#stephswinterwritingchallenge

[toomanystoriessolittletime]

Sweaty

week 2 of the Winter Writing Challenge

prompt: "I totally definitely did not just watch you chop wood outside.“ 

Summary: Things.... escalate after Joel caught you watching him chopping some wood outside in the snow.

Pairing: Joel Miller x fem. reader

Wordcount: 2.1k

Rating: E

Warnings: some domestic fluff, flirting, smut (unprotected sex), f masturbation, cum play, some dirty talk, Joel Miller really being into readers tits, humour I guess?

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Ellie was hovering behind you. 

„Stop it,“ you hummed, your hand steady as you tried yourself on the first decorative frosting of cookies in… twenty years. 

„I’m not doing anything,“ she whined. You could feel her breath on your upper arm. Turning you head to the side you narrowed her eyes at her. 

„I wanna waaaatch. It’s so cool,“ she pouted. 

You sighed. 

„Okay. But you gotta give me some space. I haven’t done this in a long time,“ you said. She grinned, taking a step to the side. 

Ellie had asked you for help.

She wanted to do something nice for Dina and asked you for advice. You ended up offering to teach her to bake some of Dina’s favourite cookies and then help decorating them with whatever you could find in the community kitchen. 

Turned out Ellie was not as creative with cookie decorating.

She got frustrated pretty quickly, leaving you to do most of the decorating, while she cleaned up the kitchen. But now she was finished and while you still hated people watching you when you worked, you couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the girl standing next to you. 

Things did not start out like that with the two of you. 

You had moved into the house they had apparently occupied when they came here the first time, leaving Ellie calling you House thief for the first months after meeting. 

More than once you had offered to move, the house being way to big just for you alone, but Maria and Joel had insisted you stayed. 

Ellie and Joel had moved into the house across from you instead, leaving you with your official first neighbours. 

They both did not talk much in the beginning, nor did you see much of them. 

Sometimes you saw them leave the house together in the early morning when you were just finishing getting dressed. Sometimes you saw Joel sitting alone outside of his porch, a guitar in his lap, his eyes far away. 

You hadn’t really talked to either of them until a month after they joined the community and Ellie had somehow managed to break you kitchen window as she played outside. 

Joel had made her say sorry before he offered to fix the window up for you. 

And it seemed like Joel found reasons to come and see you after that alone. Without Ellie around, just him and you. 

Your sink leaked? Joel would fix it. 

Creaky floorboards? Fixed within a day. 

Your back was tense, because you had spent all day cleaning out the stables? Joel’s big hands could help. 

Thinking back, him offering to massage you had been smooth as hell, but you were just too thankful and exhausted that day to notice just how much he had been flirting with you. Or maybe you were generally not used to people being very interested in you. 

Hell, to this day you went all shy when he told you all the things he wanted to do with you (or to you).

It had now officially been nine months since you and Joel started dating, and three months since both Joel and Ellie moved into your house. 

You were putting the finishing touches to the cookies, when you heard the door open and close, followed from a long released deep sigh, that brought a smile to your lips. 

„Joel’s home!“ Ellie said just before he walked into the kitchen. You looked over your shoulder, smiling at him. 

„Though patrol?“ You asked. 

„Stupid fucking newcomers want to play hero just to get knocked of their horses,“ he grumbled, walking over to you. He kissed your cheek, smiling at you. 

„Ugh, gross,“ Ellie gagged and you rolled your eyes. 

„That’s gross? Remind me who asked me to help her bake cookies for the girl she’s crushing on again?“ You sing sang and Ellie blushed. 

„Shut up. You’re like ancient…. And I do not have a crush,“ she mumbled, grabbing a cookie to hide her smile before she sprinted out of the kitchen and you heard her footsteps walk up the stairs. 

Joel’s arms wrapped around you from behind, his chin resting on your shoulder. You brought one cookie up, feeding it to him. 

He moaned softly, enjoying the taste. 

„How about you leave some of that frosting for later?“ He asked, licking his lips. You set your frosting tools down, turning in his arms with an eyebrow raised. 

„To do what exactly?“ You pursed your lips.

He leaned in, kissing you softly. 

„Guess you’ll have to wait to find out,“ he winked, pecking your lips again before he took a step back. 

„I’ll get some wood from outside and then I’ll take a shower,“ he said.

„Okay,“ you smiled.

Half an hour later you had put all cookies away, Ellie had grabbed and packed the ones for Dina and left for the birthday sleepover party and Joel was still outside. 

With the intention to look for him outside you made your way towards the front door, grabbing his extra winter jacket to stay warm, and then walked towards the back of the house. 

It was a chilly December day, snow shovelled high everywhere, yet there he was. Joel Miller, stripped off of his flannel and only wearing his grey undershirt, swinging an axe down on a log of wood, splitting it in half with what looked like ease, the wood seemingly melting against the force of the blade. 

You stopped in your tracks, your feet seemingly glued to the snowy ground beneath you, watching the man you loved split some firewood. His hand gripping the handle of the axe, the muscles of his arms flexing every time he split another log of wood. His shirt clinging to his sweaty chest.

You swallowed, your eyes tracing the veins of his arms you loved to brush your fingers on whenever you had the chance to. 

You kept watching him, for what felt like hours (or days) but probably only minutes, fascinated (and turned on) by the sheer strength of his body. 

Fuck, your man was hot. 

Joel set the axe down, his hand brushing his hair back as he groaned, brushing the sweat that had started trickling down his temples away. When he looked up he found you standing there, watching him. 

He tilted his head and you flushed, your teeth catching your upper lip between them, nervous. 

And yeah, still turned on. 

It only took seconds for Joel to access just why you were looking at him like you wanted to jump him, his left eyebrow raising in question, a smirk playing on the corner of his lips. 

Not wanting to embarrass yourself by more ogling you turned around, intending to walk back into the house, when you slipped, crying out in surprise, but before you could fall to the ground, hands wrapped around your upper arms, keeping your upright. 

Both of his arms wrapped around you from behind then, one of his hands on your stomach, keeping you close to his body. His nose in your hair. 

He smelled of leather, nature and sweat. 

„Careful there sweetheart,“ he whispered and you shivered. 

„Can’t just run from me after undressing me with your pretty eyes…“ he kissed your neck. You closed your eyes, tilting your head to give him more space. 

„I.. I wasn’t…“ you began to lie but he hushed you. 

„You weren’t watching me? Getting a little turned on?“

„… No?“ You gasped, feeling his fingers play with the waistband of the sweatpants you had on, having left the jacket unzipped as you left the house. 

„So… your little pussy isn’t dripping for me right now?“

You scoffed. 

„My little pussy is always wet for you, baby,“ you smiled softly, closing your eyes. 

„God damn right she is,“ you felt him grin against your neck. 

He had you stripped down within seconds, making you lay with your legs spread for him on your bed while he got out of his clothes, having you whimpering when he pulled his belt of the loops of his jeans with one fluent movement. 

„Touch yourself baby,“ he said, getting his shirt off. 

You brought one of your hands straight between your legs, playing with your clit. 

„Fuck, you’re so fucking sexy,“ he groaned, making quick work of his pants and underwear, shrugging them off. He spit into his hand before he wrapped his hand around his cock, pumping it slowly as he watched you. 

You moaned. 

„Can see how wet you are. Can smell you. Put two fingers inside,“ he said, his voice raspy and deep. Sinful. 

You obeyed, pushing two of your fingers inside, whimpering softly. 

„Fuck yeah,“ he hummed.

The bed dipped and Joel’s hands were on either of your knees, his gaze fixed on how you were fucking yourself with your fingers. 

„Wanna fuck you hard,“ he groaned and you moaned. 

„Do it,“ you sighed, close to your first orgasm. 

His hand wrapped around your wrist, pulling your fingers out of your pussy and into his mouth, his tongue cleaning your cum off, humming as if It was a five course meal. 

„Fucking delicious. Best pussy I ever tasted,“ he winked and you chuckled.

„Ready for me sweetheart?“ He asked, kneeling between your legs. He notched his cock against your pussy, using his hand to slip it over your clit, playing with it. 

„I’m so fucking horny for you. Just fuck me,“ you whimpered. 

„Gonna make your tits jiggle for me,“ he winked, before he lined his cock up and filled you in one hard thrust, both of you moaning.

„Oh fuck,“ you cried out. He did not give you much time to get used to the size of his cock, starting to fuck you in quick, hard movements. You stretched your arms above your body against the mattress, pushing your chest out towards him, your tits moving every time he thrusts into you. 

„So god damn wet,“ Joel groaned, pumping into you, moving your whole body with his forceful thrusts. The headboard was hitting the wall and you were thankful Ellie would be out of the house for the whole night.

„Fucking love your tits,“ he rasped and you playfully wiggled your chest, making him groan.

„Not gonna last long today. Touch that clit for me,“ he said and you did. Your hand back between your legs, parting two fingers to feel where he was filling you before you began to circle your clit, the combination of him fucking you and playing with your clit leaving you reaching your orgasm in record time, crying out his name. 

„Fuck,“ he groaned, pumping into you a handful more times before he pulled out, jerking himself off until he released a long groan, coming all over your stomach and tits.

„Mmmmhhh…“ you hummed, your eyes closed as you panted for breath. 

When your eyes opened Joel still had his hand wrapped around his cock, his eyes burning into you. Letting go of his cock he brought both of his hand down on your body, smearing his cum all over your tits and stomach, massaging it in. 

„You really like tits, huh?“ You asked and he smiled, almost shyly 

„Really like your tits,“ he winked, using both of his hands to squeeze them. He groaned as he softly let himself fall down on top of you, his weight a welcome blanket, his head resting between your tits. 

„We gonna be all sticky,“ you mumbled, pulling one of your arms around him, your other hand brushing through his hair. 

„Don’t care. `s comfortable,“ he kissed your tit and you smiled. 

„All of this wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t ogled me like fresh meat outside,“ he said and you laughed. 

"I did not ogle!" you said.

"Uh huh. You totally did watch me watch chop firewood outside," Joel said smug.

"I totally definitely did not just watch you chop wood outside,“ you giggled.

"Sure sure," Joel hummed.

You laid there in each others embrace in comfortable silence for a moment.

„So us being sticky is now my fault?“ You asked after a while. 

„Jep,“ he kissed your tit again.

„I guess I can live with that,“ you said and you felt him moving a little on top of you until his lips wrapped around your nipple, sucking softly on it, making you sigh.  One of his hand was on your other tit, softly squeezing it.

You sucked your bottom lip between your teeth before a teasing grin came to your lips. 

„Imagine if these were full of milk,“ you teased and felt him still. 

„God fucking damn it, woman.“

[softpascalito]

Christmas Baking for Three - Joel Miller x Reader

Summary: You're tired, pregnant, angry and you mess up the cookies meant for Joel. He gets a full blast of your hormones - and still manages to surprise you.

Relationships: Joel Miller x F!Reader WC: 1800 Tags/Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Baking, Christmas Cookies, Christmas, Pregnancy, Female Reader, No use of y/n, Fights, Mention of normal pregnancy struggles, Soft Joel (The Last of Us), Nicknames, Kissing, Crying, Joel Miller in an apron Read on AO3 full advent calendar (updated daily)

notes: another lil calendar piece that is also dedicated to steph's winter writing challenge (@toomanystoriessolittletime) with the trope baking <3 i also wanted to mention a very short but very lovely pregnancy piece by SwiggitySwagNightmareStag with peña that i found really inspiring in regards to p characters and how they handle pregnancy. you can read it here! <3

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

You swore under your breath as you opened the oven door, only to be met with a gush of heat and the smell of burnt dough. The cookies that you had so carefully prepared, cut out in the shapes of christmas trees and hearts, had taken on a dark brown color, the furthest row from you already smoking slightly.

“Fuck-” With a quick move, you maneuvered the try of burnt cookies onto the sink to let them cool off. Looking at them in broad daylight, it was clear that they were barely edible and in no way as enjoyable as they should be.

You ignored the surge of anger inside of yourself, anger at the oven for being so damn unreliable, at the timer that you’d meant to replace ages ago, at yourself. You’d been too distracted with cleaning up, then being forced to take a quick trip to the bathroom upstairs and getting sidetracked with laundry.

A groan left you at the realization. The laundry was still soaking in the bathtub, abandoned the second you’d caught a glimpse of the clock and realized how long the cookies had been baking for.

Angry tears shot into your eyes. It felt like a never-ending battle between you and your ever-growing list of things to do, to prepare, to keep track of. And this had been the one thing you’d wanted to do for him, to thank him for taking over so many of said things now that you were in your third trimester. Maybe you could start over, hide the failed cookies, to spare your another embarrassment in front of-

As if summoned by your thoughts, the door of the small mudroom bordering the kitchen opened with a creak. Merely a second later and clearly alarmed by the smell, he was hurrying into the room, eyes raking through the kitchen until they landed on you. His shoulders slumped slightly as he took in your form, checking you from top to bottom.

