#very straight forward and very little opportunity to have an upset customer

[oflgtfol]

my new job not only pays more per hour but is also just so much more low stress than michaels its crazy like im actually kinda dreading working 7 hours at mike today because its like. Gah

[wayward-dreamer]

Life’s Lessons - Be My Valentine?

AO3 Link: Read here

Square Filled: Squirting

Pairing: Mechanic!Dean x Female!Teacher!Reader

Word count: 8,770 (oops. Sorry).

Rating: Explicit 18+!

Summary: It’s Dean and Y/N’s first Valentine’s Day, and he has a romantic evening planned, with surprises which he can’t wait to share with her.

Warnings: So much fluff. Like, so much. Dean being sweet and romantic (yes, that’s a warning). And then so much smut. Swearing, Dirty talk, D/S elements, Dom!Dean, Sub!Reader, Oral Sex (Female receiving), Vaginal fingering, Squirting, Gags, Brief impact play (belt), Restraints (belt), Brief spanking, Unprotected sex (wrap it up before you tap it, guys), Rough sex. More fluff.

Music: Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton (Dean and Y/N street scene)

Life’s Lessons Spotify Playlist 

Created for @spnkinkbingo

A/N: The first time stamp*! Wooo! I’m so excited for you guys to read it, I really hope you love it, because I sure had a great time writing these two again, all loved up and ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day! Happy reading and enjoy! :)

*This is a time stamp for my series Life’s Lessons so it’ll make more sense if you’ve read that first, but I do think it can enjoyed as a sweet and smutty Valentine’s Day fic! ;)

Dividers by the wonderful @firefly-graphics

Dean stood at the kitchen bench and smirked as he stared down at the date on his phone. The coffee brewed in the machine behind him, as sunlight streamed in through the little picture window. It the most important date on the calendar that all couples go through, and he was excited.

It was February 14th. Valentine’s Day. The designated day you show the person you love most how much they mean to you. This time around was going to be the most special this little holiday had ever been for him, because this time around he had a woman who was truly, undoubtedly, his.

Y/N was the woman he had been waiting for and he couldn’t wait to make tonight a great night for both of them.

As he poured himself a cup of coffee and some for her in a travel mug, Y/N walked into the kitchen, dressed in a tight, high-waisted pastel pink skirt and white shirt, with a small white with pink polka dots scarf tied into a bow under the collar of the shirt. Her hair was in a high ponytail and she had her red glasses on. Dean felt his body heat up, knowing how much he enjoyed her fulfilling his teacher fantasy, so much so that whenever she got dressed for work, he always needed to calm himself down.

Y/N smiled at him as she walked over, kissing him softly as he slid a plate across the bench, some toast and a little bacon which he had already made, ready for her.

“Thank you,” she said, kissing him again before digging into her breakfast.

“No problem.” He smiled as he leaned against the bench, facing her. He continued to drink his coffee as she ate, both of them in content silence.

“I’ve got a half day today,” he informed her. “Ready to take you out tonight and tomorrow off, too.”

She smiled, unable to hide how excited she was for their night out. He was being incredibly secretive, and she was dying to know.

She ate quickly, washing up her plate once she was done. As she walked away from the sink, she laughed as Dean took her hand in his, pulling her against him. Whenever they had a few spare moments in the morning, this is how they spent it.

“So… what are you planning?” she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck as she looked up at him.

He smirked, shaking his head as his hands rested on her hips. “That’s for me to know and for you to find out later.”

She frowned, a small pout forming on her lips. “There’s no such thing as secrets on Valentine’s Day.”

She knew it wasn’t true, but she just wanted him to tell her what he was planning so that she could coordinate her lingerie accordingly.

“Babe, don’t start making crap up just because you’re curious.” He called her out, throwing his head with a boisterous laugh as she stared at him, wide-eyed and mouth hanging open in shock.

“Well, then I guess it’s just going to be you and your hand tonight,” she threw back, feigning upset.

“Hey,” he warned, staring down at her as he pulled her closer. “Do that and you won’t find out what I have planned.”

“Fine,” she sighed, as she rolled her eyes. Looking at him, the frown returned but with a playful glint in her eyes. “You’re really annoying, sometimes.”

“I know,” he shrugged with a grin. “But you love me.”

“Yeah,” she smiled, unable to pretend anymore. “Fortunately.”

“Very fortunately,” he said, leaning down to kiss her softly. He bent down further, kissing her neck which made her groan, sadly.

“I’m going to be late for work,” she said, pushing him away slightly.

He moved back down, attaching his mouth to her neck again. “I was about to give it to ya good and proper, sweetheart,” he mumbled against her skin, between kisses.

She laughed as she lightly pushed him again, kissing him softly on his pout. “You can do that tonight. A good, proper,” she kissed him again, “hard, rough,” another kiss, “fucking of a lifetime.”

He groaned, closing his eyes as he thought about what he had planned for them. She really had no idea what was going on and he was excited for her to find out.

“You’re so on, baby,” he muttered, before pulling her into a searing kiss.

She reluctantly pulled away from him, frowning. “I better go.”

“See you tonight,” he said, smirking at her.

“I can’t wait,” she smiled, leaning in and kissing him again.

Dean watched on as Y/N picked her bag and slung it over her shoulder, grabbing her keys in her hand. She slipped on her nude heels as she picked up her fawn coat, turning and blowing him a kiss before walking out the door. He smirked as he thought about what she just said, and how he could incorporate it into the night he had planned. After she had made his birthday one that he would never forget, he didn’t want to wait for so long until hers to do the same.

Luckily, the most romantic day of the year was upon them, and it was the perfect opportunity to make it a memorable night for both of them. He had never really believed in a day to celebrate love, considering he never had much luck with it in the past, but now he was thankful to whoever decided to profit from February 14th and made it a big deal.

Dean got ready for the day and headed to work. He was happy knowing there wasn’t much to do that day with his half day of work. He was relieved when Y/N had managed to take leave for the next day just like him, knowing that his plan would succeed. After the big restoration job that he had told her about months ago had been paid them in full by the customer, they were doing amazingly well at the garage. It had been a lot of money and there was more than enough to go around. Dean was able to pull out all the stops for the night. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face at work, getting questioning looks from Benny, Garth, some of the other guys and even Ellen. The guys teased him all day, but he paid no attention to it. If they had a woman as wonderful as he did, they’d have a huge smile on their face all day too.

Y/N smoothed down her maroon, velvet, off-shoulder, knee-length dress as she looked at herself in the mirror. She had contemplated the style for a long time in the store a few days ago, wondering if she should go for a brighter red or shorter, but this caught her eye straight away. She just hoped Dean would like it. She also hoped he would like her strapless bra and panties set, of the same dark colour. She kept her eye make-up simple but went with a slightly dark red shade for the lipstick, and gave her hair a slight wave, sweeping it over one shoulder. She gave herself a nod as she smiled at her complete look in the mirror.

Y/N heard the front door opening, signalling that Dean had arrived, even if he was a little early. With one last check in the mirror, she picked up the gift she had for him from her bed and walked out of her room, her black heels clacking on the wooden floors. As soon as she saw him, her heart skipped a beat. He wore black dress pants and loafers, with a maroon sweater. He looked so unbelievably gorgeous that she just had to stand there for a few more seconds to appreciate him. He had his hands behind his back, and she knew it had to be something for Valentine’s Day.

“Who clued you in on maroon?” she laughed as she approached him.

“I… may have snuck a peek in the bag when you brought it home,” he replied, smirking as he took her in. She looked incredible and he was going to have a hard time keeping things PG for the first part of the night. “You look amazing.”

“Not so bad yourself, handsome,” she whispered against his lips as she leaned in and kissed him, softly. “This is very couple-y of us, though” she joked.

He shrugged, laughing. “It’s Valentine’s, baby.”

With that, he brought his arms forward, showing her the bouquet of lilies (she wasn’t a fan of roses; too overrated) and the heart-shaped box, no doubt filled with little chocolates.

“Be my Valentine?” he asked, chuckling.

She shook her head, laughing at his goofiness. “Of course.” She took the items from him and handing him his.

He smiled as he took it, quickly unwrapping the red wrapping around the small box. Opening it, he lifted the coffee mug out, smirking at the design. It was him and Y/N in animated form, with her leaning in to kiss his cheek, a little heart above their heads.

“That’s cute,” he said, smiling at her.

“It’s not too cheesy, is it? We said things that didn’t cost much, and this was relatively inexpensive. All I had to do was give the artist a picture of us, and she did the rest,” she explained, wondering if he really did like it and wasn’t just making her feel better.

“No, it’s not. I love it, really,” he reassured her.

She leaned in, happily letting him cup her face in his hands and pull her into a steamy kiss. It was over quicker than she would’ve liked, but as she looked into his eyes, she noticed a spark that wasn’t there before.

“Okay… put those in water and then pack a bag. Just essentials, clothes for tomorrow, that’s it” he instructed, rubbing his hands together.

She frowned, blinking a few times as she made sure she heard him right. “What?”

“Part of the surprise,” he said, not giving her anything else as he gestured to his watch.

“Okay…” she huffed as she snapped out of her trance, her mind reeling as she tried to figure out where he was taking her.

After putting the lilies in a small vase with water, Y/N went into her room and quickly packed a bag. Just her skincare and clothes for the next day were all she needed. She really had no idea what Dean was doing or where he was taking her, but she was now even more restless to find out.

Walking back into the living area, she saw Dean waiting by the door. He smirked as he reached for her bag, dragging it out for her as she picked up her purse and put on her black coat, locking the door behind her. Dean put her case in the trunk and then proceeded to open the passenger door for her. She snuck a quick kiss before she sat, putting her purse in her lap. Dean was on the driver’s side in a flash, quickly taking his seat and starting the engine.

“So… still no hint?” she asked, smiling through her impatience.

“Nope,” he replied, popping the ‘p’.

“Fine,” she sighed, sitting back in her seat properly as Dean pulled away from the curb.

She decided to stop asking. He always said he wasn’t great with romantic gestures but that he was trying with her, and she really appreciated that about him. He was expanding his comfort zone even though he didn’t have to. He wanted to.

They asked each other about their days as Dean drove towards the city. The anticipation for their night was overwhelming, and he was glad that Y/N kept talking. No doubt distracting herself just as much as him. As they reached their destination, he saw her eyes light up as he parked the car outside the restaurant, their first stop.

“Dean!” she exclaimed as she turned to him. “This is already too much! More than what we agreed on!”

He smirked, knowing that the fancy Italian place was one that she had wanting to go to for a while. It was definitely pricey, but his latest customer was making tonight possible. He really had to find a way to thank the guy.

“Not tonight it’s not.” He winked at her as he opened his door and got out of the car, a squeak coming from the hinges as he shut it.

He walked around the front and to her side, opening the door for her. Y/N couldn’t believe her eyes as she stood up and looked at the building, suddenly launching herself into Dean.

“I’ve told you before; I don’t need all of this to make me happy. You know that, right?” she asked, frowning slightly. She was worried that he may feel like he needed to do this just to make things special.

“Yeah, I do, sweetheart,” he replied, as he pulled back slightly from their embrace to look at her. “But if I can afford it, then why the hell not?”

“And you’re sure you can?” she asked, a frown still etched on her face.

Dean chuckled, shaking his head. “Yes! Y/N, we wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t. We did fucking great because of that big restoration job. Trust me.”

He had to wonder how she would react for the next part of the surprise if she was already shocked by the restaurant. Hopefully once he reassured her it was fine, and that he wasn’t doing this when he couldn’t afford it, she would relax.

“Okay.” A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth before it grew.

Dean smiled wide as he saw her face light up. He held out his hand for her, ready to start their night. “Let’s go.”

Y/N took Dean’s hand instantly, linking their fingers together as they walked to the entrance of the Italian restaurant. As they made their way in and Dean gave them his name, they were immediately led to a table in the back, away from most of the chatter of patrons. Dean helped Y/N with her coat, draping it over the back of her chair, doing the same with his. She smiled as she sat down across from him, causing him to smile back. His eyes wandered up and down as he looked at her, taking in her beauty. She always looked stunning, no matter whether it was casual or a bit dressier.

A waiter brought over the wine list, which Dean discreetly handed over to Y/N considering that wasn’t something he knew anything about. She gave him a wink as she looked over several pages before deciding. Dinner was far more delicious than either of them were expecting, so between the great wine and even better food, Dean was very happy he brought her here.

Once dinner was cleared, and the chocolate cake they ordered to share for dessert arrived (after he lamented that there was no pie), Dean let her dig in first as he folded his arms on the table, watching her. He smirked as she stabbed a piece with the fork and held it out to him. He winked at her as he took the bite, seeing her visibly shiver. He chuckled to himself as he chewed, watching her drop her head and focus on the cake.

“Stop,” she laughed, trying to avoid his intense gaze. He was trying to kill her; she knew he was.

“Can’t,” he said, joining in with her laughter.

They both continued to devour the cake until there wasn’t even a crumb left, both sitting back as the waiter cleared the plate and glasses.

