#spring so i can see my buddies once again

[bitegore]

sometimes i'll be like "the world is so hostile to my friends :(" and i mean some shit like "my human friends are marginalized in some way and people treat them like shit and systems are designed to push them out and crush them down". And sometimes I mean "spiders are skittish because other things eat them :((((("

[balkanradfem]

So I've been looking to read some books about living in nature, written by women, to get an idea of how it goes in practice, and the first book I found was 'The Great Alone' by Hannah Kirstin. It was about a family who decided to move to Alaska and live self-sufficiently, and it was written from the point of view of the daughter, Leni. I did not realize right away that this was a piece of fiction! However I do want to tell you about this book because something very specific happened in it that made me have.. ideas.

Right on the first page, it was spelled out to me clearly that this is a story about domestic violence. The father was drinking, had ptsd from war, sometimes 'blew up', and I was like, oh, I know what that is. Okay, let's see what happens then.

The father decided to move them all to Alaska because a buddy who died in the war left him a cabin there, and he wasn't earning money to pay rent, so Alaska it is. He talked his wife into it, promising that he will 'be better over there', and I'm like yeah sure you will.

I have to say, at the beginning this book was just heavily enabling me. They went over to Alaska and everyone was saying 'you need to prepare for winter immediately', even though it was spring, and they were bewildered. People were coming to help them to build a garden and homesteading infrastructure. And I'm looking at that like hell yeah I'm already 100% introduced to this, I am prepairing my garden from January, as soon as spring hits I am looking for food to can, dry, cure, I'm filling my stash from the moment cherries arrive. I'm certified to live in nature. (I'm not, I'm just entertaining myself with this fiction).

Alaskan winter is long and dangerous, and somehow these folks were already at the end of their food stash by the end of January, which is so early. They were in trouble, had no money, it was cold, Alaskan winter also brings 18 hours of darkness a day, so everyone was bummed and anxious. As you can imagine, the father found himself some alt-right conspiracy theorists to hang out there and drink with, every day they were talking about the government or minorities 'coming for their land' and prepairing to shoot people at the moment's notice, so it's no wonder he became more violent, aggressive and dangerous to his wife and child. He would end up beating his wife, and she would forgive him, and the daughter watching all this felt insane and desperate to save her mother. But there was no help, no police, nobody could even reach them in the deep winter, they had no food, they relied on him to catch something in the forest.

This is where the story got interesting. 

He breaks her nose, and the daughter decides that's enough, takes her mother into the car, and they escape. They crash. Daughter seeks help. They end up in a hospital. Father finds them and cries and promises to never do it again. Mother forgives him, seemingly out of fear that he's going to start killing people if she leaves him. Alaskan folk now know that she is being abused, because of her bruises and broken nose. And something unexpected happens.

One of the first Alaskan characters introduced in the story is Large Marge, a big woman owning a shop where she trades food and other survival goods. She is strong, resourceful, down to earth, incredible, helpful in every possible way. She is our star. Because once the word is out about the abuse, and the domestic violence family is back in the cabin, she comes over. She tells them all to sit the hell down, like she's a parent sorting out her unruly children. She then tells this story:

'I used to be a lawyer. Big city prosecutor. High heels and designer suits. I loved it. And I loved my sister, who married the man of her dreams. Only he turned out to have a few problems. A few quirks. Turned out he drank too much and liked to use my baby sis as a punching bag. I tried everything to get her to leave him, but she refused. Maybe she was scared, maybe she loved him, maybe she was as sick and broken as he was. I know that when I called the police it was worse for her and she begged me not to do it again. I backed off. Biggest mistake of my life. He went after her with a hammer. We had to have a closet-casket funeral. He claimed he'd taken the hammer from her to protect himself. The law isn't kind to battered women. He's still out there. Free. I came up here to get away from all that.“ She looked at the abuser. ''And here you are.''

The tension was insane. Everyone tried to get a word in, but she shut then down, and then she looked at the abuser again. ''We've talked about your situation here, we have a few solutions, but really, our favourite one is where we take you out and kill you.''

And I am reading this like oh my god. That's the freaking solution. It doesn't need to be that complicated. We just need someone who is 100% done with this shit who takes him out and shoots him. Problem solved. You hit your wife? Out and shot. Bye loser. Nobody losing sleep over you anymore.

I would love to tell you that she did take him out and shoot him, of how would I love to tell you that. I prayed it would happen as soon as the option was presented to me. However she told him he is either being taken out and shot, or he is leaving, getting a job and then providing money for his wife and daughter, and not returning until the spring comes again, which, he agreed to, since the alternative was to be taken out and shot. But I was still saying we should shoot him. She then decided to stay with the mother and daughter to keep them safe and fed during the winter. Like the hero she fucking is.

So, I haven't read this entire book yet, this is the middle of it, I have to go back and read the other half in order to know what happened next, but, I love this, I love the author, I love the representation of domestic violence and cycle of abuse, and how it is to be a female child in this situation, I love Large Marge, I love the resolution she provides, we need her, someone please, put her in reality. I want to be her, I want to barge into people's home and make death threats to abusers. To randomly stumble on a book like this is incredible to me. Thank you women for writing books. I love you all.

[holdmytesseract]

moodboard by @chennqingg | divider by @fictive-sl0th

Biker!Daryl Dixon x fem!Reader | No Outbreak AU

Warnings for this Chapter: alcohol, smoking, thirst, flirting? Daryl (yes, he's a warning and OOC), suggestive smut? brief mention of an accident and loss of parents

Word Count: almost 2.5k

a/n: Enjoy the kick-off into my new series! 🍾 I hope you're gonna love this as much as I do! 🙏🏼

Also, we got a few guest appearances of some familiar faces...

《M a s t e r l i s t》

《 Chapter Two 》

Chapter One...

... in which you stumble upon a handsome biker - twice - and discover a new side of yourself.

《 musical inspiration 》

I recommend listening to this song before you read this chapter - if you wish.

Get your motor runnin'

Head out on the highway

Lookin' for adventure

'Born To Be Wild' by Steppenwolf

Life on a ranch wasn't always easy.

Life on a ranch a day after a storm, which caused a lot of damage, was even less easy. It honestly sucked – at least that was what you thought. The whole day after was only spent with getting things right again, cleaning up, clearing fallen trees out of the way, mostly fixing fences, and catching eloped cattle and horses. It was exhausting and incredibly tiring. But once all the work was done, you often found yourself on a ride out with your palomino Mustang stallion Arrow in order to take some time off and relax. Just like on this pleasant Saturday in spring...

The surprisingly pleasant warm Montana sun was shining down on you, as you rode down the mostly untrafficked road; past endless meadows and fields - always following the Yellowstone River. It was quiet and peaceful; all you could hear were the sounds of nature and the click-clacking of Arrow's hooves - until a rather disturbing... noise cut through the air and urging to your ears.

Motorcycles.

It was a rare thing that even cars drove down that road; trucks even less and now bikes? You scrunched your nose and gently guided Arrow to leave the road and continue the journey through the meadow.

The sounds of engines got closer and closer, until you saw about five or six bikes pulling up beside you in the corner of your eyes.

Must be a biker group or something...

They slowed down; almost coming to an halt beside you. "Hey!" A voice called suddenly out, causing you to stop Arrow in his movements and look to your left. One of the bikers had pulled off his sunglasses and was looking up at you; both feet planted firmly on the ground beneath him. Muscular arms led to gloved hands, which held on tightly to the handle grip; sunglasses dangling between deft fingers.

You adjusted the cowboy hat on your head; looking down to meet the man's - admittedly - stunning blue-grey eyes.

"Uh, hey," you called back. "Can I help you guys out?" The biker nodded. "Hope so. We got a lil' lost on our way," he explained in a very thick southern accent; voice a little muffled by his black helmet. You shrugged your shoulders; smiling. "Well, I can try. Where were you guys heading?" "Planned ta go to Billings, but kinda landed 'ere." You nodded; still smiling. "Ah, I see. Should've took route 94. This one won't lead you to much. You need to circle back and drive past Miles City."

The man - most likely leader of the biker group nodded. "How far from 'ere ta Billings?" "About 140 miles. If you're lucky, you can make it in two and a half hours." "A'right," the man nodded and put on his sunglasses again. "Thank ya." You gave him another smile. "No problem."

He gave you a last look, before he revved the engine of his bike and signalled his group to circle back. They followed his command and off they went. Your gaze followed them for a moment, before you gently nudged Arrow's sides. "C'mon, buddy. Let's head home. It's almost time for dinner."

You and Arrow made your way back to the Willow Creek ranch - owned and run by your aunt and uncle. Having lost both your parents when you were small due to a car accident, you and your older sister - Tess grew up on the ranch and were working there. Well, Tess longer than you; given the fact that you finished college not that long ago.

After taking care of your animal best friend, you joined your family for dinner.

"You coming later with me, sis?" You swallowed down the remaining food in your mouth and looked over to your big sister. "Where to?" She rolled her eyes in return, but smiled. "You know where, Y/N..." You sighed; poking around in your peas. "Tess... How often have I told you that-" "This isn't your thing, I know... But you have to try it first, right? How can you say you don't like it, if you never tried?"

You grumbled under your breath. Unfortunately, was Tess right.

"Yes, you should really accompany your sister, Y/N," acknowledged your aunt suddenly; agreeing with her. "You barely leave the ranch, honey. It will do you good." You sighed, but for the first time gave in; tired of all the constant discussions. "Alright, fine. I'll go with you - but if I don't like it, I'll leave immediately!" "Yess!" Your sister cheered. "You'll love it, I promise - but yeah, fine." You scoffed. "We'll see about that."

Partying and alcohol had never been one of your high interests and certainly not on your bucket list - yet, here you were standing now in front of the best bar in Miles City - according to your sister; located at the outskirts of the city... 'The Rowdy Racoon'.

You sighed; eyes directed at the building, while Tess just giggled. "I can't believe I'm doing this..." You moaned; already regretting your decision. Your sister was quick to grab your hand, "C'mon, sis... Loosen up a little and have some fun! It's Saturday night, for God's sake!" before you were able to cop out. You groaned again, but let yourself get dragged towards the entrance of the bar; past several vehicles and over the large porch, on which several men and women stood with drinks and cigarettes in hands; talking, laughing and having fun.

Loud music urged to your ears as you stepped inside. 'Born To Be Wild' by Steppenwolf - and just in that very moment, you felt like there wasn't a more fitting song on this whole planet for the scenery you walked in...

The bar was almost filled to the brim with people. Some of them were sitting at the large counter in the middle. Others were seated on some tables all around the big room. The rest of them was dancing, playing pool or tried their luck at the Pinball machines. It was loud, wild and crazy.

You hadn't even the chance to look fully around, since your sister dragged you further on to the bar counter. "Time for a drink, sis!" She announced in a sing-song voice; ordering two Whiskey Cola's. "We'll start slow," Tess said with a smirk; handing you the glass. You gave her a small smile. "Thanks." She clinked her glass against yours and took a sip. "Here's to an awesome night!"

Your sister's so-called 'awesome' night started surprisingly good - like you had to admit. Sure, you had to get a little comfortable first and getting used to being at a bar; warm up a little, but at some point it was really okay. Unfortunately, though, the tables turned after an mere hour. Friends of Tess had decided to come around as well and in the end, you sat alone at the counter on the bar stool; staring at your almost empty glass of Whiskey Cola.

This definitely wasn't how it was supposed to go... Not at all. It caused your mood to drop, of course; feeling alone and kinda betrayed. Tess invited you; took you here and now she had run off with her friends. You couldn't even leave, because you took Tess' car and she had the keys and certainly wouldn't let you drive. Great...

You sighed; turning the now empty glass in front of you in a circle, until...

"Thought I wouldn't see ya again, 'n certainly not 'ere," a familiar voice suddenly urged to your ears from behind you. You frowned and turned in your bar stool, only to meet the same blue-grey eyes you gazed into earlier this evening. It was the biker - but this time, he wasn't wearing a helmet. Chestnut brown hair reached in soft waves his shoulders; paired with a black baseball cap he wore backwards on his head. His chin and a little bit of his cheeks were covered in a slightly grey goatee, which fitted him perfectly.

You swallowed; couldn't help but to stare at him for a moment. He was downright attractive.

"Y-Yeah, uh, same," you stammered out, but quickly got your shit together again. "Didn't find your way to Billings yet?" The stranger chuckled and shook his head. "Nah. We decided ta spend the night in Miles City 'n head for Billings tomorrow." You nodded; smiling politely. "Wise decision." "Yeah," the man said and lifted his hand to scratch his beardy chin as if in a thinking manner. You noticed the tattoo on the back of his hand... A skull and... stars? Then he nodded at your empty glass. "You gonna let me buy ya a drink? Some credit fer ya help earlier. 'S the least I can do. 'Nother Whiskey Cola?"

You felt a slight blush on your cheeks. "Um, yeah, thanks." He gave the bartender a sign, who immediately worked to replace your empty glass with a full glass. "I have ta thank you," he answered; then looked behind at a bar table to where a few other people sat. His group, you thought. "Wanna join us? Ya seem a lil' lonely." You giggled dryly. "Yeah, my sister dumped me for her friends." You gestured at the dance floor; the biker's eyes following. "Kinda rude if ya ask me... C'mon, join us."

You swallowed; hesitating for a moment. You were a cautious person. After all you didn't know these people.

The man could seemingly read your mind. "They ain't bitin', I swear. All of 'em are very nice." "I-I, uh... I don't even know your name." He smiled crookedly, "'M Daryl." and walked towards his group again. Only now did you notice what he was wearing... Dark, slightly ragged jeans with a red rug stuffed in the left back pocket, a black, washed-out shirt and a angel-winged vest. Leather, as it seemed. Admittedly, you had a really hard time not to stare.

You hesitated for another few seconds and threw a look over to your sister again as well; noticing that she was still completely ignoring you and instead partied with her friends. Therefore, was your decision made. You slid off the bar stool and made your way over to Daryl and his gang.

An hour and another Whiskey Cola later, you had learned that they were indeed a biker group - from Georgia - making a road trip through America. You got to know the whole group as well, of course. There was Rick and Carol, which were Daryl's best friends. Glenn and Maggie - a young, kind couple living on a farm had joined the gang as well, just like Negan - a slightly annoying, but funny gym teacher. It was a crazy, but also perfect mix - and they all shared one passion... Motorcycles.

For an absolute non-expert in this new territory, you were absolutely fascinated. The stories they told you; the things you learned - it was fun and exciting.

Daryl and Negan invited you to a round of pool then; Rick and Maggie joining in as well. It was the best evening you had in a long while - but when the alcohol you had consumed slowly started to course through your veins and the music and chatter of the people became suddenly so very loud, you knew you needed a break. You were definitely not quite used to this, after all.

Stepping out of the bar and onto the porch, you took a deep breath; inhaling the fresh, chilly night air.

Yeah, the alcohol was present. You definitely felt a bit tipsy, but you were still fully aware of your words and actions, which was a good thing - and a stop sign you didn't plan to ignore.

"Ya good?" There it was again. That voice out of nowhere. His voice.

You looked to your left; seeing Daryl casually leaning against the railing with a cigarette dangling between his lips.

You nodded. "Yeah, just needed a break and some fresh air." The man took a deep drag; puffing out a cloud of smoke mere seconds later. Your eyes were still fixated on him - and you swallowed.

Hot... Why was that so hot? Him smoking?

"Me too. Needed a smoke." Daryl took another drag and stepped closer; hand fumbling in his trouser pocket. "Want one?" He asked then; fishing out a slightly squashed box of cigarettes and holding it out to you. "Um, I, uh..." You stammered; cheeks already turning red. "I dunno." "Ya ever had one?" You shook your head; biting your lip. The biker stepped even closer to you then; his body barely inches away from touching yours. "Ya wanna try?" Daryl took another drag, then held his cigarette in front of your face.

Hesitatingly, you leaned forward and took the little mouthpiece between your lips to take a drag. Feeling the smoke fill your lungs, you immediately started to cough and back up. A small smirk tugged at the corners of Daryl's mouth as he watched you; taking the cigarette back between his lips. "'S a normal reaction. Once you'll get used ta it, it won't happen again."

A short moment of silence passed, while you replaced the smoke in your lungs with fresh air and Daryl's eyes travelling up and down your body.

"Hey, uh, ya wanna get outta 'ere?" The man opposite you boldly asked with a charming smile; hands grasping the wooden beam above him. It caused the black shirt he wore to ride up and reveal some skin of his stomach; alongside a dark patch of fine silken hair.

For the second time this evening, you had a hard time not to stare and instead to focus on his question - which left you just as breathless; given the fact that you knew exactly what he insisted.

Before your brain was even able to ponder thoroughly over his question, your mouth answered with a quick, determined 'Yes' - which kinda shocked you yourself. Usually you weren't the one who gave in so easily and willingly to a one-night-stand with a 'stranger'; and yet here you were. Was the way he made you feel the reason? Or was it his kind, flirty and charming personality? Perhaps it even was his good looks. You didn't know; couldn't put a finger on it. All you knew was that he attracted you like a damn magnet. You weren't thinking about your sister or the others in that moment. The tall, handsome biker with his rough redneck edges was all you had in mind.

Daryl's smile widened at your consent. He took a last drag of his cigarette, before he stubbed it out in the little ashtray on the railing. "C'mon." The man walked past you, down the few steps and towards his bike.