“Are you okay?” Joel's voice was soft, despite him being a little out of breath. You could see the basket filled with firewood behind him. Another task that used to be yours before your stomach had grown too big.

He watched your reaction, carefully making his way around the counter, glancing at the burnt cookies in passing. It was enough to make the tears finally spill from your eyes, rolling down your face and landing on the shirt that was already stained with flour. And the anger inside of you? It had finally found an outlet.

The poor man didn't even have time to brace himself before you started yelling.

“You arent supposed to be home, what the fuck are you doing here?!” He looked taken aback, but only for a moment. Then his face seemed to relax. You didn't want him to relax. You wanted him to be as angry as you were and in as much pain and misery. You knew it was a horrible, horrible thought, but you couldn't help it. You wanted him to have to run to the toilet upwards of twenty times a day, to have him woken up by a human kicking inside of him at the most ungodly hours.

“You said you'd be at work until five! You're not-” Another sob escaped you as the knot in your chest seemed to grow exponentially, “You're not supposed to be here yet and-”

You couldn't find a single trace of anger on his face. Not in the crease between his brows, not in the corners of his mouth, not even in his eyes. All you could find was concern.

“Hey-” Joel whispered, his hands cupping your cheeks. They were cold but you leaned into the touch regardless, “What's going on, darlin? Talk to me, please.”

You hiccuped slightly as you tried to speak, the words fighting hard to not get outside. As far as your body was concerned, there was no point in telling him, in making him a bigger part of your currently miserable experience than he already had to be.

“Burned- I burned the cookies-” You mumbled, “I wanted- wanted to surprise you.”

Your arms finally wrapped around him, your body fitting snug against his, even with your baby bump between you. Joel pulled you closer, one hand supporting your back while the other gently stroked your hair, “Shhh, it's okay. You're okay.”

He held you like that for a while, occasionally whispering words of gentle encouragement into your ear until the sobs had stopped. Then, he nudged you towards the living room, guiding you to sit down on one of the armchairs next to the window. He stayed by your side, kneeling down in front of you as he kept his hands on your legs, gently rubbing your thigh.

“There we are,” Joel mumbled softly, producing a handkerchief from nearby and wiping the last of your tears from your cheeks. He gave you a few more moments of silence before he spoke.

“Wanna talk about it?” You opened your mouth to decline, to push him away and deal with it yourself. It's what you would have done a few months ago. But, as he kept reminding you, you were a team now. No, not just a team. Parents. Soon-to-be-parents. He-was-once-before-but-you-were-new-to-all-this-parents.

“It's just been a lot,” you mumbled, watching as Joel nodded along, soft brown eyes radiating understanding. “And I'm already putting so much work on you on top of your normal duties so I thought- I wanted to do something nice for you.”

Joel hummed quietly, his thumb pressing into your thigh a little, “You do nice things for me all the time, darlin’.”

“I don't. Not with-” You helplessly gestured to your stomach. You could practically see Joel's expression getting a little more serious at that, “Baby, I promise you do. You're here when I come home, right? You fall asleep next to me. You kiss me when you wake up in the morning. Don't need more than that, baby.”

Almost instantly, the tears were back. A thick one rolled down your cheek and Joel reached up just in time to catch it.

“I appreciate you wanting to bake for me, godda-” He stopped himself from cursing, a habit he’d picked up in the last few weeks, with the due date coming ever closer and him insisting that you should at least try to bring up a civilized child. You had a feeling it had less to do with your child and more with the amount of curse words Ellie dropped on a daily basis, but if it made Joel happy, you wouldn't argue against it.

He sighed, “I really do appreciate it. And you know I think your cookin’ is nothing short of magic,” he mumbled quietly. Then he shook his head, his hand wandering to gently rest on your round stomach, “But it's not why I'm with you.”

“Besides, you're already doin’ a whole lot of baking in here,” he added with a small smile, gently patting your stomach and you couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

“I wouldn't exactly call it baking.”

Joel raised a brow, “No, ‘m pretty sure it is. I made a real nice dough, put it right in here, turned up the heat and now I just gotta wait for it to be done.”

“You're such an idiot, Miller,” you offered weakly as you leaned down towards him, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. He smirked against your lips, “If being an idiot gets you to stop crying, I'll do it more often.”

The kiss barely had time to get more heated before you gently pushed back against Joel's chest, “Gotta finish the laundry upstairs.” A small frown built on his face, “We agreed I'd do that. Ain't good for your back, baby.”

“I told you, I've been-” He actually cut you off this time, squeezing your thigh a little to make you fall silent, “Remember what I said? When you told me you were pregnant?”

You raised a brow, “Before or after you almost fainted?” Joel sent you a playful glare at that, causing you to sigh, “You said we were in this together. That you- that you'd be here for it all.”

“That's right,” he mused softly, his thumb still absent-mindedly caressing your thigh. 

“Now, let me go take care of the laundry and you take a nap, yeah? You look-” He paused for a moment, clearly trying to find a nice way to say it, “You look real tired, darlin’.”

You drifted off to the sound of clothes being washed in the bathtub in the next room and to Joel's soft humming of a lullaby he’d been practicing. If this works just half as good on our baby, you thought right before falling asleep, we’re not going to half a single sleepless night.

When you wake up, the rays of afternoon sun are filtering through the windows, giving the house the warm glow you like it so much for. Stumbling into the kitchen, you're met with a sight that you've never seen before.

Joel Miller, an apron tied around his front, kneading away on a piece of dough. Your small laughter alerts him to your presence and you swear you can spot the faintest blush on his cheeks as you practically skip towards him.

“If you wanted an excuse to wear that, you could've just said so,” you tease, leaning against the counter as you watch him. Joel grumbles softly but the small smile on his face isn't lost on you, “ ‘bout time you wake up. Wanna help?”

You frown slightly- and then you realize what he’s doing. Baking bread is something you do often, but this isn't that. The cookie recipe you'd been using earlier is placed next to him, the dough looks exactly the same yours had before you’d burned it.

“Figured we both like cookies. Plus it doubles as a Christmas activity and, well.”

You kiss him. Once, twice, only stopping when he forces you to. He's perfect.

You bake together this time, with you showing him how to get the cut-outs just right, him sneaking a few pieces of the dough into his mouth when he thinks you’re not looking. It’s cozy and relaxing and for the first time in weeks, you seem to forget all about the struggles of being a pregnant woman.

You both sit in front of the oven afterwards, you in Joels lap, your bodies intertwined, both watching eagerly as the cookies slowly turn golden. He kisses your head, his nose nuzzling your hair a few times.

“Next time you’re overwhelmed like that?” He mumbles quietly, “Just let me know, yeah? You know I'm here. For you and the little one”

You nod softly, resting your head against his chest, “I know.”

notes: as always, thank you for reading. i adore each and every one of you. if you enjoyed this, feel free to give me an early christmas present by leaving a comment or reblogging <3

[nobedofroses]

December 7th

pairing: Din Djarin x reader

warnings: fluff

words: 1.5k

a/n: falling in love with possibility of Din, basically. "blackout/only one bed/warmth" prompt from @toomanystoriessolittletime's winter writing challenge ❄️

more Din, Full List

🌨️🌨️🌨️

This kept happening. For the third time in as many months, there was only one lodging available. Since you and Din had started hunting together, you had only had to lodge anywhere but the Razor Crest a handful of times but the last few had been odd. 

The first time was six months ago. You arrived at an inn late into the night, and had to practically beg the owner to let the three of you, including Grogu, to stay so you could get out of the terrible storm. The Crest wasn’t an option because it was too damaged from a battle on the same planet. 

There had only been one tiny room, with just enough room for two cots and a chair. Luckily, Grogu’s pram floated, and with the three of you exhausted from the day, any awkwardness about the arrangement was quieted when you fell asleep immediately. 

So, a couple months later, when a similar situation presented itself, you thought it would be just as easy. It was not. 

This time, the room was bigger but there was only one bed. And Grogu’s pram had broken, so he needed somewhere to sleep. Din had tried to sleep on the floor, but you argued with him until he agreed that he needed to be alert in the morning. So the three of you would share the bed. Except since the baby was so small, you didn’t want him sleeping in between you, especially since you knew Din would sleep in his armor. 

The solution ended up being giving Grogu the pillows to make a bed on the floor and you and Din sharing the bed itself. It was fine, mostly, apart from the strange tension from being so close to him, even in his armor. The pull in your chest when you heard his deep breathing, soft and vulnerable in his sleep in a way he never was when he was awake. 

You had decided that sharing a bed was not a good option. 

But then it happened again. And now again. It was like the entire star system was against you, sending you on bounties to tiny little towns with unreasonably small numbers of accommodations. Places where the Crest would stick out like a sore thumb. 

The second time you shared a bed, it was in a place Din had been before, where he felt more secure than he usually did. As such, you were able to convince him to sleep just in his flight suit and helmet. It was honestly as much for yourself as him because that first time you had woken up pressed against the sharp metal and it was less than comfortable. 

This had led to a fun combination of your most secret daydream and your worst nightmare when you woke up wrapped in his warm body. That close, you could smell him, the clean scent of soap from the fresher, the slight scent of the oil he used to polish his armor, and the sweet smell of his skin. 

If it had ended there, that would have been fine. Instead, Din woke up too and froze the second he realized the positioning of your bodies, which led to many harried apologies on your part and lots of silent awkwardness on his. 

For the past month, you had been able to avoid any extra lodgings at all. This was despite Din’s best efforts, as he continually offered to find lodgings while on planet so you could have a real bed instead of the hammock in the Crest. You appreciated the gesture, but would rather save the money for a more permanent house of your own on Nevarro. Possibly close to the one that Din and Grogu had. 

But today, it was unavoidable. There had been a gas leak in the Crest, and it needed to air out for several hours before it was safe to inhabit it again. 

It brought you to the smallest, neatest inn you had ever seen with a staircase leading to the last of two rooms that were even in the place. When the innkeeper opened the door, it was to a bright, spacious room with exactly one bed. 

You prepared yourself for another incredibly awkward 12 hours, especially because the baby was being watched by Greef during this hunt, so there was no buffer to focus on. About an hour after your arrival, you had both eaten, with you sitting in the fresher while you waited for him to, and there seemed to be nothing left to do but talk or go to sleep. 

“I think maybe an early night would be a good idea,” you suggested, hoping he wouldn’t take it as you avoiding talking to him, which it was. 

“Of course, you can have the fresher first,” Din agreed, and while you were only going to change clothes, preferring to use the fresher in the morning, you didn’t contradict. 

A couple minutes later you stepped out of the fresher dressed in your sleep clothes. You hadn’t realized, but Din was still removing his armor and you stopped in your tracks as you saw what he was doing. 

It was fascinating, watching the practiced ease he used in removing the beskar, mixed with the reverence and respect he clearly held for each item of armor. It made you wonder if he could be just as familiar with anything else, anyone else. 

You didn’t know whether to turn away, the whole thing feeling slightly taboo. Which of course made it impossible to look away and added a slightly erotic undertone that you hoped was just because you associated the removal of clothing with those types of things. 

If Din had caught you watching, he hadn’t said anything, absorbed in taking off and arranging his beskar carefully on a bench at the foot of the bed. In just another minute, he was done and he did notice you then, nodding to the bed and saying, “Please, you first,” as his only acknowledgment. 

Feeling nervous, you got under the covers on the side closest to you as quickly as you could and then laid flat on your back, stiff as a board. 

The light flicked off and you felt the bed dip as Din joined you. Oftentimes you wondered if the helmet could be comfortable at all when he was sleeping, but this time all you could think was that this bed seemed smaller than the one you shared before. 

That is, until you heard a loud shifting down sound, like all of the humming electrical systems in the building shut down. 

“What was that?” you asked, worry creeping into your voice. 

“The town has lost power,” Din told you, apparently using his helmet or some other technology to figure that out. 

“The whole town? What do we do?” you asked, panicking slightly because you could already feel the air getting colder without the electric heat pumping through the room. 

“Everything will be fine. There is enough ambient warmth in this room that with it’s insulation, we can stay the night without worrying of hypothermia,” Din tried to reassure you. 

“Hypothermia??” you exclaimed, moving closer to him under the covers because like hell you were going to freeze to death when there was a warm man right here in your bed. 

Din didn’t say anything, didn’t yell at or scold you even when your hand touched his arm. And as you pushed further and further, you wondered if maybe he liked it, liked your touch. It seemed too much to hope for until his hand found the bend of your waist and pulled you just that bit closer. 

You got comfortable, physically, but you weren’t sure you’d ever be able to fall asleep with the way your heart was racing. You were tangled up with Din in bed, the very man you had been pining after for so damn long you couldn’t believe this was actually happening. 

Minutes ticked by as you over thought about what each breath, each slight shift might mean. When you had to adjust a blanket because it fell off your shoulder, your hand was shaking with anticipation and nerves. 

“You’re shivering. Put your head under the blanket,” Din told you, surprising you into obeying without even thinking why he would tell you to. 

