#this was way before the ranch so there was no way we could keep em

[pokemonranch]

I don't know if your still interested in partner pokemon stories, but I wanted to share mine since it's weird.

My partner is a Scolipede and he's a sweetheart, I've had him for a long time. I visited my Mom like a week ago and asked about how I met him. Well apparently she doesn't know, I just came home with him. My Mom just let me explore the woods near our home when I was like 7, and I came home with a Venipede. I'm not kidding.

[Photo of a young girl smiling while holding a very confused Venipede]

I'm shocked he didn't attack me. He just got scooped up by a child and stuck with them ever since.

I really understand your mom, honestly. My sister (Hazel) already had a 'mon since she was a child, but that didn't stop her from coming home with literally anything she could get her hands on. That includes a Combee hive she found on the ground after a storm, and the 15 to 20 Combees that followed her home.

[buckybarnesisdaddy]

Leave Her Wild pt 1

Summary: Busy morning and first day at the Ranch

Pairings: None official so far! Bucky x Reader, Ari X Reader, original female characters with Sam and Tony.

Warnings: language, drinking, talks of sex, inappropriate acts with guests, talks of being left at the alter & being abandoned, talks of forgetting to eat, overbearing best friend who means well. Probably missed some.

Word count: not gonna say cause then some of you won’t read it. 🤭 It’s long enough!

Dividers by: @firefly-graphics

Masterlist

“You’re just not who I fell in love with. You have no fire, no thoughts of your own. So this wedding is off, I will give you a week to move out of the penthouse. Feel free to take everything I bought you, I know you’ll need the money.” With an icy cold kiss on your forehead he leaves. Your chest feels tight and you can’t catch a breath. Your eyes fill with tears and everything goes black.

The bumping of the uber jolts you awake, the same nightmare as the past 4 months, the stress of the travel must have weighed on you enough to let that slip through… again. You sit up and look around, all your friends are passed out as well, the red eye really did you all dirty but it will be worth it when you see that first Montana Sunrise. It’s slowly peaking over the mountains and painting the sky in bright hues of pink and orange. The uber turns down a long dirt road and brings the ranch into view. It really is stunning, just like the pictures showed. Horses are running over the rolling fields on one side and cattle are grazing in the other. You see two men on horse back that seem to be herding the horses in one direction. The way they move and ride, well let’s just say they look really good. The main house is incredible, with all of the stone work and exposed wood. It’s settled right at the base of the mountain and there is a massive stable and barn next to it. When you were first looking up Dude Ranches you never thought you’d find one like this. The driver stops and turns to you, “We are here Miss. are you going to wake your friends?” You lightly laugh and turn around to shake them awake.

“Hey, wake up. We’re here!” You say before climbing out of the car. Your best friend Natasha wakes up first. She stretches and looks around before shoving your friend Peter off her shoulder.

“Wake up, Pete.” She says not so softly as she climbs over him to open the door and tumble out.

“Ouch! You could have waited!!” Peter shouts as he is stepped all over. Lizzy who was on the other side of the car shoots awake at the yelling.

“Where are we?!” She gasps and then calms down when she sees you. “Oh,” she sighs. “We are finally here?” You hear her climb out and walk towards you.

“Yup,” You take a deep breath and smiles. “And just in time for the sunrise.” You watch as it finally breaks over the mountains, it’s so beautiful you feel tears start to well up. You have to wipe them away before anyone notices. “Okay, you three hang tight, I’m gonna go get us checked in. Amelia, Sam, Tony, and Ransom should be pulling up any minute so keep an eye out!” You shout over your shoulder as you walk to the front door. You knock seeing as it looks to be someone’s actual house but the door is pushed open by your knock and you hear people talking inside, so you slowly walk in to see if you can find the owner.

“For fuck’s sake, Rogers! Barnes! Hurry up and eat, Bazen left the fucking gate open again and all the horses are loose in the east field. Need you two to round ‘em up.” Ari bellows as he stomps down the stairs. Steve nods from where he sits at the bar in the Kitchen. Bucky laughs to himself as he takes the last bite of his breakfast.

“I don’t know why you don’t just fire him, Ari.” Bucky laughs as he squares away his dirty dishes. Steve agrees and goes to grab his jacket from the mud room.

“Because his rich and powerful father wants him here, so he’s here.” Ari sighs, “and you like having a job and a free place to stay, don’t you?” Bucky stays silent, “that’s what I thought, go. We need those horses stabled and resting.” Bucky and Steve head out and Ari calls his thanks over his shoulder as they leave. “Mickey!” Ari yells as he sees the man slouched and laying on the couch, he shoot up at the sound of his name though. “Get up, you need to help Kemp and Jefferson get the guest rooms ready.” Mickey groans and sits up.

“Those freaks? No way, I’d rather help Turner and Jensen shovel the stalls.” Ari sighs and sets his hands on his hips as he looks to the ceiling.

“Then by all means, go do that! Go do something to get this place in order before our guests arrive!” He yells as Mickey jumps to get to work. “And if you see Storm and Collin tell them I need to see ‘em in my office.” Mickey waves over his shoulder as he heads out the back door. Ari grabs his coffee and heads to his office on the first floor of the house, the sun isn’t even up yet and he’s already on his second cup when Johnny and Collin come walking into the room.

“Sup, boss?” Johnny says as he jumps over the back of the arm chair and plops down in it, propping his feet up on Ari’s desk. Ari rolls his eyes and smacks his feet off and then glares at Collin to stop laughing and sit.

“What’s ‘sup’ is, we have a new group coming in today, there is 7 of them so I need you two to move out to the spare bunk room in the barn. We just fixed the heat so it should be good.”

Johnny groans and Collin shakes his head.

“We have to share with Kemp and Jefferson?!” Collin exclaims.

“I’d rather sleep in a tent.” Johnny says flatly. Ari stands up and grabs his empty coffee cup.

“I don’t care where you chose to lay your pretty little head, Johnny,” Johnny looks at Collin and pretends to swoon.

“You hear that? He called me pretty!” Collin laughs and Johnny gives Ari a shit eating grin.

Ari set his mug down, rests his hands on his desk and leans forward.

“Get your shit out of the bedrooms upstairs, now. And then go back and clean them up, they need to be spotless by 7am.” He then stands up straight and leaves his own office and the two grumpy men.

7am rolls around and all the men are gathered in the living room for their morning meeting. “Alright, everyone shut up! We have a lot to cover this morning.” Ari yells over them all and they finally shut up. “Rogers and Barnes are off this morning due to having to clean up Baizen’s mess of the gate last night.”

“I said I was sorry! I was running late for a date.” He smirks and the other guys wolf whistle. Ari pretends to laugh.

“And because of that you’ll need to cancel whatever date you have scheduled for tonight, you’ll have the first watch in the barn.” Carter curses under his breath and Ari just smile. “Kemp, we have a group of 7 checking in today and they will be here for,” he double checks his clipboard and whistles, “shit I forgot this is the extended stay group. They are here till June. So get ready to be on Kitchen duty for the foreseeable future- and for the love of God, STOP with the cannibalism joke!! No one thinks they are funny and in fact we’ve had guest call the police on you because they are actually scared we are feeding them humans, so just stop it or you’re fired.” Kemp rolls his eyes.

“People just can’t take jokes anymore.” He shakes his head and Collin scoffs.

“Dude! You told a lady she was ‘good enough to eat’ and then pretended to bite her! You’re lucky Andy talked her down and swooned her out of pressing charges!” He yells and the other guys back him up. Kemp just shrugs.

“To each their own, but fine I’ll stop.” He raises his hands and Ari thanks him.

“Jefferson? Laundry.” He says shortly and Jefferson just nods. “Mickey and Jensen you are on Milk cows, honey collection, and harvesting duty today. Cole you’re off till this afternoon and you’ll help Rogers and Barnes with getting the cattle moved to the lower field.”

“You got it boss.” Cole says agreeably.

“Okay that just leaves, Johnny, Collin, and Carter, You three are on dog training today. They have their test next week and they need to pass so we can get them sold to the interested Ranches.” Johnny raises his hand and smiles, so Ari knows his question is gonna piss him off.

“What?” He asks, already regretting it.

“So who is this new group and who is showing them around today?” He crosse his arms and then tilts his head as he asks, “And what are you and Andy gonna be doing, boss??” Heavy footsteps are heard coming into the room as if on cue.

“I’m gonna do whatever I damn well please cause this place is half mine and your sorry ass works for me.” Andy smiles. “And if I were you, I’d remember my place more often.” He grabs a mug and pours himself a cup of coffee. Ari laughs and agrees.

“What he said!” Ari gives Johnny that shit eating smile back and Johnny rolls his eyes. “But about our guests, 4 males and 4 females, They should be here soon. They all seem very nice and shouldn’t be too much trouble. But seeing as it is mostly women that make up the group, those of you who are on probation when interacting with guests alone,” he looks at Johnny, Collin, Kemp, and Jefferson, “should remember that probation is the last straw, step out of line again and you’re gone.

“Can we not call it that?” Kemp asks, “cause it sounds like we’ve tried to get rapey with them or something and we haven’t.”

“No you’ve just joke about eating them,” Carter snaps back and gives a ‘wtf’ look to the sky and anyone who was watching him, it earns a few laughs. “And not eating them in the good way.” He teases and Johnny reaches back and they high-five. Kemp flicks his ear and he turns and punches his leg.

“Enough!” Andy shouts. “As the lawyer in the room I feel I should say that even joking like that can still catch you a case, hence the probation.” Ari sighs, this is not how he likes to start his mornings.

“Look, we know you haven’t done anything wrong, you just get weird with the guests.” He gives a sorrowful look to Jefferson who shrugs. “Or you have inappropriate relationships with them while they are here.” He looks at Johnny and Collin.

“I have no idea what you mean,” Collin says nonchalantly and Andy laughs loudly.

“Yeah, your naked ass and some lady pressed up against the side of our barn on our security tapes beg to differ.” Ari points at Andy, confirming the words he took right out of Ari’s mouth.

“Anyway, remember to keep any sexual relation with guests to a minimum, preferably none at all!” A knock on the door interrupts him and then the sound of boots walking on the hardwood make all their heads turn.

“Oh!” You gasp, the amount of handsome men staring back at you makes you blush and you feel a little flustered for a moment. But you catch a breath and just smile as you talk. “I’m so sorry, I knocked and the door opened. Umm I’ll just go wait outside.” You turn to leave and someone calls after you.

“No, come on in!” The guy with a clipboard, hair to be jealous of, and a beard that looks like it would feel so soft to touch, walks closer and extends his hand. “Hi I’m Ari, part owner and this here is Andy the other owner. You must be-” you say your name, knowing he had probably forgotten it since you booked. “Well it is nice to meet you in person, welcome to Mountain Valley Retreat.” His smile is sweet and his hand shake is firm. “Is the rest of your party here?” He asks, looking over your shoulder.

“Oh, yes they are all waiting by the cars.” You explain.

“Well how about you go get them and we can show you to your rooms.” Ari offers. “Then once you all are settled we can give you a little tour.” You agree and turn to head back out to the car to grab your friends and your stuff. But before you do the front door swings open and in steps two men, both dressed in big jackets, jeans, boots, and a cowboy hat to match. The first guy lifts his off and his blonde hair shines in the morning sun. He is handsome, boy next door handsome. The second man shakes off his jacket and hangs it on the rack next to the door and places his hat over it. He turns and meets your gaze, his blue eyes pierce your soul and his brown hair a little longer but not long enough to tie back. He is just as handsome as the first and you are speechless. They are both solid, strong men who have clearly worked day in and day out on a farm.

“Howdy ma’am,” the second man says with a polite nod of his head and a simple smile. The first man finally notices you.

“Oh!” He looks past you to Ari, “you must be our new guest!” He brushes his hand off on his pants. “Nice to meet you, I’m Steve!” You shake his hand and introduce yourself. “This here is-“

“James, but everyone calls me Bucky.” He offers his hand and you shake it, wishing your voice would work to say more than ‘hi’. Ari steps up behind you.

“These two are our best cowboys! Steve rogers and Bucky Barnes. They are gonna be the ones teaching you and your friends about horse riding and the works. But first we need to get you all settled, go ahead out and I’ll send some guys to help with your luggage.” You nod and head out the front door, passing a look to Steve and then Bucky before fully turning around and leaving. It’s quiet for a moment when there is a wolf whistle, Bucky, Steve, and Ari turn around and look at a smirking Johnny.

“So what was that about keeping the sexual relations to a minimum or we will be on probation?? Cause that right there is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. She’s soft and sweet, and mmhmm. Yes!” He teases and shoots a look to Bucky and Ari. Who have both turned back to watch you in the front drive. “And it looks like Barnes along with you, boss are gonna be on the Probation squad soon!” Johnny continues to tease, Bucky doesn’t say a word, just plops his hat back on his head and heads out to your car. Steve sighs and gives Johnny the middle finger before following Bucky. Ari clears his throat and shakes his head and turns to Johnny.

“Shut the hell up and get to work.” He grumbles, Andy walks up to him and pats his shoulder.

“You may have to rethink the probation and firing or you’ll have no one left by May.” Andy lightly laughs and then squeezes his shoulders, “let loose and maybe you’ll find your new pet,” he winks before heading to his office.

You head back to the uber, Natasha notices your flushed face. “Girl you okay?” She asks as she laughs. You shake your head and smile, moving in close you whisper.

“Hot men- and I mean H.O.T men filled that room in there,” you laugh and rub your forehead. “We aren’t going to last the summer.” Natasha smirks and looks over your shoulder.

“Oh well I think one of them is coming over here now.” She teases you. Your eyes widen and you try not to smile.

“Big Blonde, Big Brunette, or Big Hippie?” You ask and she bites her lip.

“Does it matter?” She asks as she looks him up and down, you can hear his boots getting closer and closer.

“Natasha?!” You exclaim

“Big Brunette, really big. Mmhmm” she teases. “Wow I’d like to ride that.” She mumbles and you laugh and give her a shove.

“Get in line.” You quip and turn around right as he arrives. “Oh, Bucky! Hi! This is Natasha.” He spares her a glance and nods his head politely.

“Ma’am,” he says and then looks back to you. “Can I help with any of the bags?” You look behind you and blush, suddenly very self conscious of how many bags you brought.

“Oh umm sure,” you say and he scoots between you and Natasha. He scoops up four different suitcases. Two under each arm and two in his hands. He turns and nods over his shoulder.

“Go ahead and grab your personal bags and follow me.” He smiles, “I’ll show you to your rooms.” He turns and walks towards the house. Natasha leans in and teases.

“Giddy up girl.” She smacks your ass and You laugh. You grab your book bag and purse and follow after Bucky. Steve and another man pass by you two to help grab the other bags. The other man is cute, he has glasses and spiky blonde hair. He looks at you and keeps looking as you keep walking. You giggle and wave before turning back to Bucky. Another man about runs into Bucky as he is walking through the door. He is tall and cute, seems a little clumsy. Steve calls him over.

“Cole! Over here,” Steve waves from the trunk. “Got a few more bags from this car.” He shuffles down the stairs and goes to help Steve. Bucky sets the bags down in the foyer as he talks to Ari.

“The rooms aren’t ready yet,” Ari sighs. “That’s what I get for telling Johnny and Collin to clean up after themselves.” He looks at you and then smiles. “So we are finishing up with the rooms and we will get you all settled soon! How about you set your stuff here and we will do the tour. And hopefully after the rooms will be ready and we will get you moved up there. Sound good?” He asks.

“Oh of course!” You lightly laugh, “I promise Mr. Levinson we are a very chill group. None of this is a problem, I promise!” You assure him. He laughs and looks down at his feet as he blushes.

“Well thank you, and you can just call me Ari.” He says and fidgets with his clipboard.

“Okay, Ari.” You answer sweetly. You glance from Bucky to Ari and then shuffle where you stand. Amelia, Lizzy, and Natasha save the day by walking in, giggling and talking in hushed voices. “Oh these are my friends Amelia,”

“Hi,” she bats her eyelashes at them both. Amelia is a tall brunette with sun-kissed skin that you dream of. She is a reformed party girl who has too many stories about you from college. You laugh.

“Lizzy,” she giggles and cover her mouth as she gives a little wave. Lizzy is a short blonde who was a cheerleader in college and would have married her college boyfriend had he actually ever proposed. You shake your head. “And Natasha,”

“Well hello,” she smirks and leans against you. Natasha is a beautiful redhead with striking green eyes. She’s is the epitome of ‘looks like she could kill you, would kill you.’ She’s also been your best friend since childhood. You blush and wished your friends weren’t horn dogs.

“Anyway, these are my friends and hopefully they won’t be too much trouble this summer.” You laugh and give Natasha a nudge and she just laughs. Ari smirks and looks at each of them.

“Well it’s very nice to meet you all. There were men with your group too, right?” He asks checking his clipboard. Bucky looks at you and you see a little smile in his eyes. Natasha speaks for you.

“Yup! They are getting all their stuff out of the car and dragging it in.” She smirks at you, “and they are just friends, no attachments to the two of us.” She puts her arm around you and you blush, completely mortified. “Only those two are in a relationships,” she points to Lizzy and Amelia, “we are free as birds.” She bites her lip as she looks back behind her to where Steve is lifting two suitcases clear over his head. Ari laughs and you can see the blush spread across his cheeks, Bucky looks you up and down and tries to hide the smile that breaks across his face.

“So about that tour?” You quickly change the subject. Ari clears his throat and tries to get a control on his flushed face. There is a loud commotion behind you on the stairs on the house. Tony, Peter, Sam, and Ransom are all trying to haul their luggage up by themselves, Steve, Cole, and the guy with glasses that you didn’t catch his name yet are stuck behind them. Steve doesn’t look to be breaking a sweat, Cole and the other guy look like they could use a rest for a moment. It makes you giggle. Bucky sighs and walks past you,

“Excuse me, ma’am.” He whispers as he passes, you slide to the side and watch as he walks straight up to Ransom, Peter, and Tony, grabs their bags from them, and throws them over his shoulders as he brings them inside. Tony scoffs and just follows, Peter looks embarrassed, Ransom calls out a thanks and then falls in line. You turn to face Ari again and you feel an arm drape over your shoulders, you know who it is without looking.

“So, when does the party start!” Ransom asks and squeezes your shoulder. “Speaking for everyone I think we could use some drinks.” He laughs and Tony agrees. Ari looks at Bucky and then over your shoulder to Steve, he nods and they both understand what he’s saying without even uttering a word.

“Actually we don’t party till tonight,” Ari explains. “We have to work before we can just slack off and lucky for you fellas you got here at the start of the day!” You sneak a look at Bucky, his smile has a hint of a mischievous nature, he winks and then gets real serious.

“So if you men will follow me,” Bucky turns and walks out the front door, “we need to get you dressed and in the field.” He walks down the steps and then turns back when he realizes no one if following him. “We are burning daylight!” He hollers, “you wanna eat and party, well you gotta work for your food. Let’s go!” Something about the authoritative voice and serious expression makes the men jump to follow. “Rogers bring up the rear!” Bucky heads to the barn and the four guys follow behind. Peter looks back at you and you gently smile and wave.

“Okay ladies,” Ari pulls your attention back to him, he smiles. “How about some mimosas?”

The thick wrangler jeans land on the ground in front of Ransom and he stares down at them in disgust. A t-shirt and button up carhart shirt is tossed at him and hits him square in the chest. “You’re insane if you think I’m wearing this,” he says sharply. Bucky shrugs and continues to toss the clothes to the others. Sam and Peter are already changing and Tony is begrudgingly picking the clothes up as they are throw his way.

“Suit yourself, but those loafers and kakis won’t do you any good as you help shovel horse shit.” Bucky explains. “And no, we won’t send them out for dry cleaning if they get messed up.”

He laughs as he looks Ransom up and down and then turns away. Tony picks up the clothes and shoves them in his arms.

“Get dressed and stop pouting, it’s giving you early wrinkles.” Tony teases and Ransom grumbles as he changes. Sam and Peter are already dressed and messing around, shoving each other and tipping their hats and stuff. “This is gonna be a long 4 months.” Tony mumbles and sits his hat on his head before walking to join the others. Steve passes by Ransom.

“You’re burning daylight, get changed.” He leaves Ransom alone in the back room of the barn.

Natasha won’t stop smirking as she sips her mimosa. She glances at Ari and then back at you. “So Ari? Any woman working on this Ranch?” Ari turns around and looks between Natasha and you.

“Oh, umm no.” He fidgets. “An all male staff, I hope that’s alright.” He says, glancing your way and then back to her. The smirk she gives him makes your stomach drop because you know she’s up to something.

“Oh Ari, that’s perfect.” She finishes her glass and then stands up. “So this tour-” She asks but is interrupted by someone walking out of the office off the living room.

“Ari, we need to talk when you have a minute,” he is staring down at some papers in hand. He finally glances up and sees the 4 women sitting in front of him. “Oh! These must be the rest of our guests!” He smiles and crosses the room, “I’ve met one of you already,” he smiles at you, “but I haven’t had the pleasure with the rest. I’m Andy, Ari’s business partner.” He smiles sweetly, Natasha narrows her gaze and looks between the two men before walking to stand in front of Andy.

“Oh, I’m sure you’re a great team,” she says as she looks him up and down. Andy smirks and then lightly laughs as he looks down at her.

“I run the books, he runs this place and he does what he’s told. Pretty good setup if you ask me.” He answers, and something about that makes you a little hot. Natasha blushes and then backs down, you’ve never seen her back down when flirting with a man. You give her a look and she blushes even more. “Anyway,” Andy smirks, “I’m sure Ari is treating you right. I see the men are already being put to work?”

Ari laughs, “yeah, Barnes and Rogers are giving them the special welcome.” Amelia laughs.

“Why does that sound dirty?” Lizzy scoffs,

“Cause you three are hornier than a teenage boy at the beach in the summer.” Andy laughs.

“It’s some kind of hazing, isn’t it?” She asks. Andy and Ari exchange a look.

“Well, when they come in acting like they owned the place we needed to be shown to them they in fact, don’t.” Ari explains with a wicked smile that makes you laugh.

“Oh good, Ransom’s gonna love that.” You exclaim and all the girls laugh along. “But I think Peter and Sam should have gotten a pass, they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Andy and Ari look at each other again and Andy shrugs. Ari goes to grab his walkie talky from the kitchen.

“Barnes? Send Boy wonder and mister manners to the house. Over.” Ari waits a minute and then he gets a response.

“Copy that. What about Silver spoon and Hefner wannabe? Over” Bucky answers back.

You laugh and look at the other girls, you all can’t help but giggle at the nicknames the guys have already earned. Ari smirks and looks back at you before answering Bucky back.

“Leave them shoveling the shit and when they are done let them get cleaned up. Over” Ari lays his walkie down and he heres a “Roger that” as he walks back over to where you girls are sitting. Peter and Sam come walking in the front door, Natasha whistles and Sam spins around and tips his hat. Peter blushes and looks from you to Natasha. Amelia walks over and looks Sam over.

“Looking good, Babe!” She kisses his cheek and he pulls her close. "Oh but you smell like shit.” He grumbles and you all laugh.

“Yeah yeah, laugh all you want but now you’re stuck with my stinky ass till I can shower.” He hugs her tight and she screams as he lifts her up and spins her around. Lizzy sighs,

“I’m sure Tony is gonna be in the worst mood after this. But he deserves it, especially after his attitude with me this morning.” Peter laughs.

“Can you blame him? You shoved the guy in the car with Ransom, that would make anyone a little testy.” Peter justifies and Lizzy just shakes her head.

Ari and Andy just listen to the group of you talk, Andy sees Ari watching you and Natasha, he is so smitten and small, it starts to rub Andy the wrong way and eventually Andy nods for Ari to follow him, so he excuses himself and finds Andy in the office. “Ari,” Andy says, voice firm and authoritative.

“Don’t start,” Ari sighs and tries to walk out, Andy stops him.

“Ari sit down, now.” Not a request but a command. Ari grumbles but he does it. “All I was gonna say is you are acting like a blushing bride with those two women, which I do find rather adorable,” he teases and Ari rolls his eyes and laughs, wiping his sweat-less brow before meeting Andy’s gaze again. “But when it comes to ladies, you’re not like that.” Andy crosses his arms and stares him down, “get out there and be Hard-ass Ari, stop with this blushing and stumbling over your words.” He straightens up and walks closer to the man sitting in the armchair, “Go, be a big strong man and catch their eyes before Barnes and Rogers do. Find your little ‘pet’’.” Ari stands up and goes to leave but stops and faces Andy.

“What’s your obsession with me finding my own ‘pet’? Ever since Jane left you’ve been riding my ass about it.” Ari asks.

“Well one it’s cause you have a great ass,” Andy states matter of factly and Ari rolls his eyes again. “And two it’s cause you need someone to take care of. You need to meet that caregiver need of yours, so go out there and put your charms on one of those women.” Ari looks at the ground and then back at Andy.

