#the devils of vitality header

[hiloedits]

— berga obsidian headers

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[rocknrollbabe14]

Sad Eyes (Doctor!Joe x Nurse!Reader) Part One

Rating: 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT. 

Warnings: cursing, mention of medical procedures and illnesses, one-bed trope, a lot of unprotected sex (be smart folks), oral sex (female receiving), creampie, ex-lovers--if I forgot anything let me know. 

**I have been working on this for a long time. I started with the present day and will be working my way back through their past, switching between the past and present-day as you'll soon learn their past (and present-day) is and will become very complicated!**

***Also special thanks to @josephs-quinns for making my header! I love you!***

Also inspired by the song I linked above.

It was hard to focus on checking the charts at the end of your shift, one of the vital steps of preparing for the next shift to come on. You kept hearing chattering about how Dr. Joseph Quinn, your ex-fiancé had been asked to speak in Boston for the John Hopkins award ceremony about his continued research of curing type 1 diabetes in children and even being nominated for the Lasker Award, which granted, was a huge deal. Especially for your hospital. 

In a surprising twist of fate, you all had ended up in the same facility, working together. Once again. At the end of the day, you all made a great team but it was hard to be in the same room with him. You were one of the charge nurses. Lately, you had been working the night shift since you were so short, and waking Dr. Quinn up was like waking the devil up some nights. All your co-workers dreaded calling, leaving the unwanted task to you. You didn’t mind—any chance to get under his skin was fun for you.

And you’d only call if it was warranted. For instance, the child was not getting better regardless of your interventions. The ones you could do without the doctor’s orders. You knew what he liked, what he preferred for his patients. If the child continued to decline, you’d call. He’d come in, sulking as usual. He wouldn’t greet you. It pissed you off, but as long as the patient was taken care of, there wasn’t much you could say. Before leaving, he’d give you orders in a monotone before either leaving as fast as he came or sticking around to see if the child improved, charting his interventions.

He was a good doctor—a great doctor when it came to interacting with children, talking to them in a soft voice, and explaining things on their level. He’d make them laugh, and make small talk about their favorite toys. You hated to watch him interact with children because it made you want to forget how he wronged you. It made your ovaries hurt, reminding you at one point that could have been in your future. It pained you slightly, making you look away before continuing your work. 

“Hey Y/N.”, a fellow nurse, Rachel got your attention.

“Please tell me a child is not crashing.”, you groaned, barely looking up from your paperwork.

“No—Dr. Quinn is asking to speak to you.”

You sighed, rubbing your face. “Where is he?”

“Doctor’s dictation.”

You nodded, getting up from your chair. He was here unusually early this morning. However, he was a morning person. He’d go for runs before work, coming home to take a quick shower. You remembered it well. Some mornings, he’d wake you up before his shower and it would end in sex. There was something about him being all sweaty and warm, his cologne from the night before mixed with the musk of his natural pheromones. 

You knocked on the door easily.

“Come in.”

You opened it easily, closing your eyes and preparing for the tongue-lashing. “What did I do this—?”

“Nothing.”, he responded easily, getting up and closing the door back. “I have a proposition for you.”

“And what’s that?”, you crossed your arms, trying to refrain from rolling your eyes.

He smiled that charming smile, the one that he knew made you weak in the knees. “Well, I’m up for the Lasker Award. And I’ve been asked to speak at John Hopkins about my ongoing research regarding curing type one diabetes in children.”

“The whole hospital knows that.”, you groaned, grabbing the door knob.

You were clearly not in the mood to put up with this tom-foolery. 

“But I need a plus one.”, he eyed you, putting his hand over yours. 

You glared at him. “And you don’t have someone you could call? A charming, handsome doctor with money?”

“It would be a good team-building experience for us.”

“Did you finally get reprimanded for your behavior?”

You moved your hand from the doorknob, crossing your arms, and deciding to finally hear him out. 

He laughed easily, brushing through his curls. “I just know there’s been a lot of tension between us. And I want to try and make it better.”

Was he serious? Where was the Joseph that had been here for weeks? You felt the slight tension in the air, pondering this idea.

“The hospital’s going to pay for everything. This won’t go against your paid time off.”

“Separate hotel rooms?”

He nodded. Were you really about to give in and do this? Part of you began to think you’re psycho and the other half was debating the free food, free room, and a small break from the mundane work of being a nurse. But you truly loved working with kids even if the doctor you had to deal with was your ex and an ass at times.

“Fine. When are we leaving?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

He nodded. “Go home and pack. Our flight boards at nine in the morning. Also, pack some dresses. One for the awards. Some for dinner.”

You nodded, giving him a confused look. “Okay.”

“Be at the airport at eight?”

“Yeah, see you then. Goodnight—well good morning, Dr. Quinn.”

“Joe.”

“Dr. Quinn.”, you looked back at him as you opened the door, closing it gently behind you. 

All the nurses were waiting for you to start huddle. Trying to gain your footing was hard, especially after being riddled with the suggestions Joe had. You weren’t used to him being nice anymore. Lately, he had been an asshole. Especially when he had been on a date a month ago, you had to call and interrupt because one of the children was crashing and fast. He came right in, suit and all. You explained everything that had happened, keeping good notes and keeping up with the child’s vitals.

He decided to intubate on the floor, sending the child straight to the ICU. You helped with the intubation, giving him the medicine and supplies he needed. You both worked together like a well-oiled machine contrary to popular belief. He did at least tell you that you had made the right call even if you knew that already. He said his date was out in the car as if he was trying to make you jealous. It may have worked slightly, but you didn’t let him know that. 

After giving a report to the dayshift charge nurse, you went home. You stripped out of your uniform before getting a quick shower and washing your hair. Wrapping yourself in a towel, you began to pack for this trip. Part of you was still in disbelief you had agreed to do this. This was going to be a long few days and you weren’t quite sure how you were going to survive.

Another pediatrician agreed to pick up Joe’s load of patients, another nurse covering your shifts. You knew there was going to be talk about you both going together, but right now you didn’t care. That wasn’t your biggest issue at hand. The next morning you caught a cab to the airport, still trying to wake up. A text popped up on your phone.

-On your way to the airport?

How did Joe have your phone number? Granted, you hadn’t changed it since you all had dated. But then you remembered you had to call him from your personal cell phone while the phone lines were down one night. 

-Yeah, should be there in 10-15.

It was just a second before another message popped up.

-Brill. See you soon. X

You rolled your eyes lightly as you continued to make small talk with the cab driver. It wasn’t long before you arrived at the airport, unloading your suitcase before making your way into the airport. You checked which gate you were leaving from again on your phone. Dropping your checked bag off was the easy part. Moving through the crowd of people wasn’t the first thing you wanted to do in the morning but here you were. You checked the gate number on your phone again, making sure you were in the right spot. 

Butterflies began to rise in your stomach, and the nerves beginning to set in. You scanned the airport for any signs of Joe but didn’t see him. You felt someone tap your shoulder, causing you to jump and turn around.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s fine.”, you brushed your shirt easily.

“I brought coffee. Your favorite, iced mocha latte.”

“Thanks, but you didn’t have to.”

“I know,”, he began easily, setting his bag near yours. “I thought it was a kind gesture.”

You knew you were giving him a weird look. Since when did he make “kind” gestures for you? It was something you weren’t used to. Not anymore. That ship sailed when he decided to leave and chose his career over his fiancee. 

“Thanks.”

It was tense and quiet between you both as you stood there, waiting for the announcement that your group was able to board. You sipped your iced coffee in silence, the awkwardness taking over. It felt like an eternity before they finally called your group number, Joe allowing you to go first. You closed your eyes, moving with the cord of people. This was going to be a long plane ride. Yours and Joe’s seats were together, him letting you choose whether you wanted the aisle or the window.

You chose the window, instantly stowing your purse below your seat. Joe was up, still working on putting his carry-on and yours in the overhead compartment. Trying to divert your attention was hard. Joe was tall but he was stretching, his shirt riding up. You swallowed hard, looking away just as you gained a glimpse of his stomach and happy trail. Memories instantly rushed through your head—waking up with him in the morning, your head on his chest. He’d wake up and ask you how you were before you both shared a lazy kiss before he’d pull you on top of him, whispering for you to fuck him before work. 

“Got them.”, Joe breathed a sigh of relief, bringing you out of your daydream. 

“Great.”, you smiled widely, the awkwardness apparent. 

You focused on the other passengers boarding the plane, focusing in and out on the small talk you were sharing with Joe. Once everyone was boarded, the pilot began to read off the usual flight instructions as he prepared for take off. It had been a while since you had flown on a plane. The last time for Christmas to see your parents for a few days after, considering doctors and nurses never had a holiday. Joe could tell you were tense as the plane soared down the runway. 

“Feeling okay?”

As if he really cared about your feelings or fears.

“Fine.”

“You’re knuckles are turning white.”, he eyed them on the armrest. 

“I’m fine.”, you repeated with a slight nip in your voice.

He threw his hands up easily, resolving and backing off. “Okay.”

Once the plane got in the air and the turbulence settled, you felt some relief. There was silence between you and Joe for a bit and you hoped if maybe you closed your eyes, he’d leave you alone. Somehow, you ended up falling asleep. All you remember was waking up to the announcement that the plane would begin preparing to land soon at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. 

“Get a good nap?”, Joe asked with a smirk, peering over glasses and up from his papers. 

“Um, yeah. I was exhausted.”, you mumbled, sitting up and hoping you hadn’t snored or drooled all over the place.

“Didn’t you sleep?”, his voice was half condescending. 

“Night shift sucks.”

He nodded. “So does getting woken up in the middle of the night.”

You glared easily, narrowing your eyes. “At least you get paid well.”

“Mhm,”, he agreed. “I just love being woken up by your voice at two a.m.”

You felt your heart drop down into your stomach, opening your mouth to give a sarcastic response but you were interrupted by the pilot announcing you all would be preparing for landing, the plane descending quickly. That was the worst part for you after all the ear infections and trouble you had with your ears as a child. Joe didn’t speak to you, just watching you plug your ears. Landing was miserable for you. You counted down the minutes until it would be over.

After what felt like an eternity, you landed successfully. Joe grabbed your all’s bags from the overhead compartment, letting you go in front of him. What a gentleman, was chivalry dead? The airport was busy, full of hustle and bustle. 

“Want to grab something to eat or something before we grab our bags and head to the hotel?”

It had taken six hours to complete the flight from Portland to Baltimore. 

“Fine.”, you agreed.

You seemed to be distant, not talking much while you all sat at the bar called Martini. He ordered his usual—a filthy martini while you opted for your usual, a pina colada. He watched as you took a bite of your sandwich before chasing it down with a sip from your drink. Your eyes shot over to him, causing him to look away. He could remember the mornings you’d make him breakfast on the days you were off, sitting beside him at the bar in the kitchen. 

It was a kind gesture that always made his mornings better. He’d take a sip of coffee before you both leaned in for a kiss.

“Want another drink, Joe?”, you asked, springing him out of his daydream.

The waiter eyed you both attentively, waiting for a response. You both agreed to another cocktail before agreeing this would be the last one. You wanted to get to the hotel and get settled in before his dinner plans came about. This would give you the chance to freshen up, maybe grab a shower and a quick nap. The waiter brought the ticket, you snatching it up before Joe could.

“What are you doing?”

“Seeing how much my part is.”, you slurred lightly before opening your wallet and digging for your cash.

“Don’t worry about it. I got it.”, he wrestled to grab the ticket from your hand. 

“No, you’re not paying for my stuff. Just because I’m a nurse doesn’t mean I’m poor.”

He eyed you, his brown eyes open in surprise. “I never said you’re poor. I’m just trying to do something nice for you.”

“Why? Because you talk to me like shit on the phone?”

You gasped as the sentence left your mouth, never intending to say it. You were thinking it, but the alcohol had decided that you would open your mouth and insert your foot. Drunk words were sober thoughts or some shit like that.

Joe eyed you, his brain trying to process everything. 

“I mean—I know I’m kinda a jerk on the phone sometimes.”

“Joe.”

“No, you’re absolutely right. I’m an asshole.”, he chuckled bluntly before throwing back the rest of his drink. 

You sighed, beginning to feel guilty for even saying it. If you could take your spiteful words back, you would have. Looking down at your phone, you began to feel awkward. Maybe you should have stayed in Portland, never coming with him in the first place. You knew better—you knew how this was going to play out. There were still deep-seated feelings of betrayal and hurt between you both. No small trip was going to fix that. 

“I didn’t mean it.”, you said easily, fiddling with your fingers. 

Joe chuckled to himself before looking up at you. “Those were real words. Your real feelings about how you feel that I treat you.”

You groaned. “I’m a little tipsy.”

“But tipsy enough to tell me basically you feel like I treat you like shit.”

“You do.”

“Do not.”

“Do so.”, you eyed him.

“How?”

“Can we please just drop it?”, you groaned, grabbing your purse. 

“Fine.”, Joe resolved, clearly looking defeated.

You all got up, Joe looking on his phone to get an Uber. Grabbing your luggage, it was finally time to go to the hotel. You bit your lip, trying to focus on the fact that soon you’d be in your own hotel room and you could decompress. You could be alone in your thoughts, maybe get yourself together. There was hardly any conversation between you both as waited for the Uber.

“What kind of vehicle is it?”, you asked, looking away from him.

“Um, black Toyota Camry.”

“I think this is it.”, you muttered as you grabbed your suitcase. 

You and Joe opened the back doors simultaneously.

“Quinn?”, the driver asked.

“Yes, that’s me.”, Joe said easily, fixing his glasses.

He was super casual today, wearing glasses and a baseball cap. He looked good in his t-shirt and button-up, jeans, and tennis shoes. You’d never known he was a doctor by just looking at him. You closed your eyes, buckling up and mentally cursing yourself for thinking about how good he actually looked. There was no way you were going to be wrapped back up in this trap again. Not with him. You couldn’t do this. You could barely be civil at work.

You looked out the window, trying to avoid him at all costs.

“So traveling for work or pleasure? A couple getaway?”

“Um—”

“No. We’re traveling for work.”, you interrupted.

Joe shot you a look as the driver seemed to sense the tension between you both. There was some small talk as you all took the twenty-minute drive to the hotel you were staying at. You couldn’t wait until this car ride was over so you could have some distance and space. You needed a hot bath and maybe some wine. The wine sounded really good. 

You all pulled up to the entrance of the hotel, the driver announcing you had arrived. Joe grabbed both of your suitcases, unloading them as the driver waved goodbye and drove away. 

“I can take my stuff.”

He handed it to you without putting up any fight or argument. You walked ahead of him, anxious to get to your room. Joe couldn’t help but look at you, your jeans fitting tighter than your scrubs did. He swallowed hard, trying to distract himself and look anywhere else but your body. He could remember you coming home after work while he was on call. You in the scrubs that hugged your body just right, he’d instantly beg to fuck you. He’d feel up on you while you hung your coat up and put your purse away. 

“We have reservations.”, you spoke, bringing Joe back to reality.

“Name please.”

“Joseph Quinn.”, Joe spoke up, standing behind you.

“Okay. A room with a king-size bed.”, the receptionist eyed the computer, clicking through a few things with her mouse.

“I’m sorry? There’s supposed to be two rooms.”, you spoke up. 

The clerk stopped, looking up at you. “I’m sorry. We are all booked up. That’s what your reservation was for.”

You looked back at Joe, feeling as if he had lied to you. You weren’t surprised by this behavior. It wasn’t the first time he had misled you. 

“I thought you said it was two rooms.”

“It was. The hospital must have made a mistake—maybe they thought I was the only one going. Are you sure there are no other rooms available?”, he pushed his glasses up on his nose.

“I’m sorry sir. This is the only room we have available.”

“But there was supposed to be one for me and one for my nurse.”

You rolled your eyes at him before turning back to the clerk. “Does this have a sofa sleeper?”

Your grip tightened on the handle of your suitcase. In the back of your mind, you knew there was an ulterior motive. He was trying to be sneaky—he knew this entire time that there was only one bed in the room. Closing your eyes, you could feel the anger rise in your chest. You were so over this damn trip already. What the hell were you thinking when you agreed to go with him?

“Yes, mam.”