Then you heard a strass click and hiss and then a heavy thunk on the small table next to the bed. Your mind didn’t put two and two together until you felt the blanket move again and saw the blurry, dark shape of hair ducking under the gap until the blanket was dropped down and everything was dark again.

“Are you—?” 

“I’m keeping you— keeping us warm. That is all that needs to be said right now,” Din cut you off, and you shut your mouth, not wanting to make this any harder than it must already be for him. 

But then you felt him move, laying more on his back than his side. And then you felt his hands on you again, pulling you until you could rest your head on his chest. It was the last thing you expected, but there was no way you were going to say something and ruin the moment. 

Finally, you felt his head tilt down to yours, could feel his breath fan over your hair, and if you let yourself believe your imagination, the ghost of his lips at your temple. It was easy to fall asleep then, with Din’s body and dreams of what could be keeping you warm.

🌨️🌨️🌨️

[softpascalito]

Snowy Surprise - Joel Miller x Reader

Summary: Joel takes advantage of your lunch break on patrol for ... other activities. Afterwards, a promise he made about christmas decorations comes back to haunt him.

Relationships: Joel Miller x F!Reader WC: 2200 Tags/Warnings: Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, Smut, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Jackson!Era, Soft Joel (The Last of Us), Established Relationship, Vaginal Fingering, Female Reader, Neck Kissing, Dirty Talk, Semi-Public Sex, Christmas Tree, Snow Read on AO3 full advent calendar (updated daily)

notes: hello loves! i really wanted to do something special for christmas time this year and i had so much fun with kinktober that i decided to make a little pedro pascal advent calender! this also doubles as a piece for stephs (@toomanystoriessolittletime) winter writing challenge for this week! check it out here ♥

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“God, I hope they're serving some warm food tonight,” you mutter, your body slowly moving up and down as you steer your horse up the hill and through a small trickle, the water glistening with the thin sheet of ice that is decorating its top. It crunches under the hooves of the animal as you make your way past the abandoned houses, the caved in roofs and trees heavy with fresh snow.

The ice crunches again, this time behind you, and it's the only indication that you're not alone. He stays quiet.

“The soup we had last week- what was it? Pumpkin?” You ask absent-mindedly. “That was delicious. And hot. Burned my tongue. But it was worth it.”

He still doesn't say anything. Not that it's unusual. It's why you're such a good fit. You’re complementary in that way. You talk, he listens. He pretends to be annoyed, you know he secretly likes the way your thoughts fly out of your mouth, practically unfiltered in his presence.

You let your horse fall back slightly until he catches up with you, the two of you riding side by side. “Joel?”

He turns his head at that, soft brown eyes landing on yours as he seems to be snapped out of thought, “Hm?”

“Were you listening to what I said?”

A small grumble escapes his throat, a dark eyebrow moving up ever so slightly. You roll your eyes at him, deciding to just drop it, “Forget it, it doesn't matter anyway.”

He lets a few moments of silence pass until you reach the small lookout and demount your horses, tying them to a small fence post in front of the building. When he passes you on his way inside, there's a small smirk on his face.

“It wasn't pumpkin. It was carrot.”

He does listen.

Joel signs the patrol book while you busy yourself with the binoculars. The snow is almost blinding, the past week having brought more of it than you're used to, even in Jackson.

It's the favorite topic at night in the tipsy bison, with people complaining about the cold, about pipes bursting and about paths needing to be cleared every few hours. But above all the complaints is the knowledge that the vast amount of snow also has its upsides, keeping infected unable to move as fast and raiders from entering the valley at all.

That, and the children have taken to sledding down the small slopes in the town center, filling the air of the community with genuine laughter and happiness that more than makes up for the hardships the winter brings.

“Coast looks clear,” you mumble into his direction and Joel gives a small nod of approval as he finishes scribbling what is no doubt another joke at Tommys expense into the large book.

As you place the lens caps back onto the worn-out binoculars, two strong hands are placed on each side of your hips, Joel's body gently pressing into yours as he hums into your ear.

“Are we on time?” 

You sigh dramatically but do check the small watch you carry in your backpack, finding that you've made good time on your way to the outlook, “We've got time for a small lunch break.”

But Joel doesn't let go, his arms only tightening their grip as he brings his lips to your cheek and you feel his teeth graze over your skin.

“Lunch break. For lunch,” you try weakly but he's having none of it. Joel's gloves come off with a swift motion and he drops them to the ground, his arms sneaking around you and pressing you into him with a little more force. His fingers don't quite extend to your most intimate areas yet, instead just teasing around them, his touch a little more forceful than usual to make sure you can feel it through your thick winter jacket.

“I think I have a better idea,” he mutters into your ear and you nod, pressing your body back against his as you give in.

It's not fair. The way that your brain practically goes silent the moment you're in his arms. It's like a storm raging outside and falling quiet the moment you shut the door. You wonder if he knows a secret pressure point on your body that noone else has ever found, one that eases your worries, that slows down the thoughts in your head that usually rush past at what feels like lightspeed. There's always something to worry about, something to consider, something to feel.

When you're with Joel, you only feel him.

He knows this. And he recognizes every time, without failure, the moment when your brain falls quiet, just by the way you push back into him, a soft gasp on your lips.

“Joel- it's too cold- '' you mumble. There's no heating around you, making the logistics of what he undoubtedly has in mind more than difficult.

“It's okay. I got you,” Joel whispers back. His hand is still warm from the thick gloves he always wears on patrol and he doesnt open a single button of your clothing, instead opting to flatten his hand and slide it into your pants.

His fingers barely fit into the front of your jeans and it causes them to press down on your skin immediately, drawing a whimper from your lips. He shushes you gently, curling his hand to reach further and a moment later, his index finger is inside of you, the calloused skin brushing against your inner walls.

“Fuck, Joel, please-” You practically beg, a familiar heat already burning in your core as you push yourself into the palm of his hand, squirming with the way his hand aligns so perfectly with your front.

Maybe it's because of the cold or because he knows that you're still on a schedule but he doesn't make you wait as long as he usually does, slowly beginning to move his finger in and out of you. You can feel your own wetness staining the inside of your panties as it runs down his fingers and your own hands begin to wander, one clutching onto his arm while you sneak the other around yourself, brushing over the outline of Joel's hard cock behind you.

He hisses under his breath, feeling the touch even through the thick fabric of his jeans and a second finger enters you almost automatically.

“This is about you, darlin’,” he mutters, pressing himself against you a little harder and using his unoccupied hand to grab your wrist, “You just be good for me and stay still.” 

So he doesn't want to go all the way, probably a smart choice in the current weather. Any disappointment you feel is quickly washed away however as you feel Joel's fingers curl inside of you, brushing over the spot that makes your knees weak.

You have no idea how he's able to finger you this well in the current position, restricted by the cold and all the layers of clothing between you. The small room is filled with the sound of your heavy breathing and you can feel the warmth of Joel's breath in your neck as he uses his nose to push aside the scarf that's wrapped around your throat and nips at your skin.

His other hand, still wrapped around your wrist, comes to your front, still restricting your arm while also holding you up.

“Come on, let me hear you, baby,” he mutters under his breath. “Noone around to tell us off. Just you and me.”

And again, your brain doesn't protest. You don't think about the dangers of being too loud, of humans or infected being attracted by the sound, of anything really. Your body and your brain seem to agree. You're safe with him.

So you let the noises flow from your lips, whimpering and moaning, mixing Joels name with a string of curse words when his thumb begins rubbing over your clit.

“Fuck, Joel, please, please, please let me come, Joel-” You break off into another fit of unintelligible words and Joel hums behind you, rubbing his nose against your ear. You can practically hear the grin on his face, “Go on, darlin’.”

It only takes a few more thrusts of his fingers inside of you until you're falling apart in his arms, your body jerking as the pleasure of your orgasm shoots through you.

Joel's arms stay tightly wrapped around you and he gives a few more gentle, shallow curls of his fingers, letting you fully ride out your orgasm, before he withdraws his hands from your jeans, leaving your underwear a mess.

“There we go. That's my girl,” he mumbles into your ear as he turns you around carefully and tugs on your jacket a bit, making sure that you're properly protected against the cold. It's endearing how much attention he pays to your shirt being tucked in correctly and your zipper being drawn. He holds you for a while longer, placing gentle kisses on the skin that he still can reach until he's sure you're good to go. You catch a glimpse of him licking the taste of you off his fingers before putting his gloves back on.

Your legs are still wobbly when you head back to your horses a few minutes later and you nod towards the woods, “I'm gonna go pee real quick.”

You're not sure why you blush now when you've literally just had Joel's hand knuckle-deep inside of you but he doesn't seem to mind. In fact, he almost enjoys it, a small smirk playing around his lips, “You do that.”

Ever the gentleman, Joel waits with Old Beardy and Japan while you stalk through the snow for a few more meters until you find a spot that looks like it'll work well-enough as a makeshift toilet. It takes a moment to undress with all the layers you're wearing and you curse as you pull your panties down to find them stained with your own juices, the sticky liquid smeared throughout the cotton fabric.

Meanwhile Joel's hand is scratching the soft neck of his horse when he hears a small yell. In an instant, he has his revolver drawn and is hurrying into the direction you disappeared into mere minutes ago.

He can feel his heart pounding in his chest as his boots sink into the snow with every step, his muscles ready to strike out at whatever danger is lurking behind the trees.

And then, suddenly, there you are. Standing in front of a pine tree that's only a little taller than him, your hand caressing the needles wet with snow.

Joel takes a breath, his gaze flying over the surroundings once more before he lets out a small sigh and lowers his gun, “What's going on?”

Your eyes, round and gentle, wander between the tree and him, lips pursed, like you know his reply to a question you haven't even asked yet.

“I know it's not the most practical option but-” You mumble and you can see the gears turning in Joel's head before he pinches his nose, closing his eyes for a moment, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

It's been a few weeks since you sprung the idea on him while cuddling one night, mentioning that you hadn't had a Christmas tree for years and that with the woods around Jackson so full of pines, it would be a waste to not get one. Joel didn't care much for it but he was so content in that moment with you in his arms that he gave in, agreeing that a little bit of decorating wouldn't hurt. And it seems like precisely that promise is now back to haunt him.

Your hand leaves the pine and instead you reach for Joel, tugging on his jacket a little, “Come on. We have some rope, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah, we do have some rope,” he almost grunts, still keeping his eyes closed. When he opens them again, the brown in his eyes matches the trees around you and you're close enough to see the snow reflected in them.

“How bad do you want this?” He asks, honestly. He's straightforward, as always, so you decide to be as well.

“I really want it. It's perfect, it has the right size and we can keep it outside until I have finished the decorations and-”

Joel raises his hand a little, effectively cutting you off. He's heard enough.

“Okay.”

It's late when you get back to Jackson, riding through the wooden gate on your horses, the freshly cut pine tree tied to a makeshift sled behind you.

“I can't believe you talked me into this.”

Joel had offered a few more grunts and complaints about picking a tree so far away from Jackson when there were more than enough close to the perimeter. But then you had leaned over to him, just as he finished tying the tree down with a few sturdy knots.

“Maybe I can make it up to you by using this for something else, later.”

He smirked on the ride back, only stopping when you reached the small road that led down to the town and putting on his usual, gruff demeanor.

It barely lasts until you reach your doorstep.

notes: i hope you liked it! if you did, feel free to let me know if you want to be added to my twitter/tumblr tag list so you get a lil notification every time your advent calender is ready to be opened. wishing everyone a very lovely december ♥

[softpascalito]

Worth crossing a blizzard for - Pedro Pascal x Reader

Summary: During shooting for The Last of Us, a snowstorm hits Canada, essentially forcing Pedro to take the day off. Turns out its not as bad as he thinks.

Relationships: Pedro Pascal x Reader WC: 1600 Tags/Warnings: MDNI, RPF, Real-Person-Fiction, Non-Explicit Sex, showering together, Gender-neutral Reader, Snow, blizzard, Crew Reader, The Last of Us Shooting, Canada, Kissing, Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Soft Pedro Pascal, Healthy Relationships, Secret Relationship Read on AO3 full advent calendar (updated daily)

notes: i haven't written pedro in sooo long, i miss him. needless to say, this is the lil version i created of him in my head and not necesarily an accurate representation of his actual personality <3 also, this is another lil entry for stephs winter writing challenge with the trope warmth, i highly recommend checking the entire list if youre interested :) (@toomanystoriessolittletime)

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It starts with a light snowfall, little white particles floating through the air, rushing past the car as he drives back from set and a small sigh escapes his lips. It's been snowing on and off for weeks, usually meaning an earlier calltime for everyone, to make sure the locations can be cleared from the thin layer of snow if needed.

The wind has picked up by the time Pedro reaches the apartment that has been his home for the last few weeks and when he steps out of the shower half an hour later, the light snowfall has developed into a full-on blizzard, complete with cars honking in the streets below and his phone vibrating angrily, demanding attention. A rushed glance as he gets dressed confirms his suspicions. There's several warnings of severe weather, most of them due to hit tonight.

