in the back that Nightmare helps him out with. Horror was more interested in crops and harvest, while Nightmare was particularly fond of flowers and trees.

Dust, Killer, and Cross help out with the garden sometimes. They just don't maintain it as diligently as the aforementioned two.

Dust paints. Killer joked about it being therapeutic and artsy and shit, but Dust actually ended up liking it. He could finally express the mess inside his head without any words.

Dust has his own painting room in a part of the castle. It has lots of windows and art hung on the walls.

All the gang occasionally visit Dust while he paints, most simply sitting and watching the brushstrokes. The only one that has actually also drew in that room was Cross. Dust and Cross kind of bond like that.

Cross helps the most with cooking. Horror typically likes to be in charge of the meals/food in the house, but greatly appreciates Cross's help. He feels he's the most reliable, anyways.

Killer does whittling/woodcarving. He makes little figures, knives, intricate pieces, coasters, kitchen tools, etc. His favorite to make is little cat figurines though.

Cross's room is the most clean/organized/empty. Unlike the others, he didn't customize his room in the slightest (keeping the bare minimum of bed, dresser, shelves, etc.).

It is the MTT's mission to fill Cross's room with so many things. Dust gifts Cross paintings to hang on his wall. Killer places little wooden cats on his shelves. Horror places a secret snack stash for Cross, and continually resupplies it.

Nightmare can play a lot of instruments, actually.

Killer has begged on his knees (dramatically of course) to hear Nightmare play ever since he found this out (which was before any of the others even joined). Nightmare doesn't humor him though.

For the life of him, Killer cannot sing. It makes him so mad. Like, he's off-pitch, tone-deaf, off-beat.

Which is funny since I think all the others can sing very well. Horror hums in the kitchen sometimes, Dust sings quietly to himself in his room, Cross is too shy to sing but can, and Nightmare is just musically inclined.

Killer is a little insecure about it.

Okay, he's very insecure about it, but that doesn't stop him from belting out his favorite song like a fool. Like, he understands he's bad, and accepts that fact whenever he's feeling extra confident. But the times he isn't... yeah.

Horror likes it when someone naps on him. Free weighted blanket.

Dust often naps in the weirdest places. In closets, in the wedge between a table and couch, on a high-window sill.

Dust also has back problems. I wonder why.

(A personal favorite of mine: ) Nightmare keeps someone to his right/keeps his tentacles to the right of himself. Since he lost his eye, he has quite the large blind spot, hence why he compensates for it with one of his boys/his tentacles.

Nightmare isn't actually all that athletic. Whenever they all go out, he's always the one that gets left behind the most.

Cross has a habit of matching the walking pace of the person he's with.

Horror can pick up all of them. Very easily. With one hand. Not all at once, of course, but if Dust or Killer are trying to sneak some snacks before dinner, he grabs them by the scruff of their jackets.

Horror lets Cross eat snacks though (encourages it, even. Bro should probably eat more).

Nightmare is a tea-holic. He has a large supply of all of his favorites in the kitchen cupboards. He keeps medicinal ones in both the kitchen and infirmary. They have several kettles. He collects tea sets.

Killer is the best at making tea. Something about his attention to detail, as Nightmare puts it.

The only person that drinks coffee regularly in the castle is Dust. He needs it to deal with everyday bullshit. Coffee makes Cross, Killer, and Horror too antsy. Nightmare sometimes drinks coffee, but not often.

Both Horror and Dust hate it when you change the laundry detergent. They are very particular about the smell. They very much like the scents they chose, thank you very much.

I HIT THE WORD LIMIT??????

I didn't even realize I was writing that much, but I guess I got pretty carried away, haha.

This was downright therapeutic though- I might to this again soon/some other time ^^

[atomicami]

bull ride

contractor!abby anderson x joel’s daughter!reader

- summary: you spend the night out at a bar and decide to challenge yourself on the mechanical bull to impress abby. when abby sees you from the crowd, she ends up giving you something else to take a ride on. (part 4)

- content: smut MDNI, porn with plot, no outbreak/modern au, contractor/engineer!abby, texas living, no sarah, joel and jerry are both alive, jerry is not a doctor, reader has a business degree, family & work drama, bar setting, some alcohol consumption, truck sex (bit of a quickie), fingering (a!receiving), strap usage (r!receiving), strap sucking, abby referring to the strap as her cock, basically save a horse ride a cowgirl tbh 🤠

- author’s note: hi everyone… i know i’ve been very inactive this year but this part has actually been sitting in my drafts since march so i figured i’d at least post it for the few people who’ve been waiting this long to read it, i hope y’all enjoy it

previous parts: quick fix, surprise visit, charity work

It’s been a week since the bake sale, meaning that it’s also been a week since Abby last had her hands on you.

You’d be lying if you said that this week was flying slow for you right now, because to your surprise, seven days flew by like seven minutes, and before you knew it, it was officially Saturday.

You’re sitting in your room by your dresser, fully dressed from head to toe in the finest Western apparel that you own, finishing the touches on your makeup in the mirror. You then look down at your phone for a moment, still eyeing the last text that Abby had sent you.

She invited you to go to Wild Randy’s tonight, and while you were excited to see her again, you were dreading it at the same time.

It was mainly because Wild Randy’s was the go-to place for you and Joel, and as bad as you want to sneak off with Abby again, you knew that you’d also have to make sure you wouldn’t get caught by your dad either.

You take a few deep breaths before standing up and adjusting your belt, then grabbing your phone and bag before exiting your bedroom.

“Dad! I’m ready to go!” you call out as you strut down the stairs. Given that you always take longer than him to get ready, you figured he’d be sitting on the couch waiting for you, but to your surprise, he wasn’t there.

“Dad? Where are you?” you call out for him again, entering the kitchen to find it empty as well. You roam around the house for a bit before entering the garage, seeing him still in his work clothes working on blueprints. “Dad…are you not coming?”

Joel looks up at you, frowning once he sees you ready to leave. “Oh, shit…it’s Saturday isn’t it?” he says, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I’m sorry kid, I know we go to Randy’s every Saturday but…work’s just been tyin’ me down lately.”

You nod to your dad in acknowledgment. “Well, we can skip tonight if—“

“No, no, no, s’alright,” he says, quickly cutting off your words. “You go. There’s always next weekend right?” he looks down for a moment at his workspace before looking back up at you. “Are you gonna drive yourself there or…?”

“Oh, um it’s okay Dad, I can text Dina for a ride.” you take a few steps closer to him before continuing. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” you ask him, receiving a nod from him in response.

“Okay, well…don’t stay up too late, we have to go to the hardware store next week to start getting supplies for the Mitchell home.” you remind him as you walk your way to the door.

Joel clicks his tongue at you in response. “Thanks for remindin’ me, kid. Don’t have too much fun out there, alright?”

You smile and nod back at him before leaving the garage. Even though you felt bad that your dad couldn’t come, you can’t help but feel relieved about it either. With your dad out of the way, you’d be able to get some time with Abby without the risk of getting caught by him.

You pull out your phone to send a text to Dina telling her to pick you up, and in less than ten minutes she was already honking at your door. While checking to make sure you have everything, you exit your house before locking it, walking down the porch to see Dina inside her car with the windows rolled down.

“Hey, you!” she shouts out, leaning forward over her steering wheel. “Ready for Randy’s?”

“You bet I am!” you shout back to her as you hurriedly get into the passenger side of her car and sit down.

The ride to Wild Randy’s was pretty quick, given that there’s never a rush hour on Saturdays. Aside from the twenty minutes it took Dina to find an available parking spot, the two of you were now quickly settled at the bar.