“Fine.”, you agreed, looking at Joe before crossing your arms. “Just—let’s take it. I’m tired.”

“Are you sure?”, Joe turned to look at you.

“Yes. Where else are we gonna go? The hospital paid for it. Let’s just take it.”

“Okay, fine.”, Joe turned back to the receptionist, before taking the keys from her. “Thank you, darling.”

“Of course.”

Joe grabbed his suitcase at the same time you grabbed yours. Feeling infuriated, you walked ahead of him to the elevator. Pressing the button for the elevator, you let out a loud sigh. Joe noticed but chose to ignore it. He knew you were pissed off at him. Even though, none of this was his fault. The elevator dinged, arriving at the lobby. Stepping inside, you were the only two in the elevator. It was complete silence until you arrived at the sixth floor. 

Exiting the elevator, you pulled out your key to unlock the door. Joe could tell in your body language you were angry with him. He had seen it one too many times while you both were together. You threw the door open a little aggressively. He followed behind you, carefully closing the door behind you both. Now, you were locked in a room with him. For how many hours? 

“I’ll take the couch. You can have the bed.”, Joe said easily. 

“Fine.”, you responded. 

Joe eyed you, watching you open your suitcase and take out your clothes and toiletry bag before going straight into the bathroom and closing the door behind you. He sat down on the couch, feeling defeated. Somehow, he had still managed to fuck up and you all weren’t together. He leaned back against the couch as he heard you start the water. He closed his eyes, trying not think about you in the shower. How could you be so close yet so far away?

Squeezing his eyes tighter, he tried to shove the thoughts of water running down your body out of his mind. He groaned as he felt his cock twitch just at the thought of you naked. He couldn’t do this—not here, not now. 

“Fuck.”, he hissed, palming the bulge in his jeans—anything to get it to disappear.

Trying to focus his attention elsewhere, he grabbed his papers from his briefcase while looking down at the copy of his speech. It was handwritten, several lines crossed out and rewritten. He had worked on it endless nights—perfecting it. Most nights, he had barely drifted off before you were calling him to come back to work. Continuing to hear the water run, he looked down and began to read his speech from the beginning aloud. 

He managed to run through it three times before he finally heard the water shut off. The sound of you sliding the shower curtain across the metal rod reached his ear. He bit his lip, waiting for you to throw open the door. It was quiet for a few minutes before he heard you open the door, smelling the scent of your body wash and perfume waft out of the bathroom behind you. He was fighting the urge to turn and look at you. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?”, you asked easily. 

“Tell you what?”

Joe was surprised you were even speaking to him. 

“There was only one room.”

During your shower, you had tried to talk yourself down before confronting him. You didn’t want to lose your cool on him. You had to work with him every day. 

“I didn’t know.”, Joe said honestly as he looked up at you, his eyes over his glasses. 

“I’ve heard this lie before.”, you laughed sarcastically. “Like when you said you had no idea you were going to have to relocate to Portland to be an attending in one of the most prestigious programs, becoming the head of pediatrics.” 

You folded your clothes from the day, your lace gown brushing above your thighs. You didn’t make eye contact with him.

“I—”

“Please just save it, Joe.”

Joe’s mouth dropped open, face crinkling in confusion. “Y/N.”

“No—you act like it’s such an inconvenience. Like your life is so hard. It must be so hard—such a burden to be a doctor. You have to worry about giving a speech about your ongoing research to cure type one diabetes in children. Oh—and be nominated for the Lasker Award. I’m so sorry your life is so hard, doctor.”, you spat bitterly. 

Joe scoffed before laughing bitterly in return. “This is a huge deal for me—for my career. This could change children’s lives. It could change medicine as we know it. I’ve worked hard—so fucking hard to be here and you’re not going to downplay it and take this away from me. I refuse for it to happen.”

You turned to see the fire in his brown eyes, narrowing your own. You had struck a nerve in him. You felt the anger rising in your chest. He could and would never accept accountability for his actions. Why couldn’t he just admit he was wrong? His pride always got in the way.

“Right. I forgot. You always choose your fucking career. It’s the most important thing in your life, isn’t it? More important than the people you love.”, you placed your hands on your hips. 

Joe groaned, rolling his eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration and closing his eyes. This reminded him so much of fights you all would have at night once he got home from being on call. It was exhausting, he hated fighting with you. Your whole relationship was far from perfect, but he felt like you all were worth fighting for. 

“Does it keep you warm at night?”

“Y/N.”, Joe said in a low tone, begging you to stop while you were ahead.

“Do you enjoy going to bed alone?”

“Y/N.”, he repeated, coming closer.

“Do you have a good fucking time jerking yourself off? That’s all you’re ever going to have. Especially if you continue to choose your career over the woman you supposedly loved.”

“For fucks sake!”, Joe snapped before grabbing your waist, pushing you against the wall. 

You tried to protest, asking him what the hell he thought he was doing before his lips crashed into yours, you instantly melting into his kiss. You hated yourself for it, the old familiar feeling returning. It felt so wrong, but felt so right. Your tensed muscles relaxed as one hand found your waist, the other cupping your cheek. His hands were strong, large as your mind remembered they knew your body. He had memorized every curve, every freckle, every imperfection. But it was all perfect to him. 

He pulled away, breaking the kiss as you looked up at him. Your eyes were locked into each other’s, neither one breaking contact. 

Your face was crinkled in confusion. “Joe, what the—?”

He cut you off, his lips crashing back into yours. You didn’t fight it, part of you didn’t want to. It felt just like old times, the familiarity returning. It was like coming home after being gone for months. You had missed it whether you wanted to admit it or not. You had missed him. It felt like you both were miles away from each other even if you worked together on a daily basis. He pressed you closer against the wall, bringing his body closer to yours, eliciting a small moan from you. He chuckled lightly into the kiss.

Joe’s hands moved from your waist, trailing lightly down to the hem of your short-laced gown. You felt his fingers brush the midline of your thigh before he caressed your thigh, pulling the gown up in the same motion. He moved his hands until the gown was near your breasts. He wanted to squeeze them so bad—he was going to, if you’d let him. You broke the kiss momentarily, long enough for him to pull the gown up and over your head, leaving you only in your laced thong panties. 

“Fuck—a thong?”, Joe eyed you, brown eyes gleaming in the low light. 

“Yeah.”, your breath hitched easily. 

“So sexy—I know you wear them at work.”

Your eyes narrowed. “And how so?”

Joe chuckled again, feeling you pull at the hem of his t-shirt. He allowed you to pull it up and over his head, careful not to knock his glasses off his nose. You admired his chest, tossing his shirt to the side before running your hands over his chest. He inhaled sharply, closing his eyes before you brushed your hands down to his abdomen. He had to have been working out, running or maybe the gym.

“Because,”, his breathing caught. “You wear tighter scrub pants and I can always see the line of the thong trailing up your perky, tight ass.”

“You look at my ass?”

He chuckled again before shrugging. “Yeah, I love to see you walk away. What can I say?”

You rolled your eyes, reaching for the button on his jeans. “You men are pigs.”

“No—I just admire the view. If you’re gonna wake me up in the middle of the night, I should get something out of it.”

You undid the button on his jeans, feeling them go slack. “Nice to know.”

“Look,”, Joe groaned as he felt you unzip the zipper, finding the rest of his happy trail. “Do you know how many times I have to bite my tongue because other residents, other attendings are talking about how they wanna get in your pants?”

You paused, meeting his eyes. “They say that?”

He nodded. “Yeah. And I have to bite my tongue so damn hard.”

His jeans fell to the floor, he held your arms as he stepped out of them. Using his foot, he scooted them to the corner with his t-shirt. His baseball cap was on the table as you entered the room, the first thing he had removed. You couldn’t help but swallow hard as your eyes wandered down to his boxers. He was so hard and just for you. Fingers fumbling and shaking lightly, you pulled the waistband of his boxers down, beginning to expose him. 

He inhaled sharp as you slid them down his thighs, following them. His hands moved to your shoulders, supporting you as you became face level with his cock. He groaned softly as his hands moved to your hair, tugging it lightly. Just enough to make you moan a little. For a moment, you debated taking him in your mouth but that’d have to wait. 

“If they only knew how much attitude and sass you had.”, Joe swallowed hard.

You found the strength to raise your body back up, glaring at him. “You bring it out of me.”

He chuckled before moving his hands under your ass cheeks, picking you up in one swift motion. You squealed easily as he carried you to the pure white king-sized bed. It wouldn’t be for long. He continued to kiss you as he eased you down on the bed, climbing on top of you. His cock dug into your thigh as if it were begging to enter you already. Were you really going to let your ex-fiancé fuck you? Inhibition was out the door, the voice of reason fading. 

“You’ve been so bitchy at work lately.”, his brown eyes resolved, him towering over you in bed.

He kissed you before you could respond, his hands roaming over your body before stopping at your breasts, giving them a squeeze and causing you to moan in his mouth.

“I have—to be a bitch. You’re such—a dick—especially at night when I have to call you.”, you barely got out between kisses as he took your nipple, twisting it and working it between his fingers. 

This was the moment he had been waiting for. 

“You’re always the one who calls.”, he chuckled. “Do you like hearing my voice that much?”

Your eyes closed, your moan filling the hotel room. “No—the other girls are scared—to call you. Always—ask me to do it.”

“Oh,”, he said raising his eyebrows in surprise. “Well maybe I’m so irritable because I always have to take care of myself…and then I wake up alone.”

His head dipped, becoming flush with your chest. He took your other breast in his mouth, beginning to suck and nibble at your nipple causing you to dig your nails into his back. He groaned, mouth full of your breast. Truth was, he loved feeling your nails dig into his skin. It made him feel like you needed him—craved him. It was animalistic, your instincts taking over. You wanted—needed  him to fuck you. 

“Maybe—if you weren’t such an asshole—”, you hissed as he bit your nipple, the pain quickly turning into pleasure. “And chose your career over the people—you love, you’d have someone to wake up to and—fuck!”

He smirked, biting and sucking your nipple to get you off track or at least make it hard to finish your sentence. 

“Take care of you.”, you whimpered, feeling his teeth ease up. 

He leaned up, his weight lifting off of you. His broad, thick fingers found the side of your thong while you watched him with eager eyes. You cleared your throat easily, feeling the hoarseness beginning to sink in already. Your eyes wandered briefly down to his cock, his precum already oozing at the head. 

“Just gonna move my panties to the side and fuck me?”

“Is that what you want? Wanna sass me?”, his brown eyes fixed on your vulnerable state. 

You didn’t respond before speaking again. “Do you realize how much of a dick you truly are when I wake you up? It’s like you’re disappointed to hear my voice?”

“I have to come in and see you. I think I have a right to be irritable.”

He slid your thong down your thighs, legs, and ankles before cupping in his hands and bringing them to his face. 

“What are you doing?”, you asked, face crinkled in confusion. 

He put them to his nose, inhaling the scent of you, your cunt. “Fuck. Makes me wanna taste you.”

“Um—”, you tried to sit up slightly. 

“Relax, lay back. Your scent arouses me.”

You laid back gently into the bed, just like he asked. Your hair was sprawled out behind you, and you felt yourself sink into the plush king-sized bed. After he was done getting your scent, he laid your panties to the side just in the event that he needed a reminder. You looked up at him, rubbing up his broad shoulders. He wasted no time in positioning himself, lining his cock right up with your throbbing, wet cunt.

Locking eyes, he asked you silently if you were ready for this. You gave him a light nod before he lined himself up again with you, brushing your cunt with his cock. He was teasing you, this was the calm before the storm. Your thoughts were interrupted as he shoved himself deep inside of you, splitting you open. 

You gasped, gripping his arms while sinking your nails in his skin. “FUCK—you know I only—call if the child isn’t improving. And—we can’t manage it.”, you moaned the last of your sentence causing a smile to spread across his lips. 

“Mhmm, you always have everything ready for me like a good little nurse.”, his palm brushed hair out of your face and back behind your ear. 

You glared at him softly. “I just—don’t wanna hear your shit.”

He laughed while pushing deeper inside of you, his rhythm steady. A soft sigh escaped your lips, eyes fluttering shut. Your mind was overstimulated. If breathing didn’t come naturally, you would have forgotten to do that. 

“I’m trying to compliment you.”, he groaned as he narrowed his eyes, glasses attempting to fog.

Your eyes opened, hands moving to his face. You brushed through his sideburns, hooking your fingers on the frame of his glasses. You slid them off his face gently and carefully, moving them to the pillow away from you both to prevent them from getting bent and twisted. 

“Anything—to get in my pants, right?”

“Didn’t take a lot of effort.”, he grunted, rutting inside of you. 

“Fuck—you.”, you moaned, turning your head while feeling him place aggressive, hungry kisses on your neck. 

“Oh, we already are, love.”

You didn’t respond, the sounds of sex filling the hotel room. You could hear how wet he was making you, the sound of you both intertwined together. It was the perfect storm—the rush of knowing better, knowing you shouldn’t be doing this, and the fact that he was balls deep inside of you. 

“Deeper—harder, please.”, you whined pitifully.

You shut your eyes quickly, realizing how pathetic you sounded. It made you cringe at how much power he had over you. Even after all he had done, all he had put you through. 

“Anything for you.”, he brushed your face, causing your eyes to shoot open. 

His rhythm changed, the effort he put in changed. He was determined to make you orgasm, he needed to feel you clench around his cock. He needed to feel your juices wash over his cock. The thought alone almost made him whine. You all stared deep into each other eye’s as he continued to thrust deep inside you, balls smacking against your ass. Joe might have been a dick at times, but he was good at two things—being a doctor and sex.

Joe pulled your right leg over his shoulder, allowing himself more leverage as he continued to fuck himself into you.

“Fuck—Joe.”

“What, love?”

There was love. 

“Feels good.”

“Does it?”, Joe breathed, placing a small kiss on your leg. 

Were you really going to feed his ego right now? It was going to be big enough when he won his award. You had a feeling he would win. And you knew that no one would shut up about it. Not at the hospital. Not 

“Fuck—yeah, Joe. I’m getting close…..”

Your answer was long and drawn out in a moan. You could feel your release barreling towards you like a train. No matter how badly you wanted to ride this out or savor this feeling, your body wasn’t going to let that happen. The hot, aching feeling of your orgasm was rising in your stomach, causing it to twist and knot as Joe grunted with each thrust. You let out a few small, abrupt moans signaling you were ready to cum all over his cock.

The sounds you made were like music to his ears, the sweetest symphony that he had missed. 

“Cum for me, please cum for me—all over my cock.”

“Fuck—Joe….”, you bucked your hips slightly.

“What is it, love?”

“I’m gonna fucking—cum. Like right now.”

“Oh fuck, love. Cum please.”

Your toes curled, one the surefire signs you were cumming. “Fuck….”, you hissed before digging and running your nails down his back. “Cumming now, Joe.”

“That’s right, love. That’s so fucking sexy.”

He felt the walls of your cunt tighten around his cock, drowning him in your juices. You whined,  the tension that had built up finally breaking loose. He slowed his thrusts, allowing you to ride out your orgasm only intensifying it in the process. You cried out, going slack against him as he continued to fuck himself into you. 

He bent down and planted a soft kiss on your lips. “Amazing, love.”

Your body began to feel relaxed as you began to come down from your high, the sensitivity of him being inside you causing you to writhe. 

“I’m gonna cum.”, he warned as he looked into your hazy eyes.

“Cum, Joe. Cum deep inside of me.”, you begged.

You knew it was the lust talking. If you had been thinking rationally, you would have thought about the fact you were no longer on birth control. You would have realized the possibility of becoming pregnant. But right now, you didn't care.

“Oh—love, here it comes.”, he warned. 

He went stiff, hips stuttering as you felt his cock pump his seed deep inside you. The warm cum filled your cunt as he allowed himself to ride the high of his orgasm. Your eyes rolled back as he held himself steady, fingertips sinking into your ass. He was gonna keep himself buried deep inside of you, making sure he was finished cumming. Your chest was heaving, knees trembling. The adrenaline high was still there. 

Without warning, he easily pulled out, eliciting a whimper from you at the loss of contact. 

“How—was—that?”, he breathed as he fell beside you.