A gentle knock on the front door lets the man whip around and a small frown builds on his forehead as he crosses the hallway, taking a quick glance through the peephole. He practically yanks the door open.

You have your coat wrapped tightly around yourself, a knitted hat drawn down to your ears and a scarf wrapped around your neck. The two latter are practically soaked, decorated with little white crystals all over that are beginning to melt in the slightly warmer air of the hallway and dripping down onto the door mat.

Pedro stays still for a moment, taking in your form in front of him, before his brain registers what's going on. He reaches out, pulling you into the apartment, “What the hell were you thinking?”

The door closes behind you and the frown that decorated Pedros face a moment ago is now appearing on yours, “I- What?” For a split second you wonder if he's mad. He rarely gets a day off and even when he does, he usually spends it doing something, unable to just sit and relax, even for a little while. Maybe he's made plans for tonight and you've just crashed them.

“You can't be walking around in a blizzard like this, look at yourself,” he tuts, helping you take your wet coat off along with the hat and scarf and maneuvering them into the bathroom to hang them up to dry. You take your boots off carefully, gaze never leaving the man in front of you, “It's barely a twenty minute walk.”

“You're telling me you didn't even get a taxi?” He asks as he returns to the hallway and watches you put your shoes onto a small shoe tray.

“Does it look like I got a taxi?” You shoot back, getting a little irritated with how concerned he is. Immediately, Pedros gaze softens a bit and a small grumble escapes his throat as he takes a step forward, bringing his fingers up to your hair to carefully pick a snowflake out of it.

It melts between his fingers.

“No, you don't,” he muses, smiling a little sheepishly. “You could've called me. I would've picked you up.” You can't help but chuckle a little at that, “I did call you. You didn't pick up. The phone, I mean.” He stares at you for a moment, then back at his phone that has at least a dozen unread messages, then back to you, “Fuck, I- I was taking a shower, guess I didn’t hear-”

“It's fine,” you promise gently, standing on your tiptoes to place a small kiss on his cheek. Pedro sighs a little, taking in the way you’re looking at him and eventually nodding as he leads you further into the small apartment. It's spacious for one person but cozy for two, production of course not having calculated that you would be here too. You tried to stick to only sleeping over on weekends for a while, arguing that Pedro needed his rest and a quiet environment to go over his lines. He argued back that he slept a lot better with you beside him.

“You want a coffee?” He offers and you nod yes, following him to the open kitchen and hopping onto the counter as he grabs a mug for you.

“So you haven't read it yet?” You ask, rubbing your hands together in an effort to warm them up. “Read what?” His back is to you, the sound of the coffee machine starting almost drowning out his words. 

“Shoot is canceled for tomorrow. Probably until next week.”

Something about your tone makes him turn around to face you. He's in front of you a second later, hands resting on your waist as he studies your face, “And you're not happy about that?”

“Why would I? It sets us back at least two days and were already behind, at this rate reshoots-”

Pedro hums a little and squeezes your waist, causing you to fall quiet.

“I don't like it either but-”

You cut him off before you can stop yourself, shaking your head as you speak and lowering your gaze towards the floor, “It's just really bad timing and I have so much to do already and-”

“Hey, look at me.”

He squeezes again, a little harder this time, and one hand comes up to nudge your chin until you're looking right at him. You find soft brown eyes, the little patch in his beard you like so much and hair that's still a little damp from showering.

“It's snow. You can't do anything about snow.”

You let your head fall forward again, letting out a small sigh, “Yeah, I know.” Pedro gently brings his arms around you, holding you close for a moment. The coffee machine beeps, signaling that it's done. But he doesn't let go yet, rubbing your back a little instead.

“The way I see it,” he starts. “We may as well enjoy our night in. Even if it wasn't exactly planned. Plus, there's no way in hell I'll let you go back out there anyway.”

He does have a point. And a night off, especially a night off for both of you, doesn't sound too bad, even if it's constricted to the small apartment you're sitting in.

As soon as your coffee is empty and a few urgent messages are replied to, Pedro insists on a shower to warm you up. You're halfway to the bathroom before you turn around with a small smile on your face, “You're gonna let me shower alone?”

“I just showered,” Pedro replies almost automatically, putting your mug away. Then, he catches the small twinkle in your eye.

“You just showered,” you repeat, the smile still decorating your face and Pedro nods a few times before getting into motion.

“I guess I could do with another one.”

For once, there's no rush. You take your time, with the shower and everything that it includes. You spend what feels like a solid five minutes kissing afterwards, already scrubbed clean and so, so content. The air is steamy when you step out of the shower and Pedro really does treat you to the full experience, insisting on applying your lotion for you.

You hum contently as he gently massages it into your back, your muscles tingling with relief. He chuckles softly behind you, “Feeling a little warmed up already?”

“More than a little. Don't know how you do it.”

You lightly slap his ass on the way to the bedroom.

After securing your favorite sweater of his and some sweatpants, you find yourself in the kitchen again, rummaging through the cupboards to figure out what to cook up with the scarce ingredients available. You both usually eat on location or get some takeout on the way home, not to speak of the lack of cooking skill you both possess.

It ends up being pasta with some leftover greens and tomatoes and for once, you could swear it tastes ten times better than whatever takeout you could've gotten. You're cuddled up on the couch, staring out into the dark, gusts of snow still blowing past the window. The traffic jams have calmed down, the people returned to their houses to find shelter from the cold. Only a few lost ones are still wandering around, no doubt with a goal that justifies a walk through the conditions. You understand them.

Pedro watches a man disappear around the corner and swallows his mouthful of pasta, “Are you sure you didn't catch a cold?”

You smile weakly, “ Even if I did, it would be worth it. I'd trade a cold for a night off with you. You know that.” He chuckles a little, tilting his head slightly, “Just saying, it may be a little on the nose for both of us to get sick at the same time.”

You raise a brow as you finish your plate and gently put it down before cuddling into Pedro’s side, drawing your legs up onto the couch, “There's a blizzard. It's not that on the nose.”

The snowflakes landing on the window stay there for a few moments, glistening in the dim light from inside the apartment before the warmth seems to reach through the glass. One by one, they turn into small drops of water.

He considers your words for a moment before nodding, “Yeah. Yeah, I guess you're right.” His arm wraps around you, pulling you in a little more as you rest your head against his shoulder. He leans down to plant a small kiss on your head and you hum contently, smiling to yourself.

The snowflakes melt on the window pane. You melt in Pedros arms.

Your voice is only a mumble.

“Besides- you can't do anything about snow.”

notes: hey babes! im considering a second part to this so let me know if that's something you'd like <3

[toomanystoriessolittletime]

New Years wishes

Week 5 of the Winter Writing Challenge

prompt: "I wanna be your last first kiss.“

Summary: After spending difficult six month without Marcus he surprises you for New Years Eve.

Pairing: Marcus Pike x fem. reader

Wordcount: 2.1k

Rating: G

Warnings: fluff, also angst, little heartbreak, Marcus is having a tiny midlife crisis, but it all turns out good in the end

A/N: totally stealing from Greys Anatomy I'm not even sorry

follow @toomanystoriessolittletime-fics and turn on notifications to get notified when I post new fics

You don’t know why you let Charlotte talk you into going to her New Years eve party. You weren’t big on parties, and you definitely weren’t looking forward to this one. 

But you were looking forward to this year finally being over. 

That’s the only reason Charlotte used to talk you into coming to her party, to celebrating this year finally being over and to starting a new year which would hopefully bring you more than heartbreak. 

You looked at yourself in the mirror, your gaze landing on the necklace you were wearing. 

The necklace Marcus had gifted you for your first anniversary. 

It was a little cupcake on a golden chain, because it was through a cupcake that the two of you reconnected a year before. 

Marcus was Charlotte’s big brother. Growing up you had the biggest crush on him but it would almost take twenty years for it to finally become more. 

And it was a chance meeting. 

You were working in your little bakery, not far away from FBI headquarters and Marcus had moved to town after getting offered to be the leading agent of the art crime division. You would only learn later that this new job originally also entailed a new fiancé. 

But her loss was your gain in the end. Marcus started to spend all his lunch breaks in your little bakery, reconnecting and slowly falling in love with you. 

And things had been going perfectly. 

Eight months after you officially started dating he moved into your little house, just outside of the city you had inherited from your grandmother after she died. 

You were so in love with each other, that you really didn’t know how to react when Marcus wanted a break. 

It had been after another lengthier mission that Marcus had come home and asked for a some time apart. That he needed some time to think about his life and how he could be the best version of himself for you, and while it broke your heart, you were willing to give him everything he wanted if it made him feel better. 

That was almost six months ago and you had both only seen each other a handful of times. He assured you that it wasn’t you, that he had some things he needed to work out with himself and that you deserved to have the best version of himself if you still wanted him. 

Of course you wanted him. You would always want him. 

You were beyond confused, asking yourself if it was something you did that made him feel this way. 

You missed him. Every single day. 

You went from daydreaming about the future with him together, both of you planing your wedding, where you would live, how many children you would have, to lonely microwave dinners and reruns of the bachelor until you fell asleep in front of the TV.

Christmas had been beyond depressing. 

You never had much family left in the first place, and the last years had been spent with the Pike’s. You were invited of course, but you could not bring yourself to go there and spend the day with Marcus and his family, when you were hurting deep down about your relationship status. 

You had tried to talk to him since he moved out, but he had only asked for more time, telling you that he would understand if you were getting tired of waiting, that he did not want you to wait until he figured his shit out.

Charlotte had warned you that Marcus was supposed to be attending her party that day too, and your heart already was hurting only thinking about seeing him again, without being able to actually be with him. 

You just hoped that he would figure his issues out, because you could not keep living like this.

The taxi was driving through the busy city. 

Charlotte had asked you to make some cupcakes, so the taxi was taking you to your bakery where Charlotte’s husband Eddie would be waiting for you to help transport the cupcakes back to her place for the party. 

You could have just taken them to her yesterday, but she insisted she wanted them today. 

Paying the taxi driver you grabbed your purse and took a look around, trying to check if Eddie was there already, but all you found was a black town car with a driver waiting in front of it. Shrugging to yourself, you searched for your keys, making your way to the entrance of your bakery when you heard your name behind you.

Turning around you found the driver, an older looking man smiling at you, asking your name again.

„Uh, yeah?“ You answered confused. 

„Hello, I am Andrew. I am instructed to take you to your surprise,“ he said. 

„Which surprise?“ You asked. 

„I do not know. I only know I should take you there,“ he answered. 

„Who told you to take me there?“

„Marcus Pike.“

Before you got into the car you tried to call Marcus, but he did not pick up the phone. Then you tried to call Charlotte who only told you that she knew about a surprise, but she didn’t know what it was about. 

Still hesitant you sat in the backseat of the car, the radio quietly playing while the landscape flew by. 

After a while you had an of idea where you were going. 

One of your last dates with Marcus was spent house hunting. You had been searching for a while but could not find something you both liked immediately. You did however find a piece of land that you both fell in love with. It was overlooking the whole city while still not being to far out to commute to work every day, which you and Marcus could do together since you worked only two streets apart.

But before you could have made any further decisions, Marcus had asked for this… break. You were getting more nervous the more familiar your surroundings became, until the car stopped and you turned your head to look to the side, a sea of candles illuminating the night. 

The car door opened and Andrew gave you a warm smile. 

„I’ll wait here if you’ll need me,“ he said before he helped you out and walked back to the drivers side to get back into the car. 

You took a deep breath, before you slowly rounded the car and walked towards where you could already make out Marcus waiting for you, surrounded by what must be hundreds, if not thousands of candles. 

You were suddenly glad you had decided to wear your winter coat.

As if this whole set up wasn’t overwhelming enough, it was the first time you saw Marcus since the beginning of November. 

He was waiting for you in the middle of this set up, a soft smile on his completely shaven face. Nervously you sucked your bottom lip in, walking towards him, while you looked around, seeing that these candles seemed to make up a shape. Of what, you were not sure. 

„Hi,“ you heard Marcus say as you stopped in front of him. 

„Hey,“ you whispered. 

„You look… you look beautiful,“ he smiled, his hand reaching out to touch you, but stopping himself halfway through. You took a step closer, taking his hand and he sighed. 

„You shaved,“ you said and he smiled. 

„Yeah. I think I shaved my midlife crisis right off with the beard,“ he huffed nervously, his brown eyes set on you. He squeezed your hand. 

„I owe you an explanation. And the biggest apology of my life,“ he sighed, shaking his head to himself. He took your other hand before he looked at you. 

„Yeah. What happened? Was it something I did? I…“ you began but he shook his head. 

„Remember the undercover mission I had been on for a couple weeks in May?“ He asked. You nodded. 

„I ran into my ex wife.“

„Oh,“ you whispered. He took a deep breath. 

„And I let her fuck with my head. And then I ran into Theresa and I couldn’t talk to you, because of the Undercover thing and it left me with my stupid thoughts for two weeks up to the point where I was certain that something must be wrong with me and that you deserve so much better,“ he said.