“So tell me, how’s it going with you and Abby?” Dina asks you as you both sit yourselves down on the bar stools.

Before you can respond to her, Jesse ends up cutting in from behind the bar with two beers in his hand. “Wait a second, you’ve been having a thing with Anderson?” he asks you, popping open the two bottles before handing them to you and Dina. “Didn’t you say that your dad doesn’t want you around her?”

You nod to him in response. “Yeah, and I mean I’ve been doing that for what, four, five years now? But I needed her to come over a few weeks ago to fix an outlet in my living room and it just like…happened, you know?” you explained, taking a sip from your beer.

Dina quickly gulped and set her bottle back down on the bar. “Wait a minute…is that why you were acting so weird during movie night?”

“Yeah…” you tell her with a nod, taking another sip out of your beer. “Anyways, she told me she was going to be here today so…” your words drift off as you turn your head around in search of her, and you are quick to catch her entering the bar with her group of friends. Not only that, but her father was also nowhere to be seen.

It was the first time you saw Abby like this, outside of work and not in her work clothes for once. She was wearing a pair of jeans instead of her usual cargo pants, a pair of western boots instead of her usual work ones, and her tool belt was ditched for a leather belt with a metal buckle on the center. She also had on a tight button-up that showed off her muscles, and to top it all off, a cowboy’s hat that rested over her braided blond hair.

You hate to admit it, but she was looking pretty damn good right now.

Dina suddenly snaps her fingers at you to get your attention, causing you to swivel your chair back around. “She’s there right now isn’t she?” she asks you, receiving a nod from you in response.

“Yeah, I want to go talk to her but…” your words drift off again as you turn back to see her. As you check her out, you notice from the corner of your eye some movement going on towards your left. You fully swivel your chair around this time to get a better look. It appeared to be a group of employees carrying out a large mechanical bull inside an inflatable ring, while another employee stood next to them, giving them orders on where to position the machine.

“Jesse,” you call out to him, swiveling your stool back to face him. “They’re bringing back the bull?”

Jesse looks up briefly to see the mechanical bull being set up before looking back down and pouring some contents into a cocktail shaker. “Yeah, we’ve been getting so many requests to bring it back up after our last bull broke down last year,” he explains as he continues preparing the cocktail for the customer in front of him.

You briefly look back at the bull for a moment, then look over to where Abby was. At that moment, an idea instantly sparked in your mind. What better way could there be to catch Abby’s attention than impressing her by taking a ride on the mechanical bull?

The sound of a loud microphone tap shakes you out of your thoughts, and you look over to see the bar’s owner standing in front of the bull with the microphone in his hand. “Ladies and gentlemen!” he calls out, quickly grabbing the attention of all the patrons inside the dimly lit bar. “I’m pleased to announce that we now have our brand new and improved mechanical bull back into our bar!” he announces, quickly receiving cheers and applause from the customers. “Now who in here…” he says, pointing a finger around the bar. “Is gonna be the first one to be brave enough and take her for a ride?”

You look around the bar to see several amounts of people already preparing themselves for the challenge. Part of you wanted to not do it, but a bigger part of you wanted to ride that damn bull like there was no tomorrow. You were willing to do it, just for the sake of impressing Abby. Neither of your dads were here right now, so who knows when you could get another opportunity like this? It was either now or never.

“I’ll do it!” you shout out, quickly raising your hand to get the owner’s attention.

Dina quickly grabs your hand and pulls it down to your lap. “What are you doing? Are you seriously gonna ride that thing?” she asks with concern.

You open your mouth to respond, but you’re cut off by the owner shouting at you. “You right there! Come on up here!”

You look over at the man before back at Dina. “I guess I am now,” you tell her with a shrug, hopping off of the bar stool and approaching your way towards the ring.

As you walk away from the bar, Jesse comes to Dina from behind, leaning into her side. “I’ll bet you $20 that she won’t last the full five minutes.”

You watch the owner squint to try to get a better look at you as you get closer to the inflatable ring. “Well well well, what do we have here!” he says as you make it to the ring, now standing next to him. “If it isn’t Joel Miller’s daughter herself. You think you’ll be able to handle the bull, Miss Miller?” he asks, pointing the microphone towards you.

You grab the mic from the owner and hold it closer to yourself. “Well, I guess we’ll have to see but…I think I could handle her,” you tell him with confidence before handing the mic back to him.

Numerous amounts of patrons clap and cheer you on in response. As the owner continues to speak to the audience, you step into the inflatable ring, watching as your boots sink inside. You look at your surroundings for a moment, seeing all of the customers placing their bidding money into a hat and passing it around the bar. The hat goes around past Abby as well, and you could’ve sworn she had slipped a hundred-dollar bill in there for you. Her eyes then meet with yours for a moment, and so does that stupid smirk of hers.

“Alright Miss Miller, you have five minutes up on the clock now, if you can make it to the end, you win the bidding money, got it?” the owner explains to you.

You nod at him in acknowledgment. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

You then turn back around so you’re facing the bull. You take a few steps backward as a head start, then quickly run forward and hop on top of the bull. Your hands quickly grab onto the handles, and you keep your legs wrapped around the sides of the bull. Lastly, you position your hips on the bull by pushing them forward, keeping yourself as close as possible to the saddle.

The bull was quickly activated as soon as you sat down, and so was the timer. The machine began to rock back and forth, slowly to start. Once you felt like you were getting the hang of it, that’s when the speed began to go faster. Your grip on the bull progressively gets tighter and tighter the more that the speed increases. It eventually escalated to the fullest speed, the bull now moving and spinning around like crazy. Time has never flown by slower for you than at this moment. On the inside, you were getting so dizzy to where you were going to be sick. But you couldn’t express that. Not in front of the audience. Not in front of Abby.

Regardless of it, you refused to let go. You held onto the bull like your life depended on it, waiting for the timer to count down to zero. Five minutes felt more like an eternity to you right now, but you soon start to feel relief once you hear the audience begin to count down.

Ten, nine, eight…

You lock down your grip on the bull’s handles.

Seven, six, five…

Your legs remain secure on each side of the saddle, and your hips push forward against it. As much as you were trying to hold onto the bull, you couldn’t help but imagine your hips pushing forward on Abby’s str—

Four, three, two, one!

The timer goes off, and the bull begins to slow itself down. As the machine comes to a stop, you instantly loosen your grip on it. You let out a breath of relief as you look up, watching all of the patrons cheer and applaud you. One of the employees approaches to help you, and you carefully hop off the bull before exiting the ring.

“I have to say you did phenomenal on that bull there, Miss Miller.” the owner tells you through the mic, handing you the bidding money. “Anything you wanna say to the audience?”

You take the money from his hands before taking the microphone. “Well, first of all, thank you all for bidding on me, and second…” you pause for a moment before continuing. “And I don’t mean to self-promote but…if anyone here needs any construction help…be sure to contact my dad’s company, Miller Contracting. We’re the best in all of Austin.” your eyes scan around the audience before your gaze fixes on Abby. You keep your eyes on her for a little bit, smirking at her before looking back at the audience and walking off, a last set of applause happening as you do so.

You make your way back to the spot where Jesse and Dina remain. “See? Told y’all I’d beat that thing,” you say, flaunting your bidding money in front of them. Jesse leans forward on the bar to get closer to you. “Mind if I get a cut of that?” he asks, trying to grab the money from your hand.

You move your hand away from him and shake your head. “Hell no, I won this fair and square,” you tell him, clutching the money close to your chest. “Besides, didn’t you bid against me anyway?”