Elegantly swinging one leg over to sit down on the vehicle, he replaced his baseball cap with his helmet. His fingers worked to start the engine. "You comin' or wha'?"

Tags: @dixons-sunshine @angelwings-crossbowstrings @bigbaldheadname @making-the-most-0f-it @rh1nestonecowg1rl @mischief-dream @noldorinlady @imadisneyprincessiswear @fictive-sl0th @jbbsizzler @loz-3 @erebus-et-eigengrau @i93jjk @belitoxx @charlottewatkinsblog @coleigh-1205-blog @li-da-savage @chaoticevilbakugo

Tagging you other guys from my Daryl taglist as well, just in case you missed the teaser...

@marvelcasey05 @whore4romance @stitchintimefan @km-ffluv @0-aubrie0 @sweetz1919 @mikaela-granger @secretsicanthideanymore @dilfdixon @txtttttttttttttt @stiveroon @mayday2007 @cakesandtom

If you want to be removed or added from/to the taglist, please let me know! 🤗

[svltzmans]

jealousy, jealousy (part ii) - h.m.

a/n: hi! i got a request for a jealous hope fic and i thought i'd continue the one i posted a while ago that i really had fun writing! i hope you all like it <3

warnings: smut (18+), dominant! hope, edging, rough sex, just some kinky stuff ok, forgive me for i have sinned 😭, also platonic reader and lizzie bc i love her, i didn't edit this so hopefully there are no mistakes?

y/n and lizzie sit across from each other at a table in the library, both engrossed in a biology textbook.

with exam season fast approaching, studying became top priority for almost everyone around them.

through conversation, lizzie and y/n had realized they both could use a study buddy.

y/n never considered herself to be close with lizzie. she always viewed the witch as an acquaintance. a classmate.

but ever since the two had started studying together, they developed a genuine friendship.

a friendship that involved hours in the library after class, laughing and talking despite the subject matter they were supposed to be reviewing.

y/n didn't feel the need to tell her girlfriend, hope, about her budding friendship with lizzie. hope wasn't the type to worry about y/n's friendships, and their relationship was built on trust.

however, when hope walks into the library and sees her girlfriend and lizzie laughing together, her blood suddenly runs cold.

maybe it was because another girl was making y/n laugh so much, or because lizzie was conventionally gorgeous.

either way, she felt the jealousy growing in her lungs.

before she can act on her feelings, she leaves the library, making her way back to her own bedroom.

hope springs up when she hears a knock at the door, and a smile creeps across her face when she realizes it's y/n.

"hey," y/n leans in for a kiss on the cheek, bringing an instantaneous blush to hope.

hope steps to the side, gesturing for y/n to come in.

once y/n is inside and the door is closed behind her, hope takes hold of her wrist in a way that makes y/n's heart drop to her stomach.

"hope, what's up?"

"what's going on with you and lizzie?" hope replies, blankly staring into y/n's eyes.

"lizzie? lizzie saltzman? hope, nothing is going on-"

hope cuts y/n off with a kiss, threading her fingers through strands of her hair.

y/n pulls away momentarily, a puzzled expression on her face.

"what was that for?"

"it just seems like you need a reminder that you're my girl."

"what, i can't study with someone els-"

hope cuts her off again, gently pushing her toward the bed as they kiss.

when hope lays y/n down, she makes sure her hands are wrapped tightly around her wrists to restrict her movement. she hovers above her girlfriend, their lips still attached.

y/n instinctively spreads her legs as her and hope continue to make out, hoping for any kind of touch from the girl above her.

as soon as hope notices, she moves her knee to y/n's still clothed core, putting more and more pressure until she earns a loud moan against her lips.

"mmph, hope, more," y/n mumbles between kisses, trying to grind into hope's leg.

"more, huh baby?" hope taunts, pressing harder with her knee.

y/n can't believe how close she already is, considering that her and hope are still both fully clothed. yet, the pressure in her stomach continues building until she feels like exploding.

"oh my god, hope," y/n practically screams, grabbing onto hope's shoulders.

just as y/n is seconds away from falling over the edge, hope pulls her leg away.

y/n can't help but whine at the loss of contact, and she looks up at hope with a pout.

"you didn't think it was gonna be that easy, did you?" hope teases, pulling y/n into another rough kiss.

hope moves to undo y/n's pants, running her hands up and down her legs slowly.

something in hope wanted to make this as tantalizing as possible for y/n. she wanted to see her writhe and beg, completely at her mercy.

but she also desperately wanted to fuck her.

and that desire only skyrockets when y/n is bare in front of her.

"so wet, y/n. just for me, huh?"

"god, yes hope, just for you."

y/n is growing desperate, and her first denied orgasm wasn't helping. she was flushed, lightly sweating as she continued to sink into the sheets below her.

hope gently rubs y/n's clit with her finger, knowing that she wasn't doing nearly enough for her.

"harder, more, please hope. want more," y/n arches her back, trying to encourage hope to apply more pressure.

it's then that hope effortlessly slides two fingers into y/n, the girl above her letting out a guttural moan.

"fuck hope, just like that baby," y/n praises, her hands both tightly gripping the blanket under her.

"this is what you wanted, huh pretty? you wanted me to fuck you with my fingers?"

y/n can't help but loudly whine at her girlfriend's words, growing dangerously close once again.

"gonna cum on your fingers, hope, so close."

when hope hears those words come from y/n's mouth, she stops moving completely.

"please don't stop hope, please. please make me cum," y/n begs, making eye contact with her girlfriend.

hope's eyes are dark with desire as she looks back at y/n, her finger lazily rubbing circles on y/n's clit.

"please, hope. gonna be a good girl for you."

with that, hope continues fingering y/n at a quickening pace, determined to finally bring her over the edge.

"right there hope. my god, please let me cum."

"cum for me, y/n. you've earned it."

y/n's whole body shakes, her hands desperately trying to find something to grip. the intensity of her orgasm wasn't something she had ever experienced before, the new sensation making her shamelessly scream in pleasure.

when y/n comes down from her high, hope has moved to lay next to her.

"you look so pretty," hope coos, tucking a strand of y/n's hair behind her ear.

"hope, you know there's nothing going on with me and lizzie, right?"

"i trust you, y/n. wholeheartedly. i love you," hope smiles, resting her hand on y/n's cheek.

"i love you more."

before hope knows it, y/n is peacefully asleep next to her.

she wraps her arms around her girlfriend, pulling a blanket over the two of them.

"goodnight, my love."

[exololyunho]

make you see god

masterlist

wc: 5.1k

summary: your dad had always warned you nothing good would come from relations with navy boys, but you were never one to listen

warnings: kinda e2l, drinking, this fictional mingi would be a red flag to me but its fiction so its hot, sexualizing the US military, oral sex, unprotected sex, cream pie, multiple orgasms, mingi picks the reader up, kinda rough sex, very minor sacrilege but its probably only offensive if you're super catholic, role-play??, tentative daddy kink but 'daddy' is never mentioned, reader does call him 'father' but I promise it's not as weird as it sounds

an: I wrote half of this over the summer when I went through a phase where all I could think about was glen powell so I watched like all of his movies and this was the result. I am aware this is very much a summer fling fic but it's cold where I am and the summer vibes feel fun. also sorry I've been gone so long but since I last posted I moved across the country, broke up with my bf, got a cat, got better antidepressants and got diagnosed with adhd so I've had a bit going on lol. I probably won't be posting often but once again I am soft launching a return. kinda. shits complicated

taglist: @staytinyinmybpack @jeonride @becky4733107-blog @ignoretheskies

Being raised by your dad and his navy buddies had taught you many things. Chief among them being not to mess around with navy guys. And to never surf at dusk. Of course you never learned your lesson.

It was during a surfing session at dusk that you met the navy man who would rock your world.

Sitting on your board, you took in the gentle rocking of the small waves as you waited for the swell that would carry you into shore. The sun was setting, casting a beautiful orange glow over the water. It was serene, peaceful, a gorgeous warm summer evening.

Until a shout broke through the air.

“SHARK!”

Immediately you drew your legs up on the board, frantically scanning the water around you. The only sharks around Miramar were white sharks and that meant almost certainly losing a limb if not your life.  When your eyes failed to find the telltale dark shape, you turned to look back at the shore.

Standing there, chuckling at his shitty joke, was a man. It was too far to make out the details, but from what you can see he was tall and lean, wearing a white short sleeve button down and khaki shorts.

“Just kidding!” he yelled. To say you were unamused was putting it lightly.

With a sigh, you decided to call it a night, having not seen any surfable swells coming your way anytime soon. Putting your feet back into the water and pivoting your board back towards the beach, you paddled in. 

Reaching the shore, you unclipped your ankle tether, gathering your board under your arm and storming up the man.

“Did you think that was funny? Everyone knows you don’t do that,” you glared at him. Up close you could see this man was a lot more handsome than you’d expected. His eyes were covered by aviators, but his jawline was strong, and his smile was cocky. His clean cut appearance and the way he carried himself gave you an inkling that he had military training

“I thought it was a little funny,” he quirked his head, nodding at you. “What were you doing out there?”

“Surfing, dipshit,” you moved past him. “Don’t do that again.”

“Are you going to at least tell me your name?” he shouted after you.

In response, all you offered him was your middle finger.

Working at the Hard Deck was a great job. It got tedious at times, dealing with overbearing and overly flirtatious sailors, but it was overall great. You loved bartending, loved meeting new people, loved eavesdropping on ridiculous conversations, and loved the lively atmosphere.

As with every usual night, you were enjoying your shift. You’d made friends with a few spring breakers, serving them tequila sodas and making plans to meet the girls at the beach the next day. 

The night was still young, so you balanced chatting with them while pouring beers and shots for the other patrons. The music was loud and so was the chatter.

Until a new group walked in, wearing service khakis. When the other patrons spotted them, they went quiet for a moment, raising their glasses in appreciation. You watched them make their way in, indifferent, as all it meant for you was more beer to pour. 

Your mood suddenly changed as you made eye contact with your prankster from last night. Rolling your eyes, you returned to polishing the glasses before you. 

“Hey surfer girl,” there he was, standing before you on the other side of the bar. Without his sunglasses, you could see his brown eyes looking back at you with a glimmer of something that had the dual effect of making your stomach flutter and making your fists itch to hit him.

“Hey asshole,” you kept up your work with the glasses, averting your eyes from his.

“So welcoming,” he placed a toothpick between his absurdly straight teeth. 

You sighed, setting down the glasses. “Can I get you something?”

“A friendly conversation and your name would be nice,” his eyes looked over you.

“Sorry we don’t serve that here,” you braced your hands on the counter. “How about a beer?”

“That’s a start,” his grin was blinding.

You rolled your eyes again, grabbing a freshly cleaned glass, pouring him the shittiest beer you had on tap. You placed the glass in front of him. Neither of you said anything for a moment, him staring at the glass, you staring at him expectantly.

“Weren’t you going to ask what beer I wanted?”

You raised an eyebrow. “Weren’t you going to pay me?”

“Makes no sense but here,” he threw a card on the counter. “Close me out, would ya?”

“It’s $2.50 with a military discount, you don’t have any cash?”

“Nope,” he popped the ‘p’, picking up the card and dangling it lazily between two fingers. He waited for you to take the card, and after a moment of glaring at him, you snatched it. Quickly running the card, you returned it to him. 

“Anything else I can get you?” your tone was dry.

“Your name,” he responded, taking a small sip of his beer and grimacing.

“Yours first,” you countered.

“Priest,” he grinned.

“That’s your name?”

“It’s my call sign,” he looked smug.

“I wanted to know your name, not your call sign, douchebag,” you picked up another glass to polish.

“Give me yours first.”

“Nice to meet you, Priest,” you gave him one last smile before turning to serve another guest.

“Hey!” Priest called after you. “Your name?” 

“Next time!”

Next time came sooner than you had expected. 

It was the following day, you were with the two girls you’d met the night before, relaxing on the beach, your board next to you. The three of you were making small talk about the books you were reading mixed with questions about your backgrounds.

“So, Y/n, did you grow up here in Miramar?” the blonde, Yeji, asked.

You opened your mouth to respond, but you were interrupted before you could.

“So your name is Y/n, then.”

A shadow fell over you, forcing you to remove your sunglasses to face Priest. It was the first time you’d seen him shirtless and as much as the man annoyed you, you were very appreciative of the view above you. His chest was chiseled, strong and muscled, but lean. His thighs were equally as strong and toned, covered by navy blue swim trunks that hung low on his hips.

“My eyes are up here, babe,” he was grinning, his own eyes flicking over you.

Leaning up on your elbows you grinned back. “So are mine, Priest.”

“Touche,” he took his own sunglasses off. “Who are your friends?”

“This is Yeji and Lia,” you gestured to the two girls.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

“Nice to meet you,” Priest gave a half-hearted wave. “Hey, Y/n, you wanna take a walk?”

“No not really,” you lowered your sunglasses.

“I’ll buy you a daiquiri.”

“What makes you think I like daiquiris?”

“Everyone loves daiquiris.”

“Fair enough,” you took his hand, letting him help you up. Grabbing the oversized button down you used as a cover up, you threw it on. “Watch my stuff?”

“Sorry, babe but we’re heading out soon,” Lia looked between you and Priest apologetically.

“No worries,” Priest grabbed your tote bag and surfboard for you. “We can leave it with my friends.”

“You think I trust your friends?” you put your hand on your hip.

“Just cooperate for once in your life,” Priest rolled his eyes.

“You’ve known me for 3 days and you just learned my name.”

“Let’s fix that,” Priest grinned down at you.

“Fine, fine,” you waved him off, then waved to the girls. “See ya.”

The two of you started down the beach, Priest holding your bag and board. A few hundred feet down the beach, you stumbled on his friends. A bunch of men, all toned and laughing as they tossed around a football. 

“Guys, this is surfer girl,” Priest called out to them. The seven men before you all turned, waving hello. “Introductions can wait. Watch her stuff?”

“Sure,” one of them called out and Priest dropped your stuff on a towel.

“Come on,” he took your hand. Priest was dragging you along, but he only made it a few paces before you were jerking your hand out of his.

“I can walk on my own, you know,” he started chuckling. “I don’t know what you think this is, but I'm following you for a free drink.”

“I like to think that my company also has something to do with you following me,” he slowed his pace to match yours.

“Presumptuous,” you stared straight ahead, refusing to have to look up at him.

Priest grumbled something under his breath, but you weren’t listening. Instead you were focused on the beachfront bar you were rapidly approaching. It was tacky, decorated with tiki torches, fake coconuts, and plastic leis. The bartender was wearing an open Hawaiian shirt.

“Aloha and welcome to Miramar’s premier Hawaiian style beach bar!” Priest made small talk with the man as you scanned the menu, picking out the most expensive drink you could find since it was on his dime.

“I think I’ll take the Ultra Aloha,” you gave your best smile to the bartender.

“Coming right up, pretty lady,” he turned his focus to Priest, his smile dying. “For you?”

“The same,” Priest was pulling out his wallet.

As the blender whirred away, you turned to him.

“So where did Priest come from?”

“Oh come on now,” he ran a hand through his black hair. ��I can’t give away all of my secrets on the first date.”

Your eyebrows shot up. “I thought I told you I was just here for the free drink.”

“You’re the one who called me presumptuous,”  the bartender set your drinks on the counter, taking the $40 from Priest. “Keep the change.”

The two of you took the drinks, walking away as the bartender called after you. “The change is 50 cents!”

You followed Priest down to some chairs nearby, slowly sipping your drink. It was actually pretty good. So good, you couldn’t taste the rum over the pineapple. Dangerous.

“What were we talking about?” he asked as he sat in the chair. His legs were spread tantalizingly. Seeing him like this made you so mad for a reason you couldn’t put your finger on. Something about how lazily and confidently he looked over the beach before you, the casual confidence with which he held himself. What was really getting to you was the way his tongue played with the straw of his drink.

Shaking yourself out of it, you cleared your throat. “We were talking about how you thought this was a date.”

“Ah yes,” he nodded sagely. “Two people, getting drinks, talking alone on a beach, getting to know each other. Not a date.”

You snorted, gesturing to the quite busy area around you. “First of all, we’re not alone, there's a million other people on this beach. Second of all, we are not getting to know each other, you won’t even tell me your name.”

“You wouldn’t tell me your name either, I had to find it out from other people,” he shifted to face you. “So, in exchange for buying you a second drink, can we cut the crap? I think we can both agree that I clearly find you attractive, and I have a sneaking suspicion that you feel the same about me, and I want to know more about you.”

You were quiet for a moment, taking in his words and thinking over yours carefully. You moved to look at him better. “What’s your name?”

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” his grin was wider now. “It’s Mingi.”

“Mingi,” you repeated with a smile on your face. Taking a moment, you started sucking down your drink, rushing to finish it.

“In a hurry for that next drink?”

“Sure,” you finished your drink, handing him the cup. “Mingi’s a nice name.”

With that, you were standing up, and walking away from him.

“Where are you going?” he called after you.

Turning and walking backwards, you lifted your middle fingers. “To surf!

It was a week before you saw him again. A Thursday night to be specific. It was your day off, yet here you were, sitting at the bar of the Hard Deck, chatting with your coworkers between them serving other patrons and you sipping on your vodka cran.

Your night was peaceful. Not quiet, with the music playing and the few other patrons chatting, but still peaceful.