“You think I’m just gonna take that order and hop to it?” He asks and Andy smirks.

“It’s what you do best, Ari.”

Ari huffs out a laugh and shakes his head as he grumbles, he turns around, ready to follow the order Andy just gave.

*****************************************************

When the two men disappear Natasha turns to you and garbs your hands, “Please for your own sake, go to Paris with those two men.” You are speechless and look around to see if the others heard her, they didn’t.

“Natasha” you hiss and she smirks, “what makes you think they are-“

“Did you see them? Did you hear Andy?! He was all ‘I run the place and Ari follows orders well.’ He was NOT meaning Ari is a good business partner.” You shake your head and Natasha physically stops you, taking your face in her hands. “You need to get between those two men and let them have their way with you, cause I’m scared if you don’t you’re gonna fall head over heels for that tall, handsome cowboy and that is not what you need after your literal wedding was called off.” You deflate, honestly you hadn’t thought about him or the wedding since you stepped out of the uber this morning. “I’m sorry, babes. I don’t mean to bring down the mood. But you don’t need to catch feelings and I know you- you will catch feelings for that cowboy. But you’ll have a great time and be able to move on as friends with Daddy and Daddier.” You lightly laugh and sigh, removing her hands from your face and lean back to look up at the ceiling. “You haven’t had your rebound, so rebound between those two hunks and call it a day.”

“I’ll see,” you agree and Natasha about squeals. Peter looks over.

“What are you two squealing about?” He asks, Natasha smirks and blows him a kiss.

“Oh nothing Pete, just some rebounding fun.” She winks at you and you lightly shove her. Peter laughs and sits next to you on the couch.

“You’re like my sister, so please don’t sleep with any of these men. They aren’t worth you.” He begs and you laugh.

“Peter you don’t even know them! And I wasn’t agreeing to it, I was just thinking about it.” You exclaim and Peter just shakes his head. The back door opens and in walks Steve. He smiles and takes off his hat.

“Just wanted to warn you all that those two guys are about done and they are not happy so, maybe make yourselves scarce.” He says and then leaves out the door he came in. You all laugh and stay exactly where you are. Bucky walks in the back door in the mudroom with the biggest smile on his face, a shit covered Ransom walks behind him and a dirt covered Tony falls in line behind.

“Alright you two, go hit the showers and then we can start on the tour.” Bucky says and points to the shower room off the mudroom. They both grumble and do as they are told, not noticing you all sitting there and watching. He turns to you and your heart flutters as you meet his gaze, his eyes are so blue and his smile makes you feel safe. You take a breath and look at Natasha,

"Okay you’re right. I’ll fall in love with him, so give me the two big men.” Natasha smirks and nods as she looks over her shoulder, the sound of Ari returning peaking her interest.

“Speak of the devil” she whispers and you blush before turning around and staring firmly at the ground.

“Are you shitting me?!” Ransom screams, “you were all in here drinking and laughing while I shoveled literal shit for an hour?!” He looks back at Ari and then Bucky who are both smiling ear to ear. Bucky tips his hat and then straightens up from where he was leaning on the wall.

“Maybe next time you’ll walk into someone else’s house with a little more respect.” Bucky says, his tone makes a shiver run down your back and you look to Natasha to hide the fact that you liked it. She glares at you and mouths ‘no’, you smile anyway and then look back at both men.

“Alright how about you all follow Barnes and Rogers to the Barn and we will get you all ready for our tour.” He looks down at the choice of footwear you ladies had, “and we will get you all some proper riding boots too.” You follow Steve out to the Barn, you can feel Bucky’s gaze on you and you don’t hate it. He gently ushers you to the side when he is getting around you to help Steve with the saddles, the small graze of his hand makes you want to melt. Who knew you were so touch starved. You look at Natasha and she sighs, coming up along side you.

“Yes he is perfect, and handsome, and a gentleman, and probably the exact guy you should date and marry. But are you ready for that type of man after-“ you glare at her, making sure she doesn’t say his name. She doesn’t, “get his number, become friends, rebound with those two men and when you are fully healed over the trauma of the monster from hell, give him a call. Don’t make him a rebound,” she whispers and you sigh knowing she is right. Bucky and Steve get all the horses saddled and ready. They start helping everyone into their horses, Sam helps Amelia and Tony tries to help Lizzy but she ends up waiting for Steve to boost her up. Tony huffs and gets on his horse with minimal struggle, thanks to the step stool. Natasha swings herself up on her horse and impresses Steve who was standing by to help, she tosses him a little wink before looking over at you. She sighs as she sees Bucky making his way over. You are trying to figure it out for yourself but almost fall on your ass in doing so, two strong arms catch you and haul you up to your feet.

“Careful there,” the low voices rumbles quietly. You turn and meet Bucky’s gaze, “Need some help?” He asks and you can’t find the words so you just nod. He lifts you by your waist and sets you right on top on the horses back, completely effortless. You straddle the horse and graze Bucky’s hands as he hands you the reigns. He gives a polite pat to the horses neck and is off to his own horse. You watch as he climbs on the back of his horse, his literal white horse. You look at Natasha who just shakes her head and laughs. Ari walks into the barn and right past you and up to his horse, Bucky had gotten the steed ready for him. He hops on the back and guides the horse around with so much ease.

“Okay, so some of our men will be placed along the group to help guide the horses if they start misbehaving. This here is Cole,” the clumsy man from early waves, “Carter,” the pretty boy who looks like he’s only ridden a horse to play polo just nods, “Jensen,” the guy with glasses who helped with the bags earlier tips his hat, “and of course you know Bucky and Steve.” They both wave and it’s not lost on you that they have made their way behind you and Natasha in this lineup. “We have a lot of men on staff, some you haven’t met yet. You’ll meet them soon enough. We will take you around the property and tell you about our day to day lives and what will be happening while you’re here. Okay if we are all saddled,” he looks at Ransom who has finally mounted his horse and grumbles about it. “We will be on our way,” Ari turns his horse and leads out the back of the Barn on the trail.

The countryside is so beautiful you could cry. Ari explains how you all came at a time where they will be working a lot with moving the cattle for spring and that there will probably be quite a few baby animals born while you’re here. He shows you all the different barns and where the animals are kept. Chickens, goats, sheep, cattle, even pigs and Dogs. There is literally a whole farm on this Ranch along with a garden and bees for honey. It’s like a homesteading dream. The whole time Ari keeps glancing back towards you and Natasha. And you keep seeing Bucky looking at you as you look to the side at Natasha. Steve is friendly and hits it off with Sam, turns out they both served in the army around the same time. Bucky too. Ransom, Tony, and Carter are kinda grumpy in the back of the line, Peter is enjoying the sights and chatting with Ari, Amelia and Lizzy are taking selfies and talking with Cole and Jensen. Bucky moves his horse in between yours and Natasha’s, “So where are yall from?” He asks. You look over to him and start to answer but Natasha speaks for you.

“We are from New York City," she says, You notice a little smile break across Bucky’s face and then he looks over to you. He notices your left hand and the tan line there on your ring finger.

“What part?” He asks and again Natasha answers.

“Upper East Side.” She says shortly. You see the realization about what that tan line means spread across his face and then he reacts to what Natasha just said as he nods as he whistles.

“Fancy digs,” he says “too fancy for a Brooklyn boy like me.” He says as he gives a sad little smile. He lets his horse slow down a bit to fall back behind you. You turn and look at him, forgetting about the trail in front of you.

“You’re from New York too?!” You ask, hopeful. He smiles and nods.

“I am, go home every so often to visit my mama. I love it there but I needed a change after the Army. I found the ranch and Ari and well…. I guess there hasn’t been any reason enough to move back to the city and away from all this beauty.” He nods the to mountains surrounding them. You make an agreeable noise and turn back around, Natasha is just facing forward shaking her head, she knows you’re already smitten. You pull up to a little clearing and all dismount your horses, there are some picnic tables set up and food already waiting for lunch.

“Wow, the service is impeccable.” Tony says and Lizzy laughs and pokes his side. Bucky helps you down and before you can say thank you Ransom is by your side pulling you along to sit.

“Okay, so when I heard ‘Dude ranch’ I didn’t except to actually be working on a ranch for 4 months.” He says and you just laugh as you shove him off of you.

Lunch is delicious and fresh and hits the spot after being in the sun for a few hours. The horses are resting and you all sit around the table while Ari tells you about the Ranch. “Everyone goes by nicknames or their last name.” He explains. Ransom speaks up,

“Well what’s yours then, Chief?” He quips. Steve answers,

“Hard-Ass,” everyone laughs and Ari shrugs and smiles.

“I like a tightly run ship, what can I say.” He says,

“Well this is a ranch so,” Steve joke and he gets a strawberry to the face for it, he catches it in his mouth though. “Let’s see who else? Oh! Cole is Ghost” Amelia laughs.

“Umm why?” She asks and Cole blushes and sighs.

“Because I have a tendency to get Ghosted.” He says sheepishly, all the women awe and refuse to believe that, the guys laugh. You slap Ransom’s arm and he nudges you back. Steve starts again.

“Jensen is just-Jensen, Carter is usually called by his last name- Baizen-“ you and Natasha look at one another, Tony and Ransom laugh.

“Wait?! Carter Baizen as in-“ you start and Tony finishes.

“The one that got shipped off to pay back his debts?!” He laughs and tosses a strawberry in the air and catches it in his mouth. “This is great!” Steve looks to Carter who just rolls his eyes and then back to the group.

“Yall know him??” He asks and Ransom answers.

“Bet your ass we do, I knew you looked familiar! You still owe me 10 grand.” Ransom says and the other ranch hands look at him and just shake their heads.

“Classic,” Bucky mutters. Steve quickly changes the subject.

“Anyway, um we call Bucky, Barnes or Sarge. And they call me Rogers or Cap.”

“Wait were you a Sargent and Captain when enlisted?” Sam asks. “I am not saluting while shoveling shit.” He jokes and Steve laughs.

“Yeah we were and don’t worry, we won’t make you.” He jokes. You look at Bucky and he looks a little embarrassed to have attention on him.

“Well what about us?” Peter asks, “do we have nicknames?” You girls laugh and nod.

“Oh yeah, Boy wonder, Mister manners, Silver Spoon, and Hefner Wannabe.” You tease and they all look at each other and point to try and figure out who is who. You giggle and just take in the sight of being surrounded with your oldest friends and hopefully some new ones. Natasha smirks and sits up straight.

“Well I want a nickname!” She exclaims and Ransom laughs.

“You have one, Black widow.” He says creepily and you all laugh, She scoffs and Steve speaks up.

“Umm why are you nicknamed after a deadly spider that kills her mate?” He honestly looks a little scared. Natasha smirks and leans forward grazing her fingers across the back of his hand.

“Because sweetheart, I eat men alive,” she sits back, “and they always come back for more.” She bites her lip and looks him up and down, you swear you see him gulp and then blush. Amelia laughs and then pipes in

“Well you can just call me by my name, Amelia.”

Lizzy agrees.

“Me too, just Lizzy.” She says sweetly as she leans her head on Tony’s shoulder. You look a little shy as everyone looks to you.

“Well? What are you going by?” Steve asks and you blush.

“Oh, I don’t know,” you shrug, “come up with something!” You laugh. They all start conversing on what to call you, Bucky is still quiet until he meets your gaze.

“Sunshine,” everyone turns to look at Bucky. He keeps your gaze, “your nickname should be sunshine.” He gently smiles and then stands from the table. “I’m gonna go check the horses,” he looks up at the sky, “we should be getting back, Hard-Ass.” He says and everyone lets out a chuckle. Ari agrees.

“Yeah, it’s gonna take even longer to get back so we should get a move on. Everyone load up, we pull out in 10.” Everyone leaves the table, you are still stuck in your spot, having been glued there by Bucky’s gaze.

“So, Sunshine,” Natasha teases, “What are we gonna do with you?” You blush and shove her away as she laughs. You laugh and head to find your horse.

“And that brings us back to the main house.” Ari says as he stops and turns his horse to face the whole group. “We are gonna head back to the Barn, the guys will give you all the proper procedures on how to care for the horses after a ride and then we will take you all to your rooms to rest and get ready for dinner.” You trot your horse to the barn and get it in the stall. You hop off and see Steve coming your way.

“Well, Sunshine,” he says and you turn to see the big smile on his face. “Let’s get Princess settled, huh?!” You look between him and the horse and realized you didn’t even know your horses name.

“Princess? Thats her name?” You ask and Steve laughs.

“Well that’s his name.” He laughs and so do you.

“What?!” You exclaim and Steve continues to laugh.

“He is a diva and drama queen, the name was fitting.” He shrugs and you just laugh again. He helps get the saddle off and teaches you how to brush Princess out. You enjoy every moment you have with Steve, he is sweet and you just feel at home. Something you haven't felt in a long time. “Okay, you’re all done. You wanna see your room? I can have someone show you up.”

“Sure, thanks!”

“No problem, hey Sarge come here!” Steve looks over his shoulder at you and smirks. You gasp and because he feels like a long lost best friend, you punch his shoulder. He laughs and winks before Bucky arrives.

“What?” He grumbles before he sees you. His face lights up.

“She needs to know where her room is, you wanna take her?” Steve explains, he must be giving Bucky some faces cause Bucky is just staring at him and then smiles and laughs.

“Sure thing, right this way.” He turns and walks out of the stall and Steve pushes you to follow. You catch up to Bucky as he reaches the steps of the house.

“If you’re busy I’m sure I can just find my way around,” you offer, “I don’t want to keep you from work.” Bucky turns and smiles as he stops in his tracks.

“Sunshine,” the way it falls off his lips makes you want to kiss him senseless. “You aren’t keeping me from anything, I promise.” You blush and look at your feet.

“You promise?” You ask and he lightly laughs and confirms again.

“I promise, follow me.” He leads you into the main house, you see the bags are gone, probably already in the rooms. “You have room all to yourself, private balcony and full standing shower and separate tub.” Bucky explains as he leads you up the stairs. You feel flushed as you glance at his ass, it’s a pretty great ass.

“Oh goodness, I hope that doesn’t put anyone else out!” You exclaim as you realize the grandness of what he just said. “I don’t need a private room!” Bucky smiles and looks back at you.

“Take it up with the boss,” he shrugs and then continues to lead the way. You follow behind quietly, as you get to the second floor you are in awe, you didn’t realize how big this place really is. There is a whole landing with another living room and entertainment center. Along with a little library off to the side in a little nook. “Okay, your room is back this way,” he leads you along through the second living room and through a little landing area that looks over the first floor. This hallway has 6 rooms, four of them say “private residence” and the other 2 just have numbers on the door. “Right here, room 1” Bucky leans up against the wall and knocks on the number plate on the door. “Natasha is room two right next door, and yes there is a door that conjoins them if you want to unlock it.” You laugh and thank him. You both reach for the handle and end up basically holding hands. “Oh ha, umm sorry.” He blushes and gently pulls his hand back. You giggle and cover your face.

“I’m sorry, I’m not normally this- well- girly and giggly.” You explain and Bucky just smiles. He opens the door and motions for you to head inside.

“It’s okay,” he assures you, “I like it.” He smiles and you blush even more. He then clears his throat and gets pretty serious for a moment. “I do want to ask, and if it’s out of line ma’am then I’m sorry,” he shuffles in the doorway, “I could help but notice your ring finger, are you involved with someone? Or were?” He asks and for the first time ever you didn’t feel pain or hurt at the thought of telling anyone about him, you felt like you would be seen, like you would be safe. You look down at the tan line and sigh.

“I was,” you simply say, “I was supposed to get married back in December but he-“ you stop for a moment and then take a breath. “He called it off.” Bucky’s eyes are so sad for you, he goes to move and then remembers he is in his muddy boots, he looks at the carpet and curses under his breath.

“I- I’m so sorry,” he says your real name, “you didn’t deserve that.” You give a sad smile and nod.

“Yeah, well there is way more to that story than meets the eye,” you look at him and your breath catches again, “and maybe once we know each other a little better I’ll be ready to talk about it.” You explain, Bucky nods.

“I understand,” he says before “whenever you’re ready, I’m here.” He lightly laughs, “and hey maybe I’ll tell you about my own personal runaway bride experience.” He says and your heart stops, he gets it. In this moment, this is why you felt safe and like you could tell him and he would catch you, he’s lived it.

“I’d like that,” you answer and then realize how stupid that sounded, “I mean,” you blush and stumble over your words, “not that it’s great- I would love to talk about- shared life experiences and stuff- I’m just gonna stop.” You finally say and Bucky just stands there with a smile and a chuckle.

“You’re cute,”He says before turning to leave. “See you at dinner.” He waves before he disappears into one of the private rooms right next to yours.

*****************************************************

“I’m such a fucking idiot,” Bucky groans and Steve laughs before he kicks Bucky’s leg. He is lying back on his bed and Steve has come to laugh at him in his misery. “ ‘You’re cute,’?!? That sounds like something a friend would say, or Cole!” He groans. “Ugh and Ari is about to try and get her into bed with him and Andy, I just know it.” Steve hums in agreement.

“Does that make you mad?” Steve asks.

“I mean a little but she’s not mine, she’s her own woman and if she wants to sleep with him then fine. I’ll play the long game, be there for her.” Bucky explains, Steve listens and smiles.

“Awww you really like her!” He gushes and Bucky sits up just to punch him in the arm.

“Oh whatever, go let Natasha eat you for Dinner or something.” Bucky grumbles and Steve laughs.

“I just might,” he says under his breath and Bucky laughs. “Look Ari and Andy are good guys and our friends, if she’s gonna sleep with someone at least it’s them and not Johnny or Collin.” Bucky shivers at the thought. “And hey, maybe she’s not even thinking like that! Just cause she’s blushing and stuff doesn’t mean she’s about to hop in bed.” Bucky sighs and looks at Steve.

“I heard Boy wonder talking to Silver spoon about how the girls were discussing who she should rebound with.” Bucky explains. “That's why I was grumpy when you called me over in the barn, that’s when I had heard them.”

“Oh, well… let her rebound and then pull out all the stops, she will come running. I just know it!” Steve says encouragingly. “Anyway, you smell like shit and so do I- I’m gonna go shower and change. So should you, also wash your sheets cause you being all in your feelings, you laid on your clean bed in your dirt covered clothes.” Steve says as he walks out and across the hall to his room, he glances and sees the light on underneath your door and Natasha’s. He laughs and goes to get cleaned up.

You change your dress for a third time and opt for a simple blue tunic dress and some vans. You curl your hair and put on some simple makeup before knocking on the joining door to Natasha’s room. It swings open, “help me zip this up?” She asks. She seems to have pulled out all the stops and is in a tight black dress.

“Well hello to you too,” you tease as you zip up her dress. “You know we are eating around a bonfire, right?” She turns and smirks,

“Yup, but that pit won’t be the only thing on fire tonight.” She winks and you laugh and then boo her.

“Oh booo that was bad and you know it.” You turn to go grab your phone from your bed and grab your room key. Closing and locking the door behind you, you turn and bump right into the wall. But then the wall was breathing and lightly laughing, you look up and meet Andy’s gaze.

“Whoa there, you okay?” He asks as he steadies you. A heat spreads through your face and you nod.

“Yeah, sorry. I should slow down a little more.” You joke and take a step back. Natasha exists her room and eyes you both before smirking and slipping by, you give a nervous laugh and motion that you are gonna follow her. Linking your arm with hers and hurrying off as Andy watches with amusement.

Dinner is good and the company is even better, the guys are all getting to know the other ranch hands while the girls sit around the fire. Bucky and Ari sit on the other side of the fire and you can feel their eyes on you as you talk with Natasha and Lizzy. You throw little glances their way and just smile every so often, it’s all very tame and fun. That is till Natasha brings out the shots.

“Nope! Everyone is drinking unless you are sober.” She starts pointing and waiting for anyone to back out and they don’t. “Alright, bottoms up!” Ari feels he needs to remind everyone that wake up calls start at 7am, and he gets boooed relentlessly till he finally gives up with his reminders. You are about 3 shots in when you find yourself sitting next to Bucky on a little wooden bench.

“So is this sweet cowboy charm just that? Charm. Or are you actually this much of a gentleman? Cause I’ve been burned and I- well- let’s just say if I fall for this then I’m falling hard. And I can’t do that unless I know you’re gonna catch me.” You can’t believe the words that are pouring out of your mouth. How strong are these shots?? Bucky gives you a sad smile and reaches out to twirl a strand of your hair around his finger.

“I’ll catch you, Sunshine.” You smile and start to lean closer but Natasha pulling you up from the seat and demanding that you dance with her makes the moment pass and it’s gone before it starts. She twirls you around and you end up in the arms of Ransom as she sits herself right in the spot you were occupying with Bucky.

“Okay Sarge, let’s talk.” She says, all cheer gone from her voice. Bucky turns and looks at her. “She’s been hurt, bad. Her ex was a master manipulator and built her up just to break her down. And as her best friend who had to check on her every day for three straight weeks because I was scared she wasn’t eating, I will not allow anyone to hurt her that way again.” Bucky looks over at you and then quietly levels with Natasha.

“Is that why you’re encouraging her to sleep with two men she just met?” He looks back at her, his face hard and unchanging. Natasha sighs.

“I’m trying get her to loosen up, also I know her, she’s not gonna sleep with them. Maybe fool around but she’d never go that far with someone new.” She takes a sip of her water. “I don’t want to tell her story for her so all I will say is she has made herself into the perfect wife for a man who didn’t choose her when push came to shove. For years she chipped away pieces of herself to fit what he wanted,” she looks at Bucky again, “I just want to make sure she doesn’t fall into the same pattern, because there’s not much left to chip away.” Bucky nods and takes her water from her hand and takes a sip for himself.

“Well that’s where you have the wrong idea of me, Natasha.” Bucky says plainly. “All I wanna do is add to her life, for whatever little time she lets me.” He says before he stands up and heads inside for bed.

Ransom is talking your ear off as you watch Natasha and Bucky talk. They don’t seem to be flirting which is good, but they don’t look happy either. “What do you say, huh?” You turn and look up at Ransom.

“Oh umm what? Sorry.” You lightly laugh and he sighs.

“I said what if we turned in for the night. Maybe head up to your room,” your stomach drops at what he’s suggesting, he’s one of your best friends, why is he saying this! “and you let me use that amazing tub of yours?!” There it is, you laugh and punch his arm before moving away from him. He laughs and waves you off as he goes back to bothering Tony and Lizzy. You find Natasha.

“Hey what did you and Bucky talk about?” You ask, hopeful. Natasha sees the look in Your eyes and sighs.

“We talked about you of course and how you should 100% try to get with Ari tonight. Shake off those cobwebs and just be a little care free!” She knows she shouldn’t lie to you but until she can get a good gage on Bucky, you needed someone you wouldn’t get attached to.

“Bucky said Ari is a great guy- probably one of the best here- Andy too!” You are a little taken aback.

“No for real what did you talk about?” You ask, she doubles down.

“Seriously, he said that he liked you but he’s not in a place to really be with anyone, dealing with his own baggage at the moment.” She hopes that’s believable, for all she knows he’s the most baggage free guy in the world. Your heart on the other hand breaks, you wonder how recent his failed wedding was and you coming on to him probably didn’t help. You look over your shoulder to Ari.

“He really said I should go for it?” You ask, the sadness in your tone could be heard even when Natasha couldn’t see your face.

“Yeah babes,” she prays you will forgive her for this, but it’s for the best. You take a breath and look back at Natasha.

“Well alright then,” you say sadly. You make your way over to Ari and grab a bottle of rum on the way.

“Oh fuck,” Natasha mutters, “What the hell have I done.

Next

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[venactricisfics]

Bucking Tradition: A Yellowstone Fanfic

Chapter Fourteen

Adult content ahead. Enjoy 18+

It was Saturday morning, and instead of training for the rodeo, I was on the phone, trying to find Jamie. He didn’t come home last night. He wasn’t answering his phone. And there was another crisis on the ranch. 

The bear. 

Yep, the bear. He was dead. Rip had shot it. After it had run two people off a cliff. But we had Fish and Wildlife up our ass. With no end in sight. 

“He had better be in a fucking ditch,” I groaned after I dialed his number for the fifteenth time. 

The frustration boiled inside me as the phone rang again, and I could feel the tension in my shoulders. Jamie was always hard to track down, especially when he was avoiding me. But this? This was ridiculous.

I dropped my phone onto the table, pacing back and forth in the kitchen. The bear, Rip shooting it, the Fish and Wildlife hassle—it was all too much to deal with on top of everything else.

I knew Jamie wasn’t hurt, he was campaigning for Attorney General. His big shot to be someone other than just John Dutton’s second son. 

Running for Attorney General wasn’t just a career move; it was Jamie’s escape route. His way of proving he was something else, someone else, outside of the Dutton legacy. But with that ambition came a whole lot of pressure. And pressure, I knew, made Jamie shut down.