Jesse scoffs, still leaning forward on the bar. “Yeah, but I still have rent to pay,” he replies before taking his weight off the bar to assist another customer.

You simply roll your eyes at him and chuckle in response as you count your money. “Don’t be so dramatic, it’s not even that much—“ your words quickly cut off once you notice something unusual on the hundred-dollar bill. You pull it out of the thin stack, seeing a note attached to it that reads:

“Meet me at the parking lot in five. —A”

You smirk to yourself upon reading the message, not even realizing that you were doing so until Dina points it out. “She wants you to go see her, doesn’t she?” she asks, crossing her arms at you.

You simply nod at her in acknowledgment. “Yeah, she does…” you reply, reaching to the bar to grab the rest of your things before saying goodbye to Jesse and Dina. Upon leaving, you look over to see Abby on the other side of the bar. You watch as she pays for her beer and leaves from the other exit. The thrill and excitement starts to consume you already in seeing her again.

The cool air hits you once you exit the bar. You roam around the parking lot in search of her until you hear a faint whistling sound from behind. You turn around to see Abby’s prominent figure from a distance leaning on the side of her truck. You don’t approach her quickly though. Instead, you take your time walking your way towards her.

“Well, well, well…if it isn’t the bull tamer herself…” Abby says, taking her weight off the truck. “You looked good up there, you know…riding that thing.”

You smirk and take a step closer to her. “I’m glad. Wanted to put on a show for you there,” you tell her quietly, and she leans in to give you a kiss, the rim of her cowboy hat slightly brushing over the top of your head as your lips briefly connect.

“You know…” she tells you quietly, slightly separating her lips from yours. “I’ve got something else that you can take a ride on for me…”

“Oh yeah?” you whisper back to her. “And what might that be?”

“Why don’t you hop in my truck and find out?”

And with that you take a step back, letting Abby unlock her truck before opening the passenger door and entering inside. Upon opening the door, you couldn’t help but notice that the windows in Abby’s truck were slightly darker than the last time you saw it…did she seriously get her windows tinted?

Abby holds the door open for you, and you quickly climb inside and hop onto her lap before she closes the door and locks it, now confining the both of you inside. Your thighs wrap themselves around Abby’s lab and you push your hips forward over her crotch, just like how you did on the bull. You could practically feel the bulge of her strap under all that denim.

Abby lets out a soft groan at the sudden friction. “How about you get it wet for me first, yeah?” she says, reaching down to the lever on the bottom part of the seat and pushing it back to give you some space on the ground.

You don’t even think twice about it, instantly dropping down to your knees and unzipping her jeans before pulling the thick black strap out of her boxers. After seeing the sight of it, you were pretty shocked. You didn’t get a good look when she fucked you last time, but now that it’s in your hands, you’re amazed that you were able to take the immense length of Abby’s strap.

Your fingers wrap around the large piece of silicone before you lean into it, lips instantly wrapping around the tip. You gently suck onto the tip for a moment, then slowly work your way down to the base of the strap. However, your mouth couldn’t last being down so deep, so you briefly pull it back up to the tip before going back down, repeatedly continuing your movements thereafter.

Abby lets out a quiet groan as she feels the base of her strap rubbing against her clit. Replacing your mouth with your hand, you look up for a moment to see her head slightly tilted back, her cowboy hat obstructing her view as well.

You keep stroking her strap with one hand, spreading your saliva all over from base to tip to distract her. As you do that, you use your other hand to gently shift the harness to the side and sneak your fingers into the crotch of her boxers, instantly finding access to her wet pussy before sliding two of them inside.

Abby notices the sudden shift of movement and looks down at you. “What the hell are you—oh fuck—“ her words get cut off with a quiet groan as you begin to curl her fingers inside of her. “Oh fuck yeah, k-keep doing that…”

You smirk back at her as you continue to pump your fingers inside her, now fully diverting your attention away from the strap for a moment. Your other hand moves to keep the harness of the strap pushed to the side while you finger Abby’s pussy, and you look up to keep an eye on her every movement—the way her hands grip the seat of the truck, the moans and whines escaping from her mouth, and how her eyes were tightly shut and the head was thrown back in pleasure. You’d be lying if you said that the way she looked right now wasn’t turning you on because you can just easily feel your arousal pooling in between your thighs as you do this to her.

“God, fucking hell—go…go faster…” Abby whines out to you, tightening her grip on the seat as she manspreads herself farther on it to give you more space. You simply nod in acknowledgment, speeding up your pace inside her in a desperate effort to get her to cum.

You can visibly see her breaths getting deeper, and you can practically feel the way her cunt began to contract around your two fingers, knowing that she was getting close. Within moments, your fingers get instantly coated with her release as she cums around them with a loud groan. Her breathing soon slows down as she recovers from her orgasm and she looks back down at you. Your gaze stays fixed on hers while you slide your fingers out of her pussy and place them into your mouth, sucking them clean while you get a taste of her release.

“My god…” Abby pants out, still trying to catch her breath. “No one’s ever made me cum that fast before…you’re good at this too, you know.”

You smirk back at her as you sit back for a moment, briefly resting your weight on the back of your boots. “Looks like you’re not the only one who’s good at making a quick fix, Anderson.” the blonde simply shakes her head at you in response before patting her hand on her lap. “Your turn now, angel. Get on up here.”

Without hesitation, you slowly lift yourself from the floor of the truck and climb onto Abby’s lap in the passenger seat, her large hands quickly roaming up and down your hips as you do so. You watch as she scrunches up your skirt around your hips and brings one of her hands down to the crotch of your underwear, smirking once she senses the wetness underneath it. “Looks like she’s pretty eager to take a ride, don’t you think?”

You nod quickly in response, and you lift yourself to hover over the strap. Abby helps you out by shifting your underwear to the side and spreading your puffy folds open. You grab the strap with one hand to align it with your entrance while you grab onto Abby’s shoulder with the other to support yourself as you go down.

The tip meets with your entrance, and you whimper at the sudden stretch. Your grip on Abby’s shoulder tightens as you try to maintain your balance over her lap. And then, little by little…you begin to sink down her strap, all the way until your folds were pressing over the base of it.

Once the entire length was inside you, you used your other hand to grab Abby’s other shoulder for balance. The feeling this time was a little more difficult to handle in comparison to how Abby had fucked you at the bake sale. You weren’t bent over, nor did you have the support of the counter either. You were completely sat upright, in the confined passenger seat of Abby’s truck, with her strap so far inside you that she could visibly see the tip poking out of your lower stomach. It sure felt overwhelming, to say the least.

“Fuck…you look good for me like this…” she mutters out quietly as she runs her thumbs down your stomach, gently pressing onto the bulge that was being formed from her strap. She watches as you continue to stay upright, now squirming in her grasp as a response to the pressure she was giving to your stomach. “You know…it’s not gonna feel any better if you don’t move.” she continues, now bringing one hand further down to rub your clit. “Take a ride on it, princess…It’ll feel good once you start moving.”

Your eyes flicker down to the watch that was wrapped around Abby’s left wrist. You glance at the time.

10:39…10:40.

You take a deep breath and tighten your grip on Abby’s broad shoulders. As her hands remain planted on your body, you begin to lift yourself up before going straight back down. You repeat the process, now developing a slow pace on her strap.