Until, once again, your peace was ruined by someone sliding into the barstool next to you. Glancing up, you weren’t surprised to see Mingi sliding into the seat. He was dressed casually, jeans and a t-shirt. He didn’t look quite as cocky as he usually did. In fact, he looked almost irritated. 

“Rough day?” 

Mingi snorted, and ordered a beer. “You have no idea.”

He took a long drink. “Made worse by you running away from me last week.”

You glanced at him. You hadn’t felt bad before, but seeing him so frustrated now made you feel slightly shitty. “I’m here now. Wanna talk about what’s got you in a mood?”

“I didn’t think we were close enough for that. You know, since you ran away when I said I wanted to get to you?”

“I get it, I get it,” you waved your hand. “So what’s wrong?”

Mingi sighed. “Shitty instructor.”

“Wait, you're still in flight school?” you looked at him quizzically.

“Kinda. It’s complicated but I graduated a while ago, top of my class by the way, but a bunch of us got recalled for extra training. Top secret mission, y’know? If-”

“If you tell me you’ll have to kill me?” you smiled at him.

His cocky smile was back. “Exactly.”

You laughed, finally willing to admit to yourself that you were starting to enjoy his company. 

“So, if I buy you another drink, are you going to run away from me?” he arched an eyebrow. 

“I think it’s my turn to buy you a drink,” your eyes met and both of your smiles started to fall, the tension building between you.

Before it could build anymore, you cleared your throat. Looking away, you ordered both of you a new round of drinks. As the bartender poured them, you glanced back at him.

“So, where’d Priest come from?” new drinks were placed before you and you eagerly accepted the glass.

“If you were to ask me, I’d say it’s because I could make you see god,” Mingi’s smile was salacious, his eyes dropping to scan over your cropped t-shirt and daisy dukes. 

You swallowed hard. “And if I were to ask anyone else?”

He took a gulp of his beer. “If you were to ask anyone else, they’d say it was because I fly recklessly. Make the guys I’m flying with need their last rights.”

You were silent for a minute, taking in his words. “Why?”

He looked at you, clearly confused. “Why what?”

“Why do you fly like an ass?”

He chuckled, watching for a moment as you took a sip, waiting for him to answer. “I fly like I do because it gets the job done.”

“You don’t worry your buddies won’t have your back if you put them in danger?” your eyes scanned his face over the rim of your glass.

A faint smile graced his lips. “Our missions are important. And sometimes they call for drastic measures.”

You hummed in response, still focused on his face. You could see his face shift ever so slightly with what could only have been memories of past missions.

“So have they ever needed them?”

He quirked his head, not quite following your chain of thought. All you could do was hope that this hot man before hadn’t actually killed someone because of his own reckless nature.

“Needed their last rights.”

He laughed again, but it wasn’t nearly as joyful. “Not through any fault of mine, thankfully. I’ve lost people, sure, but I’ve never been the reason.” Mingi took a deep drink. “As much of an asshole as I can be, and my call sign aside, I don’t think I could live with myself if it ever was my fault.”

You nodded, finally tearing your eyes away from his face to fiddle with the two tiny straws in your glass.

Mingi clearing his throat drew your eyes back up. “Do you want to get out of here?”

At your raised eyebrow, he backpedaled. “We can just take a walk that’s totally fine but I-”

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

Your back slammed against your closed front door. Mingi’s lips were on yours the moment the two of you made it inside your apartment. A combination of the furious kisses and the sudden impact of your back into the door had knocked the breath from your lungs, but not a single cell in your body wanted to pull away from Mingi.

He was intoxicating. He tasted faintly of beer and something indescribable that was just him. His lips were soft, his tongue insistent, and his hands wandering over every inch of you was exhilarating.

Eventually, you did have to come up for air, pulling away from him to let your head rest back against the door. Mingi didn’t miss a beat, his mouth migrating to your neck, nipping and sucking and kissing across your pulse point. 

Your left hand was grasping the front of his shirt and your right was on his back, feeling the flexing of the muscles there as he held onto you as if you’d disappear if he loosened his grip for even a second. 

Without missing a beat, his lips still attacking your neck, his hands slid to your thighs, picking you up in one fluid motion. A gasp escaped your lips as he settled your legs around his waist, perfectly situating you to feel exactly how hard he was under his jeans. 

The pressure of that length pressing right between your thighs combined with a perfectly targeted bite to a sensitive point on your neck had you releasing a breathy moan. 

Mingi’s lips parted from your neck as he now looked up to face you. One of your hands instinctively went to tangle in his hair as you crashed your lips onto his again. The force had his mouth dropping open as you took your turn to entwine your tongue with his. The two of you were aggressively fighting to see who’d come out on top.

You had thought you were winning until it was Mingi’s turn to grab your hair. He pulled your mouths apart and the act had you clenching around nothing as his face nuzzled into your neck, licking a stripe up the side before he spoke in a low tone. “Where’s your room?”

“Down-” you were cut off by his hips grinding into yours. Painting, you pulled yourself together enough to answer him. “Down the hall, first door on the right.”

Mingi immediately pulled you away from the door, his steady hands holding on tight as he seamlessly navigated your small space. He damn near kicked your door down, slamming it open before he was tossing you onto your bed. 

You let out a startled yelp before laughing. Scooting farther up your bed, you gave him your best bedroom eyes and spread your legs, suddenly remembering his call sign.

“Forgive me, father,” your lips curved into a faux pout as you made your voice as sultry as you possibly could. “For I have sinned.”

Mingi stopped for a moment before he put his head in his hands. For a moment you feared you’d made a mistake. Until you saw his shoulders shaking with laughter. He managed to compose himself, crawling towards you on the bed until he was situated between your spread legs on his knees. He still looked as if he was trying to hold it together.

“I don’t know if that was the corniest or the hottest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Both of you were trying to hold back laughter, but his hand making contact with your thigh sobered you up. His long, nimble fingers stole your attention away from the joking atmosphere.

“So how should I repent?” your teeth bit into your lower lip as you laid back to pull your shirt over your head, revealing you weren’t wearing anything underneath. Mingi’s laughter disappeared as well as he took in your breasts. 

His lips curved into a wicked smile as he leaned over you, laying a kiss between your breasts, his eyes meeting yours. “I think 3 orgasms should be enough to forgive your sins.”

Your breath caught in your throat as his lips found one of your nipples and your hand once again found his hair. His own hand rose up, those long fingers playing with your other breast. 

He savaged it with the same vigor he had attacked your neck with earlier. His teeth left small nips all around as his tongue soothed the bites. You were panting, holding him tight to you with your eyes closed. 

Leaning back slightly to admire his work for a moment, Mingi quickly switched his focus to your other breast. He lavished the same treatment, leaving small marks all over. 

When you were thoroughly decorated in hickeys, he finally sat back up, admiring you splayed out before him as you caught your breath. As he stared, his hand came up to grab his shirt by the back of the collar, pulling it over his head.

Now it was your turn to ogle, thoroughly enjoying his broad muscled chest and a light dusting of hair that trailed down his abs and disappeared into his pants. 

You were broken out of your trance as his hands came down to pop the button on his jeans and then your shorts. Recognizing his goal, you lifted your hips, allowing him to pull your shorts and underwear down in one fluid movement. He flung them across the room.

Once you were naked beneath him, his hands fell to your thighs. They slid up until they reached your hips. Mingi slid himself down the bed until he was on his stomach, face level with your core. 

His hot breath fanning over you was enough to have your breath hitching and body tensing as you waited for him to touch you where you so desperately needed him. But he didn’t move, his eyes locked on yours. 

Both of you were frozen for what felt like a century, until he was suddenly moving forward, parting your folds with his tongue. The exhalation of relief that left you quickly morphed into a moan as his tongue found and circled your clit. You were so distracted by the bliss of finally feeling the pleasure you’d been hoping he’d give you that you didn’t even notice his hands moving. 

One hooked under your thigh, finally coming to rest on your stomach, right above your pelvic bone. The other slipped a finger inside of you. You were practically dripping at this point.

Mingi’s tongue never stopped working tight circles around your clit as his finger quirked up, stroking along your walls in a way that had your legs shaking while you gasped out moans and whimpers.

He slid a second finger inside you, alternating between scissoring them and swirling them around inside you. The pressure in your abdomen was tightening more and more every second. Your hand was fisted in the sheets, your head thrown back, breath coming quicker and quicker.

Mingi could tell you were close. He kept the same rhythm on your clit, but focused his fingers' attention purely on your g-spot, applying more pressure.

You were right on the edge and then you tumbled into the best orgasms you’d ever had. Your whole body tensed and your moans were silenced for a moment as your muscles clenched around him before whimpers were escaping you as your hips jerked and your breath came in shaky spurts.

Mingi hadn’t let up with his fingers or his tongue, keeping your high going until your body was trembling and you were pushing his head away. He relented, pulling back and wiping his mouth.

Your eyes were closed as you laid there, panting, legs still twitching as you tried to recover. You could have sworn you blacked out for a moment when he kept your orgasm going.

“That’s one down,” Mingi’s smug tone had you opening one eye to glare at him before it slipped shut again.

“I think any more might kill me.”

In response, he grabbed your hips, jerking you down the bed and pulling your legs over his thighs until your core was pressed to the front of his boxers. He’d pulled down his jeans at some point while you were recovering.

You could feel the heat of him against you, the hardness of his cock pressing into you as he subtly ground his hips into yours.

“I think you’ll probably live,” his hands slipped from your hips to grab your ass.

“I highly doubt it,” you shook your head, then a smile crossed your face. “At least you’ll be here. I can get my last rights and finally have a hope of going to heaven.”

He smiled, but was quickly pulling down his boxers. “I told you I could make you see god. I just hope I can do it without actually killing you.”

You would have laughed, if not for the fact that as he finished removing his boxers, his dick finally came into view. He was bigger than you’d thought he’d be. He wasn’t horrifyingly big, but he looked long enough to reach the deepest parts of you and thick enough to stretch you out enough that you’d be feeling it tomorrow.

Mingi tracked your gaze focused on his cock and grinned. “I think it’s time we finish your penance.”

His words had you swallowing as he guided his length into you. God damn were you right. He was moving slowly, but you felt every inch of him sliding into you, stretching you and filling you in all the right ways. 

When he bottomed out, you were expecting him to give you a minute to adjust, but what you weren’t expecting was for him to not move at all. He stayed seated all the way inside you as his fingers moved to your clit. 

“What are you-” you cut yourself off with a whimper as his fingers began moving in quick circles. 

“We’ve got to get you to three orgasms,” he leaned over you, his lips once again connecting with your breasts. “And I am so hard, I won’t last if I try to get you through two by fucking you.” 

His teeth gently bit down on your hard nipple. 

“That, and I really want to be able to focus on how fucking good you feel when you cum on my cock.” His voice was low, his eyes flicking up to meet yours.

Already you were so close. Still sensitive from the orgasm you just had, his fingers were pushing you right up to the edge once again. It was all you could do to cling to his strong arms as your back began to arch and your legs tightened around him.

Mingi kissed up from your breasts to your ear. He took your earlobe between his teeth before brushing his lips along the shell of your ear. “Cum.”

And you did, thankfully, not as intensely as before. But still, you cried out as you held on to him, your hips twitch up on their own and your muscles contracting around him.

“Fuck,” Mingi groaning in your ear had a high pitched moan leaving your lips. 

This time, he didn’t prolong your orgasm for too long. He gradually slowed his pace before pushing himself back up onto his knees.

“Thats. Two.” he punctuated each word with a thrust. Your head dropped back, the feeling of him finally moving was ecstatic. The slight upward curve of his length dragged across your g-spot every time he moved in and out.

“God, fuck, I think I could watch you cum all day,” he was settling into a rhythm that combined power with deep, slow thrusts. The force of each inward push was moving you up the bed. Mingi’s solution was to simply drag you back down to meet every one of his movements.

Each time your hips met, your skin slapping together combined with your moans and his low curses and grunts. It was music to your ears as you lost yourself in the sensation.

His thrust gradually grew in speed as he got closer. You were still a ways off from your third orgasm and he could tell. You yelped in shock as his hand on your hip shifted so his thumb could softly brush over your clit. 

“I-I can’t” you stuttered out.

“Yes you can,” he slowed his thrusts ever so slightly, leaning over you. “Gotta finish your penance, yeah?”

You laughed, only for it to be broken off into a moan as he leaned back up, increasing the speed of his thrusts and the rate at which he rubbed your clit. Your body was tensing up again, the pressure building up alarmingly quickly.

“Mingi- I-”

“Do it,” he grunted, thrusting even faster. “Cum. Cum on my fucking cock. You can do it. Cum for me.”

And you did, one last time. Everything was so intense. The sensation washed over you, an all consuming wave of pleasure that quite literally had tears falling down your face. Your vision went white and you felt like you were floating.

Mingi continued thrusting into you rapidly, prolonging your orgasm, although he did thankfully take his thumb off your clit to spare you some overstimulation. 

You were just starting to come down when Mingi was finally moaning out his own release, spilling deep inside you. His hips stuttered and his head hung as he rode out his own waves of pleasure.

Both of you were panting heavily, but he stayed inside you for a few moments after he came. 

Finally, he pulled out of you. He flopped down beside you on the bed, pulling you into his side. You happily snuggled up to him, resting your head and hand on his chest and throwing a leg over his.

The two of you basked in the silence. 

Until you broke it. “So, am I forgiven for my sins?”

Mingi was silent for a moment. 

“Mmm, I don’t know. Three might not have been enough.”

You lifted your head to look up at him incredulously. He met your gaze with laughter before he pulled you into a kiss.

[wjhik]

More dad!Jude please‼️‼️

Y/N’s POV:

Jude and I, along with our three energetic kids, Arlo, Lily, and Mia, were getting ready for a delightful day out. “Alright, everyone, let's get our shoes on! We’re going to have the best lunch ever,” I announced, fixing my breezy sundress in the mirror. Jude was wrangling little Mia into her shoes while Arlo and Lily giggled, racing around the house. “Don’t run in the house! You’ll break something!” I yell out to my 4 and 5 year old to get their attention. “I want ice cream!” Arlo exclaimed to his father, his excitement apparent as he tugged at Jude’s hand.

“Of course, buddy, but let’s have some real food first, yeah?” Jude chuckled, tousling Arlo's hair affectionately. I smiled at the sight, my heart swelling with warmth as I watched my husband effortlessly connect with our children. I couldn’t ask for a better man to be the father of my children. 

As Jude and I were following behind our children who were leaving the house, he pulled me in by my waist. I was shocked by the sudden action and gasped, “Jude!” He looks into my eyes and then down to my lips. “You look delicious, my love.” He leaned down to peck my lips. I protested into the kiss. “Baby. Not now.” I said sternly, but secretly blushing at my husband's actions. He let go of me and let me walk out of the house, him following close behind. He curved his neck to see if our kids were watching and gave me a quick spank. “Jude!” 

↭

After a satisfying lunch filled with laughter, spilled drinks, and mess, we made our way to the park. Arlo took charge, leading his sisters on a wild adventure through the playground while Jude and I watched closely, trailing behind them. We share knowing glances. “Do you ever remember us being that full of energy?” Jude whispered, his hand finding Y/N’s as they strolled along the path.

I grinned, squeezing his hand gently. “I wouldn’t trade this chaos for anything in the whole wide world” I replied, stealing a quick kiss. The kids, oblivious to their parents’ tender moment, continued their antics, racing around in a game of tag that seemed to have no end.

“Lily, mind your sister please.” Jude chimes in. Just as he said that, the youngest got pushed over in the midst of the chaos caused by the older two. Jude and I jump up to check on Mia. She’s crying loudly, however she is fine. Jude picks her up and bounces her up and down in an attempt to cheer her up. 

“Now, what did I tell you guys?” I asked the kids. “Be careful.” They said simultaneously. “Yes, and did you do that?” I followed up. “No, mama.” They said once again. I crouched down to speak to them at their level. “Right. Now, I want you to go to your sister and apologize and give her the biggest hug.” I told them. They sprung up and jumped up at their dad in an attempt to reach their sister. Jude squatted on the floor and put the baby at eye level. They smothered her with hugs and kisses and she started laughing her little bum off. Mia wriggles in Jude's arms, trying to get out, so he lets her down. She waddles back out to the small grass hill where she and her siblings were playing and the fun began once again.

As the sun began to set, Jude and I scooped up our children and moved to where the spring fireworks would be taking place. We found the perfect spot to settle down and laid our fuzzy picnic blanket out. Jude and I lay down with Mia in his arms. Arlo and Lily snuggled up between us, their eyelids gradually growing heavy with the promise of dreams. Mia, nestled in my arms, gazed wide-eyed at the colorful bursts in the sky as Arlo pointed out the shapes and sizes of them. 

As the final firework fizzled out, the kids now fast asleep, Jude leaned in close to me, his voice low and suggestive. “You know, watching fireworks isn’t the only thing that lights up the night.” I laughed softly, feeling a familiar spark ignite between us. “I think we can manage to find some more sparks later,” He teased, his eyes dancing with mischief as we gathered our sleeping children, Lily and Arlo in their father’s arms and me pushing Mia’s stroller and headed home, the memory of our playful day lingering like a sweet summer breeze.

