#swift blue line

[thedaveandkimmershow]

It doesn't happen often... but since my car caught a massive roofing nail on Saturday and no one was open Sunday to fix it (including the Walmart Automotive Center on Airport Way that I discovered is unfortunately and permanently closed), I had to leave my car at the house whilst we went back to the apartment in Seattle. Kimmer had to use her car during her lunch hour on Monday which meant I had no car for getting back to the house. So fine.

Public transportation.

Actually, the way it worked out was walking a half mile to the light rail station, taking the light rail to Northgate, catching a bus right there to the Lynnwood Transit Center, catching a bus directly west to Highway 99, transferring to the Swift Blue Line to a little over a mile-and-a-half from the house, then walking the rest of the way to the house.

It was that kind of morning.

Now, my plan was to do some writing or reading along the way but, right as I left on my travels I called a friend and we stayed with that conversation (catching up, really) through my walk, through the light rail to Northgate, while waiting for the bus, then riding the bus to the Lynnwood Transit center where we had to wrap it up 'cause I had to figure out my next bus and my friend had to hit the grocery store.

So far, the public transportation commute had gone without a hitch with pretty tight connections. Now that I was faced with local buses, however, the schedules were not so tight. There's no need for them to be so tight, of course, except for the fact that the first conceivable connection for me was close to forty-five minutes away and I needed all the minutes I could get to take care of my car as well as meet up with people who wanted to pick up furniture we posted on Craigslist and OfferUp.

Google Maps was helpful inasmuch as it provided variations on routes to the house including ones that started with buses yet somehow ended with a Lyft ride, each iteration of the trip maddeningly eating more time than the previous ones. At some point in there I remembered a long time ago I'd made it to the Lynnwood Transit Center in the midst of a snowstorm and had begun walking toward highway 99 where hopefully the road was clearer for transit. Halfway to 99, I caught sight of a bus heading my way from the transit center on its way to (or in the direction of) 99. So, fast forward back to the present day where I know about that bus, I look it up, and discover it's in a nearby bay three minutes from heading out.

Bingo.

The bus drops me near a corner along 99 where there's a Swift Station with a bus due in five minutes. I swipe my card and wait... wait... then get on the bus when it pulls up. I enter the rear section since it's basically right in front of me, taking the bench seat across from the door. A minute later, someone's standing pretty close to me in this not very full bus so I look up.

It's the transit cops!

Good thing I swiped my card 'cause they really do check who paid and who didn't once you get outside, you know, Seattle.

Anyway...

It's a Swift bus so I'm at my stop in no time which also happens to be the stop for the transit cops, the pair of them. I ask them a little about their job, by the way, and the kind of day they're having which, it turns out is so far thankfully uneventful. I was most curious if they had a list of buses and places they had to be... with the answer being they didn't have a rigid agenda for the day, just a number of buses they needed to ride in both directions. So having ridden up to my stop, they made their way across the street to catch the next bus back. Before parting, they wondered if my interest in their work indicated I was interested in getting a job with transit because, you know, there are jobs available.

I politely denied interest and we went our separate ways.

As I crossed the street, it struck me that I hadn't run into any kind of transit authority on bus or light rail for years now.

Seriously.

Years.

Ain't that somethin' ?

At this point, I checked to see what time a connecting bus would come to take me to the closest point to my house.

20 minutes.

I checked to see how much Uber and Lyft would cost.

8 bucks.

So I walked the rest of the way for the steps. The 12,000 steps I'm aiming for each and every day.

Apparently.

By 'n by, I'm at the house. I beat the bus, by the way. Never saw it pass as I walked. After dropping a few things at the house, I turned around, jumped in my car with the massive roofing nail in its front tire, and drove to Les Schwab where their techs fixed it for free.

For.

Free.

I was outta there in about forty-five minutes, part of which was the techs finishing up previous jobs before getting to mine. They confirmed the no charges nature of the day's work, they gave me a heads up about assessing our rear tires at the end of summer, beginning of fall, and I was on. my. way.

The rest of the day was pretty nothingburger. Coordinating with Craigslist and OfferUp clients, a bunch of shopping at the end, the drive back to the apartment, followed by dinner and The Diplomat on Netflix.

The big deal about the remains of the afternoon is that it was my first opportunity to work in my new edit suite.

Oh... it's not an edit suite yet. All my gear's still at the apartment. However, Kimmer has been working on the room, transforming it from its former glory days as Linzy's bedroom. The brightly colored walls that were really scrapbook design writ large... were muted way, way back, painted over in what experts in color, especially the color brown, call "tope". The curtains Kimmer hung actually hold most of the outside light at bay, leaving the room quite dark. Darker than its ever been in broad daylight. Darkest at the wall against which my workstation will be.

In the meantime, there's a small couch in front of the window, a couch once use at her office in Ballard once upon a time before the pandemic. In front of the couch is a faux leather storage bench coffee table which, if you flip the top over, serves as a table, a super convenient desk/work area for producers when they come up to work, is what Kimmer's thinking.

Speaking of producers, the space that was formerly dedicated to being Linzy's closet, is now an open space with a pair of cabinet drawers painted like Harry Potter luggage with the drawer handles doubling as the "suitcase" handles. The tops of the cabinets combine to form a tabletop upon which rests a coffee pot and other items in preparation for a place for drinks and snacks. Because yeah. Kimmer completely knows what she's doing. And it's exciting to see this space, my future edit suite, take shape.