“Good—really good.”

“Just good?”, he seemed offended slightly.

“I don’t want to boost your ego too much.”, you smirked at him.

He rolled his eyes before pulling you over close to him, beginning to slowly kiss your neck. In between kisses he was sucking on your neck, desperate to leave his mark on you. Your leg wrapped around his, giving into him. Your arms wrapped around his neck, gripping his shoulders. He wasn’t done with you yet.

“What are—you doing?”, you sighed between kisses.

“I’m not gonna stop until you tell me this was amazing, earth-shattering sex.”, he chuckled.

You sighed into him, feeling his cock becoming hard again. It was digging into your thigh as he sucked on your neck. He was needy, desperate to be inside you again. He hungered for you, only you. 

“Joe….”

“Yes, love?”, he spoke against you, teeth sunk in the soft delicate skin of your neck.

“Fuck.”

As his teeth let go, you felt a stinging sensation in your neck. He had done it, you knew he had.

“Mhm, now you’re mine.”, he chuckled, admiring his work by rubbing over the hickey and causing it to throb. 

He was being cheeky and if the truth was being told, you loved it. You loved when he playfully teased you. You could handle this Dr. Quinn a lot better than the one at work who was uptight, grumpy, and a dick. 

“I have an idea.”, he spoke suddenly, beginning to kiss your neck again.

You twisted your arm to be able to cup his chin, running your hand through his hair. “Hm?”

It was clear that he was still pussy drunk, you were cock drunk. 

“Why don’t you let me take you from behind?”

Your stomach twisted at his words, moaning slightly into his touch. “And why should I?”

“Mhm, you’ve been a bad girl. Need to be punished—and reminded who is your boss.”, he gave your breast a squeeze causing you to moan. 

He leaned up, shifting in the bed. “So why don’t you be a good little girl and get face down, ass up?”

His brown eyes had a fire in them as they stared deeply into yours. Your stomach was knotting up at the thought of him doing you from behind. You leaned up, lips crashing into his. His hand brushed over your cheek, catching a handful of your hair. Every kiss with him was like magic, finally finding something you had lost. 

“I’m—not gonna be so—soft.”, he moaned easily through kisses. 

“Okay—fair.”

You broke the kiss unexpectedly, causing him to wear a confused expression in return. You smirked easily as you shifted in bed, giving him a cheeky smile before grabbing the pillow at the head of the bed and cuddling it before wiggling around. You nestled down into the bed, sighing as you did just as he asked—face down, ass up. 

“Fuck, you’re so sexy. I swear.”, he groaned as his thick hands found your hips, sinking his fingertips in them causing your breathing to hitch and a small moan to escape.

“Tsk—tsk. So hard to work together when I have such a naughty, hard to please nurse.”

If he wasn’t going to fuck your brains out, you would have fought with him then and there. You felt his hands slide down from your hips down to your ass before squeezing it. You moaned out, gripping your pillow tight and preparing yourself for the onslaught of sex he was about to give you. He chuckled devilishly, knowing he had you right where he wanted you. 

“I’m already so hard for you.”, he breathed as he leaned down to place a kiss on the small of your back. 

“Yeah?”, you turned your head, gripping the pillow. 

“Mhm, yeah. Can’t wait to be deep inside you and remind you who’s your boss.”

“What are you waiting—for then?”, you breathed. 

“Someone’s ready for my cock to be buried deep into their cunt, hm?”, he teased, feeling his breath on your back. 

“Yes.”

He chuckled easily while rubbing your hips, positioning himself to enter you. His cock brushed against your puffy, aching entrance. Yes? Were you really giving in to him? He was surprised that you admitted it so easily. He had been so used to you giving him a hard time, fighting against him. 

“Fuck—still so wet.”, he inhaled sharply.

“Just came—can’t help it.”, you breathed.

“No—it’s a great thing.”, he reassured you.

You didn’t get a chance to respond before you felt him slip deep inside you, causing you to moan and grip the pillow so tight your knuckles turned white. This time, he didn’t give you a chance to adjust. Your eyes were wide, and it felt like he was splitting you wide open. You knew it was the fact that he was getting more leverage, able to go deeper inside you.

“Feeling okay, love?”

His question was almost half concerned, half taunting. 

“Fi—ne.”

He chuckled, beginning to move inside you. He groaned as his rhythm picked up, sinking his fingers in the plush of your ass. 

“Shouldn’t you—be perfecting your speech?”

“You want me to?”

You felt him slide himself all the way out of you, shocking you. You whimpered pathetically at the loss of contact. 

“Joe…”, the plead in your voice was pathetic. 

“What? I mean—you’re right. I should be perfecting my speech.”

“I didn’t—mean it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Sorry—I’m sorry.”

“You’re what?”, Joe grabbed your hips.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, love. I couldn’t hear you.”, his voice taunted. 

You closed your eyes, knowing damn well he could hear you. 

“I said—I’m sorry.”, you finally spoke up. 

“One more time—sorry my doctor ears must not be able to hear very well.”

“I said—I’m sorry.”, you clenched your teeth, rolling your eyes and showing off that sass he talked so much about.

“Ah, okay. I guess I could accept your apology, nurse Y/N.”, he chuckled with arrogance and ease.

You rolled your eyes, a smile spreading across your face as he teased your entrance again. You felt your chest rise, a sharp inhale. He loved watching you fall apart under his touch. But little did you know, he would be there to pick up the pieces. Even it was just for the night. You couldn’t imagine how dumb this decision was—to sleep with your ex fiancé and have sex with him not once—but multiple times. 

“You do?”

“Mhm, I do.”, he smirked as he slipped himself back inside of you causing you to moan loudly enough to fill the entire hotel room. “And that sound makes it so worth it.”

“I hate—you.”, you glared back at him.

“Do you? You have a bad way of showing it.”, his finger sank into your hips as he picked up his rhythm.

“Fu—ck!”

He chuckled, watching you come undone. His hands moved up and down your body in perfect rhythm while he fucked you out. It was as if all the tension and frustration from before was finally coming to a head. You were making up for lost time, for all those times you both were pissed at one another. 

You heard his grunts as he rutted himself into you. “Like that?”

“Love—it.”, you moaned honestly. 

Your sexual desire was overtaking you. It had been a long time since you’d been fucked. Months—almost a year. A lot of the sex you had was trying to forget him. Like near holidays or his birthday. You weren’t proud to admit it, but it was the truth. And no one you seem to fucked could compare to him. They weren’t him. It was that simple. The news of other doctors liking you was no surprise, but you had no interest in them. 

“God, you’re so fuckin’ tight.”, he groaned.

In the back of your mind, you knew there was no way he had abstained from sexual activity. You were sure there were countless women he had fucked since you. Your brain immediately tried to send the thought away. 

“Joe….”, your mouth was becoming dry.

There was no doubt he was an attentive lover during sex, always asking if you were okay and praising you—making you feel good.

“Yes? Ready to cum?”, his hands found your ass, squeezing the globes of your ass in his thick, broad hands eliciting a moan from you.

“Ye—ah.”

“Hm,”, he hummed in satisfaction. “Cum for me. Cum all over my fucking cock.”

The closer you came to a release, the dirtier his talk became. He was an educated man inside of the hospital, using proper medical terminology. But here in the bedroom, he was sexually charged with desire and lust. 

“Fuck, Joe.”, you hissed through a moan as his speed picked up lightly, the sound of his balls smacking against your ass filling the room. 

As badly as you hated to admit it, he knew your body better than anyone. He knew exactly what he needed to do to get you across the finish line. 

“What, love? Ready to cum for me?”

You nodded breathlessly, gripping the pillow for dear life as if it would provide you any tangible support. 

“Answer my question.”, he grunted as he rubbed your ass.

You knew what would follow. 

Your brain and mouth weren’t doing a very good job coordinating, failing you at this very moment. Joe rarely saw you at a loss for words, but here you were. 

“Are you gonna answer me, love?”

“Try—ing.”, you squeaked. 

“Not hard enough.”, he teased back.

That was the last thing you heard before he drew his hand back, feeling it make contact with your ass and causing you to jump slightly, jarring his cock inside of you.

“Easy, love.”, he chuckled. “Don’t wanna hurt this pretty cunt of yours. Would love to go again tonight.”

“What was that—for?”, you choked out.

“Just reminding you of who’s your boss, here.”

You groaned while rolling your eyes, settling back down into the bed and making it a point to wiggle your ass at him. It was dangling a piece of meat on a string to a starving animal. But it also felt so good with his cock inside of you, him never losing his hard-on or accidentally slipping out of you. 

“You love to hold it over me—don’t you?”

“What’s that?”

“The fact I answer to you.”

“Maybe, you’re the only one who puts up a fight with me. Never meek like you used to be. Kinda turns me on if I’m being honest—hearing your sassy little mouth in the middle of the night.”

You felt your stomach do a flip. He was referring to when you first became licensed as a registered nurse. You preferred not look back at those days, only looking forward.

“Do you want me to cum or not?”, you hissed.

“Oh fuck, do I? It’s all I’ve wanted.”

He went back to that rhythm, the one he knew would make you cum within minutes. He wasn’t going to be mischievous anymore—not this time. 

“Tell me more.”, you breathed.

“About what?”

“Me…what turns you on about me.”, you breathed.

“Um, well…”, he began. “For starters, it’s super sexy when you already know what I want when I get there—you’ve already got things ready for me.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah—makes me want to take you to an on call room and fuck you…after we stabilize the kid, of course.”

“Of course.”, you hummed in agreement.

“Just didn’t think you’d be up for it. So, I always go back home and jerk off in bed under my silk sheets.”

Your breathing hitched. “You never asked.”

He moaned lightly before resolving to a sigh. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Pain had long melted into pleasure, your stomach knotting up. It always seemed like the second time you released was easier, and faster than the first. But Joe knew what he was doing, especially when it came to you. 

“Tell—me—more.”, you pleaded through a moan, the sound of sex filling the room.

“Okay,”, he swallowed, hands roaming your body. “I find it really sexy when I watch you interact with kids—like the one who was scared to go to surgery for his appendix last week. You gave him one of the little blue teddy bears and reassured him. He hugged you, I imagined what you would have been like as a mother. If we had stayed together.”

Your heart dropped into your stomach at his admission. “You did?”

“Yeah, made me want kids again.”, he groaned as he hit the spot that made you forget your name.

Your thoughts went out the window, brain now focused on your sexual release. You dropped the subject entirely, moaning as you gripped the pillow tighter. 

“Joe…..”

“Yes?”

“Gonna cum—like right now—can’t wait.”, you moaned out as you closed your eyes.

“Mhmm, cum for me. Want me to fill your cunt full again?”, he groaned as he became flush with your body, placing a lazy kiss on your shoulder.

“Fu—ck. Oh my God.”, you hissed.

You felt your cunt tighten around his cock, juices washing over his cock. He was barely moving inside of you now, giving you a chance to ride out your orgasm. His slight movements inside of you intensified your orgasm, your eyes rolling back in your head. This was the earth-shattering sex he was talking about, the one you had missed. Even when you had slept with someone else, it wasn’t as good. No one compared to him and they never would. 

“That’s it, love. Feels so good on my cock.”

Your legs began to shake, feeling the aftershock of your orgasm coursing through your body. 

“God, I missed your cunt.”

“That all you missed?”, you moaned into your pillow lightly, brushing your hair out of your face.

“No.”, he kissed your shoulder again, pausing his movement.

“Whatever.”, you smirked easily. “Are you gonna cum or not?”

“I want to.”, he chuckled. “But you never answered my question.”

“Which one?”, you sighed, beginning to come down off your high as you snuggled into your pillow.

“If you want me to cum inside of you or pull out.”

“Just cum in me. You already have.”

“Okay. Are you sure?”, he breathed as he began tp pick his rhythm back up, gripping your hips and pulling you back to him slightly causing you to squeal lightly.

“Mhmm, don’t ask again—I might change my mind.”

You snuggled into your pillow, eyes beginning to become hazy. It felt like you were floating, but you weren’t complaining. His hands wandered to your ass, squeezing it and making you moan even if he had already taken care of you. 

“I love to see you all fucked out.”

“Yeah?”, you hummed, chills cascading down your body at his choice of words.

“Mhm, it was always my favorite thing.”

“Thought you said you wanted to go again.”

“We don’t have to right after this.”

You nodded easily, letting him have his way with you. You wanted him to cum—you wanted to feel his hot, sticky release. It was even better when it was running down your thighs. 

“Fuck—I’m gonna cum.”, he hissed.

“Cum, Joe. Fill me full, please.”, you begged, helping him cross the finish line this time. 

That was all he needed to hear. You felt his hips stutter as he sank his fingertips into your hips, a loud groan escaping him as he warned you of his release just seconds before you felt his cock pumping his seed deep inside of you. The warmness flooded through your cunt, causing a smile to spread across your face. He was trying to catch his breath, holding himself steady as he made sure that none was wasted. Not that he was trying to get you pregnant, he wasn’t. But for right now, the thought wasn’t such a bad idea. It made him feel like he had a purpose for staying in you so long. 

A sigh escaped you, finally feeling relaxed that you both had a release. Half of you was debating asking him to stay inside you and cuddling you. It wasn’t such a bad idea, plus you needed a little aftercare, right? 

“Ready for me to pull out?”, he asked, bringing you out of your fantasy.

“Yeah, just please be easy.”

“Oh I will, love.”

With that, you braced yourself by tightening your grip on your pillow. He eased himself out of you, leaving his seed buried deep inside. You whimpered at the loss of contact, causing him to rub your shoulder easily and give it another gentle kiss. He laid in bed beside of you, pulling you towards him. He pulled the sheet up and over you.

“Want to cuddle and go to sleep?”

“Oh, we can’t cuddle.”, you were beginning to come to your senses and out of your cock drunken state.

“Why not?”

“Because.”, you sat up easily, feeling some of his release run down your thigh. “We just can’t.”

“Relax, it’s just aftercare. You always liked when I cuddled you after sex.”

“When we were together.”, you corrected, grabbing an extra plush pillow from behind you and placing it inbetween you both. 

“Oh come on, Y/N.”, he groaned. “Not the pillow divider.”

You glared at him. “Yes, the pillow divider.”

“I just came inside of you.”, he breathed, running through his curls. “Is cuddling really the worst thing we could do?”

“Joe.”

“Come on, I just want to show you I’m not always a dick.”

“No. Now, let’s just go to sleep, please.”, you rolled your eyes, pulling the sheet over you and turning away from him before grabbing the lamp. 

You heard him sigh from the other side of the bed. You instantly felt regret swelling up in your chest. There have been a lot of mistakes you made in life, but this was a huge one.

“You’re just sexually frustrated.”, he spoke up, turning over in bed.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”, he began, resting his hand on the pillow divider. You felt his warm breath hit your neck, knowing he was only inches from you.

All that was separating you was a plush pillow. 

“I’m not sexually frustrated.” 

“Really?”, he teased, his hand moving from the pillow and finding your waist causing you to swallow hard. 

You hated him. You hated him so much.

“Really.”, you choked out.

“How long had it been before tonight?”

“None of your business.”, you rolled your eyes. 

“Well, judging by how tight you were—it’s been a while. You’re busy, right? A night shift pediatric nurse. Working long hours and a lot of overtime. You’ve not been able to move on from me, have you?”

“Fuck you.”

“You already did, love.”, he smirked as he chuckled. 

Man, was he testing your patience. You didn’t respond to his snide comment, thinking maybe if you ignored him, he’d give up and leave you alone.

“You know what always made you relax?”

“What?”, you groaned.

He smirked as he tossed the pillow to the side, breaking the barrier between you both. Your eyes went wide as you flipped over to face him. 

“Joe, what the fuck?”

“I’m jogging your memory.”, he smirked as he pulled the sheet up, dipping his head underneath. “Can you lay flat?”

“What do you think you’re doing?”, you asked as you subconsciously carried out his request.

“What does it look like I’m gonna do?”

“No, no—no way you’re doing what I think you’re gonna do.”

“Just relax.”

You felt his fingers grip your thighs, spreading them apart. He began placing innocent kisses on your thigh and you knew what he was planning.

“You’re not going to eat me out, are you?”