[tinyluvs]

Hii! Heard you crave fluff 🤭 (Please no angst, I'm not in the mood to bear it😭)

Something like Reader isn't feeling well physically (like just some flu) but Hotch and Jack being super caring and sweet, and just comforting her 😭

i gotchu, jack n hotch are my babiesss, enjoy !! ♡

you’re sitting in what can only be described as a blanket fortress when aaron comes back into the living room, bowls in hand. he stops to admire his sons handiwork

“look daddy!,” jack squeals, tiny hands shoving and tucking the edges of what you hope is the last blanket, around your sides, “all tuckered up,”

“tucked,” you correct him softly, hand brushing through his hair as he leans back and plops down next to you, “i didn’t know you had so many blankets,” you say to aaron, both of you fighting a laughing fit

aaron hands you and jack bowls, both piled high with ice cream, “neither did i,” he chuckles as he sits on your other side, his bowl resting on his knee, “how’re you feeling?” he asks

jack had given you his cough and cold, nothing serious though both boys are acting like you’re knocking on deaths door, “i told you, i’m absolutely fine!” unfortunately for you, your voice cracks and causes you to break out into a coughing fit

the child beside you gasps, springing into action by forcing you forward to pound his tiny hands against your back while his father just chuckles at you both

“thanks buddy,” you croak out with a feeble thumbs up when he decides you’re okay again. you simply don’t have the heart to tell him you weren’t choking and neither does aaron

the room falls into a comfortable silence, just spoons clinking against ceramic while you all watch a rerun of spongebob on the tv, jacks pick but you have no complaints

thanks to the blankets you start to sweat, your cold chills banished for the time being, “i’m too hot now,” you whine quietly, shuffling into the space under aaron’s arm

“take some blankets off then,” he mumbles, lips pressing against your warm forehead, his fingers combing through your hair ever so gently

you groan, knowing it’s the only option, “i don’t want to make jack feel bad though,” you rush out before stealing a spoonful of ice cream from your boyfriends bowl

he huffs, “you’ll make me sick,” he points out though there’s no fire behind it and when you look up at him with a soft and slightly cheeky smile he takes the opportunity to sneak a quick kiss

“you’ll make me sick,” you mock, moving away from him so you’re sitting again and not slouched against his side, “jack, honey, i’m really hot now, can i take some of these blankets off now, please?”

jack thinks, deeply, swirling his spoon around in his ice cream so it makes what he calls ice cream soup, “can i have one? i’m cold,” he asks and you nod, “okay then,” he concludes with a shrug

aaron snatches your bowl from your knee as it wobbles, allowing you to stand and shed the blankets off of you, letting them fall to the floor in a pile which you’ll clear up later

“which one do you want?” you ask jack, both of you staring down at the pile. you already know he’s going to choose the avengers one, it’s his favourite and he was quick to let you borrow it in your time of need

silently he points, to the avengers one, with his spoon. you scoop it up from the floor and throw it over the smaller boy before plopping back into your space

“here,” aaron hums, pushing your bowl against your hand causing you to flinch when it’s cold on your skin. your bowl, upon inspection, has less ice cream in it than when you left it

“how could you? stealing from your sick girlfriend.” you huff, staring into your bowl so he doesn’t see your lips pressed tight, refusing to smile

“ah, i thought you were fine,” aaron smirks, you only know because you feel it against your temple. he kisses you once before standing, “ do you want anything from the kitchen?”

the question is aimed at you however jack perks up before you do, "more ice cream!" he shrieks, waving his bowl at his father, the spoon flies out, thudding down onto the carpet with a dull thud, "uh oh"

you snicker, stopping short when aaron shoots you a look, "uh oh indeed," he sighs lightly, bending to grab the spoon, "no more ice cream for you buddy," he says, tapping the sticky spoon off of his sons head

jack takes offence, immediately. he flies off of the couch at speed, taking off after aaron who dashes towards the kitchen. you take a second to cough before following them

when you get to the kitchen jack is stood on the counter while aaron stands in front of him, both of them waving a spoon at each other like swords.

"ha ha!" jack laughs, smacking his dads spoon hard enough to send it spinning out of his hand. aaron gasps and lunges towards jack, swiping off of the counter, one arm around him while the child screams and shrieks

you giggle and smile at your boys as aaron sits jack on the edge of the counter before he's reaching for you, hands grabbing at your hips. he lifts you onto the counter, putting you right next to jack, "now you've cooled down, temperature," he mumbles to himself turning to rummage through a drawer

"i wanna do it, i'm a doctor!" jack announces, snatching the thermometer from aaron's hand. he turns towards you, face fiercely serious, "go ahhh," he demonstrates, mouth open and tongue poked out

"ahhhh," you parrot, letting the child push the thermometer into your mouth while aaron stands arms crossed in front of you, "i bet you i'm fine," you mumble around the object

the thermometer beeps and gets ripped away from you a second later, "daddy?" jack huffs, realising he can't read what it says.

aaron turns it towards the light so he can see the numbers before he smiles, "hey, you're all good," he hums, hand smoothing over your knee, "just the cough we have to get rid of now,"

"yay!" you and jack celebrate, arms in the air

"which means," aaron cuts you both off, voice louder than yours and his sons, "no more ice cream for dinner," he smiles to himself as he turns to dump the previously forgotten about bowls into the sink

jack gasps up at you, genuinely looking sad as you wrap an arm around him, pulling him tight against your side, "don't worry jacko," you whisper, "give it two days and daddy will be sick and then we will be eating all the ice cream we want,"

"awesome"

thanks for reading! remember to like! reblog! and comment! i’ll give you a kiss if you do, mwah ily !! send prompts to my ask box!

[atinyniki]

take your time.

group: ateez !

pairing: idol!song mingi x f!reader

genre: angst with a fluffy ending

warnings + additional info: reader is referred to as y/n, established relationships, pregnancy, lots of blood, childbirth, arguments, hyunwoo (xikers) is y/ns little brother, mentions of a miscarriage, jiyoo is the daughter of mingi and y/n, guilt, kissing, reader almost miscarries, cpr on a newborn, mentions of divorce, mingi almost gets into a car accident, tad bit suggestive at the end, fainting.

authors note: holy fuck this is actually so sad... at least its a happy ending tho <3 i really hope you guys like this ! please dont read if youre not comfortable with themes relating to birth and miscarriage </3 this is also not proofread. english is not my first language, so please excuse any grammatical or spelling errors. happy reading :)

wc: 3107

HUGE TW, PROCEED WITH CAUTION: reader almost has a miscarriage, pregnancy, blood, and the pain that goes along with it.

“don’t fucking touch me.”

he instantly backs away, hands clasped in front of him. “we’re leaving.”

he looks back up at you, a crestfallen look on his face. “what…?”

“it’s not fair, mingi. you can’t just jump back into our lives like this.”

“i’m not jumping back, ive been here!”

“jiyoo doesn’t think you love her anymore.”

“what?!”

you huff in frustration, he’s clearly not getting the message. “don’t you get it? it’s because you’re never there, mingi. you might be in the house, but you’re still always working. you don’t have time for us, not at all, and come to think of it, you don’t deserve our love. so we’re leaving, i’ll come back once i’m ready.”

he lets the words sink in, still sat in shock. his daughter doesn’t even know if he loves him. he’s failed her, and he’s failed you. he’s even failed his son, before he was even born.

“i know you said not to touch… but can i do something?”

“a hug isn’t going to fix anything, mingi”

“i know, but can i still do something?”

“make it quick.”

he walks over to you, tears slipping from his eyes even though he tries to suppress them. he kneels down in front of you, lifting up your shirt to kiss your baby bump.

it’s the same thing he’s been doing every night, yet you’re never up to see him do it, and the sight alone causes tears to spring to your eyes. “i’ll see you soon buddy, i love you.”

he stands back up, mustering the best smile he possibly can with all the pain in his heart. “can i see jiyoo?”

you nod, and he instantly sprints to her room. “jiyoo? can i come in?”

she opens the door immediately, squealing in delight and throwing herself into her dads arms. “i missed you!”

“i know princess… i know.”

she instantly picks up on the tone in his voice, a little confused. “what’s wrong abba?”

“nothing! don’t worry baby… are you excited?”

her face instantly lights up at the mention of her little vacation. “yeah! im so excited to see uncle hyunwoo again, i missed him.”

he giggles along with her, pinching her cheek softly, “yeah, i bet you did munchkin.”

“i just wish you could be there with us…”

“it’ll be fun! tell me how your birthday went, yeah?”

she nods, hugging him tighter. “i will…”

a moment of silence passes, and she stays sat on his lap, hugging him and relaxing in his arms. mingi relishes in the moment, afraid that this might not happen again for a while.

“sugar?”

“mmm”, she replies sleepily.

“i love you…”

she turns back up to look at him, “i know abba.”

he shakes his head, guiding her face to look up at him with his two large hands. “no baby… i love you.”

“what’s going on?”

“please d-don’t forget it… i love you to the ends of the universe”

“i love you too, abba”

his façade is cracking, he can feel it. a singular tear slides down his face after he kisses her cheek, and he quickly wipes it away. this is for the best, and he knows that it’s what you both need right now. 

“alright, i’ll call amma and she can help you pack, okay?”

“we already packed though?”

“oh… yeah i’ll just- i’ll go get her.”

you see him enter the living room again, “you two have fun yeah? call me if you need me.”

you can only nod, grabbing the bags and placing them in the trunk. you finally come back inside, ushering jiyoo out of her room and bringing her over to the car.

but before you get in, he stops you. “y/n.”

“hm?”

“i love you.”

you stop in your tracks, unable to say anything back. normally you’d reply with the same three words in a heartbeat, but it didn’t slip off the tongue naturally anymore. 

it makes sense, considering how long it’s been since you’ve said it to him. “i know, mingi. take care.”

you get into your car, unable to bear the sight of him anymore, and you make your way out of the driveway. “amma, why is abba crying?”

“he’s not crying, baby.”

you turn your head to look at him, he’s sat on the porch, hands clasped over his mouth. he waves one final time, his face contorting into a painful expression.

and now you’re certain. 

he’s crying.

“whatever you decide, we’ll be right here. we’re always here for you, you know that right?”

he nods, tears leaving his eyes. he normally stays strong, only letting the tears out around you. you’re his safe haven, and yet the tears seem unstoppable now.

they pour down relentlessly, unable to keep themselves in for mingis sake. san pours him a glass of water, sitting down next to hongjoong. 

“i don’t think i can do this right now…”

“that’s okay mingi… you can go on hiatus. you need a break.”, hongjoong suggests.

“i don’t wanna let you guys down.”

“we don’t have much to do the next couple months, you know. we’ve recorded everything for the comeback anyways. please?”

he knows they’re only looking out for him. “okay… fine. i’ll finalize everything soon.”

the boys all comfort him through it. none of them have gone through this type of pain, but it seemed that they all knew how to comfort him. 

he’s grateful, but he doesn’t feel fulfilled. he’s not happy. he’s not happy, because they’re not you.

he walks home that night, scared to drive in the state he’s in. his eyes are blurry, he can hardly see, but he tries his best to find his way back properly.

that is, until he crosses the road next to the dorms. he could’ve sworn the light wasn’t there. all he could process was a flash of white, and he braces himself for the impact.

the next thing he hears is a loud screech of the tires, and the driver instantly gets out to check on him. “mingi are you okay?”

he looks up at him, its hyunwoo, he realizes. “y-yeah im okay…”

he tries to walk back down the crosswalk, but hyunwoo stops him. “mingi…”

“i’m fine.”

more tears leave his eyes, and hyunwoo instantly goes to hug him. “you’ll be okay, i know it. just give her some time.”

mingi hugs him back even tighter, completely unaware that you’re watching from the backseat with jiyoo. “thank you.”

“i’m always here.”

that’s what everyone says. everyone is always there for him. you were always there for him.

but now you’re not. now you’re gone, because of him, and he has to deal with the consequences.

“h-have a good night hyunwoo.”

before he can answer, mingi sprints away, too scared to see him. his eyes are the same as yours, and he can’t bear to stare into them anymore.

he wants it all to end.

he scrolls through his twitter feed again, making sure his eyes aren’t deceiving him. no, they aren’t.

there’s an article about his rumored divorce, all he can do is hope you haven’t seen them yet. before he knows it, it hits twelve. he grabs his phone from the dresser, dialing your number.

no answer.

he tries again.

no answer.

he tries calling hyunwoo, and he finally picks up. “hello?”

“hey woo…”

“mingi?”

“sorry to bother, i was just wondering if jiyoo is still awake? i wanted to wish her a happy birthday.”

he chuckles awkwardly, “she’s awake… but i don’t think- um…”

“oh, yeah… that’s okay. can you just tell her i have a gift waiting for her at home? thanks…”

“yeah, i’ll tell her. how are you doing? i saw the articles.”

“i don’t know.”

“what do you mean?”

“i don’t know how im doing, not right now. goodnight hyunwoo”

“oh- i- goodnight?”

he quickly hangs up the phone, unable to say anymore. he’s scared for his life. is jiyoo having fun? are you doing okay with your pregnancy? are you still upset?

he hopes you’re feeling better, he truly doesn’t want you to waste your tears on him. 

it’s been two months since you’ve last seen him, and you think you’re doing a lot better. you know you miss him, and you know you will return, but you don’t know if you’re ready yet.

you know it’s very unfair to him, not being able to see jiyoo, but there’s a lot going on in your life right now. you don’t think you’re ready to face him, even though you truly do miss him.

“amma?”

“yes baby?”

“this vacation is getting boring…”

you give her a soft smile, picking her up and placing her on your lap. “i know baby, we’ll go home soon.”

you play a little more with jiyoo, until you see her start to cry. it breaks your heart even more. you have to talk to him.

and so you do. you grab a couple things, bringing jiyoo in the car with you. you both arrive at your home not too long after, it’s been too long since you’ve even seen the place.

you knock on the door, and you hear shuffling from the end. your heart rate quickens, still scared of what’s to come, but you’ve come too far to let it go now.

he opens the door, a look of surprise on his face. and then his eyes meet yours. it’s almost as if it’s been flipped. last he saw you, your eyes were red, and his were happy, bright. and now his are red, and you look much better than you did before.

his eyes then fly to the little girl next to you, running over to give him a hug. he falls to his knees before he can even think, sobs racking his body once again. “abba! i missed you.”

his body shakes with his cries, smoothing down her hair and kissing her cheeks. “i missed you more, my princess…”

you enter the house, closing and locking the door behind you. you set your things down by the door, and you just sit there and watch. your heart melts at the sight.

you feel guilty for keeping them apart so long, but you needed time. maybe you still do, but there’s nothing you can do now.

he stands back up, bringing jiyoo to her room to get her into bed. “i don’t wanna sleep yet…”

“i know sweet girl… i’ll tell you what, if you sleep now, i’ll show you your dollhouse first thing tomorrow.”

“okay! goodnight abba!”

“i love you pumpkin.”

he leaves the room not too long after, watching you pace the room. you’re crying, he can see the streaks over your face. he slowly walks over you, careful not to startle you.

“are you not ready…?”

“i don’t know…”

“we don’t have to talk right now… but i’m here for you.”

you turn your head towards him, utterly touched by his words. you would have never guessed that he’d be so patient with you, and it finally slips naturally.

“i love you, mingi.”

“i love you too.”, he replies without missing a beat.

“i’m sorry i didn’t tell you when we left. it’s been eating me alive.”

“that’s okay, i put you in a lot of pain. i understand, i promise.”

a moment of silence passes between the two of you, only your shared sniffles heard from time to time.

“im sorry i came here unannounced. jiyoo just missed you a lot…”

silence.

“i missed you”

he looks back up at you, almost sobbing now. he tries to wipe his tears away, but they just keep coming back.

that’s how it is with mingi. you’re his safe place, and he will let every emotion out with you. 

“i missed you so much more… you’d truly never believe it”, he whispers.

you give him a soft smile, opening your arms to him. “c’mere”

“what? really?”

“yes! come here, i missed you.”

he’s hesitant at first, but the second he feels you around him again, he melts. his heart feels too much at once, and he starts crying again. no. wailing.

he gasps for air again, rather harshly, and tangles his hands in your hair. he inhales again, all of his senses completely overridden. by you.

“oh baby…”

he hugs you tighter once he hears the pet name, and you smooth down his hair with your hand. “i promise i’ll be b-better… i know i’ve been terrible to you, but ill try my best. i’ll take breaks, ill spend time with you, and ill take care of myself too… just don’t go.”

“i’m not leaving you, sweetpea… im here. calm down.”

he looks up at you, stars in his eyes, “can i… kiss you?”

normally he’d never ask for permission, but you remember what you said during your argument. it breaks your heart thinking about how much that must have affected him.

you lean down, meeting his lips in a soft kiss. he cradles your head in his hands, his touches feather-soft. you finally pull away, just to stare at him. 

“you’re so beautiful…”

“hm?”

he giggles, “you’re just beautiful. i don’t think i tell you that enough.”

you hug him tight once more, missing his touch. he gets up not too long after, helping you up too and pushing your hair out of your face lovingly. 

“mingi…”

“hm?”

“how are you?”

“oh… i don’t know yet…”

suddenly, there’s a sharp pain in your abdomen. you look down, but there’s nothing there. “baby? what’s wrong?”

you can’t get any words out, scared for your life. you feel something trickling down your leg, so you look. the blood drips onto the floor, the pain becoming unbearable.

“mingi…”

mingi doesn’t say anything, quickly grabbing his phone from his pocket to call an ambulance. “stay with me baby, come on…”

you can’t do it, it hurts too much. you sink down to the floor, trying your best to stay awake, but it’s so hard. you want to scream, but you can’t, not with jiyoo here…

you push and push, but your body finally gives out, losing so much blood that you fall unconscious in the puddle. 