Abby smirks as she looks up at you, watching every moan and whimper escape from your lips as you fuck yourself on her cock. “There we go, that’s it…atta girl…” her praises and coos continue, now leading you to move at a faster pace. As you begin to ride her faster, Abby notices how close your head is getting to the ceiling of her truck every time you go up. While keeping one hand planted on you, she quickly takes off her cowboy hat and places it on your head, fixing up the rim so she can still see you. “Prettiest cowgirl I’ve ever seen,” she mutters out quietly, placing her hand back onto your hip as you keep riding her.

As you keep riding Abby’s strap, you take a glance out the window, making you slow down to get a better look. You see some people leaving the bar and walking their way back to their vehicles, and your heart begins fucking racing when they pass by Abby’s truck, completely oblivious of the events that are happening inside it.

“Hey,” Abby squeezes your hip, causing you to direct your attention back to her. “They’re not seeing any of this, you know…” she pauses for a moment before continuing. “But I bet you want them to, don’t you? It’s obvious you enjoyed throwing on that little show back there at the bar earlier, so would this be any different?” she asks, leaning in to kiss you. “Would it be any different if those same people saw a pretty cowgirl like you slutting herself out for me like this? Riding my cock and making a mess all over my lap? Hm?”

You whine back at her, shaking your head. “Yeah, I knew you’d like that, my filthy little cowgirl…” she responds with a smirk. “But you see, that’s why I have all of my windows tinted now…because I don’t want anyone to see what’s really mine.”

Your pussy practically throbs at her words. You were so distracted by what Abby was saying to you that didn’t even realize that you had stopped riding her. Your arousal was now just soaking up her cock and jeans. Abby looks down at her lap and smirks before looking back up at you. “I didn’t tell you to stop now, did I?” she asks, giving you a smack on your ass. “C’mon, cowgirl…keep fucking riding me.”

Your pace now begins to quicken this time, and you move your left hand to the armrest that was above your head, gripping it as you keep your other hand on her shoulder. “F-fuck, Abby…f-feels so good….” you moan out to her, your eyes fluttering shut for a moment as the tip of her strap presses onto your cervix while you ride.

“Oh yeah? Does it feel good, princess?” she asks, admiring how you were starting to go dumb on her cock. “That’s it, keep riding me, just like that…Ride me just like how you were riding that damn bull.”

Abby’s words had your stomach doing fucking flips. You tried your best to maintain your fast pace as you rode her strap, but your legs were quickly starting to give out. “A-Abby, help me…please…”

“Aw, you poor thing, getting tired already now aren’t you?” Without any warning, Abby tightens her grip on your hips and begins to slam her cock right into you. You yelp in surprise as your left hand flies from the armrest back onto Abby’s shoulder, and you continue to push your hips down as Abby keeps thrusting inside you. “C’mon cowgirl, be a good girl and cum for me now…”

Your cunt begins to clench around her strap, indicating that you were about to cum. Abby looks down at your pussy, watching in awe as a white ring began to quickly form on her strap. Her thumb meets with your clit, quickly rubbing it as you continue to cum all over her cock, whimpering and moaning out her name as you do so.

As you finish riding out your orgasm, your pace begins to slow down and you rest yourself on Abby’s chest, panting deeply as you try to catch your breath. Before Abby pulls herself out, you grab her left wrist again and glance back down at her watch.

10:43…10:44.

“Four minutes,” Abby says, looking down at her watch. “Looks like you made a new record.”

You playfully push her arm back as she brings her hand back onto your hip and slowly pulls her strap out of your fucked out pussy, causing you to whine at the loss of it. Keeping you in her arms, Abby trades places with you and carefully rests your limp body onto the seat while briefly she gets onto the ground. She peeks through the fogged up windows, making sure that the coast was clear so she could get out of the truck.

As you watch Abby hop off her truck, your eyes start to feel heavy from the exhaustion before quickly fluttering shut for a moment. As your eyes were closed, you could feel Abby’s large hands move your body around before the sudden warmth of her tongue makes contact with your sore cunt, causing you to involuntarily jerk away.

“Hey, relax…I’m just cleaning you up a bit,” she mutters out to you. You simply nod in response, eyes remaining shut as your body eases in and relaxes into her touch again. The gentle movements of Abby’s tongue and lips on your pussy easily removes the tension in your thighs, making you feel as if you were now sinking into the leather of the seat. You then start to feel some shifting of your clothes along with the sounds of the truck doors opening and closing right before you briefly fall into a state of slumber.

The sudden rumbling movements of the truck cause your eyes to slowly flicker back open. You wake up to find yourself lying on your left side in the passenger seat, but now with the seatbelt secured over you. The dim lights of the truck are no longer present, only the faint brightness of the music player on the dashboard is the only thing illuminating your vision right now. The sounds of the few cars on the road surround you, along with the country music quietly playing inside as well. You look up to see Abby with her gaze fixed on the road, with one hand planted firmly on the steering wheel while the other simply rested over on the center console.

You rest your hand on top of hers, and Abby quickly notices that gentle touch of yours, briefly glancing down to look at you. “Hey there…” she says with a smile before looking back up at the road. “You were out for most of the ride, feeling any better?” she asks, gently enclosing your hand into her large palm.

You shift around in your seat, no longer feeling as sore as you were before. “Yeah, a little…” you tell her, resting your head back on the seat as you watch her drive. “I had a really good time tonight, you know…” you tell her, to which she smiles in response.

“I did too,” she replies, quickly looking over to you again. “Felt nice to finally escape from our dads for once.”

The speed of the truck soon starts to slow down before coming to a halt. Your heart instantly sinks to the pit of your stomach, and your smile begins to fade. You knew what this meant.

It meant that you were back home. Your time with Abby was now up.

You unbuckle your seatbelt and sit up completely to look over at the sight of your house. All of the lights were shut off, except for the faint blue light of the living room TV, and you could easily see your dad’s head tilted to the side, indicating that he was now asleep.

You let out a sigh. “I…I don’t want to go back in there,” you say, turning your head back to look at Abby. She simply sighs and gently rubs your shoulder. “I know you don’t, angel…but we can’t risk it. As much as I can’t stand your dad, I don’t want him to get worried about you either.”

Your head hangs low now, nodding in acknowledgment. Abby’s hand gently holds your chin to lift your face. “You know this won’t be the last time, right?” she asks you, to which you nod again.

“I know, I just…I’ll miss you, Abs…who knows when we’ll see each other again?” you ask back, looking up into her soft blue eyes. She nods back at you in response. “It’ll happen again soon, okay? Just know that I’m always gonna have you on my mind, alright?” she says before quickly leaning in to kiss you, the rim of her hat on your head brushing over her hair this time as she does so.

You instantly kiss her back before pulling away to grab your things from the ground. You take a deep breath and open the door, exiting the truck and closing it. Your boots now meet with the concrete of the sidewalk, and you walk your way to the front door of your house. Before you go in, you look back to see Abby watching you from her truck, and you two give each other a final wave before she drives off to park into the driveway of her house.

As the lights of Abby’s truck shut off now, you turn back to the door to unlock it. You slowly open the door just enough to squeeze yourself inside before closing it and locking it again. You turn around to see Joel fast asleep on his recliner while the TV screen illuminates the whole room. Without making a sound, you tiptoe on over to pick up the remote from the coffee table and shut off the TV. You set the remote back down and turn over to pick up a throw blanket from the couch to tuck your dad in before heading upstairs to your bedroom.

The door creaks slightly as you enter inside. You slowly close the door before letting out a sigh as you set your bag down on the ground before kicking off your boots. You take off Abby’s hat and set it on top of your dresser before the rest of your clothes come off of you and to the ground until you’re down to your underwear. You pick up a random oversized shirt from your dad’s company and throw it on. As you’re taking off your makeup, your phone buzzes on your bed, and you reach over to pick it up.