I let out a frustrated sigh, pacing the living room. There were too many unknowns right now, and Jamie’s silence was adding fuel to the fire.

I grabbed my phone again, dialing his number one more time, hoping this time he’d answer. But of course, it went straight to voicemail again.

“Jamie, this isn’t funny anymore,” I muttered to myself. “Where the hell are you?”

I shot a quick text, hoping he might pick up on it: We need to talk. I need you here, now.

If he wasn’t home soon, I’d have to go looking for him. Maybe he was holed up in some random office, dealing with his campaign stuff. And if he didn’t come home soon... well, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do next.

My phone rang, not Jamie but Dad, “Rip make it back yet?” Dad didn’t have time for pleasantries.

I glanced out the window, “I see him coming. Fish and Wildlife lady is waiting outside so they outta be heading that way soon. I’ll call Bozeman tell ‘em I had a family emergency and can’t perform tonight.”

“Don’t do that sweetheart. You earned it. Sorry, I won’t be able to be able to make it to see you.” 

“I understand, Dad. Be careful.” 

I hung up the phone, the weight of my dad’s words settling in. He was always so focused on the ranch, on getting things done right, that it was rare for him to admit he couldn’t make it. He wasn’t one to let down his family, even if it meant missing out on something important.

But I wasn’t about to let that affect me. I had work to do, responsibilities to manage, and I wasn’t going to let this bear situation mess up my plans. Besides, with Rip back and Fish and Wildlife outside, I knew the situation would be in good hands.

I walked up the steps, not as excited as I would have been under other circumstances, but Dad wanted me to go, so I would. I grabbed my new riding costume and headed out to the barn.

The trailer was already hitched, and Lloyd was loading Denim inside. I double-checked my gear before tossing my bag in the backseat of the truck.

“We’re all ready to head out whenever you are, darlin’,” Lloyd said.

“Y’all are still coming with everything going on?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Your dad said there wasn’t much we could do but wait around, so we might as well go have a good time,” he replied with a shrug.

“So who did you rope into helping me on the field?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light, though there was a nervous edge to it.

Ryan flashed a grin and adjusted his hat, stepping out from the barn where he'd been working with Denim. “I volunteered for the job,” he said, his voice warm and casual.

I couldn't help but notice how good he looked in his best shirt, the one he only wore when things were getting serious—serious in a way that made him stand taller, exude that confident cowboy charm. His town hat sat low, giving him an air of authority, the kind that made me feel like he could command anything around him with just a look.

A flush crept up my cheeks, a mixture of heat from the moment and the memories of everything we had shared. My heart skipped in an almost involuntary beat.

“I was hoping you would,” I said, unable to keep the softness in my voice as I looked up at him, feeling that fluttering sensation in my chest. The kind of flutter I hadn’t experienced in a while, the kind that made everything feel a little lighter, a little more possible.

Ryan's eyes softened as he looked at me, and I could see the unspoken understanding between us. There were no words needed. We figured out how to be around each other, even when the world around us felt like it was trying to pull us in a thousand directions.

“You two head out,” Lloyd said, answering the unspoken question that had been hovering between us, “and we’ll follow behind you.”

I gave him a nod and a grateful smile before making my way to the passenger side of the truck. As I reached for the door handle, I heard Ryan's voice behind me.

“Close that damn door,” he said, sounding both amused and serious.

Confused, I turned to face him. “What?”

He simply raised an eyebrow, his smile growing as he stepped forward. “Just close it.”

I hesitated for a moment but followed his instructions, shutting the door before he reached over, opening it for me with a smooth motion. His hand hovered in the air, offering assistance.

I couldn't help but laugh. “You’re an idiot,” I teased.

Ryan smirked, eyes glinting with amusement. “I think you meant to say gentleman,” he shot back, his tone teasing yet soft. “But we’ll work on that.”

I grinned, feeling lighter than I had all day, as he closed the door behind me and we pulled out. It was the little things, these moments with him, that made everything else seem easier to handle.

I glanced over at him as he drove, savoring the rare moment of just being alone with him. At the ranch, privacy was a luxury we never truly had—someone was always around, a chore always waiting, an interruption always looming. But right now, it was just the two of us, the road stretching ahead and the quiet hum of the truck filling the space between us.

“You know I don’t expect you to be a gentleman, right?” I said, breaking the silence. “I just want you to be you.”

“I know, baby,” he murmured, reaching over and taking my hand in his. His thumb brushed over my knuckles, a small, absentminded gesture that sent warmth through me. “I just want you to know—I’m not just trying to fuck the rancher’s daughter.”

My breath caught. The words hit like a slow-burning ember, sparking something deep in my chest. He remembered. Months had passed since I’d thrown that accusation at him, and now, here he was, bringing it up—not with anger, not with resentment, but with something softer. Something honest.

I swallowed, my fingers tightening around his. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that to you. I know it was never just that… even back then.”

“Don’t be sorry,” he said, his voice steady, reassuring. “You had every right to feel how you felt. I didn’t make it easy for you. I let my ego get in the way, let myself believe stupid shit when I should’ve just trusted you.”

I turned my gaze back to the road, watching the miles slip by, the weight of old wounds easing if only just a little. “We’re here now,” I said quietly.

His grip on my hand tightened. “Yeah,” he agreed. “We are.”

I wanted to say it then, but I didn’t. I felt it but didn’t want to ruin it again by saying words I wasn’t sure he was ready to hear from me yet. I never stopped feeling it. 

—--

The arena was packed, the energy electric, but my focus was on the front row—the section filled with cowboys. My cowboys. Every single one of them had shown up, their presence a silent show of support. All except for my favorite one, who was back at the stalls, saddling my horse while I shimmied into my riding outfit.

I dusted my face with makeup, added the final touches, and then went heavy-handed with the glitter—across my arms, my chest, even a light dusting over my shoulders. If I was going to shine, I was going to shine.

"You know I’m gonna find that shit in places I didn’t even know I had for weeks,” Ryan smirked as he leaned against the stall door, watching me.

I grinned, dipping my fingers into the glitter pot again just for effect. “I have to leave my mark on you somehow. Keep all the other horny girls away.”

His laugh was low, amused. “Or, and hear me out here, you could just tell them I’m taken.”

“Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?” I teased before stepping over to Denim and adding a light dusting of glitter to his haunches, making sure my horse was just as show-ready as I was.

Ryan folded his arms, still watching me with an eyebrow raised. “So what was that about turning into a vampire?”

I paused, then smirked. He didn’t know. Oh, this was going to be fun. “Never mind,” I said sweetly.

His suspicious glance deepened. “No, no, you don’t get to do that. What does vampires have to do with anything?”

I patted Denim’s neck, grinning to myself. “Don’t worry about it, cowboy. You’ll find out soon enough.”

Ryan had no idea what he’d just signed up for, but someday, he was going to sit through the entire Twilight saga. Every single sparkly, dramatic minute of it.

I climbed into the saddle, settling in as the announcer’s voice boomed through the speakers.

“Now entering the arena, this year's Trick Riding World Champion and Montana’s Rodeo Queen, Alex Dutton!”

The roar of the crowd sent a thrill through me, but as soon as Denim stepped forward, everything else faded away. It was just me, my horse, and the rush of the ride.

Denim burst into a trot, and I pushed up onto my feet, balancing effortlessly on his back as we surged into the arena. Cheers echoed around us, but I barely heard them over the pounding of my own heart. My body moved on instinct, the months of training kicking in as we raced along the fence line.

I swung off Denim’s side, dangling just inches above the dirt, dragging my fingers through the dust like I had practiced a thousand times. Then, with a wicked grin, I grabbed a handful and flung it at Colby as I passed. His startled curse made me laugh, but I didn’t break focus.

With fluid precision, I flipped myself backward, hanging off the back of my horse before pulling myself up again, muscles burning but exhilarated. The rush was intoxicating, the adrenaline flooding through me in waves.

I straightened in the saddle, flashing a grin at the roaring crowd and giving them a final wave before guiding Denim toward the exit. My heart was still racing, my hands shaking—not from fear, but from pure, unfiltered joy.

This. This was what I lived for.

“Hey there, cowboy,” I grinned, catching the way Ryan was watching me as I rode back into the stall. His eyes held that mix of admiration and something deeper—something that sent a flutter straight to my stomach.

“You’re magic out there, you know that?” he murmured, stepping forward and slipping his hands around my waist. The warmth of his touch seeped through the thin fabric of my riding outfit as he helped me down from Denim’s back.

“Thank you,” I breathed, still riding the high of the performance. My pulse was still thrumming, my body still buzzing with adrenaline. “I love it.”

“I know,” he said, brushing a stray strand of hair from my face. “I’m gonna go help Lloyd get Denim settled in the trailer while you get dressed. He’ll take your horse back so we can go from here.”

“Go?” I blinked up at him, genuinely confused.

“Dinner. Remember?” His lips quirked in amusement as he looked me over.

“Oh,” I laughed. “When you said dinner, I thought you meant hotdogs or nachos from one of the stands—not, like, dinner dinner.”

Ryan chuckled, shaking his head. “Yeah, I meant dinner dinner. With a table, real chairs, and an actual person bringing the food to us.”

“Well, aren’t you just full of surprises,” I teased.

“You have no idea,” he said, giving me one last lingering look before heading off to help Lloyd.

I stood there for a moment, watching him go, my heart still pounding—but now, it wasn’t just from the ride.

If I’d realized this was a real date, I might have packed a nicer shirt and my good boots. But I’d have to make do.

I tugged on my jeans, relieved that they still hugged me in all the right places, then smoothed out my shirt, trying to make it look at least a little more put-together. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed what I already knew—there was no getting rid of all the glitter. I swiped at it anyway, managing to dull the sparkle but not erase it completely.

It would take several showers to scrub it all off.

With a sigh, I ran my fingers through my hair, gave myself one last once-over, and stepped out. Ready or not, I had a date to get to.

I met Ryan outside the changing room, my heart giving a little flutter the moment I saw him. I’d known he was handsome from the first time I laid eyes on him, but tonight… tonight, I saw something more.

I saw someone I couldn’t imagine not being in my life.

“Ready?” he asked, his voice warm as he slipped his hand into mine.

I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I just nodded, letting him lead the way.

I let him open the truck door and help me in without a fuss. No teasing, no rolling my eyes—just letting him have his moment.

“Where are you taking me?” I quirked a brow as he slid behind the wheel.

“It’s not too fancy, I promise. I know that’s not really your thing,” he said, throwing me a quick glance. “But it’s a nice Italian place just up the road.”

“We sharing a plate of spaghetti?” I smirked over at him.

“Not unless you really want to,” he chuckled.

The truck pulled to a stop in front of the restaurant. My fingers twitched on the handle, my instinct to hop out on my own kicking in. But I held back, watching as he came around to open the door for me.

Letting him be a gentleman was hard work.

He held my hand as we walked inside the restaurant. It was a nice cozy place. Especially for one on the Bozeman strip. We sat at a quiet corner booth. I couldn’t help but smile.

“Everything looks so good,” I surveyed the menu, “What are you having?”

“The steak,” Ryan answered without hesitation, setting his menu down. “Can’t go wrong with a good steak.”

I smirked. “Of course, you’re getting a steak at an Italian restaurant.”

He shrugged. “I know what I like.”

I scanned the menu again, debating between pasta and something a little lighter. “I think I’ll go with the chicken alfredo.”

“Solid choice,” he nodded approvingly.

The waitress came by, taking our orders, ` and left us alone again. I glanced around the restaurant, the warm lighting and soft hum of conversation creating a surprisingly cozy atmosphere.

“This is nice,” I admitted, looking back at him.

He grinned. “Told you I knew what I was doing.”

I rolled my eyes but smiled. “Don’t get too cocky, cowboy. The night’s still young.”

“I know, I’ve got more surprises in store for you,” he responded.

“Do you?” I quirked a brow, “I’m all ears.” 

“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you now,” he said, “patience is a virtue.” 

“I lost that a long time ago,” I smirked. 

Ryan chuckled, shaking his head. “Yeah, I kinda figured that out about you.”

I leaned forward, resting my chin on my hand. “So, you’re just gonna keep me guessing all night?”

“That’s the plan,” he said, taking a sip of his beer. His eyes twinkled with amusement, like he was enjoying this little game.

I sighed dramatically. “Fine. But I hope you realize I’m terrible at waiting.”

“Oh, I know,” he smirked. “Makes it more fun for me.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, but before I could fire back, our food arrived, filling the space between us with the rich aroma of butter, garlic, and seared steak.

“Alright,” I said, picking up my fork, “but if your surprise sucks, I get to pick next time.”

Ryan grinned. “Deal. But I guarantee you’ll love it.”

The food was delicious. After I was certain I couldn’t eat another bite. I was talked into desert, tiramisu. 

I closed my eyes and took a bite of the decadent cake with a soft moan, “That is good. You want a bite?”

Ryan watched me with a smirk, his beer paused halfway to his lips. “After that reaction? Hell yeah, I do.”

I laughed and slid the plate toward him, scooping up a bite with my fork before holding it out. He leaned in, lips closing around the fork as his eyes stayed locked on mine.

“Damn,” he muttered after swallowing. “That is good.”

“Told you,” I grinned, taking another bite for myself.

Ryan shook his head. “You could’ve just let me get my own, but nah, you had to make it all seductive.”

I smirked. “If that was seductive, you’ve been deprived, cowboy.”

He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping. “Maybe I have been. You gonna fix that?”

My stomach flipped, but I kept my cool, licking the last bit of cream off my fork before setting it down. “Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

The waitress placed the check down on the table and he glared at me a moment as I started to reach for my purse. I raised my hands in surrender. 

He shoved a few bills on the table, giving a generous tip. 

“When you do the askin’ you can pay,” he said, I had a feeling he wouldn’t let me do any asking but I’d work on that eventually. 

“Glad you are a modern gentleman,” I took his hand and let him lead me out of the restaurant and back to the truck. 

Ryan opened the truck door for me again, and I didn’t fight him on it. I settled into the passenger seat, glancing at him as he slid into the driver’s side. His smile was a little smug, but I didn’t mind.

“Thank you, I had a really good time,” I said looking over at him, maybe it was the wine, but damn did he look sexy in the dashboard light. 

“Glad you enjoyed yourself, but the night’s not over yet,” that smile of his tugged at his lips.

“Oh?” I quirked a brow. “You know you missed our turn back there, right?”

“I didn’t miss our turn,” he glanced over at me, “I recall someone wanting a big bed.”

“Oh, who was that?” I teased. 

He shot me a playful glance, his eyes flicking between the road and me. "I believe it was you," he said with a grin that sent a thrill down my spine.

I laughed, leaning back in my seat. "You really know how to keep a girl on her toes."

"I try," he said, his voice lowering a little as he turned the truck onto a different road. "But I promised you surprises, didn’t I?"

I wasn’t sure what he had planned, but the anticipation made the drive feel even longer. “You’re a smooth talker, I’ll give you that.”

“I’m not the only one who knows how to talk, though,” he smirked, his hand briefly brushing mine as he shifted gears.

He pulled the truck into the lot of a small little hotel. 

“This isn’t one of those pay-by-the-hour places with scrambled porn on the TV, is it?” I teased.

“Of course not, baby, I paid for the whole night. Not sure about the porn situation, I suppose I could ask at the front desk if you’re interested,” he chuckled. 

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help the smile that crept across my face. "I think we’ll pass on the extra entertainment for tonight."

He laughed, pulling the keys from the ignition as he turned to face me. "You sure? You never know, they might have something with better taste than scrambled porn."

I grabbed my bag, shaking my head. "I’m not that desperate."

Ryan raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in his eyes as he climbed out of the truck. "Guess we’ll have to find out what is going to keep you entertained then."

I stood up, stretching a little as I glanced around the lot. It was quiet, secluded enough to feel private but not sketchy.

“So Mr. Gentleman, lead the way.”

His grin was all teeth as he reached for my hand.

I had to admit to myself I was nervous when we got to the room. This would be the first time that we were completely alone. That we could take our time with each other. And I didn’t thoroughly prepare for it. 

I went through the mental checklist, legs shaved, hair washed, waxed? Shit, I was going to do that yesterday but got distracted with all the stuff going on at the ranch. 

I looked up at him, “I um need a minute.” Pointing to the bathroom.

“OK, baby,” he pressed a soft kiss to my cheek and slipped further into the room as I stowed away in the bathroom. 

I shut the door behind me took off my boots and stripped down to my bra and panties. At least I’d remembered to wear a matching set. 

I cracked the door calling out, “Ryan, did you bring a razor?”

“I wear a beard, no, I didn’t bring a razor.” 

“Shit,” I muttered, “I’m almost done.” I lotioned my legs with whatever tiny bottle was on the bathroom vanity. I gave myself a once over, adjusting my boobs a little in my bra.

“You ok in there?” Ryan asked from the other side of the door. 

I smiled to myself, a little amused by how sweetly he was checking on me. "Yeah, just making sure everything's perfect."

I could hear the chuckle in his voice as he answered, "You always look perfect to me, you know that?"

That made my heart flutter. I took a deep breath, feeling the warmth from his words. There was no need to overthink this. It was just us, in this moment. I opened the door slightly, peeking through at him, trying to keep my nerves in check.

"Alright," I said, a little more confidently now. "I’m ready."

Ryan was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, but his smile was warm, reassuring. "You sure? 'Cause you know you can take your time."

I nodded, stepping out of the bathroom, "I'm sure."

His eyes ran over me and I saw the hunger in them, but this softness made me feel safe, like I was exactly where I needed to be.

"You're more than just ready," he said, taking a step closer. "You're beautiful."

I rested my elbow against the wall, subtly arching my chest and cocking my hip to the side, mimicking the sultry poses from the pin-up pictures the boys had hanging in the bunkhouse. A coy smile played on my lips as I met Ryan’s gaze, daring him to make the next move.

“Now that you have me here, cowboy,” my lids fluttered when I looked at him, “what are you gonna do with me?” 

“Don’t know,” he smirked as his eyes traveled over me, “thought maybe we could catch the end of the game.” 

I crossed my arms over my chest, “You are not funny.”

Ryan chuckled, closing the distance between us with an easy confidence that sent a thrill down my spine.

"Aw, c'mon, baby," he teased, his hands finding my waist. "You know I love riling you up."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't fight the smile tugging at my lips. "You keep teasing me, cowboy, and you might end up sleeping alone tonight."

His smirk deepened as he leaned in, his breath warm against my skin. "That so?" His fingers trailed slow, deliberate circles against my hips. "Guess I better make it up to you then."

“I think you shou–,” my words cut off by the feel of his lips on my neck, slow deliberate. I felt his smirk against my skin when I melted into his arms. He knew he’d won. 

His hands slid up my back, pulling me flush against him as his lips traced a slow, teasing path along my throat. My breath hitched, and I gripped his shoulders, not sure if I wanted to push him away just to make him work for it or pull him closer to let him know I was his for the taking.

“You were sayin’?” he murmured against my skin, his voice thick with amusement.

I swallowed hard, tilting my head to give him better access. “I think…” My fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt. “I think you should stop talking.”

Ryan chuckled low and deep, the sound rumbling through me as his hands wandered lower. “Yes, ma’am,” he whispered before claiming my lips in a kiss that left no room for argument.

I fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, tugging it free from his jeans before sliding it down his arms. My fingers traced over the hard planes of his chest, mapping the dips and ridges, heat radiating from his skin beneath my touch.

Ryan’s hands skimmed my sides as he walked me backward, his lips never breaking from mine. A slow, deliberate tease that sent fire curling low in my stomach. My knees hit the edge of the bed, and I tumbled onto the mattress, pulling him down with me.

A soft groan escaped my lips at the cool press of his belt buckle against my bare stomach, a sharp contrast to the warmth of his body caging me in. His breath was heavy, his eyes dark as he hovered over me, fingers tracing slow, lazy patterns against my skin.

 He stood, tugging off his boots, tossing them to the other side of the room. His hands moved to his belt.

“Wait,” I placed my hands over his as I sat up on the bed. 

“What’s wrong, baby?” his eyes dark as they stared down at me. 

“Let me do it.”

Ryan’s breath hitched as my fingers worked his belt free, the leather sliding through the loops before dropping to the floor with a soft thud. I kept my eyes locked on his, pressing a lingering kiss to the taut skin of his stomach, feeling the way his muscles tensed beneath my lips.

I took my time, teasing him as I popped open the button of his jeans and dragged the zipper down at an agonizing pace. His hands twitched at his sides, jaw tightening as he let me take control.

“Damn, baby,” he murmured, voice thick with anticipation.

I smirked against his skin, reveling in the way his breath came quicker, his restraint slipping.

My tongue traced slow, teasing circles over his skin, my hand slipping beneath the waistband of his boxers, fingers trailing along the rigid heat of him. A sharp inhale escaped his lips as I pushed his jeans lower with my other hand, fabric rustling as it pooled at his feet.

His breath hitched when I finally freed him from the last barrier between him and my mouth. I lifted my gaze, watching his expression shift—his eyes dark with hunger. His fingers slid into my hair, a soft but possessive touch that sent a shiver through me.

Holding his gaze, I ran my tongue along his length, slow and deliberate, savoring the way his body tensed beneath my touch. A deep, throaty groan rumbled from him as I took him into my mouth, heat coiling low in my belly at the way he watched me—completely undone, completely mine.

I took my time, tasting and teasing every inch of him, savoring the way he responded to every flick of my tongue and every slow stroke of my lips. I’d never had the chance to before—not like this. Just us, with the rest of the world feeling a thousand miles away.

His body tensed beneath my touch, the grip in my hair tightening as he fought for control. I could feel it—the way he was holding back, restraint warring with need. Slowly, I pulled away, my lips brushing against his skin as I looked up at him, my voice a breathy whisper.

“I want it. Please.”

“You sure, baby?” he groaned, his voice strained as he teetered on the edge.

I met his gaze, nodding, then wrapped my lips around him again. My fingers gripped his length, stroking in rhythm with every flick of my tongue, every deep pull. His restraint shattered, his body tensing before he let go with a deep, guttural moan. The warmth of his release coated my tongue, and I swallowed, savoring the way he trembled beneath my touch.

I slowly slipped him from my mouth, licking my lips as I looked up at him with a sweet, satisfied smile.

“Was that okay?” I teased.

He let out a breathy chuckle, still catching his breath. “You damn well know that was more than okay.”

Ryan collapsed onto the bed, pulling me up against his chest. His heartbeat was still heavy beneath my cheek, his fingers lazily trailing up and down my spine.

“See how much fun you can be when you’re not trying to be a gentleman?” I teased, nuzzling my nose against his neck.

He let out a low chuckle, his breath warm against my hair. “You’re about to see just how much I’m not a gentleman… just as soon as I catch my breath.”

I smirked, tilting my head up to meet his gaze. “You? I think I did all the work there, cowboy.” My fingers traced the sharp lines of his jaw, feeling the heat of his skin still lingering.

That grin of his turned wicked, a dangerous glint in his dark eyes. “You think so, huh?”

Before I could react, he shifted, rolling me onto my back with effortless ease.

My heart thumped a wild rhythm as he leaned in, the heat of his words danced over my ear, “I’m going to enjoy taking my time with you.” 

His beard tickled my skin as his lips and tongue moved slowly down my neck, placing gentle kisses on my collarbone. He palmed the swells of my breasts still covered by satin and lace. His fingers slid slowly up the strap slipping it down my shoulder before pulling me up in his arms slightly to unhook it in the back.

He looked down at me eyes dark and wanting, “You are perfect.” Ryan pressed his lips to the mounds of my breasts, licking and sucking the sensitive skin. He paused a moment. His fingers brushed over the butterfly tattoo beneath my right breast, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

“This is new,” he murmured, his gaze tracing the delicate lines of the tattoo.

“I got it while I was on the road,” I explained softly, the memory of those carefree days with the barrel racers still vivid. “We all got matching ones. I wanted mine in a place no one would see... except you.” My voice dropped on the last words, as I met his gaze, feeling the weight of the confession.

He let his gaze drift down my body, his fingers teasing the waistband of my panties, then arched an eyebrow. “I’m not gonna find any surprises down here, am I?”

I couldn’t help but feel my cheeks flush. “Not the kind you're thinking of,” I replied with a light laugh. “It’s just... with everything going on at the ranch lately, I didn’t have the chance to get waxed, so I’m not as smooth as I usually am.”

“Now you’ve got my interest peaked,” he murmured, his fingers slipping slowly beneath the satin fabric to trace soft circles on the skin beneath. “Not as bad as you made it sound, baby.” His lips then pressed against my stomach. “Your pussy would be hot no matter how much hair you had on it.”

I let out a soft, incredulous laugh, though my breath caught on his last word. “You say that now, but I’m not growing a ‘seventies bush’ just to test your theory.”