“yes- yes i’m here…”

“are they crying?”

“n-no, he’s not breathing.”

“alright, stay calm, the ambulances are on the way. i want you to perform cpr on him, make sure you press only about an inch deep.”

he’s done this before, he knows how, but his hands are shaking so much and he’s just so scared. he finishes the compressions, giving him two breaths and returning back to pressing down on his chest.

“nothing… nothings happening…”

he continues pressing, tears streaming down his face. he’s blocked out every other voice, only thinking about you and his baby. 

and then he hears it. a shrill cry rings out through the room, and his eyes widen. he picks him up, carefully cradling him. he’s obviously premature, and mingi is deathly scared of what’s to come. 

just then, the ambulances arrive. mingi quickly informs the dispatcher and hangs up. he watches as they take you and the baby away to the ambulances and he rushes to jiyoos room.

“baby. you need to wake up.”

“mmm?”

he picks her up before she can question, “close your eyes. please.”

she complies, almost falling back asleep amidst all the chaos. he runs out the house, hopping in the passenger seat while they operate in the back.

his heart is beating a thousand times a second, tears streaming down his face. “abba…? why is there blood on you…?”

“just close your eyes princess…”

his hands are smeared with blood. his clothes, along with jiyoos, are ruined. his mind will never be the same after going through such a thing.

but all he can do is cry.

you’re finally all together, all four of you, yet it’s been almost four weeks since the birth. jihoon has spent a lot of time in the NICU, but he’s finally getting to see his new home for the first time.

mingi unlocks the door, opening it for you as you make your way in with jihoon. jiyoo has been giving him her love in every single way possible.

small hugs, sweet kisses, and cute little smiles whenever he blubbers in her direction. your heart swells at the sight. you don’t know how to explain it, but it just feels… right.

you set jihoon down in the crib, allowing him to get some rest. you decide to lay down too, calling it an early night. you’re still recovering, and it’s been hell so far, but mingi has been with you every step of the way this time.

the two of you lay together in bed in peace after so long, smiling and just simply staring at eachother. he grabs your hand, holding it up to his chest. “i’m proud of you, you know. you’re so strong…”

“mingi, you’ve said this like… nine times.”

“the amount of times i’ve said it doesn’t change the fact that it’s true. you are so incredibly amazing and just… the perfect mother. a fucking superhero, if you will.”

you giggle, “okay now you’re just overreacting.”

he pulls you closer towards him, kissing over the palm of your hand and gently closing his hands around it. “i’m so glad you both are okay…”

“mingi…”

“im sorry i keep bringing it up… it’s just- i could have lost you both.”

“you’re okay baby… im here.”

he scoots closer to you so that you’re chest to chest, nuzzling his face into your neck. he plants soft kisses onto your jawline, the sweet gesture just seeming so much like him.

“i love you… thank you for coming back to me.”

you kiss his forehead once, then twice, “i could never be away from you forever, you know.”

he smiles, kissing over your neck again. his kisses start to trail down lower and lower, suddenly stopping at your chest. “agh! mingi, not now!”

“not doing anything… just kissing.”

he places wet kisses all over your chest and collarbone, smiling when the marks change tint. “missed you, y/n…”

you grab onto his hair for some control, squirming underneath him. that is, until you hear a loud cry from the baby monitor. the two of you giggle again, this was going to be a lot of work.

he pulls away from you, quickly getting out of bed. “i’ll put him back to sleep, don’t worry.”

he walks over to you, leaning closer to whisper into your ear. 

“i’ll be back soon baby, just sit here and look pretty for me…”

<3

[gothamite-rambler]

"Why does he keep aiming for that spot?!" (using DBZA lines)

Batman lay face down on the ground, groaning in pain. His groin throbbed painfully from two brutal kicks delivered by Lex Luthor's nearly steel-toed boot, nestled within that ridiculous suit of his.

Superman stood nearby, sympathetic to his friend's plight but secretly grateful it wasn’t him on the receiving end.

Superman (comfortingly): So, uh, you doing okay, B?

Batman (buried rage, sarcastic): He kicked me in the groin twice with that damn boot. You think I'm doing okay?

Superman: It can't be that bad, can it?

Batman growled in response, still writhing in discomfort. He was familiar with the idea of turning pain into strength, but this was an entirely different matter. Lex relished seeing the caped crusader in such distress.

Batman: Let me do the same to you three times!

Superman (taking a step away): Nah, I'm good.

Lex (cocky): Ah ha! Look at me, I've got the upper hand on Batman! This is a great day!

Superman (pointing at Batman): All you’re doing is kicking him in the crotch! That’s a low blow, literally!

Batman (deadpan, still laying on the ground): I hate you right now for saying that. And I hate Lex for putting me through this.

Lex: Well, that's what he gets for thwarting my plan to eliminate you! He’s lucky all I did was kick him where it hurts. With a limp dick like that, I can’t imagine he gets much action anyway.

Batman struggled to stand to his feet, Superman tried to stop him, but it was too late. Fueled by frustration, he lunged at Lex, but the villain seized his fist and swiftly delivered a third kick to his groin. Batman whimpered and fell forward.

Batman (with a heavy sigh, fighting back tears): Oh God, that hurt even more than the first two!

Superman (glaring at Lex): Dude, seriously, knock it off! That's the lowest type of fighting. I rephrased it for you, best buddy.

Batman (weakly, eyebrow twitching): Don't call me that while we're in the middle of a fight!

Lex: You’re losing this fight, Batman. You’re so stubborn—just stay down, you weak beta! Unlike me and my super suit!

Batman rose to his feet once more, refusing to give up, which made Superman shield his eyes in embarrassment. Lex retaliated with a punch that sent Batman sprawling backward.

Superman (mumbling): At least it wasn't the crotch that time.

Undeterred, Batman charged again, only to be knocked down once more. Superman quickly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding a collision with Batman as he crashed to the ground for the second time.

Superman (frustrated): Batman, can we team up to fight him already?!

Batman (on his knees, gasping): Just… give me a minute.

Lex (annoyed): Ugh, he is persistent.

Superman: You have no idea.

Batman charged at Lex and was punched back again, avoiding colliding into Superman again.

Superman: He’s actually a really decent guy once you take the time to know him.

Lex (teasingly): Doubtful.

Superman: He’s usually calmer than this, but you did insult some of his family. That’s a sensitive topic for him.

Lex (uninterested): Don’t care, Superpussy.

Superman rolled his eyes. Batman, clearly in agony, mustered the strength to spring to his feet one last time, but it quickly became apparent that Lex was enjoying this brutal exchange as he kicked him in the groin for a fourth time. Batman regretted not adding a codpiece to his suit.

Superman: Can we call for a time-out before he makes himself infertile?

Lex laughed and, with a triumphant nod, walked away. Superman approached Batman, who lay on the ground, desperately trying to suppress his screams.

Batman (pained confusion): He keeps kicking me in the dick—why? Why does he keep kicking me in the dick?!

Superman: He just doesn’t like you. Welcome to the Lex Club. But I think I have a good idea.

Batman (with fierce indignation): If you suggest you hit him really hard, I swear I’ll kick you in the dick with kryptonite shoes!

Superman: Well, we could… hit him really hard—

Batman growled in pain, doubled over.

Superman (nervous smile): Together?

Batman (with reluctant resignation): Whatever.

--- Three hours later ---

Wonder Woman laughed hysterically as Batman, now out of his suit, iced his groin while lying flat on the floor. Unfortunately, the ice didn’t take away the pain.

Batman (groggy): This is not funny!

Wonder Woman: I’m sorry—no, I’m not! I can’t believe he kept targeting your crotch. Why didn’t you stop charging at him after the second kick?

Batman (weakly): Because the Batman doesn’t go down easily!

Wonder Woman: Or because you’re the type of man to engage in a dick-measuring contest with a villain. And he wasn’t even one of yours!

Her laughter only intensified as Batman scowled, frustrated that she had a point. He certainly didn’t want Lex to get away with his jibes about Nightwing.

Wonder Woman: What happened to your pre-planning?

Superman: He was pretty enraged, to be honest. Lex made a lot of insults about Damian and Nightwing, but at least we finally took him down together. I told you hitting him really hard would work!

Wonder Woman (still chuckling): I love that you risked your normal bathroom habits and the chance of having kids just because you didn’t want to let Superman help you.

Batman remained silent, choosing to lay there, engulfed in both pain and embarrassment.

[earthtoharlow]

Teach Me: First Comes Love…

Series Masterlist

Urban took photos as he watched Jack work and nodded his head to whatever beat he was playing in his head but he couldn’t help but notice the bulge in his pocket.

With a knowing grin, he nudged Jack and raised an eyebrow. “So, buddy, when are you gonna pop the question?”

Jack sighed, his shoulders slumping as he leaned back in his chair. “I’ve been trying, Urb. But every time I muster up the courage, something goes wrong, and the moment is ruined.”

Urban chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. “You? Mr. Cool and Collected? I find that hard to believe!”

Jack rolled his eyes playfully, and thought about all the times he tried to propose to Ariel.

Jack had a meeting in New York and since it was spring break they decided to turn it into a weekend trip. Jayla was a couple feet in front of them as they strolled through Central Park. His heart was pounding in his chest as he reached in his pocket to make sure the velvet box that seemed to be glued to his pocket was still there.

“Ariel, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you…”

But just as he was about to pop the question, a small brown puppy ran towards Jayla, startling Ariel. “Did you see that?!” she exclaimed, completely oblivious to Jack’s intentions. She skipped over to Jayla who was now playing with the dog in the grass.

Not being a big fan of dogs, Jack signed and he tucked the ring back into his pocket, saving it for another time.

Ariel gasped in delight, bending down to pet the adorable pup. “Oh my goodness, look at this little baby!”

“She’s so cute! I wonder where she came from.” Jayla laughed as the puppy licked her face. “Can we keep her, Mom? Please?”

Ariel knew how Jack felt about dogs or pets in general but the way the puppy cuddled closer to them, eyes wide and hopeful she couldn’t leave them there sad and alone at the park.

When she looked up at Jack, all he could do was sigh and give a slight nod. He would never hear the end of it if he said no.

“I think we just found our newest family member,” Ariel said with a smile.

“Oh so that’s how you guys found Princess Lou Lou!” Urban remarked as Jack finished the story and right on que, Lou Lou scratched at Jack’s legs wanting to be picked up.

Jack reached down and grabbed her, giving her a kiss in the head. “Yes, she’s been a cock blocker since day one!”

He reached in his pocket and pulled out the ring once more. “Just last week I tried to ask her during date night and the waitress interrupted us.”

Urban laughed a little. “Only you, man. But hey, third time’s the charm, right?”!

Despite his frustration, Jack couldn’t help but chuckle at the craziness of it all. “Let’s hope so, Urb. Let’s hope so.”

***

Later that night as Jack laid beside Ariel in bed, the bedside lamp casted a warm light over her face. Jack couldn’t help but marvel over her beauty. She looked so beautiful, just as she did the day they met. Ariel laid there with no makeup on, her dorky reading glasses perched on her nose as she skimmed through the pages of the book.

Jack reached out to gently brush a stray strand of hair from her face, his fingers lingering on her cheek. “You look beautiful, Ariel,” he whispered, his voice filled with awe.

Ariel looked up from her book, a smile spreading across her face at her words. “Really?” She asked, Jack’s words never failed to make her face warm.

He nodded, his heart swelling with love. “Absolutely. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known, especially with those dorky reading glasses.”

Ariel laughed and grabbed the extra pillow of the bed and swatted him with it, Jack dodged out the way just in time.

“Well, thank you, I think,” she teased, playfully nudging him with her elbow, and picked up her book again to finish reading.

Jack continued to stare as she read and he realized just how lucky he was that she came into his and Jayla’s life. Despite the ring being hidden in the sock drawer, he could still feel its presence in his thoughts.

Ariel was his soulmate, his partner in life, his one true love and he couldn’t wait any longer to ask her to be his wife.

Without a formal plan or the ring in hand, Jack blurted out the words that had been weighing on his heart for months. “Ariel, I love you. Will you marry me?”

Ariel froze in place, eyes widened as she looked up from her book and towards Jack. “Jack, are you being serious?”

He nodded nervously, unable to tear his gaze away from her. “Completely serious. I’ve been carrying this ring around for months, waiting for the perfect moment. But tonight, right now, with you looking at me like that… This is the perfect moment.”

Tears welled up in Ariel’s eyes before she tossed her book aside and threw her arms around Jack nodding vigorously. “Yes yes yes! I’ll marry you!!”

Jack couldn’t contain his happiness, and held her as if he never wanted to let go. He pulled back slightly cupping Ariel’s face in his hands, and gazed into her eyes, his heart bursting with love.

“I love you,” he whispered, his voice filled with sincerity and passion. “I love you more than words can express, Ariel. You mean everything to me. You’ve changed my life.”

He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, savoring the moment.

***

Ariel stirred awake, and felt a weight on her hand. When she opened her eyes she gasped at the beautiful ring, Jack must’ve slipped it on in the middle of the night.

Unable to contain her excitement, she gently shook Jack awake. “Jack.” she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion, “I still can’t believe it. This ring is gorgeous!”

Jack blinked sleepily, a smile spreading across his face as he realized what she was talking about. “Believe it, Ariel. You’re going to be my wife.”

A surge of happiness washed over Ariel as she leaned in to kiss him. “I don’t want a huge wedding, Jack. I just want to be married to you already.”

His eyes sparkled with excitement as he sat up, his mind racing with possibilities. “Well, why wait? Should we get dressed and wake Jayla up and head to the courthouse today?”

Ariel’s heart skipped a beat at the suggestion, eyes lighting up immediately. “Yes, let’s do it!”

They both leaped out of bed, the room buzzing with excitement. Just as Ariel was about to step into the bathroom, Jack stopped her from the bedroom door.

He turned to her, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Should we call Urban?” he asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

Ariel’s heart swelled with love for him, knowing how much his best friend meant to him. Despite their decision to just go to the courthouse, she understood that Jack would regret not having Urban by his side on such an important day.

With a gentle smile, she nodded. “Of course, we should. It wouldn’t be the same without him.”

Jack’s face lit up with gratitude as he reached for his phone, dialing his number with eager anticipation. After a few rings, Urban answered, his voice filled with excitement.

“Urban, I need you to meet me at the courthouse in 2 hours!” Jack exclaimed.

“What huh?”

“Ariel and I just got engaged, and we’re planning to tie the knot soon. We’d love for you to be there with us.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line before Urban's voice broke through, filled with emotion. “Are you serious? I wouldn’t miss it for the world, man. I’ll be there.”

As Jack hung up the phone, a sense of relief washed over him knowing that his best friend would be there. He hurries to Jayla’s room to wake her up.

“Daddy, why are you waking me up before 10am on the weekend!” Jayla whined.

All he could do was laugh at his daughter. “If you don’t want to get up, I’ll guess you’ll have to miss mommy and I getting married.” Jack teased playfully.

Jayla stirred from her sleep, blinking her eyes groggily before realizing what her dad had just said. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she shot up in bed, excitement and disbelief washing over her.

“What? Really?” she exclaimed, her voice filled with astonishment.

Jack nodded with a grin, his heart swelling with love for his daughter. “Yep, really. We’re getting married, Jay. And of course we need you there.”

Her face lit up with pure joy as she threw her arms around her dad, a smile stretching from ear to ear. “That’s amazing, Daddy! Of course, I want to be there!”

As Jack left Jayla’s room to start getting ready himself in the guest bedroom he tried his hardest to not get super emotional but he couldn’t help it.

When Alyssa died it had left him feeling broken and empty inside. Jack had never imagined that he would find love again. He had resigned himself to a life of loneliness, believing that his heart could never fully heal from the pain of losing someone he had loved so deeply.

Then Ariel had come into his life, like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds. She had shown him kindness, understanding, and unwavering support during his darkest days, slowly but surely helping to mend the broken pieces of his heart.

She had brought light back into his life, filling his days with laughter, love, and the promise of a brighter tomorrow and now in a couple hours she was going to be his wife. This was going to be the best day of his life.

***

With hearts racing and hands tightly clasped together, Jack, Ariel, Jayla with Urban right behind them rushed into the courthouse, their excitement filled the air. Their steps echoed in the grand hallway as they made their way to the front desk, determined to make their impromptu wedding a reality.

Breathless with anticipation, Jack approached the desk clerk, a wide grin on his face. “We’re here to get married,” he announced proudly, his voice filled with excitement.

The desk clerk looked up from her paperwork, surprised by the sudden burst of enthusiasm. But as she took in the sight of the happy family standing before her, her eyes softened with warmth and understanding.

“Of course,” she said with a smile, her fingers flying across the keyboard to pull up the necessary paperwork. “Do you have your IDs with you?”

Jack nodded eagerly, pulling out his wallet to retrieve his ID, while Ariel did the same. With their IDs in hand, they watched as the clerk processed their information, the anticipation building with each passing second.

Finally, with a flourish of her pen, the clerk handed them the marriage license, “Congratulations,” she said warmly, her eyes shining with genuine happiness for the couple before her.

With their marriage license in hand, Jack and Ariel exchanged excited glances, their hearts overflowing with joy. Hand in hand, they made their way to the courthouse chapel, where they would exchange vows and become husband and wife.