“Abby: I’ll be thinking of you.”

You look up from the screen to your right, seeing her broad silhouette in the bedroom window across from yours. The two of you stare at each other for a bit, until you wave her off and get into bed, to which she does the same right after.

Not only was this the first night the two of you had officially spent alone together, but it was also the first night where you both just couldn’t take each other off of your minds now.

And all you could do was just wait until your path meets with hers again.

- tags 🏷️: @nyctophiliq @lucidfairies @inf3ct3dd @aouiaa @abbysfavewh0rx @lia-winther @grooviestcowboy @pretty-prrincess-13 @iwillkilyou @erinsdeluluworld @elliens4 @totallyghostdgirl @sirenbxby @bellaramslover @uraesthete @cherrycolouredflunk @whorn3y @thatonementallyillsimp @elliewilliamsmunch @gaptoothedlesbo @deadbolted @mochiivqi @floptron @swtsuna @naomis-daydream @hunnybunnyhazel @paprikahoernchen @bbglmfao @thesevi0lentdelights @mostlyhornyandsad @littlegingerperson @ur-fav-pixi @2busyfangirling @lmaoo-spiderman @olive-fics @onlinelesbo @piscesfairyyy @mrsandersons (striked means i couldn’t tag)

2024 © atomicami | all rights reserved. do not copy, modify, or translate any of my works.

[acosmicbee]

A suggestion because I think you could do it well

How about…

1. A caregiver android that took care of you as a kid but now you’re getting ready to go to college and move into your new apartment, and you come across them in the basement and decide to take them with you for old times sake. They can clean and cook and… baby you? Huh?

2. The 3rd chapter of the hot streamer milf with the kid actually trying to bond with and get comfortable with her. Maybe they finally have a conversation bc the kid doesn’t want to be stuck in a cabin for the rest of their life but the mom tells them that they don’t want that either, it’s just for now.

3. A sickly and neglected noble child ignored by parents gets a new governess

New Teacher

Thanks so much for the ideas! Number 3 was speaking to me so here we go!

You hated being stuck inside all the time. Any time you had the strength to, you'd sneak from your room and make your way to the gardens. It gave the maids and butlers a heart attack every time they went to check on you and your room was empty.

The fresh air made you feel a little better. You would walk, barefoot, in the dewy grass, letting the wind blow through your hair. Sometimes you'd sit in the gazebo out back and watch the little stream flow by. Sometimes you'd lie on the grass by the pond the stream fed into, watching the ducks swim.

You had no responsibilities, unlike your siblings. Then again, most days you could barely get out of bed. You'd be fevered and sweaty and the family doctor would have to come by again to feed you medicine.

You were left alone a lot, which was a little depressing. Your parents wouldn't visit and you only saw them on your better days when you could join the family for a meal. Your siblings would sometimes stop by to bring you a gift from their travels or read you a book. But most of the time, it was just you and your bed and the maids and butlers.

It was another bad day. You were curled up in your bed, feverish and sweaty. You felt cold, curled under your blankets, but you knew you were burning up from the constant cool towel being placed on your forehead. You'd been sickly for so long that your care was routine now and no longer came with panic and fear.

The maids and butlers had long since learned that notifying your parents every time you found yourself on bedrest again did nothing. They wouldn't visit you, citing more important duties as duke and duchess that needed their attention.

It was normal for the new maids to be sent to attend to you during your sick periods, that way they could learn quickly how to help you. It was why you didn't question waking up to an unfamiliar face. A woman was gently shushing you as she moved you over to a plush chair by the fireplace.

You shut your eyes for a second, realizing the maids were changing your bedspread to a clean one. Hands that felt blissfully cold also helped change you into a clean pair of pajamas before you were placed back into soft sheets. The same woman was there at your bedside, quickly replacing the cool cloth on your forehead and gently running a hand through your hair as you drifted off again.

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ💊ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

It was morning this time, you vaguely noted as you woke up again. Clearly hours had past while you slept, something common when you were feverish. Your fever had broken at some point and, while you still didn't feel amazing, you felt better than you had been.

Sitting at your bedside was a woman you didn't recognize, which was a little strange. She was reading a book, her blonde hair up in a braided bun, and she wasn't wearing a maid uniform. When she did eventually glance up at you she instantly smiled seeing you awake, shutting her book and placing it to the side.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Y/N! I am Roxanne, your governess." She cheerfully introduced herself. She seemed to study you for a second, her gaze never wavering. "You know, for someone never formally introduced to high society, you sure are quite the rumor. People have all sorts of crazy things to say about your existence and why you never accompany your parents and siblings to balls."

"It's because I'm sick a lot." You murmured, trying to sit up. Your whole body was sore and it took Roxanne propping you up against some pillows for you to stay upright. "Do people really talk about me? I'm surprised people know I exist at all..."

Roxanne's smile faltered for a second at your words, a near invisible crease forming on her forehead only to be immediately fixed. "Of course they know about you, silly. Although, some people don't think you exist at all. Lack of knowledge makes some people turn to strange answers to try and gain understanding."

A maid entered the room with a tray with some tea and medicine on it. It was only the newest attempt at curing you in a long line of failed pills and tonics. At least it mostly made you drowsy, some of the others had only worsened your condition until they wore off.

Once you'd taken the pill, washing it down with some honey sweetened tea, you were left alone again with Roxanne. When the sleepiness kicked in she helped you lay back down with a smile as she opened her book again.

"The first king of Berina was named Owen Lyonel Alexander IV. He established the kingdom when the land was still open fields and forests. As the kingdom grew he ruled with a fair hand, helping those in need and punishing those who disobeyed his laws." She read to you. She continued reading to you from the book until you eventually fell asleep again.

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"Y/N! For goodness sake let me know when you want to go outside! I practically had a heart attack when I saw your bed empty!" Roxanne scolded. You felt a little bad, but it was such a lovely day out and the fresh air helped you feel better. Besides, you thought after the months she'd been here that she would have learned by now that you were usually outside when not in bed.

You were lying in the grass, watching the ducks swim across the pond. The sun was warm, and you found some coverage under the shade of a large oak tree. The breeze was calm and soothingly cool. But you knew that if you'd asked someone they wouldn't have let you outside.

Not just because of your condition either. There'd been tension and whispers among the staff about some kind of unrest among the peasantry. Even the fenced off grounds were seen as 'too dangerous' for you to be in. But you weren't sure when the next time you'd be well enough to go out was so you snuck out anyway.

Roxanne sat down next to you, a book held close to her chest. She always seemed to have a book with her, but maybe that was just because she was a governess. "Either way, it's time for your lessons. I suppose it's fine for us to do our reading out here today as long as we head back inside before dusk."

You cuddled up to her, resting your head in her lap as she read. She was one of the only constant sources of comfort in your life. The only figure you would associate as motherly. There had always been a revolving door when it came to maids and butlers, people constantly quitting just to be replaced with someone else. But Roxanne seemed to always be there.

She would help you on your worst days, losing sleep to keep watch at your bedside. On your best days she'd join you in the garden, like she was doing today. She never neglected you when you wanted her, even when it was for something silly. You were too stubborn to admit it but almost anyone could see how you looked up to her.

"...for there, emerging from the crowd, came a man. He was large with a tricorn hat adorning his head, a feather tucked in it's brim. His voice was deep and cruel and... Y/N, are you even listening?" Roxanne asked, frowning down at you. You nodded, not wanting to have been caught zoning out. She just fondly sighed, ruffling your hair. "Mind grounded, sweetheart. Now, lets start over again so I can make sure you got it."