His fingers continued to toy with my slick folds, each touch deliberate and teasing, leaving me suspended between defiance and desire.

I lifted my hips, inviting him to slide the satin fabric down my legs. His lips brushed the inside of my knee, then trailed along my inner thigh with deliberate, teasing precision, pausing only to mirror the motion on the other side. The sensation was maddening—infuriating, even—if it hadn’t been so exquisitely pleasurable, so utterly arousing, making me want him even more.

A deep moan escaped my lips as he tasted me, his tongue and lips working magic on the most intimate parts of my body. My fingers dug into the mattress, anchoring me as my hips bucked against him. His arms tightened around my thighs, holding me close as I surrendered to the mounting pleasure. My head fell back, letting the ripples of ecstasy radiate from my core and ignite every nerve until I trembled uncontrollably. His face, nestled between my thighs, stayed there until he was satisfied—and I was left completely undone.

He kissed his way up my body, smirking as my body still trembled beneath him. He captured my mouth with his lips. I let out a moan as I tasted myself on them. 

"I told you, so sweet," he murmured.

"You really are a smooth talker, cowboy," I whispered, my body still humming with the afterglow.

"That's the only way to keep you on your toes, baby," he replied, his fingers trailing along my side. "I need to ask you something—probably should've done it before you seduced me in my bunk."

"That's me—the wild seductress who makes you lose all your reasoning," I teased, my hands roaming over his arms. "So, what did you want to ask me?"

"You're still on birth control, right?" he asked, his tone turning serious.

I nodded. "Have you been worried about that?"

"I figured you'd say something if there was a problem," he said, shifting as his gaze softened. "Honestly, I wasn't too keen on having to get up and grab a condom if I don't have to."

I smiled softly, the intimacy of our conversation mingling with the lingering warmth between us.

"I've got you covered so you don't have to move," I murmured, running my hands along his back as I hooked my leg over his hip. "Well, you do have to move a little," I added with a teasing glint in my eyes.

He smirked against my neck as he aligned himself at my entrance. "Already wanting more, baby?"

"We've got this big bed," I replied, gripping his hip with my leg, urging him closer. "Might as well use it."

"Don't want to waste it," he said with a playful growl. With a swift, deliberate motion, he thrust slowly, groaning as he sank fully inside me.

We moved together in perfect harmony, our bodies entwining and unraveling in each other’s arms as if no years had ever separated us. In that moment, everything felt exactly as it was meant to be—an unspoken promise that I was entirely his, and he, wholly mine.

[katsu28]

KAIT I LOVE U HI can i request Baby’s Breath - a wholesome moment with Hangman please?

hi thank you for requesting ily!! in honor of glen becoming a dog dad here is jake becoming one too i hope you enjoy it <3 (part of me wanted to scrap this and rewrite but we are embracing difference today folks!)

baby's breath: a wholesome moment, jake "hangman" seresin x reader, 1.4k

Growing up on a ranch, Hangman was no stranger to animals of all kinds. He’d always wanted a dog of his own when he finally settled down somewhere, but never got one because of how often he was gone on deployment. After you came into his life and made it clear you were going to stay, he brought up the topic of wanting to adopt a dog together. Thankfully, you wholeheartedly and very excitedly agreed with him. 

It was a win-win for everyone; Hangman would finally get his furry friend, you’d have someone to keep you company while Hangman was away, and the lucky pup would find a forever home with two people ready to spoil the absolute shit out of them. 

That was how you ended up here at Top Pup, Miramar’s biggest animal shelter. 

Hangman had heard his fair share of loud things before—jet engines, gale force winds, Rooster after a few too many beers—but he wasn’t expecting an animal shelter to be this…well, loud. He could hear the barking echoing off the walls of the place as soon as you both stepped inside, rattling and clanking of pens accompanying.

The woman at the front desk brought you out back to a wide pen lined with artificial turf, where dogs of all sizes roamed around interacting with other folks who’d had the same idea as yourselves today. 

As soon as you stepped into the fenced area, you were surrounded by dogs instantly, all of them nosing their way into the fray to get a sniff at a potential forever home. 

“Can we just adopt them all?” You asked, aiming a pout up at Jake as you tried your best to love on every single one of them. 

“I don’t think we have enough space for all of them, darlin’.” He chuckled, kneeling down next to you. A few of them left you to sniff at him and he welcomed them with open arms, giving a few chin scratches and rough pats that they thoroughly enjoyed. “How ‘bout we start with one and see how it goes, then we can talk about adding to the pack.” 

“You’re no fun.” You were only joking and Jake knew that.

He gave a playful shake of his head, grinning. “Bite me.” 

“C’mon girl, sic ‘em!” You joked towards the fluffy black dog currently enjoying your love, nodding in Jake’s direction. Her head tilted, tongue lolling out of her mouth and ears pricking up, but she made no move towards him. “You’re just a big ol’ sweetheart, aren’t you baby? Yes you are, I love you.”

Had you been paying a shred of attention to your boyfriend, you would’ve seen him snapping a quick photo for his not-so-secret album of pictures of you he scrolled through when he missed you whilst he was away. 

Time went by in a blur, and soon you lost track of how many dogs you’d met. They were all adorable and your earlier statement about wanting to adopt them all still stood, but none of them gave you that feeling—that zing that made you say ‘yes, this is the dog for us’. 

That was, until Jake caught your attention from across the yard. He was sitting cross-legged on the grass at the very corner of the yard, beaming at you as he waved you over. 

“Honey, come look at this little guy,” Jake called, excited. You ruffled the fur of the dog you were knelt next to one more time before making your way to where he was, spotting the tiniest pup you’d ever seen curled up on a pile of blankets a few feet away. “The lady said he and his four siblings had just been dropped at the door a few days ago, but the rest of ‘em have already been adopted. Said he’s been huddled away over here pretty much ever since. Didn’t even get a chance to give him a name yet.” 

The pup’s fur was a gorgeous white with cream markings on his face and ears and the same colored patches along his back, big dark eyes peering out at the two of you curiously. Jake put out a hand on the ground in front of you, making little kissy sounds to see if he’d show any interest. When all the puppy did was blink slowly, he kept his hand out, just in case. “He seems shy. I barely noticed him over here.” 

“Hi baby,” You cooed, taking a seat on the ground next to Jake. “You’re just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen, little dude!” 

It took a little while for the puppy to warm up to the two of you, but you were more than happy to be patient. Eventually, he padded over to Jake on unsteady paws, sniffing at his outstretched hand tentatively. He was barely as long as his forearm. His little nose twitched a few times and then he promptly crawled into Jake’s lap, and you swore you could see your big tough boyfriend melt a little inside. 

You’d always talked about adopting a bigger dog—one Jake could rough-house with in the yard, one that would be able to protect you if need be when Jake wasn’t around. He’d told you about the dogs his family had when he was growing up, cattle herding dogs and big Shepherds that could (and did) knock his younger self to the ground. They were absolute sweethearts when it came to the family, he’d said, but loyal to a fault and wouldn’t hesitate to protect their loved ones. Kind of like Jake. 

Admittedly, you’d originally been leaning towards a larger dog too, but the tiny pup looked right at home comfortably nestled in Jake’s lap. This was the dog for you, and one look at Jake told you he was thinking the exact same thing. Soon enough, the paperwork had been filled out, adoption fee paid, and the pup was yours. 

A trip to the nearest pet store to grab everything you’d need proved too tiring for the little guy, who’d fallen in your arms before you had a chance to let him see what toys made his little ears perk up. Then you were home, settled on the floor of the living room in the pen Jake had set up next to the couch with your new furry little addition curled up on the floor between the two of you. He was awake now but still sleepy, trying to keep his head up to take in his new surroundings but starting to nod off again. 

“What should we name him?” Jake wondered aloud, tilting his head at you as his fingers scratched circles behind the pup’s ears. 

You shrugged, leaning back against the couch. “I dunno, throw some names at me.” 

“Uh…let’s see. How ‘bout Brisket?” 

“We get it, you’re from Texas,” You huffed, rolling your eyes playfully. Jake flicked your knee. You let your gaze fall on your pup, watching his eyes flutter shut the longer you stroked along his back. “You don’t look like a Brisket to me, my love.” 

“I thought I was your love?” 

“I can have two, can’t I?” 

“So long as that one doesn’t get any ideas,” Jake muttered, narrowing his eyes at the pup, who gave a tiny, tired growl. “Whoa, okay! Copy you loud and clear, big guy. No need to get all tough on me.”

“What about Fido?” 

“That’s so unoriginal. What are we, living in the 40’s?” 

“Snowball?” 

Jake fixed you to the spot with an unamused look. “I’m not naming our son Snowball. He’s gotta have a tough name. Something like…Turbo. Or Rambo. Bruiser!” 

You honestly didn’t really register the names he threw out, too focused on the first thing he’d said. “Our son? Does this mean we’re parents?” You asked softly, not able to fight the giddy grin working its way across your face. Jake slid a hand around the back of your neck, bringing you into the sweetest of kisses, fondness dripping like honey. 

“We’re parents, darlin’.” He repeated, smiling against your mouth. You suddenly flashed forward to the next time Jake would say those words, sometime far in the future with a baby of your own (human, not canine). It seemed so off in the distance, but you already knew in your heart it was something you both wanted eventually.

For now, you had all the love in the world to give your brand new fur baby.

“Parents of our yet to be named puppy.” 

“I still think Brisket is a solid option.” 

“We’ll workshop it.”

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[thesecretcornerintheroom]

1 Month

Part 2

Pairing: Oj Haywood x Black female reader

Warnings: Bondage, Angst, Yearning 😂 (so y'all, this is part 2, and it took me a while to figure it out I hope y'all enjoy 💕)

Word count: 22752

HA SO THE LUCKY SPECIAL WORKED said Emerald. I knew some weird shit was going on. He stopped grunting all the time and being grumpy, she said, laughing. “Can you shut the hell up?”I bit at Emerald. “You said you needed my help”. My tone was embarrassed partially by how loud she was and second by her statement. I haven’t seen Emerald in a month; a lot has happened, like a weird alien lingering around their farm. “That’s why you haven’t been coming around,” said Emerald as she leaned in. Her lashes touched her eyebrows with anticipation as her smile widened. Her gaze held my eyes with amusement and curiosity“damn, it was that bad. Should have fucked with me,” causing me to let out the loudest laugh. We’re in a dinner, drinking our milkshakes and sharing a fry, reviewing her research about this alien and the ranch. “What was so funny?” I heard his voice, and everything stopped, the laugh spilling out my body, the old music that blared through the dinner. I knew that voice, that deep country voice. I turned to see OJ; he was looking at Emerald and me. His body was more buffer, and his skin was glowing from sun exposure. He wore an old faded t-shirt, and his dark blue jeans faded from working. His gaze went from Emerald and fell on me. For once, I couldn’t read them well. It’s not like I ever could. OJ didn’t have a lot of facial expressions. I had to look back at Emerald, hoping she would save me. “I was telling her about that weirdo we met from the camera store,” said Emerlaed in a charismatic tone, “Angel,” said Oj. “yep,” we both said in unison. “Mhm,” he sat beside Emerald. “Alright, back to business. What the fuck is this over our ranch, and why is it here,” said Emerald noticing a shift in the room.

“Bye em be. Safe,” I said as she exited the car to walk into her new women of the week house. Emerald will still attend her bootie call even when supernatural things run around. Yeah, she said, walking away. “I’ll get you tomorrow, I assume,” said OJ passive-aggressively. She stopped and turned around, you assumed correctly, causing me to giggle as OJ drove off. I could feel the tension setting in. Who knew a 5’4 girl who Yaps with a loud voice was keeping the tension at bay? “So, how lucky will I be to see him in commercials?” I said, trying to make small talk. I can feel OJ‘s body tense, his eyes on the road. “He is supposed to be in a beer commercial” in about two months. “OK, well, that’s good. That’s exciting. I can’t think of the last time Lucky was in” before I could finish my sentence. He cut me off; “where have you been?” His eyes didn’t leave the road, causing my body to heat up. “I texted you and called you,” but there was no response. The only person you respond to is my sister for this:” I can tell you wanted to say more, but Oj never Said more. He only talked when he felt like talking. Oj saying this much was shocking to me. “I got wrapped up with my job, and between working and stuff, it has just become a lot.” I said my words, fumbling, trying to come up with any excuse for not calling or texting him back. Lucky listened to the excuse and turned the radio up. “there is something on your mind, the way you look at me.” I don't know if it was the singer's voice filled with concern and yearning or the old band playing behind the singer's voice. Maybe it was the lyrics or how Oj's jaw flexed as he tried not to talk. Still, I felt the tension rise in the car, and my body turned to jelly. The silence and this song were going to be the death of me.

Once we arrived at my house, everything looked the same: my porch light was flickering cause it needed to be fixed. The radio was turned off, and now we were in silence before I could say anything.” how long has your light been out?”

“ since last week, but I don’t go out often, so it hasn’t bothered me. I responded. “My tool kit is in the back, and I’ll fix it”He said. As we got out of the car and my feet hit the ground, I was grateful to feel the earth. My legs were still tingling, and the air was thick as OJ grabbed his toolbox, and I went inside. I decided talking wasn’t the best option. “Okay, okay, y/n, while he fixes the light, get yourself together I scrutinized myself as I went into the fridge. I noticed the lemon bars I made for a hot summer night. I grabbed some without thinking, one for me, one for him. When I walked back to the front, my light fixture was now fixed, and Oj was heading to his car. “OJ!” you said with a worried tone. He turned around, putting his toolbox in his trunk. You looked at him, and your eyes said, please stay hoping he would understand. You sat on your porch steps with your plate in your hand, holding the sweets you made.

“You want a treat?” You said, voice thin, scarred of what he’d say or want to say. Oj stopped and looked at me for a long time, his face unreadable. He walked up to me slowly and sat down. His body was big in stature as he sat at the top of the steps, His legs stretched to the bottom steps, and the air felt warm and heavy with him near me. He grabbed the sweet off my plate and took a bite. I looked at him, wondering what he’d say about my newest lemon dessert. “9/10,” He said. “Gasps,” I said, “that’s a 10/10, And you know it?” I said, grinning, voice heavy. He looked at me, smirked, and took another bite. I saw the custard form on his lip, quickly replaced with a swipe from his tongue. Oh, that tongue, his eyes glistened “to tangy.” He said maybe more powder on top. I shook my head, mentally nodding, “Oj has no vices but one, and that’s super sweet pastries,” I giggled. Leaning away, he looked at me. One pastry was now gone.

“Oj, I’m sorry, but I should’ve been honest. I haven’t called or responded to you because I was scared My mom and dad are gone my siblings live across the country. All I have is you and Em; I don’t know.” My heart beat in my chest, and my body was overwhelmed with the truth. Oj was looking at me. “Mhmm,” he said as he looked at me. I could feel the tension. It felt like a balloon was going to pop. I stood up, grabbing the plate. “Do you wanna come inside,” I said, standing up and looking down, trying to grasp at my sanity. Oj looked up at me as he rose. I felt the dynamic shift; he was towering over me. He speaks with eyes, that’s for sure. He looked at me and then at the door. He shook his head yes.

Once inside, I went straight to the kitchen and dumped the pastry in the trashcan. “I don’t have any friends said Oj. All I have is the ranch Em and you and now, Angel said. Oj crept over to me slowly, each footstep holding weight. He looked down at me and placed his hand on my cheek. I closed my eyes. Oh, how I missed his warmth. His hands were rough; his hands felt like work. His hand went to the side of my neck, his thumb slowly rubbing my neck, titling my chin up. He lifted me and placed me on the dining table, my mouth open from shock. He kissed me quickly. The kiss was feverish and fast. His lips tasted of vanilla and zest. He was kissing me like he was making up for lost time, grabbing my legs, and pulling me closer to him. “But I'd rather have you like this than a friend he grunted out” as his lips left my mouth and worked his way down my neck, leaving kisses above my breast.

In this summer heat, all you had on was a tank top and shorts, his hand roaming my body and still on my neck. He pulled me in closer. “I don’t think I can get any closer.” he removed my tank top. “Uh-huh,” he said as he placed his lips around my nipple, causing me to arch my back. My fingers found the nape of his neck, diving into his kinky curls. “Oj, please, I purred,” his tongue circled my nipple, his tongue sending shocks through my body. My legs wrapped around his waist, subnconsily pushing my body backward from the dealing of pleasure. The plates and table decor fell over with a clatter. Clank as so of my cups hit the floor. His hands gripped under my thighs and lifted me, causing me to yelp. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, giggling as he walked me to my room.

He placed me on the bed. “hold still, " he said with a smirk. As I lay on the bed, my body felt vulnerable. I could feel his fingertips dancing on me, going up and down. I felt a thumb swipe over my spot with my jeans on, causing me to gasp. His hands slowly trailed to the button of my shorts. As the button popped, I could feel He pulled down my shorts off my leg.his hands slowly rose to my waist, dragging his hands back up my body, leaving me in my panties that were red. “A month. I’ve thought about you for a month,” he said, removing his shirt. “I thought about that night you slept over.” his tone was calm. His toned body was showing, and his skin glistening in the dimly lit room. His muscles flexed as he removed his belt, jeans, and underwear. Once free, he grabbed my hands, placing them above my head. He stopped and looked at me in my face. “ for a month, I missed you, your laugh, your warmth,” his tone dripping with sincerity. His face observed every piece of me, soaking me In like this. I got so lost in his eyes I almost didn’t feel the leather wrap around my wrist. “ Oj,” I said, breaking eye contact and looking at my wrist. His belt was now tied around my wrist, his buckle at the front on full display, shining in the light, and I was shocked looking at him. Oj looked at my wrist. “just say no,” he said. He looked at me, and I knew he meant it.” I’m okay,” I whispered.

“A month,31 days, you stayed on my mind. I kept thinking about what I would do and how I would kiss you, he said, rubbing the side of my thigh slowly. So I’m going to show you what’s been in my head for 31 days,” he said, kissing me earnestly. His hands find my clothes clit and start playing with it, causing me to have gaps in his mouth. He grunts in my mouth as he speeds up with his finger over my clit, causing me to squirm. The feeling felt so Good but so far away. “please, please,” I said as I thought about the feeling between my legs. The feeling growing inside of me, but my panties were stopping the feeling. “Uh, uh, I know you got it,” he said, his southern drawl in my ear as his finger moved over my clothed clit harder.I felt my wetness start to drip past my panties.

“common be good for me.” He said. The wetness between my legs grew. My panties were becoming wet, and my voice became ragged.” Please, please, uhh,” I said, my core tightening, the feeling going through my body. “Your thighs are shaking so much,” he said, “cum for me.” The wetness pooled in my panties, causing me to come undone. My sight was hazy, my breath shallow, and I put my tied wrist around his neck.I looked him in his eyes, and I knew at that moment I couldn’t run anymore.

From him or my feelings in that moment, my hands tied draped over the back of his neck, I pulled him down to me, his full lips feeling out mine, causing me to sigh in contempt as I kissed him. I wrapped my legs around his hips, my clothed member now grinding against him. His caused him to grunt, stopping my hips with his hands. He pulled down my panties and threw them across the room. His finger trails up my calf and my inner leg. As it reached my core, I felt my eyes close with anticipation. His finger swipes between my folds before they enter his two fingers, entering me. Letting out a gasp from the heavy breathing in the room and the wet sounds of him fingering me, his two fingers going in and out of me at a slow, poisonous rhythm. OJ was breathing hard as he looked down, eyes locked on my pussy. “You seem ready for me,” he said as he looked up at me. I opened my eyes and shook my head. Oj positioned himself in between my legs and pushed in with a demanding force, causing me to moan in satisfaction. His lips met my neck as he nibbled and kissed, teasing his hips, moving slowly, still moving with force, his hips snapping, meeting the rhythm of my hips. He bites my neck, causing me to yelp. “I missed you he said” “I missed you too” the words flowing out of me, my body melting like butter. “A month,” he said as he snapped his hips, causing me to moan, words falling from my mouth, “I’m sorry, ugh, please.” as you arched your back, you felt him hit the spot inside of you that will have you undone soon, I won’t do it again” you said feeling the wetness pool in between your legs as he enters you his rhythm now becoming more frantic his hips bucking into yours with more meaning then you can describe. You could feel the wind leave your body; your eyes closed, your hands still clasped wrapped around his neck as your breast bounced to the rhythm Oj was setting. You felt your thighs begin to shake as he started to hit that spot again. Your eyes began to water, your moans fell out of your mouth, and your stomach began to tighten. Oj started to moan, and his thrust became more sporadic. As Oj lowers himself, you feel him on your body more. Your chest now touches both of your warm skin, hot and dripping with lust. You felt Oj grab your leg and raise it higher. He soon was bucking his hips desperately. Your eyes began to roll as the moans kept falling from your mouth as your body tried to rise off the bed. “no more running,” he said with a grunt as he captured his lips with yours. Your body spasmed as you released, feeling the sheets damping beneath you. “Oh fuck” said Oj as he pulled out quickly and came on your pelvis area. As both of your breathing slowed down. His body is towering over yours, now removing the belt buckle from your sore red wrists. “Let’s get you cleaned up,” OJ said.

[softantlers]

What do you think the girlies jobs would have been had they not crashed?

I think about it alot given how the wilderness shaped them so drastically but also because of the no crash AU's that sees some of them ( lottie ) in the same roles as they end up in as adults post crash and I don't necessarily think that makes sense for some of em!

Shauna we know definitely had her life turned around and she had dreams that didn't involve being a stay at home mom. We know she desired a job somewhere in literature so she's fairly easy.

Tai is a fun one, we know she already had plans of law school and she did stick to her original path for the most part but post crash but it's the run for senate that peaks my interest. Was that a drive she had previously or was it developed out there in the woods? I think it could go either way, but the quiet way she perks up in the queening ceremony before Natalie is named queen makes it clear she thought herself a possible option/ maybe even the best option. ( further proven when she mentions doing a better job when her and van are out searching for Mari.) I like to think of her senate run being a delayed grab for power that she didn't take in the wilderness. Maybe even a way to prove to herself that she could have done it and done it well.

Van is interesting because we don't know much about her plans precrash. Her adoration of media lends itself to her future as the shop owner well, but I think that is 1/2 of our clearest examples of their lives being controlled by the wilderness. The way she held onto stories and the shows she knew as a comfort out there but then also developing into this jester story teller for the group, I think the store is not only her way of pretending like time never moved on but it keeps her submerged in the media she needed to get through the wilderness. So I do think she'd have done something different without that experience.

Natalie is ✨️unemployed✨️

Unless you count going off the deep end after going through all layers of hell multiple times a job which I'm sure we can.

I assume she's living off a mix of the crash settlement payout and Tai but I wonder what she'd have done without the crash.

Lottie is the exciting one because she's got so many options. I love the interpretations of her going into her dad's business but I don't think its far off to say she could still end up as a wellness guru cult leader ( to an extent. Maybe light on the cult and heavy on the green smoothies. ) Because while how she ends up is so incredibly affected by the crash, I could see her naturally developing into that as she's always had the characteristics needed for such a role.

Misty I think was always going to end up in some kind a easy to abuse power role. I'm in the camp that believes the wilderness was a detour in the life of mysterious quigley and she was always going to be like this. I do however think it really pushed her into nursing, that power trip and the first time she felt needed and useful, and she may have been in a different field otherwise.

Travis is another one its hard to pin down what he would have been doing without the crash because we don't really know much about him pre crash or even post all things considered. But It's not a stretch to imagine his time out there and akilahs farm animals influenced his fate to be working at a ranch.

Finally Jackie, I don't have much idea of what she'd be doing but I am fairly confident she wouldn't have ended up as a stay at home mom like how Shauna assumes.

Gee that was long, thoughts?