Even Linzy's a little jealous. 😉

[yrsonpurpose]

It's like there's a rope attached to my chest and it keeps pulling me towards you. x

[wttcsms]

domesticity with rin is cleaning up your shared penthouse after hosting a party for him and his teammates. it’s the sweet silence that’s shared between the two of you when he wakes up at five to get ready for the day, and you’re fighting off your grogginess and trying to get up with him but he shushes your incoherent morning ramblings with a kiss to your forehead. it’s him driving with one hand on the steering wheel and his other holding yours, always bringing your hand up to his mouth so he can brush a kiss against your knuckles. it’s you wiping down the glass frames that hold his most iconic jerseys, and it’s him playing with his wedding band during interviews. it’s mealprepping with him before the season starts, both of you making the kitchen a mess because he’s good at a lot of things and cooking just isn’t one of them. it’s the sound of his voice through the speakers on your phone; he leaves you long voicemails detailing you about his day because sometimes, games take him to different countries and the time difference is too severe. you call them your personal podcasts and you fall asleep to them. it’s his clothes being yours; no sweatshirt or pair of boxers is safe from you, and he secretly loves that. it’s the way his instagram is rarely ever used, unless he’s posting a mandatory sponsored post or a picture of you — very rarely does he share his personal life, and it’s never captioned, but domesticity with rin is knowing that this romance won’t die because the two of you are keeping it just yours.

[daisyswift3]

Is the UNO game w 🏈 officially over now?? “Love’s a game, wanna play?” the blank space of it all (x)(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)

Ice Spice is THE ONE to watch AND SHE JUST PLAYED THE 1 AS A SURPRISE SONG FOR THE FIRST TIME SLDKJDKSLD

[womanhrry]

WOMAN + HARRY STYLES

like/reblog

[hstylestuff]

like or reblog if you save

[ao3whore]

i would fall from grace just to touch your face

[abisexualperspective]

~ Confess my truth in swooping, sloping, cursive letters ~

OG Pink Collector's Edition Blue

[iammissingautumn]

okay but honestly imagine dating taylor swift and she releases So High School like that’s embarrassing i’m all for hating or loving taylor swift or whatever but like. she creates all of Lover. Imagine someone wrote Daylight and then releases So High School. Imagine your partner wrote Paper Rings for an ex and then wrote So High School for you. like that’s embarrassing. i would be embarrassed.

[tsrepdenver]

“That small town bar scene where small vices kill your big dreams”

Zach Bryan: Oklahoma Smokeshow

[bluelizze]

Me after reading this:

LIKE AN OLD CARDIGAN.

✰ starring: shigaraki tomura x fem!reader ✰ synopsis: you are the lamplight left on in the hallway when tomura comes home. ✰ content: soft shiggy loving hours. i miss him ✰ warnings: none. love. fluff as fluff can get ✰ word count: 2.1k ✰ author's note: hi it's hera. yeah i know. pretty lazy of me to just be posting old patreon content but it be how it be. i'm in my sad hours right now just thinking about coming home to my girlfriend and i thought about this fic. i don't know. hope u like it. goodnight

it’s late when he comes home.

to be fair, it always is. shigaraki has never had the luxury of choosing his work hours. it’s always dark, the moon hanging high in the navy night as he turns the lock of the meagre apartment he shares with you, the one he’d choose over his paranormal liberation front-mandated penthouse any day. the welcome mat is old and shoddy, but he remembers the day you picked it out together, looking through various designs online.

he doesn’t expect you to be awake when he comes home. it’s late, almost quarter past two, the light from the hallway lamp still on, illuminating the small home with a warm, homely orange. it buzzes and fuzzes at the edges, and he wonders if he needs to change the lightbulb. shigaraki drops his coat and his bags at the door and staggers his way through his home, your home.

exhaustion courses through his veins, turning his legs to lead. his footfalls are heavy, almost dragging along the hardwood floors, and he’s almost sure he’s trailing blood like a snail trail. his? some pro hero? he doesn’t know. genuinely, he doesn’t care. all he wants is a hot bath, and you.

you. you, you, you, who throws yourself into his arms every chance you get, never minding his deadly touch. you, who kisses his temple when he has a headache. you, who sing to him when he can’t sleep. shigaraki felt like a fool thinking you would love him the way he loved you, and still does believing that you’re telling the truth. but when your voice is sweet, thick and rich like honey, it’s hard to colour your words in anything other than candour.

when shigaraki reaches the door of your bedroom, he hesitates. he sees his hands, calloused and rough and pale. he hates the sight of them, the destruction they cause, the fact that he can’t hold you with all five fingers, skin against skin. the black nail polish he begrudgingly let you paint his nails with is chipping away, and he finds himself wanting to ask you to touch them up for him. he twists the doorknob to your bedroom, letting himself in.

shigaraki comes home to this sight almost every night, and yet he can never stop the way his breath gets caught in his throat, the way his heart aches to be next to yours. the dim light from the hallway creeps towards you slowly through the crack in the door, and it feels almost invasive the way it dares to trespass into your vicinity, onto your bed. warm orange fills the room with a soft glow, and there he spots pachinko and chico curled at the foot of your bed. he lets his eyes wander further and further up until he takes you in. soft and gentle and cuddled up to his side of the bed, your legs splayed just slightly.

“tomura?” he hears, your voice trimmed with sleep. that’s right. outside he’s shigaraki. he’s the embodiment of all for one, he’s a monster with the world in his hands. but in here, in this bedroom, he’s tomura.

tomura keeps looking at you as you turn around, barely roused from your sleep. “tomura, oh,” you murmur, covers rustling as you get up. “i must’ve fallen asleep, i…”

“i’m sorry i woke you up,” he mumbles. “you should sleep. ‘s late.”

the bed dips as you move, sitting where he stands, your legs folded under you. “no,” you shake your head, a small smile growing on your face. “wanted to see you home.”

tomura shakes. tomura trembles, his lip quivering as he lifts a bloodied hand, covered in soot and grime and someone else’s demise and places it on the side of your head. his thumb soothes the patch of skin under your ear, careful to leave his pinky up as he cradles your face. “i’m home.” his voice is gruff and tired, chock full of phlegm and the torrent of his day.

he used to be conscious about the dirt he tracked into the house, hardwood floors tainted by the wear of his days. but you never said anything, only mopped and swept the next day. “shower?” you ask, looking up at him, eyes wide with adoration, and he matches your smile.