Ariel stood there with her hands shaking nervously as the officiant spoke. She was about to become a Harlow. Her heart overflowing with love and emotion, Ariel took a deep breath, her eyes shining with tears of joy. With trembling hands, she reached out to take Jack’s, her fingers intertwining with his as she began to speak.

“Jack,” she began, her voice soft and filled with sincerity, “from the moment you came into my life, you’ve brought nothing but love, laughter, and endless joy. You’ve shown me what it means to love and be loved unconditionally, and for that, I am eternally grateful.”

Tears welled up in Ariel’s eyes as she continued, her voice filled with emotion. “You’ve been my rock, my partner, and my best friend. You’ve stood by my side through the good times and the bad, supporting me, encouraging me, and believing in me when I needed it most.”

A smile touched Ariel's lips as she looked into Jack’s eyes, her heart overflowing with love. “Today, as I stand before you, I vow to love you with all that I am, to cherish you, to support you, and to be by your side through every twist and turn that life may bring. I promise to laugh with you, to cry with you, and to build a future filled with love, laughter, and endless adventures. You are my everything, Jack, and I am so grateful to be able to call you my husband.”

Ariel turned towards Jayla who was standing next to Urban, her heart swelling with love for the girl who had stolen her heart from the very beginning.

“Jayla” she began, her voice filled with warmth and sincerity, “from the moment I met you, you captured my heart in a way I never thought possible.”

Tears welled up in Ariel’s eyes as she continued. “You’ve been my daughter since day one, Jayla. You’ve brought so much light and happiness into my life, and I am grateful for every moment we’ve shared together.”

“I want you to know that I love you with all my heart. I promise to always be there for you, to support you, to encourage you, and to love you unconditionally, just as you have loved me.”

With tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, Ariel pulled Jayla into a tight embrace, holding her close as she whispered, “You are my daughter, Jayla, and I am so grateful to have you in my life. I love you more than words can express, and I promise to be the best mother I can be to you, now and always.”

Jack couldn’t help but join in on the hug, forever grateful for his tiny family. He gave them both kisses on the forehead before pulling away so he could say his vows.

Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, he cleared his throat before beginning his vows.

“Ariel,” he started, his voice warm and filled with affection, “from the moment I met you, I knew my life would never be the same. You’ve brought so much love, light, and laughter into my life, and I am eternally grateful for every moment we’ve shared together.”

A grin spread across Jack’s face as he continued, unable to contain his playful spirit. “Now, I have to admit, I don’t know how I’m going to top your vows, Ariel. They were so heartfelt, I’m not sure I can compete!”

Ariel, along with Jayla and Urban’s laughter filled the room as Jack paused for a moment, enjoying the light-hearted moment with his bride-to-be.

“But seriously, Ariel, today I stand before you with all the love in my heart. I promise to cherish you, to support you, and to stand by your side through every moment, big or small. I vow to be your partner, your confidant, and your biggest cheerleader, cheering you on in all your dreams.”

Jack reached up to wipe the tears that had fallen from Ariel’s eyes and gave her a smile. “I am honored to become your husband, I want to spend the rest of my days making you as happy as you have made me. I love you more than words can express, and I am grateful every day for the love and joy you bring into my life.”

“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss—“

Jack, not being able to wait, grabbed Ariel pulling her closer and leaned in, pressing his lips eagerly against her own.

Jayla and Urban cheered as Jack and Ariel had their first kiss as husband and wife.

***

After the whirlwind of emotions and celebrations, Jack, Ariel, Jayla and Urban found themselves at home, gathered around the kitchen table. They placed a store-bought cake in the center of the table, without any formalities or fuss, they grabbed forks and began to dig in, savoring each bite of the cake.

Jack leaned in close to Ariel, his voice soft as he whispered, “I can’t believe today happened. I’m the luckiest man in the world to have you as my wife.”

Ariel’s eyes sparkled with happiness as she whispered back, “And I’m the luckiest woman to have you as my husband. Today was perfect, Jack. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

Jack glanced at Ariel, a playful twinkle in his eye as he whispered, “When should we tell our families?”

Ariel chuckled softly, her heart warmed by the thought of sharing their joy with their loved ones. “I think we should tell them soon,” she replied, her voice filled with excitement. “Maggie has been pretty much begging you to marry me since we’ve met.”

He nodded in agreement, a smile spreading across his face. “I can’t wait to see the looks on her face when we tell her,” he said, his anticipation growing with each passing moment.

As Ariel rested her head on Jack’s shoulder, a contented sigh escaped her lips. “I’m just so happy,” she whispered, her voice filled with emotion.

Jack wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close as he pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. “I am too,” he murmured, his voice soft with love. “Today has been everything I ever dreamed of and more.”

***

THEN COMES MARRIAGE!!!!! 🤭🤭 hope you all enjoyed this let me know yours thoughts

Tag List

(message me if you'd like to be added or removed)

@heavyhitterheaux @hoodharlow @neon-lights-and-glitter @babiefries @toocriticalharlow @jackmans-poison @dstark-0706 @harlowsbby @itsyagirljaz @leftapricotprofessorlover @minkookie95 @harlowcomehome @jackharloww @jaydaaasworld @kkrenae @hufflewhore128 @w1ldthoughts @realwifeofjackharlow @halfmoondaze @katiaw2

[findafight]

Kinda want to write a one-sided ronance post S4 au (within a fix it obvs) where the older teens start actually hanging out and Stobin (eventually + Vickie)confuse literally everyone. They greet each other with cheek kisses, call each other babe (or "Stevie Baby". Listen. Robin calls him bud or buddy or bub or bubba or babe and it's like why so many B's?? Argyle is vibing with it though and joins the bud train) and one time at two in the morning had a coordinated ramble about the names of the cats they will eventually get. (Sassafras, moonshine, and Garborator)

Nancy and Steve haven't really talked about anything, other than Steve saying "hey. I'm sorry if whatever I said weirded you out. I was definitely a bit delirious and Robin and Eddie AND Dustin were all making comments about winning you back or whatever which is stupid, you made it clear where you stood with me. Which wasn't with me. That's fine. and like. Okay yeah when we were together I'd daydream about you being beside me in the motorhome but thats-- it was a daydream. I was sort of thinking I was gonna die and. I wanted to share a little dream that made me happy. And then got everything confused in my head and made it weird and I'm sorry. what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry for being weird and making things uncomfortable. I'm over you. I loved you then, and you were my first real love, and maybe if things were different I could love you like that again but. But neither of us want that or the same things out of life. And we'd crash and burn again. Plus you and Jonathan are together which is a non-starter. Cannot believe I forgot that when it was happening. Jesus. So. Yeah. Sorry for being not a great friend and hitting on you in the Upside Down." And Nancy had nodded and told him not to worry about it. He had been sort of bleeding out and planning on going back into the upside down. They could both be normal about it.

Sometimes Nancy and Robin try to have "girl time" at Nancy's suggestion because they're the only girls in the older group (sometimes. But Robin is not going to let that slip out) but it's awkward without a buffer. Robin is too nervous and rambles and Nancy is too annoyed by it. But they do get on well in group settings, and Steve and Argyle are actually the keenest to smooth over any awkwardness.

Robin laughs more with the group, and grins at Steve and smirks at Eddie and has a sharp tongue Nancy can admire. She's more comfortable with Steve around, insisting he sit beside her or on the ground in front of her so she can play with his hair. (And Nancy is shocked the first time she sees it, because Steve was notoriously protective of his "best feature", but she'd asked and he'd hummed quietly as she takes her fingers through his hair and put tiny, lopsided braids in it.) It's nice to see Robin less jumpy, and wonders what it would take to see more of the side of her Nancy only sees when Steve's around. She just wants to get closer to Robin. Wants a friend.

And somehow, beyond Nancy's notice, Steve and Robin's friend Vickie slowly joins the group. She wasn't involved at all in the spring, but has been hanging around Family Video and a movie night or two often enough that when she settles more permanently in the group it isn't a very big surprise. Eddie and Argyle welcome her in with open arms, Jonathan is only his normal amount of weary of new people, and obviously Robin and Steve are excited for their friends to be friends.

But it just doesn't sit right with Nancy. She can't pinpoint why, it just doesn't. When she sees Robin and Vickie giggling together, or having some back and forth banter that seems to feed into both of them smiling, or Steve throwing his arm over her shoulder, or Vickie leaning into Robin's space as they talk. She always sits beside Robin, Steve on the other, with Eddie beside him. It's usually a tight fit for whatever couch they're on, but the four seem happy as clams to not have any personal space. Once Argyle decided to lay across all their laps, and they just...let him. Finangled themselves so everyone was mostly comfortable.

Nancy figures she is uncomfortable with it because she hasn't ever had a close friend since Barb, and was possibly hoping she could be close to Robin along those lines. So seeing her so close with the others and mildly uncomfortable around her hurt, and seeing her and Steve incorporate someone unversed in the Upside Down into their little trauma club also hurt. Because what did Vickie have that Nancy didn't? That made Steve and Robin and now Eddie stick to her like glue? That made them want her there when she didn't know anything about what they'd been through and could probably never understand?

What made Vickie Summers so special that she's taken what should have been Nancy's place beside her friends? Because that's what really bothered her. It wasn't that Vickie didn't know, it's that Nancy felt she took her place. That Nancy wanted to be where Vickie was, and she didn't know how to ask for it. Asking, trying to talk about how Steve and Robin had bonded so well after Starcourt while she ignored them and then how they bonded with and absorbed Eddie halfway into their bizarre dynamic after vecna, would feel too much like begging or admitting that she isn't quite sure how to make friends.

Nancy is jealous. Jealous that she isn't friends like Vickie and Eddie and Steve and Robin are. That she isn't the one making Robin smile and giggle so cutely. So. She tries harder. Tries to be the friend that Robin and Eddie and even Steve deserve. She tries not to be annoyed by Robin rambling (it really isn't that bad, just. Not relevant. She likes heading Robin's voice, but thinks she could really work on having a filter.), or the way Steve always asks clarifying questions when he should really have known better, or Eddie talking half in different character voices. She thinks it's getting better, her relationship with them. But, still, Vickie is always there, glued to Robin's side almost as much as Steve is, and that always annoys Nancy. Niggles at her brain, that she doesn't deserve to be there because she didn't know what Robin had lived through and fought. Nancy did.

Eventually, Nancy figures out that she wants more from Robin. Doesn't want to be a friend she smiles at occasionally, wants to be the reason she smiles all the time. And that's terrifying. Because Nancy had never considered liking girls, never thought liking girls was a thing she could do. It was something other women did, not Nancy. She liked boys and always had, but. But maybe she always liked girls...too. maybe it wasn't something she that was one or the other. Being different in a town like Hawkins puts a target on your back, being queer in a town like Hawkins even moreso.

She's leaving Hawkins in the fall. But she thinks she wants someone to come home to. She wants Robin to come home to. Robin and Steve seem to be okay with it, from what she can glean of some veiled comments they've made that she's only caught now she's looking for them. They've made some remarks around the kids that make it seem like they'd be safe to come to, no matter what. And sometimes, some of the comments Robin makes about actresses seem a little...well. admiring.

They probably, hopefully, wouldn't hate her for this. And now Nancy and Robin have a friendship, she thinks she can. It's early July, and Nancy is going to ask Robin out.

She gets her alone, bites her lip, and asks Robin in no uncertain terms to go out on a date with her. Robin stares, mouth agape.

"oh," she says.

Nancy smiles, a little. "Yeah. So. What do you say?"

Robin blinks, and takes a shuddering breath. "Oh my god. I. Nancy I'm really flattered but I'm no-i dont- uhg. I'm dating someone." she groans, rubbing her hands over her face.

And oh. Nancy read the situation wrong "oh. Steve. It's fine! You don't like girls, thats--thats totally fine! Id just, um. That is,-"

Robin waves her hands. "No, no! I'm not dating Steve! You clocked me correctly. Definitely gay! Don't worry about that! Hah."

Something in Nancy twists. "Oh?"

"yeah. Yep. Not only am I a lesbian in a small town, I'm a lesbian in a small town that somehow also has a girlfriend." Robin says the word dreamily. Like she still can't believe it. Nancy's brain fills with static. She was too late. Too caught up with how she missed so many chances in the past, that she missed her chance now.

But Robin keeps talking. "And, like. Even if I didn't, I don't think it would have worked between us anyways. Too different, y'know?"

"what?"

Robin gestures with her hands between them. "Well, like. I like being your friend. But, I mean, I wouldn't date you?"

"why not?"

Blinking, Robin tilts her head. "Because of Steve?"

Something bubbles hot in Nancy. "What the fuck does Steve have to do with wether or not we would date?"

"Nancy. Steve's my best friend." As though that explains anything.

"yes? And?"

Robin looks uncomfortable, shifting sideways. "listen, Nancy. You're a good friend. And I've just rejected you. Maybe we should just. Ah. Leave this? I'm really sorry. I'll give you some space, just find me when you're ready?"

"no. What do you mean that we couldn't date because Steve is your best friend? Why would that have any effect on how you date?"

"it doesn't! Not really! Just. Nancy, you broke his heart. His soft, squishy heart! You kinda sorta cheated on him-details very unclear-and then just. Moved on. Pretended like nothing happened. I couldn't do that to Steve. Dating a friend's ex is a bad move. Dating an ex that broke a friend's heart is just cruel." She sighs. Looks sad. As though she isn't the one rejecting Nancy and tearing her apart for how a relationship ended almost two years ago. What did that matter, now? "You're my friend, Nancy. I like you! But even if Steve has moved on, forgiven and forgotten, and if things were a bit different given his full support for us dating if that's what I wanted, I think I'll always remember how he-- how much it hurt him."

"oh"

"I'm. Nancy I'm really sorry. I know how scary it is to put yourself out there, especially like this. It's not fair. I'm just sorry. But. It was true. Steve's the most important person to me. I couldn't ever hurt him. Not like that. Not even if he said he was fine with it."

Nancy stands and walks away. She doesn't cry until she locks her bedroom door.

[miodiodavinci]

anyway as for the long and short of how i'm doing currently (mostly the long)

so two weeks ago i sprained my wrist at work lifting boxes, and it's been a slow recovery even with the help of a brace, stretches, rice buddies, and ice packs. i've had to basically put a lot of my hobbies on hold because i've been saving what little i can do with my wrist for all the job prep i need to do on the weekends (i.e. making flyers, updating spreadsheets, creating presentations, moving more boxes, etc...)

hobbies are even further on hold at this point because this last week i injured my shoulder as well, and i can feel that my ankle is getting ready to go with it. i'm doing what i can to minimize the damage (i.e. got a work cart, have had coworkers come with me to storage, actually sitting down and resting when i'm on break, etc...) but there's not a lot that can be done considering these are Core Aspects of my job and my contract goes until spring (and also like. whole complex situation where i can't leave without screwing over myself and a lot of people i care about)

it's a shit situation all around, but at the very least i'm getting paid a reasonable amount and it's covering my expenses jfgjksdhkfg

(though for all the work i do, god oh god i wish it was doing more than just covering my expenses)

having to take a break from my hobbies has put me in a weird headspace, though. or like it's less of a weird headspace and more that there's finally this pause that has me reevaluating what i want to do in my spare time

i've been consumed by work for the past like four years of my life, this last year was kind of the culmination of that. between completing my internship, finishing my degree, surviving The Horror (read: had a really, truly horrifying cancer scare last year), doing the yamaha collab, and taking care of the flurry of job-hunting stuff that needed to be done post-graduation, i don't know if i actually got a chance to so much as breathe until august

. . . . except in august i immediately collapsed and rotted the entire month away skjdfhgkhsdf

i'm burnt out, i think. like. genuinely, really severely burnt out. the more i think about it, the more i feel like i just need a year of doing nothing.

just. absolutely nothing.

which i've told myself in the past. several times. always in a big showy way. so much so that i feel silly saying it now because i've been saying it for years in the descriptions of my videos and in posts on my blog.

"i'm tired of being beholden to past me!! this year, i'm letting go of my expectations for myself and just doing what i want!!" (<< this user has said this at least 7 separate times and has failed to make good on it every single time)

but i think why i've never been able to follow through is because in spite of all the dropping projects that no longer interested me and not feeling obligated to see everything through, i still held on to the expectation that at the end of it, i'd still post something. but like.

i think posting doesn't really matter to me as much anymore??? if at all???

which isn't to say "i'm putting my foot down and never creating any new vocaloid work ever again," but it's also like. i can't let myself sit with the expectation of "yeah i'll just make things for fun!! and when they're done, i'll post them!!' because that changes the focus from making something for me into making something for others to see, which is. a different beast to care for skdjfgklhsdlfg

i keep seeing a lot of things where i have the opportunity to keep building on what rice and i were able to make as part of the yamaha collab: alternate box arts, matching galaco design, cool new english covers featuring bespoke cover art of the new designs but when i think of starting those, i feel utterly drained, and when i think of how i'll feel once they're finished, i imagine it'll be akin to "alright, i've checked that off the list. what's the next thing i should do not disappear and be a failure?"

. . . . . which is really, really separate from doing things as a hobby because they make me happy OTL

this past year i've really reconnected with my close friends (in part because i stopped having time to scroll online and didn't want anyone to know when i was online because i legitimately did not have the energy to respond) and i've noticed i really truly enjoy just batting around our ocs with each other so more than i've enjoyed any of the vocaloid work that i've put out in the past five years skjfghldkfg

i've been doing vocaloid things for over ten years now, and the collaboration with yamaha was quite literally something i couldn't have even dreamed of, much less imagined it would have just fallen into my lap the way it did. coming off the end of it and my internship though, there's this feeling that's been building for years now where it feels like the effort i put in is just not proportional to the satisfaction i get out of it. it feels more like something i'm supposed to do otherwise i'd just be squandering all the work i've put in and all the attention i've gotten.