- J. Doe

you have very interesting thoughts!! tysm for sharing & asking!! 😭😭😭

tbh i'm forever bringing up my own writing when i answer these questions, i'm sorry if it's annoying!! 😭 but i've thought about this a lot for my college band au because i had to come up with majors hehe. so without further ado:

lottie

i like the idea of lottie being an art therapist with an emphasis on assisting people with schizophrenia and related mental conditions. to me, it tracks with her desire to help other people while also getting at her innate creativity. in my band au, she actually gets disowned for pursuing art therapy at the expense of what her parents wanted her to go into [pre-med] & i kind of like this for her because i actually am not sure that i agree with hc's about her going into the family business. i think lottie has for sure shown that she has the capacity to be her own person & more than enough tenacity to make difficult life changes. she is fucking stubborn!!

van

for me, physical media works for van and i have no notes about her owning the store as endgame. i don't know that it's very realistic to think the only job she's had her entire life is "store owner" though, so i see her as maybe doing some audiovisual gigwork on the side while doing other random things. she seems like the type who is always in a part-time shuffle, could definitely see her working at the local public library as a circulation assistant or something like that in her younger years. could also see her doing management for a local drive-in theater hehe.

taissa

yeah, i am on track with her being a lawyer. (i really want to write a meta at some point about how her "cleanup" rationale for staying in the wilderness relates to a very lawyer mindset.) i'm not sure if i have any notes on this. it's telling that she went into land use since that's a very local-to-her topic & follows her being engaged with state politics. i totally vibe with her wanting to be a senator (and am generally frustrated that this plot was dropped).

natalie

this is going to sound INSANE but i actually see natalie as really thriving as a paramedic?? (hell, even a fire fighter lmao??) omgg hear me out. she is extremely good under pressure & very technically capable (being able to hunt for the girls and learn all the skills to survive out there.) when the horrors happen, she doesn't look away (staring at jackie's bones, talking shauna down through childbirth, carving up fucking ben). she has a deep moral code and a desire to take care of others (everything with coach, taking jackie's bones to plane, etc.) because i don't really hc her as going to college out the gate, i could see her sort of falling into this & really developing a sense of purpose around the camaraderie of the people she's working with. also this kind of job would demand that you have to keep it together somewhat & i could see it being a motivation to keep substance use under control??? plus having to respond to substance users??? like, idk i need to flesh this out more but it makes my brain ping.

obviously this is a high-stress job, so i could see her settling down into a different role after a few years or potentially pursuing a paramedic-to-RN bridge program & ending up in some sort of ER/triage environment.

misty

no notes on misty except that wouldn't it be hilarious if she was in the same program as nat? LOLZ.

jackie

i see her in something like comms or event planning? hell, i could even see her as a docent or guide in some kind of museum or public history environment? she's got leadership & communication skills that would lend well here. it's a little difficult because we don't get as much of her characterization as others but there's something here.

shauna

it's annoying because the show doesn't give us more than "she can write." like yeah, about what??? tbh shauna is so invested in being right in the show that i can absolutely see her going into a literary criticism type PhD. (english majors ARGUE.) of course, that's basically resigning yourself to a life of being underpaid & adjuncting but maybe not so bad in the 90s?? i could see her landing in a position as a professor or something, but i also could see her moving into librarianship (academic, definitely) or publishing??

[pokefossilclub]

Hey! Dreepy man! Thanks so much for the help!

I am nearing my travelling date back home, so I wanted to ask for ideas on what Pokemon I should get for my second brother.

He used to be a photographer and used to travel the world, but now he's an editor for a channel and last time I heard he wasn't... doing so well mentally. In that he doesn't necessarily take care of himself that well. He barely goes outside and he's mainly editing for the company that he's working for. So I wanted to at least give a Pokemon that'll give him at least some boost in morale.

I'm not sure on where to start, but I do know it needs to be one of those pokemon that will only tolerate one person and ONLY one person (in our home we have a ranch of Pokemon but our parents are taking care of em, not my brother), I want a Pokemon that will only depend on my brother, forcing him to get out of his room and enrich the Pokemon. I honestly might get him an egg so it can imprint onto my brother if that's the case?

I also don't necessarily want something... too demanding, something that he'll reject completely from the get-go from how hard it is to take care of so... any thoughts on what Pokemon I should get him?

Oh, I'm sorry to hear about your brother's struggles! Having a Pokemon to look after has been well-proved to help with motivation and 'getting out there', but you're right that not just any will do!

I would be perhaps wary of getting him an egg, I'm afraid, simply because if you are afraid of him deciding caring for a Pokemon is too much effort, well, freshly-hatched Pokemon require more care than an already mature individual, and an egg as an object can be harder to bond with directly than a creature with a face that can easily respond to you, so it runs the risk that he could decide to get rid of it before it hatches and he bonds! A younger Pokemon in general, however, may be a fine idea.

If you think your brother would appreciate something cute, a Vulpix could be a good option- either Kantonian or Alolan, depending on if he prefers warm or cold! They are cuddly, intelligent creatures who bond tightly with trainers, and they require regular exercise and benefit greatly from socialisation- but their care needs are not too complex, they are popular enough both as battling Pokemon and as pets that food and equipment for them is easily accessible, and they are unlikely to be so clingy that receiving care from others when necessary would be difficult. Skitty would be another similar option, without having to do any Fire-type proofing or minimise cuddles in cold weather- the Normal-type is popular as pets for a reason! However they are very high-energy, and if your brother struggles with that he may find it more annoying than endearing! Delcatty, their evolved form, would remove that potential problem, but if not bonded with early or as a Skitty they can be very independent in a way that could be counterproductive.

Should your brother not appreciate cute so much, or prefer something more unusual, I could suggest Shuppet. They are emotivores, meaning they eat emotions, usually negative ones, and it has been reported that this can help people suffering from mental illness get a better grip on emotions that could otherwise be overwhelming. They are also very sweet and social, and do not require very much bodily care, being Ghost-types. However, they may not get him out much, and if too many Shuppet feed on one singular person, that person's emotions can easily be deadened beyond what is helpful. Another non-overtly-cute option might be a Steel-type such as Klefki or Klink. Klefki are surprisingly social and intelligent little creatures, and he might find interest in collecting keys for them to keep. Klink are, despite their appearances, very curious, and love to find new things and places to interact with, trying to fit themselves and various objects into and around each other! Steel-type care is not always intuitive to newcomers, given many of them are not mammals like humans are, but there are plenty of guides out there (I can give recommendations if requested) and, at least for the two I've named, is really not that complicated!

I wish your brother good recovery from his mental health diffculties, and I hope this gives you a notion what might help him out!

[fleetsummers]

with @vallaurent  | the daybreakers : leading attackers into traps, and trying not to be ensnared themselves. run, rabbits, run.

Val Laurent Oh god. -She isn't sure what she'd imagined the attack would be like, but this isn't it. Her heart is pounding up into her throat, as she presses herself as tight as she can against a wall as a trio of Daybreakers storms by, not noticing her or Fleet as they chase someone down.- Do we... Do we go after 'em? -she breathes slow in an attempt to calm herself, her voice low as she turns her eyes on Fleet- We should help 'em, right? 

fleet summers Yes. -these answers are coming faster now, with the numbers piling up under his belt: those three outside the Ranch with Zack, at least two on his own as he was moving around after Zack and him got separated -- five people whose lives had ended due to Fleet's increasingly rapid reactions- Are you armed? Do you have something with you? -he has his crowbar, tight against his back with the rifle in his hands that he'd taken from that pit-

Val Laurent I got a gun. -she feels the handgun at her side, where she'd crudely holstered it. It felt weird in her hands, but she'd have to get used to that- Zack said we shouldn't try to engage 'em, right? So I shouldn't shoot at them. Think we could try and lure them in and split 'em up somehow?

fleet summers This whole place is a trap exactly so we wouldn't have to engage them. -he knows Val knows this too, but at this point it's sort of like they're repeating what's been drilled into them as a way of steadying themselves, reasserting the plan so they don't even have to think about it or second-guess anything- The garden field. There's the bear trap and the spike board, but we'll still be in sight of each other. Maybe if we make it look like we're trying to hide in the last of the corn? They'll spot us for sure.

Val Laurent That's a good idea. They won't suspect we're lurin' 'em if we look like we're hidin. -Val's heart at least seemed to have calmed down somewhat, remaining steady, albeit quicker- Okay. Let's do this. -she tried to make her voice seem steady as she looked around the bend to make sure it was clear, before she started running in the direction of the cornfield-

fleet summers Fleet follows after a while, scampering in a panicky way but beelining for those few withered cornstalks, and he almost makes it -- two of the Daybreakers have spotted them, and one is trying to make out where Val's headed like a rabbit to the stalks while the other fixes his stare on Fleet, who freezes and then makes an arc through the broken-up soil in the direction of a trap. Before he can get there, the Daybreaker's snagged his ankle with something, and Fleet's crashing to the ground, scrabbling to get onto his back.

Val Laurent -she’d been trying to keep an eye on Fleet, as she ducked through the cornfield, her heart rate quickly jumping up when she felt the Daybreakers’ gaze on her. She kept telling herself to keep going, towards the trap, not think about anything else, not what would happen if she would get caught and- then Fleet went down. Val found herself freezing in that moment, staring at the spot where Fleet had fallen, and the Daybreaker with a rope - bolas, the word appeared in her mind - closing in quickly. Val’s blood ran cold. Her mind went blank, as she crouched there, unmoving. What should she do? Keep running? Help Fleet? How could she even help him?- Oh god, oh god, oh god. -she started running, towards Fleet, desperately trying to unholster her gun, almost dropping it in the process. The Daybreaker behind her called out when Val was a few feet away. His colleague looked up, which made Val stop. She raised the gun, pointing it at the Daybreaker, her hands trembling. She’d never killed anyone. Not a person. Someone who was still human. Her breath went hard as she kept her gun pointed, trying to urge herself to do something, anything, but - she couldn’t.-

fleet summers The Daybreaker who'd felled Fleet laughed at Val's terrified, frozen stance, dropping himself onto Fleet's back and wrenching the rifle he had to one side, twisting Fleet at the waist; he leaned his weight down, hand against Fleet's forehead to hold him down, and said, 'gonna put my brand on you, boy, so when we get you back to the factory everyone'll know exactly what it is you should be used for' and Fleet felt cold terror roll through him but something else with it: an anger that had been dormant for years, with nothing to call itself and nowhere to go. When he opened his mouth, though, it wasn't anger in his voice but tearful shakiness, as he pleaded, "Don't chase me anymore, please, I can't, it's too horrible, just do what you're gonna do with me." 

The other Daybreaker was slowly stalking up to Val, growling something at her, but Fleet couldn't spare too much attention to help, not yet. He whimpered, swallowing hard, and the one on top of him watched with a darkness in his eyes. He divested Fleet of his rifle and crowbar, raising the tool just to watch Fleet flinch and cringe, and then said, 'a rabbit tastes sweeter if you chase it down and tenderize the meat' and reached down to loosen the bolas binding Fleet's ankles. Loosen, not undo. 'run, little rabbit' the Daybreaker sneered, and Fleet started half-crawling away, clawing and kicking at the bola until he'd gotten one foot free and stood, hobbling in a desperate half-run.

Val Laurent Throughout all of it, Val was urging her body to shoot, do anything. All she had to do was pull the trigger, and maybe the Daybreaker would die and then- she heard the steps behind her and swung around, gun still pointed. "Put that down." The Daybreaker had his rifle pointed at her as he closed in, slowly as if he wasn't worried at all. "Try fighting, and I'm gonna blow your brains out. Or I'll make you wish I did, once I'm done with you. Be good and lie down, girl." Val's mouth felt dry as he stalked closer, like a prowling cat, her fingers still trembling. She heard Fleet scramble behind her, the steps of the Daybreaker following him, deliberately slowly, thudding against the ground with what she assumed was Fleet's crowbar. 

The recoil of the gun was harder than she'd expected, and she almost dropped it. The Daybreaker howled, clutching his chest, just below his shoulder. Val stared for the fraction of a second before she dashed off, zig-zagging across the field as fast as she could, in the direction of the trap. Soon enough, she could feel bullets whizzing past her, hitting the dirt behind her. One scraped her side, and she felt warm blood, but she kept running, trying not to stumble on the uneven ground as she dashed off in different directions, like a chased rabbit. Her lungs were protesting by this point - she couldn't keep this up much longer. She had seen Fleet behind her, hobbling along, but she couldn't help him now. Was the Daybreaker still chasing him? She heard the voice calling out, low, in the faint melody of a song "Run rabbit, run rabbit run run run, bang bang bang goes the farmer's gun~" 

fleet summers Fleet was fast; he was like his name, but the bolas had cracked into his shins and ankles, and every step felt like he was splintering those bones right up to his knee. Still, he kept moving, hoping to god that the shot he'd heard was Val getting away, as his own flight across the field got slower and slower and the rifle went off, the ground at Fleet's feet popping -- the Daybreaker chasing him with that blood-chilling song wasn't even rushing, hadn't shot him directly, was playing with him -- and then he was on top of Fleet again, knocking him on his back this time. And there was a pressure against his hip that took only a moment or two to become a searing pain, the barrel of the hot rifle shoved against him and scorching right through his clothes like it was on bare skin. Fleet wailed and the Daybreaker laughed, saying, 'told you i'd brand you, little bunny. now be good while i get myself a better taste' and that was all he had the chance to say because Fleet kicked up his leg between the Daybreaker's, twisting hard, that bola wrapping their ankles together and holding them close while he rolled his weight. 

That trap he'd been leading the Daybreaker towards wasn't far. It was only about five feet away, maybe even just four. But Fleet didn't try to cut through the bola tying him to the man, to keep on leading him into the trap; the rifle had gone beneath the man, and even with its hot metal burning against him the Daybreaker only had eyes for Fleet, bloodthirsty and enraged. Fleet had his hands on his crowbar now, though. And he lifted one knee to his chest, that one small bit of leverage to keep the man from strangling him, and Fleet swung that crowbar. Until he'd smashed another skull, just like his father's, the crunch of bone jarring his hands, until the man fell onto his back and Fleet could raise himself half-kneeling over him, hitting and hitting and hitting, until that skull didn't have any shape anymore. The ankle bound to his went slack and heavy.

Val Laurent The blood was rushing in Val's ears as she bolted, her heart pounding like it wanted to jump out. The Daybreaker was behind her, she could hear him thumping across the field in heavy steps, only slowed by the wound. It wasn't fatal - she probably hit only the soft tissue, like David, when he'd been shot. The grunting behind her came closer and closer, and the adrenaline of it wouldn't able to keep her going much longer. Val swerved sharp to the left, then back to the right. Behind her, she heard the thud. Hard and fleshy, and a choked howl. She turned around. The Daybreaker stared up at her, eyes wide, held in place by the spikes of the spike trap piercing his gut and chest. "No... No..." Val stared down at him, choking on his own blood, breathing hard. Her hand grasped tightly around her own gun, she bent down and pulled his away, from where it was laid out beside him, before she started walking again. 

The Daybreaker that Fleet was chasing was dead. Laid out on the ground, his head a red mushy mess. "Oh god." Val's own voice sounded distant to her as she stared down at the scene, at Fleet, covered in blood and bits of gore. "Are you hurt?" She managed to ask as she dropped to her knees and slipped the knife out of her belt. The bolas was still wrapped around their ankles but loose enough that she could fit the knife below the rope, sawing until the hemp broke. She stared down at it for a moment, then back up at Fleet. "The other one ain't dead. I didn't shoot him. He's dyin'. I got his gun so he can't hurt anyone, but I think he's still... I couldn't do it."

fleet summers "I can do it," Fleet said, still staring at the one he'd killed. The one he'd pulverized, pulped, atomized, his head a mass of nothing, just what might have been a quivering eye in a heap of rapidly greying pink stuff. Some teeth, sticking out of the gore. He wanted to throw up but instead he stood, hissing at the pain in his now-lacerated ankle, that hemp having sawn through some of it. "I can still move," Fleet assured Val, before noticing her bleeding and taking hold of her to look at it. "You're good too?" he asked, seeing it wasn't something that was incapacitating her, but it wasn't really a question. They both had to be good.

That trapped man was screaming -- or trying to, anyhow, mostly making thick wet gurgling sounds. It was like bubbles in mud. The board of the trap he'd stepped on was lying on him, the other end slanted to the side, and Fleet squared up near the man's head, most of his weight on his good food and both hands on his crowbar. "Step on that end," he told Val. "I want it lifted for when I kill him."

Val Laurent Val knew that kind of gurgling, rattling breathing. She'd heard it in the hospital enough times. Fluid, blood, filling the lungs, choking you off. It was like the breath people took just before they were about to die, those last, strained, guttural breaths, but not quite. The Daybreaker wasn't there yet. Val swallowed, stepping around him, trying to not hesitate and tremor as she stepped on it. The Daybreaker groaned as he shifted, clearly in agony. Val hoped he didn't feel a thing, in that moment. That his mind was already far off, somewhere else, just his body left to catch up. 

"Do it. Please." Val breathed, voice strained. Spit pooled in her mouth, her stomach churning. She'd watched people die, before. From walkers, and before that from whatever you could imagine. Death had been a part of her life, initially one she could leave at work, and then a constant, and now, it was this. Val steadied herself. She had to do this. She could. Fleet was there, ready to kill, and she would help. She had to.

fleet summers "Thank you," Fleet said, politely, and somewhere in the back of his head there was a hysterical shriek of laughter at him making sure to thank Val for her help in obliterating a human life, but he could deal with the screaming meemies later. Later later when they were all still alive and maybe shredded in their souls but alive. Right now there was only this, the reek of explosives and blood and ugliness and survival and Fleet brought the crowbar down on the bridge of the man's nose, to stop that gurgling breathing, to stop him from looking up at them. It was over faster this time and he took a long, unsteady step back, the crowbar too heavy for a moment, dragging at his side as he clung to it and rubbed wet blood around his face.

"You can let the board back down if you want," Fleet suggested, like Val might decide there was some other way to do this, to make it more humane, or something. The man was dead, it didn't matter. But still. He'd let her decide.

Val Laurent She closed her eyes as it came down, heard the bloody gurgling stop in an instant. When she opened them, the man was dead, his popped out eyes blankly pointed at the sky. She breathed in, slowly, then out, as Fleet offered her that. A kindness, consideration. Val took a quick step back, letting the board back down, eyes slightly widened, before she turned back to Fleet. "Lemme wrap your ankle. It ain't much, but it's gonna help stabilize it. You're gonna need it." She made her way over to him. Blood spatters covered his face, neck, his shirt, staining it red. The fighting around them seemed distant, as if it were getting less. Val didn't know if they were winning. When she reached Fleet, she wrapped her arms around him. A quick, short, hug, little more than a quick squeeze, before she let go. "The corn's gonna hide us enough if we sit down."

fleet summers The hug was appreciated, and even Fleet's automatic impulse to protest Val touching him when he was covered in blood died on Fleet's tongue in the face of loving human contact. "We're alive," he said, not knowing if it was surprise or affirmation, but then they were moving towards the stand of withered cornstalks, huddling down in it like the rabbits they'd been called. Fleet didn't bother offering any of his clothes to use as a wrapping -- Val was the medic, he'd just follow her lead -- and said, "We should get the rifle on our way back. And your gun. Do you still have your gun?" 

Val Laurent "I still got it." She hadn't even realized she'd been clinging onto it, her hand wrapped around the handle as tight as it could. She put it down on the ground, careful, like a wounded animal before she shouldered off her backpack. She'd had a go-bag since the beginning, but since Zack had come back, since Clint had been captured, she'd tried packing up even more emergency supplies. Gauze, tourniquets, blod clot powder at the top. She tugged off Fleet's boot, as careful as she could, before she began wrapping his ankle. The scrape at her own side had stopped bleeding, but she felt the pain of it, alongside the sense of exhaustion and the clamminess of her sweat. "It's less now. The screams 'n all. The gunfire. I don't know if we're winnin'." Val didn't know how many of them died, how many were injured. "We gotta keep goin'. How fast can you still go? Think you can run?"

fleet summers "I can run fast," Fleet said, automatically, because that was what you said at times like this. He heard himself and took a breath, moving his ankle slightly; it hurt, sharp stinging from where the rope had cut into him and the bola had knocked against bone, but then he said more reasonably, "I'll run because we have to." Val was working fast and efficient and he marvelled at her steady presence of mind for this; the kind of work that was her bailiwick, not like her shaking hands on that gun. This world had made killers of them. "Do you think people will stop seeing us as liabilities now?" Fleet asked suddenly, as Val was tying his ankle tight. "Do you think because we've murdered people, it'll make anybody take us more seriously? We've achieved--" Fleet's voice greened, edged with bile, "--what makes somebody a real survivor, not any of the other things we've survived?"

Val Laurent That made Val pause, mentally rather than physically, because her hands worked steady and automatically. "I don't know." She responded after a second, mechanically. She hadn't really murdered anybody. She hadn't been able to shoot. When she did, it hadn't killed the Daybreaker. In the end, Fleet had to take their lives. Wasn't she a liablity, the way she'd frozen? But she'd lured the Daybreaker into the trap. They had both made it out. Val tightened the gauze and secured it. "We've been through enough. Before this too. I think they will. And if they don't..." She offered a tired smile. "-they can bite us."

fleet summers That last comment cut through the way that Fleet felt like he was freezing and seizing up, the strange numbness taking hold of his brain, and he laughed, startled, and pulled Val into a hug. She smelled like the dirt they were in and like woodsmoke and like toast, with a sharp tang of fear, and he was pretty sure he smelled the same, felt the same, shaking against her. "Okay," he said. "I'll keep that in the back of my mind. Gonna have sooooo many people mentally biting me." He went quiet, listening to the noises around them; trailing off now, as Val had noted. "We should--" Fleet started, then put his hand down on the gun. "We should go around the Ranch and make sure there's no survivors."

Val Laurent Val smiled - not happy, tired, exhausted and worn down - when she pulled away from Fleet. "Gonna be their problem to deal with. Not yours." She patted his knee, but didn't get up just yet, staying crouched among the dried stalks of corn. It was time to get back to this. They couldn't stay cooped up here forever, after all. "Yeah. Yeah, let's do that." She took a long, deep breath as if to steady herself before she reached for her gun, her fingers touching Fleet's hands on top of it. "I can do it now. I gotta."

fleet summers They stayed there for a moment, crouched together and looking into each others' eyes, breathing fast; prey animals, Fleet kept thinking. But the blood all over them wasn't only theirs. Prey animals with fangs. 

"We can do it," he said, and then they were up, and away, the corn stalks shaking in their wake.

[hiddcnhorizcns]

jesse’s breath caught when esme leaned into his touch, her soft skin pressing against the roughness of his palm. for a moment, everything in him screamed to keep his guard up, to maintain the walls he’d built to protect himself from letting anyone too close—especially her. but the way she looked at him, with that mix of curiosity and desire, made those walls feel like they were crumbling brick by brick. she was searching his eyes, wanting to know the truth, and god help him, he almost wanted to let her see. but before he could let the weight of it all come crashing down, he felt the need to shift the moment. if he didn’t, things were going to get too serious, too dangerous—for both of them. so, with a quick breath, he let a small, mischievous grin tug at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes softened. he leaned in just a bit closer, his voice dropping to a playful whisper, still intimate but with a lighter edge. "well, darlin’, if i told you who i really was, you might just turn tail and run for the hills." he chuckled low in his throat, his thumb gently brushing her cheek as he spoke. "might be better for your heart if you kept thinkin' i’m just the handsome ranch hand who likes to fix fences and save damsels from gettin’ lost in the dark."

jesse stepped back just a touch, giving her enough space to breathe but not enough to break the connection between them. he tilted his head, the grin on his face widening as he added, "besides, if you knew all my secrets, i’d have nothin’ left to keep you interested. and where’s the fun in that?" he winked, that lopsided grin of his in full effect now, the tension between them still palpable but diffused with a touch of humor. the air felt lighter, though no less charged, and it gave him the briefest moment to catch his breath. "but seriously," he continued, his voice a bit softer now, but still laced with that teasing warmth. "you think i'm some mysterious outlaw, or maybe a hero in disguise? what if i told you i was just a fella who’s terrible at cookin’ and spends too much time talkin’ to horses? i mean, i know you probably think i’ve got a dark, brooding past," he smirked, "but what if i'm just bad at makin' small talk and really like moonlit rides?" the playful light in his eyes shone as he gave her a slight nudge with his shoulder, trying to ease the weight of the questions she was asking without completely pushing her away. the truth? he wasn’t ready to give it all, not yet. but for now, he could give her this—a moment where they weren’t tiptoeing around the shadows of his past, where it was just the two of them in the moonlight, caught in a dance of words that lingered on the edge of something deeper.

jesse’s grin softened as he looked down at her, his gaze still holding that unspoken intensity, but now there was something playful, something that said he wasn’t ready to let her too deep—but he wasn’t ready to walk away either. "so, what d’ya say?" he asked, leaning just a little closer, his voice a soft, teasing drawl. "you gonna keep pokin' around for my secrets, or you gonna take me up on that ride? ’cause if we stand here any longer, i might just start spillin' ‘em, and we can't have that now, can we?" the grin never left his face, but behind the humor, there was still that lingering tension. she didn’t know who he was—not really—but for tonight, he’d let her have this moment. a moment where things could be a little lighter, a little easier, before the darkness came creeping back in.

it occurred to esme that she really didn't know anything about this man in front of her, but it also occurred to her that she really didn't care. it wasn't just the fact that he was easily the most handsome man she'd ever come across in her life, and it also wasn't even the fact that the sound of his voice made her knees just a little weak. she could sense something about him, but she just couldn't put her finger on what exactly it was. strangely enough, it was the same feeling she got around her father at times. while extremely kind and loving to her, sometimes she sensed a darkness in him that unsettled her at times. she got that same feeling from this man in front of her. while he'd been nothing but outwardly kind to her, and clearly at least cared a little bit about her safety, there was just something dark that lingered behind his eyes that made her want to know more.

esme's breath caught in her throat the moment he stepped closer to her, so close that she could feel the heat emanating off of him, and every muscle in her body froze the moment he lifted his hand, not out of fear of him, but fear that if she moved, she would scare him away from whatever he intended to do. "i think i do." she whispered back, her eyes locked onto his with the same intensity as which he looked at her. she ignored the harshness in which he spoke, she knew it wasn't truly directed towards her. instead, she continued to search his gaze for the secrets she knew lingered beneath. "then who are you?" she breathed out, her eyes fluttering as his hand finally brushed against her cheek, and she instinctively nudged her face against his touch.