After paying, Dean took Y/N’s hand in his and left the restaurant. Their walk down the street turned into a relaxed stroll, enjoying the glow of the city lights despite the cold weather of February. As they continued towards the car, a group of street musicians was playing, also not bothered by the chill in the air. As they continued to play, Dean slowly spun Y/N around, causing her to laugh in surprise at his sudden gesture. His hands slipped down to her waist and pulled her close as he began to sway them to the music, looking into her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck, refusing to break her gaze away from him. The slow melody of the familiar song caused them to get lost in each other, blocking out the noise of the street and cars rushing by.

In his arms, Y/N felt safe. She felt as if nothing bad could happen to her, ever again. She felt like Dean would always be there to hold her up and never let her fall. He would never hurt her, knowing her past and making sure she never felt that way ever again. She thanked all forms of a higher power every day for bringing this man into her life.

In her arms, Dean had never felt more loved. With her, he had everything he ever wanted in life. Love, comfort, passion – feeling wanted. Someone who would never make him feel any less than he was. He knew how lucky he was to have her.

Dean leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, the kiss becoming deeper and more passionate as he pulled her a little closer. Y/N’s hands combed into his hair at the back of his head as she kissed him. After a moment, Dean pulled away from her caress, his breathing slightly heavier.

“Come on,” he grinned, moving away from her and taking her hand in his again, leading her down the street.

As he drove, Dean’s mind kept swimming with possibilities of what would happen next. He looked over at Y/N, smiling at her as she gazed up at the city lights from the window, completely oblivious to the thoughts that were going through his head. He watched as she frowned, the destination now right in front of them. She looked up at the sign, gasping loudly. He had brought them to one of the best hotels in the city and her heart began to beat just a little faster.

“Oh my god!” she yelled, looking at him as he pulled into the valet parking of the hotel. He got out and walked over to the trunk, taking out her small suitcase and pulling it for her, as she got out of the car.

Y/N stood in shock as she watched him warn the valet about the car, and then hand over the keys. As the Impala rolled away towards the main parking, she looked at Dean and shook her head as she walked over to him.

“Dean, this is-” she started but he stopped her as he took her hand and tugged on it, softly.

“Save it for upstairs, sweetheart.” He smirked as he brought her hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles.

They walked towards the entrance, a doorman opening the glass door for them.

“Where’s your stuff?” she asked, as she suddenly noticed he lacked an over-night bag.

“I checked us in during the day after work, before I picked you up,” he replied, as he walked them through the huge lobby and towards the elevators.

Y/N marvelled as she looked around. Her stomach flipped as she couldn’t believe she was in such a swanky place.

The elevator arrived; announced by a soft ding as the doors opened. Dean stepped in with Y/N by his side, pressing the button for their floor. Y/N looked over at him, unable to contain her smile as the elevator moved up the floors. Dean leaned over, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her, passionately. She hummed as she grabbed the lapels of his black coat, pulling him closer. They broke away from each other, however, when the elevator stopped, letting in another couple. They were slightly older and both of them grimaced as they witnessed the young couple with their lips locked. It was the clichéd scene you would see in every rom-com or steamy romance, but neither of them cared.

Once they reached their floor, they left the elevator and walked down the hallway. Dean walked a little ahead of Y/N, wheeling her suitcase behind him. He reached their room, taking out the room card and sliding it in, the beep and green light signalling he could open the door. Y/N walked in, as he held it for her and quickly slipped the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign onto the handle, closing the door behind her.

If Y/N was smiling before, then she was practically beaming as she walked further into the room. The big window overlooked the gardens outside, and the room held a chic armchair with Dean’s brown leather duffle sitting on it, a round ottoman in front the armchair, a large bed with crisp white sheets, big pillows and royal blue cushions. Rose petals were scattered over the sheets with a tray that held little chocolates, an ice bucket with a bottle of Champagne and two champagne glasses on it, at the centre of the bed.

Y/N’s felt Dean’s arms wrap around her waist as he stood behind her, pulling her close to his body. She sighed contently, leaning her head against his chest.

“I know you’re not a fan of roses, but this is all they had,” he informed her, softly in her ear.

She shook her head, turning around to face him and instantly wrapping her arms around his neck. “It’s perfect. I love it so much.”

“Yeah?” he asked, a small smile on his face.

“Yes,” she sighed, smiling up at him. “I love you so much, Dean Winchester. Thank you for tonight. Thank you for loving me.”

“Well, you make it real easy, sweetheart,” he said, smirking.

“You make it easy to love you, too,” she whispered against his lips, and kissed him once, twice.

“So… champagne?” he asked, grinning.

“Yes,” she replied, without missing a beat.

Dean moved away from her, shrugging off his coat and draping it over the armchair. Y/N took off her coat and hung it up in the closet, taking a chance to look around the room. She wandered into the bathroom, biting her lip to keep from grinning as she saw the bathtub filled with water and rose petals along the surface. She fully intended to make use of it later. The bathroom also had another ice bucket and champagne with glasses kept near the tub, along with some chocolate covered strawberries, making her shiver at the possibilities of what could happen.

Y/N walked back out to the main part of the room, watching Dean open the wrapping from the top of the champagne bottle. He held the bottle carefully as he twisted the cork, letting out a “son of a bitch!” when it popped loudly. He poured some in each glass and handed her one as he took the other, his other hand slipping into hers. They looked into each other’s eyes as they clinked their glasses together.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Y/N,” he said, smirking.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Dean,” she sighed, her eyes sparkling with love as she looked at him.

As they both took a few sips, it was clear that no matter how great the champagne was, that wasn’t where their focus was at that moment. As Dean looked at Y/N, he knew he couldn’t waste another minute not touching her. In one big gulp, he downed the champagne and placed the glass on the tray. He moved it off the bed and placed it on the ottoman, turning back to her to see she had emptied her glass as well. She walked over to the ottoman slowly, the swing in her hips seductive and teasing him. As she bent down to put the glass on the tray, the curve of her ass looked glorious in her tight dress, leaving him powerless to resist.

Dean walked up behind Y/N, his hands slowly moving over the curve, feeling the soft velvet of her dress. He moved them up to her hips, swiftly pulling them back to meet his. Y/N bit her lip as she pressed her back to his chest, feeling his cock begin to stir through the fabric of his pants.

“You have no idea what I’m gonna do to you,” he whispered in her ear and placed a small kiss behind it.

She shivered as she felt his hands move up her body, lightly grazing over her breasts before moving back down to her hips. She took his hands and moved them up again, cupping her breasts and causing a soft moan to leave her lips. She smiled mischievously as she began to grind her hips back into his, feeling him become more aroused. Dean had instant flashes back to their first date, the night she did exactly the same thing on her front porch.

He suddenly flicked her hands off his and moved them down, grasping her hips and halting them. “You think you can do that again, sweetheart… you’re wrong.”

“Dean,” she whined, her frustration getting the better of her. She squeezed her thighs together, feeling herself getting wet between her legs already.

“Tonight, is all about you,” he told her as his hands moved to the back of her dress. He grasped the zip, pulling it down at a teasing pace. “Tonight… you’re all mine.”

A whimper left her lips as the dress opened in the back, and Dean’s pace suddenly changed. He roughly pulled at the dress, shoving it down her body and letting it fall to pool around her feet.

Turning them around, Dean faced Y/N towards the large mirror on the wall. He admired her dark red, lacy push-up bra, matching lace panties and black thigh-high stockings, as his hands roamed her soft skin. Their eyes met in the mirror, causing Dean to smirk at her and give her a wink. His right hand travelled down her body and over the lace of her panties, his fingers lightly teasing over her skin and the seam of the fabric. Her breath hitched in her throat as her left hand moved forward, trying to reach for his. She gasped as he roughly grabbed it and held it down by her hip, wrapping his fingers around her wrist to keep from moving.

“Only I get to touch you, Y/N,” he said, not breaking eye contact with her in the mirror. His hand moved down between her legs, his fingers rubbing along the lace and feeling her wetness through the material. She moaned, pressing her lips together to keep herself quiet.

“Already so wet for me,” he groaned, continuing to move his fingers in a moderate pace. “But… I want you practically dripping.”

Y/N moaned wantonly as Dean removed his hand and made quick work of taking off her panties, bending down behind her as they slid down to her feet. He helped her step out of each heel and her panties, smirking as an idea came to him once the fabric was in his hand. He quickly slipped them into his pants pocket as he took her hand and guided her towards the bed. Staring into his eyes, she saw them darken even more as he lifted his hands to her shoulders and pushed her, a squeal leaving her as her back hit the bed. The scattered rose petals bounced around, breaking the even pattern, as she moved up slightly on the bed and pushed herself up on her elbows to look at him.

Y/N smiled as she bit her lip, her eyes never leaving him as he lifted up his sweater and pulled his arms through, throwing it on the floor. He did the same with the white t-shirt he wore underneath as he moved closer to the bed. She reached over and hooked her fingers into the top of his pants, desperate to feel him against her. Before she could start working on the belt, he grabbed her hand with a firm grip.

“What did I say about touching, sweetheart?” he asked, his voice rough and authoritative.

A shiver ran down her spine as she looked up at him, unable to speak. His eyes were dark, and his face was unreadable, a commanding air around him. He was dominating in bed but never quite like this, and that had her excited to see what he would do.

Dean’s jaw clenched as he looked down at her, unbuckling his belt and sliding it through the loops. He gathered it in his hand and waved it at her. “One more time and I’ll have to use this.”

She nodded, still too stunned at his demeanour to speak. She breathed heavily as the anticipation got to her, wondering what his next move would be.

Dean placed the belt on the bed, close enough to reach for it when he needed. He quickly rid himself of his shoes and the rest of his clothes, pulling down his pants along with his boxers, dropping them on the edge of the bed. His cock twitched, hard and leaking pre-cum which she desperately wanted a taste of. He knelt on the bed, swiftly picking up both of Y/N’s legs and holding them up. He made quick work of taking off her stockings, rolling them down her legs and pulling them off, before leaning down and kissing her, roughly. She moaned into his mouth as she fisted the sheets in her hands, knowing she couldn’t touch him or herself. Dean continued to roughly kiss her as he reached under her and unclasped her bra, pulling it away from her body and flinging it across the room without looking.

Dean made a rough path of kisses down Y/N’s jaw and neck, reaching her breasts. He took a nipple into his mouth, flicking his tongue over the nub and pinched the other between his fingers. She moaned, throwing her head back, incredibly desperate to lift her hands and place them on his head to bring him closer. He continued his path down her body, finally reaching between her legs. She looked down to see him wink at her, his tongue slowly flicking out as it grazed her sex.

“Dean” she whimpered as she tried to move closer to his mouth.

Before she could say anything else, his head dipped down, his mouth covering her folds completely. His hands grabbed her legs and threw them over his shoulders roughly, causing a shocked huff to leave her lips.

“Oh my god,” she gasped loudly, her fingers clenching the sheets. “D-Dean, yes.”

His tongue moved over her clit in tight circles as his fingers dug into the flesh of her thighs, pulling her even closer. He moved his tongue up and down her folds, her juices coating his mouth as he moaned at the taste of her. She choked out a whimper at the vibration that ran through her as she looked down at him, their eyes meeting.

Pulling away slightly, he looked at her as he sucked at her clit. “Taste so fucking good, sweetheart.”

“Dean, please,” she begged, looking into his eyes. “Please, more.”

“Patience, Y/N,” he playfully scolded, smirking at her.

He continued to lap at her folds, the sounds of his moans and her wetness getting to her. She needed to touch him, but if she did, he’d restrain her. She wanted nothing more than to risk it and tug on his hair like she loved doing, but she couldn’t. He smirked against her as he continued his ministrations, lifting his right hand and inserting a finger into her wet canal.

“Shit, yes” she cried loudly, unable to stay quiet despite being in a hotel room.

“You like that, gorgeous?” he asked as he pulled away briefly, inserting another finger. He thrusted them in and out, his pace quick as she became wetter.

“Yes,” she gasped, nodding frantically. “Yes, I-I love it.”

He gave her a cocky chuckle as he took her swollen nub in his mouth again, his eyes never leaving her. He continued to thrust his fingers inside of her, his tongue licking at the bundle of nerves. He watched as her hands left the sheets and cupped over her mouth, her moans muffled under them.

Dean kissed and sucked at her clit, his fingers sliding in and out of her as he moved them along her walls quickly. Y/N’s hands barely covered her mouth, her moans loud as she couldn’t control herself anymore. He reached for his pants and quickly took her panties out of the pocket, knowing that if she got louder, she would need them.

“Open up, sweetheart,” he said as he placed the lace near her lips.

Y/N opened her mouth and let him slowly work the material in.

“Good girl,” he groaned as he looked down at her. His cock throbbed at the sight of her mouth stuffed with her dark red panties. He continued to work his fingers into her, picking up the pace. Her moans came out stifled around the fabric in her mouth, as she urgently grabbed at the sheets again.

Dean worked his fingers into Y/N, his pace getting quicker as they began to hit her g-spot with precision. He lifted her leg onto his shoulder as he sat up on his knees, his fingers never slowing. Y/N got louder despite her panties acting as a gag, her eyes shut tightly as she let out a string of muffled moans. He could feel her getting wetter with every passing second.

“You look so fucking beautiful like this, sweetheart. All spread out for me, desperate to cum,” he grunted as he worked his fingers at a faster speed. “You wanna cum, don’t you?”