. . . . . . i just want to live man 😂 i'm caught in a mental tangle that feels difficult to unravel. spring mio was at the end of his fucking rope, but fall mio is finally has the time to sit down with the slack and is wondering if it's worth it to keep pulling for all i'm worth when i can always just go over to my friend's house and have a funny little sleep over (metaphorical or literal both apply)

i'm not decided by any means but i'm definitely thinking about it.

it's the fact that it's been 2 years since i've released salvador, and i went into it thinking i'd be cool and professional about it, with lots of covers and frequent updates because i used to make lots of UTAU covers in high school, but then i got paralyzed by all the "shoulds" wrapped up in the process and i just. stopped working.

when i say i want to make X cover of Y song, am i really saying that i want to go out of my way to do all these things?? or am i just imagining what momentary satisfaction i'll feel to see another thumbnail on my channel??

...

(face in hands) this ended up being. a lot fucking longer than i meant for it to be jksdfhlkghsdkfg

hopefully most people have clicked away by this point w

it's the tear between the things i genuinely want (making things with friends that stay between us friends) the things i kind of want out of necessity (opening up commissions so i can supplement my income), the things i said i'd do and can't back out now on, and the things i told myself i would do but can't really must up plenty of positive emotions about (but can feel plenty of frightful, guilty emotions when i think of not doing them)

i'll figure it out eventually. even in the worst case scenario, i plan to keep my accounts up as archives, so it's not like my work will go anywhere w i'd still want it to be there once i decide i'm ready to come back to it w

[joelmillersdumbslut]

I took your matches before fire could catch me (part three) (joel miller x f!reader) 18+

summary: After making a "friends with benefits" deal with Joel Miller, you find yourself getting closer to him. Maybe too close. (no outbreak. no use of y/n)

rating: 18+ explicit (minors do NOT interact)

warnings (for this chapter): age gap (reader is in late 20's, joel is mid 50's), dirty talk, pet names, masturbation, sexting, fingering, unprotected p in v sex, oral sex (f! and m! receiving), daddy kink, hand kink, creampie, mentions of alcohol (no consumption), sarah makes a guest appearance, some fluff

word count: 3.6k

a/n: thank you so much for all the love on my first fic series, it truly means the world to me. i hope you enjoy this chapter as much as i do! ♡

a03 link

You delete Lily as soon as you get home that morning. You figure you don’t have much of a use for it anymore. Plus, Joel was the only guy you had swiped on anyway.

The app asks if you found love as a reason for deleting your account. You decline to answer.

Joel had given you his number and you end up sexting each other for the next week. Your hands and vibrator work overtime as you fantasize over the texts he sends you.

Gonna bend you over the kitchen counter.

Gonna slide my cock into that tight pussy.

You like it when daddy fills you up, don’t you?

The anticipation of your next meetup is killing you. You wait for Joel to make the next move. And he does on Saturday morning.

Sarah’s at a friend’s house.

Well, it was more of a statement than an invitation. But, you ran with it anyway. You talk your way out of a speeding ticket on the way there. Surprisingly, the excuse that your grandmother is in the hospital works better than “My fuck buddy is waiting on me.” You park across the street again, Joel had said he didn’t want the neighbors to notice an unusual car stationed in front of the house. You think it’s overkill, but you obey like the good girl you are.

Today, you don’t have to knock to announce your arrival. Joel is already waiting on the porch, guitar in hand. He’s strumming chords to a song you don’t know. As you approach the steps, you watch his long fingers move between strings, slide between frets. You hate to admit it, but it’s turning you on already.

“What are you doing?” you greet him, leaning against the railing.

“What’s it look like?” he gruffs back at you.

“Are you planning to serenade me? I think that’s the sexiest kind of foreplay.”

“Did you come over just to be a smart-ass?”

“I was hoping maybe you’d fuck it out of me.”

He’s trying not to smile.

—

“We should be able to communicate with each other, right?” you ask Joel, flinging your bra across the room.

He makes a face as your dress and underwear are soon scattered around his already disorganized bedroom floor, but his annoyance disappears once he sees you naked.

“Sure,” he grunts, pulling off his own boxers, motioning for you to get on the bed.

You plop down on the mattress, the box spring squeaking against your movement.

“Good. Because I need to ask you something,” you say, sheepishly fiddling with a strand of your hair.

Joel raises his eyebrows. You take that as encouragement to continue.

“Can you like… Make me cum more than once?” you try to draw out your request as humorous and lighthearted, but your inflection is desperate. Horny. Unsatisfied. 

Joel frowns, crawling onto the bed. He says nothing at first as he lays between your legs. His finger traces circles on the inside of your thigh.

“I just—I need more of you. One isn’t enough,” you mumble. Your stomach churns, wondering if maybe you shouldn’t have said anything at all.

“You gotta be a good girl.” 

You’re not happy with his answer.

“I am a good girl. We talked about this, Joel. I’m tired of this ‘good girl’ shit.”

Silence.

Just as you are about to tell him to forget it, that you take it all back and you’ll accept whatever number of orgasms he gives you, even if it’s nothing at all, he begins to eat your pussy. You notice again that it’s different from your first encounter at the bar. He starts out slow, his tongue rolling across your clit. He creates delicate stripes up and down your slit, but not before nudging his tongue inside your entrance. You can feel an inferno burning inside your stomach already and you restrain yourself from moaning, but Joel peers up from between your legs. His gaze is soft. And sweet. You can’t stop staring into his eyes.

“Wanna hear you,” he murmurs, his tongue rippling against your body even faster.

You let yourself go, shaking and flailing against his touch. You expect to switch positions, for Joel to be the one being pleased now, but he keeps going down on you. A rather unexpected welcome to your current dynamic. You close your eyes, focusing on the pleasure radiating throughout your body.

After your fourth orgasm, you fall asleep in Joel’s bed. You’re too sleepy to notice that he wrapped you up in a blanket and brushed the hair out of your face.

—

You’re disoriented when you wake up. Your eyes grow accustomed again to Joel’s bedroom, mid-afternoon light pouring in through the window. There’s noises downstairs and you wonder if he’s cooking for you again. The desire to keep sleeping fills you, but then you remember.

Joel didn’t cum at all.

You leap out of bed, gathering up your clothes and putting them on as you head downstairs. Once you get to the kitchen, you spot Joel setting pizza boxes down on the kitchen island. No one else is around. His daughter must not be home yet.

“I’m sorry,” you exclaim, hurriedly approaching him. You begin to undo his belt buckle. To your surprise, he’s already hard.

“Sorry for what?” he asks, amusement radiating across his face. He wants you to say it. He wants you to acknowledge what he did.

“You made me cum four times and you didn’t get to cum at all,” you whisper, turning around to bend yourself over the counter. “Come on, it’s your turn.”

Joel chuckles as he lifts up the hem of your sundress, pulling your panties to the side.

“You really are a good girl,” he purrs. The tip of his cock teases your entrance. “Already wet for me and you just woke up?”

You breathe deeply as he slides in. It hurts a little, but you quickly get used to the feeling of him stretching you. He starts pumping slowly and you rub your clit with one hand while keeping yourself upright against the counter with the other. Your body quivers as you feel the pressure building within your lower abdomen. You’re insatiable and Joel’s dick has you begging for more.

“Babygirl, why are you so tight?” he murmurs, thrusting faster now. “You gonna cum again? Four times ain’t enough?”

“If you keep hitting that spot right there, you’re gonna make it five times,” you whine, trying to maintain your balance against the kitchen counter.

“What, this spot right here?” you can hear Joel smile as he repositions himself, hitting that spongy area deep inside you. Your fingers move faster against your clit.

“Fuck, Joel, I’m gonna—”

“What’s my name, babygirl?” he grunts back at you, “Call me by my name.”

Your heart skips a beat when you realize what he’s asking for. Your pussy throbs with each thrust and you find yourself whimpering, “I’m cumming, daddy.”

Joel fucks you through your orgasm, his hand rubbing your shoulder blade as you shake and shiver from his touch.

“I’m close,” he whispers, his cock drilling into you, “Where you want it?”

“My back,” you sputter between breaths as he hoists your dress higher, exposing your lower back to him. You instantly feel the liquid hit your skin, hot and viscous. The two of you breathe laboriously, and you hear Joel buckle his pants again.

“Babygirl, I—” he begins, but the two of you freeze as the sound of the front door opening rings through your ears.

“Shit,” he exclaims, yanking your dress back down to cover your ass. “Fuck, it got on your dress again.”

“Again? Joel, you’re gonna owe me a brand-new wardrobe after this,” you hiss, looking around fearfully for a place to hide. You start to wonder if there’s enough room for you behind the refrigerator when the sound of footsteps becomes louder.

“Take this,” Joel says, ripping off his button-down shirt and tossing it to you. You finish slipping it on over your newly stained dress and Joel smooths out the wrinkles of his t-shirt right as his daughter strolls into the kitchen.

“Dad, you’ll never guess who’s comin’ to Austin on tour!” Sarah pauses, registering your presence next to his. She glances between the two of you, then expectantly looks at her father for an explanation.

“Sarah, this is…” he looks to you, his eyes screaming for help.

“I’m his friend!” you push Joel out of the way, holding out your hand to shake Sarah’s. “I’ve heard so much about you, so nice to meet you. Who’s gonna be in Austin?”

Sarah notices your determined ambition to change the subject and she accepts it, still eyeing you a little suspiciously. “Taylor Swift,” she answers.

“No way! I’m a Swiftie too. Her ‘Reputation’ album is—” you hold your fingers up to your lips and kiss them. “Chef’s kiss. Just amazing.”

You glance at Joel, who’s now pulling plates out of the cabinet. You wonder how he could possibly be acting so calm at a time like this, when your cover has practically been blown, when rule number one has been torn to shreds.

A slow grin appears on Sarah’s face, “Hey, Dad, maybe you can take us?”

“Yeah, you and your friends will have a great time, Taylor puts on a great show,” you ramble, making small steps toward the hallway. You need to escape. Like now.

“No, I mean, the three of us,” Sarah smirks. “She can come with us, right, Dad?”

“Oh, I don’t want to impose–” you start, but Joel cuts you off.

“‘Course she can. I’ll look at tickets tomorrow.”

“Cool,” Sarah beams, turning back to you. “You’re stayin’ for dinner, right? Dad, can she stay?”

Joel’s composure doesn’t crack a bit. “You’re stayin’, right?”

You smile nervously, eyes darting back and forth between the father and daughter. “Sure, I love pizza.”

Joel places his hand on the small of your back and you squirm as the drying cum sticks to your skin. He lets out a low laugh, clearly knowing what he’s doing to you.

“I thought we were ‘friends,’” you mumble.

“Sarah ain’t stupid. Just play along, will ya?” he whispers back.

You nod slowly, picking up a plate off the counter and plopping a slice of pizza onto it. All you can think about is how you want to run to your car and never come back. How Sarah doesn’t recognize you is beyond you. You think it must be impossible that Sarah didn’t hear about the girl Uncle Tommy slept with. Your anxiety is conjuring up images of Tommy describing you in detail to the whole family, demanding they stay away from a harlot such as yourself.

But, by some miracle, Sarah doesn’t say a single word to you about that. Instead, she interrogates you about Joel.

“So, how’d you two meet?”

You stare at Joel. His mouth is conveniently full, so he gestures for you to answer.

“Um. A dating app,” you respond, picking pepperoni off the slice on your plate. You gingerly take a bite and chew thoroughly before swallowing. You wonder if you could fake an illness or injury, find a way to get out the door faster.

Sarah smiles insidiously, “So, you’re not just friends then… What did y’all do on your first date?”

“We, uh. We met at the bar,” you squawk, feeling feverish as you recall the events that transpired in that dirty bar bathroom.

“Played pool. Sang some karaoke. Didn’t we, sweetheart?” Joel’s lie is masked by a dark smile. He squeezes your arm, his gigantic fingers wrapping around your wrist. All you can think about is his touch, and you wonder if you’re going to pass out on the kitchen floor.

“You got my dad to sing karaoke?” Sarah narrows her eyes as if she’s caught you again in your elaborate lie, “What song was it?”

“Pearl Jam,” Joel answers for you. “She really likes ‘em.”

“Yeah,” you stutter, totally not knowing what the hell a Pearl Jam is, “Great songs for karaoke. Especially… Ah, you know, that one Joel really likes. He, uh, even played it for me on his guitar.”

You feel sweat clinging to your hairline. You’re not a good liar. You can feel the lightning in the clouds preparing to strike you down right here in Joel’s kitchen.

“Dad played you a song on his guitar?” she scoffs, nibbling on the crust of her pizza. “He doesn’t even do that for me. He must really like you.” She punctuates her sentence with an eyebrow waggle.

Your face burns red and you stare down at your plate. Remembering those words Joel had said to you only a week ago.

I don’t like you.

You’re about to excuse yourself, ready to grab your purse and run out the door, when Joel places his arm around your waist.

“Sure do,” he murmurs.

—

After dinner, Joel offers to walk you to your car. You wrap yourself in his shirt even tighter as you stand outside the door of your vehicle, Joel’s hands in his pockets.

“Do you actually like me?” you blurt out, then cover your mouth with your hand. Why the fuck did you say that?

Joel pulls your hand away. He holds it in his, staring at your fingers before he looks at you and speaks.

“Look. I realized I was wrong. What happened with you and my brother…” he shrugs. “Not entirely your fault. You were a kid. Guess you still kinda are.”

Relief washes over you. But, you realize he still hasn’t answered your question yet. And you realize you may never know. And for some reason, that fills you with dread. You wobble back and forth on the balls of your feet, your hand reaching for your car’s door handle.

“You know,” Joel says suddenly, “Sarah’s watchin’ us from the window.”

“She is?” you ask, trying to peer past him.

“Gotta make this look real,” he chuckles.

Then he’s leaning in to kiss you. You can’t help but hold onto him for dear life as his lips crash into yours. A moan bubbles up from within your chest, Joel wrapping you up in his arms. The space between you diminishing by the second. Your fingers dig into the fabric of his t-shirt as he pulls away and you quietly pray for more. Then he kisses your forehead in finality.

“You’re cute, babygirl.”

The line between truth and fiction is quickly becoming a blur for you.

—

It’s not until you’re blowing Joel in your living room that you realize you’re developing feelings for him.

It crops up suddenly when you’re on your knees, with him sitting on the couch. His eyes are closed while you take him in your mouth, your head bobbing up and down along his length. He’s absentmindedly playing with your hair as your tongue flicks against his skin. You’re content in this moment. You think about how you’re going to order takeout after you’re done fucking, probably Chinese food again. You think about how you’re going to curl up in bed together before round two, talk about your respective days at work, how Sarah’s doing in school. You think about how you’re secretly hoping that he kisses you on your lips. A real kiss, like he gave you when you were lying together in his bed. Or like the one he gave you when Sarah was watching you in the driveway. And maybe he’ll kiss you for real again. And again. And again.

Actually. Maybe you had these feelings all along.

And when Joel cums in your mouth as he groans, “Babygirl,” you realize you’ve broken his no attachments rule.

What are you gonna do about it?

—

I need you.

Erase. You sound pathetic and pitiful. It worked one time, but would it work again? You sound and feel desperate. But, you are.

Can you come over? Bad day at work.

The truth. You missed some deadlines, got yelled at by your boss, spilled coffee all over your paperwork. But, does Joel need to know you want him to come running to you every time something goes wrong? Isn’t that a little too domestic for your situationship?

You groan and fling your phone onto your bed. You hold your head in your hands. You wish it could be simpler. You wish the past could stay in the past, but you know it’s going to come back to rear its ugly head.

And it’s all your fault.

Your phone vibrates and you retrieve it from the mountain of pillows on your bed. It’s Joel.

Hey, babygirl.

Haven’t heard from you.

You okay?

It’s only been a day since you last texted him. And he’s worried? Maybe you’re projecting. He probably just wants to fuck.

No.

You don’t know what else to say. You wonder if he’ll leave you be to wallow. You wonder if he’s sitting there, contemplating a response. You wonder if you’re even worthy of receiving one. But, he texts back immediately.

On my way.

How can you not be in love with Joel?

—

Joel arrives with a paper bag in his hands. He sets it down on the counter. It’s late at night and you’re already wearing your pajamas. He doesn’t seem to mind, especially since he can tell you’re not wearing a bra.

The two of you stand in the kitchen, looking around aimlessly.

Finally, you break the awkward silence. 

“What’d ya bring me?” you ask, taking a peek inside the bag.

“Just a little somethin’,” Joel responds, and you swear you could see his smile underneath the glow of the kitchen light.

You pull out a blue bottle, marveling at the label. It’s your favorite wine. He remembered. How did he remember? Why did he remember?

“You didn’t have to do that,” you blush, and he takes your hand in his.

“Come on, babygirl. Let daddy make you feel better.”

—

Joel is looming over you. He just peeled off your shirt and he’s now playing with the drawstring of your shorts. Taking his sweet time. Making you ravenous and wet beneath him. He leaves kisses on your collarbones, his saliva sticking to your skin. In your apartment, you can be as loud and unabashed as you want. And you are.