[switchbladedreamz]

A Dutton In Love

Requested? Nope

Summary: Rip has been meaner than usual lately. Rip Wheeler x fem!reader fluff

Warnings: mentioned female masturbation, cursing, that's it.

"C'mon Beast" I say as I lead my horse out of the stable. His black coat shining in the Montana sun, a cool breeze ever present. Standing in the left stirrup I mount my horse. "Where you headed today little lady?" Lloyd asks, resting against the gate. "Lloyd I ain't no lady, and I'm taking Beast to a trip into town, he could use the long walk.". I pat the left side of his neck, Lloyd looks up at me. "Alrighty. Well Rip wanted me to let you know that you'll be accompanying him and Kayce to the cattle auction tonight.". "Well Lloyd, congrats on the new job. I didnt know you were a messenger now. Please be so kind and tell them I'll be back before we leave.". He chuckles and walks away, shaking his head.

Its dusk as we arrive back at the Yellowstone. Beast is back in the stable, happily munching carrots that Tate is feeding him. "How was your trip to town Aunt (Y/n)?" Tate asks, giggling as Beast nibbles his palm. "Well lil buck, I gotcha somethin.". I pull out a pair of brand new leather gloves, embroidered with his initials. "Since I know you lost yours in the crik last week. Look, T.D. Now dont go losin em now, those cost me a pretty penny." He hugs me tight. "Thank you, I promise I won't lose them. I love you.". I'm takin aback but chuckle. "I love you too little buck". He runs off shouting for his dad, who turns the corner and they collide. "Woah hey, where's the fire son?" He proudly shoves the yellow gloves in his dad's face. "Look what Aunt (Y/n) got me! And they're emboideld!" "I think you mean embroidered son. Those are awesome." Kayce looks at me, a big smile one his face. Happy that at least one sibling of his loves his soon they should. "Thank you (n/n)" he mouths I tip my cowboy hat to him. "I'ma go shower 'fore we leave Kace." He just nods and leads Tate to the lodge.

The cold water hits my back, almost done finishing my shower. Being a hand on a ranch makes you sweat and heat up no matter how cold Montana can get. "(Y/n) you in here?". I hear a voice call out. Poking my head out, I see Rip standing in front of the sinks. "You almost done?" He huffs out, visibly annoyed. I ignore him and turn the water off. I open the curtain, letting him see me naked. The water droplets rolling down my body. Rip just clicks his tongue then leaves as I'm wrapping my towel around me.

Kayce is driving, Rip is in the passenger seat, and I'm in the back. Whispering to the songs on the radio. "Can you shut the fuck up?" Rip snaps at me unexpectedly. "Excuse me? No offense Mr. Wheeler, but if you're so god damn annoyed by me, why did YOU hire me? You need to pull that wild hair out your ass and talk to me like a god damn adult and not just be a dick to me. Cause I sure as hell dont know what I've done to piss you off." He just scoffs and looks out the window the rest of the trip. Kayce shoots me a bewildered look through the rearview mirror, I shrug in return. The air and the people in the truck are tense the rest of the way. And even after we get back to the ranch.

A few days have passed, Lloyd keeps trying to get me to talk to Rip. Apparently since my "blow up", he's been choppin at his bit and gettin on everyone's ass for little things. "And I mean shit, he looked damn near ready to punch Jimmy after he dropped the bottle of wound dust.". Ryan just looks at me. "What did you say?". Teeter repeats it all back to him slowly and sarcastically. "Nobody hear can understand yall. You're southerners, we're not." Ryan replies emphatically. "She's saying that I've been a dick to everyone and I'm sorry" Rip says from the doorway, startling us who had out backs to him. "Can I speak to (Y/n) alone?" People started to get out of their chairs, grumbling. Instead I stood up and headed out the front door of the bunkhouse. Rip catches up with me quickly, damn his long legs. "C'mon. We're going to my room to speak.".

"Sit. Explain." I tell him and point to the bed. I start undressing and changing into sleep clothes. "First of all, I'm sorry." He trails off, but I dont want him to have time to think of an excuse. "Sorry about?". I egg on. "I'm sorry for being a massive jerk. I saw something I shouldn't have and its been bothering me.". I sit next to him, big baggy shirt and short shorts. "Saw somethin you shouldn't've? Rip, you're one guy I know that's seen everythin. To say you've seen somethin you shouldn't've scares me I'm gonna be honest.". He just chuckles, he takes his cowboy hat and jacket off, setting them on an adjacent rocking chair. He sits facing me. "Look. What I'm about to tell you is serious, and I hope you don't look at me differently. It was an accident, I promise." "Just spit it out Rip, you're legit scarin me right now.". I laugh nervously. "2 weeks ago I was coming up the stairs, it was late but John needed to talk to Kayce and I. Well...as I'm passing your room, I decided to check up on you. See if you were doin alright. And well what I saw was...you...naked, with a vibrator and well...you- you uh..were saying my name. A lot-" "okay! I get it." I interrupted. A couple beats of silence passed. I finally mustered up the courage to ask him what I've been wanting to since I watched him leave my doorway two weeks ago. "I know. I saw you leave. I was hoping you didnt see anything. Kinda...ruined my orgasm" I huffed out awkwardly but he just laughed. "Did you like what you saw?" I asked, hiding my stupidly red face. I felt his hand grasp my chin lightly. "Look at me darlin'. You are the most beautiful creature on this god forsaken earth I have ever seen. Clothes on or not." His smile spread ear to ear. It was beautiful. Watching this man who's life hasn't spared mercy to was like watching the sunset from the biggest mountain on the ranch. Breathtaking. We leaned in for a kiss but someone clearing their throat stopped us. "Uuuugh, WHAT?-- Oh. Hi dad." I get up to go talk to him. "Hey baby girl, how'd the auction go today?" "It was good, uhm. We're talking about something important, can what you have to talk about wait till tomorrow?" I ask, hoping he'd say yes it could wait and take my time and run away into the sunset with the man I've loved since I first set eyes on him. "I've gotta talk to Rip, honey. But I'll return him as soon as we're done." Dad smiles at me but eyes say that he's sorry. "Okay, that's alright.". Rip kisses my head as he walks past me. "I'll be back for my things darlin, don't you worry.".

[maxdreavus]

Falling Away With You | Ch. 15* (EDITED JAN. 25 2025)

Sebastian x F!Reader and M. Rasmodius x F!Reader

Rating: Mature/Explicit

Chapter Summary: You finally meet Leah!! Also, IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME. (picture some fireworks, maybe some sick guitar riff blaring, party streamers, maybe some confetti...)

Author’s Note: Word count go BRRRRRRRRRR. (almost 7k!!!)

Table of Contents + Work Summary

Check it out on ao3!

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I finally finished the farm’s “blueprints,” after several weeks of trying and failing to get ‘em done.  Didn’t get to try growing those parsnips — definitely will next spring — but I can at least get some berries or something to experiment with. It’s probably gonna be a lot of trial and error, with the severe lack of farming experience that I have… I just have to clear a few more trees before I feel confident that debris won’t just fall onto and crush the crops, and then I’ll get started.

It’s still early in the day, and I really don’t want to get back to chopping yet. Maybe I could just hire Robin to give me a hand with that, yeah? I’m sure if I let her keep the wood, she’d help. Maybe. 

Either way, I’m gonna procrastinate by going exploring.

I’ve only ever been up to the mountains and into the main parts of town, so I have no idea what the woods past Marnie’s ranch are like other than the path that led us all to the Flower Dance.

After gearing up accordingly, I trek south, ready for an adventure... or something. I doubt it’ll be that eventful, but a gal can dream.

Once I pass Marnie’s, I notice another home hidden between some trees and bushes. It’s a cute, small cabin, just like the ones you see in fairy tales. There’s a small vegetable garden next to it, and a basket of berries sitting near the river just ahead, alongside a sketchpad and a blanket. Those look like the type of fruits that can be found around the town — whoever lives there must’ve foraged them themself. I’m super curious about its resident(s), but don’t wanna be a creep by waiting around until they show up.

I weave my way through the trees to the right of the river and spot a tower atop the hill. Despite its immense height, it’s well hidden by the foliage of the area. 

It’s got medieval vibes, and it’s kinda creepy, but in a good way. The way that makes me want to scope it out. It’s made of mossy stone, covered in vines and cracks that indicate old age, and there are some tiny white flowers growing through the crevices.

I’m too much of a baby to go investigate that alone, at least for now… but something feels so familiar about it. I have to quite literally urge my body in the opposite direction to avoid making a beeline to trespass.

Walking further south, I find out that this whole area is placed on the edge of the cliff. Below it is a long-unused beach, unfortunately covered in littered garbage. I wonder if it connects to the community beach… kinda hard to tell from up here. Maybe I’ll clean it up a bit if I can figure out how to get down there.

I plop myself at the edge of the land, opting to take a small water break and bask in the scenery. 

…God, it is so fucking hot outside. Every time a small breeze whisks by I swear I could cry tears of joy.

I peer around, and the only other noticeable features near me are an abandoned yellow house, and a gigantic raccoon dog minding their business by the entrance to the sewers. Fucking hell, I never thought I’d see one of those around here. 

We lock eyes, and although I should be scared given its size, I give the big guy a smile. Animals are friends. If I die being mauled by a tanuki, I guess that’s ok. There are worse ways to go, right?  

Fortunately, they don’t approach me. They simply go back to munching on whatever they’re holding—

Is that… a whole platter of pepper poppers? 

I squint.

I’m like 99% sure that’s a platter of pepper poppers in that guy’s possession.

I understand that it coulda been rummaged from a garbage, but like, how did they find a plate?

He’s looking off to the Gem Sea, content as ever, so I mirror his actions, my gaze eventually trailing up to the clouds while I ignore the logistics of whatever the fuck is going on with that animal. 

…Hm. 

I didn’t take my phone with me in an attempt to ~be one with nature~ or whatever, but I forgot how bored I can get with my own thoughts. 

When I wasn’t on meds for my mental health, I'd had something going on in this thick skull of mine at all times. Usually sad shit, because obviously, but still. Blah blah blah, rather feel pain than not feel anything, etcetera.

As if Yoba themself heard my subconscious complaints, I hear a small “hello?” coming from behind me. 

When I turn around, I see no other than the friggin’ goddess Leah herself. 

She’s so fucking pretty. Oh my god. Her cropped tee fits her just right, and her overalls and boots just look so natural on her… like she belongs in some cute farmwear of sorts. 

Please stay cool, Elise.

I shake my head a bit once I realized I zoned out on her — the faint blush, lopsided smile, and furrowed brows being an indicator that she caught me simping — before shyly waving back to her.

“Leah, right?”

“Mhm,” she proudly hums. “It’s about time we had a chance to properly meet!” 

Her voice is like honey: thick and smooth and soothing, yet with a light rasp, as though her words are being crystallized by her vocal chords.

“I’ve been meaning to say hi, but never really had the chance,” I admit, sheepishly rubbing the back of my neck. Nor have I had the balls…

Once she’s closer, I pat the ground next to me with a subtle eyebrow wiggle, hoping my invitation to hang around is clear. I really wanna be her friend. She grins and obliges, placing the basket of herbs she was holding on the dirt beside her.

“No worries. I’m sure taking over that old farm has been pretty hectic for you.”

“God, yeah,” I groan. “I’ve been working so hard, but I’ve made, like, no progress yet.”

“Oof. I’ve been feeling that a lot lately.” 

“Yeah? What do you do?”

“I’m an artist,” Leah responds. She almost looks embarrassed to say it. “Not a successful one, but I’m scraping by.”

“That’s sick, though! I’d love to see your stuff.”

“It has its perks, but ‘starving artists’ are the stereotype for a reason,” she says, shrugging. After a beat she goes, “Y-you wanna come take a look at some of my work? My house isn’t too far. I’m sure you passed it on the way down here.”

“Hell yeah, let’s do it!” I think to myself how obvious it is now that the super aesthetic cottage I’d passed is hers. It’s fitting for her. While getting up, I spot the tanuki from the corner of my eye. “Do you know what’s up with that fella over there?”

“Oh, he’s great.” Her eyes sparkle as she continues, “I came across him while foraging last spring, when I first got here. He was still small, so I practically raised him from then on, with Marnie’s help of course. You probably know how she gets with animals.”

I nod when she looks to me for confirmation. I’ve been hearing a faint sound of something tumbling along the ground since we started walking, and I just noticed now that it was a stone Leah’s been kicking along.

“He’s a friendly lad,” Leah beams, “I named him Tony! Tony the Trash Bear.”

I laugh at the name, “I get the trash bear part, but why Tony?”

She shrugs. “I just think he looks like a Tony. Does he not?”

Eyeballing him, I see exactly what she means. “Totally looks like a Tony.” 

“Thank you!” She rolls her eyes, “My friend Elliot thought he looked more like a Remington.”

“That’s so… proper.”

“Yup. Too proper.”

“Far too proper... buuut, a good middle name, maybe?”

Leah beams. “Oh my god, you’re so right!”

She surely seems strong and confident, but has a clear softer and more nerdy – maybe even nervous? – side that’s absolutely adorable to discover. I wonder if she’s just like this with strangers. Maybe some more self-assurance comes once she gets to know a person. Or, maybe she’s just great at presenting herself to be a fearless, rustic queen. 

Maybe I’ll find out the truth someday.

For fuck’s sake. I sound like an alien trying to discover how humans work for the first time. 

Getting to Leah’s house from our spot took less time than I’d expected, being that she guided me through a bit of a shortcut I hadn’t noticed earlier: a bunch of wooden platforms strung across the small islands within the river, supposedly put there by Robin. When we arrive at the destination, Leah scoops up the berries, book and blanket in her front yard, bringing them indoors with us.

Upon stepping inside her abode, I’m wafted with the scent of freshly cut timber, and what smells like a soup. God, I’m hungry. 

There’s crumpled papers and splatters of various colored paints littering the wooden floorboards, and her walls are lined with both finished and unfinished paintings. Off-centered to the west side of the room is a wooden figure of sorts that stands about as tall as Leah is. The whole place is exactly how you’d expect an artist in the middle of a forest’s cottage to look.

“Sorry about the mess,” she apologizes, “It’s hard to keep a studio tidy when it’s this small.”

“Don’t worry about it! It’s cozy in here.”

I want to ask what she’s cooking, but don’t want to intrude too much — luckily, she heads to the right, waving for me to follow along into the small kitchen. Leah turns on the sink to rinse dirt off the herbs she had with her, opens a slow cooker, and begins plucking, ripping and crumbling some leaves into the mixture below her. 

“My mom mailed me her old Crock Pot the other day, and it is so cool. Have you ever used one of these things?”

I nod eagerly. “I miss mine so much. I sold it not long before coming here so I’d have less clutter, but when I was in Zuzu, I’d leave it running while I was at work almost every day.”

“It’s so good for that!” she replies. It’s such a mundane adult topic, being hyped over kitchen appliances; but she’s gleaming with an infectious, childlike excitement that I can’t help but reciprocate. “I didn’t realize you were from the city too. I just left there about…” she thinks for a short moment, before it dawns on her, “A year ago this month, actually!”

“Oh, seriously? Which area?”

She grinds some black pepper in as she answers, “My ex and I rented a place together Uptown. It was a bit too bustling for me, but she was covering most of our rent, so I shouldn’t complain.”

“No, I totally get you. My office was there, it felt like a fucking war zone coming and going.” I roll my eyes as she knowingly chuckles. 

We continue to reminisce on our crappy times in the city as Leah adds some new spices to her food and gets started on cleanup, turning down my offer to help along the way. She didn’t always live in the city, having moved there from East Scarp in her late teens for art school. Missed the countryside the whole time she was gone, which makes total sense. I could never see her as a city gal.

Leah grabs a clean spoon from a nearby drawer and dips it into her concoction, giving it a taste. She moans at the flavor, of course bringing a blush to my face, because how could it not? While Seb can make me blush by being someone I’ve been romantically interested in since day one, she does with pure sex appeal. 

Down, girl! I scold myself.

Leah still hasn’t looked up, and is dipping her spoon back down for more, so I don’t think she’ll notice how red I’ve gotten — that is, until I’m met with the spoon coming towards me, and an excited “You absolutely have to try this! Are you allergic to anything?”

I’ve gotten better with people since moving to the valley, but my timid habits still creep through sometimes. The idea of some really cool and pretty lady who I barely know, reaching out to try and feed me, is bringing out those old jitters.

I shyly shake my head “no” and take the spoon from her, hoping she doesn’t mind that I rejected her more… direct approach. And holy moly this stuff is good. I don’t even notice the heat on my cheeks anymore as I melt away alongside the spices, veggies, and legumes in my mouth, accidentally mirroring Leah’s earlier reaction. 

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she winks, taking back the utensil. I slowly, firmly nod my response.

If she saw me blush, she does me a favor by not commenting on it. I notice some red on her cheeks too, but chalk it up to the heat from standing over the hot stew.

“I’ve been trying to perfect this recipe all week, I think I’ve finally got it down.” I nod in agreement, she lowers the device to a lighter simmer, and she directs me into the other room. 

“C’mon, I’ll show ya some of what ya came here for.” Leah leads me towards the wooden sculpture, giving it a hearty pat when we arrive. “Honestly, I’m in kind of a rut. This is all I’m doing at the moment… It’s not much, but it’s getting there.” 

Closing the gap between myself and the sculpture, I reach up a hand and look towards Leah, seeking permission to touch the art. After a sparkly-eyed look of appreciation and nod from her, I run my fingers along the grain, amazed at how smoothly she’s carved each bend in the piece. 

The wood’s been stripped in most spots, leaving its age visible to all. The divots and rings within the lumber tell a story as old as time, one that no human can quite understand. I can’t really decipher the form she’s carved out either — it’s a bit abstract — but I’m sure there’s more to it than what meets the eye, whether it’s just a fun shape or something with deep meaning. 

“It’s beautiful,” I mutter. Smiling in her direction, I’m met with her gaze, paired by a gigantic grin plastered across her face.

“I’m really glad you think so,” she admits, “I was starting to lose hope on this damn thing. My ex was never too supportive of my art, and nobody out here really gets it either, so it’s nice to— shit I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m rambling about this stuff.” She laughs, but refuses to meet my eyes.

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” I shake my head. “You could, like, hold an art show or something,” I suggest. “I’m sure the locals would be more supportive if they could see more of your stuff.”

Leah looks at her sculpture, seemingly in thought. “That might not be a bad idea…”

With a little more encouragement, Leah decides to go and talk to Lewis about the concept right away — “Before I chicken out,” she declares. First, she packs up a small tupperware of her stew, and insists I take it as a “thank you” for giving her a much-needed confidence boost.

_________________

I shamelessly whip out a spoon from my kitchen and dig into Leah’s cooking as soon as I enter my farmhouse. Then, I grab my phone off its charger and take a seat on the bed, right next to soundly sleeping Cannoli. I’d planned on scrolling through social media for a bit, still not really being in the mood to be productive.

Fortunately, it seems I’ll be having more exciting plans, as long as I’m not too late!

  Sebastian > yo

> Victor’s on his way to visit, and we were planning on playing some Solarian Chronicles but Sam isn’t around to be our 3rd

> you in?

  He sent that over an hour ago. I wouldn’t blame him for not waiting up.

  < sorry, just saw that

< what time? 

  The answer comes back fairly quickly:

  Sebastian > be here at 3ish?

  < okヽ(´▽｀)/

  I have this binder full of OC’s that I’ve designed over the years. Started it when I was, like, 12, and have kept it going ever since. I dig it out of the bin it was trapped in, underneath my bed — it’s just filled with miscellaneous shit that I couldn’t really store anywhere else — hoping I have some for Solarian that aren’t too embarrassing. I don’t feel like whipping up a new one on the spot.

I flip through my options and pick out one character sheet for each class, just in case. I usually like being a healer, but I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.

With more than enough time to spare, I opt to head out early, making up for that by taking the long way to Seb’s house. If I go into town and up past the community center, I’ll have some new scenery to look at instead of the usual forest around me. 

When I get to Seb’s, Robin isn’t around, but Maru makes eye contact with me from her lab. She’s a nice girl, but way too smart for easy conversation. I give a quick wave in response to her and escape right down to the basement.

It sounds quiet… too quiet. Maybe that Victor guy isn’t here yet.

I knock, ya know, as one does. 

And almost immediately, Seb opens the door and quite literally pulls me inside, prompting a squeak. 

After quickly shoving the door shut behind us, he nudges me back against it and hungrily chases after my lips. This is super unexpected, but I happily go along with it. I’d very obviously be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying this — I’m just stunned, is all.

The only noises in the room are our heavy, uneven breaths and the sound of our lips smacking together. When his tongue swirls around mine, I feel like I could fucking faint. Yoba, I’m already worked up. I take his face in my palms and push back a little, desperately needing oxygen.

“Hi,” I laugh.

“Hey,” he lilts, sounding completely unaffected. That bastard.

We stand there for a sec, our eyes roaming the other’s face as we both catch our breath. I giggle, he smirks, and I throw my belongings onto the couch, not wanting to lose sight of the view. I reach my face back up to his to close the gap once more — the only acceptable time to not be looking at the beautiful man in front of me. 

His hands roam down to the outsides of my lower thighs, and he cups and squeezes around them, hinting for me to jump. I oblige and wrap his legs around his torso while he repositions into a better grip, pressing my back against the door with his whole body. 

“Vic’s train doesn’t get here ‘til like 4,” he utters between kisses, “I hope y’don’t mind.”

I smile against him, “Felt greedy for my time, huh?”

“Well,” his lips trail down to my neck. “You’ve been harder to resist with every passing day, and we haven’t been seeing each other much...” He bites lightly, earning a quiet moan in response. I feel him smile against my skin, before kissing it better and lifting his head to meet my eyes. “So if you don’t mind, Elise,” he kisses the corner of my mouth before pulling back again. “I want to feel, and kiss, and taste every single inch of you while we finally have the time.” 

Shit, I think to myself, feeling goosebumps coat my body. I just know I either look like I’m in shock, or like I’m about to unravel from his words alone. Maybe both?

Fuck, the basement feels hot today.

“Please,” Seb adds. He grins, widely, his beautiful eyes glimmering with innocent hope. Completely contradictory to the matter at hand.

I chuckle and shake my head, blushing madly, and rub my thumbs across his cheeks. “Such a gentleman.” 

“Is that a yes?” 

“Impatient, too,” I tease.

He rolls his eyes and dips back down to my lips, kissing me roughly for a few moments. 

“I refuse to take this any further…” He lightly wraps a hand around my neck, lips brushing mine as he speaks. I tighten my thighs around him to help hold myself up. “…until I know that you want this.” 

Seb presses his forehead to my own, his eyes boring into mine as he closes his hand just a bit more. I mewl softly at the sensation, closing my eyes to prevent any further embarrassment from creeping up on me.

“Please.” God, I sound like such a loser.

I lower one of my hands from around his shoulders and clasp the wrist that he's holding to my neck, using it to push more of his weight onto myself. I open my eyes, but they only trail as high as his mouth — the smirk he’s wearing is enough to indicate that I can’t do eye contact right now. No way in hell.

“Please what?” He feigns innocence as he eeever so slightly grinds against me. I shudder out a weak breath.

“Just fuck me already,” I choke out, forcing myself to meet his eyes.

“Naughty little thing,” he smugly, quietly observes before rushing back to my lips. I don’t mourn the lost opportunity of a jab back at him. There are more important things to be doing right now. 

Without separating our kiss, his hand moves from the front of my neck to the back of my head and he carries me away from the door. When we get to his bed, he lets us fall together to the mattress, his body still slotted between my legs. 

Seb pins my hands above me to absolutely ravage my neck and collarbone in love bites without interruption. My right mind is telling me to make him stop, so that I don’t have to waste as much makeup covering it up. The adrenaline coursing through me and heat spreading to my lower body are screaming at me to let him keep going though.

I mentally thank myself for wearing a skirt today as he releases my wrists and hikes it up, allowing himself access to my panties. They’re plain — just some black cotton with white stitching along the edges — but at least they’re not ugly. 

Without removing my underwear, Seb slips his fingers under the part of the waistband that’s hugging my hips. I think he’s just testing the waters until he roughly grips a fistful of my soft flesh in each hand, kneading my sides. I instinctively follow his touch, rutting my hips against him, only stopping when he forcefully holds them down. 