“yeah,” he clears his throat, but makes no move to walk to the bathroom. “come with?”

you beam at him, a ray of sun in the twilight of his life. “always.”

he sheds his clothes, soiled and dirty and you push over the laundry hamper for his to throw it in. tomura hesitates for just a second, looking at your delicate panties, white jumpers, and then at the mess of black, brown and blue in his hands, roughed and tattered. “do you need me to stitch any of it up?” you ask, your back turned to him. you’re bent over the tub, testing the water to see if it’s too hot or too cold (tomura likes it warm. not lukewarm, not hot, warm.).

“maybe,” he murmurs. “i’ll look at it tomorrow.”

you hum in agreement. tomorrow’s your day together. tomura tried to spend as much time as he could at home with you and the cats, opting to schedule the league and the front’s happenings around what you wanted to do. grocery shopping day never clashed with a meeting. he was always home for movie night.

tomura turns, now naked and bare in front of you. there’s a smatter of blood, a smear of soot along his collarbone, and you reach forward with your hand wet to wipe it off. “long day, huh?” you ask, eyes flickering up to meet his for just a second.

“very.”

“saw it on the tv.” you pull him along to the tub, his arms long and lean and toned, hands warm. “looked devastating. not for you, though.”

he chuckles, lets you fuss over him. he steps into the bathtub, the water sloshing and splashing messily onto the floor. but your foresight is stronger, your bath rugs pulled towards the feet of the tub to catch the water. it’s the perfect temperature, always is when you run it for him, bubbly and soapy water clinging to his skin. you sit on the edge of the tub, watching him.

“come in,” his voice tugs on your heart, his hand breaking the water to reach for you. “shower with me.”

you smile. “was waiting for you to ask.” you stand, removing your sleep shorts and shirt, dipping your toes in slowly before letting yourself enter on the opposite side of the tub, your legs tangled together, facing each other. the water is pleasant, but it’s his warmth that comforts you. “bend down.”

he does. tomura only listens to one person, and that’s you. he dips his head, the long strands of soft hair soaked in water. you cup your hands to collect water, and lift it above his head to pour it on his scalp, soaking the rest of his head. it’s a quiet, methodical process, pouring water on his head before taking the shampoo from the side of the bathtub. you squirt a little bit into your hands, lathering it up before scrubbing his hair, making sure the suds clean the dirt off his scalp.

tomura’s hands bring death. yours bring life.

he sits there in silent contemplation, watching the water ripple with your actions. it distorts the image of himself, his reflection broken up into waves on the surface of the water. the big, bad villain melted away in your palms, now just a man being showered by his love. his girlfriend, who has stayed every day. who promises him better days.

there’s not enough in the world that he could give you in return. to compensate, to reward, to thank you. all he can do is sit quiet in this tiny bathtub in this tiny bathroom in this tiny apartment with you. all he can do is love you, and let you love him.

you wash him meticulously, not a word out of your mouth as you trace over scars, new and old, gashing or small. except for a small tut when your fingers reach his sternum, where a big, blue bruise is beginning to form. you recognised it; it must’ve been when he was compromised and cornered by mirko and some other pro-hero, before he gained the cohesion of mind to crumble the ground they stood on, knocking them off their stances just long enough to pick up the poor nameless hero by the collar. you’d turned away for a second when you watched that. you knew what happened to people who tomura got his hands on.

did you think the war was foolish? of course you did. it never escaped you the death toll, the property damage, the harm he caused. but you also understood that what he was setting his hands on was a government and a system that failed him, that failed every person who was deemed a villain. you knew that your life as a quirkless was much less valuable than someone with a quirk. you knew that those with quirks they couldn’t control, those with quirks that couldn’t serve, couldn’t save, they were thrown to the sidelines. who are they to deem who is good and who is bad?

once you’ve scrubbed his body with the loofah, you set it down on the side of the tub. “look up,” you direct him gently, your fingers tipping his chin upwards. “look at me.”

vermillion eyes flit up to meet yours, and your features soften just looking at him. you’ve looked at tomura plenty of times. it’s your favourite thing to do. but in the middle of the night, he just looks so… vulnerable. there’s a softness in his eyes you can’t explain.

you know that he tells you all his secrets, but you can’t help but feel like there are so many more buried behind his eyes.

a damp washcloth wipes along his jaw, his cheeks, his nose. you dip it in and out of the water, droplets melodical in your tiny space, tracing his sunken eyes and his scarred skin. the back of his neck where he scratches out of habit. his lips, chapped and flaking. you soak it all with your cloth and soapy water.

when you’re done, you can tell he isn’t. the bathwater’s long since gone cold, but he makes no move to get out. he’s still, the only telltale sign that he’s even alive the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathes. you let him steep in the water, let him take as much time as he needs to gather enough of himself to become a person again.

finally, he speaks. “do you love me?”

it’s a simple question. he’s asked it many time before; in the mornings, when the two of you spend the lazy hours together in bed. in the afternoons as you fuss over his clothes before he steps out the door. in the evenings, over the phone when he can’t make it home for dinner. in the nights that he spends buried inside you, your hands laced together, panting into your mouth. this is not an uncommon question for tomura.

but somehow, you feel like it is momentous today.

“i do,” you murmur, your hands still fit along his cheek. “i love you.”

he looks at you. “can you say it with my name?”

a beat passes. you find your tongue, and say, “i love you, tomura.”

a small frown etches in his forehead. you’re struck by a sudden fear you’ve said the wrong thing, your mouth opening to take it back. you would rather die than hurt tomura. you would rather burn through a thousand years in purgatory than do anything that upset him. you’re ready to ask what’s wrong when he shakes his head, eyes squeezing shut. there’s a tightness in his face you want to smooth with the pad of your thumb, that reaches into you and wrenches your heart. squeezes it until it bursts.

“n-not tomura. not that name.”

oh. oh.

you understand that vulnerability now. in scarlet eyes, you watch a small boy huddle close to you, like you’re a hearth of warmth and comfort. you are. you are, to him. you burn for him.