“Whaddya say we get these off you?” Joel smirks, helping you shimmy out of your pajama shorts. He toys with the waistband of your underwear, you squirm underneath him. You want him. So badly.

“What’s wrong, babygirl?” He lowers himself down to the bed, kissing your thighs.

“Nothing’s wrong,” you sigh, maybe a little too contentedly, “I just… I just want you.”

“Where do you want me?” he asks, his lips brushing up against your clothed pussy. 

You inhale. Sharply. “Right. There,” you whine.

“How many times you think I can make you cum tonight?” his words reverberate against you, his fingers rubbing you from the outside of the fabric.

Your breath hitches, it takes everything in you not to tear off your underwear yourself. But, you've learned with Joel that you have to be patient. That you have to be a good girl. And you will be rewarded.

“At least three,” you mumble.

“Then, we’ll make it three,” he agrees.

—

Joel pushes into you with ease. He breathes deeply, cracking a grin.

“Don’t think I could ever get tired of this pussy,” he pumps in and out of you. Slowly at first. But, your moans inspire him to speed up.

Your arms drape around his frame, you dig your fingernails into his back, sure to leave marks in the morning. He doesn’t care. He’ll wear them with pride.

You move one of your hands down to your clit, massaging the bundle of nerves as fast as you can. The stimulation is almost overpowering. Your eyes are closed, your body clenching down on his.

“This number three, sweetheart?” Joel’s lips graze your earlobe. You can tell he’s getting close too, his voice shaky, his movements sloppy. “Let it all out, cum all over me.”

And you do as you’re told, your cum soaking his cock even more.

“Where you want me, babygirl?” He pounds into you harder, faster.

“Inside,” you whimper underneath him.

And he cums without hesitation. His cock pulses and twitches inside you. His seed overflowing between your legs.

You lay there. Joel on top of you. He stares into your eyes, his hand caressing your cheek.

You have to do it.

You have to say what’s been on your mind for the past week.

“Joel, I love you.”

The words hang in the air. Swaying back and forth between you two like a pendulum. The world stops turning, if just for a moment. You wait for him to say something. Anything. Your bottom lip quivers. His eye twitches. He opens his mouth.

And just as quickly as it had stopped, the world is back to spinning. And it’s spinning so fucking fast. Everything’s out of control. Joel sits up. He’s out of bed. He’s snatching up his clothes from the floor. He’s bolting out of your room. The apartment door slams.

You’re all alone.

—

[rottenpumpkin13]

Well, now it’s time for the boys to cheer YOU up bud :)

-

Angeal: Hang in there, Pumpkin. You’re tough and steady. You have all the makings of an honorable warrior and deserve to see victory and dreams full-filled. You are weathering a brutal winter now, but spring is around the corner. You’ll see the sunlight and warm rain on the beautiful green earth once again. Stay strong ✊

Sephiroth: I have found that pushing Hojo down flights of stairs can be very good for improving one’s mental state.

Genesis: Remember, we are all apart of a grander tale that is wont to weave complex paths and dark trials for us along the way, but if you keep the inner flame and passion of your soul alight and remember that there is even glory and poetry in suffering for a greater cause, then you will triumph, darling. *blows kiss*

Sephiroth: Arson isn’t necessarily illegal if nobody sees you doing it…

Zack: HEY LISTEN UP! You are gonna KICK ASS and be an even MORE BADASS person for facing these tough times like you are, ok buddy? I BELIEVE IN YOU! Hell you could probably knock out a whole entire bahamut with how tough you are! Just hold on a bit longer and you’ll see!! Life will get awesome again 😎

Sephiroth: If you have a mother, you might benefit from receiving a hug from her.

Cloud: Hey uhhh…I’m not…very good at this but just wanted to say uhh…it’s rough out here but I think we’re gonna make it out alive…you know? Ah jeez. That probably sounded too dramatic sorry. Anyway uhh good luck with your journey, bud.

Sephiroth: Angeal is telling me I need to say something genuinely helpful and not murderous. I suggested McDonald’s but he does not appear to approve.

Sephiroth: Hmm.

Sephiroth: One time Genesis bought a jar of something called “The Goddess’s Bathwater” off of Ebay.

Genesis: IT WAS A FUCKING COLOGNE FUCK YOU

If this were not the internet I would show you the TEARS STREAMING DOWN MY FACE RIGHT NOW 😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️💞💞💞

How are you this sweet??? Thank you so so Soo much 🥹💖 This is genuinely the first time I've laughed in a few days ❤️

[bagopucks]

M. Marner - Depths Of Love

✄————————————

Mitch Marner x Reader

Word Count: 1.8k

Warning(s): death of a loved one, angst, coping, moving on.

“We grew together, and now are grown. In her eyes, I see my heart. In her breath, I hear my soul. She is my land. She is my skin. My love.”

“All wounds heal. Even these."

“I'll never be healed of Eo. That pain will last forever.”

"Some things do not fade. Some things can never be made right.”

“There’s pain when I hold her, but it comes from the past…. She is something new, something hopeful. Like spring to my deep winter.”

Bonus points if you know the books these quotes are from!

I didn’t know what I wanted to write at first, I just knew I wanted to write for Mitch.

—————————————

“Mitch?” Auston stepped up beside his friend, resting a hand on the chilly damp fabric of Mitch’s suit jacket.

“I know.. I know.. I’m gonna get there.”

“There’s no rush, bud. Take your time.”

They stood together for what felt like hours. Mitch held the red rose in his hands, as delicately as he held her hand when she passed. Auston’s hand remained on his back, occasionally rubbing in an effort to console his lost friend. Mitch’s eyes had been red since he woke up that morning. His body had been on autopilot, gathering the belongings and items that had to go home with her family. Putting on a black suit he stuffed in the back of the closet forever ago. A black suit he said he never wanted to wear because it was too mundane. He had cooler things to wear. Now he understood why black fit funerals so well.

“What’s going through your mind?”

Mitch let out a shaky sigh.

“She’s gone. I’m gonna drop this flower and that’s just that.. she’s gone. They’re gonna-“ he choked on a breath of air, tears spilling down his cheeks once again.

“Buddy, you have to drop it eventually.”

“I didn’t want her to go.”

It was untimely. They’d just gotten engaged. They just began a binder full of wedding plans. She just began her journalist career. She had an extensive article on Mitch’s career she wanted to publish.

Then she got sick. Mitch’s world slipped from his fingertips more and more every day. He didn’t know how to grip onto anything when it was all just sand, blowing away. He lost it all so quickly. He felt like his whole world lost its meaning. The sun set, and the moon was dull. The stars in the sky didn’t even entice him. Nothing sounded interesting when she wasn’t there next to him.

Mitch released the flower only as a means to free his hands to grab ahold of Auston. Matthews’ arms enveloped Mitch in a grasp that was desperate and understanding. Auston held onto Mitch while he sobbed, the simple sound of agony causing the others gathered to allow the tears of their own to fall.

Mitch clung to Auston through the transition. Cleaning his house, attending therapy, deciding how to move forward, returning to hockey. He kept in touch with her family for the first week or so, then at some point, they all stopped texting and calling. It took months before Mitch’s life returned to a routine normalcy that was much like the one before her. Zeus slept in the bed again, his late nights were spent watching tv in bed, his dishes were only cleaned when the sink was full.

Sometimes Mitch slipped up to his attic to visit her. The items of hers that he kept. The wedding plans, the ring, the few articles of clothing. Sometimes he’d spend so many hours up there, that he’d fall asleep. Then eventually, he stopped visiting. His life became hectic. Enveloped it hockey. A firm distraction. A good one.

Then we met. Mitch’s smiles reached his eyes again. His giggles sounded genuine. The center of his world shifted again, to hold myself and hockey. He was guarded at first, but I was patient. I met her before I met his family. Mitch told me of her. She seemed wonderful. Like somebody I would have been friends with. Which was why I made a silent promise to myself, that I would not turn him into somebody she would have hated. I made a silent promise to her, that I would protect him. Hold him, and care for him. And that’s what I did.

Some days were better than others. We’d stay in and cook, or go out for dinner and dessert. Sometimes Mitch wanted me to join him for a quick skate. Other days, he wanted to join me in bed while I read. It wasn’t always perfect. Sometimes he’d randomly cry. I learned, sometimes I simply had to stop whatever I was doing to be there for him. If he wanted it. He was good at hiding away when he didn’t want any consolation. Other times, he’d be gone so long that I’d go looking for him, only to find him struggling to breathe in the corner of his room, on the floor with his dog curled up by his feet.

“Mitchy?” I cooed as my feet padded down the hall, stepping into the bedroom I woke up in. He was laid out on his stomach, in bed. His muscles looked tense, easily noticeable due to the lack of a shirt. I couldn’t see his face, but I could tell by his heaving breaths that something wasn’t right. Then I heard his soft cries.

I slowly wandered over to the bed and climbed in next to him, laying on my stomach and tossing an arm over his back to gently rub his skin.

“Deep breaths, sweetie.” I’d press occasional kisses to the side of his arm.

“I know,” he whispered, his voice hoarse and broken.

“Don’t rush, hun.”

At some point, the tears stopped and the kisses began. Mitch would never forget her. She would never leave his heart, but he let go of the guilt. He told her of me. He told her how much he loved me. He showed her the ring he bought before he ever showed Auston.

“I think she’s really gonna love it.” Mitch smiled down at the ring box in his hands, seated in the grass by her headstone. “She loves square diamonds.“ He shook his head in disbelief. “I really hope she says yes.”

I did. It was a no brainer when he got down on one knee. When he asked me to spend his forever with him, I didn’t have any doubts. I worked far too hard, and loved him too much, to give him up.

There were moments after the engagement where he was tense. Nervous and stressed over recalling the moments when he lost his late fiancé. I had to remind Mitch that the uncertainty couldn’t stop him from living. I couldn’t assure him that he wouldn’t lose me. There would always be that possibility. What I did tell him, was that it was important to live in the moments while they last. To forget about the ‘what ifs.’

Mitch asked if his dog could be the ring bearer. I made him promise that Zeus wouldn’t jump on everybody. We comprised that Auston could walk the dog down the aisle.

“We are gathered here today…”

“I can’t believe we’re doing this.” He whispered through clenched teeth. Mitch’s smile was contagiously wide. We stood so close that the priest was almost unable to be seen between us.

“I love you,” I spoke in a hushed tone. Mitch’s cheeks flushed.

“Don’t say it yet.” He squeezed my hands.

“Are we done yet?” Our heads snapped in the priest’s direction, our faces flushing.

“Sorry.” Mitch muttered.

The ceremony went by in a twinkle of wonder. Mitch pulled his vows from his pocket in the form of notes on his phone. I had done the same on my own, but my dress didn’t have pockets, so my maid of honor had to hold my phone for me until I was ready for it.

“Okay..” Mitch blew out a tense puff of air. He held his phone up, big blue eyes flickering between myself and his phone.

“Mitchy.” I caught his attention. “There’s no rush. Take your time.” The tension eased from his shoulders, then he nodded.

“Your patience gave me time to grow. I didn’t know what to do with my life for a period of time. I was walking in circles, until you paved a new path, and held my hand every step of the way. I get lost easily. Incredibly easily. And I couldn’t have fallen more in love with you than I did. I know it wasn’t easy.” I wanted to wipe the tears from his cheeks, but for the sake of not distracting him, I kept my hands to myself. “I know I made it hard on you, but I’m so happy you stuck it out. I can’t wait to spend every tomorrow with you.”

Only when he put his phone away, did I reach out to cup his cheeks in my hands. Mitch sniffled quietly. I would have kissed him then and there, if not for tradition.

“Miss?”

“I’m getting there.” I answered the priest with a quiet laugh. I pulled away from Mitch and turned to my bridesmaid to grab my phone. When I looked back at him, I reached for his hand with my free one.

“Mitchell,” the use of his full name made him smile. “You hold my soul. My entire being. You fulfill a part of me that nobody else could. We’ve grown together, and we’ll continue to do so. The timing with which we met each other, was perfect. One second later would have been too late. Please never forget my vow to love you for eternity. Even as the days pass by, and we grow old.”

When we kissed, I could feel the tears on Mitch’s cheeks. The cheering and excitement in the background was just that. Background noise. Our first kiss was as intimate as our first dance. We felt like the only two in the room, sharing moments we never thought we would have the privilege of sharing with anybody.

Mitch spun me around, content smiles on our lips. His hands found my hips when I faced him again.

At some point the song ended, but we never stopped swaying. Mitch’s arms wrapped around my midsection, and his chin came to rest on top of my head. There was the occasional flash from a camera, quiet whispers, but nobody said a word to us for a while. Until I heard Mitch’s mother from behind him.

“Mitchell?”

“I’m not done yet.” He fussed, his grip tightening around my body.

“There’s no rush, baby. I just wanted a photo.” He slowly turned us in her direction. I lifted my head from where it had been resting against his chest.

“Smile for me, sweethearts.” The woman held her phone up. When the flash of her camera lit up the dim room, we both laughed.

“Okay, okay. I’ll leave you guys alone now.” She squeezed her son’s arm before slipping off to find her husband.

Mitch and I slowly looked back at one another.

“I can’t wait to get you home,” he confessed softly as he pressed a kiss to my forehead.

“No rush, baby.”

✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾

[quailxcrossing]

thinking about some of my babies

these three are invading my thoughts so heavily recently and i am figuring out their childhood secrets, slowly but surely.....

Valkyries can be born from any home, and since there's a limited amount that can exist at any time, they're only born in some period after a previous one passes! Esperanza was born in a small home out in the desert boondocks outside of Turquoise Springs, to a family who had a stain on their name since her father was known for pulling terrible business buying and reselling property. no one liked him bc he was basically a fantasy airbnb flipper and sucked ass

and once Esperanza's Valkyrie tells appeared when she was a few years old (mostly the random wings tbh) her parents thought she would be their big break and finally earn their family some respect, since the reputation of the Valkyries was very well-known!! they hoped their baby would at least bring some good luck! she hadn't gotten her card pulled yet so they didn't know she was The Lovers yet, butttt they could've probably guessed seeing that position had recently been opened.....

Esperanza liked the bigger village a lot, but to her family's disappointment, she HATED people knowing she was a Valkyrie. they always treated her weird.....Valkyries (to keep things brief) are basicallyyyyy just. very densely magical creatures. their connection to the cards and fate is very strong, very closely tied to the world's religion, so people treated Esperanza with almost too much respect that this little baby wanted. she really wanted to make friends with other kids, and she was excited a big village meant she could go to school normally! she took to going outside with her wings covered, lying to people she was just a normal human (with some impish features), which her parents HATED .. but Esperanza remained whimsical

she met Lwaukee the season before she was set to start Tuesday's equivalent of elementary. the little kitty was creeping around and scampering around the washes where Esperanza had taken to enjoy playing (kicking up dirt and running around collecting sticks. baby games) and they played silently a couple times chasing each other back and forth before Lwaukee would randomly get scared and dart off. Esperanza kept returning there hoping Lwaukee would show up.

their relationship changed drastically the time Esperanza ended up bringing a snackie- a little pouch of sun-dried chub that her family had saved up to buy from one of the market stalls (seafood is quite rare out in the desert, these chub were local tho because they lived in Turquoise Springs!!) Esperanza thought she could share them with her new buddy!! maybe they'd be actually buddies!!! her parents always said that material goods were the fastest way to a person's heart! ^D^

Lwaukee stole all of them. immedically. he ate them so fucking fast and Esperanza just went 😲🥲

then Lwaukee scampered off again

so she brought a little bit more the next time, which Lwaukee wolfed down again. Esperanza was really concerned, thinking maybe Lwaukee was homeless, or his parents didn't feed him, so she asked- and Lwaukee finally spoke to her, explaining the food at home "made him sick". Neither of them knew what it meant, but basically Lwaukee is the only cat/human in his house, and he had a combo of a strange diet + ARFID. his parents didn't know how to make him eat, since he could only stomach very certain foods without getting sick. seafood, mostly, meats, and very small portions of fruits and veggies. so basically Lwaukee's parents were going "my kid wont eat his brocolli!! tsk silly kid" while Lwaukee was dry-retching in the background, if he can manage to get it into his mouth

so Esperanza really did win his heart over with food; the two quickly become more comfortable with each other and shared their snacks and continued to play In The Ditch. you know when you just play in the ditch....real desertheads understand

they met their dear friend Georgiana when Lwaukee and Esperanza were trotting town on their way to their favorite dirt patch, and Lwaukee thought it would be a good idea to duck through the nearby marketplace (just wanted to steal some fish) (stole some fish)

Georgiana was a small single child from a fisherman's family, very sheltered just like Esperanza, but with an intense fear of outsiders. their family was all made of hunters, and living off the land was everything Georgiana knew. they lived a few villages over closer to the rivers and they only visited for markets to sell their catches. so when Lwaukee tried to grab a bass cut (Esperanza made the surprised Pikachu face) Georgiana immediately took after him- Georgi's parents told them it wasn't worth it, but Georgiana is really protective of their fishes, very proud to be working the stall...Lwaukee took off cackling but Georgiana caught him very easily. Esperanza explained the situation and apologized 500 times and...hey do you wanna play In The Ditch with us?? you look really strong! you could pick up a lot of sticks when we build forts in the ditch!

Georgiana was terrified of this approach, but they let Lwaukee keep the fish. and guess who quietly showed up next time their family was in town and Esperanza and Lwaukee were rolling in the dirt