Laying there, listening to nature mixed with Roxanne's voice, everything felt perfect. But that perfection was about to start to shatter around you.

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"An entire duchy up in flames! Barely anything but ashes left once they got the fire out!" One maid whispered, anxiety lacing her voice.

"It wasn't the entire duchy, just the rich areas." A butler corrected. "When the mob first surrounded the duke's manor, they ordered for all the servants to leave. Then they burned it down."

You were crouched next to your bedroom door, your ear up to the slight crack between it and the floor. It was late, far past when you should've been asleep. Perhaps that was why a few maids and butlers had felt safe enough to have such a risky conversation.

"Well at least if the mob we get is similar, we'll be safe." A different maid said, scoffing a little. "You really think with the way the Duke and Duchess run this place they don't have people who hate them? Trust me, this place is probably next."

"Poor Y/N. Its not like their parents even spend time with them and now they've been doomed to die just by association." The butler said, sounding a little sorry for you. "Who knows? Maybe their sickness will kill them before the fire can."

"This conversation is wholly inappropriate!" Roxanne suddenly said out in the hallway. You could hear the anger in her voice. "Y/N will be fine. Everything will be fine. Now get back to work before I report anything I heard."

There was a scuffle as the three rushed off and you took that opportunity to dart back to your bed. You had just barely curled up under the blankets and closed your eyes when Roxanne slipped into your room.

She sat on the bed beside you, placing a hand on your forehead to check your temperature. Eventually she started gently carding her fingers through your hair. "Everything is fine. I'll keep you safe. Just... Just a little bit longer, okay? We're almost there..."

It sounded more like she was talking to herself than to you. Your mind was too busy spinning with the conversation you'd heard to process her slightly cryptic words. By the time you finally fell asleep she was still beside you, lost in thought as her fingers brushed through your hair.

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It happened at the worst possible time. It was late when you'd heard the panic that the manor was surrounded. You were once again bedridden with a fever, unable to do anything. You could hardly process what was going on around you.

Roxanne had carried you to her room as she packed her clothing. The order had already been given for all servants to leave the manor within an hour or face death for their loyalty. She'd wrapped you up in a blanket, and the second she finished packing you were cradled against her chest.

The few servants that seemed to notice what she was doing were more concerned with themselves and their families to care. She had her head held high as she pulled her trunk along with one hand, holding you with the other. When you finally made it to the gates and were stopped she was already prepared.

"My name is Roxanne Ardeca. I'm a maid for the duke and duchess." There was a murmur from the one questioning her to a different man. "My child is sick right now so apologies for shielding their face. All the smoke would only make them worse."

"Ardeca isn't a noble name." The man confirmed, only sparing your covered form a cursory glance. "You may proceed."

She shushed you when you let out a small whine, watching as the next servant in line was questioned. "You're alright Y/N. Shh, just rest. When we get to the carriage I'll make sure to have a cool towel prepared for you."

Your mind couldn't process the fact that there was no way Roxanne should have a carriage already waiting. Or that a lady of her standing shouldn't have the means to afford a private carriage. All you could do, as the fever pulled you back under, was watch as she walked away from your home. Watch as the people finally advanced and the manor went up in flames.

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"Roxanne." She scoffed as she finally stepped out of her carriage. Your fever had gone down a little, but not by much. She wasn't in the mood to deal with a prince right now and especially not this one.

"What do you want Hayden? I have a child to tend to." She said a little snappily. She effortlessly climbed from the carriage, a few maids and butlers grabbing her luggage and leading the horses away.

"Nothing, just wanted to congratulate you. You always do such fine work. Now that the entire country of Osentia is turning against their nobility Berina will finally be able to expand." He said with a grin, following her towards her manor. "Although, it does intrigue me that you seemed to find a little present for yourself while gathering intel."

She turned to him with a fierce glare. "If you even think about laying a hand on them I will kill you, prince or not."

Hayden grinned, a feral expression as he followed her to her door. A butler was already opening it for her as she stormed inside. "That's why I made you head of the royal guard. You have this fire inside of you."

"Is that why you send me away so much? Scared I'll burn down your castle too?" She asked, her expression softening when you stirred a little in her arms. She cooed at you, gently repositioning you to be more supported.

"I sent you to gather information because people tend to underestimate you. Finding yourself someone to fight for was just an added benefit. Either way, I'll let you retire for the night. I'll even prepare a gift for the new baby." He teased, stepping away. "Good night, Roxanne, Head of the Royal Guard of Berina."

The use of her full title just annoyed her more as she carried you to a bedroom beside her own. She carefully set you down, smiling when you tried to grip onto her. "Don't you worry honey, momma is right here. Momma isn't going anywhere."

By the time you recovered from your fever, your whole life would have changed. A new house, new country, new maids and butlers, a new garden to explore. The only constant, it seemed, was Roxanne. Only she had changed too, hadn't she? She wasn't just Roxanne, your governess, anymore. Now? She was Roxanne, your mother and head of the royal guard of Berina, and she was never letting you go.

[crescenthistory]

i’ll hold your hand through all of christmas day

Pairing: Remus Lupin x Reader

Summary: Based on a DM request sent from this anon. Remus supports his partner through how grief affects their holiday celebrations — or; when everyone stays behind at Hogwarts for Christmas, you plan on sneaking off to visit the family grave. Luckily, you never have to do anything on your own anymore.

Words: 3.7k

Warnings/tags: gn!reader, grief and loss, vague talk of multiple losses intended to be universal (said to be family, but does not need to be biological), talk of a "family grave", visit to a graveyard, reader has a purposefully ambiguous background, feelings of heaviness, found family trope, established and secure relationship, hurt/comfort, lots of fluff, whipped!remus, domestic bliss (even the hard bits), crying and kissing

A/N: i hope this finds those who need it 🤍 you are never ever alone

It required some well-written letters to various homes, some strategic orchestrating and convincing, but eventually James Potter got his desperate wish – for all of his friends to stay at the castle for Christmas in their final year, to help truly commemorate the end of their time at Hogwarts. He even managed to sweet talk Regulus and his friends into joining, despite being the year below most of you. It would be the picture-perfect Christmas.

You hated to feel as if you were ruining that.

With all of your friends having moved into an unusually vacated Gryffindor for the week, making the empty common rooms and dormitories your own, you truly could not be happier. Most evenings were spent gathered around the fire, playing board games and telling stories, loud laughter rippling through the cozy air. You even got to spend most of it cuddled up with Remus under a blanket, presented with the perfect view of all of your closest loved ones finding love and contentment in each other. 

You enjoyed the holidays, you enjoyed Christmas with all the snowy, candlelit and toasty atmospheres it involved. You enjoyed it even more when you had Remus softly singing Welsh folk Christmas songs in your ears with that soothing lilt that seemed to reach even your coldest bones. You enjoyed it all – on paper.

Despite yourself, the holidays always came with a certain blanket of heaviness for you; in every room filled with lovely people, you could almost see the shadows of those who weren’t here. The smell of gingerbread brought forth saddening associations before much else, and laughter had residue echoes that never escaped your ears. It was like this every year, the losses piled up by time only weighing you down further. For exactly that reason, you were one of the first people to enthusiastically agree to James’ masterplan, thinking that maybe it would be easier when you weren’t at home, surrounded by natural reminders of loss – but, turns out, those reminders are present everywhere when you’re looking. 

And unfortunately you couldn’t help but look.