“i love you, tenko.”

and he softens. he melts, like butter in your hot, hot hands, under your blazing fingers. tomura shigaraki, the king of the underworld, the biggest villain known to man sits in your home, in your bathtub as you wash him clean. but it’s tenko shimura that you hold close to you now.

[shotmrmiller]

Big man, Big mouth

Pairing: Simon 'Ghost' Riley x F!reader (because demeaning girl usage) WC: 4.9k it's just gross smut and simon gets kinda mean sometimes nothing crazy :) ty to the brain to my pinky @xoxunhinged and precious beta @waves-against-a-cliff catching my errs

The smile you’d had on your face all morning is subsequently wiped once you’re told that you won’t, in fact, be spearheading a team meeting with air conditioning and a cup full of your favorite medium roast, but instead, you’re being sent somewhere where practical experience trumps theoretical, textbook knowledge. And alone, at that.

Guess your travel mug is about to make its big debut.

The construction site is alive with purpose— the buzzing of drills, raucous banter, and the low hum of music from a stereo. You run a hand down the back of your skirt that is more tourniquet than office attire you were forced into wearing, regretting not drawing the line at the heels pinching your toes. "Professional setting, professional appearance," your boss had said. Nothing here demands you to stand in ironed clothes with dust settling on your eyelashes and the taste of grit on your tongue.

You feel out of place, a white-collar worker surrounded by hard hats and steel-toe boots. Perhaps taking this job for a promotion was hasty on your part. But it’s too late now and the sun above you is wilting the starched collar of your blouse.

Best get this over and done with. (The bottle of barefoot wine at home will be your reward for your suffering.)

Walking to the home still in a semi-skeletal phase had been a bit uncomfortable, anxiety gnawing at your nerves and the polished shoes at the skin of your heel. But what made your shoulders tense and spine stiffen was the crew. You'd expected disgruntled workers, sure. A bit of grumbling here and there. No one likes to have someone with more authority and less experience trample all over your work, telling you what's what.

Not them eyeing you like you're a fish in a shark tank. A little minnow pulled out of her natural habitat and into the mix with dominant predators. The paper on your clipboard crinkles audibly as one of them— the leader, you gather— stops you before you can get any closer than he feels necessary. He plods over, hard hat tucked into his arm, wiping his sweaty brow with his sunbaked forearm, a few wood curls nestled into his beard.

"Ya lost?" he grunts.

There's a guy with a comb for hair and limpid blue eyes staring right at you from the back as he leans on a half-built wall with a smarmy grin on his thin lips.

"No! No, I, um—" you stammer, "I'm here as a temporary replacement for, um—"

He cuts you off with a dismissive wave, fingers thick as steel beams. "Right. Yeah, yeah." Bloody rude. "The inspector." His head tilts and spits on the cement, eyes giving you a once over, lingering on the bare skin of your calves. "John," he says then jerks his head behind him, to the shady inside of the home. "Let's get ya out this sun 'fore you melt like sugar on the driveway."

You keep your lips pressed in a line, swallowing down the retort sitting on your tongue with a hint of frustration, and follow him on swift feet. It is unforgivingly hot and at least there's a roof overhead. Most of the walls were still just wooden beams, the foundation concrete covered in dust. Rough-bristle brooms lean in corners, the stereo now sitting silently in the center of what’s to be the living room next to a man with a massive frame and a sweat-soaked wifebeater who didn't bother turning around as you made a beeline for the only fan feebly cutting through the muggy heat inside.

John from behind you grabs your attention. "So? What's the issue this time? We jus' had tha' muppet pass through a week ago." You turn around, the breeze now somewhat cooling the back of your neck.

"Just need to personally check what's left—" you clear your throat, giving the clipboard a waggle, "on this. Nothing too grand." The blonde one with shorn hair hasn't looked up once from the blue cooler between his legs.

John scratches his head. "Right." There's a drag of heavy boots behind you. "Temporary, eh?" His eyes are like cerulean rivets, pinning you in place.

Gruff Scottish cuts in, tone dripping with amusement. "Will ye look a' tha'," he mutters, accent thick and deliberate, "bosses up top sent a bonnie wee lass to keep an eye on things. Make sure ye pay good attention, aye?" The brute comes to stand in front of you, flexing one arm, bicep like a knotted tree trunk. "Would hate ye missin' the show."

Show ‘em your teeth, little fish. That promotion is already in your hands, don't let it slip through your fingers.

"Listen, you—" you snap back, cheeks burning hot but then his eyebrows raise to his hairline, the corner of his lip curling in challenge.

"It's Soap, hen."

“...Right.”

What the hell kind of name is Soap?

A third voice— crisp English just like John's— cuts through the air from the second floor. "Wipe the slobber off ya chin 'nd leave 'er alone, Soap! You still hav'ta sweep up 'ere!" A man with bronze skin and a cap adorned with the Union Jack in the center pokes his head out from over the wooden railing. His smile looks stiff.

"Miss." His eyes flash to Soap. "Move it. You can get your cock—" wow, mouth like a sailor, that one, "wet while on company's time." His gaze falls on you for a moment longer before disappearing back into the upper level.

Soap grumbles what sounds like a "fuckin' 'ell Kyle" but heads for the stairs anyway, steps creaking under his weight. "Ah'll be 'round if ye need me," he says with a wink.

Unlikely.

John absently shakes his head and turns to the grizzled, mountain of a man still hunched over that cursed cooler of his. "Simon." He suddenly moves then, rising smoothly to his feet for someone his size. He's a wall of muscle, a very clear force of nature, and he's now staring at your—

your shoes?

"Alrigh'," he gruffly says, "We'll get outta your way. The faster you can look for, whatever it is you're lookin' for, the faster you can get out o' my beard." He places his hard hat back on and gives Simon a nod. "To work, break time's over."

Simon walks past you without so much as a glance, his thick arm brushing roughly against your shoulder with enough strength to make you take a step back but then he speaks. "Don't trip on nothin', girl. I'd hate f'r our pretty mascot t'get injured on the," he emphasizes the last word, tone heavy with mockery, "job."