“Nuh-uh,” he sings. 

“You’re no fun,” I rebuttal.

As if out of spite, he scoots back and tugs me towards the edge of the bed. He then moves his dominant hand from my hip and pushes my panties aside. 

“Yeah?” he questions, lightly grazing my clit, and then far too easily sliding a finger inside of me. My eyes roll back at the sensation as I choke down a moan. “Looks to me like you’re having a blast.”

“D-don’t ruin this, nerd.” By the time our mouths have met again, he’s already sliding in a second finger. “Fuck,” I breathe out. He’s driving me completely insane. I whisper and curse Seb’s name against his lips, my eyes screwed shut.

“Doesn’t sound like I’m ruining anything.” 

As I lose myself in bliss, he lowers himself down to directly face my core. His breath on my inner thigh is the only indicator that slaps me into reality again.

I peer down through lazy lids, watching the hand that was holding me in place stray to my thigh, and eventually out of view. In the process, Seb continues working his magic, peppering open-mouthed kisses everywhere but where I want him. His fingers are still pumping away in me, although they’re stuttering a bit now. 

The next thing to rush my senses is the sound of Seb’s belt unclasping and his zipper being undone. Feeling flushed with embarrassment, but also like I’m going to melt into a puddle on his sheets if I keep watching, I lay down fully and cover my face with my arm. As if to reel my attention back to him, Seb finally puts his mouth to use. He slowly — so painfully slowly — swipes his tongue from my entrance to my nub, eliciting a guttural whine from my fucking soul that’s only muffled by my arm.

As his tongue dances around me, he satisfactorily hums. The occasional purr as he studies my reactions reverberates through my body, making it harder to maintain any composure as he works his fingers into my sweet spot. I need him badly, but when I try to tell him that it comes out a jumbled mess.

“I, fuck, I nee—,” I desperately try to plea for what I’m craving as I lean onto my elbows. “Seb— ahh, fuck!” 

Seb knows exactly what I want, and I can tell by the heated, smug gaze he’s boring into me. Everything about this is so hot. His absurdly beautiful face between my legs is possibly the most glorious thing I’ll ever lay my eyes on. A genuine work of art. 

He chuckles against me, and I notice that the other hand still isn’t in sight, but it’s definitely moving...

Holy shit, he’s touching himself while touching me, isn’t he? 

That’s so cool!

I try to ground myself by weaving a fist into his hair, originally planning on pulling him away so I could use my words. To tell him how badly I want him to just stuff the cock he’s touching inside of me and fuck me until I can’t think straight, until I’m babbling incoherent nonsense that rival a baby’s first sentences; but the slight moment of added pressure sends a chill down my spine that I can’t resist, and I press him down harder, trying to make as close contact with Seb’s fingers and mouth as I possibly can. 

Subconsciously grinding my hips onto him, I grip the sheet with my free hand and let my head and eyes roll back while my spine arches, my little death hitting me like a fucking train. I’m not sure of what words I weep, exactly, but it’s enough to signal him to finish the job. On the come down, I simply lay limp. Breathing heavily. Having just had the best orgasm of my life, courtesy of the sexiest person I’ve ever met in my life. 

With a cute, swift kiss to the lips he’s been tending to, he comes back up to meet my face, kissing those lips too. And dude, I’ll never get tired of all the kissing we do, no doubt. But there’s something far more exciting about tasting myself in a kiss from someone who I’m this head over heels for. 

Assuming his dick is out, I trail my dominant hand down from his neck to his covered chest, and finally to his exposed groin. He just barely pulls away from the kiss, his smile ghosting just above my lips.

I still have yet to see him without pants on, so I had no idea how groomed or un-groomed he is down there. Feels smooth, but a little prickly in some spots. Must be a rushed shave, or maybe a day-old one. Or maybe he just needs a new razor. I don’t go for the gold yet, just teasing my fingers around the general area first. 

“Fuck, dude,” he laughs. Sounds breathy. Good.

“What’s up, dude?”

“Don’t play dumb,” he playfully commands. “Tease…”

I look down between us, curiosity getting the best of me. For fucks sake he is huge. Long? Sure, but I already knew that from the picture he sent me. But god, he’s packing width-wise too. 

Without clasping my hand around him just yet, I softly touch around the base, right where it connects to his body. I can’t help but admire him, the whole damn thing is as pretty as he is.

I must’ve gasped audibly, or stared too long, or done something embarrassing, because Seb softly and menacingly sings my name to grab my attention back. Feeling myself blush, I meet his eyes and wrap my hand around him, fingertips just barely out of reach of one another… holy shit. Is he even going to fit? 

A stupid thought comes to mind as he sharply inhales at the contact. “Heheh.”

“Hm?” he questions, sucking in his bottom lip. 

“I get why you’re so cocky now.” I’m hilarious.

“Wow, I hated that.”

Booooo.

“Oh, you know I’m funny.”

I remove my hand to gather some of the wetness from myself, utilizing it to glide my fist along Seb’s shaft more smoothly. I’m tempted to look down again, wanting to see what my hand looks like wrapped around him, but my eyes don’t dare to leave his face. 

His cheeks have been tickled pink by my touch, his pupils are blown wide, and I can feel the unevenness of his breath against my lips. I’m totally bewitched. I find his frenulum and lightly rub my thumb against it, and Seb hums with pleasure in response.

Holy shit he’s so hot.

I nudge his shoulders a bit, prompting him to lay down, which he quickly obliges to. I’m about to lean down to return the favor he gave me a few moments ago, but he pulls me atop him instead; and the moment I’m straddling him, Seb begins lifting my skirt off of me. I let him, taking my top off just after. His hands wander from my hips-upward, eventually stopping just outside of my boobs.

Before he can get permission to feel — which would be redundant because of fucking course he can, he can touch me in any way he wants at this point — I remove my bra. I don’t have the nads to make eye contact, being more exposed to him than I’ve ever been, but I coax his hands to my breasts, yearning to know what his hands feel like around them.

Seb takes the back of my neck in one hand and pulls me down, forcing me to look him in the eyes as he kneads me. I kiss him hard to overpower my nerves. Well, that, and because I’m just desperate for more of him. He goes right for my nipples in response, pinching and twirling them between his fingertips. An acceptable punishment for finding a loophole to his silent commands. I know some people don’t have much feeling in that region, and I thank Yoba above that I wasn’t cursed in such a way, because this feels so fucking good. 

I grind my clothed core against his cock, teasingly humming, studying his reactions as if he were a slide under the lens of a microscope. He tilts his head back, whispers a curse, and halts my hips again.

“Take those off,” he orders. 

Without leaving my spot, I follow Seb’s instructions, finagling my underwear out of the way. It’s far less than graceful, but I don’t care. From how hungrily he’s looking at me, I don’t think he does either. Once I’m completely undressed, I don’t fully lower myself straight away; I tug at the waistband of his pants and boxers instead. He’s exposed, but I want to see all of him.

“You too.”

“Yes ma’am.” 

He — also ungracefully, might I add — kicks off his bottoms as I help him remove his tee. I trace the barely-there abs on his tummy with my fingers while I hover over him. I wonder if he works out when he’s not coding or whatever… 

“So fucking beautiful,” he mutters, snapping me out of my trance and sliding his hands up and down my form.

I’m flustered by the sudden attention put on me. Seb practically worshiping my body is making me painfully aware that I, in fact, exist. I don’t really know how to respond, and my innate reaction is to laugh nervously and turn my head to the side. As if that’ll hide my naked body adequately. I see Seb tilt his head a little from the corner of my eye as I fail to conceal my embarrassment.

“I mean it, Elise,” he whispers, gently pulling my upper body down onto him, our faces just barely separated.

“You,” he removes a hand, and I feel him rub his tip against my cunt. I whimper at the contact, still overly sensitive from before.

“Are so,” he nudges himself just barely inside of me, forcing a deep breath from us both. 

“Perfect,” he shakily growls as he lowers my hips down onto him. Slow enough that I can adjust to his size, but not too slow.

Mother of god. I’m shocked he fit inside in one snug squeeze, and honestly? I couldn’t be more satisfied with it. I’d expected pain, and there is some in the stretch, but it’s nothing unpleasant.

I ride him slowly for the first few pumps, getting myself familiar with what I’m working with here. Then halfway back down, I stop moving, feeling my hips tighten. Fuck, already? I subconsciously grimace as I continue stuttering my way down.

“Everything ok?” Seb asks in a hushed tone. 

“Yeah. Uh, I’m actually not like…” I take a sec to think of the best words for this. “Super… mobile when it comes to this.” I stuff my face in the crook of his neck to hide my shame. I can’t believe a ridiculously sexy guy is inside of me, and I can’t even bounce on him, let alone throw it back. Feels like such a wasted opportunity…

Plus, he’s fucking laughing. Yoba kill me now.

“Fuck you,” I mumble into him. 

“Already working on that,” he chuckles. I’m fully lowered now, doing nothing more than cockwarming at this point, but I’m too nervous to move again. “Hey.”

I groan in response. I feel his hands move from my body to my warm cheeks, and he pulls. 

Looking into his eyes as my own are threatening tears, I notice that he seems cool as a cucumber. Doesn’t help my raging insecurities one bit. But then, without any warning other than some slight repositioning of our bodies via Seb’s hips, he pulls out almost all the way and immediately rams himself up into me, full force.

“Ahh!~” My eyes widen, still staring into his as I moan, loudly. The tears that were forming before escape my ducts with the new sensation.

Keeping one hand on my cheek, Seb lowers the other down to my butt, propping me up in a comfortable, kneeled squat as he continues thrusting. He keeps it there for support.

“Just lemme help you then, ok?” he asks, although it comes out as more of a statement. “Let me take care of you.”

I can barely process his words, simply nodding before resting my forehead on his.

“Are you comfortable?”

I nod, a desperate “Fuck, yes” escaping my lips to reassure him. I think that he tries to respond, but it comes out as more of a growl instead. 

Clearly not planning on slowing down unless I say the words myself, Seb continues to fuck into me hard. My knuckles whiten as I grip the sheets on either side of him for dear life, barely able to fathom how… enlightening of an experience this is. The sound of his hips slapping my ass is absurdly loud but Yoba I do not care about that right now. I never knew I could feel so full.

“Fuck, Seb, you’re so big,” I strain out, airily laughing. Deliriously, even. “T’s-so fucking good.”

“And you’re taking me so well,” he praises after slipping out a cocky laugh. “You’re such a good girl for me,” he murmurs, tugging my hair so that I meet his eyes. 

I didn’t even notice that my head had drooped back down to his shoulder at some point. A whimper slips out of me as I listen to his sweet words, struggling to keep my eyes from rolling back shut. A few wordless moments pass before Seb slows to a halt, and taps his knuckles against my ass. 

“Lay on your back.” 

I do as he says, like a good girl. I’m a little upset to have the previous position taken away, as it was pure fucking bliss, but I’m excited for the change of pace. Once I’m in a comfortable spot against the mattress, I urge him down to me, feeling needy for his lips. He indulges. Like a good boy. 

Not seeming to want to break away from the kiss just yet, he grinds his dick along my folds. I reach down, desperate for more, pressing him closer to me to cover more surface. I take further control of the situation, gripping him fully and caressing his tip on my clit.

We moan in unison, but Seb is the one to deliberately break away from my mouth so he could let it all out. Music to my ears. A shit-eating grin sneaks up on me as I giggle with pride, but a hauntingly beautiful glare from my partner shuts me up.

He props my ankles up on his shoulders and slams back inside of me, all in one fluid motion that comes so suddenly. I shout, surprised by the sudden contact to a new angle, and he strongly cups a palm over my mouth. 

Dark-eyed, Seb leans down, hovering his face over mine while pounding into me. My unnatural flexibility might be the direct cause of why my joints are so rickety in my ripe mid-20s, but god it comes in handy sometimes. I’m basically folded in half.

“What’s so funny, darling?” 

I shake my head as if to wordlessly answer “nothing, oh my god, just keep doing exactly what you’re doing.” I roll my eyes back with a stifled mewl, intoxicated by the 180-switch from soft dom to completely taking control of me.

“Thought so,” he lilts. 

Seeming to take note of my reactions, Seb strengthens his grip in the hand on my hip, nails digging in hard enough to leave marks for sure. I laugh again under his hand, this time with hysterical pleasure. And oh my god, he loves it. He’s cracked the code. He knows damn well that his dominance over me is something I welcome with wide open arms, and the pride he feels as he succeeds to indulge me is written boldly on his face. 

As he straightens back up, he removes his palm, only to replace it with a forefinger curled under my chin and his thumb against my lips. Gazing up at him with tear-clouded vision, I open my mouth, and he slips the finger in, allowing me to suck and moan around it. He looks absolutely thrilled.

“Oh, that’s so hot, holy shit.” He’s keeping his composure well, but I can see in his brows that this is breaking him. 

My next orgasm is rapidly approaching, and if his stiffening cock inside of me says anything, so is his. “M’gonna cum,” I gasp around his finger. He moves it out of the way, cupping my cheek sweetly instead as I beg him not to stop. 

Seb chuckles at my desperate pleas, but I don’t even care. Too blissed out. He opts to comfort me while I tighten around him, “I’m not stopping baby, I’ve got you.” 

My back arches as I accidentally claw at his torso, gripping onto anything I can. Feeling like I’ll float away if I don’t. I can tell by the soreness in my throat that I’m being loud, but all my ears can hone in on is the soft, satisfied “Mmmmfuck, that’s my fucking girl” that Seb murmurs to me. As if his reassurance is my green light, I absolutely crumble beneath him.

“S-shit, get on your knees?” he grunts just after I finish.

A sighed “mhm” is all I can manage. I thought you’d never ask, I think to myself as I promptly kneel onto the black rug below his bed. His own hand is doing all the work as he grips some of my hair for support, so I simply open wide, push my boobs together with my arms, and try to look pretty. Well, as pretty as I can, being sweaty and out of breath from my own climax.

It must’ve worked, because—

“Fuuucking hell, Elise,” he moans, his warmth landing mostly on my tongue as he rolls his head back and spews out some more curses. Some of it gets on my cheeks and chest, but that’s fine by me. 

It’s like I’ve been personally baptized by Yoba.

And Yoba is Sebastian’s cock.

I swallow once he’s finished, lean forward to kiss his well-worked thighs, and pick myself up. My legs don’t know how to move, so I promptly fling myself back down onto the bed.

“Holy shit,” I mumble, staring at the ceiling while he searches for a rag. He flicks on the light in the attached bathroom and I hear the water run seconds later. Guess he found one. 

God, I could die right now. I’ve never been positively railed like that in my life. I close my eyes and just wait patiently for Seb to come back, hoping I don’t fall asleep. Hoping harder that I can get my shit together by the time Victor gets here. 

“I’m glad I could deliver,” he muses, laying beside me to help me clean up. Leaning into his touch, I just nod. He presses a kiss to my forehead. 

“I’m gonna go out on a whim here and admit that I never doubted you.” I tell him. “In terms of like… you know. Fucking.” Obviously.

“So supportive.”

“Yeah, whatever, ya wad.” I curl up beside him, and he wraps an arm around me. I let out a deep sigh. “How much time ‘til Victor gets here?”

“Already thinking about other guys?”

“Seb I swear to fuck—“

“Not long.” He grins as he's cutting me off. “We should probably start trying to look presentable. I told him we’d pick him up.”

Ugh. I just nod, planting a smooch on his wrist before standing up. I make my first attempt post-fuck to walk. I think I’m managing, until I hear snickering behind me.

“What, Sebastian?”

“You're looking a little wobbly.”

I flip him off before continuing my endeavor of pretending I didn’t just get fucked out of my mind.

[the-soliloquies-of-sadists]

#248

“C’mon in. Have a seat. David? Right? It’s weird calling you by a real man’s name, after spending a whole weekend calling you ‘Cunt’ and ‘Fag’ and ‘Shit Head’. Don’t be surprised if I slip up and start calling you that again. But you, you keep calling me ‘Boss.’ When I offered you this job last Sunday, it was after one hell of a wild weekend fucking your brains out. Is your cunt still gaping or did it snap back into place?...

“You look surprised. Well let me tell you something. I love using faggots like you. Fuck, I don’t hide that fact at all. I wouldn’t have offered you this job unless I knew you could take a pounding from my nine-and-a-half-inch baseball bat of a cock. And while it is not expected of you as part of your job responsibilities around here, I will be slamming into your cunt whenever I want. I saw that look in your eyes when I told you I had an opening here. You were already fantasizing about submitting to your boss. I know you were. I’ve seen it with dozens of fags before. Yeah, I offer jobs to freshly fucked tricks. I have always liked fucking with men, especially on the job site.

“After my wife died eight years ago, my 1,200-acre ranch seemed empty. The oil drill on the northside has me swimming in money. But I wanted fag cunt. I need to use it. I created this warehousing business with one thing in mind, satisfying my cock. I looked to have a dozen or so men that could walk up to any one of them and say I need a blowjob, and I would get one on the spot without worry of a sexual harassment charge. Or to walk through the warehouse and see a new employee getting spit roasted. And it all feels normal.

“From your test run this past weekend, I know you can swallow me, with difficulty, but still manage. You drank my piss, so I know you have done that before. You spent hours eating my ass. I can’t remember the last time my shithole was treated with so much love. Your cunt put up a fight, but by Sunday night, you had one hell of a gape. You even bled a little on that first fuck.

“Wanna see?... I took this photo when I told you to push out some of my load. Here, take it. Yeah, I like taking pics of freshly used cunts. I bet you haven’t ever seen your hole blown up on a twelve-inch glossy. Look at the detail. You can see specks of your cherry. I know you weren’t a virgin, but you were a virgin to me. That’s what matters. And this isn’t some sort of blackmail thing where we keep this a secret.

“Hell, every one of the workers there will know I bred your cunt. You wouldn’t have gotten this job without first having my load in your ass. Every one of the guys you will work with in the warehouse has had my load in his cunt. Every single one! All fourteen of them. You are number fifteen. In fact, Mark, the cute puppy you met when you came in has my morning’s load in his ass right now.

“I have known Mark the longest. He and I go back a long way. We designed this place, and he’s the one who helped me set things up so that I won’t get into trouble. He’s the only one who interacts with the public, if anybody should come by which they never do. I say that because the warehouse is around back. That’s where you will be working not up here. Let’s go take a tour of that. But first, Mark would kill me if I don’t ask you, you want the job knowing what you know?... Good. I would have been surprised had you said no. We have contingencies set up should an employee not want work in such an environment. But I know how to pick ‘em. He hee.

“Grab that pic of your leaking cunt and bring it with us. We’ll go out the back. The warehouse is purposely a few hundred feet from the office. Mark suggested that. He really keeps me honest when it comes to all this shit. In the warehouse, clothing is optional. For the most part, no one wears anything. I have asked the two managers to wear a wife beater to differentiate themselves from the others. The real reason is that they are built like brick shithouses, and they look great in a tank. Hector, the manager you will be reporting to wears a black one and Aaron, the other one wears white. Don’t know why they do that, but they do. If I’m going to be in here for a short time, I just haul out my cock and balls only, otherwise I’m naked from the waist down.

“You had indicated that you are in temp housing in town. I told you that I have housing on property. Those three buildings back there are it. Hector and Aaron each have one, and the large bunkhouse is for any of the other workers. During your probationary time, you will be living with Hector. If you loved my cock, you’ll love his. He’s more into cock worship. The final thing before we go in is compensation. The job you are hired for really only requires 15 to 20 hours per week, but you will be paid for 40.

“Hector and Aaron will make sure you do your share of the actual work. That leaves 20 hours or so to play with the others. It doesn’t have to be all sex, but have fun. The hourly rate is three times what the job normally goes for. You will be provided with a room if you want. You get half the work, three times the pay, a place to stay, and all the cock you can handle. The only thing you give up is your privacy. Now, you are not tied here; you can go into town on your own time. But when you are here on property, you will be expected to comply with the rules. Hector will go over all that.

“Inside and to the left are the locker room and showers. That locker at the end is yours. It’s the smallest, but you are the one with the lowest seniority. Go ahead and strip down. I’ll go get… never mind here he is. Hector this is Dan,… or David or whatever the fuck his name is. Fag, this is Hector, although he’s going to insist you call him ‘Sir’. Look at those muscles! They make his cock look average sized. But fuck that cock of his is just as fat as mine. It’s going to be in your ass in a few minutes. We always break in the new employees the same way, a gang bang. No, don’t put your boots away. Everyone wears theirs as they work. There’s no lock on your locker. Don’t worry about it….

“Hector, are the guys ready by the wall? Good. Good…. Fag, around this corner is the break room. Across from it, see where the guys are standing? That’s what we call the wall of cunts. See the pics there? They are the assholes of every man here. Everyone has my load leaking out, except for that one on top. That’s my shitter. Hector and Aaron’s are in their own row underneath me. You are going to be very up close with Hector’s every night. Everyone else’s is below. I like to think of it as an org chart of leaking cunts. That spot over there is for you to put your pic. Go on. We’ll go around and share names later. I would rather you learn all their cocks first. The pic looks good there.

“Men! The fag here is a piss drinker and an ass eater. Make sure we take advantage of his talents. When I come back, I expect him to be shaved from head to toe, covered in piss, his face reeking of ass sweat, and his cunt loaded up. Over the next week, I want him to taste each of your shitholes. Guys, this is probably the best rimmer I have encountered in a long time. Oh, Hector is ready! Fag, welcome to the company.”

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

hi I’m here to review the Clementine comic. it’s not good.

Does this even need an introduction? You know why I’ve gathered you all here today. You know the comic exists, and you probably know that it’s not great and we’re all upset about it. 

Myself included. I am not okay. At all. 

Skybound could’ve literally spit in my face and I’d come out feeling better than I did reading this comic, because this comic is an insult to the original Telltale games and Clementine as a character. 

This comic is a fancy fanfic. Glorified fanfiction. It’s not canon, and Skybound and Tillie can pretend that it is, but it’s not. Bold of them to assume we’d just accept this from people who didn’t work on the original games and never wrote for Clementine before, and based on this comic alone, any chance of us taking it seriously is gone. 

I’m gonna go through every single page, every panel, of this comic and give you my review. So I guess if you’re worried about spoilers [though at this point why would you?] then be warned, spoilers for the entire comic ahead. 

I also wanna add that I have nothing against Tillie Walden. I know a lot of dingdongs are harassing her on insta over this comic and that’s not okay. You telling her how much you hate her isn’t going to change anything. If anything, you keep being assholes to her and she’s just gonna block everything out, even things simply critiquing her work in hopes that it helps her improve. 

You’re allowed to be upset about the comic and share your feelings about it, but don’t take it out on the actual human being like that. Besides, like I’ve said before, if Tillie wasn’t gonna make the comic, Skybound would’ve found someone else to do. This was coming no matter what because Skybound wants that coin. 

That being said, I’m not going to hold back my opinions on this comic. Skybound and Tillie made this comic, they put it out there and asked for money for it, therefore I’m allowed to explain why it’s garbage as well as ponder over the questionable intent and whether or not Tillie actually has played these games. Y’know, it’s like how I have nothing against Kent, but sometimes he says things I disagree with and well, y’know how it goes. 

Alright, this is gonna be long, so let’s go--

The first few shots we get are of the school, two people sleeping, and Clementine’s empty bed. Nothing super note-worthy, we have no idea who is sleeping in the beds, it’s just there to establish that it’s early and everyone’s still asleep. 

The drawing of the school looks fine? Not super accurate, but I can give it a pass since it’s a few years later, I assume. What I can’t give a pass is how you managed to already mess up on the first page of your comic. 

Because..... why are you implying that Clementine’s room is upstairs? First of all, seems kinda dumb to put Clem, who has only one leg and has to walk with crutches, upstairs. Also, if you’ve played TFS and paid any attention to where her room is actually located [the dorms] then you’d know there isn’t any stairs leading to their floor. It’s the side building next to the admin building, you walk through the door, go down the hall, take a left and their dorm is right there sooo..... 

Oh right, it’s probably done this way so that we can have such a suspenseful moment where Clementine is sneaking out while the others are asleep and her foot makes a creeeeeeakk that could wake everyone up, thwarting her plans of abandoning everyone quietly so she doesn’t have to deal with any consequences. 

Because yeah, Clementine is sneaking out with all of her supplies because apparently, she’s been planning an escape from this place for a while. 

And just look at how gosh darn happy she is about it. You can’t see or hear me, but know that I’m laughing. Don’t worry, I will talk about her abandoning everyone later.

But first, I have a gripe with Clementine's design in this comic. It doesn’t look like her. This art of her right here is the most accurate we get throughout all 12 pages, and it’s the best looking, too. 

Moving on, she slams the door shut while this walker changes faces and hair between panels, so that’s cool. I will say, I like the idea of the Ericson crew putting spikes on the door. That’s fun. 