You felt his tongue take a swipe up your thigh, licking the release that had ran down your thighs while shifting in bed. “Looks like I am, unless you don’t want me to.”

Goosebumps appeared all over your skin at the sensation of his tongue, imagining what it could do—what it was about to do. It was like he was waiting for you to protest or tell him to stop. But you weren’t going to, no matter what your head was telling you—no matter that it was telling you how wrong this was. Your breathing hitched as you felt him begin to place gentle kisses on your thighs. 

“Want me to at least pull the sheet down?”, you sighed, hands traveling to find his curls.

“Up to you.”, he breathed through kisses that were inching their way up your thighs to your cunt.

You groaned at his decision to leave it up to you as he placed your ankles on his shoulders. He parted your thighs further, dipping his head between your legs. You braced yourself because you knew what was coming, what was going to follow. 

“Can you breathe?”, you rolled your eyes, fluttering them shut.

“Of course I can breathe. Now, just relax, and let me remind you how I can relieve your stress.”

“You just came inside of me, though. Is that okay?”

“Yes, now relax.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”, he repeated as you felt his breath on your cunt before his tongue took a long swipe up your wet fold. 

He was immediately met with the familiar taste of you mixed with him. It drove him crazy, he loved it—he loved knowing he had come inside of you. It was just one more way he marked you. You moaned lightly as you ran your hands through his curls. 

“See? You’re already loving it.”, he breathed against you.

Whether or not you would ever admit it out loud, you had imagined Joe going down on you before. Even after you both started working together again. It was a thought you had some nights as you laid in bed, your own hand between your thighs as you took care of yourself. It was pathetic, but you needed something. You had imagined Joe having his head buried between your legs, dragging his tongue up and down your slick folds. Now, it was becoming a reality.

It was worse when he had shaved his beard at first, leaving his baby face showing. It reminded you of when he was only a resident. He knew you hated it when he shaved his beard completely off. Unless he had forgotten. You wondered if part of him had done it out of spite. But then not long after, he was letting his beard come back and that made your fantasies even worse, spiraling them out of control. You loved the feeling of his stubble between your legs. You wore his beard burn like a badge of honor.

Without warning, his tongue took another swipe between your wet slit. Your back arched instantly at the sensation, letting out a moan to let him know you were enjoying this. Instinctively, you parted your legs as far apart as they’d go, allowing him full access to you. You eyed him, resting your head on the pillows at the head of the bed. He wanted you to be as comfortable as possible while he fucked you with his tongue. 

“Like my tongue, love?”

“Shut up, Joe.”

His tongue entered you without warning causing you to jolt, almost jumping out of your skin. It was unexpected, but you knew this was punishment for your sass. You gripped his curls, giving them a tug and causing him to groan against your cunt. But it felt good and that was the bad part. 

“Fuck—we taste so good.”

You just knew he had a smug grin. 

“We?”

His tongue swirled in and out of your cunt, teasing you. “Mhmmm.”

“Such a naughty little nurse”, he cooed as he moved his mouth back to your folds, flicking his tongue over your folds. 

Your eyes rolled back in your head easily. Joseph took his hands, moving your legs up to his shoulders, allowing him more leverage. It was hot. So very hot. Your hands continued to grip his curls with each flick and swipe of his tongue, you not being able to hold back your feral moans.

“Fuck Joe—dammit.”

“What? Feeling good, love?”

“No.”, you stammered.

You were never a good liar.

“I’ll just have to try harder then.”

You rolled your eyes this time from frustration. In your head, you were so focused on cumming that your brain wasn’t registering the sensation on your thighs from his beard. The stubble burning, rubbing against your thighs. A hiss escaped your lips before moaning, a sign you were in fact, enjoying his tongue buried deep in your cunt. 

Holding your breath, you waited for a smart remark. But it never came, he was too focused on making you orgasm all over his tongue, dying to taste your sweet release. He had been deprived of it for so long. 

After he was finished tasting the mix of both your releases, he popped his head out from under the sheet to look at you, admire the work he had done. Your chest was heaving, eyes fluttered shut. You had moved your hands from his curls to the sheets, still clearly reeling from your orgasm. Joe wore a smirk on his face, looking up at you. Even in the minimal light, you could see the glisten of your juices on his chin as he licked his lips. 

“See? Told you I could jog your memory.”

You didn’t respond at first, still trying to come down from your high.

“Felt good, didn’t it?”

“Yeah.”, you finally breathed.

Joe fell beside you in bed, taking a deep breath before releasing a sigh. “Gonna build your pillow wall again?”

You glared at him. 

“Just asking. I mean, are you gonna let me cuddle you and give you some aftercare or not?”

“No. Just stay on your side of the bed and I’ll stay on mine. Can we do that?”, you asked as you grabbed the sheet and comforter and pulled them up and over you.

“Not even a goodnight kiss?”, he pouted playfully. “So you could at least taste how good we are?”

You rolled your eyes. “Couples give goodnight kisses. Not exes who decided to fuck. Now, go to sleep.”

You finally found the strength to turn over in bed, away from him. 

“Fine. Suit yourself.”, he sighed as he turned the opposite way, snuggling down into his pillow.

You weren’t sure how it happened when you blinked your eyes open hours later. For the first time in a long time, you had managed to sleep through the night. Coming to your senses while yawning, you felt two strong arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you towards them. There was also the sensation of something poking you in the ass. Your eyes widened as you shot up in a panic while wrapping the sheet around you to cover your breasts, coming to the realization of what had happened last night. 

“Oh shit.”

Joe was slowly waking up, unlike you. “Is everything okay?”, he rubbed his eyes, sitting up with you.

“We had sex. Last night.”

Joe’s lips curved into a smirk. “Multiple times.”

You glared at him. 

“I’m just stating facts, love. It was good—for the both of us.”

You rolled your eyes. “And you were cuddling me this morning. Didn’t I say specifically not to cuddle me?”

Joe shrugged easily, his sexy voice still apparent. “I can’t help what I did after you woke me up this morning around three.”

“What did we do around three?”

“Oh.”, he smirked. “We had sex again. You initiated it, rubbing your ass against my cock and begging me saying, ‘Please fuck me, Joe’, remember?”

“No, I definitely don’t.”, you laughed nervously. 

There was a moment of silence between you both but this allowed your brain to begin remembering exactly what he was referring to, realizing you had indeed initiated sex with him again. 

“Is it coming back to you, love?”

“Joe, please just stop. We can’t do this.”, you jumped out of bed, giving him a chance to admire your naked body, already making him hard again. 

He groaned as he palmed the bulge under the sheets, trying to make his hard-on go away but he was filling miserably. 

“Why not? It was great sex—amazing sex. We both liked it, both enjoyed it. It was relaxing for the both of us.”

“Because we work together.”, you sighed. 

“So? Never stopped us before.”

You turned to look at him, a soft glare in your eyes. It was hard to be mad at him. But you had managed to be mad at him before—for a long time. 

“Isn’t tonight the night you find out if you won or not?”

Joe nodded before sighing. “Yeah.”

“Are you nervous?”

Joe watched you as you got up, letting the sheet fall. You could feel his eyes on you, admiring your naked body. What would it hurt now? He had seen everything you had through the night. Plus, you all had been engaged before. It wasn’t like a huge secret. 

“Kinda.”, he breathed, running a hand through his curls. “This is a big deal.”

“So you’ve said.”

“Can we not do this right now?”

“Do what?”

“Argue. I need you to be on my side—be on my team, please. Can you do that?”, he asked as he grabbed your arm easily in an attempt to get your attention.

You stared at him, looking into his pleading brown eyes. “It would have been easier had I been your fiancé still.”

He sighed, rubbing his face. His beard needed a little trimming but you didn’t prefer him to be clean shaven. “I know.”

You could have said no when he asked you to accompany him. But something inside of you didn’t want to refuse. Somewhere, you had feelings rooted. Even if you didn’t want to admit it.

“How about we go sightseeing or something? Grab some breakfast?”, you suggested, clearing your throat as you slid a t-shirt on and some jeans. 

The weather in Baltimore was much different than the weather in Portland. It was near fall and you were thankful you had packed a thick winter coat. Joe had packed a peacoat, never straying far from his Londoner roots. His parents continued to live in London and mysteriously, you didn’t learn a lot about them even while you all were in a relationship—even being engaged. He left his mom and dad out of things. You had went to London with him on a few occasions. 

“Okay.”, he breathed as he got out of bed and you bit your lip, trying to ignore his physique. 

He wasn’t ashamed of his body, not even bothering wrapping the comforter around him. He was standing in the room with his bare ass showing. You felt your breath catch in your throat, trying to direct your attention elsewhere as he slid his jeans and boxers back on. 

“Hey,”, he began easily. “Wanna run by the pharmacy while we’re out?”

“And get what? A little late for condoms.”, you smirked as you fixed your hair in the mirror.

You’d need a good hot shower before the gala. Part of you was nervous, never doing these kinds of things with Joe before. You didn’t know if you would fit in with the affluent hospital crowd. These were doctors who had done a lot of research and written in medical journals. Where did you belong in this mess?

“Plan B.”, he breathed easily as he threw his baseball cap on.

“Oh.”, you widened your eyes, slightly surprised he’d bring that up. 

He had a point though, you weren’t on birth control and you all didn’t use any condoms. Things just happened so fast. Part of it still hurt, however, because there had been many discussions while you all were still together about your future children. 

He watched you for a response. 

“Yeah, that’s great.”

He nodded before grabbing his wallet and stuffing it in the pocket of his jacket. “I’ll pay for it.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“No, I insist, love.”

You both paused, looking into each other’s eyes. 

“Joe, you don’t have to do this shit for me.”

“I know. I just—it just takes two to tango, you know.”

You nodded. “Right.”

He grabbed the doorknob of the hotel room door, opening it and revealing the hallway. “We could always buy condoms if you plan on more sex. Maybe celebratory sex tonight?”, he smirked.

You rolled your eyes, trying to shift from the hurt back to playfulness. “We’ll see. You actually have to win first.”

You all wasted no time in exploring the city, quick to find a small diner for breakfast. It was quiet, off the beaten path. Joe chose to read the newspaper while drinking coffee. They had tea, but unless it was close to what they had back home, he wasn’t a big fan. You ordered an omelet with a side of hash browns and fruit, taking a sip of your orange juice. 

“Who knew Baltimore had such a high crime rate?”, Joe asked, sipping his coffee. 

“Not surprising.”, you stirred in your hash browns, smothering them in ketchup before taking a bite.

“I’d say their ERs are swarmed every night—gunshot wounds, mugging, car accidents.”

“Yeah, for sure.”

Joe opted for eggs, bacon, and a waffle. There was a lot of silence between you both as you both quietly ate your breakfast. You were chalking a lot of Joe’s silence up to being nervous about his speech and potentially winning the Lasker award. You did a lot of people-watching while you both were in the diner, anything to distract your attention from him. You didn’t want him to know he had as much power as he had over you. 

You all finished breakfast, going around the city. Joe liked to sight see in new places. Even while you both were together, you all took a lot of trips. Joe also took a lot of pictures, pulling his iPhone out and snapping pictures while you all toured the city. The last stop was the pharmacy, Joe bedside you. You went to the family planning aisle, immediately finding the Plan B pill.

“Why do they lock this shit up?”, you groaned as you grabbed it from the shelf, noticing its near fifty-dollar price tag.

“I assume women steal it. If you’re stealing Plan B, you probably shouldn’t be having sex.”, Joe shrugged easily as you immediately began your walk to the cash register, him trailing close behind. 

You rolled your eyes. “Some people make mistakes, you know.”

“Is this all for you?”, the woman at the register asked. 

You could read on the woman’s face that she knew you all had sex. It felt like the entire world knew at this point. 

“Yeah, how much is it?”, you asked. 

“52.95 with tax and all.”

You went to dig through your purse bit before you even had a chance to finish looking, Joe had already pulled out his debit card and paid for it. You glared at him, watching him shoot a cheeky smile at you before he grabbed the bag and receipt, shoving the receipt in the bag. Exiting the pharmacy, Joe held onto your bag. It wasn’t surprising as seeing this was the man who didn’t care to go buy your pads or tampons when you were having your period. 

It was always comfortable with him, never feeling shamed for being a woman and having womanly functions. 

“Want me to carry that?”, you asked as you all walked down the street.

Joe had lit up a cigarette, a habit he wished he could break—and he had tried. “No, I’ve got it.”

“You know smoking is bad for you.”, you teased. “Coming from a nurse.”

He smirked before releasing a light chuckle, taking a draw from his cigarette. “We all have to cope in some way, don’t we?”

You shrugged. “I guess so.”

Arriving back at the hotel, you fell on the bed that you all had made a mess of. It was an instant reminder of the events that had transpired between you both. You were already exhausted and you still had to attend the gala with Joseph. 

“I’m gonna shower first if that’s alright. Unless you want to join me.”, Joe cocked his eyebrows seductively. 

Part of you wanted to take him up on his offer, eager to feel him again. But you knew that would just prove his point further. 

“I’m sure you don’t want to smell like my girly body wash and perfume.”, you smirked back at him.

He smirked, undoing his jeans in front of you. He stepped out of them easily, folding them before laying them on the back of the chair near the desk. You felt your heart skip a beat, swallowing hard. Joe noticed but you didn’t want to believe he had.

“It would be worth it to stick my cock in your cunt.”

His words sent chills cascading down your body, your breathing instantly hitching. 

“Can’t use condoms in the shower.”

“Ah, we’ve got your Plan B pill. What’s one more time before you take it? You still have roughly fifty hours.”

You sat up, mouth dropping open before you began laughing. “Aren’t you a doctor? The sooner you take it, the better.”

“True.”, he agreed. “We could take our chances.”

“Do you know how dumb you sound right now? Like a lovesick teenage boy who is horny.”

He laughed lightly while he stripped his shirts, leaving him only in his boxers. “I mean after the amazing sex we had last night, it’s hard not to be. If you want to say no, you can. It’s your choice. There’s some bottled water in the fridge to take your pill with. I’m really just kidding.”

You bit your lip, your common sense leaving you. “I’ll shower with you.”

“Sorry, love. What was that?”

“I said—I’ll shower with you.”

“Yeah?”, he smirked. “Need another dose? It’s just what the doctor ordered, isn’t it?”

“Oh my God. You’re unbearable.”, you laughed, elbowing him. “Shut up before I change my mind.”

You all had subconsciously got closer, looking into one another’s eyes. Locking eye contact just seconds before your lips crashed into one another, him backing you up against the wall. You moaned into his mouth easily as he reached for your jeans, once again undoing them. It was almost a repeat from the night before. It hadn’t taken him long to memorize how to get your clothes off in a hurry. Within a minute, you were down to your bra and panties. 

“Don’t you feel like a dirty girl?”, he hummed, sticking his fingers down your panties. 

“Yeah, I do.”, you admitted with a sigh. 

“We’re gonna get all cleaned up. Promise.”, he breathed against your skin, kissing your neck. 

“Mhm, can’t wait.”, you took in a sharp inhale as he pulled your jeans and panties down to the floor. 

He tugged at the hem of your shirt, pulling it up and over your head, leaving you only wearing a bra. He wasted no time in wrapping his arms around your back, carefully undoing your bra and allowing it to fall to the floor. It was clear this wasn’t his first time undoing a bra from the front. He was skilled in undressing and for a brief moment you wondered how many other women he had done this to, but the thought was quickly interrupted by him kissing you, sending you into oblivion. 

“Ready—for—the shower?”, he breathed between kisses.

All you could do was nod in response. 

He picked you up again causing you to squeal in his mouth, shushing it with a kiss. His fingers squeezed your ass causing you to moan into the kiss. He had missed feeling your body, it was a work of art in his eyes. He had already managed to turn the water on, warming it up for you both. He had left the bathroom door open, the steam rolling out. He easily shut the door with his foot, setting you down on the floor and allowing you to gain your balance before pulling away. 

As he opened the shower door, you were biting your lip and admiring his physique. How had your mind been changed from just this morning—seeming to regret the decision you had made to sleep with him. He motioned for you to enter the shower first, reaching his hand out for you. You grabbed it, allowing him to pull you towards him. He placed several kisses on your neck causing shivers to cascade down your spine, allowing you to sigh into him.