„Marcus…“ you mumbled, shaking your head. 

„I know,“ he smiled sadly, „And instead of finally talking to you when I was back I pushed you away. You, the person I want to grow old with. I love you. So much. It’s…,“ he took a deep breath. 

„Charlotte told me how miserable you were. She also told me what an idiot I am. My therapist too,“ Marcus continued. 

„Therapist?“ You asked. 

He nodded. 

„Yeah. I wanted to find out what was wrong with me,“ he shrugged.

„There’s nothing wrong with you, baby. You’re just…“ you were looking for the right word. 

„An idiot?“ He offered. You smiled.

„Yeah. But you’re still my idiot,“ you said softly and he released a deep breath. 

„I’m so, so fucking sorry what I put you through these last months. If I could erase these last months, I would.“

You looked at him, your Marcus. There would be more talking about this in the future. Yes, these last months were hell, but he was here, right now. He loved you and you loved him. That was enough for the moment. 

You got on your tiptoes, your arms wrapping around Marcus and kissed him. He stumbled back surprised before his arms pulled you against him and he deepened the kiss. 

„I missed you so much. I’ll kill you if you ever hurt me like that again,“ you mumbled against his lips. 

„Never,“ he vowed, rubbing his nose over yours. 

„So… what is all this?“ You asked, looking up at him. 

„This… This could be our dream house,“ he said. He pulled away from you, taking your hand and started walking. 

„Right now, we could be standing in our living room. Fireplace right there, biggest couch we can find right here,“ he gestured. You smiled, following him. Now you could see the candles on the ground made out lines of different rooms.

„This,“ he lead you forward along the line, „could be the kitchen. Got you that big island you always wanted so you can have enough space to bake too,“ he winked and you grinned. 

„What’s on the other levels?“ You asked. He turned and pulled you in his arms. 

„Bathroom, Office, Guest Bedroom, Bedroom with walk in closet….“

„What about a nursery?“ You asked and he smiled shyly. 

„We can fit one in there too, I think,“ he mumbled and kissed you. 

„Two,“ you said and he nodded. 

„I gotta say, this is all very romantic but last time I checked we don’t own this piece of land.“

He hummed.

„When did you last check?“ He asked, a smile sneaking to his lips. 

You tilted your head, narrowing your eyes. 

„I signed the papers this morning. It’s yours,“ he said and your mouth dropped open in shock. 

„What?“ You gasped out. 

„I bought it. For you. For us, if you want. I just… I want to make you happy. I…“ you stopped him with your lips on his mouth. 

„You’re insane,“ you chuckled.

„Now you notice?“ He joked and you shook your head with a grin, letting your head rest against his chest when you heard the first firework go off, the sky glittering in pink lights. 

„What time is it?“ You asked and he looked at his watch. 

„Almost midnight,“ he whispered. 

You both looked up at the sky, more and more fireworks lighting up the sky. 

„I want to spend every single day of my life loving you. I wanna be your last first kiss. I wanna be the best version of myself for you,“ he whispered against your ear. You blinked the tears away, cuddling closer against him. 

„I love you,“ you mumbled against him. 

„Happy new year,“ he whispered, kissing your hair. You looked up at him, the man you loved.

„Happy new year.“

[toomanystoriessolittletime]

Cookie Kisses

Week 3 of the Winter Writing Challenge

prompts: hot chocolate / baking / dancing 

Summary: Dieter finds you baking cookies in your home after being away to shoot his series for months.

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x fem. reader

wordcount: 1.9k

Rating: T

Warnings: fluff, making out, suggestive language (?), talk of future plans involving kids

follow @toomanystoriessolittletime-fics and turn on notifications to get notified when I post new fics

It’s funny how much your life can change in less than a year. 

A year ago you were living in a shitty apartment with four other people, working three jobs and still not being able to afford a dollar more than you needed to survive. 

LA had turned into a fucking pipe dream for you. 

You knew thousands of people tried to make their dream come true by moving to the city of stars. 

Just like you did. You were a writer. You wanted to work in television or the movies. 

Yet after months and months you did not even get one call back or anyone interested in your work. You were getting frustrated.

You were at your lowest point a year ago just before Christmas. Not being able to afford the flight back to see you parents for the holidays, and not enough money to treat yourself to a shitty Christmas dinner from the supermarket. 

You were working 16 hour shifts at the diner just to not be back in your shitty apartment where you would spend all your time talking yourself out of just giving up and moving back home. 

It was one of those 16 hour shifts, at 3 am on a Thursday that Dieter Bravo stepped into your life. 

You had heard that he had been shooting in a studio not far away from the diner from some time from one of your co workers. Apparently he had been to the diner quite regularly in the last two weeks, just not ever when you had been there. 

You welcomed him to the diner with a tired smile, handing him the menu, missing the way he looked after you, when you left to get his order of a hot chocolate. 

You had missed a lot in the weeks after that first meeting too. 

Like that he somehow managed to now always showed up in your shift, seated in your section. 

How he tried to keep talking to you, when all you were doing was going through your to do list while taking his order. 

How he seemed to tip you always more than average on days you looked sad.

Of course you knew who Dieter Bravo was. 

You had seen some of his movies and the very successful series two years ago he stared in. An HBO series about… fungi zombies. Or…. Whatever. 

It was another nightly visit from him almost six weeks after your first meeting where you finally realised that maybe Dieter Bravo was interested in more than your ability to deliver food and the best hot chocolate he ever had (his words). 

The diner had been busy and there had been no free space in your section. You had seen him come in, giving him a friendly smile as you walked by and back into the kitchen. You put in the latest orders and excused yourself for a small restroom break after. 

When you stepped back into the diner it was completely empty. 

Safe for Dieter’s preferred table where the man was waiting for you. Two hot chocolates waiting in front of him, looking at you with big brown puppy eyes. 

When you thought back to this night it still seemed like the beginning of a fairytale. 

He had told you that he paid off everyone in the diner to leave, including most of the staff. He had told you that he had been trying to get your attention for weeks. 

You thought it was a joke first, why would Oscar winning actor Dieter Bravo wanting to get your attention?

He could have everyone, why would he want you?

You would learn months later that he was pretty sure he had fallen in love with you that first time he saw you, just before Christmas when he walked into the diner. 

Your life had changed significantly after Dieter stepped into your life. 

Dieter and you started hanging out outside of your work quite frequently before he asked you out on a date. 

And dating you did. 

He took you out to have dinner, flew you out to Canada when he was shooting the second season of his HBO series. He made you teach him how to make the perfect hot chocolate so he could make it for you.

He kissed and fucked you whenever you where together. 

The Dieter you got to know, and the persona he let the outside world know, were two completely different people.

He told you he loved you and that for the first time in his life he felt like he did not need drugs to make it through the day. Not that he did not do anymore drugs, just significantly less (as you learned from him and his manager). And only rarely in front of you.

When the lease of your apartment was up, he asked you to move in with him. Into his new house he had bought in the hidden hills and help him make it feel like home. 

Your home. 

Now, a week before Christmas you were standing in a kitchen that was double as big as your apartment before, preparing another batch of Christmas cookies you were making for your guests next week. 

Dieter had insisted on inviting his and your parents over for the holidays and you could not wait for them to get here. 

Dieter was due to be back from Canada for some reshoots later that day and you hoped you would be finished by the time he was back. 

You hoped he liked how you decorated the house, save for the Christmas tree you wanted to decorate with him once he was back. 

Moving in with Dieter had been an experience. While you were on the border of being OCD tidy, he was… not. You were both still learning how to get used to this new normal, but excited to do it together. 

You hadn’t spend much time together with Dieter in this house yet. You moved in in the beginning of October and he had to leave before Halloween to continue to shoot his series. You had only seen each other since then once when he was back for a brief meeting for another movie he would be shooting in Italy the next year.

Humming along to the radio to some Christmas song you loaded up the dishwasher, waiting for the timer of the oven to go off, you missed the garage door opening and footsteps making their way inside the house. 

It’s why you almost had a heart attack once you turned around and found Dieter grinning at you over his sunglasses, standing at the kitchen island. 

„Holy shit,“ you gasped, your hand pressing against your chest and your wild beating heart. 

„Hey babe,“ his grin widened and you laughed, before you practically ran around the counter, throwing yourself into his arms. 

„I missed you baby,“ you murmured and he kissed you, sighing audibly against your lips. 

„You taste like cookies,“ he mumbled against your lips, kissing you all over your face, his hands both on your ass, pulling you against him. 

„Want some?“ You asked. 

„Cookies?“ He asked. You nodded. He shook his head. 

„Want something different,“ he kissed you again, slowly walking you backwards until you felt the counter against your back. 

He kissed down your neck, his fingers pulling at your shirt. 

„Missed your tits,“ he dipped his nose into your cleavage and you bit your lip. 

„Baby…“ you gasped and he helped you sit on the counter. 

„Missed all of you,“ he murmured.

Parting your legs so he could stand between them he pushed your shirt up, kissing your stomach. 

„Canada is too fucking cold. Colder than your feet at night,“ he hummed and you giggled. He playfully bit into your hip before his hands both came to rest on your upper thighs. You pulled him into your arms, your fingers brushing through his hair as he rested his head against your chest. 

„I really missed you Dieter,“ you whispered and he snuggled even closer against you. 

„Love that I get to come home to you now,“ he said and propped his chin up against your chest, looking up at you. 

The timer of the oven let you both jump, and you chuckled. 

„One more batch to go and then you get to do whatever you want to me,“ you whispered, kissing his forehead. He pouted, sighing dramatically before he let go of you and helped you off the counter. 

He hovered behind you, following you like a puppy, as you took the finished batch out and put the last batch into the oven. 

You gently slapped his fingers away as he tried to steal a cookie. 

„Let them cool down for a second, will you?“ You chastised him playfully and pouted. You carefully pulled his glasses off, your hands on his cheeks. 

„There you are,“ you smiled and got on your tiptoes to kiss him again. His arms wrapped around you again, running soothingly up and down your back. 

„Can we make that pie I love so much tomorrow?“ He asked. 

„We as in us two?“ You asked, an eyebrow raised. 

He pursed his lips. 

„Well you are gonna bake and I am gonna lick all the bowls. I’m very good at licking“ he said seriously, wiggling his eyebrows. 

You shook your head with a laugh, your hands crossing behind his neck. 

„You are very good at licking,“ you agreed. 

„Want a demonstration?“ He offered, his hands on your ass again and you could feel how hard he was as he rubbed himself against you. 

„In… twenty minutes. Can’t let those cookies burn,“ you said and he pouted again. 

„You’re so damn mean,“ he whined. 

„But you love it,“ you say. 

„Yeah. Yeah I do,“ he sighed before he kissed you. 

It was a minute or so later that he slowly began to swing you to the beat of the music, some Michael Bublé Christmas song in the background. Smiling you let your head rest against his shoulder, one of his hands now in the middle of your back, gently guiding the impromptu slow dance. 

Sometimes you imagined moments like this years in the future. Maybe with a dog and cat around. Maybe a kid or two. 

As long as Dieter was in your future, you would be okay with everything life could throw at you. 

„You still got that meeting on Friday?“ He asked, his head resting on top of yous. 

„Yeah. They seemed really interested,“ you mumbled against his shirt. 

While you still hadn’t gotten your first big job, it looked like that might change in the near future. 

Dieter and you bonded over your love for writing and you both had been working on a script, which you sent out to some studios under different pseudonyms. 

You did not want to use Dieter’s connections to make it. Ever since you went public with your relationship, people knew who you were. And may it be stubborn, you did not want to use his name to finally get the recognition you always dreamed of. 

You already had two meetings with studios, a third one just around the corner before Dieter would join you to reveal who the second writer was. 

„You excited for Christmas?“ He asked you. You looked up at him. 

„So much. We gotta decorate the tree together this week,“ you said. 

He nodded and leaned in to kiss you, humming against your lips. You did not know it then, but a week later he would ask you to marry him. 

„I love you,“ Dieter mumbled against your lips.

„I love you too.“

[toomanystoriessolittletime]

Lonely Christmas

Week 4 of the Winter Writing Challenge

Prompt: candle light / oblivious idiots / tears 

Summary: A storm that makes it impossible to leave the island, leaves you spend Christmas with your friend and boss Javi.

Pairing: Javi Gutierrez x fem. reader

Wordcount: 1.5k

Rating: G

Warnings: fluff, idiots to lovers

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You were staring out at the ocean, high waves crashing loudly against the shore. 

There was a blanket around your shoulders, your arms crossed in front of your chest, keeping yourself warm. 

The flight you had booked to fly out to see your family over the holidays had been canceled earlier today after the weather had been forecasted to last at least until the day after tomorrow. It had been windy all week but in the last 24 hours those winds became a storm. So bad that some of the garden decorations outside had flown away, never to be seen again. 

„I do not like you standing so close to the window,“ Javi mumbled from behind you. He was sitting on one of his big sofas, also a blanket over his shoulders, his phone in his hand. 