You hadn’t brought it up to Remus, not from thinking you couldn’t, but just not knowing how to. How do you begin to unpack the layers of grief that live beneath your skin? How do you explain the years of both with and without in a matter of minutes? You would rather hold him close and let him kiss you as you wallow in a solitude that he could certainly spot but deigned not to comment on. 

There was only one exception to this, one tradition you refused to let go of, even as you all holed up at Hogwarts – on Christmas Day, you visit the family grave. You have done it every day since the first loss without fault, and you couldn’t bring yourself to break that pattern now, especially not when Hogsmeade is a mere walk away and you have received your apparition certificate already. 

The problem there was how to slip away for a few hours without causing concern. With the lively bunch you had chosen as family, it would not be easy.

Around noon, after a hefty shared breakfast in your pajamas followed by Lily reading muggle Christmas literature aloud for everyone, you made the decision to retreat from the common room. By now, there were friends flurrying all around you, preparing to decorate the gingerbread wix you had made yesterday, and you hoped to be able to excuse yourself to get some fresh air in the middle of all the chaos. There would be enough hands on deck for the decorating without you, that’s for sure. Perhaps naively, you hoped you could use the momentum to go off on your own.

Definitely naively.

“Mind if I join you, dove?”

Remus’ voice was soft in that way where you can tell he has been perfectly content for a few days in a row, almost lazy in how he pronounced his words, yet the sentiment remained just as fiercely rich. If James Potter is the epitome of Christmas traditions, then Remus Lupin is the epitome of yuletide calm, and if he already was stupidly in love with you on a normal day, during Christmas there were no words to describe his attachment.

While it sullied your plans, your sad smile shone brightly just for him anyway. “Of course not, my love. Come, come.” You stretched out your hand towards him as you spoke, whisking him away towards the portrait door, fingers intertwined.

There were mumbles of “bye, lovebirds” and “see you soon!” called out behind you, but your heavy mind didn’t register much beyond the steady beat of Remus’ pulse that you could feel where your wrists touched. It was odd how easy it was for you to notice his heartbeat, it was as if you were searching for it at all times, but you embraced it happily, gratefully. 

When in the much cooler, quieter hallway, you wandered silently down the halls together, hand in hand. You tried to carefully lead the way, moving your bodies in the direction of the castle entrance, with little to no reaction from Remus. His lips were just barely curled up into a smile, happy in the quiet with you.

Gods, you loved this boy.

Perhaps that in itself was enough reason to be direct with him about how you were feeling, but his serenity felt too holy to disturb.

“Are we going somewhere specific, dovey?” Remus asked lightly once the grand entrance was within sight – and just maybe because you had begun to appear flighty more so than melancholy.

You sighed and came to a stop, turning your body towards him. You bit your lip as you regarded his face, heart soaring at the attentive draw of his mouth, his eyes boring into yours, yet clenching in guilt at the furrow between his brows. With shaky fingers, you brought your hand up to cup his face and bring it towards yours, pressing a sweet kiss against the furrow to smooth it out.

When you pulled back, his smile had settled more assuredly.

“Actually, I have some errands I need to run in Hogsmeade today,” you said, trying to seem absentminded. “Since I needed some air anyway, I figured now was as good a time as any to head down.”

Remus’ head cocked ever so slightly to the left. “Great. What errands are we running?”

We. You felt your lips curl downwards ever so slightly in what you could only describe as a lovesick guilt-ridden frown. 

“It’s more of a single-party errand run, love.” Your voice was barely above a whisper, and you found sudden interest in the statute behind his head. 

Remus took a step closer to you, reaching out to grab your other hand and clasp both of them together, bringing your knuckles up to his mouth to kiss them soundly. “Dovey,” he said, almost chiding. “What’s going on with you, hm?”

There was no accusation in his words per say, just knowing. His eyes told the same story. You relaxed more in his grip, hands resting trustingly between his and your body slumping against him where you stood in a near-embrace.

Your eyes flicked between his two for a moment before sighing. “I… I have a Christmas tradition. One I can’t forego just because we’re spending it at Hogwarts.” You took a steadying breath. “I don’t want you to think I don’t trust you with it, because I trust you with everything, it’s just – I don’t know, it can be heavy. A lot to put on someone for the holidays. So I thought I could just head off for an hour now, and then we can cuddle up with that book later, yeah?”

Remus gave your hands a light squeeze before dropping them in favour of cupping your face. He engulfed your face in his big hands, tilting your chin up with his pinkies to meet his eyes more steadily. There was a certain sadness etched on his face, but it didn’t look to be because of you – rather it seemed to be for you.

“Whatever tradition you need to carry out, I will be there with you, lovely,” he murmured, stressing every word and chasing your gaze if it so much as flickered. “I plan on spending every Christmas with you for the rest of my time – might as well embrace it in full already.”

You almost felt like fighting back the tears that welled in your eyes; but his eyes begged you not to, and when a couple fell, he closed the minimal distance between you to catch them with his kisses. “Okay,” you whispered, no fight left in you – not that there ever really was any to begin with. 

“Okay?” He was smiling now. “Then tell me what we’re doing for the next hour?”

You matched his smile, and it didn’t feel heavy to do so. “Every Christmas Day, I visit our family grave. You know, clean it up, light the candles, the sorts. Say Merry Christmas.”

You felt small as you spoke, but his hands on your face kept you grounded and the love dripping from his every move kept you assured. “Alright,” he said through a melancholy yet knowing smile. “That’s very alright, dovey. Is it in Hogsmeade or will we be apparating?”

That was all – no queries, no judgments, just inquiring about the mode of transportation. You wondered if he knew he was all you needed.

“No, it’s in my hometown. I figured we walk outside the wards by Hogsmeade and then apparate all the way. We can hold hands to make it easier, like in class.”

Remus chuckled, kissing your forehead before letting your face go in favour of bringing out his wand. “Questioning my apparition skills, are you?” 

You actually chortled at that, at ease with his banter. “Oh, most definitely. Gotta keep an extra eye on you, Moony.”

He poked your side with his wand teasingly, muttering a quiet “minx” before turning the wand in the direction of your dorms and casting an accio. You quirked a brow at him, but before you could ask, he said, “What, you didn’t think I would actually let you walk out into English December wearing cozies?”

A second later, you saw your coats and scarfs come flying towards you two, and caught them before they dropped to a heap before you. Remus did the same, throwing his scarf over your head to begin wrapping it securely around you, letting no air flow in.

“What would I do without you, hm?” you asked teasingly.

Remus leaned in to give you a quick peck. “We will never have to know. You’re quite stuck with me, you see.”

Despite him pulling away to button his own coat, you chased after his lips for another kiss, bringing him back down to you with a hand to his cheek. “Well, if you insist Mr. Lupin,” you mumbled against his lips.

“I do,” he whispered in turn before circling his arms around your waist and parting your lips with his to give you a proper, confessional kiss. You could feel him smile against you when you began to come apart.

As you put on your own coat and ensured you both looked properly protected, you mused out loud, “Reckon we should warn the others we’re ditching for a while?”

Remus looped his arm around yours and began pulling you with him towards the exit with a rather cheeky grin playing across his face. “No, I think the coats flying past them might have given them an idea that we will be gone for a little while.”

The walk to Hogsmeade was brisk but comfortable, Remus never once straying from your side. When you occasionally in your distractedness didn’t walk straight and bumped into him, he smiled in that way that crinkled around his eyes, holding you even more securely.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Remus asked eventually. “Or them?”