She nodded wildly, too scared to open her eyes and look at him. She could feel something building inside of her, the coil in her stomach tighter than it ever had been, as if it was holding something at bay. She could hear how wet she was as he worked the digits inside her at a frantic speed, the squelching noises louder than her moans.

“You’re gonna be a good girl and cum for me, aren’t you?” he asked, his voice low and husky.

She cried out around the fabric in her mouth, the only way she could communicate at that point. Hearing him call her that always drove her crazy. He felt his fingers getting wetter, knowing she was closer than ever.

“Oh fuck,” he groaned; his fingers moving so quickly he could barely see them. “Fuck, cum for me, sweetheart. Fucking soak my fingers.”

Y/N threw her head back, her neck straining as she let out a stifled scream of his name around the material of her panties. One of her hands left the sheets as it latched onto his arm around her leg, needing to hold on. The damn within her broke, Dean pulling his fingers out as jets of liquid spurted out of her, drenching his hand. The vision behind her closed lids turned white, as a wave of the purest release she had ever felt washed over her. Her body shook as he held her, making sure she didn’t hurt herself. Her muffled scream turned into whimpers as she continued to come down from her high. She had never felt this way before as she continued to shake, unable to stop the waves of pleasure coursing through her.

Dean bit his lip, watching as Y/N slowly began to come down from the peak he took her to. That was a surprise, even for him. He didn’t know she was capable of that, but he was a little proud that he was the one to make it happen. Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dim light in the room. She rolled her head to the side, looking up at him as her chest heaved, her breathing erratic. He leaned forward, taking her panties out of her mouth, a harsh sigh leaving her.

“Oh my god,” she exhaled, still trying to catch her breath.

“It’s actually Dean,” he joked, a wide grin on his face.

She lazily lifted her hand and tried to hit him but couldn’t even manage that.

“You…” she trailed off, shaking her head as she still couldn’t believe what just happened. “You made me squirt.”

“Sure did.” He nodded as he looked down at her, the smirk not leaving his face. “That was awesome,” he stated.

“It was.” She hummed as she smiled up him. That was first time anyone had managed to do that, and she was happy that her first experience of that was with someone who loved her so much. Someone who wanted to bring her pleasure before himself. His pleasure came from hers. She had never been with someone who cared like that.

“Shit,” she sighed, closing her eyes. Her whole body felt like it was buzzing. “I’ve never… done that before.”

“That was so fucking hot, sweetheart,” he declared, smirking as he looked down at his lower body and his hand, both wet from her unexpected release.

She stared up at him as she bit her lip. The fact that he found it hot had aroused her even more. The fact that he was so completely turned on by her and her body, gave her a confidence in herself that she never had before.

“You’re definitely trying that again, sometime soon,” she laughed, winking at him.

“Oh, we’re just getting started,” he stated, putting her leg down.

“Really?” she asked, amused by his eagerness.

“Yep,” he replied, popping the ‘p’. “Oh and Y/N…” he trailed off, gesturing to his arm that had been wrapped around her leg.

Y/N looked down and cursed inwardly, seeing her hand wrapped around his wrist. However, a small smile spread across her lips as she looked at him, trying to act innocent. “Oops…”

Before any more words could leave Y/N’s lips, Dean tugged on her hand and flipped her over, pushing her down on her stomach. He groaned as he looked at her ass, running his hand along her skin, grasping it in his hand. He picked up the belt, folded it and held it tight in his hands. Lifting it, he twisted his wrist and flicked the loop lightly across her right cheek, gaging her reaction. She moaned as her head dropped forward onto the bed, her hips wriggling, taunting him. He couldn’t see her face, but he was certain she was wearing the little mischievous smile of hers that he loved so much.

“Harder,” she told him, her voice firm. No hesitation.

That was the only confirmation Dean needed. He lifted his hand again, bringing the belt down on the same area, slightly harder than before.

“Fuck,” she moaned, humming at the slight sting.

Dean leaned down, placing a kiss and small nip on the cheek. “Love this ass.”

Dean held Y/N’s hands together and wrapped the belt around her wrists, making sure it was tight enough so that she couldn’t get out of the binds. He buckled it, tugging on it a couple of times to test it. She whimpered softly as she laid the side of her face on the bed, excitement coursing through her. She felt him grasp her hips and pull her up onto her knees, her bound hands on her back. That feeling of thrill rose within her as she sensed him move behind her.

Dean stroked his cock as he lined himself up to her entrance, Y/N’s hips levelled with his. He entered her swiftly, a strangled moan leaving his lips as he felt how wet she was, his cock easily sliding all the way into her. A choked cry left her as she tried to move her hips back, but he grabbed them in his hands to stop her from moving. He slid out and back in, then quickly began to thrust in and out of her at a fast pace.

“So fucking tight and wet, sweetheart,” he groaned as one hand came up to hold onto her bound hands. “So perfect… like you were made for me.”

With each thrust, she moaned louder and louder. Dean wondered whether he should gag her again, but quickly thought against it. Everyone else in the hotel be damned. He needed to hear his girl.

“How does that feel, Y/N?” he asked, as his hand on her hip grabbed her flesh tight, his thrusts relentless.

“So fucking good,” she moaned loudly, her mind delirious with pleasure. “Your big cock feels so good inside me, Dean.”

“I’m the only one who can make you feel this.” He let out a grunt, feeling her walls clench around his cock with each thrust. “Tell me.”

“Oh fuck” she gasped, unable to think clearly. “Y-You-”

Suddenly, a hard, resounding spank landed on her right cheek causing her to jerk forward as she yelped in surprise.

“Tell me, sweetheart,” he growled, his grip tightening on her bound hands.

She huffed a small laugh, completely overwhelmed by what she was feeling. He was hitting that sweet spot inside her so perfectly with every thrust. His words had her spiralling by the second, and his grip on her, both mentally and physically, had left her completely at his mercy. It was an experience unlike any other; one that she had expressed she wanted just that morning, but she had no idea the delivery would exceed her expectations.

“You’re the only one who can make me feel like this,” she moaned, loud and shameless. If someone else in the hotel was getting railed as thoroughly as she was, they’d be shameless about it too. “The only one who can make me this good… so fucking good, so full.”

She struggled against the belt around her hands, the leather digging into her skin in a delicious sting. Her legs felt weak and limp under her, quivering as she could feel herself quickly losing resolve.

“Fuck, Y/N.” His undulating hips picked up speed, as he grasped hers tightly.

Her walls continued to clench around him, signalling she was close. The only other sounds that could be heard apart from their moans and groans were the smacking of skin as their hips met, and wet, squelching sounds of her sex as he continued to pound into her.

“De… fuck, I-I I’m close,” she cried out, lifting her head to try and look back at him. The same feeling that she had felt before had returned, as if she was holding something back. “I-I think-” she shook her head, unable to speak.

Dean’s hips started to falter, his release fast approaching. “Cum with me, Y/N.”

“I-I-I’m,” she stuttered. She felt lightheaded, overstimulated and overcome by the pleasure coursing through her.

“It’s okay, Y/N,” he reassured her, his left hand leaving her hip and moving down between her legs. He rubbed her clit in tight circles, bringing her closer to her release. “Let go for me, sweetheart… soak my cock like you soaked my fingers.”

“Oh god… Fuck! Dean!” she screamed.

All concern for the people in the other rooms went out the window as they both reached the peak of ecstasy.

Y/N’s whole body convulsed as Dean let out a roaring moan, quickly pulling out as her release gushed out of her, drenching his cock as his cum spurted over her folds. Her legs gave out as she fell forward and flattened out on the bed as she tried to catch her breath. His chest heaved as he leaned forward, carefully unbuckling the belt around her hands, releasing her from the restraint. Her arms moved up the bed weakly, one hand cupping over her eyes as she began to chuckle. He looked down at her with a quirked eyebrow, confused as to why she was laughing.

“Y/N?” he called her name, getting no response.

She descended into a fit of laughter, slowly turning onto her back as she cupped both hands over her eyes.

“Sweetheart, what’s going on?” he asked, his mouth lifting up slightly into a smirk. He was amused by her reaction.

“That was… that was amazing,” she said through laughs. “I just… I can’t believe you did that. Not just once but twice!”

Y/N continued to laugh, causing Dean to join in as he leaned down and gave her a kiss. She lifted her shaky hands and cupped his face, kissing him deeply and moaning at the taste of herself that still lingered on his tongue. Pulling away, his legs almost faltered as he got up from the bed, but he held himself steady as he moved towards the bathroom. He wet a washcloth and then walked back out to the bed. He cleaned between her legs, the warm cloth ridding her of his release and her own. As he did, he was relieved to see they hadn’t ruined the sheets from both of their orgasms, his lower body taking the impact of hers. He cleaned himself off and got up again, discarding the cloth under the sink of the bathroom.

As he walked back out, he spotted the ice bucket and quickly swiped a cube out before he laid down next to her, both of them on their sides. Picking up her right hand, he smoothed the ice over the angry, red lines across her wrist. She hissed slightly at the chill on the heat of her skin but sighed as it cooled the sting. He looked at her as he did, smiling softly when her gaze lifted up to meet his.

“I… that wasn’t too much, was it?” he asked, his voice low and calming, but slightly nervous. He hoped that he hadn’t gone overboard.

She smiled, shaking her head. “No. It was perfect.”

She leaned forward, kissing him deeply. She sighed into the kiss, feeling more content than she ever had in her life. The feeling of being safe with him had been there throughout, and she loved him even more for being able to make her feel that way as he dominated her.

“You sure?” He needed to be certain. “I just gotta-”

She cut him off with another kiss, before pulling back to look at him. “Yes, I’m absolutely sure. It was everything I wanted. A good, proper, hard, rough… fucking of a lifetime.”

He smirked, satisfied with her sincere answer and leaned forward, kissing her once, twice which led to them giving each other small kisses on every bit of skin they got reach. Dean gave her other wrist the same attention, before the cube could melt into his hand.

“Now I can’t wait for you to fulfill another fantasy” she smiled, a naughty glint in her eyes.

“Yeah?” he grinned, wagging his eyebrows at her. “What is it?”

She hummed as she moved forward, pressing her body into his as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Maybe I want a certain mechanic to tell me there are other ways of payment when I can’t afford for him to fix my car.”

He groaned as his eyes shut tightly, feeling his cock begin to stir again. “Fuck, sweetheart. I can’t wait for that either.”

He leaned in, kissing her passionately. His hands smoothed down her back and softly soothed the sting on her ass from the brief belt treatment and spanking she got.

“Bath?” he asked, tenderly as he pulled away from her lips and nuzzled his nose against hers.

She nodded with a small smile on her lips, feeling the mattress dip as he got up first.

Dean offered his hand to Y/N which she took instantly, allowing him to lift her up from the bed. Her legs shook as she stood, still weak from the amazing sex they just had. Suddenly, he leaned down and placed his arm under her legs, the other around her and lifted her up, a little laugh leaving her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. As he walked past the ottoman, she reached down and grabbed the champagne bottle from the ice bucket and the glasses, placing them in her lap and holding the bottle so it didn’t fall. They looked into each other’s eyes as he carried her into the bathroom and over to the tub.

Y/N slowly dipped her toe in, sighing in relief when it wasn’t searing hot. She held the bottle and glasses as Dean slowly placed her in the water, the petals dispersing once she was in. She took out the other bottle of champagne from the ice bucket in the bathroom and put the open one in, after she poured a generous amount into each glass. Leaning forward, she smiled as he got into the tub and rested against it, allowing her to lay back against his chest. Clinking their glasses together, she took a sip and sighed as she made herself comfortable against him.

“I’m half expecting someone to come knocking on the door about the noise,” she told him, laughing.

He shook his head, chuckling. “Nah, no one’s coming up here to warn us on Valentine’s Day.”

“I sure hope so,” she said, taking another sip of champagne.

“I did put the “Do Not Disturb” on the door on the way in, though,” he grinned, leaning down and kissing her cheek. “Just in case.”

“Always prepared,” she joked, turning her head up to look at him.

“You know it, baby.” He smirked as he leaned down, kissing her softly.

“Thank you so much for tonight,” she whispered against his lips as he pulled away from the kiss. “It was perfect.”

“No problem, sweetheart,” he whispered back, pressing his lips to hers again. The kiss deepened, causing a small moan to leave her as she reached up and ran her hand through his hair at the back of head.

She pulled back, slightly out of the breath as she bit her lip, looking into his eyes. “I don’t think I can manage it tonight, but you can expect me to ride you into oblivion tomorrow as a thank you.”

His eyes widened as he nearly choked from the shock of her statement. He shook his head as he looked at her, wondering once again how she could be so innocent one minute and turn into a vixen the next.

“You better not threaten me with a good time and then not deliver, Y/N,” he warned her, a small smirk playing at his lips.

She shook her head, her gaze flicking between his and his lips. “It’s a promise which I absolutely intend to keep.”

“Shit,” he hissed, putting his glass on the ledge behind him. “Thank fuck I got a late check-out.”

He took hers and did the same and then moved his hands under the water, turning her around so that she was facing him and straddling his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her breasts pressed into his chest as she leaned in and kissed him, passionately. She pulled away after a few moments, looking into his eyes.