You had started working for Javi Gutierrez almost two years ago. You had been hired as a kitchen help but had worked your way up until you were his personal chef.

When things with his cousin got harder, it had Javi spending time wherever Lucas wasn’t. And that was mostly with you in the kitchen, because there was no way Lucas would have spend time with the help. That was under his dignity. 

You had learned quickly that Javi was the complete opposite of his cousin. 

He was interested in your life, asking you questions about your family, your hobbies, how you came to make your dream of being a cook reality. 

He was eager to learn, starting to spend almost all of his spare time with you alone in the kitchen. (Lucas had fired all of the kitchen staff except for you in a fit of rage).

You became friends. Yet it would be months until Javi confined in you what was really happening on the property, close before his big birthday party with Nicolas Cage. 

He made you leave the day after his birthday, paying for a vacation that would take you to the other side of the world, telling you that you deserve some days off after the work you had been doing. 

You remembered the way he had hugged you close, his lips brushing over the corner of your mouth before giving you one of his signature smiles that seemed to make you stomach flip.

You hadn’t talked about that almost kiss, thinking it had been an accident.

But you did think about it a lot. You still did. 

Not that you would ever admit this to anyone. 

After Lucas had been brought to justice things had changed. Javi had finally make his dream about becoming a writer come true and you had been there for every step of the way. He had even insisted you fly out to Los Angeles when he had all his meetings. And of course for the premiere of his first big movie. 

It had been a busy year for him and you couldn’t be happier for him. 

And secretly you were happy this storm had kept all the planes on this island. You didn’t want Javi to spend Christmas alone. He had send all staff home to be with their families. 

„So, how about we make some pizza? The oven outside works without power,“ you suggested. Javi looked at you, eyes wide. 

„You want to go out there?“ He asked, horrified. 

You shrugged. The power had gone out almost three hours ago and the only thing you could use to cook was the big oven grill outside. It was under the patio, mostly hidden from the storm. 

„I’m hungry,“ you sighed and he smiled softly. He got up and walked over to you. 

He stopped just close of touching you and you looked at him. He was your friend, a friend you may or may not have a crush on, but he was still your boss. Your very handsome boss you sometimes wanted to kiss and…

„How about we just make some sandwiches and postpone the pizza until the power is back on? We could order in… okay maybe not. I don’t want anyone to get injured…“

„I don’t think we have enough bread for sandwiches. The grocery order was supposed to be delivery tomorrow morning for you,“ you said. Javi smiled sheepishly and you tilted your head at him. 

„I went to the store this morning,“ he said. 

„Okay…“ you said. 

„And I bought way too much food because I forgot you ordered in for me,“ he grinned and you chuckled. 

„Well then sandwiches it is.“

It was an hour later and you were both in Javi’s bed. Candles had been lit all around the room and his iPad was propped up on the bed (his other iPad and MacBook waiting in case the battery ran out).

You were under the covers, sitting propped against the headboard next to Javi, watching „The Holiday“. More than once you had been thankful that he was such a movie freak, having downloaded so many movies on his devices you hopefully would have enough to watch before the power came back on. 

He had made you chose a movie and you had admitted that while you never had many traditions in your family, one you had with your sister was watching „The Holiday“ at Christmas Eve and eating as much candy while watching until you passed out. 

And Javi of course insisted that while he was not your sister, he wanted to keep your tradition going. His family was never really close, so there were no traditions he kept. 

So here you were, in a very comfortable bed with your boss/best friend/ man you occasionally thought about kissing, watching one of the most perfect movies ever made. 

It was all… very romantic. The perfect first date really, apart from the power not working and the room getting colder and colder without working heat. 

You sighed, watching Jude Law cry on screen as Amanda decides to leave. 

You were fighting against the tears threatening to spill, knowing all of these people would find their happy end when you heard a sob from next to you. Turning your head to the side you saw Javi openly weeping, brushing his tears away. 

It was one of many things you loved about him. 

He wasn’t afraid to show feelings, whatever they may be. 

Reaching your hand to take his he looked at you, giving you a watery smile. 

„I think I may be a weeper too,“ he mumbled and you smiled. Slowly you inched closer to him. Your other hand carefully brushed his tears away and he smiled at you, letting go of your hand to pull his arm around your shoulders and pull you closer towards him, cuddling against you. 

You took a deep breath, resting your head on his shoulder. 

He was so warm and comfortable, and smelling so damn good. 

„I wish I could find a love like that,“ Javi mumbled, watching the two happy couples on screen now dance and be happy. 

„You can,“ you said, fully believing it. 

„Yeah?“ He asked. You nodded, looking up at him to find him already looking at you. 

„Javi you are basically a rom com come to life. You are a successful, very attractive man who is not afraid to show feelings. You love making other people smile and you give so so much… Whoever you let inside your heart be loved by you is a lucky person,“ you said. There were tears in his eyes again. You sat yourself up so you could kiss his cheek when he moved his head, your lips landing on his. 

You both froze for a moment before your eyes got big and you parted from his lips with a gasp.

„I’m… I’m so sorry. I….“ You began to ramble but Javi just looked at you, surprised, yet the longer you rambled on the more his face changed until he was smiling at you. 

His finger came to rest on your lips to stop you from talking and you pouted. 

„This was not how I imagined our second kiss,“ he said and you raised your eyebrows, confused. 

„Though I am not sure the almost kiss the day before my birthday counted as our first kiss.“

You gulped when his finger dropped from your lips. Instead his hand came to rest on your cheek. 

„Javi… You’re my friend,“ you began, he nodded. 

„But you’re also my boss,“ you continued and he nodded. 

You sighed, his touch driving goosebumps over your whole body. 

„I think I’m in love with you,“ he whispered, tears in his eyes and your lips parted in surprise, before you smiled at him. 

You pushed him away, his expression falling before you sat yourself up and hesitantly came to sit on your knees on the bed, before you slowly straddled his lap, both of your hands framing his now hopeful face. 

You brushed your thumps over his lips.  His hands were on your hips, his eyes on you and every move you made.

„I quit,“ you whispered before you kissed him. 

[toomanystoriessolittletime]

A walk in the woods

Week 1 of the Winter Writing Challenge

Prompt: "I can't believe you talked me into this"

Summary: Frankie talks you into taking a walk to the local farm to pick out a Christmas tree.

Pairing: Frankie Morales x fem. reader

Wordcount: 1.3k

Rating: G

Warnings: fluff, fluff, fluff

If you want to get notified when I post new fics follow @toomanystoriessolittletime-fics and turn on notifications

This was not how you had planned to spend your Saturday. It had been snowing all week. And with having to leave the house for work every single day, you were looking forward to catching up on housework and not leaving the house. Or wear pants.

People were going fucking crazy the closer Christmas came and you were looking forward to not dealing with stupid people for at least 48 hours. 

Maybe bake a cake. 

Or talk Frankie into spending the whole day cuddling on the couch while watching some shitty Christmas movie on TV. 

Frankie and you had only moved to this neighbourhood three months ago. 

You had gotten the job offer you had always dreamed of. The only problem was that it was in another state, far away from all your friends and family. 

Ready to decline the offer, it was Frankie who told you to take it. Who made plans with you, talked to real estate agents to find the perfect home for the two of you. More than once you asked him if he was sure it was the right thing to do. 

And he, like the perfect man he was, told you everything would be okay as long as you two were together.

Moving states also meant moving to a whole other climate with actual seasons, leaving you to experience your first real winter in twenty years. 

„I can’t believe you talked me into this,“ you pouted, zipping up your winter coat. Frankie grinned at you, wrapping a scarf around your neck, kissing your nose. 

Bella, your three year old Jack Russel terrier was already excitedly circling around the two of you, waiting to get outside. 

„Come ooon. It stopped snowing for the first time in days. We’re just walking up to the Farm to find the perfect Christmas tree, and then we can go home,“ he hummed. 

You sighed. 

„I put on pants for you. I was looking forward to no pants today,“ you dramatically whined. 

He grinned. 

„I’ll help you get out of them later,“ he winked before he kissed you. 

Okay this… wasn’t so bad. 

When you got to the farm they had hot drinks and some snacks. The area was huge, so you did not see many people on the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree, which you found rather quickly, letting Frankie handle the reservation and making a date to pick it up at the end of the next week. 

You powered out your dog in the meantime. Forming and throwing snow balls for her which she tried to catch with her little snout, barking at you when it disappeared and coming back for more. 

You picked her up after a while, just in time for Frankie to be finished, making his way back to you. 

„Ready to go home?“ He asked, taking your hand. You nodded and he took Bella from you to set her down, taking her leash. 

„Let’s take the way back through the woods,“ he kissed you softly and you smiled. 

„Okay I gotta admit, getting out of the house wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,“ you said as you slowly walked through the woods, back to you house. You looked up at Frankie who was still holding your hand, smiling up at him. 

Sometimes you were scared of how much you loved him. 

Things hadn’t always been easy, but you grew with every challenge, choosing to work through your problems, coming out stronger every single time. 

Frankie was your person, and he would not get rid of you so easily. 

„Told you so,“ Frankie said. Bella barked in that moment, making you both laugh. 

„You know I have to admit I was scared to just pack up our life and leave. And sometimes I miss our life back in California, well, I miss the people but… I’m glad you talked me into taking the job.“

„Couldn’t let my girl say no to her dream job. You are killing it. And honestly, I miss our friends too, but it’s also nice to have you all to myself,“ Frankie stopped walking and pulled you into his arms, kissing you. You wrapped your arms behind his back, smiling against his lips. 

„I’m so proud of you baby,“ he whispered and you pecked his lips. 

„Proud of you too. Three months and already getting promoted. We are killing this adult life thing,“ you kissed him again, both of you chuckling. Frankie had quickly found a job as a helicopter pilot for local emergency services.

Parting from him you took his hand and started walking again. 

„I’m freezing. Let’s get home,“ you said, only to cry out in surprise when the wind picked up and a whole bunch of snow from the trees above dumped down on both of you. 

„Oh my god,“ you began to laugh, wiping your eyes with your glove, Frankie’s hand still in yours. 

„What the fuck?“ Frankie laughed and you shook your head to get the remains of the snow off of you. You were still laughing when Frankie let go of you hand, and you looked at him just in time to see him dropping down to one knee in front of you. 

First alarmed that he had hurt himself you frantically searched for any injury when you noticed the small velvet box in his hand. 

Eyes widening your mouth dropped open in surprise, watching him smile cheekily up at you. 

„Frankie…“ you whispered. 

„Baby… I’ve been trying to figure out how to ask this question. I should have done this a long time ago, because I knew you were the one on the day that we met. I was pretty much in love with you the moment you walked through the door of the coffee shop where we met. These last years… Fuck I’ve never been so happy in my life and I keep waking up every day next to you, waiting that something is gonna happen, but all you do is love me for me. It’s… I love you. So much. And I want to spend the rest of my life loving you and making you smile and laugh and cum…“ he winked and you laughed, tears in the corner of your eyes. 

„I love you baby, will you marry me?“ He finally asked and you nodded.

„Of course I’ll marry you Frankie,“ you smiled and he seemed to breath out relieved. It was only then that you realised he had opened the box, revealing a beautiful ring. He got up from his knee, taking your hand and slowly pulling your glove off. 

„This ring was my grandmother’s. She and my pa were married for 64 years before they both died,“ he explained, taking the ring out of its box. 

It was a golden band with a small green stone. 

„It’s an emerald. Apparently it’s known as a symbol of truth and love,“ he explained while slipping the ring on your finger. It fit perfectly. 

„It’s beautiful,“ you whispered and he looked at you. 

„Yeah?“ He asked.

You nodded. 

He kissed you then, wrapping his arms around you, pulling you as close as possible. 

„We’re gonna get married,“ he whispered in between kisses. 

„We’re gonna get married,“ you giggled back, your hand playing with the hair that was in his neck. 

Bella barked and you both looked down at her, having forgotten about her for a moment. She had found a huge branch, her whole body shaking excitedly as she nudged her nose against it, waiting for someone to throw it for her. 

You both laughed. 

„Come on, let’s get home,“ you said and he nodded. He carefully helped you put your glove back on, kissing your hand, before one of his arms pulled you against his side. 

„I gotta get my fiancé out of her pants,“ he whispered against your ear and you let your head fall against his shoulder.

Happier than ever before. 

[toomanystoriessolittletime]

Winter Writing Challenge 2023

The people have decided, so here we go!

Welcome to the Winter Writing Challenge 2023! I can't believe this is already the fifth time we're doing this! (Check out the last Challenges here on my masterlist)

This year we're changing things up yet again with weekly challenges instead of daily. This time you can choose from 4 different prompts!

If you have any questions, my ask box is always open! Have Fun!!

Rules:

Under the cut you will find Winter themed pictures, Prompts, Quotes and Christmas songs (for all the Christmas lovers out there).

It's your choice if you choose just one or more (or all) of them for the week.

The fics can be Christmas themed, but do not have to be!

All fandoms are allowed! 