You hummed, genuinely considering it for a moment. “I don’t think so,” you mused. “Not right now at least. Maybe it’ll come to me as we go along with the celebrations, though. A memory or two that I want to share, good or bad.”

Remus already knew the gist of your family and history with loss, and was painfully patient with you at every turn – and he readily accepted that that was enough for now. He let go of your hand only to wrap his arm around your shoulders and bring you closer to his side, dropping a sweet kiss to the crown of your head. “Sounds good to me, dove.”

“When do the apparition wards end, anyway?” you asked, musing through the horizon that was foggy with snow that was so light you couldn’t even feel it when it landed on you. “I’ve never apparated away from Hogwarts before.”

“I wouldn’t have expected you to, seeing as we only learned that earlier this term,” Remus teased, squeezing your shoulder. “You’re not that far ahead of the curve.”

You reached up to pinch his nose, delighting in how it scrunched up. “Maybe I am, what do you know?” you whispered conspiratorially. Then, you pointed to the first line of houses belonging to Hogsmeade that appeared. “Over there should probably be fine, though, I think.”

“Yeah, I reckon so. If not, it will be a good story to try and fail.” 

“Always is, with you.” You brought him down for a sweet kiss when you came to a standstill right past the first line of houses. You sighed against him, heavier than you had intended, yet grateful for it to be let out.

He seemed inclined to agree, if the look in his eyes was anything to go by. Your patient, sweet, understanding boy.

“Ready?” you whispered, taking both of his hands in yours.

Remus squeezed them reassuringly. “Very.”

You closed your eyes in concentration, but suspected he didn’t do the same. With a deep breath, you focused your mind on the graveyard, visualising yourself stepping into it – you knew you were successful in the apparition when you felt a tug in your stomach and a darkness engulfed you before there was a distinctive soft ground beneath you, contrasting to the gravel you were on seconds ago.

The smell hit you before anything else. It smelled exactly like your hometown, an odd mix of childhood and the frozen earth. You opened your eyes to see Remus standing before the stonewall lining the graveyard, his head turned away from you to look at the view behind him with slightly parted lips. With his tawny curls slightly covered in the dew of melted snowflakes and his side profile on display, he looked rather angelic, which you thought fitting.

“It’s beautiful,” he commented quietly, finally turning his head to find you already looking at him. While it might have been the cold, you could have sworn a faint blush took over his cheeks.

You took a deep breath. “It really is. Oddly so.” You took a small step away from him, releasing his hands to smooth your own down the front of your coat, brazing yourself. “I’ll lead the way.”

Remus followed your lead both physically and metaphorically, quietly reading your mood and needs, at least as best as he could. He walked right behind you, not touching you and giving you space to take in being in this emotionally charged space, trusting you to reach for him when you need. At the same time, he took in the space on his own terms, letting his eyes roam over the stone structures, the lampposts and the frozen flowers.

“I haven’t been here since last Christmas,” you confessed quietly as you walked a path you knew by heart. “I feel like I probably should go more often, but I haven’t been able to.”

“There’s no right amount to visit,” Remus added lightly, smiling softly at the back of your head. “Only what’s right for you.”

“I don’t really know what’s right for me when it comes to this. I’m figuring it out.” You felt lighter at speaking the words out loud, realising with some coyness that perhaps that is why Remus often urges you too.

“That’s alright, too, dovey. There’s no rulebook, just a journey.” 

You looked over your shoulder, allowing yourself to match his smile. “Wise man you are, Lupin.”

“Mm, glad to hear you finally admit it.”

The casual conversation might seem contrary to what you were doing and where you were, but at the same time, it wasn’t really. You tried to view this as visiting your loved ones rather than going to a graveyard – after all, you weren’t here for the graves, you were here for the people. And they would have wanted the easy, light conversations.

When your tombstone came into view, a certain feeling you were never quite able to name settled around your heart. A longing, but also a recognition. Almost a familiar face by now, just not quite the one you wished for.

“It’s this one,” you mumbled distractedly to Remus and made the final beeline for it. When you reached the plot, you came to a stand before it, just staring down for a moment. As Remus walked up beside you, you leaned your shoulder sideways against his, and he lifted his arm to wrap it around you. 

Together, you stood there, regarding the names etched into stone, almost a minute of silence. 

Once he deemed it safe to move, Remus dropped a kiss to the top of your head and bent down to pick up some twigs that had fallen from a nearby tree at the change of the seasons. Any questions died on your tongue when he brought out his wand and performed a quick transfiguration – suddenly, instead of holding dull and dead sticks, he held a wreath, all decked out with red ribbons, pinecones and Christmas decorations.

Silently, he held it out for you.

You looked between the wreath and Remus’ face, feeling stumped at the rather simple yet incredibly meaningful gesture. You opened your mouth, thank you already forming on your lips when he beat you to it.

“I know,” he whispered with a small smile.

You beamed back at him as you best could, slightly teary, and accepted the wreath from his hands.

Turning around to the grave, you came to a crouch beside it and placed the wreath for safekeeping on your knees as you brushed snow and leaves aside from the plot. You could easily use magic to do it, reenforce the spells you have already placed to keep the grave mostly maintained, but it felt good to touch it with your own bare hands, to do this act of service yourself. Even when you heard Remus hiss at your lack of gloves, casting him a somewhat sly smile over your shoulder to which he flushed once more.

As you went, you murmured quietly whatever you felt like saying to the inhabitants.

When you declared the grave properly dusted, you placed the wreath delicately in the middle of it, careful not to cover any of the writing on the stone. You did bring your wand out to magically light the eternal candles you had placed around the plot, casting extra protection spells to ensure they would burn through at least the rest of the year. If you could call a grave cozy, yours was nearing it, and it warmed your heart, even as a tear rolled down your cheek.

Remus came to crouch beside you, and you took his hand in yours, swallowing your apology for how cold it must be; he didn’t seem to mind.

“I wish you could have met them.” You didn’t think you would say the sentence before you did, but once it was out there, you felt no need to fight it.

“Me too,” Remus said wryly, squeezing your hand and rubbing his thumb back and forth on the back of it. “But I’m glad to be able to do so now, even if it is in a different way.”

You turned your head to smile tearily at him. “They would have loved you.”

Remus leaned his forehead against yours, nose pressing into your cheek. “And I them.” He seemed to turn his attention to the engraved names. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of our shared angel,” he addressed them, in his perfect meeting-the-parents voice. “They’re safe with me, as are your memories.” 

You took a shuddering breath, feeling a momentary sense of closure. With a squeeze to his hand as a signal, you made to stand, and he followed suit, steadying you with an arm to your elbow. 

His hands came up to wipe determinedly at your face, and you used the opportunity to bring him down to a short but searing kiss. “I love you,” you whispered against him. “Thank you.”

“Nothing to thank me for, my dove. It’s family.”

You brought Remus in close for a hug, your face turned towards the grave in his firm embrace. His hand was splayed over a spot on your back where it felt like he held you together and lifted the weight of the grief – and it reminded you of how much that felt like love. In the drafty graveyard, in the flickering candlelight, you were able to carry it all.

You turned in his arms to give your little family a final look. “Merry Christmas,” you whispered into the void, smiling both in spite of and because of. 

“Merry Christmas,” Remus echoed, squeezing your hips. 

By the time you made it back to the castle, you were emotionally and physically spent, but lucky for you, so was most of the others from what had been an intensive decorating session. When you walked in to find them all splayed across the sofa seating area, their eyes landed upon your tear-streaked, flushed faces and your loaded smiles, and they did what they do best.

Your friends opened their arms for you.