Y/N reached over to pick up a chocolate covered strawberry on the tray behind Dean and held it to his lips. Smiling at him as his plump lips closed around the fruit and bit into it, the juice ran down his chin as he moved his head back, trying to get the bite completely into his mouth. The fire that burned for him within her, that never extinguished, flickered at the sight of his beautiful, sinful mouth slightly stained by the sweet. She leaned in, kissing and licking the remnants of strawberry and chocolate from his lips. As he looked at her, he felt that feeling of being the luckiest guy on Earth wash over him again.

“I love you,” she whispered, a big smile spreading across her face.

“I love you, too,” he whispered back, his smile as big as hers as he pulled her back into their impassioned embrace.

They stayed that way until the water turned cold, and Dean carried Y/N back to the bed. They fell asleep in each other’s arms, their slumber peaceful as they both knew they were in the arms of the person who loved them unconditionally.

The next morning, Y/N kept her promise. Once they came up for air, they enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at the hotel before they finally made their way back home.

The rest of their day continued the way it began, locked in each other’s loving arms…

With promises made that they absolutely intended to keep.

-x-

Tags: @deanwanddamons @winchest09 @downanddirtydean @jensengirl83 @wonder-cole @that-one-gay-girl @flamencodiva @ellewritesfix05 @roonyxx @akshi8278 @hobby27 @michellethetvaddict @spngirl05​ @kyjey​ @halesandy​ @440mxs-wife​ @stoneyggirl​ @deanswaywardgirl​ @redbarn1995​ @marianita195​ @babypink224221​ @deans-baby-momma​ @parinarain​ @thoughts-and-funnies​ @mandalou29​ @jerkbitchidjitassbutt​ @supraveng​ @supernatural-love14​ @vicmc624​ @prettyboyswow​ @lunarmoon8​ @supernatural-bellawinchester​

[silver-wield]

On Edge

As the city of Edge expanded out and around them, Cloud and Tifa spend their days building up both Seventh Heaven and Strife Delivery Service. It was hard work and an occasional thankless task, but they persisted because it was also a labour of love.

After Barret left on his quest to find purpose in his life, leaving Marlene in their care, things quietened down for the longest time, until Cloud brought home a young boy called Denzel he'd found wandering around the ruins of Aerith's church. He'd contracted Geostigma, a fatal and highly contagious disease, but that didn't stop Tifa from welcoming him into their home.

A few nights after Denzel's arrival during a slow point in service, Tifa overheard a few locals talking about a shady network, a black market, that seemed to appear from nowhere. The person pulling the strings had everyone at their beck and call and no one could explain how. Standing at the far end of the bar, pretending to rinse a glass out, Tifa's eyes widened as she heard a name she thought she'd never hear again. Don Corneo? She glanced at the two barflies from the corner of her eye. Labourers, the pair, they came in at the end of every week to celebrate a job well done. Reliable sorts, so she knew she could trust what they said. Wonder if Cloud knows? She looked at the clock. He'll be back soon. With a nod to herself that it could wait until she saw him in person, Tifa turned back to serve her customers with a warm smile and cold drinks.

~*~*~

“Hey, Cloud! You're back!” Denzel beamed up at him, as Cloud came through the doors.

Tifa came out from behind the bar carrying four plates. “Just in time for dinner,” she said to him. “Everybody wash up first.” She looked from Cloud to Denzel and then Marlene, who nodded. As Cloud passed her, she added, “There's something we need to talk about, but not with the kids around.”

Cloud paused and frowned. “Okay...”

Head tilting as she watched him go, Tifa also frowned. He sounded worried. Does he know about Corneo already? Maybe I shouldn't bring it up. I'm sure Cloud can handle it. Deciding not to poke a hornet's nest when she didn't need to, Tifa put the dinner down and went to grab cutlery.

Dinner passed in a haze of pleasant chatter about everyone's day. Denzel asked Cloud as many questions about work as he could think of, but often his one word answers weren't enough so Tifa filled in the blanks. Marlene showed Cloud her arithmetic book and bragged about becoming an accounts clerk for the bar.

“You've got a patient teacher,” he said to her, looking at Tifa.

“Only sometimes,” she replied in a teasing tone.

Cloud ducked his head a little and said, “Hoo boy.”

After dinner, Denzel felt well enough to play outside for a while, so he and Marlene went out with strict instructions to return before the street lights came on.

Cloud gathered up the empty plates and took them over to the sink where Tifa already had the water running. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

Lost in thought, it took a moment for Tifa to hear his question. Then, she glanced up at him. “Hmm? Oh, it's nothing now.”

Cloud's brow creased as he began to pout. “Right...” He put the plates in the sink and turned away. “Guess I'll be in the office.”

Is he upset? “Cloud?” Tifa put her hand on his upper arm, stopping him from leaving. “Is something wrong?”

Cloud shook his head. “No. It's just I thought you wanted to talk and now you don't. It's fine.”

It doesn't sound fine. Sighing, Tifa took a step closer to him and laid her forehead against his back. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you.”

Cloud placed his hand over Tifa's. “It's fine. I'm not upset.” He fell silent for a long moment, then drew in a deeper breath before saying, “If something's wrong you can rely on me. You're not in this alone.”

Tifa smiled and wrapped her arm around his waist. “I know.”

“Then, tell me what's the matter?”

Chuckling, she realised some wires crossed in their conversation. We can work on that. Moving around to face him, Tifa said, “It wasn't anything the matter with me. I heard Don Corneo's still alive and I was going to ask you about it, but then I thought what if you were already handling it?” She bowed her head, adding, “I didn't want to assume you hadn't heard. You're out in the world more than I am.” Waiting in silence to see what Cloud would say, Tifa was surprised when he put both hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him. “Huh? You're smiling?”

“Doesn't matter,” he replied, pulling her into his arms and holding her close. “I hadn't heard about Corneo,” he continued, speaking in a low voice, “but I can deal him if you want.”

Would he eventually bother them? Tifa wasn't sure. He only came after Avalanche because Shinra posted a reward. If the rumours were true, only the Turks and a few loyal administrative staff remained. Reeve reappropriated much of the company and turned it into the WRO: the World Regenesis Organisation, dedicated to protecting and preserving the planet and its people. But what about the regular people down on the ground? The WRO's focus is rebuilding. Should we really leave a threat like Corneo running around without check? “I don't know,” she murmured. “What do you think?”

“You're always saying we should get to know the neighbours.”

Tifa giggled. “That's not exactly what I had in mind when I said that, but it works.” She looked at him and smiled. “Want some help?”

Cloud nodded. “Sure, why not?”

~*~*~

It wasn't hard to run Corneo to ground in a newer part of Edge than where Cloud and Tifa lived. His tastes were just as overblown and ridiculous as Tifa remembered. “How did he even find all these materials?” she wondered, as Cloud rang a doorbell.

“I can guess, but you won't like it,” he replied, scowling.

Tifa shuddered. “Reeve would be impressed with his procurement skills, but not his methods.”

“Hmm.”

The door opened and a man with a scar running down his face poked his head out. “What?”

“Here to see Corneo,” Cloud said, placing one hand on the hilt of his sword. “We don't have an appointment.”

“Get lost.” As the door began to close, Cloud drew his sword and jammed it into the gap.

“Ah! Get lost!”

“Tifa.”

“On it.” Tifa grabbed the door with both hands and pulled. The man lost his grip and it swung fully open.

“Like I said,” Cloud repeated, taking a step forward, “we're here to see Corneo.” He continued to advance, forcing the bigger man to back up until both he and Tifa made it inside.

“We're old acquaintances,” Tifa said from behind Cloud.

“Yeah, do whatever,” the man replied, holding his hands up in surrender.

“Thank you very much!” Tifa passed Cloud, then beckoned him after checking the coast was clear. “Corneo spent all his money on trappings, huh? No lackeys anywhere.”

“Hmm...” Cloud's eyes darted around, keeping a look out for sudden attacks.

They made it all the way to Corneo's inner sanctum without seeing another person.

“Guess you were right,” Cloud said to Tifa, as he pushed open the double doors and walked into Corneo's office.

“Then, how is controlling everyone?” Tifa shook her head. “It doesn't make sense.”

“Maybe—watch out!” Cloud grabbed Tifa's wrist and tugged her to safety as a hidden goon leapt from the shadows brandishing a knife.

“Surprise!” Several more appeared.

Pulling her behind him, Cloud drew his sword. “Good to go?”

“Always!”

After making short work of Corneo's thugs, Cloud and Tifa moved past the office and into the back room.

Tifa sighed and shook her head. “I must be seeing things. This looks just like his room at Wall Market.”

“With a couple new additions,” Cloud replied, crossing to the far wall and examining a collection of photos lining it. “Asshole.” He ripped one down and shoved it in his pocket.

“Cloud?” Who's the photo of?

“No biggie.” He looked around. “Where's Corneo?”

“That scumbag. Did he escape like last time?” Tifa balled her fists.

The sound of a toilet flushing came from behind another door.

Cloud glanced at Tifa, seeming to deliberate something, then shook his head. “We'll wait 'till he comes out.”

Tifa's eyes crinkled at the corners as she ducked her head and smothered a laugh. “Thanks.”

By the time Corneo emerged from the bathroom, Tifa had taken a seat at Corneo's desk with Cloud leaning against it beside her. Both smothered their surprise as a thin, pasty man wearing a faded red velvet dressing gown appeared. Most shocking about the change in his appearance was the wheelchair.

“Guess he didn't weasel out it totally after all,” Cloud commented. “You look like shit.”

Corneo stopped and looked up. “Oho, my little Avalanche kittens. Come for a visit, have you? Well, I expected you sooner, but I heard you'd gotten caught up in your little business venture.” Corneo continued wheeling himself around the room until he reached his bed. “Little help? I take it you've incapacitated my men?” When Cloud took a step in his direction, Corneo sneered. “Not you, her.” He pointed at Tifa.

Cloud blocked the way with his sword as Tifa got up from the chair. “Forget it.”

“Oh, I wasn't going to help,” she said, as she placed a hand on his arm and gently urged him to lower his sword. “I was going to kick him and see if he's faking.” She gave Corneo a bright and very false smile.

“Be still my beating heart!” Corneo put both hands to his chest. “How could you think I'd lie about something this serious?”

“Because you're a snake,” Cloud replied. “What are you up to in Edge?” he added, coming straight to the point.

“Up to? Me? Why nothing.” Corneo smiled. “I'm just a businessman seeking new opportunities in the new metropolis.”

Tifa could feel the lies permeating the room. “And what kind of opportunities would those be?”

“What's it to you? I'm not hurting anyone. I'm just going about my day. You're the ones who ruined me so I have to start over, remember?” A vicious look crossed his face as he fidgeted in the wheelchair.

Crossing her arms, Tifa said, “You brought that on yourself, and you'll bring worse if you don't behave.”

Corneo got a saucy look in his eye. “Oh, will you punish me?” he asked, voice dropping an octave.

Tifa repressed a shudder. “Sure,” she said in a bland voice. “Cloud, you still have that bat with all the nails in it, right? That'd make a perfect paddle.”

Corneo's shudder was clearly one of pleasure. “Promises, promises.”

Cloud bared his teeth at Corneo and took a step forward. “Now look—”

“All right, all right.” Corneo put his hands up in surrender. “I'll behave. Wouldn't want your boyfriend getting jealous, am I right?”

Tifa nodded, as Cloud said, “Right.” She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He'd never admitted he was her boyfriend before. It made her feel strangely shy. She noticed his cheeks turning red as he glared at Corneo, so she ducked her head and tried to focus on the task at hand.

“Oh, you two are cute. Once I build a new coliseum you'll compete, huh? Really bring in the crowds, especially when they hear former champion Cloud has a new lady on his arm.”

“Not new,” Cloud snapped.

What's this? Tifa looked at Cloud again and this time he seemed embarrassed. Who is Corneo talking about?

“We don't have time for your bullshit. Stay out of trouble or I'll finish the job the Turks started.” Cloud was already sheathing his sword and turning to go.

Tifa took one last look at Corneo and followed.

~*~*~

Back at Seventh Heaven, Tifa trailed Cloud into his office and noted his desk needed tidying again. She frowned at the medical text book littered with notes. Is he looking for a cure for Denzel? Her gaze softened as it tracked to him. “Cloud?”

“I wasn't with anyone else in Wall Market,” he said, keeping his back to her. “They misunderstood. They thought that Aerith and I...”

So, it was Aerith with him. “Aerith fought in the coliseum?”

Cloud nodded as he turned around. “We needed money for that dress she wore to the audition.”

She'd never asked about the series of events that led to Cloud appearing in Corneo's dungeon in a gothic style dress. She hadn't ever pictured him like that, so it was a huge surprise when she realised it was him under all the makeup and trappings. Why did he come, anyway? “I know we said we'd drop it,” she began in a hesitant voice, taking a step towards him, “but, you never told me why you went through all that.”

Cloud glanced at her, then ducked his head and smiled. “How else was I supposed to rescue you?”

“Rescue me?” Maybe she suspected that was the reason. She hadn't really thought it through at the time. She'd been so focused on getting info out of Corneo that Cloud's purpose sneaking in eluded her. “Is that why you came?”