Your tongue is pressed firmly behind your clenched teeth as you straighten your skirt. Get this shit over with.

--

Their attitudes toward you had left some to be desired, but they had done their job seamlessly. Not a crack in place nor a bolt out of it meaning that ticking off the rest of the boxes on your clipboard had been a cinch, making the promotion even easier. By the time you were ready to go home— the thought of leaving behind the tangy scent of sweat and iron adding a pep to your painful step— the sun had already dipped, casting long shadows over the construction site.

Until John's unwelcome chivalrous gesture: sending one of his to accompany you to your car. "t's late out," he says, leaving no room for lip. Fine, whatever. The faster you get out of here the better. Saliva pools in your mouth at the thought of having a chilled glass of wine with chinese takeout for dinner.

Except the one waiting for you in the garage with a lit smoke between his chapped lips is Simon. He flicks it to the ground, smothering out the embers with the heel of his boot. "Move. Ain't got all day."

The last strand of your patience snaps and your mouth twists into a snarl. "Then leave off! I don't need a fucking chaperone. Believe it or not, I do know how to look both ways before crossing the street."

You'd only taken three irate, swift-footed steps away from him, clipboard trembling in your grip when the back of your shoe dug into raw skin; a sharp, sudden agony flaring out in a hot, thick wave and you stumble. The world spins for a second, colors blurring together until—

The relief is immediate. The hot needles on your raw nerves dulled down to a throb, vision blurring from the brief bite of intense pain. You breathe in a deep lungful of air, tasting salt and sawdust while you flex your feet, hissing when the blistered skin stretches. At least the damage to your toes is minimal.

But not to your pride. Tripping over your own feet, because the driveway while unfinished is still flat, now means you're being hauled over his shoulder, which is broad enough to be surprisingly comfortable, in the opposite direction of where your car is with your heels in hand. The fabric of his tank feels stiff under your sweaty palms.

"Is this kind of behavior normal for you? Or am I just lucky?" your voice is tinged with a mix of irritation and embarrassment. His arm tightens uncomfortably around the back of your bare thighs even though the office skirt you managed to squeeze into is knee-length.

"Only when I spot clumsy-footed birds like you. Can't 'ave ya splat on the concrete like a crime scene outline." A slow creeping flame spreads from your neck to the apple of your cheeks when you notice the guys staring at you from a window upstairs, Soap giving you a toothy smile. Even Kyle seems amused. Mortifying. Someone strike you down now. Actually, no. Then who'd feed your cat once you’re gone?

"'nd John would chew me out f'r lettin' ya break these," his long fingers circle your ankle, "in 'alf." You try to muster a response, but the words sit behind your teeth, your chagrin having tangled your tongue into knots.

Then he stops and the creaking of hinges reaches your ears. "Wait." Your eyes land on a black cargo bed, caked with dried mud. "Are you just going to sit me in your car?" He sets you down in the back seat anyway, tossing your shoes inside.

"Truck. I can drop ya on the patch of grass if ya like." Simon leaves you there, going to the driver's side rummaging through the middle compartment. His work truck is exactly what you'd expect from a man like him. The seats are covered in a thin layer of dust, you imagine he gives no one a ride, a well-worn visibility vest strewn about, an extra pair of work boots stained with splatters of white paint—the size difference of your shoes compared to his has you swallowing a lump the size of your fist down.

Simon pulls out a mid-sized red box and places it on the floor mat then props your leg up on his. His grip is firm but gentle as he inspects your open wounds and then sucks on his teeth. "A bit stupid, wearin' ankle breakers when out on a job." He prods around the inflamed skin, the pain making you tense.

"Don't worry about me and mi—" you hiss when he digs his thumb into the arch of your foot, "mine. Maybe I wanted to look nice." Fuck those shoes.

"'m sure ya did, though the skirt's all ya need." The warmth of his breath spreads through your toes and up your calf, raising gooseflesh.

You can't hold back a snort. "And now you're going to tell me that you prefer women in skirts and dresses?"

Simon switches legs, careful to not aggravate the blisters further. "I prefer my women with no clothes. But both of those make it f'r easier access. Like yours. Can see your knickers from 'ere." That has your heart skipping a beat, eyes widening with disbelief. Instinctively, you sit upright, back straightening with a pop.

"They're red."

You chuff out a breath. He's lying. You'd put on the only available pair you had at the time since you'd forgotten to dry your laundry the night prior. A simple, cotton grey. "You—! Fucking hell, I almost kicked you in the teeth." Simon's looking at you now, eyes dark and intense.

"Wouldn't be the first time someone's tried," he says with a smirk, voice low. "White, then."

The first aid kit still lies on the floor mat. "Stop talking." Simon ignores you, instead grabbing your other leg and pulling you closer toward the edge of the seat. Toward him.

"Green," he rumbles, his hands cupping the bottom of your feet, thumb and pointer coming to gently tug on your toes before moving his way up. You feel like a young, dewy-eyed farm girl having her first tumble in the hay and he's only now stroking the protruding bone of your ankle. The motion is slow, deliberate, a tender caress that sends a shiver up your spine. Has it truly been that long since you've had your body shape imprinted into the mattress?

"How about," you swallow thickly, "you patch me up proper and I'll be on my way?" If anyone else had heard, they'd say you're trying to convince yourself that being here isn't what you really want. But the little garble in your voice gives you away.

Simon hums, a sound that vibrates in your chest, sinks into the marrow of your bones. "Little bird wants t’go home 'nd 'ave only a throw 'nd a cat t'warm 'er bed?" You feel a different kind of ache this time, pulsing sharp and deep in your core. "Eh? Y'wanna curl up on the couch with one o’ those sex books while playin’ with your pretty cunt?" 

The idea of having to use the blue bullet sitting inside the nightstand drawer sounds unappealing. And it’s probably out of battery too. Damn. 