“You get in first.”, he breathed.

“Okay.”

He helped you inside the shower, following close behind. So close you could feel his cock pressing against your ass. Your eyes fluttered shut, biting your lip while imagining what it would feel like for him to be inside of you again. Was it smart to not use condoms? No, but the feeling of him without one was something you couldn’t put into words. Maybe it was just you being cock drunk, but you couldn’t help it. You’d never tell him but he was an amazing lover, always trying to please you.

The hot water rushing over your skin brought you of your thoughts as Joe grabbed your waist from behind, bringing you flush against him. He began kissing your neck, hands roaming over your breasts before giving them a gentle squeeze.

“Fuck—you’re so sexy.”, he breathed, water dripping off his curls and onto your shoulders while running down your body.

“You cuss a lot around me.”, you smirked easily, leaning back against him.

“Can’t help it—need inside of you.”

“You’ll get to be soon.”, you sighed, allowing him to kiss all over your neck. 

“I know and I can’t wait.”, he hummed, hands finding your breasts before giving your nipples a pinch causing you to moan loudly. 

You hummed in agreement, letting his hands roam your body. They were thick and broad, feeling you up. He wasn’t gross like most guys were when they were touching your body. He made it all about you, giving you small compliments about how sexy and beautiful your were, how much he wanted you, and things that just made you feel good. 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

The room was thick with steam that poured from the shower. Your pulse quipped and your mouth was dry. You could feel his cock digging into you.

“Remember when we’d have shower sex when I came off a nineteen hour shift?”

Your breathing hitched. “Fuck—yeah, I do.”

“It was such good sex—then we passed out in bed.”, he chuckled. 

“Mhm.”, you hummed, chills covering your body. 

You remembered it well. Those days felt like so long ago even if they weren’t. Ever since Joe had left for Seattle, time seemed to pass slowly. It was hard to live without him at first—even calling out of work for a few days to mentally and emotionally try to get a grip on life. The sun didn’t rise and set in him, you knew that. But he had been a huge part of your life. It was hard to know he was gone. 

After he left, you learned to live without him—even feeling like you hated him some days. You hated him for making you love him. You hated him for leaving. You hated him for making you wake up alone. You hated him for choosing his career over you. You hated him for making you have to learn to live without him. But yet, here you were—having shower sex with him. 

Without warning, he spun you around in one quick motion making you face him in the shower, water dripping off your faces. Joe moved his hand to the back of your neck, tilting your head up to give you a warm kiss. You thought about the power those hands held. He was a doctor, skilled with his hands. You lost your words when it came to him, he still had that power over you. He knew what you wanted and he wasn’t going to make you wait long. 

He picked up your thighs, bringing them to circle around his waist as he pushed you against the wall of the shower for support. Your all’s shower was long forgotten, for the time being, something better in place of it. Joe wasted no time in slipping inside of you, his thick cock filling you and splitting you open in ways you couldn’t describe. A small moan escaped your lips, Joe releasing a grunt from the back of his throat. He was working soft strokes into you. If he was holding you, you were sure your legs would have given out by now.

“Can we both admit we missed this?”, he grunted before you both shared a soft kiss.

You scoffed playfully as he rutted himself further into you. “As if.”

“I know you missed me when I left for Portland.”

“What—does it matter?”, you moaned back. 

“Because—I missed you too. If I’m being honest. There—wasn’t a day I didn’t think about you.”, he grunted.

“Don’t—lie. Please don’t lie, Joe.”, you begged, swallowing hard.

“I’m not lying. I debated calling you every day. I—typed texts I never had the courage to send.”

“Can we please—not talk about this right now while—you’re inside of me?”, you hiccuped. 

“Fine—I won’t,”, he began as he continued to steadily fuck you. “Maybe after I win?”

There it was—his cockiness was back and in full force. It was hard to ignore, making you want to roll your eyes. But there wasn’t much else you could focus on other than him fucking himself into you. You felt your heart melt a little more. 

You let out a whine and nodded your head. “If  you win.”

Joe smirked as he sank his fingertips into your thighs, knowing he was going to leave marks. But you loved it—secretly, you loved anything he did. You felt your lower half tense, Joe continuing to help you towards your orgasm. You could feel every inch, vein, and tweak of his cock—all helping to add to your sensations and sensitivity. Joe put his lops back to yours, your moans going straight down his throat. He wanted you so badly, he wanted to swallow every little sound or hiccup you made. 

“Joe….”, you moaned into his mouth.

“Hm?”

“Gonna—cum—now.”, you moaned, the sound muffled as it filled his throat.

He didn’t beg or coerce you to cum, a slight surprise to you. But it wasn’t stopping the fact you were going to cum. Without further warning, you came. You juices spilled all over his cock, causing him to moan in response. Joe didn’t immediately follow, in fact his cock felt even harder than before.

“Fuck your cunt is gripping me so tight.”, he grunted, breaking the kiss.

Your body was still shaking, reeling from your orgasm and Joe seized the opportunity to start fucking you faster. His hands pulled you off his cock only to slam you back down on it, moving your body like it was nothing. Your body couldn’t stop shaking, your stomach twisting and aching but you knew you had more to give him. Your hands gripped his neck tighter, trying to hold onto his fast-moving body. He was fucking you so fast and so hard that you didn’t even have time to catch your breath. No need to when he would just take it again anyway.

You felt his cock twitch and you both knew he would cum soon and you couldn’t wait for him to fill you full. Even if you knew the risks associated with it. All that filled your ears were moans worthy of the big screen and whines coming from you. Joe’s moans and grunts added to the music you both were creating. The steam from the bathroom wasn’t helping you think straight. You were beginning to feel dizzy and disoriented. All you knew at the moment was that you needed Joe’s cum immediately. 

“Please—Joe….”, your pleading was cut short with abrupt thrust. “Please give me your cum, please cum deep inside of me.”

“You want it? It’s all yours—all fuckin’ yours.”, Joe coos. 

Within a second, you felt his warm cum deep inside of your cunt. His hips stuttered as he let out a long groan, almost matching the pace he was using to spill inside of you. You couldn’t help it, you followed him and came again—a loud whimper coming out. It was euphoric—more than either of you could have ever hoped or dreamed for. 

“Really want to stop this? Go back to work like none of this happened?”, he breathed, chest heaving up and down.

“We don’t have time to talk about this right now, we have to get ready.”, you breathed, trying to compose yourself. 

“Fine. But I’m gonna convince you before this trip is over.”, he smirked as he slipped out of you, some of his cum spilling out and mixing with the water. 

“We’ll see.”, you smirked back as you both began to quickly shower. 

________________________________________________________________________________

As you stood in your bra and panties, you looked in the mirror while making sure every part of your hair was perfect. You were wearing it up, a few loose curls out but it made it look more elegant—something you didn’t do often. The dress you had brought, ultimately didn’t make you happy for this event. Joe offered to get you a new dress, even remembering your size as he called a local formal shop. Even through many protests, Joe didn’t listen to you. You didn’t want him doing this for you, it was something you weren’t used to.

A knock came to the hotel room door. 

“I’ll get it.”, Joe said easily. 

You tried not to pay any attention to the conversation he had with whoever was delivering the dress. You put some finishing touches on your makeup, taking your mascara brush over your eyelashes one more time before spraying some make up setting spray. You heard the door close gently before hearing Joe’s footsteps grow closer. 

“Here’s your dress—even if I do like seeing you in your bra and panties.”, he laughed lightly.

You didn’t immediately turn around to view him. “Thanks.”

“What’s wrong?”, he sighed. “You should be happy.”

You scoffed lightly before turning around. “You bought me a dress. Quit doing nice things for me, please. You’re making it harder to hate you.”

“Maybe that’s my intention—though I don’t think you hate me at all.”

You rolled your eyes. “Just show me the dress.”

He smirked as he unzipped the garment bag, revealing a black dress with crystals decorating the slender straps with mesh insets at the waist and a sultry side slit. 

“Joe, it’s—”

“Don’t say it’s too much. Just please wear it—I insist.”

You glared at him. “I was going to say beautiful.”

“Oh.”, he chuckled softly. “Can we get you in it?”

"Yeah, we only have two hours to finish getting ready and to get to the venue.”, you looked back at him. 

“Alright, turn around and I’ll get you into clothes instead of getting you out of clothes.”

You rolled your eyes before following his request. He took the dress out of the garment bag, instantly admiring how beautiful it was—just like you. He knew you were going to look amazing in it. 

“Okay just step into this for me.”

You did before he slid it up your body, admiring how it fit perfectly around your curves as he fixed the straps on your shoulders, the crystals flickering in the light. He zipped the dress up, it finally taking full form on your body. Looking in the mirror, you could tell on his face that he loved the way it looked on you. You noticed him look you up and down in the mirror.

“God it fits you like a glove.”, Joe breathed.

“It does.”, you agreed. “Now, I need to put on my heels. Shit, and my earrings.”

You left him standing in front of the mirror as you walked over to grab the dangle earrings, putting them in your ears. Turning away from the mirror, you noticed him putting the finishing touches on his suit. He looked good—so good. You slid your heels on before grabbing your clutch, quickly slipping your morning-after pill inside. You’d take it after the awards. You knew it could cause severe nausea, cramping, and maybe even bleeding. 

“Ready to go?”, you asked easily.

You could tell Joe was becoming nervous. 

“Yeah.”, he began. “You look beautiful.”

He was deflecting, something he had learned to do very well while growing up. There were a lot of secrets you didn’t know about your ex-fiancé. 

“Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.”, you joked softly. 

He smiled, forgetting his problems for tonight. “Let’s go.”

“Lead the way.”

To your surprise, a limo showed up to chauffeur you and Joe to the gala. You all sat in silence on the ride there, being offered champagne to kill the nerves. You sipped yours slowly as did Joe, the silence lying between you both. 

“Nervous?”, you asked easily.

“No.”, Joe lied, taking a sip of his champagne as he cleared his throat. 

“You’re a bad liar.”

“I’m not lying.”, he defended. “I was maybe nervous when I took my USMLE to be a doctor….I’m not nervous now.”

He didn’t make eye contact with you as the ride continued, you nodding lightly even though you didn’t believe him even in the slightest. You all continued to sip your champagne until it was gone and you all arrived at the gala. The driver got out, opening the door for you both as you thanked him. 

“Can we at least act like we like each other?”, he whispered.

“Are you going to admit I’m just one of your nurses?”

He rolled his eyes again. “You’re more than just one of my nurses—you’re my best nurse.”

“Whatever.”

“It’s true—you know what I like—how I like it. I’ve been hard on you lately. It’s not fair to you.”

“Joe please—can we not do this before your speech and stuff?”

“What are we telling people? I can call you my date and then if they ask your profession, tell them we met working together—which isn’t a lie.”

“Sure—tell them the truth.”, you agreed. 

“Fine, we will. It’s not like I’m ashamed of you.”, Joe responded. 

You both continued inside, classical music instantly filling your ears. The lights were down low, the noise of people chatting and glassware clinking joining the music. You swallowed hard and the nerves began to sit in and you weren’t even the one up for an award and delivering a speech. Joe nudged you easily in hopes you would link your arm with his and at least make it look like you enjoyed one another’s company. Glancing up at him, he stared ahead and didn’t bother glancing down at you. 

“Dr. Joseph Quinn.”, a voice spoke, causing you both to turn around.

A hand was held out, Joe clearing his throat and taking it.

“Dr. Thomas Snider.”

“And who’s this beautiful woman on your arm?”, his eyes glanced over to you. 

You and Joe eyed one another before Joe responded. 

“Y/F/N Y/L/N.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Y/N. Can I call you that?”, he outstretched his hand.

“Yes, nice to meet you, Tom.”, you took his hand. 

“Why don’t we all have a drink? It’s a big occasion—I heard you’re up for a Lasker award.”

Joe looked at you as he fixed his suit as if he was asking your permission. You nodded lightly as you both followed Tom over to the bar area. You sat beside Joe, laying your clutch on the table as you were careful to sit down in the chair in your dress. A waiter was quick to come over to the table and ask for your drink order. Tom asked what you all would have—Joe wanted a martini while you opted for a Cosmo. You listened to Joe and Tom’s conversation lightly while waiting for your drink. Maybe in an hour or two you could sneak off to the bathroom and slip your morning-after pill. You needed to take that. It had been almost over twenty-four hours at this point, nearing day two.

The sooner the better—that’s what their slogan was on the website and all healthcare professionals knew that to be true. It was either take the pill or leave it up to fate. But you didn’t exactly want to get pregnant with your ex-fiancé’s baby. That wasn’t on your bingo card and this was your best bet. It had a ninety-five percent effectiveness rate after twenty-four hours—eighty-five percent after forty-eight hours. But that was better than not taking it at all and hoping for the best. This wasn’t something you could hope for the best for—that often ended tragically as evidenced by your life. 

“So how did you all meet?”

The question from Tom brought you back to reality.

“Um, we actually work together.”, Joe smirked over at you. 

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”, you agreed, looking back at Joe. 

“What do you practice?”, he asked.

“I’m sorry?”

“Like are you pediatrics, ortho, cardio?”

“I’m a nurse.”, you said bluntly. 

“Ah, the doctor and nurse trope. Nice Joe.”, he elbowed Joe playfully, causing Joe to smirk lightly as he took a sip of his drink. 

You glared at them both lightly, fire beginning to burn in your eyes. 

“She’s a peds nurse. My best one.”, Joe smirked at you, laughter resolving as he noticed you didn’t think his joke was as funny as he did. 

You felt your heart soaring in your chest, causing you to almost immediately perk up. But you quickly reminded yourself that he was just putting on a front. It was what he was best at doing. He was a smooth operator and only told people what they wanted to hear. 

“I’m happy for you, Joe. Hold on to her or someone might snatch her away.”

Their cordial laughter ripped through your thoughts and you cleared your throat lightly. Your drink was almost gone but it wasn’t helping you. 

“I’m gonna grab another drink.”, you responded lightly. 

“Okay.”, Joe spoke up easily. 

You gave him a half smile as you got up, abandoning the conversation. Wasting no time, you marched up the bar counter and ordered another Cosmo. You put your wallet on the bar, beginning to think about the Plan B pill that was inside of it. You couldn’t help but think about that as each second clicked off the clock, your timer was running out. You shook your head as the bartender slid your Cosmo to you, distracting you from your thoughts. 

“Hello,”, you heard someone tap the microphone in an attempt to gain the audience’s attention. 

You turned around in your bar seat. 

“Thank you all for attending our annual award ceremony. Doctors and other medical professionals alike across the United States are nominated for the Lasker Award for their continued groundbreaking research in this field. We will be beginning in the auditorium shortly if you all want to go ahead and take your seats. Again, thank you all for coming.”

Chatter began to pick back up amongst the crowd. You swiped your drink from the bar, thanking the bartender before making your way back over to the table only to find Joe sitting there alone. He was checking his cell phone before he noticed you had made your way back over. 

“Hey.”, he spoke softly.

“Hey. Your friend leave?”

He scoffed lightly before it turned into laughter. “Not exactly my friend. Just an old acquaintance.” 

“He’s blunt.”

Joe nodded, already knowing he wouldn’t be your cup of tea. You weren’t used to that even if you were a nurse. The medical field brought along a lot of emotions. Joe remembered vividly being a resident and not being taken seriously. He always had to ask permission from his fellow and you never dared question an attending. Even though he had pushed the bill before when it came to the outcome for his patient. At first, he wasn’t respected for it—he was chastised for it. He had come to America for a fresh start. Meeting you was never in the cards and neither was leaving you. But he couldn’t think about that right now. 

“Yeah.”, Joe began, sipping his drink. “Always has been. Don’t let it get under your skin.”

“That’s a little impossible.”

Joe laughed lightly. “I know.”

“Are you nervous?”, you attempted to change the subject.

“Kind of.”

“You’re gonna do fine. You always do. You have charm and charisma working out of your ears. It’s what a lot of women love about you.”

Joe’s brown eyes panned up to meet yours. “Funny. I can’t find any women who love that endearing quality.”

He was trying to make jokes, a soft smirk across his lips. 