“Of course it was.” He chuckled and shook his head. “You think I'd go through that much for anyone else?” He dug his hand in his pocket and withdrew the picture he'd swiped from Corneo's earlier. “Souvenir.”

Tifa stepped closer and looked at the picture. “He took photos?” She looked into Cloud's face with dismay. “Then, that wall...”

“Is how he controls people,” Cloud finished with a nod. “Monsters like that always have an angle.”

“Shouldn't we do something?” She took the photo from him and replaced it with her hand.

“Corneo's the type to step in his own shit. He'll slip up sooner or later.” He squeezed Tifa's hand and  shrugged.

“I guess so. It just feels wrong to let him run around all over town when things are just starting to settle down.” She sighed, posture sinking.

“Hey,” Cloud wrapped an arm around her shoulder, “if you let it get to you, then he's already won. You think I'll let that happen?”

That's right. Cloud will take care of things. Corneo won't ruin what we're working so hard to rebuild. “Mm, thanks.” She leaned her head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. “I always know I can rely on you.” She peered at the photo in her hand. “So, how did you end up in a dress?”

Cloud chuckled shortly. “Aerith and Andrea Rhodea's doing.”

That was enough information for her to make a guess at how things went. She'd gone through similar at the Gold Saucer. “Thought you didn't dance?”

“I only dance with you,” he replied, kissing the top of her head.

She giggled, feeling her cheeks heating at the memory. He'd come so close to kissing her during their performance, it still sent tingles through her whenever she thought of it. “Shame we can't get Andrea to come take over from Corneo; he'd be the better choice,” she said, trying to deflect from how flustered she'd become. Her eyes drifted towards the cot Cloud set up in the office for those late hours when he returned and didn't want to risk waking her. It's the middle of the day. The kids could come home at any time. We really shouldn't. She snuggled closer and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Tifa?” Cloud tucked her hair behind her ear as he whispered her name. “Wanna dance?”

Tifa giggled again and answered with a shy nod.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid 189

189

    Keith had been broken hearted to be left behind by Lance. He’d tried to prepare himself for running errands the best he could as he’d watched their twins on the ultrasound. Coran had said he suspect Lance would go into labour sooner rather than later, then suddenly Lance had passed him off to Krolia and Shiro for a weird brother and mother therapy session where he explained what being a werewolf was like, and Shiro compared it all Curtis. Coran had also taken the opportunity to question him at length, then put him through a physical to create a base line of his human capabilities now that he was a werewolf. He’d hated every moment of it. Normal physicals were bad enough. Now he’d broken stuff completely by accident and felt shitty for doing so.

  When Lance had finally returned with Curtis, he didn’t get the chance to be a dick about it. Lance bursting into tears, with Curtis shooing Krolia and Shiro away from the pair as the vampire went straight for cuddles. Nuzzling into him, he couldn’t stay mad at Lance when he was so cute, though he was kind of cranky with Curtis over him spending the day with his boyfriend instead of him

“Did you get your errands done?”

“We managed to everything apart from the most important errand done. He went to the bathroom and came out crying because he wanted you there for it”

Lance nodded, sniffling loudly

“I know I shouldn’t have left you, but I didn’t want to push you, but I... I want you to come with me, if you can... I don’t want to pick the last of the nursery furniture without you”

  Ah. The chair. The infamous chair that Lance was so hung up on. He wasn’t sure he got the significance, yet he knew it was important to his boyfriend. Still, he didn’t want to face crowds, or risk another blow up. He got that Lance thought leaving him here was best for him, but he felt like it would have all gone better for him mentally if Lance had stayed. With how Lance was crying, he didn’t want to dump his unhappiness on him

“Do you have a place in mind?”

Lance nodded again, drawing back to show Keith his snotty face and red rimmed eyes

“My usual place for furniture... it’s not too bad there... and the staff aren’t pricks”

  Keith shifted his gaze to Curtis, Curtis shifting his weight. Someone had definitely done something to upset Lance. Instantly he wanted to track down whoever it was and punch them squarely in the face for making his lover cry. They’d be talking about this, even if he had to corner Curtis and force him to spill what had happened

“And you want to go now?”

“Please... I want to get this done. I’m sick of my ego not shutting up... I’m so tired”

Brushing Lance’s hair back, Keith kissed his forehead. Lance tended to be even brattier when he was over tired. He’d ramble things, or cling, or burst into tears... pretty much as he was doing now

“Alright. Are we going alone?”

“Please?”

Kissing Lance’s forehead again, his vampire felt warm. Lance needed to go down for his afternoon nap soon

“Okay, babe. Just making sure”

“I missed you... Curtis has horrible taste... but he did try to help... I don’t want a haunted chair. I want a good chair and I wanna go hooome”

“Alright. Guys, I’m going to take him shopping then take him home. We’ll see you in a few days. Thanks for going with him, Curtis”

  Curtis smiled at the pair of them, Shiro less smiley and more concerned with shooting Curtis an unimpressed look. His brother really hadn’t been happy that Curtis was off with Lance for the day

“Make sure you have a good talk with him. I don’t think he’s doing as well as he’s trying to make you believe”

“I can see that. We’re going to be talking about this when we get home”

Wrapping his arm around Lance’s waist, Lance leaned into him as Keith, knowing it was time to go again

“Thanks for today, Curtis”

“No problem, honey. I guess your boyfriend found out after all... I really can’t compete”

Lance gave a wet chuckle

“I’m sorry, it’s not you, it’s him. I’ll see you in a few days, sweet heart. Make sure to keep those haunted appliances under control”

Curtis chuckled while Keith felt his claws starting to come through. Since when did they have pet names and since when were they so intimate?! Shiro’s face went red, his brother looked ready to blow his top. Curtis throwing a wink in Lance’s direction only served to make them both madder

“I’ll save the next haunting just for you”

  Dragging Lance away, Lance stumbled a little, but kept up with the pace Keith set until they reached the elevator away from prying ears

“What was that?”

“Hmm?”

“You and Curtis?”

Lance sighed softly, Keith finding himself moving as his boyfriend tried to nuzzle into his arm. Shock, then pain, washing over the vampire’s features

“Curtis played a prank on a rude employee. They weren’t very nice to us... and some of his demon power still seems to be in there. He kind of made an unplugged massage chair work and freaked them out”

“He called you “honey””

“That’s because they were being rude and whispering about us. There’s nothing going on there, other than a joke about poor customer service”

   Keith huffed. Yeah. He was being petty and he knew it, but his ego also knew how close Lance was to Curtis and that he hadn’t been a very good mate to Lance. Sighing again, Lance took his hand in his

“Keith, it’s you I love. It’s you and your wonder dick to blame for the happiness I have. The sales people were kind of rude because I’m pregnant. They seemed to think I was like dirty and contagious so Curtis got a little revenge”

Pulling his hand out of Lance’s, Keith crossed his arms. His ego didn’t like this. Jealous was it’s middle name.

“You spent the day with him and just left me here”

“Because I had to pick things up. I didn’t want to stress you out with all the scents and sounds”

“You could have told me. I spent the day here in therapy and being fucking tested”

  His snappiness sent Lance into fresh tears. Now he was being cruel. Keith didn’t get why his ego was intentionally setting Lance off like it was. They were relieved to see Lance, then Lance was all cuddly... He had his lover’s attention and his heart

“I tried to tell you. I told you my ego is upset and I told you I’m scared of going into labour. I know you think it’s just a chair but it’s more than that. It’s a place to nurse the twins. A place to read them bedtime stories. A place for snuggles. Who else was going to come with me? Hunk and Pidge would have, but I wasn’t going to have anyone come with me until Coran nominated Curtis. I want things organised. I finally have what I need to fix the nursery wall. I finally have clothes that don’t leave a draft under my stomach. I’m sorry you had a shit day, but I don’t think you understand the amount of stress my ego is putting me under. I just want all of this done with. I’m sick of being fat and gross. I’m sick of peeing when I laugh. Or having to change my shirt because I’m leaking milk. I’m sick my emotions being out of control. I want this done. I’m so tired of all of it and I’m so tired of thinking about it all the time. I’m not fucking cheating on you. I didn’t leave to dive into bed with Curtis and I’m pissed you think I would do that! Why can’t you get that I love you and that giving birth is scary?! I’m scared!”

  Lance stomped his foot for added measure. The vampire definitely needed a nap, in Keith’s opinion. Keith’s ego was somewhere tucked up between his legs like a scolded dog. He could feel the anger rolling off Lance, almost as if there was some kind of invisible wall pushing him away. Swallowing, Keith dropped his head, eyes on Lance’s clawed hands as his boyfriend rubbed his stomach

“I’m sorry. I don’t like Curtis using pet names... You’re my mate”

“I know. I’m just... ugh. I’m so frustrated with myself and with my ego”

  To Keith it sounded like Lance hadn’t gotten the same level of calmness from their pamper session that Keith had. His ego felt as if they’d utterly failed their mate, almost as if they deserved to have someone else swoop in steal Lance away

“And I haven’t been much help”

“You have in your own way”

“No. No. I’m cranky about today. All Shiro wanted to do was talk about Curtis, then whenever he’d ask me how I was doing, it’d shift back to comparing me with Curtis”

Lance opened his mouth to reply at the same time the elevator doors open, his boyfriend darting out the small space before Keith could blink. He’d been so sooky that he hadn’t really thought about the trauma or memories from the elevator.

  Joining Lance in the bookshop, he reached out, Lance so forgiving he was allowed to take his boyfriend’s hand as they walked towards the front door

“I’m sorry. I thought maybe some time with your brother would be good for you...”

“We’re going to see him in a few days as it is”

“Yeah. I know... I don’t want to upset you, but Curtis is really looking forward to some space too. Shiro’s been pretty protective of him. I know we’re going to do something hard, but I hope we can make good memories too”

“I don’t see how that’s really going to be possible...”

“I know. On top of the stress of seeing your father’s grave, you have me to think about. I’m being really selfish by pushing my stress onto you”

Tugging Lance against him, Keith kissed his cheek

“You’re not. This pregnancy has hardly been easy for you”

“It’s not been easy for you either”

“I’m not the one who’s throwing up and barely able to sleep at night”

“No, you’re just the one who fell in love with a grumpy old man, then had your entire life flipped upside down... again”

“Loving you is the easy bit. It’s life that keeps throwing crap at us”

Lance hummed a sigh

“That’s true. Will you be okay with driving?”

“I should be... Do you want to nap?”

“I’ve pushed this far that I don’t think I can sleep until I’ve got the right chair for the nursery”

“Then we’ll find that chair... Did you go see Mami today?”

“No. Poor Curtis was stuck with me being moody enough”

“We’ll find that chair, then we’ll go see Mami. We’ll work this out”

Lance sighed again, he really needed that nap. When they got home, Keith hoped he’d be able to be some kind of useful

“I hope so. I can’t keep living with this stress”

“I remember a wise man saying that’s it’s okay not to be okay”

“There’s not being okay, and then there’s being scared every moment of every day that things won’t come together in time”

“We’ll work it out”

    *

Lance had found his chair, and Keith had felt a wave of relief when he had. They’d gone to Lance’s favourite furniture store, where Lance had found a purple rug for the nursery, but that moment wasn’t anything like when Lance found his chair. His boyfriend had been pretty down about not finding one he liked there, Keith grasping at straws on the drive from the store to the cemetery. His boyfriend hadn’t wanted to go anywhere else, shaking his head when Keith pulled into the parking lot of some boutique advertising a sale. With a lot of coaxing, he’d gotten Lance out the car and into the store. The prices everything you’d expect from a boutique, but... when Lance started crying, leaving Keith’s side to pursue his desires to touch the chair, Keith knew this was the one and the price tag didn’t matter.

  Covering his face as he cried, Keith had never experienced a grown man crying over a chair before. Wrapping his arms around his boyfriend, he’d stared over Lance’s shoulder, unsure if he was in love with it as Lance was, yet wanting to give his boyfriend the world on a silver platter. The chair itself was white, and came with a foot rest stool thing. It was wider than a standard arm chair, and comfier too from the look. Keith really didn’t know how to describe it. As he stared at it, he could see Lance sitting there with their twins in his lap as he read to them. At $600 the price was nothing to sneeze at, when Keith asked if that was the one, Lance had tried to deny it due to the price tag, Keith shooting down his head shaking by asking if the chair was everything Lance wanted to which his boyfriend admitted it was. Never had he thought he’d spend that much on a chair... like... ever...

  Unable to take it with them, Lance gave the chair an almost wistful look as Keith guided him out the store. He’d have to ask Pidge, or Shiro and Curtis, to borrow a van from work for pick up. A large sign warning all potential chair-nappers that it was “Sold. Kogane. Collection”. For some unknown reason, Keith found himself wondering if the look on Lance’s face had been similar to his when Kosmo came into his life. Though Kosmo had been a puppy, and this was chair, but maybe that look meant more than a simple comparison...? Like somehow the universe had aligned him with Kosmo at just the right time, and now was aligning Lance with his chair because they were somehow destined to be together? Almost instantly Keith snorted at himself. He didn’t believe in fate. Then again, he hadn’t believed in soulmates, and Lance was living proof of how wrong he’d been there...