You sink your teeth into your bottom lip and shake your head. He doesn’t accept that as your answer.

"Wha's tha'? You will speak when spoken to, pet. Do you," he emphasizes the last word as he begins to open your legs by the knees, "wanna go home with an empty pussy or let me fill it 'til you're leaking cum out ya ears?"

Can't say no to him serenading you like that. You clench around nothing, hesitance crumbling like sand. "B-but what about your job? Aren't you still working?"

Simon grabs you then, dinner plate-sized hands wrapping around the softer part of your waist. "'M on a break. I'd say I deserve it after all my 'ard work." He lifts you effortlessly, the hem of your skirt rolling as you widen your legs further.

He rolls his hips once, feeling the bulge in his jeans brush against your sex, feather-light, and you bite on the thickest part of your tongue to keep from moaning like a cat in heat. "And what about us being in the open?" you ask though the question is redundant. Besides the crew's work vehicles, there's not another car in sight. If anyone else had been working nearby, they've long since left.

He seems to share your sentiment. "If tha's all? 'm tryin' t'see if I got it righ'."

No, that'll just about do it. "Okay. Alright." God knows you need this. Even if it comes from a stranger you'll probably never see again. Simon doesn't wait any longer, pushing up the rest of your skirt to pool above your thighs.

He hisses long and low through his teeth. "Tight little thing, innit?" Yeah, well. You were going to tell him that while putting on your skirt that morning had been an absolute nightmare, it wasn't that small on you until the tips of his fingers glided along your clothed slit. Oh. He's not talking about that.

"I guess grey's my new favorite colour. Especially this—" he thumbs the darkened wet spot on the fabric, "shade." When he adds more pressure, you can't help but let a gasp out as you buck your hips in want of more. "Easy. 'aven't even started with you." Simon opens the front of your blouse with a single hand, coming undone easily. He goes for the clip of your bra that's serendipitously placed on the front.

"Gotta let the girls breathe," he says. Whatever his reasoning doesn't matter because all there is, is relief. No more underwire digging into your skin, no more suffocating restraint. You only wore the blasted thing because all of your sports bras would've been visible through the blouse.

Simon rolls a hardened bud with one hand while unbuttoning the front of his jeans with the other. "Eatin' this," he gives the mound of your pussy a mean tap, "gonna 'ave t'wait. I'll get ya off though, don't worry tha' little head o' yours."

You wonder if he says that to everybody he fucks in the back of his truck. "What? Why?"

His length sits hot and heavy over your cunt. And it's big enough to kill. Death by cock. That'll be on your epitaph. "'m a big geezer," he mutters, fingers toying with the side of your panties, "lyin' down so you can sit your cunt on my face isn't gonna work righ' now."

Definitely says that to everybody. "Doesn't matter. I'll take care o'ya 'nother way." Simon pulls the dampened gusset to the side and lowers his head to— "Pretty like I thought it was." A fat glob of spit lands on the puffy lips of your pussy and he smears it around with his cock, tip sliding right along your clit. He uses his thumb to press himself down harder, more friction, more sensation, each slow roll of his hips pricking neglected nerves awake, alive, and it feels good. Surprisingly good.

The way the scar on his lip whitens as he bites it tells you it's just as good for him too. "Thought about it much, did you?" He goes lower this time, ruddy tip catching on your entrance momentarily before returning up.

"Since you walked inside a place you 'ave no business bein' in. Birds like you shouldn't be minglin' in the trenches with us grunts." The tips of your ears are hot as he stares down at you. "Should be sittin' nice 'nd pretty in a cubicle with air conditionin' 'nd an oversized mug o' watered-down coffee."

Simon cups the swell of your arse, canting your hips to glide himself better. Every bump and ridge on the underside of his cock is rubbing slowly on you and the thought of licking a slick stripe on the vein only tightens the white-hot coil below your navel.

"Or better yet, sittin' at home doin' wha'ever else while waitin' f'r a man like me to come back from work with a ribeye 'nd redskin potatoes in the oven." He lets your panties fall back into place; the sodden front almost transparent as he rubs against your swollen clit at the same time. God, he's fucking. your. panties! And you're bloody letting him.

What a way to break this year-long dry spell.

He bends your legs so that your feet are now being held flat on the thick of his chest with his hands as he picks up the pace. The suspension springs on the truck begin to groan. "I like mine medium rare."

Your back's come off the seat, spine bowed. You're close, so fucking close, you've got slick coating the inside of your thighs, dripping down to your arse, probably staining his polyester material underneath. This is torture and your pussy feels tender, raw, yet he's barely touching the focal point of your desire. If he doesn't make you come in the next minute, you're breaking that thick neck of his.

It's like he read your mind because he uses his cock to tap on your clit firmly, hard enough to hear a wet thwack and he does it once, thrice and—

And then your body gives, an intense climax that steals the breath in your very lungs, has you your blunt nails biting into the muscle of his forearms, his groan drowned out by the shrill ringing in your ears. Your face feels hot, probably is hot to the touch and there's a sting on the middle of your bottom lip and can taste iron on your tongue. Even the tips of your fingers tingle.

Through your half-lidded gaze, you see Simon holding onto the top of the truck while his breath comes in ragged gasps. Did he come? You curiously touch the expanse of your stomach. Not sticky.

"No. I didn't come. You," he takes in a deep, steadying breath then reaches to squeeze the sides of your face, cheeks plumping under the pressure. "You almost 'ad me, though. I don't remember the last time I 'ad to think tha' 'ard of London t'not finish. But I'm not done with you."

Simon hooks his thumbs into the waistband of your panties and takes them off with urgency only to stuff them in his back pocket. "Better with no clothes on, remember." You can feel his twitching cock leak onto your heated skin.