Please tag everything correctly, 18+, smut, etc and add the read more thingie with fics over 500 words

Tag your fic with #StephsWinterWritingChallenge and tag me in your post (if you want) so I can reblog/read it

Reblogs of this post are very much appreciated 😊

"I can't believe you talked me into this."

Snow / Roadtrip / no cellphone service

"Baby it's cold outside"

"I totally definitely did not just watch you chop wood outside."

blackout / only one bed / warmth

"All I want for Christmas is you"

"I have never seen so much snow in my life."

hot chocolate / baking / dancing

"I'll be home for Christmas"

"We can still tell them we have to cancel because of an.... alien invasion?"

candle light / oblivious idiots / tears

"Santa Baby"

"I wanna be your last first kiss."

lonely / kisses / first dates

"New Years day"

[nobedofroses]

December 17th

pairing: pre-outbreak!Joel Miller x reader

warnings: fluff

words: 1.6k

a/n: oops, this one got long too, but Joel and a bookshop, how could i not just keep writing? picture prompt from @toomanystoriessolittletime's winter writing challenge ❄️

more Joel, Full List

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He always came in alone. Well, except for his daughter, Sarah. But every week, without fail, the two of them came in for your story time and then browsed and read for around another hour afterward. 

It made you wonder if he was single. Or maybe his partner worked on Saturdays or liked to sleep in or hated books or any other reason why he was always alone. You had snuck many glances at his left hand ring finger (in case he had forgotten to wear it one day but had it the next week) and there was never a ring. Never even a tan line, and he had been tan in the summer. 

You wondered if he worked outside or just liked to spend a lot of time outdoors. He had these big, functional muscles that made you think they came from his line of work rather than going to the gym multiple times a week. Besides, who had the time with a five year old at home? 

They were easily your best regulars, only missing it one or twice outside of when it was canceled due to holidays. But, aside from small chats with Sarah, you knew less about them than people that came half as much. Which only made you more curious, more interested. 

During the story and if there was an activity afterward, you were always focused on the kids, but as soon as everything was packed away and you went back to your duties as a member of staff, it was all you could do to keep yourself from following him around the store. 

You still caught yourself staring, taking several minutes to shelve one book left on the “decided not to buy” cart if it was remotely in the same section as he was. And since you were the de facto staff for the children’s section, in charge of restocking, tidying the toys, and answering questions, whenever Sarah had a question she came right to you. 

She was an adorable and smart child and it melted your heart every time he referred to her off handedly as “baby girl.” 

You had known his name, Joel, since one of the first times they came in because he had a membership and never had his card on him, so you had to look him up by phone number and confirm with his name. And technically, he must know your name too since you told everyone before every book you read. But you don’t think he had ever used your name, only ever telling Sarah to thank her “teacher” at the end of every story time. 

If only you could work up the courage to talk to him, then you were certain that fate would take control and the two of you would end up finding out you had great chemistry and were compatible and go on dates and you could definitely be a good stepmom, you were sure of it. 

But months went by and you never said more than a couple words to him. You were worried that soon enough Sarah would age out of story time and they would stop coming. Or at least that they would stop coming when you were working and you would never see them again. 

Then in December, when you were working your Friday morning shift, Joel came in, just himself this time. You had been putting away finger puppets that had been abandoned on the floor and when someone said your name, you turned, all of them still in your hands. And then when you saw it was Joel, you promptly dropped them all. 

Quickly bending down to pick them up, you nearly knocked heads with Joel, who was doing the same thing. The two of you had the puppets in their bin in a minute, and then you stood up again, your face and chest and neck burning with embarrassment. 

“Thank you for helping,” you said quietly, just glad your voice didn’t shake. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” Joel said, rubbing the back of his neck and looking sheepish. Which, you decided, was a very adorable look on him. “I left work for a couple hours to do some Christmas shoppin’ and figured I should come here today without Sarah so she won’t see me buy all her presents.” 

You smiled and nodded, “That’s smart, um, is there anything I can help you with?” 

“Yeah, that’s why I was comin’ over to talk to you. Honestly, Sarah asks for the books that “teacher” reads all the time and we don’t have any but a couple, so I wanted to see if you have a list or somethin’ that I could just get her favorites from,” Joel said, his eyes intent on yours, making your heart do something funny. 

“Um, yeah, I mean I don’t have a list already typed up or anything, but I know most of them off the top of my head. I can just start grabbing them and you can pick from the stack, if that’s okay?” you offered, hoping that he wouldn’t be annoyed that it was going to take longer. 

“Sure, that’s perfect. I can hold them while you search,” he offered with a smile that made your tummy swoop. 

From there, it took about ten minutes to get all of the books that you had read in the past couple of months and could remember right away since they were in different sections. Then there were a few that Joel prompted you for, like “the crystal book” that was about geodes, or “the worm book” that was about compost. 

During the fifteen minutes or so it ended up being, the two of you talked more than you ever had in the previous eight months. It was still pretty surface level talk, but you did find out from a passing comment that he was raising Sarah alone and you let it slip that you were single as well. You also discovered that he was a contractor, which explained the muscles. He asked you if you were happy with your position and you told him you were, that you loved introducing kids to reading and just getting to spend time with them because they were always so interesting and funny. 

By the time he had chosen ten out of the twenty books you had gotten from the shelves, you were way less intimidated by talking to him and even the tiniest bit hopeful that it would happen more often in the future. 

And then he surprised you, “I don’t want to overstep or anything, and I know you’re at work and this is weird so feel free to say no, like, we’ll still come to story time and I won’t make it uncomfortable or anything—”

You had been very confused at first, wondering why he was rambling on since that really didn’t seem like something he would typically do, but when you actually paid attention to his words, you wondered if maybe he was trying to ask you out. 

Gently, you interrupted him, “Joel, I promise I’ll listen with an open mind, don’t worry.” 

He shot you a self-deprecating smile and you got butterflies, “Well, I was just wonderin’ if you’d let me take me out to coffee— dinner, I mean, or a movie or somethin’. To thank you for all your help today.” 

You couldn’t help the grin that came to your face and you nodded, “Yeah, I’d like that, I’d, um, really like that.” 

Joel smiled back and the two of you couldn’t stop after that, looking at each other and getting that tingly, excited feeling the whole time you were ringing him up. Once he had paid, you offered to help him carry his books out as an obvious ruse to spend more time with him because with arms like his, ten children’s books were probably like carrying a pillow. Joel thanked you for your help but didn’t actually end up giving you any of the books to carry so you opened the door for him instead. 

When you got to his car, his hands were a little full since he was also carrying a coffee you had made him at the little cafe inside, so he asked, “Actually, could you grab my keys? They’re just in my inside coat pocket.” 

 You swallowed thickly and reached forward to grab the keys, fingers brushing his abdomen when you did and then you unlocked his truck for him. Once he had leaned in and set the books and coffee down (which exposed a delicious sliver of his tummy to you when his shirt rode up), he stood right in front of you, crowding into your space just a bit. You loved it. 

“Thank you again, for everything. I’ll call you soon so I can get you that dinner,” he said, speaking softer than in the bookstore since there was nothing around to overpower his words. “Just need a day when I can get a sitter. Or if my brother is willing to give up a night at the bar.” 

You laughed lightly but said, “I don’t want to cross any boundaries, but I wouldn’t mind dinner with you and Sarah if it comes down to it.” 

Joel smiled knowingly and said, “But if Sarah’s there, I can’t do this.” 

And then he leaned in, holding your face gently with one hand, and kissed you. It wasn’t very long or very deep, but it was very warm and it made little fizzes of excitement spread through your body. 

He pulled back partway like he was going to stop and then kissed you again instead, and this time your hand came up to his chest, needing to steady yourself at least a little bit. Then he really did pull back and swept his thumb over your cheek, no doubt feeling its warmth and you smiled sheepishly, “No Sarah then.” Joel laughed, “No Sarah.”

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[nobedofroses]

December 1st

pairing: Din Djarin x reader

warnings: just fluff!

words: 626

a/n: very excited to be starting this again! @toomanystoriessolittletime tagging you for day 1 💖

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You walked into the cargo area, everything cargo related pushed to the side, and sat down next to Din and Grogu. The plate of cookies in your hand was deposited between all three of you and the two mugs of spiced cider set between Din and yourself. 

As you got fully settled, Din looked at you and you looked at him for real and inhaled sharply, trying not to break into laughter at the sight of his face. Din’s unhelmeted face was splashed with purple paint, and looking down, the rest of his simple clothes had multi-color splatters, tiny colorful handprints, and lots of smears of paint. 

You coughed once and then cleared your throat and then grabbed your mug to try and hide your smile behind as Din gave you a death glare. 

“I can’t believe you talked me into this.” 

“Oh come on,” you reasoned, setting your mug down. “Are you telling me that you would really deprive the baby of his art?” 

For the past couple weeks, Grogu had been drawing with whatever he could get his hands on, on any flat surface there was. Namely the walls. In an attempt to channel this need for artistic expression into something that didn’t require such constant cleaning, you had convinced, well asked, Din to buy some paints and paper. 

He had come back from the market about three quarters of the way through your baking and had taken Grogu to the cargo area to begin while you finished up. They had only been at it for about 25 minutes, but, evidenced by Din’s clothes and face, Grogu was a prodigy. 

You looked at the little green child across from Din and asked, “What have you made, honey?” 

He held up his piece of paper, heavier to withstand the paint, and turned so you could see better. In the process, he accidentally swiped the bottom of the painting across Din’s knee, further dirtying his clothes. You stifled a laugh. 

The painting, now that you could see it, had many handprints and fingerprints, and swirls all over it, depicting… nothing you could recognize. 

“Oh, it’s beautiful! Look at those colors! And I like how you used your handprints,” you told him with a solemn nod and he babbled proudly. 

“Are you ready for your next piece of paper? Or are you still working on this one?” you asked, looking around for the pad of paper that Din had bought. 

Din held it up from the ground on his far side, and you saw another handprint on it, not bothering to hide your giggle this time. 

Grogu nodded, said some things in baby talk and pointed at the paper pad. Din dutifully tore off another piece and you took the finished paper to set to the side so it could dry. 

As Grogu got started, you leaned in close to Din and whispered, “Where are the brushes?” 

Seconds went by and you watched Din’s face morph into disbelief, seemingly at himself, “The brushes.” 

“And you’re trying to blame me for the mess, silly man,” you laughed softly and nudged his shoulder with yours. “You’ll have to get some tomorrow.” 

“Yeah tomorrow,” he agreed, but before you could say anything else he kissed your cheek and then turned to kiss your lips. The two of you indulged in a longer kiss until Grogu got your attention so that you could help him with something. 

A week later, the whole ship was papered with paintings, some abstract, some a little more detailed with the brush, and some that were just one solid color across the entire piece of paper. But your favorite was the one taped to the console of the ship with three different sized handprints on it.

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[nobedofroses]

December 9th

pairing: Javier Peña x fem!reader

warnings: fluff, alcohol consumption, smut (unprotected p-in-v sex)

words: 821

a/n: little continuation of the last Javi blurb bc fireplace! photo prompt from @toomanystoriessolittletime's winter writing challenge ❄️

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The first time Javi had lit the fire in the fireplace, first time ever since it was your first year living in the house, you had been ridiculously proud and happy. You’d said it called for a champagne toast, but all you had was wine and you were nearly as happy with that. So happy, you ended up having two glasses in about thirty minutes and started doing what you did when you got tipsy: loving on Javi. 

“You’re so smart and talented, you got the fire going so fast and it’s still going still,” you told him, managing to climb onto his lap from where you had been sitting on the ground next to him without spilling your wine.

“It’s not that hard, sweetheart, I can teach you next time in case you ever want a fire before I get home,” he told you, trying to get the wine glass from you, but you just wrapped your arms around his neck so it was behind him. And so you were very, very close. 

“And you’re so humble and sweet, I’m so lucky you’re my man, all mine and all man,” you dissolved into giggles but before Javi could say anything, you were kissing him. 

You were urgent and your mouth tasted like sweet wine, but Javi knew you were more drunk off of the holiday spirit and getting to fully utilize your new house than you were from the wine. 

It wasn’t long before you had set the wine down of your own volition, Javi had tugged a blanket off of the couch, and he was fucking you on your back with your knees pressed to your chest. 

You had kind of expected fast, hot and heavy, take your breath away sex, but that’s not what you got. This was even more intense, his slow strokes and the way it felt like he just kept going deeper and deeper until he was just a part of you. 

He was kneeling with one hand braced on your breast, leaving the other to relentlessly rub at your clit, with the same slow, smooth pace his cock filled you. It almost didn’t feel like enough until without warning you came. Gasping and moaning his name, pleasure ebbed and flowed through you in never-ending waves until Javi followed and filled you with his hot cum, using his last few thrusts to grind into you. 

A minute later while he was coming down, he used practiced moves to get you on top of him again without pulling out because he knew you’d make a fuss if he did it too soon. 

With the fire, you didn’t even feel the need to grab a blanket, totally relaxed and at peace. Eventually, Javi got up to fetch a washcloth and you dozed while he did, not a care in the world. 