   Climbing back into Lance’s bronco, he was grateful to be out of the store. Again, Lance had been right. The scent of the store still seemed stuck up his nose, just as the sound of the sales woman’s voice was still in his head. Had he had to endure yet another store, he didn’t think he’d be able to keep his temper. He felt useless, as if he was weaker than he’d ever been before. He’d hate shopping before, and now the task seemed a hurdle that’d never be overcome, even with years of adjustment. His ego seemed to agree, though it was more than proud of itself for paying for Lance’s chair and making their mate happy.

  Clipping his belt into place, Lance glanced at him, smile on his lips that seemed a little strained given his exhaustion was so obvious, yet still managed to make Keith feel lucky to see it

“You didn’t have to do that. We could have found another chair”

“Babe, no. Hey, I think I saw it. What you saw. The twins in your lap as you read to them. Our macaroons pointing at the pictures as you read the story and explained what everything was. You sleeping with them in your lap. The three of you all snuggled up. Me having to put them both to bed, then carrying you back to our room... maybe in a few years, you telling them all about their baby sibling?”

  Lance snorted at him, before covering his mouth as he yawned. Shaking his head, Lance slumped back against the seat as he gestured to his belly

“You want to go through all of this all over again?”

There was nothing wrong with Lance being pregnant. Lance still had issues with the changes in his body, but the twins really were a glimmer of hope and happiness for their future for all of them

“Maybe...? Maybe without the element of surprise?”

“Let’s see if we can survive handling the first t...two... Sorry. I’m exhausted”

“You can nap if you want? I can follow the GPS to the cemetery”

“Nah, I’m okay... I’ll sleep on the way back... God, I’m going to have to go back to work right after I pop with the way I’ve been spending money...”

   That was painfully true. A lack of work and being off work meant Keith’s account was most probably dangerously low. He hadn’t had a huge amount of savings to begin with, and what he did have was mostly tied up in his camera equipment. Coming from nothing, it’d been hard at first to accept his growing bank account. He’d flown through money, scared if he didn’t use it that someone would take it from him. Shiro had been of the opinion he should use his money for his own happiness, Adam not so much. Lance... was kind of in the middle there. He hated big spends, but also didn’t want Keith to go without. When he thought about it, he blamed himself that Lance hadn’t been working, though Lance had said he needed time off... He didn’t want to go back to work before the birth, yet a few weeks of work would really take a lot of stress of their shoulders financially

“I’m sure we’ll work it out... for now, just think about your chair”

“Mmm... I’m so relieved we found the right one. Thank you”

  Keith found himself blushing under Lance’s praise. The way his boyfriend managed to sound so sincere, despite everything and all the moodiness, meant so much to him

“All I did was drive”

“No... no. Curtis tried but, I couldn’t stop wanting you there. I hated the idea of choosing something for our nursery without you there to have a say in it. You’re their daddy. Your say is important. I really love you, Keith. I do. I’m sorry I’m all over the place. I don’t want to be... I just... get scared they’ll come and we won’t have anything ready for them... I don’t want to give birth and be useless... I just... want them here already. I want to feel like myself again”

“You’re fine the way you are. Besides, I think they’re supposed to stay in there as long as possible”

Lance snorted at him, hand going to his belly

“Yeah. I know. I’m being impatient... I can’t wait for there to be more of you in the world. The world would be a better place if there were more people like you, Keith. It really would”

“I’m not so sure about that”

“I am. I’m sorry I’m so moody...”

Keith cut Lance off. His boyfriend didn’t need to apologise for him not getting it. He could only do his best to be there for him... even if he’d dropped the ball

“I’m the one who should apologise. I know you wouldn’t cheat on me. I shouldn’t have lost my temper as I did...”

“Your ego is still new... I didn’t mean to make it feel like I didn’t want you with me...”

“No. I get it. We’ll talk more at home”

“Mmm, I’d like that... I like you. I more than like you, you know”

  When Lance pursed his lips, seeming to be reaching for whatever else he’d been going to say, Keith stole a kiss. Whatever else Lance had been going to say was lost to the kiss. He should have made the time to look at chairs... shown the initiative to look then shared anything he’d liked with Lance, instead of spending all his time cuddling into Lance and being blind to his boyfriends stress. He’d take Lance to see Mami, then pick up dinner on the way home so Lance didn’t have to worry about cooking later. They only had a few more days until they left, now he was silently promising to do everything that Lance needed in the time they had. His heart and soul belonged to his mate, meaning he was responsible for Lance’s happiness. Lance always went above and beyond for him, no matter how uncomfortable it was for his lover. He wanted to be even one tenth as supporting Lance was with him. This whole chair fiasco wouldn’t be easily forgotten.

[thoughtfullyyoungduck]

Arcade

aquesion Summary: You can do one where Eddie has a teenage son and Richie thinks he doesn't like him?

A/N: this was requested by anon, I hope you enjoy!

An ibuprofen looked very appealing to Richie right about now. The tension building up in hos forehead and the back of his head led him to believe this was a stressed induced headache, and Richie has no issue pinpointing exactly who orchestrated it.

In all fairness, Luke, Eddie’s son, had every right to think going to an arcade was lame, but Richie was stuck with an eighties mindset and imagined the arcade being more like those times, instead of a sad, worn down building with a handful of arcade games and only five people present, two of them as old as the building they found themselves in. The man behind the counter to change money into coins creeped on every person occupying the machines, peering over his low hanging glasses and staring unabashedly.

Luke flipped the pocket money Richie dumped in his hands out on the counter, the stoic look not allowing one shift that would grant Richie the possibility of reading his emotions. He’s Eddie son, and so Richie mistakenly assumed that winning over his favor was a matter of hours, but the way their progress was crawling by, his favor might never be granted.

The money traits with a pitiful six coins, meaning a total of two games each, way less then Richie calculated in his head, and then creeper has the audacity to laugh at them, showing his grungy yellow teeth.

‘Four? I payed for way more than that.’ Richie holds his ground, recounting the aquesion again and concluding again that the coins he received are not enough.

‘More money more games’, is the only thing the man says for himself, the sentence probably memorized and routine.  

Richie bristles, he’s been on edge for the better part of the day, more than ready to take on some guy in a sleazy arcade who acts like he can effort to be indifferent towards his very unattainable customers, but Luke gathers them in his palm and waves of Richie’s protests.

‘It’s fine. Faster we’ll be out of here anyway.’ It’s the most he has spoken since their arrival and it’s to express his wish to get this over with. Good job Tozier.

‘Aren’t you a comedian anyway? I’m sure you earn a ton of money.’

Though it’s true, it’s still a rip-off, and when Luke turns his back Richie adamantly flips the creeper the bird, before scooting after his ‘stepson’. Supposedly, if all goes well at least, which it hasn’t up to this point.

The comedian part is the first thing Richie messed up, by resting on his laurels and assuming that he was up to date with what the kids categorized as cool nowadays. His whole target audience consisted of teenagers, aged Luke, and so he thought he had a few trendy points saved up to appease the son of the love of his life, but apparently not.

It wasn’t even like they spewed out the fact they were dating to him straight away either. Eddie took him on day trips every weekend since the divorce, to gingerly introduce the new parts of his father Eddie had hid away, from himself too, like him being gay.

When Eddie did come forward and came clean, he excitedly informed Richie that Luke was okay with his father being himself, but that he hadn’t mentioned Richie yet.

That was normal and Richie understood, he never pushed Eddie for a meeting despite gaining excitement the more information he gathered about him. In fact, Myra told him about the relationship out of spite and jealousy, to turn her son against his dad, but that backfired horribly.

Luke’s curious peeked about Richie too. About the man Eddie renewed his whole life for, but he must not have liked what he found in Richie, because the boy hanging out with Richie now is cold.

And Eddie warned him too, but Richie was too stubborn to listen. Gently bringing up the fact that Richie needed to tame down the over sexual jabs, especially in regards of Eddie’s mother. Richie brushed that advice off, mind set on the idea that Eddie loves his joke, even when he pretends he doesn’t, so Luke must find some humor in them too. Mission failed.

Luke’s hobbies consisted of painting and video games, and Richie didn’t understand the slightest about painting, but he did know a lot about videogames. Visiting an arcade seemed fun, a way to show Luke that Richie mastered the skill of triumphing in any computer based game, but the place he decided on was a dumpster, and the machines were likely not updated since the eighties.

None of it looked appealing, the dust thicker than Bill’s smallest book, so much so that even Richie shuddered at the prospect of touching it. Luke ambled between machines with his hands deep in his pockets.

‘See anything you like?’ Richie strikes up a conversation, nibbling on the pad of his thumb to stop himself from making another joke. Luke didn’t find his last one so funny.

‘No’, Luke says, continuing his path without even bothering to look at Richie. Richie wants to asks him if he’d like to go home, knowing for sure the answers is yes, but he doesn’t want to blow the only opportunity he may have to get to know Luke, so he toughens it out.

‘Oh look at this.’ Absentmindedly, he walks over to the one game he spend his entire summer playing, street fighter, and pins down the start button, the intro song emerging from the speakers.

‘This is what I impressed your dad with back in middle school.’

‘Somehow I don’t see how that would’ve worked out.’

‘I won all the time and your dad hated that he lost to me, so he fought me again and again, losing every single time and returning next day for another beatdown. It was a good way to hang around him without seeming suspicious.’

‘Maybe you were good at it then, but you’ve regressed old man.’

‘How about I show you how good I am at this game?’

‘Bring it on.’

They compete in silence, emerged in their own players actions and desperate to win from the other. Luke’s good, really good, with his little experience of this particular game he whips the floor with Richie.

Richie obviously can’t let that happen, so he opts to distract the boy the same way he did to others in Derry, in the hopes of coming out on top.

‘Really? And you say you’re a video-game expert, my grandpa can do better then you’, Richie eggs him on, delivering a punch to Luke’s character with a hard knock on the controls.

‘I sure am. And are you sure it’s not yourself you’re talking about? You know, because of how old you are?’

Richie gasps dramatically, releasing the consoles and clasping his hands on his chest while he gasp in faux-upset. Luke laughs once, then delivers the final blow to end the game with Richie losing.

Richie gapes open mouthed, beat at his own game, the end credits blinking by.

‘Guess I’m better than you expected huh.’ Luke’s laughing now, his frown relaxed in a gentle smile that resembles Eddie a whole lot.

‘Maybe we can go again and see who wins?’

‘You’d want that? I mean of course, let me go get some more coins.’

Luke blinks, his face back to neutral but at least he’s no longer frowning. It’s not much, but it’s a start.

[doof-doofblog]

"This Is Your Proof That I'm Not!"

Double Episode Catch-Up

Monday 8th March - Tuesday 9th March 2021

Hello everyone! Hope your week is going well so far, once again this is going to be a double episode post. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll be completely caught up to date, I realise there is a lot to get through so I'll jump straight into it.

So the first thing I want to briefly mention is the gorgeous Janet! The young girl is helping her Dad on his stall, I love how energetic and happy she is about helping her Dad. Billy teaching her how to approach their customers was so adorable. No matter what you think of Billy, the one thing he has always been is a supportive Dad of his kids, always making sure he's there for them. As Honey praises her daughter for assisting her Dad, she questions whether Billy would be free to catch up in the week, of course we all know that she's dating Jay now, but poor Billy once again is happy to spend time with his ex-wife, in the hopes of her wanting to rekindle their romance as much as he does. As they begin to make plans for their meet up, a random stranger named "Amelia" approaches Honey from behind, mentioning that she's from a talent scout and claiming that she's found someone who she's really interested in, of course with Honey's past of being model she believes Amelia is asking about her, but interestingly she corrects Honey and points to young Janet, to her parents surprise. Now of course Billy and Honey have always been protective of Janet, but do I remember rightly when I say that Honey took Will to America or somewhere to pursue modelling? Surely it would be really nice for Janet to have her opportunity in the spotlight if she so wishes.

At first Honey isn't too sure whether to let her daughter be exposed to that type of business and work, but during their meeting, Billy reassures her that their daughter is at a decent age now where she can make her own decisions and regardless of her disability, she deserves the best opportunities in life as other kids. With her children's Father being so supportive of their daughter, Honey agrees and allows Janet to go for this opportunity of a life time! But, unfortunately, as soon as Billy recalls about them having a meeting, Honey informs him that she's hoping he would sit down with Jay just for an hour to resolve their differences. Billy is once again crushed and informs his ex-wife that he simply can't just move on from recent events, he treated Jay as his own son, as far as he's concerned, he's betrayed him in the worse possible way that he can't see in ever forgiving. I'm seriously hoping we get to see this storyline play out for Janet, it would be beautiful to see her become a success, but then again, could it be also be a scam where people judge her because of her disability? That would be absolutely heart-breaking and devastating to see, but either way I'm intrigued to see where this story goes for Janet, it's lovely to see her in the spotlight!