"If ya need, use this." A black bundle of fabric lands on your chest, what is— It's a mask? If he means to hide your identity from his coworkers, you're not sure this skull mask is going to work. He drags you to him roughly until your arse is hanging off the seat. And then there's a hot, dull pressure pushing against your entrance that's followed by a searing sting, and it, it's so much, it's too m-

"Tight fucking-, Ya need t-, fuck, to relax," he grunts, fingers dimpling your thighs. Simon's thrusts are jerky, short, as he wrenches your walls apart. Even with your creamy cum and his spit it's still a struggle. "'Alf way there," and a rattled breath escapes you. You're being split right down the middle and there's still some left?

For the next few moments only your squeaks and mewls can be heard as he makes room for him, your hand flat on his lower stomach— feeling the coarse, thick patch of hair on it— as if you're trying to keep him away, out, something but then he snarls and snaps his hips. You've heard of a ring of fire some women experience at some point in their life and you think this is yours. The thin skin of your entrance burns, most likely stretched to its limit, like a rubber band about to snap.

"Easy," he drawls out, "The worst's over. Took me like you're made f'r me. G'mme ya 'and." He takes your clammy hand and has you touch where the two of you meet. His eyes are glued to your fingers that are split into a v, pads feeling your cunt soaked in viscous slick.

The groan he lets out at the sight makes the world around you spin. "Stay jus' like tha'." Sure, not like you’ve got anywhere to go. Not with his hands tight around you like metal cuffs. Simon holds nothing back, not even in the very first minute. Doesn't warm you up to it, don't let you try to get used to him turning you inside out. His thrusts are long, firm, hungry— bottoming out every single time until he sits snugly at the plug of your womb. Grinds up when he meets resistance, eyeing your features in case there's discomfort.

The only ache you've got is the one he's fucking into you. (And you also might be partly lying on his tape measurer.)

But then he hitches your legs up, hands around the back of your thighs as they're pushed toward your chest and that pulls a whine out of you that you're sure John and the crew heard. "There she is, bird's got a healthy set o' lungs on 'er." He keeps the same, unforgiving angle and doubles down, using the bulk of his weight to pin you in place, forced to do nothing but take and take and take.

Until Simon's strikes the side of your arse with an open palm. "D'ya hear 'em?" Wha? What? Hear who?

And then you hear it. Him. The handsome one with the hat from upstairs. "Ghost?" he sounds right across the street and Simon hasn't stopped rocking the truck as he fucks you right through it. "Wha's tha' Kyle?" His voice is steady even though there are beads of sweat rolling down the side of his temple.

"I said good job on all your 'ard work 'nd we'll see ya tomorrow. You 'ave a good night too, Miss." There's a crude whistle followed by a pained grunt and a quick mumbled apology. Maybe if you don't respond they'll just get in their car and go home.

But then John calls out to you too.

"Simon must’ve missed you, sweetheart. “Wow. He barks out a laugh. " 'ave yourself a good night, Miss.” Then, sternly says, “Tomorrow at 6, Simon.”

Simon, though, has no intention of letting you take the easy way out. He smacks your arse again, right in the same— already tender— spot from just moments before. "Answer 'em, pet. Or 'ave I fucked all the manners outta ya?" He accentuates the last three words with thrusts so sharp that if he hadn't been holding you in place, you would've been sent sprawling back.

Whatever words you're supposed to say are snagged in your throat like hooks, only whimpers and high-pitched gasps falling past your trembling lips. He drags his thumb over your bottom one, the calloused pad of it tough. "Go on. Be good 'nd tell 'em to 'ave a good night too. And no names. Only one comin’ outta you should be mine."

When you open your mouth, he weaves a hand down to your clit, jerking it in fast little circles that have you forgetting where you even are. "Mf- g-good," he gives you just a second of respite to spit on it. "Good night-," his fingers are almost torture, and god, you're going to come in front of all of them. You warble out the words hastily, feeling your impending orgasm come at you with the speed of a freight train.

"Tha's a good bird, singin' when I tell ya to." There's no stopping this, not with all of his focus on the little bundle of nerves and every drag of his cock making your spine arch as if he were winding it. "Squeeze my cock, tha's it."

Your legs shake violently, toes curled, and you can feel a cramp begin in your calf but none of it matters, not when you're seeing bright lights behind your scrunched eyelids, not when you feel fingers in your mouth to stifle the scream that's viciously wrenched from your throat nor when Simon growls out a "Fuckin' 'ell."

"I told ya, if ya needed somethin' t'bite on, use tha'," he jerks his head toward the mask that's tight in your fist. Your soul is still floating adrift in the wind and he's already trying to make conversation. And he did not say to bite on it.

"I'm not puttin' this unwashed thing in my mouth." You languidly watch him inspect his hand, looking at the deep purple teeth imprints on his fingers. Whoops.

"But you'll 'ave me after sweatin' under the bloody sun for 'ours." His hand slides behind your nape, lifting your head a bit as he lowers his chest to meet your sweat-slick one. Your hands come to claw at the shifting muscles of his back when he begins anew, this time his pace is relentless, sharp, predatory. He's a shark that has scented blood and is now on the hunt.

The prickling bristles of his facial hair scratch against your temple. "This," the hand around your neck tightens, your rapid pulse now roaring in your ears, "is the best pussy I've ever had." His thrusts are jarring, make your teeth clack together hard enough to hurt, and after a dozen of them, he comes with a cruel bite to the junction of your shoulder, snarl animalistic.

Hopefully, the guys drove off a while ago otherwise you're re-dressing and driving home with that mask Simon tossed your way.

Your blouse is unfortunately beyond saving. Your skirt isn’t faring any better if that massive tear in the front has anything to say about it and your shoulder will require at least half a bottle of concealer plus a couple of bandaids, which the first aid kit is completely empty of. Not even the first aid guide is inside. 

You sluggishly begin to button up one of Simon's spare flannel shirts when he asks you if you're hungry.

"No." Not really. Hard to feel much when most of your nerves from the ribs down are shot.

"Get in the front, I'd like t'eat my dinner soon." He's staring right at the apex of your legs, your cunt still throbbing from the abuse."'m 'ungry." There’s no tow car sign on the street, actually, there’s not even a simple stop sign here. 