Rolling your eyes, you responded. “You just haven’t met the right one.”

“I did. And I fucked it up.”

You looked at him, confused. It was like time was in slow motion and you couldn’t wrap your head around what he had said. Was your brain tricking you?

“Dr. Quinn.”, a woman who was dressed very elegantly interrupted your all’s conversation. “They’re ready for you.”

He gave you a soft smile as he raised up from his chair, brushing his slacks. You eyed him, opening your mouth to speak but no words would come out. You wished you could have forced words of encouragement but what would you say back to something like that? He looked back at you as he walked away, following the woman who came to get him. You hurried and downed your Cosmo, leaving the empty glass and almost running towards the auditorium—except you had heels on and you couldn’t “run”. 

[archie-gray]

i was really impressed by onana yesterday and saw today that a lot of spurs fans on twitter are talking about wanting him on our team, what are your thoughts? what’s his play style like? what do you think his price point would be?

anon i’ve been wanting to talk about him for so long and this ask came at such a perfect time thank you 😭 i will be yapping a lot under the cut but my main thoughts are 1) i think he would be incredible for us and i love him 2) he’s an absolute monster in defence. versatile, strong, tall, smart 3) i think he’d be quite expensive, i don’t see everton selling him for less than £60 million unless they have to for FFP reasons, im guessing somewhere between £50-80 million.

okay. i’ve also been seeing our fans on twitter talk about wanting him and ive been liking every single tweet because yes!!!! we would absolutely be better with him in our midfield!!!!

firstly, he’s a young and versatile player (he’s only 22!) he was asked to play cb in belgium’s game vs ireland which is an odd position for him but played very well and without complaint. as a person he’s incredibly mature and humble when speaking for belgium, absolutely future captain material and i think he would fit in very well personality wise at spurs as well. he normally plays as a central or defensivemidfielder i believe but can switch to attacking and now to cb whenever needed which is perfect for us.

he’s an absolute monster in defence. tall, strong, incredibly long legs that can sweep the ball out of any player as you saw yesterday, and pretty good vision as well! everton in general are just huuuge but he’s about 195 cm i believe so he’d be vital for us when we’re defending those pesky corners 😖 he’s also great at header goals because he’s so damn tall that no one can get to the ball before him. he’s also not very injury prone, he’s had small injuries here and there but nothing that keeps him out too long.

his debut for belgium was very impressive and he was even called up to the world cup which was a pleasant surprise. one of his best strengths is his ball carrying ability, he’s insane with transition. he reminds me a bit of mousa in the way that he’s quicker than you expect, insanely strong, and amazing at carrying the ball.

i know united, arsenal, barcelona, and chelsea(?) are all interested in him as well which gives you some insight into how good of a player he is. i think barca made an offer of £50 mil and was rejected by everton because they wanted more which is fair. i mean i believe we have the funds for him and i think he’s such an adaptable player that he could easily work in ange’s system so i really hope we show interest in him and act quickly in the summer.

sorry that this was all over the place i was just so excited to talk about him LOL i love him so much. idk if you know that belgium have had their drama recently with courtois and him whining about not getting the armband but amadou was quick to shut down any talks of that drama which is another reason i love him. he always says that as long as he gets to wear the country’s badge he’s happy and honoured and will always fight to keep his position in the belgium squad. he would die for the badge, he would be absolutely perfect for us.

some videos if you want to take a look:

this comp on twt of him in the england game

just a quick little look into his personality

and a video that the red devils made when he was a rookie introducing him

(he’s also insanely gorgeous i mean that’s just the cherry on top but man he’s handsome)

[trickstersmagic]

Capcom threw NeroV at my feet, called me a filthy animal and then drove off

Improved version of an old meme I made.

[the-necessary-unnecessary]

My top 7 Arsenal wfc players, aka the whole team because they're all my children and you can't chose between children

(And they're not many more than seven anyways)

Beth Mead: a wizard on the wong and the original crot queen. She may not have had the best season this year but shes still managed to play an important part in the team and has conquered many hearts in the process. If she has to retire early because of all the hits she receives during matches then she's got a bright future ahead of her as a cringey tiktok star or, if that fails, a career as a HSM impersonator on cruise ships

Cailtin Foord: there were mixed opinions when she was first announced as a new signing, but she almost immediately became one more member of the arsenal family amongst players and supporters alike. Before Covid struck shes already stamped her mark on the club with her skill and made her way onto the scoresheet, and now shes also made her way into Lia's house and infected the squad with the chaotic tiktok bug

Dan Carter: literally a gooner through and through having played for arsenal for practically all her life and pulling through in the big moments. Heartbreak and injury have been her middle names for over the past year having sustained two ACL injuries in 14 months. Even if she hasnt had as much of an impact on the pitch shes still been a large part of injury fc, with her and her diary always being a source of sarcasm and banter through it all.

Danielle Van De Donk: she probably described herself best when she said she was a feisty puppy who wants to ball. A woman who takes no prisoners during matches, opponents refs and the back of nets all fear her. Off the pitch though shes a real softie who radiates chaotic energy and yet has developed over the years into quite the leader (even if she still follows beth around on her tiktok adventures)

Jennifer Beattie: a friendly giant who quietly puts in all the work at the back, being an absolute unit as a last line of defense which was sorely missed during her injury. She came back from City because arsenal is home and that's beautiful. Talking about beautiful, her and Chloe. That's it, nothing more needs to be elaborated on. Pretty underrated although shes been getting more attention lately, she makes Kim company as the quiet Scottish duo who are lethal on the pitch

Jill Roord: despite her love hate relationship with goal posts, shes still made her mark at arsenal this year especially thanks to the fact that she has remained injury free this year (dont worry I touched wood when I typed that) and hopefully next year when shes settled in even more to the team and the league then she'll be able to show what she's truly made of. That is, if she lasts that long before the team kick her out for being too annoying. A woman who likes the two extremes, Frozen and Olaf as well as blonde tattooed players and famous thirst traps, she epitomises this soft yet hard personality dichotomy too

Jordan Nobbs: calm, composed, skillful, professional, dynamic and with the capacity of being able to astutely read the game, she's the personification of arsenal in a player. Having been at the club for a whole decade now she's practically lived it all and yet she continues on hungry for better and more. With the way she acts on the pitch you would never guess her forgetful, dorky, awkward nature off it. The woman with both the longest nando's order ever and the shortest attention span.

Katie McCabe: the Irish devil, the arsenal player founder of the tucked in shirt, member of the love to hate her girlfriend club. Her almost permanent move to left back this season has reaped bountiful benefits for her, a flexible player who always finds freedom on the wing shes proved herself as lethal as both a defender and a finisher. In Jordan's words, she talks about her biceps all the time, but so would I if I was that stacked. That being said, Ruesha always finds a way to beat her which is probably payback for her scoring against West Ham in the cup

Katrine Veje: another player lost to injury this season, although lockdown has treated her well (that makes one of us) and she's apparently fully fit again. Shes been sorely missed as a fullback for most of her season, her explosiveness and crosses in particular. As it is shes used her time to get in some spectacular photoshoots and just be and just be a source of clownery as a veteran at injury fc

Kim Little: as silent as Kim and as deadly as Kim should be new british sayings at this point. Quick on her feet with nerves of steel shes an impressive player to watch and is sometimes the glue in the midfield that keeps arsenal together. Her professionalism both on and off the pitch is as big as her dislike of cameras

Leah Williamson: the face of arsenal and not because of her looks, rather because of her insane talent and her embodiment of all things arsenal. From the moment she was born arsenal was pumping through her veins. One of the best up and coming CBs with long range passes for days she has been a crucial part of the arsenal squad for so long you forget she's just 23. What she lacks in some of her fashion choices she makes up in her bright and nerdy personality and her never ending stream of insults directed at Jordan

Leonie Maier: she recently said that she has never regretted the decision to move to arsenal and that has been because shes been able to shine in defense mainly alongside Leah, each playing off each other's strengths and developing herself as a player in a new league which is never an easy transition. Dont let her banana bread making trick you into thinking shes the mum in the group, shes proved herself to be as chaotic as the rest of them.

Lia Walti: arguably the best thing to come out of Switzerland since toblerone (much better than swiss cheese though). Like a lot of arsenal players, it sometimes seems like she would be better off playing in bubble wrap so she wouldnt sustain as many injuries. She's an intelligent player, one of the best qualities to have as a midfielder, with skill coming out of her ears and unfulfilled potential still to come. Her sunshine-like looks can be deceiving though because she leaves her brain cells in the changing room, as is becoming an arsenal tradition.

Lisa Evans: another alround players who, as a winger-cum-fullback, has thrived in her position this year. Her defensive position yet forward thinking mentality has proved deadly and when shes been given space to roam the wing too shes provided goals and assists a plenty. Her unpredictability on the pitch translates into her chaotic tendencies off it and a love for the arsenal anthem “we've got McCabe, Katie McCabe”. Sometimes she likes to pretend that she's a seal (exhibit A attached below)

Louise Quinn: it would be stereotypical to say that it's natural that shes so good at headers due to her height, but stereotypes exist for a reason and her tower-like build makes her a match for any Millie Bright in the heading department. She's a consistent, sturdy player who is great at starting up play from the back in many cases providing that vital first past (sometimes with her head because she's tall). Her pastimes include drinking a lot of coffee, understandable that she needs to refuel considering her height, and making fun on her teammates so that they dont make fun of her accent and her 183 cm length. Have I mentioned that she's tall?

Manuela Zinsberger: an extremely talented goalkeeper although sometimes people can excusably confuse her with being arsenal's eleventh outfield player. Another bayern recruit she's been key this season making some great saves and causing a few heart attacks in the process (west ham's penalty box free kick anyone?). She may look tough but she's just as much a clown as the rest of them

Pauline Peyraud-Magnin: the second proud member of the goalkeepers union. Shes not called the Hulk for no reason, racking up some great saves and skills with her feet even as Joe's second choice. What she lacks in command of the english language she makes up in utter chaos including hand gestures, shouting and eratic dancing, well as staging photoshoots at arsenal's gym.

Viki Schnaderbeck: shes been able to mostly avoid injury fc this season after a long stint there last year and her hardwork has paid off to establish her as a mainstay here as a skilled defensive player. Shes been loud and proud recently on social media and I am loudly and proudly here to support it

Vivianne Miedema: in Katie's own words “the goat”. Absolutely lethal as a center-forward, calm collected and composed in front of the goal, and also crucial in providing build up play and assists. She can both hold off opponents and reach an unmatched maximum speed with surprising ambidexterity and complete nonchalantness. The only player who is actively lazy and is able to get away with it. She puts up with a lot of chaos but is not unknown to add to it too, mainly providing subtle humor and sarcastic wit. Not a personality for the faint hearted.

[itmighthavebeenintentional]

After Midnight

Summary: She calls him one last time, determined to put an end to their tryst. Loki feels differently.

Written for @fvckingavengers​ Quarantine Challenge, prompt #32: “After Midnight” by Dorothy. Be gentle, this is my first posted Loki story. Beautiful header by @there-must-be-a-lock​ ; thank you so much, friend! Mega thanks to @glassjacket​ , @cracksinthewalls​ , and everyone who poke the story for me. Couldn’t do it without y’all.

Warnings: sexual content, Loki being persuasive. 

ItMightHaveBeenIntentional’s Masterlist

#32: “After Midnight” by Dorothy

Set me on fire, Kerosene eyes Looking right through me. Selling my soul for one night. Doin' me dirty, Telling me lies, You are not worthy, Telling myself it's the last time. 'Cause nothing good comes after midnight. Ain't no good love come from pain. Nothing good comes after midnight When you play the Devil's game. Dragging me under, Cutting me down to the bone, Standing on the edge, Falling for a rollin' stone. 'Cause nothing good comes after midnight. Ain't no good love come from pain. Nothing good comes after midnight When you play the Devil's game. …

“This is the last time.” 

“I beg your pardon.” His voice, low and harmonic, resonates deep in her marrow. “I did not summon myself.”

“I called you to tell you no more. We...I can’t do this anymore.”

His presence, cool water for a parched desert traveler, trickles down her spine in rivulets until every nerve ending shivers with anticipation. A single finger, long and elegant, sweeps across the line of her shoulders.

“And what...precisely...is this, darling? What is it you think we can’t do anymore?”

He pauses, and his gaze settles on the back of her head, heavy and unnerving. She can’t hide anything from him, and she should have known better than to try.

“I can’t...handle you anymore. I never could, and I was stupid to think otherwise.”

A clock chimes a single note somewhere out in the darkness, deep and distant. 

“Oh, I think you handle me quite well. Your skills have proven to be quite pleasing. I prefer your company over most of my supplicants.”

She stands straighter, bracing herself against the onslaught of his praise. Despite her best efforts, each word sinks into her mind, rooting deep into her psyche. She pretends to ignore her quickened pulse, her rising flush.

“You have always been too much for me. We both know that. I can’t survive you, Loki. I can’t live my life during the day when all my thoughts are with you in the night. I can’t eat, I never sleep, I just pine after you. You-”

His thumb ghosts over her cheekbone, leaving an icy trail across her face. Then he stands before her, thumb tilting her chin up, and she can’t bring herself to look away. 

His eyes are cerulean flame, the worst degree of frostburn, and her resolve turns to ash in the face of his inferno.

“You won’t leave me,” he commands, his voice carrying to every corner of her mind. She finds herself leaning into his touch, her stomach clenching with want. “Of what value is mere survival in comparison to what we share, what we invoke together?”

He steps again, a predator circling prey, fingers splayed along her jaw as he pulls her shoulder blades flush against his chest. 

“You wish to live, and yet I offer you transcendence. Is that not better? Higher?” His lips, wintry velvet, brush against the shell of her ear with every word. Two fingers slide down to press against her, taking measure of her fluttering pulse, and he exhales his pleasure sharply against her cheek.

“Give over,” he murmurs. He presses an open kiss against her flushed face. “Why squander your strength fighting the ineffable? It is your vitality I so desire, the flame within you. I welcome the burn.”

A stream of searing kisses down the length of her throat, one hand pressing firm against her belly, his other arm anchoring her firmly against his chest.

“Tell me you wish me to leave,” he whispers. The hand on her belly drifts lower, and she moans, head rolling back against his collarbone.

“Dismiss me, banish me from your thoughts.”

Her throat constricts; the air in the room is too cold, too thin. She is drowning on dry land. His hand slides lower still, resting between her hips bones. A sharp, blazing ache throbs mere inches south of his fingertips, but this is his game, and he plays by his rules and no one else’s.

“Am I not worth a little damage?” he says. Of all his strength and wile, his wit and skill, it is Loki’s pain that finally cuts her down to the bone. Another trick from the master, but she can feel the reality behind the facade, and her last wall of resistance shatters.

She stands on the edge of the precipice, her decision made long before his hand moves, fingers gliding within her, pressing, plunging. 

“Fall for me, love,” he says. Behind his lush tones, his plea is irresistibly entreating. “Fall with me, join me in my abyss, and we will soar higher, I swear it.”

She clings to him, and they sink as one stone into the depths. 

[tipsoctopus]

£135m arrival, 17-goal star: MUFC's stunning 20/21 XI if big transfer claims prove true -opinion

With the Premier League amid an impromptu hiatus, perhaps it’s unsurprising that the transfer rumours have started early this year, with Manchester United in the thick of it.

Of course, any rumours always need to be taken with a pinch of salt, especially at a time when the football media is desperate for stories to cover, but if recent claims prove true Manchester United’s starting XI could be nothing short of genuinely incredible by the time 2020/21 rolls around.

Here’s a quick rundown of how the Red Devils could look based on current speculation…

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

Goalkeeper – David De Gea: No changes here. Dean Henderson has been impressing on loan at Sheffield United with the second-most clean sheets of any Premier League goalkeeper, but it would surely take a massive offer for the Red Devils to part with De Gea while there’s still three years left on his contract.

Right-Back – Aaron Wan-Bissaka: A strong first season from the former Crystal Palace man in which he’s averaged 3.8 tackles per game in the Premier League suggests he’ll be first-choice next term as well. United have been linked with PSG’s Thomas Meunier, but the 28-year-old could be more of a squad option considering Wan-Bissaka’s done so little wrong.