--

Okay so they second thing I'm going to mention is Ash and Peter. As much as I'm loving Kim right now and her new business prospects, I don't know what it is, but I really don't like Peter and Ash together. I don't know whether it's just me or other people feel the same way, I just don't like it, I can't really explain why. I don't like Peter, I think the way he's treated his brother since his return has been disgusting, especially considering the scene where he was basically slagging him off to Ash, poor Bobby heard every word. All Bobby has ever wanted was to make his big brother proud and to be able to build a bond with him. Hearing him state that he's "Strange" and possibly has "Ex girlfriends buried in the garden!" is so cruel! So you can fully understand Bobby's hurt as Ash realises as he's heard every word. Okay, just because I don't like Peter, doesn't mean I don't like Ash. I actually liked the way Ash sat Bobby down and reassured him that one day he will get a girlfriend who will love him for who he his. I also don't like the way Peter thinks he's God's gift to women, he needs to a good slap round the head I reckon and be put in his place! Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels this way?!

After the success of getting Lola and Isaac together, it looks as if Kim has eyes on Peter and Ash as her next clients. As Peter and Ash return home from a day out at a waterpark, Peter is visibly soaked through, with enormous amount of flirtation going on, Peter decides once again to strip, completely unaware the Suki is still in the house. To be honest, Suki catching him stripping made me laugh out loud! "HA!" Obviously he was left feeling completely embarrassed and awkward, serves him right to think he can win any woman he wants! He quickly makes a sharp exit! Later on, Kim finds Ash at the Prince Albert and they begin to discuss the possibility of them becoming a couple, Ash confides in Kim that she can't understand why Peter fled in such a hurry, other than being caught by her Mum. Kim seems to suggest that perhaps Peter is just shy, but we all know that isn't true. However, in the meantime, Peter finds his way back to the Panesar's place of work to confront Suki. He seems pretty desperate to get together with Ash, but most of you will remember that Peter and Suki did have a one night stand not too long ago, his visit is to simply ask her if she'll keep quiet about their encounter. To be honest, is it crazy to say that I'm liking Suki more than Peter right now? She informs her one night stand that the thing that is most important to her is her children's happiness, so why would she stand in the way of that? (Erm, can I just mention Jags?! Thank you!) She confirms to Peter that she will keep quiet.

Returning to the club, Kim and Ash are still discussing the possibility of Ash and Peter becoming a proper couple, suddenly Peter appears after his confrontation with Suki and apologises to Ash for running out so quickly. He proposes going out for another date, which she softly responds by planting a kiss on Peter, not being aware that Iqra is watching everything unfold from across the room. As Kim is excited to see another match she's brought together, she notices Iqra and her upset and decides to console her. I guess you could say it's fair to say that Ash has moved on pretty quickly, but for Iqra - not so much. Kim takes it upon herself to once again try and match Iqra with someone else to cheer her up, but Iqra simply states that she's not interested in another relationship right now, but a face we haven't seen for a while - Mila, arrives for her shift at the bar and once again, there is small spark building between the two girls. What do you think, would you like to see Iqra get together with Mila? I personally think they'd make a lovely couple, and I'm really hoping Iqra will take that jump and move on from Ash to build a relationship with Mila.

--

Okay, so I have a very important question: What is going on with Chelsea?! Does anyone else understand what's going on with her? I get that she's got herself in so deep with this Caleb and she's fretting about going to the police or her life being jeopardy, but the way she's acting is just completely out of character, they've not just changed the image of Chelsea, but her personality too. I guess it's fair to say that character has been through a lot since she left the Square. After trying to blackmail Jack and coax him into sleeping with her, Jack does the decent thing and tells Denise everything. Understandably, Denise is incredibly hurt by her daughter's advances towards her partner, but Chelsea shows no shame, trying to explain to her Mum that she wouldn't have slept with him and was only trying to blackmail him to make sure Jack would keep quite and not tell the police about their situation.

But when Lucas hears about his daughter's behaviour from Denise, he tries to confront Chelsea, trying to get to the bottom of why she's acting out of the ordinary. As Lucas tries to understand his daughter and try and help her to keep positive, she does get a little emotional, claiming she's completely ashamed of her actions and was only trying to sort out the problem her parents had caused, BUT the second Lucas leaves her to be on her own, she dries her tears away and continues the drink her drink as if she doesn't care about what she's tried to do. It looks as if as far as she's concerned, she's looking out for number one, not any members of her family who could be caught in the firing line. Later on, on the Square, Lucas then witnesses Chelsea chasing after Jack, demanding to know whether he's going to go to the police or not after what he's learned, but when Jack warns her to stay away she turns in the most horrendous way, claiming that if she went through with wanting to sleep with him, he wouldn't have been able to say "No" to her! As Lucas witnesses everything, he's disgusted with his daughter. Chelsea really doesn't care anymore, all she's really bothered about is getting this job sorted as soon as possible, without any interference from her family or the police. I mean, if she was scared for her life then maybe, yes, I could understand her lashing out, but something tells me there is more going on. Has spending her time with Caleb taken it's toll on her?

Also, I know it was only a very small part of the episode, but I have to mention the first meeting between Lucas and Karen! I absolutely love Karen's first glimpse of Lucas, clearly she's besotted with him! But of course, she has no idea about his history on the Square, for all she knows, he's a brand new neighbour. I love how she was forward about seeing him again after doing his dry cleaning for him free of charge. Only the first red flag to fly was Lucas introducing himself with the wrong name, naming himself after his deceased son, "Jordan"! As much as I love Karen, she needs to be super careful, but of course - how is she going to be when she knows nothing of his past? None of her family do either to be fair, let's hope someone will be able to give her an insight into who she's dating before it's too late! But if Lucas is a changed man as he says he is, why would he give her a false name? Maybe to hide his true identity because he'd feel ashamed if she was to find out the truth? Who knows?

--

Right, so the last thing I have to mention is Stacey, Ruby and Martin. Ruby continues to grieve for her lost baby, of course it's the most devastating and heart-breaking thing any parent has to go through, every day where she doesn't have a child is going to be a struggle, but she informs her husband that she simply just wants to move on. Martin happens to mention that he has to pick up his daughter Hope from nursery, but interestingly Ruby offers to pick up his daughter. Now I have to mention how such a sweet little girl Hope is, she is so adorable, but it's quite sad to see how Ruby is such a natural with her, it's quite sad that she's missed the opportunity of doing the same things with her own child. Am I hearing things right or did little Hope accidentally call Ruby, "Mummy"?! If so, then that must've caught her completely off guard, of course little Hope hasn't realised the extent of her calling Ruby, Mummy, she's just a small innocent kid who has no idea what Ruby has gone through.

The moment which really moved me though, was when Martin showed his wife the memorial he had created for their lost child. Informing to meet him at the Arches, Ruby goes feeling a little bit anxious and/or suspicious on why her husband wanted her to meet him there. But then he shows her a beautiful memorial set out with stones, flowers, beautiful plants for them to visit to remember their lost baby. Showing her that she can write little messages on the stones, he writes his own message, claiming that their child would've been a football fan and support a specific football team. Ruby is completely touched by Martin's beautiful gesture and hard work, she voices that she felt she had a strong feeling that their child was a girl and writes down on a stone the name she had in mind for their baby daughter, "Lulu!" - which, to be fair, is a gorgeous name! I really felt this scene really touched me and reflected perfectly on how parents cope after losing a baby.

However, as the day carries on and the couple return home, Ruby notices Stacey with her children on the Square and it seems as if something has bean eating her up inside for so long, she can no longer stand and watch while Stacey is on the Square with her children. Asking whether Martin would do anything to support her in her time of grief, he reassures her that he would. But then they take a visit to Stacey, even though she's thankful to Ruby for picking up her daughter, Martin informs her that she'll probably have to get the children away pretty early in the morning, revealing the blow that she'll be getting a visit from the police. Of course Stacey is completely stunned to hear that it was actually Martin who had called the police on her, as she actually hadn't done anything wrong.

As she takes in the news, the next day as expected the police come knocking for her, as she's wanted for questioning about an assault. But of course we all know she never actually touched Ruby during their row, Ruby did in fact slip, the fall was completely an accident. While at the station, Stacey informs the police about everything that happened on that day, yes the did argue but Stacey never touched her, as she tried to walk away from the confrontation, Ruby followed her up the stairs, tripping on the stairs as she did. The only thing that could back up Stacey's story is if the police manage to get their hands on the CCTV. Eventually let her go, but on her way back to the Square, Stacey once again bumps into Ruby and Martin claiming the police are going to be searching the club for CCTV of the staircase of the club which should prove her innocence. However, Ruby seems to think that there is no CCTV as it's been dodgy for months, but then Martin happens to mention that he got it fixed without her knowledge and it's been working fine the past few weeks, this sends Ruby into a blind panic, she knows full well that Stacey didn't touch her and knows that if the police were to find the CCTV, she'd be proved as a liar!

Returning home, she pleads for Martin to go and fetch her a hot chocolate with all the works from the Cafe, and trying to be the caring and doting husband, Martin does as she requests. Only once he's left the house, she quickly rushes to the club to search for the CCTV footage. Clear as day one camera shows that Stacey did not touch her and the fall was completely an accident on Ruby's part, she had simply tripped as she hurried up the stairs. However, as the police knock on the office door, Ruby quickly deletes the footage!!!! Ooooo she really is wanting revenge on Stacey isn't she? For what though? For stealing her money all that time ago? Or is she simply just jealous? Ruby eventually allows the police to come in and check the CCTV, to their shock they find another clip from the staircase, from a completely different angle than the clip that Ruby deleted. Unfortunately, from the angle of this specific clip, it looks as if Stacey had swiped her arm, causing Ruby to lose her balance and fall backwards down the stairs, which is incredibly unfair to Stacey as we all know she's completely innocent! As the police show Ruby this footage, Ruby is left feeling completely smug!!

Ooooo things really aren't going to be looking good for Stacey, I have heard a rumour that Stacey could potentially lose custody of her children and they'll end up being in Martin and Ruby's care. Is that something that Ruby has been wanting? If so, she would have succeeded in taking everything from Stacey, her husband and then her children! Lacey Turner is due to go on maternity leave, so I believe that Stacey going to prison for assault could be the start of Lacey's temporary departure. What do you guys think? Will Ruby's lies eventually catch up with her?! Or will she end up getting away with it?! Either way I'm really looking forward to seeing this story unravel! Thank you all for taking your time to read this post, I realise it's quite long but I really appreciate all of your support! It means the world! Thank you again everyone! Love you all xXx

[imaginingsoftly]

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time Pt 4 - Morgan Rielly

Type: roommates to lovers, Y/N insert shorts

Requested: No

Warnings: none

(Y/N = Your name, no POV change this chapter. It’s all in Morgan’s POV)

A/N: this is mostly just fluff, but very happy stuff, a lot lighter than the last chapter.

More than anything, Morgan regretted falling asleep on the ride home. That first week living with Y/N had left him with more questions than answers about his new roommate, and the guys were never any help. It was a constant stream of “that’s just Y/N” or “yeah she does that sometimes”, without any real explanation as to why. She was always working, even when she was at home. The three bags that she lugged to and from the school with her every day had appeared to weigh her down significantly, but now he was wondering if it was just the stress of worrying about the kids. 

He was ashamed to admit that he had never really thought of teaching as a stressful profession; going to school 5 days a week from 7-3 didn’t seem that hard until he saw just how much Y/N was doing when she wasn’t at the school. Every night she sat on the floor of the living room for hours, baseball turned on in the background as she created things for her classroom or weeded through forms and papers he didn’t think could understand even if she tried to explain them. He had asked once what she was doing, but she’d used so many acronyms in the span of one sentence that he was afraid to ask her to explain what they meant. 

Those few hours on the beach really gave him an opportunity to understand where Y/N was coming from, and why it looked like she held the weight of the world on her shoulders. In some ways, he guessed that she kind of did. So yeah, he regretted falling asleep and not getting the chance to ask her for more information. 

It was almost noon by the time he managed to get himself out of bed, and he’d only moved because he heard voices from outside, one of which potentially belonged to Hamilton. “It’s been good, Doug,” Y/N was saying as he walked to his bedroom door, “he’s a sweet guy.” He couldn’t hear Hamilton’s quiet response, but he heard Y/N’s next sentence clearly. “I’ve actually been thinking about telling him he could stay for the season if he wants. That way he doesn’t have to worry about moving once you guys really get into the season.” Morgan stopped short of the door. Did she really mean that? It would make his life so much easier, and he hadn’t really been looking very hard for a place either. Hamilton and Y/N turned as Morgan came out of his room, and the first thing that he noticed was how Y/N’s Y/E/C eyes brightened when she saw him. She really did have beautiful eyes. 

“Heya, sleepyhead,” she joked with a laugh. “We were just taking bets on if you were gonna sleep all day.” Y/N was sitting on the counter, a large mug of coffee in her hands and her hair loose around her. Doug was leaning on the opposite counter, holding one of the muffins Y/N had made a few days prior in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. “Sup, Mo. I was just telling Y/N that we’re having a little cookout tonight at Svechy’s place as a ‘happy hockey season’ party. You’re both coming, attendance mandatory.” Y/N looked like she was about to protest, but Hamilton held up a hand to stop her. “Kat said you’re coming, no excuses. She also said to make your chili.” Hamilton looked back at Morgan and smiled. “Y/N here apparently makes phenomenal chili, and Kat’s decided that we all need to experience it.” 