You were nearly fully asleep when Javi came back and he pulled on his pants before sitting back down to help you clean up a little, the washcloth thankfully still warm. 

“You know you’ll have to get up soon, sweetheart,” he told you but you just swiped your hand vaguely towards him. 

“I’m sleepin’,” you told him, settling back again to relax more. 

Except that’s when you heard a strange sound: the deadbolt in the front door unlocking. Eyes widening in panic, Javi stood up, yanked the blanket from under you and threw it over your naked body. 

“Pop!” you heard Javi exclaim from half under the blanket. Then hurried footsteps, Javi hastily guiding him into the kitchen for a beer, and his father questioning why Javier wasn’t wearing a shirt. 

You dressed as quickly as you could while they were out of the room, then made a big show of joining them in the kitchen, making sure to say you had been upstairs folding laundry. 

Whether he believed the two of you, you didn’t know, but he didn’t say anything and that was all that mattered. You were able to muddle through the rest of the interaction, which was actually an invitation to dinner the next night, without any further hiccups and he was on his way before long. 

Once you were back in the living room, sitting on the couch with your wine in hand, you said, “What is he even doing out at this time of night? Shouldn’t he be in bed?” 

“Honey, it’s only just now 8:00pm,” he told you and you gaped. “Guess we were fooled by the sun being down.” 

“Maybe we should just never fuck in the living room again,” you said thoughtfully, because obviously you didn’t want a repeat of the terror that had went through you when that door unlocked. 

“No, I’ll just take the key back,” Javi said quickly and you laughed, knowing that you were in for a long night of negotiations on when and where exactly it was safe for you to fuck.

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[nobedofroses]

December 23rd

pairing: Din Djarin x reader

warnings: fluff city

words: 417

a/n: literally no plot or exposition, just fluff! picture prompt from @toomanystoriessolittletime's winter writing challenge ❄️

more Din, Full List

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“Should we get up?” you asked, turning on your back so maybe you wouldn’t fall asleep again on his chest. 

“I suppose the kid will be wanting food soon,” Din agreed, but made no move to sit up either, just turning to you so he could wrap an arm around your waist. 

The two of you fell into a quiet, and you looked out of the one way window that gave you a view of the snowy forest you were docked on. It was so peaceful and beautiful that you kind of wanted to stay there forever. 

In a couple minutes, you both dozed off and slept, tangling up in each other a little more. 

Several minutes later, there was a little patter of feet, the squeak of the door opening and a little coo to warn you that the baby had woken up and was joining you imminently. However, both of you were oblivious to him until he had jumped on the bed, right onto Din’s shoulder. 

“Oh? Oh, hi, baby,” you said to him as Din groaned at the unexpected awakening. “Come here, honey, come in between us.” 

Grogu happily made his way down between the two of you, sitting up on the mattress when you scooted away to make some room for him. 

“Hey kid, how’s it going?” Din asked, blinking his eyes sleepily. 

Grogu babbled, one hand holding yours and the other gesturing and occasionally patting his dad’s shoulder to make sure that he was awake and paying attention. 

Eventually, Grogu was interrupted by his own stomach growling and you laughed at such a big sound coming from such a little body. 

“Okay, now it’s really time to get up,” you said, groaning lightly as you sat up. 

But Din sat up first and put his hand on your arm, “You two stay here and relax a little longer. I’ll make breakfast and bring it in here, alright?” 

You smiled big and looked at Grogu conspiratorially, “Should we let your dad make us breakfast?” 

He pretended to think and then nodded vigorously. 

“Then we’ll stay, thank you, honey,” you told Din and he nodded, leaning down to kiss your temple and the top of Grogu’s head before he walked out into the other room. 

You grabbed Grogu and put him in front of the window, “Let’s look out here to the snow while we wait, sweetheart.” 

Grogu cooed in agreement and put his hand on the glass, watching the swirling snowflakes drifting down.

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[nobedofroses]

December 3rd

pairing: Jack Daniels x reader

warnings: fluff with allusions to sex

words: 1.3k

a/n: just some cute first date stuff with Jack, inspired by "Baby It's Cold Outside" in a way, song prompt from @toomanystoriessolittletime's winter writing challenge ❄️

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Jack’s call came the same day that he had asked for your number, and you were just as eager as he was when you said yes to a date as when he asked you. He had asked you to dinner the next night at a restaurant you had always wanted to try at the far end of the city. 

Since you lived near each other (which he knew because you met at your local grocery store), he offered to drive. When you hesitated for a second, he said that you were more than welcome to pick him up instead. His understanding and giving you more control of the situation put you at ease, and you agreed, saying you would be there at 6:30. 

Then, the day of, your boss told you about a last minute meeting early the next morning. It would mean getting to work an hour earlier than you usually did, which meant you needed to go to sleep an hour earlier not to be completely worn out. You figured it would be best to cancel your date, and grabbed your phone, dialing Jack’s saved number in your phone. 

“Hey, darlin’, how are you doin’?” was the first thing Jack said when he answered the phone and suddenly you lost the willpower to cancel the date. 

Warmth spreading softly on your face, you replied, “I’m good, Jack. Really, um, excited for our date.” 

The only thing you ended up changing on the phone call was moving the date up by an hour, once Jack reassured you that he had an in at the restaurant and would still be able to get a table. 

___

A few hours later, you left work to go and get Jack. While you and Jack lived near each other, he was a little further out, where the properties were bigger and there were no more apartments.  You even saw some horses and goats and were greatly surprised that they had been a ten minute drive from your apartment all this time. 

Jack’s house wasn’t big, and as far as you could tell, he just had a really large yard that abutted a little copse of trees. 

When you parked, you weren’t sure whether to get out and go to the door or honk or text him or what but you were saved from deciding by Jack coming outside on his own. Within a minute, he had his door locked and was in the car, leaning over the console to kiss your cheek sweetly and hand you a little bouquet of flowers. 

From there, the date was perfect. Jack was so funny and sweet, and you even had to fight him over who got to ask more questions about the other. So much better than having to sit and watch a guy monologue for an hour. 

You were back at Jack’s house afterwards to drop him off, but he invited you in for some coffee and cake that he just so happened to have. It was easy to say yes, and easy to sit and chat with him on the couch for hours. 

But when you caught a glimpse of Jack’s watch and saw it was 10:00pm already, you had to go. 

“Oh, I wish we could talk more, Jack, but I really have to go. I have an early meeting tomorrow morning, I didn’t realize how late it was,” you said with a little pout as you stood up. 

Jack smiled and stood too, stepping close and sliding his hand along your waist, “That’s alright sweetheart, it just means we’ll have to have another date.” 

You were about to say yes but then Jack pulled you close and you lost the power of speech, just feeling the warmth of his chest against yours and staring up into his sweet brown eyes. 

Jack’s other hand came up to your jaw and he tilted your face towards him, leaning down to kiss you. His full lips pressed against yours and you let yourself melt into him, returning the soft, slow kiss with a hum. 

You kissed for what might’ve been a couple minutes, but then Jack pulled away and said, “I guess you have to go.” 

But you couldn’t bear leaving without one more kiss and so you whispered, “In a second.” 

Another couple minutes later, you pulled back this time, and started grabbing your stuff. When you were at the door, shoes and coat back on, Jack said, “Maybe I should go start your car so it can warm up for you.” 

“Oh wait, I can do that from here, it’s remote!” you said eagerly, because now you wouldn’t have to wait for him to go out and come back. But when Jack opened the door so the remote car key would work, the door opened to a world covered in white. 

It had been snowing lightly when you had arrived at Jack’s house, but apparently it had really ramped up and had been heavily snowing for the past three hours because there were multiple inches of snow covering everything. 

Both of you stood there, staring in shock, until you shivered and Jack closed the door to keep you warm. 

“Um, I— I don’t know if I can drive… like this,” you stumbled out, looking between Jack and the closed door. 

“No, sweetie, you can’t. I mean, I don’t think it would be safe. There’s so little light on the roads at night. We can stay up and see if it melts, or if you’re— you can sleep here tonight, if you’re comfortable. I have, um, a spare room you can use,” he offered, a light blush dusting his cheeks. 

Jack’s hesitation was adorable and it really did make sense that you should just stay the night and hope it had all melted in the morning. Or at least, it would be bright in the morning and you’d be able to drive safe and slow to the meeting. 

“Okay, yeah, I think I should stay, you’re right. Except…” 

“Except? What darlin’? If there’s anythin’ I can do to make you more comfortable, I will,” Jack said with this sweet, earnest look, putting his hands comfortingly on your shoulders. 

You smiled and dropped your purse to the ground, stepping close to him and reaching out to toy with his belt loops. “I think I’d be more comfortable if I stayed in your room.” 

Jack smiled, a flirty smile that had made your knees weak when you first met him and had you grabbing onto his waist now to help keep you up, “I think I manage that.” 

___

The next morning, you woke up when Jack kissed your temple. You stretched and opened your eyes to look at him, finding him fully dressed. A glance at the clock told you it was 5:00am and you frowned, “What are you doing up so early? And dressed?”

“I’m gonna go clear your car off and make sure everything’s all set for when you have to leave, honey,” he told you with a smile, which was incredibly sweet, but you didn’t want him to leave. 

“Let me check how long it’ll take to drive, maybe you don’t need to do it just yet,” you said, grabbing your phone off of his bedside table. But when you opened it, you had a text from your boss and multiple weather alerts. “Oh my gosh, it must have snowed all night, some of the roads are closed and my boss can’t even get to work. The building is closed and the meeting’s canceled! ” 

Jack smiled, “Well then, honey, you can stay a while longer, huh?” 

“Get out of those clothes and get back in bed, please. Now we can sleep in, and then later we can… um, do something else,” you said, getting a little sheepish at the end.  “We can do whatever you want, sunshine,” Jack told you with a grin, already half naked and you laughed, feeling grateful for snow like you never had before.

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[nobedofroses]

December 2nd

pairing: Joel Miller x reader

warnings: just fluff!

words: 633

a/n: this is a no outbreak! blurb just btw, hope you enjoy!

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The three of you were standing on the side of the highway staring at the very flat flat tire on Joel’s truck. Sarah held her cell phone in the air as Joel cursed under his breath. You looked up to the sky, seeing thick, white flakes floating down through the air to land on the road, the truck, and all of you. 

“No service. We’re screwed,” Sarah said dejectedly, huffing and shoving her phone back in her pocket, crossing her arms. 

“Language, baby girl,” Joel said absentmindedly, bending down to get a closer look at the tire. 

You put an arm around Sarah, rubbing her arm to keep her and yourself warm. “Well, we passed that rest stop a couple miles back, I guess. Or we can just stay here until someone comes along…” 

At that, Joel looked back at you incredulously and said, “You think I don’t know how to change a flat?” 

Sarah and you exchanged looks and then turned back to him. 

“Well, you just seemed so upset by it,” you shrugged. 

“That’s because it’s fuckin’ cold and I don’t want to have to pay for a new tire once we get there. But I can deal with it. Here, I’ll show you two,” he said, walking over to the tailgate and opening it to grab his tools. 

“That’s okay, I’ll be in the truck,” Sarah said, giving you a not-too-sorry look and letting go of you to climb back inside. 

You laughed, “Guess it’s just you and me, babe.” 

___

Ten minutes later, you were shivering and trying your best to listen to Joel as he finished up explaining how to put on a spare tire. You rubbed over your arms up and down, trying to keep your teeth from chattering, but it was hard when you were slowly getting covered by snow. 

“There, just as easy as that, see?” Joel said as he stood up with a little groan and you couldn’t help but smile. 

But when he turned to look at you, his face changed to concern as he saw your shivering. 

“Are you cold, sweetheart? Why didn’t you say anythin’?” He asked, coming over and wrapping you up in a hug. 

You laughed, “Well, I was listening to you, it seemed important.” 

“Not as important as you not gettin’ hypothermia,” he said with what you could tell was an eye roll even if you couldn’t see it. “Here, I’ll get you warmed up.” 

His arms pulled you closer and he rubbed his hands all over. All over, all over. 

You laughed and said into his neck, “I didn’t know that it was so important that my ass get warmed up.” 

“Oh yeah, it lets out the most heat, you know,” Joel told you and you laughed again. 

But suddenly the truck’s door opened and Sarah’s voice came out, “Hey! If we’re unstuck now, can we get on the road? I really don’t need to see all this butt-grabbing, thanks.”

She slammed the door and you pulled back from Joel to grimace but he didn’t look embarrassed at all. It probably came from the years of parenthood and exposure to the ire of a teenager that you were still getting used to. 

“I guess we should get back on the road. There’s still all the snow,” you shrugged. 

“Yeah, I suppose so. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure to get you nice and warm at the hotel when we have our own room,” Joel said with a smirk. 

You shook your head, but leaned in for a kiss when he did, and the warmth of his lips made you hope that you would get to that hotel much sooner than later. You pulled back to say, “let’s, um, let’s get on the road,” and Joel just smiled.

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