It better not get towed. You’re not paying a dime if it does.

(Are your feet still hurting or can he fuck those too? No? Next time, then.)

[moonlit-void-to-the-far-unknown]

So (Scarlett)

It was (maroon)

If her cheeks are turning either of these colors pls call 911 cause something ain’t right or she has sever rosacea she should probably talk to her dermatologist about.

But for real how does one’s cheeks turn an almost orange red (Scarlett) in the first place? Is that what blushing looks like on the outside? Cause if so….yikes.

“flaunting her songwriting”

[pushingthewave]

In this week's column, I recount two experiences in Chicago that expose the lines we draw between one and another.

[mioakem]

As an American I’ll be one of the first to criticize America but the second I hear miss Americana and the heartbreak prince, american, looking for america, god bless America, national anthem, Venice bitch, blue velvet, or that goddamn miss American pie song I am the most patriotic girl on earth

[youryanderedaddy]

Tw: captivity, obsessive behavior, made up fantasy lore, mind fuck (?)

He never calls for you - he only ever sends his servants, poor, confused little creatures of the night once lost just like you. They gather at your door like an army of darkness, scratching and biting at the delicate wooden frame, howling piteously with full chest until you're faced with the choice of either opening the door, or suffocating yourself with the fluffy white pillow. You give in after what feels like an appropriate time - not too soon as to feed his ever - growing ego, yet not so late that the creatures' heads start to roll under your nose.

You slowly walk down the endless corridor, refusing to look at anything for longer than a second - even as it calls to you with the sweetest voice of desire. Everything is enchanted to the very last candle on the wall. The countless paintings depict wealth and opulence beyond your wildest dreams, an adundance of riches upon riches, of honeycomb amber and pure green emeralds. The silk carpet is as soft as a dandelion just before it bursts open, and the crystal chandelier embarks such a soft light the human eye can never properly adjust to the tender shades of yellow and blue. The castle is tempting you with every passing breath - begging you to stay here forever. Begging you to love it, and everyone inside - especially His Majesty, the Lord.

You try to calm your disheveled thoughts as you carefully open the heavy gates to the throne room. Your breath hitches deep into your throat as your eyes gaze upon the feast spread out before you, and suddenly you're starving like a wolf. By now you should know better than to let yourself be lured in by magic - but the pull is too magnetic and you quickly find yourself stepping closer to the piled up table. You take in the smell with unsatiated hunger - golden apples baked inside fine sugar crystals, tender deer fillet dripping with berry sauce and smokey mushrooms, the sort you can only find inside an enchanted forrest. Cream puffs and mountains of stripped ice soaked in jam and vanilla essence upon stacks of fruit and more goblets of red wine than you can count. And yet he remains ever the centerpiece of the vision.

"You're late, mona grece tide*." His voice slowly fills the room with its overbearing softness, always on the verge of dropping into silence. It's painful to look at him - as if everything about the mythical man was created a touch too symmetrical, to the point where the sharp features all blend together. His lips are too full, his eyes - if the golden slits beneath his brows may be called that, are way too bright under the sun, and they reflect a time you don't wish to remember. And his hair is so long and pale, so very white and smooth, you have to stop your hands from reaching into the wounded transparency of his wild locks, less you want to lose a finger or two.

"Tidea." Khaal snaps his finger more aggressively when you don't respond to his call the first time. You squint in an attempt to block the light coming from the tiny cracks in his face - the birth lines of his dragon. "Sit down. Don't make me come to you."

Tide. Tidea. Love, as you eventually learnt the meaning of the word in Lohemian. My little love, the words still rest on his tongue, because what are you if not a small, fragile human?

"I'd hate to inconvenience you so, my Lord." You eventually bite back, breaking out of the trance. Slipping in and out of consciousness and constantly guessing your surroundings is taking a toll on you, but you'll lose your sanity before you give into his madness. "Touching a filthy human like myself will surely sully your pretty golden flakes." You smile with venom, tearing into the nearest sun-pear. He watches the juice drip down your chin with angry narrowed eyes, and with another swift snap of his fingers he's standing before you, towering above.

"Insolent child, you are." He grips your face carelessly, inspecting it from all sides before finally materializing a clean cloth and wiping you clean. "You're foolish just like any other human." His brows twist together with anger, but his expression remains angelic to the untrained eye. "I can give you everything you've ever wanted. The sun at your feet, the moon on your shoulders. All the knowledge of the world." His fingers suddenly stop rubbing along your jawline and his gaze falls upon your cold, quivering lips. "All I ask in return is your loyalty." His sharp nail begins stroking your lower lip. It doesn't draw blood, but you wish it would. You can't stand the anticipation - the moment before the violence entails.

"Don't let your eyes wander. Gift me your warmth." The dragon king pulls you closer to his chest, and all fight leaves you. His form is perfectly defined with thousand metal - like flakes, one on top of the other like a flawless shield. It's probably a great weapon on the battlefield - but it lacks the naked vulnerability of human skin, and it's so cold it hurts to stand close, much less touch it directly. "Look at me!" He suddenly roars, and you fall back from the sheer power of his voice.

Everything hurts - as if the floor is suddenly melting, you feel like you will never stop falling down.

"I can't. It's too painful." You whisper weakly between hoarse broken sobs threatening to tear off your heart in two. "I wasn't made for this world, f-for your... world." You bite your lips, averting eyes to the ground. "Everything in you wants me dead. Your love will kill me." You whimper, squeezing your left hand to your chest. The dead weight of the broken bone is pulling you down, luring you deeper into sleep.

"I'd like to see you try, mon'tidea." He sinks down to your level, quick as a shadow. Stealing a kiss as light as a sparrow, he pushes you down. "Die as many times as you want. You'll always end up here in my arms." His lips are grazing your ear, warm breath hitting your neck. Another illusion, you realize - his body can't create warmth. It's simply reflecting your warmth back to you. "Because once you enter my realm, there's no coming back."