Though Clementine slamming the door shut while trying to sneak out seems counter productive but it fits with the theme this comic has of inconsistency, so it works. 

Next we have Clementine going to what I believe is the fishing shack by the river, and she’s going through some things that she’s stashed away, telling us that she’s been planning this escape for a while. 

Oh good, she has a map. Well at least now she won’t get lost out there in the woods while she makes her escape... also that last panel with her profile.... why does it look so funny? Like this page of the comic doesn’t look too bad, but there is something off putting about her eye there and how she has zero expression. 

And it turns out that rustle was a walker, and Clementine is super inconvenienced by this and gives us our first piece of witty dialogue.

Yeah you dumb walker, can’t you see Clementine is busy running away from home and abandoning all of her loved ones without a single goodbye so she doesn’t have to witness the consequences of her selfish actions?? Gosh, so rude.

Just a heads up, the dialogue in this comic is stilted, emotionless, and bland. The words have no flow, no charm, and never feel like they should be coming out of Clementine’s mouth. Then again, the upcoming graphic novels this is tied to are for young adult/middle graders so I guess we have to dumb everything down so their baby brains can process it. 

.....Why does her face look like that? Also, interesting that she decided to move her ponytail to the other side of her head.... which is a thing that happens throughout this comic, her hair will randomly change sides. 

I believe it’s a metaphor for her changing and inconsistent personality. 

So yeah, Clementine is just making off with the supplies she gathered [I’m sure Ericson doesn’t need ‘em anyway] and she’s just so gosh darn annoyed at all these small inconveniences bothering her.... because it’s just too early for this. 

.....Again, why does her face look like that?

I’m sorry, like I get it, Tillie’s style is supposed to be purposely messy yet minimal but it doesn’t work. When you do a comic in a more messy style, usually it has charm and heart put into it. Effort goes into the messy look, and when things are minimal, that usually means more clean, yeah? So you put them together and just..... that is nothing resembling Clementine’s face. 

Can we just--

Look at canon Clementine’s face. Look at the way her eyebrows are shapes, how wide her eyes are with her eye lashes. The dirt on her skin, the lines-- there is so much personality in her features. It doesn’t matter if she’s wearing a neutral expression or she’s expressing anger or joy or sorrow or whatever. 

Now, is it fair to compare a model of Clem from the games to the Clem in this comic? Well, I assume that if Tillie is doing this comic, she would use references from the game to ensure that Clementine is recognizable, especially now that she’s no longer wearing her signature hat. 

So why does she look like this? Why do I look at these drawings of her face and see nothing but a pair of eyes, a nose, and a mouth? You might as well draw me a simple smiley face. And I get that it’s a comic, and it’s a lot of work to draw the same character over and over again and you gotta cut corners somewhere, but maybe put some effort into the close up shots of her face so that we can actually see it’s her? 

Other fan artists have made comics in their styles that shine bright with Clementine’s personality, so what happened here? 

Anyway, surprise..... it’s not a walker annoying Clementine. 

........Why does AJ look like that??? I’m sorry, I hate to do the same thing I just did but--

Just because you put Clementine’s hat on AJ that doesn’t automatically make it him. I just.... wow. This feels like there wasn’t a single reference involved, like if someone gave Tillie a basic description of AJ and she just did this. 

But appearances aside, what is AJ saying? He says that he knew it, that Clementine’s leaving and I cannot stand this dialogue. It’s unnatural. Again, I know you wanna dumb it down for all of us because I guess we dumb.... but this conversation does not feel natural. 

“I knew it. You’re leaving.” “AJ....” “I’m coming.”

Even if you changed it to, “I’m coming with you.” it would sound more natural. Hell, he doesn’t even question WHY she’s leaving, he just stands there like “I’m coming” like??? I’m sorry, have you ever heard a single word this murder baby has said? I assume you have because I assume you actually played TFS, right? Soooo.... what happened here?

.....whY DO THEIR FACES LOOK LIEK THAT KSAJDLKJAS:LKDJLKASJD:L--

So now we’re getting into it.... into the bullshit. 

Clementine tells AJ to go back to the school, and AJ says that she wasn’t even going to say goodbye..... and then more bad dialogue that sound unnatural when you try to fucking read it. 

First off.... AJ’s reaction to Clementine attempting to leave is barely anything. Again, I hate to keep questioning if you actually played TFS, but AJ would throw a fucking fit if he caught Clementine out here ALONE like this, attempting to leave. 

And then he says “Like last time? You were going to come back?” this sentence makes my brain hurt. I just.... “Like last time, right? You’re coming back?” UGH

Wow, I feel nothing. 

I’m sitting here watching these two imposters with fucked up faces who are supposed to be Clementine and AJ and I feel nothing. 

I’m not even going to comment on the faces anymore. You can see it. You know. 

So yeah... AJ tells her the #1 rule, and reminds her that she promised.

Y’know.... she promised that she would never leave him again? Remember? At the McCarroll ranch? That flashback that was in TFS? The one you would watch if you played the game? 

Why is she looking straight at me when she should be looking at AJ as she says this? Is this Clementine’s way of telling me she’s sorry for what a shitty direction this is taking? I wouldn’t know because her face isn’t doing anything. Just because you draw a couple of tears that doesn’t mean I’m feeling the emotional heartbreak you’re attempting to convey. 

I don’t have enough middle fingers for this.

Well, my hat’s off to you. Ya did it. Ya fucked up everything single part of Clementine’s character in the span of two pages, I’m almost impressed. 

First off, the baby thing is weird. Why is she calling him that? She’s never called him that, which you should know.

Second, she’s not happy and that’s why she’s leaving. Clementine isn’t happy, and AJ can’t make her happy. Ericson can’t make her happy. So she’s going to go out on the road to.... what, be unhappy by herself? 

I’m sorry, but apparently we need a few reminders here of who Clementine is, because this isn’t her. 

This is Clementine. 

Clementine fought for years to find a home, something she hasn’t had since she was an eight-year-old girl before the apocalypse. The motor-inn wasn’t a home, the cabin wasn’t home, the ski-lodge, Howe’s, Wellington, Richmond, Prescott, none of them were home. 

She struggled for years, dealing with trauma after trauma while out on the road. She went from group to group, watching people she cared about die and she was powerless to do anything about it. Whenever she let her guard down and become comfortable, it bit in her in the ass and left her heartbroken.

She was there when AJ was born. She grew close to Rebecca while she was pregnant, she let herself do that even after everything she went through with Christa. Clementine had a bond with AJ even before he was born, and after Rebecca died, she did what she could to keep him safe, despite play choice. 

She cried when she thought AJ died and when she found him in that car again. She swore to protect him, to raise him right and love him. All they had was each other. 

And when she joined the new frontier and AJ got sick, she risked everything to save him and she was devastated when they took him away from her. When she found out he was alive, she is willing to go as far as helping Lingard overdose [INJECTING HIM HERSELF IF SHE HAS TO] to figure out his location. She did shitty things to find him, she killed people at McCarroll Ranch to find him again. 

Clementine raised him and he is her family, do you understand that? She went to hell and back for him, she taught him how to protect himself, and even though she made mistakes she sacrificed everything for him. She promised him that they would have a home of their own one day, she talked about how much she wished for a world where she didn’t have to worry about fighting and killing and AJ could just be a happy kid. 

She fought for Ericson, she watched her friends die or become mutilated by someone from her past. She allowed herself to be vulnerable enough to pursue a romantic relationship with Louis or Violet because she felt safe with them, felt safe at Ericson because it’s their home now. 

And when Clementine was bit, she thought she was going to die but she still fought to make sure AJ would be safe and happy without her and it was heartbreaking. She’s dying and the only thing she cares about is AJ. Not herself, not what’s going to happen to her after she dies or turns... no, she tries to make AJ smile again, she makes sure he remembers the rules, and she tells him that she loves him. 

Then he cuts off her leg, and she survives. AJ saved her fucking life, and she got to wake up at home and live to see her family again. She got to push AJ on a tire swing, she got to eat a hot meal and laugh with her friends, she got to make plans with her lover/best friend for what’s next for Ericson, and she got to talk to AJ and tell him the truth... and she asked him if she did a good job, and he’s honest with her right back. 

Hell, she tells him to keep her hat. Her iconic hat. The one thing she has left of her father, possibly her more cherished item. She lets him keep it. 

The last time we see Clementine, she’s happy. She’s sitting on the steps by herself, staring at her family with such fondness in her eyes and a smile on her face because she finally did it. She finally found a home where she can breathe. She has a bed to sleep in, she has AJ with her, she has a boyfriend/girlfriend who loves her and who she loves back, she has friends she can rely on. 

Clementine smiles, and lets out a small laugh. 

She doesn’t have to run anymore. 

And now you have the balls to tell me that AJ and Ericson don’t make Clementine happy anymore. 

She abandons everything to go back out on the road again, and that’s proof enough for me that you don’t understand a damn thing about Clementine or her journey. 

“ I don't even know the person I'm talking about... It's like all we have in common is the same name.” 

....Anyway.

Wow, Clementine found a car and kept is stashed. How lazy and convenient for this bullshit plot. 

And this is the part where I have to tell this comic to fuck off. 

What, you think if you throw in an incredibly inaccurate flashback next to a current pair of hugging Clem and AJ that I’ll feel anything but anger? That flashback is a slap to the face. It’s snowing, but the only time we’ve seen snow is in S2 when AJ was a literal new born, so why is he that big? Is that supposed to be from ANF because that ALSO doesn’t look like that AJ, and that’s not the outfit Clementine had on... AND there was no snow. This is cheap and meaningless. 

Any fan of the series who has played through the games could tell you this. 

So.... AJ runs into the woods and then we get this garbage.

This comic is awful. It misses the point of everything TFS, and the rest of the series, stood for. There is no heart here. I feel no happiness in reading it, and I don’t detect any passion behind it. It’s a lifeless comic that retcons everything in order to throw AJ away and start fresh with a new adventure for Clementine that makes no sense because the cow isn’t profitable unless it’s milked. 

This isn’t canon, and it won’t ever be canon, and honestly? At this point, I have no faith in the graphic novel trilogy. It will take a lot to do a turn around from this, and I don’t even know if that’s possible. 

Again, to reiterate, I don’t have anything personal against Tillie Walden herself. She’s just doing her job, and from what I’ve seen of her as a person, she seems like a sweetheart. I don’t want anyone giving her shit because I think the comic isn’t good or that you agree with me. All of my anger is directed at the comic itself, her work, not specifically her.... and a little bit at Skybound, because they’re the reason this is even a thing in the first place. 

So yeah.... there ya have it. 

[writerbythewater-blog]

A Chain Brakes

"Why am I here Pete?" It was the end of my third day at the ranch. So far all he needed was help making a pool.

"Why the rush back?" I hated that shit eating smirk of his. 

" There's no rush but, the family needs me." They did right? Nessie was still so young. She didn't understand the world, but the others were there.

"Jasper?" Peter was at my side, his eyes soft.

"I don't feel the all consuming need to go back like yesterday. Sure I miss Alice, but she can look out for herself. Where'd the pull go?" 

Char gasped where she was sitting watching us work. Her eyes filled with tears. Disbelief shook the forest of her emotional landscape. Next to me the walls of Peters fortress trembled the always open door closed. This is why I was here. 

"Walk me through it. When did the pull stop?" 

"I'm not sure. When I got here all I could think about was quickly dealing with this issue, so I could get back to Nessie. Nessie is so young, and she doesn't like us leaving the house for too long. Rose and Em even cancelled their normal honeymoon trip, so that she didn't get upset. 

Carlisle is only working one shift at a time now. He can't stand to be away from her. Esme even takes her to visit him on his hour lunch break. It makes them all so happy. 

Hell I was so worried about missing our weekly museum trip I almost didn't come, but you wouldn't have asked if it wasn't important. She's so cute riding on my shoulders asking Alice to read the signs to her. I kept wondering who would carry her if I wasn't there.

I worried if she was eating and hunting regularly. I worried about her tripping, or having trouble sleeping. She was all I could think about the first two days I was here, and now she's not. 

You said your gift was screaming, and you wouldn't lie to me. Not about that. Not when someone we care about could be in danger." I sighed sitting next to Char.

"She's why it's screaming isn't she?" My head fell into my hands.

Char wrapped her arms around me her breath shaky. Peter sat on my other side with his hand on my back. 

"I'm sorry." His emotions were so heavy.

He didn't want to tell me. He didn't want to shatter the happiness I gained with my niece. But, he couldn't not tell me.

"Do you know?"

"Nothing concrete." Remorse dripped from his words. He spent the next hour telling me everything.

He told me about Chars 180 after holding Nessie, and how time away changed her mind again. The lack of in-fighting while I was gone. His gift always screaming. 

"Maybe it's a defense mechanism to keep her safe while she's still growing?" Char spoke.

"She could grow out of it." Peter nodded.

We were all lost, but like always we had each other.

"I'll watch her. Monthly visits to see y'all should help. We'll run some tests. See if it works on me again. I'll be back in a month, and if I'm not find a way to get me here." I stood.

Returning home had always felt safe before, but now it was a battlefield. Was my niece an unwilling warden? Were we chained to the whims of a child? 

I returned to the ranch a month later. Chains still broken at my feet, but still woven around the cage I once called home.

Love had never felt so empty.

[zaenight]

CHAPTER 1

"You must be J.T. Hope." a woman asked.

"Ma'am?" the man questioned as she looked at his cowboy boots.

"Sam's expecting you, I'll

take you to your office." The woman said leading the way.

"She'll be with you in a moment." she finished.

"Morning, Mr. Hope." a woman said walking into the room,sam brookes was her name.

"What is this all about?" J.t asked.

"It's a department requirement." Sam told him.

"Every new program has to be evaluated by a qualified professional." She continued.

"A single mother from out of state?" He questioned.

"She'll be at the ranch

by the time you get back,I also understand you have a teen girl living there,with nothing but men,she might need someone to look up to." Sam continued.

"What?, and Daisy is the daughter of one of the ranch hands its different." He started to say.

"The department pays her salary,you'll have to look

after her room and board,I also saw that Daisy has a record." Sam started.

"Tagging,stealing,assualt,her father not coming into her life until she turned fourteen , must've been hard on her,

Her being around these boys ,

could make her go back to her ways." Sam explained with concern.

"You load my up with extra costs,and still you refuse to fund the program?,and Daisy

won't be an issue." J.t questioned and explained.

"We've already discussed this." Sam stated.

"I only applied for my expenses!" J.t Exclaimed.

"Prove to me that your program works,and we will revisit the subject of funding."

Sam continued.

" If your approach worked,

I wouldn't be doing this." J.t said.

"Mr. Hope, if you're so determined to work with kids, why don't you re enter the force,and work the juvenile division?" Sam questioned.

"Look, let's not start giving

each other career advice, okay?Now, I have met your requirements,I'm doing this program,I came here for my firstthree kids and I am not

leaving without 'em." J.t stated sternly.

"Fine,I'll introduce you." Sam started.

"First, we've got Booker Stokes,17 year old bipolar bully moved in the stock market,also convicted for

possession, assault in bed."

"Sounds like a real charmer." J.t said.

"No, actually that would be Ernesto Mendoza,16 year old tagger, gangbanger and car thief,who would follow you into a revolving door and come out ahead of you,I would keep him away from Daisy." She stated.

"Lastly, Kieth Frasier, 17, we busted him breaking into a pharmaceutical warehouse.

Ran the cops asses off, Mother's in jail, no father,

God knows how long he's been using,He's been here before,hasn't responded to any program or treatment yet

And like the other two,

goes straight to adult court

next time he's picked up,

I wanna see these kids back

here in exactly two weeks." Sam finished explaining.

"Two weeks?" J.t questioned.

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

"What do you want old man?" Daisy questioned.

"I told ya to stop calling me that, Need your help rounding up the cattle." Shorty said from the door of the cabin.

"Yeah, yeah im comin'." Daisy said putting on her hat.

"Hurry up now!" He yelled.

"Im comin'" She exclaimed.

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

"J.T is doing some program, now I don't want you to hang out with whoever he brings." Colt said to his kid.

"Don't tell me what to do old man!,stop acting like my father when you barely apleared in my life." Daisy said as a truck came down the trail.

"Why you little!" Colt said as she stuck her tongue out.

Shorty let out a sigh.

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

"How are you doing boss?" Shorty questioned.

Daisy noticed one boy in the passenger seat and two in the back.

She was pretty sure the two in the back were lookin' at her.

"Colt,Shorty,Daisy." J.t greeted.

"Come on out boys,line up over here,grab your gear two." He continued.

"Why don't you meet our new friends." J.t said as Daisy walked up to them.

"Im gonna enjoy this." Daisy stated seeing one of them look her up and down.

"hola nena mi nombre es Ernesto." The boy said with a smirk kissing her hand.

(Hi babe my name is ernesto)

"Well Ernesto,Im Daisy." She said with a blush.

"Alright Daisy is off limits,unless you want Colt to rip you a new one,This is Ernesto,Booker,And Keith." J.t Said clapping Daisy and Ernesto on the Shoulder.

Colt glared at the three,specifically Ernesto.

Daisy gave him a "Oh this pisses you off,well too bad imma do it anyway." Look.

"This is shorty." J.t said as the old man walked up to shake their hands,none of em' did.

Colt scoffed out a laugh.

"Daisy if you would be so kind." J.t said.

"Out here our days start at six and ends at six,What you do after that is entirely up to you,there is no leaving the bunkhouse after nine under any circumstances,make sure you take care of your buisness before than." Daisy said , the words burned into the back of her mind.

"Wait I stay in the Bunker house!" Daisy exclaimed.

"She ain't gonna be in there with em'!" Colt said.

"We'll see what we can do." J.t said.

"Ernesto wouldn't mind waking up to your beatiful face every day." Ernesto said winking at her.

"Back off boy!" Colt exclaimed.

"You back off, Old man!" Daisy exclaimed.

"Alright! now we got you some new clothes , I want ya'll to put them on." J.t said cutting the tension.

"No more of this whatever you call this here,Daisy your clothing also need to be... changed." J.t said.

"Whats wrong with what im wearing,Im not changing what im wearing all because of them." Daisy said with a glare, her plaid shirt was cropped and opened showing a black crop top,her shorts torn up almost too her thighs.

"Don't argue,I already told you about those clothes!" Colt

exclaimed.

"Yeah,Yeah,Whatever old man!" Daisy exclaimed.

"Ernesto thinks you look good." Ernesto said winking.

"I swear boy you better-" Colt started only to be cutoff.

"Why thank you Ernesto." Daisy said running her hand through her hair.

"Get a good nights sleep,you've got a busy day ahead of you,oh and keep an eye on Keith here,seems he's training for the olympic track team,reminds me of when we met Daisy." J.t stated.

"There all yours shorty." He finished as Shorty Laughed,spitting on the ground.

"Oh this is gonna be fun." Daisy clapped her hands.

-----------

[knavestrolls]

Scorpion or Frog?

{Toyhouse Link}

>[vaqueroVanquished began trolling starApocalypse!]&lt;

VV: Hey. SA: whAt~☆ VV: We need to chat. SA: this About thAt mAnipulAtor~☆ VV: Yeah. SA: we don’t need him~☆ VV: About that, I think we do. VV: We’re knee deep in musclebeast shit here, Bea. SA: you’re not~☆ VV: Tu mess es mi mess. SA: pick A lAnguAge~☆ VV: Never. VV: Listen, if this guy really does have a way to start digging us out of this shit. VV: It’s gotta be worth a try. VV: I can’t keep them delayed forever. SA: if he cAn’t then whAT~☆ SA: or whAt if he’s just here to report us~☆ SA: don’t you think vlAdir hAd a good reAson to wArn us~☆ VV: My buttercup’s all messed up. VV: Got ‘imself hogtied trying to lasso the moon. VV: He’s not thinking the straightest. SA: no shit~☆ VV: Hey watch your fucking language. VV: This shit is serious. SA: my mistAke~☆ SA: whAt does this guy wAnt in return~☆ SA: if we do let him help whAt does he gAin~☆ VV: Let me worry about that. VV: It won’t be your debt to pay but mine. SA: would vlAdir Agree~☆ VV: If it’ll save you, I don’t care. SA: you’ll pAy for this deArly~☆ SA: whAt if you lose vlAdir~☆ VV: I don’t know what I’ll do if that happens. VV: But I’ve done all I can for my honeysuckle. VV: Let me help you now. VV: By letting this guy help us. VV: We’ll figure it out together, regardless of what happens. SA: if he reports us~☆ SA: i’ll murder him before they get us~☆ SA: At leAst thAt wAy i cAn forgive myself for Agreeing~☆ VV: Desperate times, desperate measures. SA: xennAA stAys out of this~☆ SA: i’m sending her to the rAnch~☆ VV: Vlad and Xens can keep each other company. SA: you’re coming in person~☆ VV: Yeah. VV: I ain’t letting you go through this alone. VV: And I don’t trust this knave yet. VV: We’re just out of options. SA: if this goes wrong~☆ SA: i just wAnt to sAy~☆ VV: Yeah, yeah you told me so I know. SA: not thAt~☆ VV: Really? VV: Well call me a shriekin goat the way you surprised me. SA: nevermind~☆ SA: i’ll tell you if we get out of this hell~☆ VV: Promise? SA: Absolutely not~☆ VV: Oh you’re sweet on me, Bea. VV: Send Xens. VV: I’ll leave to you when she gets here. SA: whAt Are you going to tell vlAdir~☆ VV: Not the fuckin’ truth that’s for sure. SA: do you hAve Any plAn to keep him from following you~☆ VV: Yeah, Xens. VV: Obviously. SA: you’re An idiot~☆ SA: tell him i need A hAnd~☆ VV: You think he’ll believe that you. VV: That Ms Ain’t Ever Need Help. VV: Needs a hand? SA: point~☆ SA: tell him i’m hAving a mentAl breAkdown~☆ VV: Aren’t you? SA: not the point, hArvey~☆ VV: Fine. SA: i’ll tell him the truth At the end~☆ SA: i promise~☆ VV: I should do it. SA: no, you reAlly shouldn’t~☆ SA: if this goes wrong i’ll tAke the fAll~☆ SA: sAy you didn’t know i’d Agreed~☆ SA: And by the time you got here it wAs too lAte to stop it~☆ VV: Fuck. VV: Just send Xens, I’m not having this talk.

>[vaqueroVaquished is offline!]&lt;

The hive is never silent. That’s to be expected of a ranch, with so many animals there’s rarely ever a truely silent moment. But the hive right now was still in a horrible way. Vladir laid asleep still on the pile of furs they’d made hours earlier. There was no sound of his lusus trampling around inside, no sound of the herd moving, and there was a lump in the bottom of his throat. Beatrx agreeing was great and all, but she had a very good point about how this would go down if it went wrong. One wrong step and they’d both be fugitives. Let alone… Harvey turns to look at his matesprit, watching the way he breathes. There’s a chance it could be the last time he sees him. Or worse, the last time he sees him at peace. There’s a real chance that Vladir will break up with him once he hears what Harvey’s done but there’s no other choice. Beatrx was in trouble, he couldn’t just sit by and do nothing. He sighs, running his hand through his hair. Whatever the outcome, it was too late to turn back now. Gently, he goes to wake the rustblood with a light shake. “Up and at ‘em beautiful.” Harvey’s voice was purposefully quiet, knowing that there was probably still a terrible hangover. That was it’s own fight he’d yet to win.

“Harvey? Wha’s going on?” Oh and how wonderful Vladir’s voice sounded when deepened by sleep. It takes a minute to remind himself he may not have to miss that sound before he speaks again.

“Xens is coming over. I need you to keep an eye on her- honestly I think you could both use some time together.”

“I’m not doing her yoga shit.”

“I’m not askin’ that of you sugar.”

“Why does she need me anyways? I can go to my own hive so you can spend time with her.”

“Because Bea needs me. She’s having some kind of full melt down.”

“Which means Xennaa can’t be around to see it. Got it. Give me a minute to wake up, I’ll make uh. Fuck, what time is it?”

“Just barely nightfall honeycheeks.”

“I’ll make us breakfast. You got your palmhusk?”

“Of course. I’ll keep it on me.”

“Javelina dad’s been fed?”

“He can feed himself.”

“Tell that to him.”

“Hey..”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too. Stop feeling guilty about needing to help your totally not a moirail moirail.”

“But-"

“I’ll entertain Xennaa. You take care of the big guns. You’ve got this.”

“...Thank you, Vladir.”

“It’s weirder when you call me by name at this point.” Vladir joked before stepping in to give Harvey a kiss. It was short, sweet, and to the point. Made Harvey wonder if that sort of chaste kiss would be their last. Maybe he was just being over dramatic. “Go on, get going before things get worse.” Trust was a double edged sword and Harvey could feel it slicing him as he made his way out and to the caverns.