Right Centre-Back – Matthijs De Ligt: The Daily Star have claimed Manchester United are considering a stunning swoop for De Ligt that would see Paul Pogba go in the other direction to Juventus. The Red Devils were keen on the Dutch defender last summer until he joined Juve in a £67.5m deal, but he’s struggled to impress with an average Whoscored rating of 6.72 in Serie A.

Aged 20, the former Ajax man would still be a wise long-term investment for any top club and certainly provide Harry Maguire with a top-quality partner, something The Star claim Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is determined to find this summer. It’s worth noting, however, that De Ligt’s father-in-law has been quick to quash the rumours.

Left Centre-Back – Harry Maguire: Much like Wan-Bissaka, Maguire has adapted to life at Old Trafford with impressive ease, even taking up the captain’s armband. The England international scored a heroic header in the most recent Manchester Derby and looks like he’ll be a cornerstone of the first team for some time.

Left-Back – Luke Shaw: The Sun claim Solskjaer has been so impressed by Brandon Williams’ development this season that United won’t be on the lookout for another left-back this summer. It’s still early days for the 19-year-old though, so we’re expecting Luke Shaw to remain first choice – at least at the start of the campaign.

Holding Midfield – Saul Niguez: The Star have sensationally reported that United are confident of landing Atletico Madrid’s Niguez this summer in an incredible club-record £135m deal. That might seem like a lot of money to pay for someone who we’ve put in holding midfield but in many ways, that’s the beauty of the Spain international – this season alone he’s played in five different positions, and he seems uniquely adaptable to the demands of whatever team he’s in.

It’s alleged Solskjaer sees the 25-year-old as a potential replacement for Pogba who can operate alongside Bruno Fernandes in midfield, but we’ve dropped him back a little bit to make room for another alleged United incoming.

Central Midfield – Bruno Fernandes: Having already bagged three goals and four assists in his first nine outings for United, it’s safe to assume January signing Fernandes won’t be going anywhere next season. He’s already proving to be a vital cog in Solskjaer’s side and it would be a complete shock to see him bumped down the pecking order next season.

Central Midfield – Jack Grealish: The Aston Villa signing arrives to complete a midfield a la Pep Guardiola, with two roaming playmakers in front of a trusted and tenacious anchorman. Despite once again landing himself in hot water after bizarrely ignoring his own advice about self-isolation, The Daily Mail claim United are still expected to land the Englishman in a deal worth up to £80m.

A fine season for Grealish has seen him reach the League Cup final for Villa and contribute to 13 Premier League goals, despite his side languishing in the relegation zone. He’s certainly got the ability to make the step up to a top club, although there are some question marks over his attitude.

Right Wing – Jadon Sancho: According to Mirror Football, with Liverpool excluding themselves from the race, Manchester United and Chelsea will go head-to-head for the services of Jadon Sancho this summer. The 20-year-old is a frightening prospect, with 17 goals and 19 assists this season alone, and offers a solution to the right wing conundrum that has plagued United this season.

Like De Ligt, he represents another wise long-term investment for a top club. However, Mirror Football also claim United aren’t prepared to match Dortmund’s £100m asking price, so it seems some haggling may have to take place before this deal gets over the line.

Left Wing – Marcus Rashford: We often think of Rashford as the centre-piece in United’s attack but he’s actually made more appearances as a wide forward this season according to Transfermarkt, producing a prolific 15 goals and 4 assists in 19 outings from the left. It’s perhaps not Rashford’s ideal position long-term, but placing him there again next season will allow for another key addition up front.

Striker – Harry Kane: Manchester Evening News have suggested a United swoop for Kane remains unlikely but following on from his admission that he may eventually leave Spurs if there are no clear signs of progress, Rio Ferdinand has defiantly claimed that the Red Devils will be in for the Tottenham star, insisting he’s “perfect” for them.

Daniel Levy is notorious for refusing to do business with Premier League rivals, but Kane would no doubt be a fantastic addition to the Old Trafford ranks as arguably the best striker in the world. Even this season, which has been plagued by injuries and Spurs’ wayward form, the England captain has netted 17 times in 25 games.

The final XI

Meanwhile, Paul Pogba’s transfer priority has been revealed. 

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[sportsleague365]

Lots of Magpies reacted to a post from Newcastle United’s official account announcing the club will be showing the memorable 5-0 drubbing of Manchester United on YouTube this Saturday. Kevin Keegan’s Black and Whites thrashed Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils at St James’ Park thanks to efforts from Darren Peacock, David Ginola, Les Ferdinand, Alan Shearer and a sublime chip from defender Philippe Albert (BBC). Hulking defender Peacock opened the scoring with a hopeful header that United’s goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel inexplicably failed to stop, sending Tyneside into scenes of wild celebration. Ginola quickly followed, spinning Gary Neville inside out and striking a ferocious shot into the top corner. Local hero Shearer scored and created two assists on that day, teeing up Ferdinand for a towering header, before latching onto his fellow striker’s rebound and putting the game far beyond United. However, it was the centre-back who provided one of the most “amazing” goals in Premier League history, taking a pass from Robert Lee and nonchalantly lifting the ball over a helpless Schmeichel (TheSetPieces). Make sure to check out the footage for yourselves this weekend. Unsurprisingly a whole host of the Toon Army responded to the club’s announcement and some fans shared their memories online. One Geordie simply stated the result was “outstanding.” However, another fan noted it is “criminal that team didn’t win the league.” Keegan shocked many supporters by suddenly leaving, and his former side went on to finish second, behind Ferguson’s United, in what is widely regarded as the end of The Entertainers era (TheSetPieces). Have a read through the reactions down below… Criminal that team didn’t win the league — Adam Pearson (@MikeAshleyFan12) March 26, 2020 #IMHO what a fantastic performance & such a memorable game! Never to be forgotten! — Peter Moran (@PJAMESM1) March 26, 2020 Philippe Albert scored an amazing goal — Vermeerch Bjorn (@winoslivecom) March 26, 2020 That Philippe Albert chip!!! Still treasure that VHS tape — Dusan Mihajilovic (@DusanMih) March 26, 2020 Outstanding 💪💪💪 — Julian Jones (@JulianJ80289895) March 26, 2020 20th October. I was in Scarborough playing for North Tyneside and my Manager Stan Jackson was a Man U fan – what a birthday treat that was !! — Mark Donnelly (@TheofficialDon) March 26, 2020 pic.twitter.com/07DMoBevTL — Jack Mac,😷 (@GlennMCcready) March 26, 2020 Missing football!? There’s still plenty of Newcastle discussion going on in the Vital Newcastle Forum! Click here to get involved! Click here to comment on this articleorGive us feedback on your Football Transfer Tavern experience #ToonArmy #NewcastleUnited #DavidGinola

[ticket4futball]

Bruno surprised by regularity and strength of Premier League on Manchester United debut

Bruno Fernandes was amazed by the pace and stream of the Premier League as Wolves held Manchester United to a goalless draw at the end of the week, yet the midfielder was excited with how his presentation went at Old Trafford.

The 25-year-old's first appearance in Manchester United hues was commonly generally welcomed by fans and intellectuals and Solskjaer piled acclaim on his £47million marking after the goalless draw. Football fans from around the world can purchase Premier League Football Tickets online to enjoy its stunning performances.

Wolves' goalkeeper Rui Patricio denied Fernandes a fantasy debut with a couple of routine recoveries at Old Trafford and Diogo Dalot missed the objective with a late header for the Red Devils.

As per Portuguese outlet Record, Fernandes was charmed with his opening match, however slightly frustrated not to have opened his record for his new club. The report includes that the midfielder was shocked by the mood and force of English football.

After the conflict, Fernandes came back to Portugal to watch Sporting's 1-0 destruction away to Braga in the Portuguese top flight.

Solskjaer accuses dull draw with Wolves for absence of vitality Play Video Loaded: 0% 0:00Progress: 0% PlayMute Current Time0:00/Duration Time7:06 Full screens.

Ryan Giggs views about Fernandes

Ryan Giggs was dazzled all in all with Fernandes' presentation however cautioned Solskjaer that the Portuguese could be an obligation in a profound midfield job for Manchester United. There was a look at the quality he possesses.

I figure it may require a touch of working out what his best position is, Giggs disclosed to Premier League Productions. With his back to the objective, I don't feel that is his position.

At the point when he is somewhat more profound, protectively, he might be somewhat of an obligation. He is in the middle of the two truly. That is the place you need to see him, making advances on the ball heading into the last third.

Yet additionally, you see when he is that tad more profound he can shower the passes; he has the vision to then play those passes. Be that as it may, at that point you need the runs.

Giggs included: When I returned and played in midfield, if I got the show on the road and nobody was running in behind, I would let them know for initial five minutes, I need to turn, face the play, and move the barrier.

What that does, it offers space to the wide-men who need to come in, the No.10, the protection at that point are as of now on their way when he gets the show on the road.

I figure he will need to locate his best position as a matter of first importance. He tired towards the end yet you can see the quality that he has.

Solskjaer sayings

Solskjaer was satisfied with Fernandes' exhibition yet accepts the best is yet to originate from the Portugal universal. "You can see Bruno is a top player.

Obviously, it is the main game, the Norwegian disclosed to Sky Sports. First half everybody was pretty much getting the show on the road into feet and Bruno is one of the individuals who, when he gets the show on the road into feet, he needs players running, needs players moving before him and we didn't move enough before him."

So we believed we moved him further back to get this show on the road on the ball more. He will be a top, top addition.

Football fans can get Manchester United Football Tickets through our trusted online ticketing marketplace. Ticket4football.com is the most reliable source to book Manchester United Tickets.

[hiloedits]

— madden odell headers

like or reblog if you use/save.

© hiloedits on twitter.

[styleprompts]

Draw something in the style of Adventure Time!

Click here for the full post. Click here for Style Prompts’s FAQ. (please keep this link if reblogging with your art, even if you remove the rest)

We’re getting this blog started with the amazing art of Adventure Time. This style is characterized by long, simplistic limbs, faces with dots for eyes and single line mouths, and a lack of noses. Colors are generally solid rather than patterned, and details are used sparingly, for emphasis, with more detail appearing the backgrounds than the character designs.

The fluidity of movement and general weight of things, even in a static pose, are vital to this style.

Food for Thought this section is intended to provide some suggestions for your art

Many regions in Adventure Time are themed (ice, candy, fire, etc)-- you could draw your character as a member of a specific kingdom

We’ve seen different time periods and alternate universes, including a ‘gender swapped’ universe, represented -- consider choosing one of those as a starting point for your art

Take a look at some Adventure Time title cards if you want to do something with more detail and shading

 For more information about this style...

Style Details

For the purpose of this post, I’m focusing on humanoids. I may do a separate prompt for non-humanoid designs, but they can be added here too!

Remember: motion (or, for static images, the suggestion of movement) is a big part of Adventure Time’s style. I’m not sure I know the accurate artistic/animation terms for this, but note that even though everything is a pared down and stylized representation of an object, the drawing successfully conveys occupied space and personality. Body parts affect each other; they overlap with the body and very rarely is just one limb doing something. Think about who your character is, how they stand, their posture, and make sure the pose you choose reflects that, and it will look a lot more genuine in the Adventure Time style.

Proportions are a big thing too; just because Adventure Time is simple doesn’t mean it’s inconsistent. In almost every character, hands and feet are de-emphasized-- forearms and hands are almost one body part, and feet are often just a small protrusion at the end of the leg. Fingers are not distinct unless a pose calls for it, and thumbs are usually not drawn -- although the bigger the character’s arms, the more likely they seem to be to have thumbs. Body types are all over the place, so don’t feel locked into anything specific!

Lines are equally weighted, and internal lines (such as where body parts meet) are sometimes tapered, sometimes not. Lines are usually black but colored lines are used to show something that is luminescent or slightly transparent -- Finn’s hair, Flame Princess’s body, that kind of thing.  Color is generally flat, with occasional shading taking the form of one strip of what are called ‘rims’, on the side of the light source.

The devil is in the details -- where, when, and what you use. Clothing doesn’t frequently show seams, cuffs, ties, or other kinds of details, so when it does you know it’s a major part of that particular outfit. Take Huntress Wizard, one of my favorite designs, for a good example of where to put in details and how detailed to go when you do.

If you’re considering a background for your work, note that they follow the same general principles of other Adventure Time art, but frequently with more detail. If you check Fred Seibert’s flickr account (link below) there are backgrounds from the first five seasons.

Other Bits + Credits

'How to Draw Adventure Time’ : a guide for the show artists about where, how, and why to push certain stylizations. Highly recommended in general!

Check out Bravest Warriors for very similar art in a slightly different genre

Character sheets from Fred Seibert’s flickr account 

Art in the header from ‘Stakes’ miniseries opening’s official upload on YouTube

[anfieldcentral]

Talking Points | West Bromwich Albion 0 - 1 Liverpool FC

Firmino Strikes Again to Set New Best Tally |

10 Premier League strikes last season, 11 this season. Firmino’s winner against West Brom not only secured three points for the Reds but saw the Brazilian take his personal tally to 12 goals in 37 matches in all competitions this season, surpassing his 11 in 49 last term. There have been questions raised over the Brazilian’s overall finishing ability at times this season but his recent form has seen him score 3 goals in his last 6 with two of those being match winners. Let’s hope this rich vein of form continues over the final 5 fixtures this season. 

Matip Sublime as Reds Record a Clean Sheet |

Clean sheet? What the hell is that? The performance of Liverpool’s goalkeeper and back four meant that the Reds kept their first shut out in 14 games at the Hawthorns. The last time the Reds had kept a Premier League clean sheet was on New Years Eve when they defeated Manchester City 1-0 at Anfield courtesy of a Gini Wijnaldum header. Mignolet made a superb near post save from Matt Phillips to keep the clean sheet intact but for me, Matip was the catalyst at the back during today’s 90 minutes. The Cameroonian was on top, colossus form against the Baggies physical side and looked to be relishing the challenge as he got stuck in, put himself on the line and threw himself into headers and challenges all over the pitch.  

Klopp Gets Serious in Business End of Season |

Klopp was evidently serious when he said before Stoke that Liverpool would forget they ‘had to play the Liverpool’ way. The win against Stoke was ugly as they come and while this wasn’t to that same degree, there was an air of simply looking to get the job done about Liverpool’s performance. There was the odd fancy flick from Firmino and slick move between the attackers but the Reds very much looked like a team on a mission. Get the 3 points, no matter how they come just secure the win and go home one step closer to Champions League qualification. This mentality is admirable from Klopp and his men and is going to need to remain intact for the next 5 games. 

Vital Three Points Means a Relaxing 90 Minutes to Come |

Nope, not the 90 minutes of us playing Crystal Palace next weekend but the 90 minutes just about to kick off as I type this. Chelsea play Manchester United at Old Trafford and any points that Manchester United drop to the league leaders will absolutely be music to my ears. By the end of the 90 minutes at Old Trafford, the Reds could potentially be as many as 9 points ahead of Manchester United which is a huge gap for the Red Devils to close - especially when it seems Mourinho has ultimately prioritised the Europa League. Even if by some bizarre twist United somehow take 3 points against Chelsea, they’ll still be 6 points behind the Reds with away games against City, Arsenal, Spurs and Southampton to play. It’s looking good for Liverpool right now. 

Job Only Half Done |

However, the job is not yet done. There are a maximum of 15 points still up for grabs for the Reds this season and it’s imperative that over the coming weeks we take as many of them as possible. Jurgen Klopp knows that until it becomes mathematically impossible for the likes of Arsenal and United to catch Liverpool then nothing is guaranteed in football and it’s down to the players to ensure that they don’t take the foot off the gas. Two hard fought away wins against West Brom and Stoke are both massive results but they’ll feel even better if we add a well deserve win at home against Sam Allardyce’s Crystal Palace to the list of recent results. C’mon you Redmen, let’s get back on the biggest European stage where we belong. 

[clubsocial-india]

New on Sports Illustrated: West Ham United-Manchester United Preview

With little time to wallow following their FA Cup semifinal loss, Manchester United look to put themselves in the catbird seat for fourth in the table Wednesday when they host West Ham United at Old Trafford.

The Mancunians picked an inopportune time to have an absolute clunker of a performance, losing 3-1 to Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. Keeper David De Gea should have done better on Chelsea's first two goals, with the second one conceded early in the second half bordering on being a howler.

But that indifferent play spread throughout Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, with talisman and centre back Harry Maguire responsible for Chelsea's third via an own goal. By the time Bruno Fernandes pulled one back from the spot on 85 minutes, Manchester United's 19-match unbeaten run (14-5-0) in all competitions was already gone, as was their chance at a 13th FA Cup trophy.

"You want to win everything and we're very disappointed in the dressing room, but we need to be better in these big games when it matters," Solskjaer said post-match. "We know that, we'll have to take that into account, learn again and get ready for the next big ones. We've got two in five days coming up."

The first of those two is this vital contest, which could give Manchester United (17-11-8) the critical inside track to the fourth and final Champions League spot ahead of the team they are jockeying with for that berth - Leicester City. The Red Devils enter this match level with the Foxes on points and goal difference with one fewer match played and four fewer goals scored, and the teams conclude the season Sunday against each other in the Midlands.

"Every three days we play, so we have to analyse this game for sure. But all our focus needs to be on West Ham on Wednesday," midfielder Nemanja Matic told the Manchester Evening News. "Our target is to be top four and we'll do our best. We always want to win but this is football. Sometimes you don't play well and this can happen, but in the future we cannot allow to concede three goals and I'm sure we'll learn from this."

Solskjaer will have to make some key decisions regarding his backline, with centre back Eric Bailly the primary concern after taking a blow to the head Sunday that forced him off in the first half. Left back Luke Shaw is questionable after missing the loss to Chelsea with an ankle injury, but Maguire should be good to go despite a cut above his eye suffered in the collision with Bailly.

Though unlikely given his scintillating form, Solskjaer could give thought to resting Fernandes ahead of Sunday's showdown with Leicester City. The Portugal international, though, has been a relentlessly positive force for United with nine goals and eight assists in 18 matches in all competitions since arriving in January.

There was a time when Manchester United supporters thought former boss and current West Ham gaffer David Moyes would also be such a positive force as the successor to Sir Alex Ferguson, but that turned out to be anything but the case. This is the fourth time Moyes is facing United since being sacked in April 2014, losing twice with Sunderland in 2016-17 and playing them to a scoreless draw in his first go-round with West Ham in 2017-18.

The Irons (10-7-19) are all but mathematically assured of survival, entering this contest six points better than both Aston Villa and Bournemouth - the top two teams in the drop - and with a better goal difference. West Ham need only one point from either of their final two matches, with the other being at home versus Villa on Sunday, to ensure their top-flight safety.

Moyes' side put themselves in that position by taking care of business. West Ham followed up a 4-0 pasting of last-place Norwich City with a 3-1 victory over Watford on Friday, scoring all three goals in the first 36 minutes.

Michail Antonio followed up his four-goal effort versus the Canaries with West Ham's first, and after Tomas Soucek headed home on 10 minutes to double the lead, Declan Rice let fly with a long-range effort that helped the Irons improve to 3-1-1 in their last five league matches.

"They were three great goals, they really were: Michy getting another goal, showing his ability to play up there and the threat that he's become," Moyes raved to the team's official website. "I think the cross from Jarrod [Bowen] and the header by Tomas [Soucek] was a bit like the old days - a great ball in and it looked like that old-fashioned centre forward play, David Cross-type!

"Declan has got some ability to shoot - with great power, he's a really clean striker of the ball. Partly because we've got him in a role where he recovers the ball and wins the ball back for us so much, we just don't get to see him in that [forward] role as much. Tonight he got a goal, so he's beginning to get a bit further up the pitch for us, and let's hope he can get in there and show his ability near the opposition goal."

Moyes has had few rave reviews at the Theatre of Dreams regardless of which coaching box he's occupied, entering this match 0-3-9 at Old Trafford as an opposing manager. Prior to his tenure at Manchester United, he was 0-3-8 with Everton from 2002-13.

West Ham, though, are seeking their first double over Manchester United since 2006-07, having won 2-0 in September under Manuel Pellegrini on goals by Andriy Yarmolenko and Aaron Cresswell. The Irons are 2-3-21 at Old Trafford in all competitions in the Premier League era and winless in 14 (0-3-11) since Carlos Tevez - in his lone season at West Ham before joining Manchester United - supplied the difference in a 1-0 victory in May 2007.

July 22, 2020 at 01:51AM West Ham United-Manchester United Preview from Blogger https://ift.tt/3eWhx6U

[liverpooltickets]

Premier League: The 4 Impressive Stats That Sum Up Liverpool Outstanding Recent Form

Liverpool's unbeaten start to the Premier League season continued on Sunday as the Reds picked up a hugely impressive 3-1 win over title rivals Manchester City. Football supporters from around the world can buy Premier League Tickets online to enjoy its wonderful actions.

Goals from Fabinho, Mohamed Salah, and Sadio Mané were enough to overpower the defending champions. Bernardo Silva's late strike was little more than a consolation, and the Reds restored their eight-point lead at the top of the standings.

As noted by ​Opta, only ​Manchester United in the 1993/94 campaign has had a bigger lead after 12 games of a ​Premier League season. The Red Devils held a nine-point advantage, and they went on to win the title with relative ease.

Their forward line has been energetic to ​Liverpool's inspiring run of form in recent seasons. ​Salah has been at the forefront of their success, and he continued his goal-scoring run with an impressive header against ​City.

He has been involved in 69 goals in his 60 appearances at Anfield in all competitions, racking up 51 goals and 18 assists. He has found the back of the net in three of his four home appearances against City at that time.

Also on the score sheet was ​Fabinho, whose fabulous long-range strike was Liverpool's ninth from outside the box in all competitions this season. No other Premier League side has managed more.

It inspired the Reds to a vital victory and extended their impressive home form against the Citizens. Liverpool has not lost any of their last 17 home Premier League matches against Man City, winning 12 of those.

Their last defeat to City at Anfield came back in May 2003, when two late Nicolas Anelka goals powered the visitors to a 2-1 win.

However, the tables have turned this season and it is Liverpool who has the upper hand. They are now nine points clear of Pep Guardiola's men, while they boast an eight-point advantage over both ​Chelsea and ​Leicester City.

Football fans can get Liverpool Tickets through our reliable online ticketing marketplace. Ticket4football.com is the most consistent source to book Liverpool Football tickets.

[esmeradio]

Phoenix Web Designer Talks About Elements Of Good Web Design

Phoenix Web Designer Talks About Elements Of Good Web Design

While every designer may have a different plan when it comes to building a website, they do have a common checklist. No matter how you try to avoid it, there are a few elements every website should (and usually does!) include.

From plenty of whitespace and great images, to search functionality and clear calls-to-action, these common elements are the things that users expect when it comes to using a site with ease. Today we’re taking a look at ten elements you should prioritise on your website, perfectly designed examples of each, and tips on how to use each in your next website design project. As the saying goes, “the devil is in the details.”

1. Space

Space is one of the most important design tools because it dictates everything—from flow, to readability. Designers are beginning to use space in ways that we did not see on the web a decade ago. More site designs include vast spaces, increased spacing between lines of text, and an overall use of open space.

Key spatial relationships include consistency in spacing. Similar elements should include similar spacing. The amount of space between lines in a paragraph should be the same, as should the amount of wrap around images.

Space is also important when it comes to creating a focal point for users. An image or piece of text surrounded by white space will appear larger and more important than one that is crammed into a smaller or tighter location in the design.

It is also important to note that space is not always white. It refers to the lack of elements, and could equally be a background colour or a texture.

How To Use It: Start with key elements such as navigation menus, for example. Make sure elements are organized in a way that includes set spacing between elements. This will make each button or word stand out more clearly on its own.

2. Simple Navigation

Navigation does not need to be complicated. It should be easy to identify and easy to use. It is also important to keep navigational menus to a minimum so you don’t overwhelm users. Depending on the type of site, five to ten menu navigation items are the top end of what you should aim for.

Navigation also includes tools that help users navigate through a site. Sites with parallax scrolling, for example, often include directional arrows to make the site more user friendly. The easier it is for people to use and navigate throughout your site, the longer they are likely to interact with it.

The above examples show two very different types of navigation: Zola’s, which includes a simple menu and progress navigation with clickable text as buttons and Anet Design, which displays a funkier, more creative button style. What both sites have in common is that the main navigation never moves or changes, creating consistency and flow on each site.

How To Use It: Use simple navigation as the framework for your website build. Remember users want a few key things from navigation: knowledge of where they are on the site, a way to go back (or home), and directions (if your site has an unusual or more complicated interface).

3. About Us

It is especially important for a small business or site owner to tell users who they are. (This is less important for major companies that are household names, although it is still a common practice.)

The “About Us” page should tell users who you are and what you do. It can outline company philosophies or goals or how the site came to be. This page can also be the place for customer or user testimonials, and success stories. This type of page can also serve as a gateway to related pages or even social media profiles.

The one problem that often happens with About Us pages is that they get long and wordy. Keep the page simple; give users just enough information to be interested but not bored. And remember to keep the design interesting.

How To Use It: Use the About Us page to give your brand a little personality. Consider including photos of your team and a short company biography.

4. Contact Information

Contact information commonly appears in one of two ways – in the header / main navigation, or as a Contact Us page with a form or expanded information. Either option can work well, depending on your site design.

The key is making it highly visible. Having contact information such as a phone number, physical address, or form to contact the website owner adds legitimacy to your site and business. It can be frustrating for users to want to find you and the information not be clearly listed on the site.

How To Use It: Add contact information to all static headers and/or footers. If you have a physical business address, include location information. Consider a contact form so users can email directly from the website.

5. Call to Action (or Signup)

In most instances, a website is the gateway to an action – make a sale, provide information, gather contact information. To ensure this action, calls to action prompts need to be obvious and strong.

First, determine what your site is supposed to do. Then design it so that action is obvious and lead users to it. Techniques such as color, contrast and space can help lead users to the “right” buttons. Connect Mania, for example, wants users to download an app. The only clickable space about the scroll on the landing page takes you to the App Store.

Another popular call to action is a signup form. If this is your goal, place the form in a prime location and size it prominently. Make the form simple and quick to fill out. (If you need more than two or three pieces of information, consider a follow-up email rather than a complicated signup form.)

How To Use It: Make calls to action obvious. Placement should be in a highly visible part of the page and next to the item it relates to. Buttons should be of a contrasting color and say exactly what you should do: Buy Now, Join, Download, Sign Up Free.

6. Search

How many times have you wanted to find older information or something you remember seeing on a favorite website? That’s where search comes in. The tool is vital for repeat users. Design the box in a way that is unobtrusive but is easy to use. Make sure the box is big enough to type terms from your website. If you use an icon for search, there’s no need to invent something new; use the standard magnifying glass.

How To Use It: Design a simple box that lives at the top of your website for search. The top right corner is the most popular location, using that space is expected and easy for users to find.

7. Informational Footer

A footer is how you can connect to your audience with a wealth of information without getting in the way of the design. Because the footer is at the bottom of the page, it is a logical location for a small site map, company or contact information, links and context for your site.

Make the footer useful and keep it simple. Whether you opt for a couple of buttons or link-style design, the footer should be designed to mesh with your site but may have a much more minimalistic feel. Make it easy to use.

How To Use It: Some of the best footers combine many of the above elements. The footer is often a repeat of elements found elsewhere (such as adding search to the top of the page in the main navigation and again in the footer). It can also introduce some of the above elements and house them if there is no other logical location in the design scheme.

8. Style for Buttons

Every button on a site should be recognizable as a button. They should have the same shape, design effects and feel regardless of purpose or location. Creating a distinct set of buttons can be somewhat of a daunting task for sites with a lot of clickable items. Consider using a design kit to create a consistent set of elements.

How To Use It: Develop a set of buttons unique to your site. Create a consistent color theme – every button is a single hue – or overall style, such as shape or texture.

9. Great Images

People love to see things in action. Create stunning visuals to draw users in to your site. Great images or illustrations are one easy way to do this. With a relatively small set of great photographs, you can show products, people, whatever to entice users to your site.

Both of the sites above do a great job with images that show their product and style. This type of custom imagery is important. Be cautious of using too many stock images, because your site could end up looking just like something else.

How To Use It: Hire a photographer or illustrator to develop and create a great set of images for your site. Rely on custom images rather than stock images for a unique visual experience.

10. Web Fonts

The web was once filled with a handful of typefaces – Arial and Courier come to mind – because they were readable by most computers and browsers. That is no longer a limitation for designers. But web fonts are still important for two key reasons – compatibility and licensing. By using a web font service, type is type on the web, which is important for search engine optimization, and designers don’t need to make images out of their type to maintain a certain look.

How To Use It: Start with a service such as Google Web Fonts, which is free, to implement a set of beautiful and interesting typefaces into your site design without having to spend a fortune on licensing, or worry about compatibility issues.

Conclusion

While there are a lot of important components to effective website design, including these ten key elements can make a difference. Take care designing with space, simple navigation, about us, contact information, calls to action, search, footer information, buttons, images and web fonts. These often overlooked details can make or break your complete site design.

The post Phoenix Web Designer Talks About Elements Of Good Web Design appeared first on Jake Martin.

from http://myalivesite.com/blog/phoenix-web-designer-talks-about-elements-of-good-web-design/

[takenews-blog1]

Mourinho calls on Manchester derby ref to crack down on Man City's 'tactical fouls'

New Post has been published on https://takenews.net/mourinho-calls-on-manchester-derby-ref-to-crack-down-on-man-citys-tactical-fouls/

Mourinho calls on Manchester derby ref to crack down on Man City's 'tactical fouls'

Manchester United supervisor Jose Mourinho has adopted up his diving jibe at Manchester Metropolis by suggesting that Pep Guardiola’s facet like “a tactical foul”.

The Purple Devils boss has turned up the thoughts video games forward of a derby date on Sunday, with the Portuguese accusing Metropolis gamers of happening underneath “a bit little bit of wind”.

He has now claimed facet famend for his or her attacking intent are capable of keep on the entrance foot by stopping opponents from countering on them by any means doable.

Mourinho is on the lookout for the match officers to be clever to such techniques at Previous Trafford, with extra questions being requested of the lads within the center.

“It’s a technique that Metropolis have,” mentioned the United boss.

“They put numerous gamers in ­attacking areas and after they lose the ball, they are often unbalanced when it comes to numbers. They’ve numerous folks surrounding the ball space and so they have a really sturdy – and it is a nice high quality – transition within the subsequent few seconds.

“After they lose the ball, many occasions they want what known as a tactical foul. Then it’s as much as the referee to analyse and to decide about it.

“My reply at all times must be the referee has to do his job – however I can’t communicate in regards to the referee.”

Whereas reluctant to be drawn into one other debate relating to the efficiency of referees, Mourinho continues to be irked by the show of Mark Clattenburg in a 2-1 derby defeat for his facet in 2016-17.

He added: “Final season taught me that in the event you make naïve errors you might be punished.

“It additionally taught me that whereas they at all times attempt to do their finest, even an vital refereeing mistake can have an effect on the sport.

“Within the final recreation, the consequence was clearly affected by an enormous refereeing mistake.

“It was a penalty and a crimson card to Claudio Bravo, at first of the second half with the consequence 2-1.”

The final large refereeing name to frustrate Mourinho and United noticed Paul Pogba proven a straight crimson card at Arsenal, with that dismissal set to maintain a key work out of a crunch conflict with Premier League leaders Metropolis.

He added: “We’ve misplaced an important participant for us.

“There’s a Manchester United with Paul and there’s a Manchester United with out Paul.

“He’s a participant that has an influence in our model of play and now we have now to manage with out him for the following three matches.

“It’s not pessimistic. It’s only a completely different solution to play soccer.

“Do you suppose I’ve in my crew a midfield participant who could make the third aim at Arsenal? We don’t.

“The others do different issues. Marouane Fellaini can rating a tremendous header. Nemanja Matic can shoot from outdoors the field. Ander Herrera can do different good issues.

“However a midfield participant to do and create what Pogba did within the third aim towards Arsenal, we don’t have.”