Y/N jumped off the counter with a sigh. “Well if I’m making chili I need to go grocery shopping. It needs to sit as long as possible, since that asshole didn’t give me enough warning to make it last night.” She stomped into her bedroom, throwing the door shut a little bit dramatically. Both Morgan and Hamilton looked at the door and then each other before bursting into laughter. Hamilton stepped forward, clapping Morgan on the shoulder. “Alright man, I’ll leave you with that mess. See you tonight. 6 o’clock. Y/N knows where to go.” Morgan nodded and fist-bumped his captain. Hamilton let himself out of the apartment, and Morgan went back into his room to get dressed. 

By the time he came back out, Y/N was gathering reusable bags and still muttering under her breath. “Can I come with you?” Morgan asked, stepping back into the living room. Y/N turned, and Morgan was pretty sure his jaw dropped. She was wearing a simple little navy dress and her Red Sox hat, a pair of white Converse on her feet, and she looked absolutely incredible. He had never realized how tan she really was, probably from all of her time at the beach, but the tank of the dress really showed it off. “Yeah, sure.” Y/N’s answer snapped him back into reality, and he shook his head as he threw on a pair of sneakers. 

Their walk to the farmers market was full of a pointless argument about the best junk food, and Morgan had a feeling he was never going to win this argument. “Chips are nowhere near the best kind of junk food, Morgan, what the fuck?” Y/N looked at him incredulously as they reached a crosswalk, and Morgan stared back at her stubbornly. “Oh, and shitty Dominos pizza is?” he threw back sarcastically. “Yes! Yes shitty pizza is better than chips. Nothing tastes better than shitty pizza when you’ve been eating really healthy.” Y/N gestured with her hands as she spoke, something Morgan was beginning to notice she did a lot. They turned onto the street the farmers market was on, and Morgan forgot his response. The street was bustling, filled with people selling everything from produce to breads to candles and flowers. Y/N headed straight for a vegetable truck with purpose, and Morgan followed close behind her. 

“Ms. Y/N!” The owner shouted as they walked up, “How are you, honey?” The man was old, his hands tan and spotted from years in the sun, and his accent was thick. Morgan liked him immediately. “Hello, Mr. Mason. I’m good, how are you today?” Mason grinned at Y/N and grabbed her hands, squeezing them gently. “I’m great now that my favorite customer is back. What can I get for you today?” Y/N reached into her bag and pulled out a mesh produce bag. “I need a whole bunch of peppers today. What have you got for me?” Morgan followed behind the pair as they began surveying his produce, smiling back at the older man when he looked back at Morgan. “I have some bell peppers, jalapenos, anaheims, and poblanos. Would those work?” Y/N nodded enthusiastically. “Those are perfect, actually! I’m making chili, and those are all the peppers I would normally use.” She gathered up a few of each pepper, and walked with Mason to check out. Morgan continued to follow, and jumped when Mason addressed him suddenly. 

“I hope you’re treating my girl right, son. She’s a good one.” Y/N’s face was priceless when she registered what the older man had said, and she jumped in before Morgan could respond. “Oh, no, Morgan and I are just friends. He’s a teammate of Kat’s boyfriend. Do you remember Kat? My old roommate?” Mason nodded, clearly remembering the feisty girl that used to be by Y/N’s side every weekend. “Yes, I remember her. Tell her I’m upset she hasn’t come by for my strawberries lately, will you honey?” Y/N grinned at the man, and Morgan caught himself staring at her again. It was becoming a problem, but he couldn’t help it. When she smiled, it seemed like the whole world brightened for a little while. It was one of those smiles that was totally infectious. He was brought back to earth when Mason was waving at him, telling the pair to come again soon. Morgan managed some kind of goodbye, and then they were walking again. 

They didn’t turn back in the direction of the apartment, and they didn’t speak again until Y/N stopped outside Raleigh Provisions. “So I need to run inside the grocery store and buy some crushed tomatoes and other ingredients I couldn’t get at the market. Would you mind waiting outside with the peppers while I run in?” Morgan nodded, and Y/N was heading inside the store before his next breath. She was back outside quickly, carrying another one of her reusable bags. “Thanks,” she said, taking her peppers back, “I wouldn’t normally stop in there, because it’s a lot more expensive than going to Target or even Harris Teeter, but I needed to get this stuff quickly. Part of the tastiness of chili is having it sit for a long time, and 4 hours is not nearly enough time.” They began walking in the direction of the apartment again, and Morgan took a second to appreciate the pleasantness of the day. 

“So what should I expect of the cookout tonight?” he asked Y/N. She shrugged. “They’re pretty chill, generally. The guys with kids will usually bring them, and babies will be passed around until they get fussy. Svechy will get the younger kids really riled up, and someone will inevitably get pranked by him and his small army of hellions. Kat will probably get the fire pit in the backyard going, so we’ll have a fire to roast marshmallows in and stuff, someone will probably break out a guitar when everyone gets drunk enough, one of the guys will throw somebody into the pool and then everyone will be jumping in. The usual kind of stuff.” Morgan had to admit that it sounded really nice. Family-like even. “Yeah, it is kinda a family type of atmosphere.” Oops. “Did I say that out loud?” Y/N laughed. “Yeah, you did.” She touched his arm gently. “It’ll be nice. I’m sure it’s been stressful to start with a new team so close to the season, but these guys are great. Don’t be a dickhead, and you’ll fit in fine.” Morgan barked out a laugh at the last sentence, and Y/N joined him pretty quickly. 

He threw an arm around her shoulders as they continued walking, squeezing lightly. “Thanks for being an impromptu hype man, Red Sox.” Y/N elbowed his side gently. “Red Sox?” He nodded. “I haven’t seen you without that hat for more than like 5 minutes since we met. It’s a fitting nickname.” She laughed, nodding. “I’m not questioning the nickname, I was just curious about where it came from.”  

They reached their building as she spoke, and even Morgan’s athletic legs had trouble keeping up with Y/N’s shorter ones as she practically sprinted up the seven flights of stairs to the apartment. He was practically doubled over as she unlocked the door, and he almost collapsed onto the couch as she made her way into the kitchen almost unbothered. “How?” he wheezed at her. “I skate and exercise for a living and I’m dying.” Y/N turned to face him, and he noticed that she was indeed breathing a little heavier than usual. “I’m just wicked out of shape. I’m used to being out of breath. It doesn’t really bother me that much anymore.” Morgan groaned, laying his head back on the cushions. Y/N’s cat Bogey hopped onto his chest, purring loudly and nuzzling his chest. 

“So I have to ask, Red Sox, why Bogey? It’s a strange name for a cat.” Y/N laughed as she continued to pull out everything she needed to cook. “His name is actually Bogaerts. He’s named after Xander Bogaerts, the Red Sox’ shortstop.” She began washing the peppers, throwing them all into a colander before pulling out a knife and cutting board. “He’s one of my favorite Red Sox players. Just a good dude. Also,” she gestured with her knife, “it’s a great name for a cat.” Morgan stared at Y/N as she cooked. She had turned on some music, some kind of old shit his grandparents would probably listen to, and she was dancing around the kitchen as she prepped. Bogey settled onto his chest, shoving his head into the crook of Morgan’s neck with another round of purrs. 

Morgan woke up to Y/N shaking his shoulder. “Hey bud, you might wanna wake up and get ready to go. We’ve gotta leave in ten.” Bogey was no longer settled on his chest, and the chili Y/N had apparently finished while he was sleeping made the entire apartment smell fantastic. “Sorry I passed out on you. I don’t know what happened.” Y/N backed away when she noticed that he was awake, smiling gently. “It probably has something to do with me keeping you up all night, dude. Most people aren’t built to stay up all night.” Morgan stood with a groan, and felt his joints pop as he stretched. That was gonna feel awesome tomorrow. He took a second to look at Y/N, and realized that she had already changed, though it appeared all she had done was put on a bathing suit underneath her dress and exchanged her sneakers for flip flops. “Wear a bathing suit. You’ll regret it if you don’t.” With that Y/N turned, heading into the kitchen presumably to prepare the chili for transport.

Once Morgan was changed and Y/N deemed the chili ready for the drive they headed down to Y/N’s car. Morgan was put in charge of holding the chili, a responsibility he didn’t take lightly. Y/N would probably kill him if he spilled any of it. The trip to Svech and Kat’s house took almost  half an hour. They lived outside the city, in a neighborhood full of very cookie-cutter houses. Y/N noticed Morgan looking, and spoke up before he could ask. “Most neighborhoods down here are like this. I don’t know why, but the whole same-house-different-colors aesthetic is very popular for neighborhoods down here. I grew up in one.” So that answered that question, then. “I prefer the older neighborhoods. Most of the houses are fixer-uppers now, but I’d rather fix up an old house than live in one of these. They aren’t built very well.” 

They pulled up to Svech and Kat’s house as Y/N spoke, and it unsurprisingly looked just like the others. It was slate gray, with white trimming and a lawn that was way too well-manicured for them to be the ones taking care of it. There was a lot of noise coming from the backyard, and Y/N made a beeline for a door in the fence on the side of the house. She had taken the chili from Morgan, so he hurried forward to open the door for her. They were met with kids yelling and adults calling hello, and several very wet noses being shoved into his thighs. Morgan looked down to see three dogs staring up at him, two labs and a german shepard. Their tails were smacking into each other and the fence, and Y/N laughed as she shoved past them. “Jax! Kip! Mel! No!” A small blonde came hurrying over, yanking them back to help Y/N get the chili clear of death by puppies. Kat smiled up at Morgan, nodding her head in the direction of the guys. “They’ve been waiting for you. I think Doug has a beer with your name on it.” Morgan thanked her, heading over the where Hamilton and Svech were arguing about something. 

“No, you idiot, dodgeball was definitely our best.” Hamilton snorted at the younger boy as he spoke, shaking his head vehemently. “The basketball one was the best for sure. I mean seriously buddy, we’re in the college basketball capital of America. Nowhere loves college basketball like Raleigh.” The other guys were shaking their heads at the two, though some were definitely egging them on with other suggestions. Morgan was sucked into the conversation effortlessly, giving his own input without another thought. “I’m gonna have to side with the kid here, captain. The dodgeball one was pretty ingenious.” Hamilton groaned, punching him on the shoulder good-naturedly. “I thought D-partners were supposed to stick together, Mo?” He clutched his chest jokingly. “I’m gonna have to ask Rod to separate us if I can’t trust you.” The other guys laughed, and it felt good to be sucked into the ebb and flow of the conversation so easily. He didn’t feel new; it honestly felt like he was sitting around with Brownie and Fred and the other guys that he’d known for years. 

They talked for hours, and everything that Y/N had said would happen did. People began filtering out around ten, especially those with younger kids or kids who were at home with sitters. By the time the night ended, him and Y/N were the only ones left besides Kat and Svech. Y/N was sitting on Morgan’s shoulders while they battled with Kat and Svech in a game of chicken in the pool, a game in which him and Y/N were dominating. “You know,” Y/N said as she climbed onto his shoulders for another round, “if you pull something holding my ass up I’m not taking the fall for you when Rod goes postal.” Morgan pinched her calf. “Sweetheart you aren’t heavy enough for me to pull anything.” He jumped a few times for proof, and she threw her hands onto his chest in a panic. “Don’t do that!” Morgan laughed, throwing his head back to rest against her stomach. “Told you you weren’t too heavy.”

“Are you two gonna keep flirting all night, or are we gonna play?” Kat was smirking from her perch on Svech’s shoulders, and Morgan wasn’t sure who started stumbling through their words faster, him or Y/N. Kat just lifted an eyebrow and gestured Morgan forward wordlessly. Him and Y/N won that round, and the round after that, and then the last one as well before Kat finally announced that the boys had to travel the next day and they should all really get to sleep. She refused Y/N’s multiple offers to help clean up, and him and Y/N were quickly in her car to drive home, the now-empty pot of chili sitting on the floor at Morgan’s feet. Y/N turned on some kind of musical, blasting the sound way too loud as they began to drive. It took Morgan a second, but then the music sounded familiar. “Is this that Disney movie?” he yelled over the music. “The one with the troll or whatever?” Y/N turned down the song to look at him incredulously. “This is the Hunchback of Notre Dame! He is most definitely not a troll.” She gave Morgan another look before turning her eyes back to the road. 

“They made this album when they wanted to take it to broadway. They had the cast recording done and everything, when Disney told them they weren’t going to give them enough of a budget to have a full choir. You can’t have music with Catholic choir influences like Hunchback does and not have a full choir, so they nixed the plans, but we still have the cast recording. It’s incredible.”

Morgan had to admit that it really was beautiful music, especially with the car stereo Y/N had. They listened to several of the songs as they drove, and Y/N pointed out the different parts that she particularly enjoyed. She sang along badly to every song, and nightly unforgettable car rides were quickly becoming a staple of Morgan’s life in Raleigh.

If the entire season was like this, then maybe everything would be okay. 

[cuddletime-blog]

Lucien: Drunken Ares and Irritated MC

WARNING: Spoilers for Chapter 13, some angst, mild violence

It was 2:37 am and my phone was ringing. I turned on the lamp at my nightstand and grabbed my phone to check the caller ID. It was a phone call from Lucien…No, Ares. I stared at my phone with both a shocked and conflicted expression while letting it ring a few more times. My eyebrows were scrunched together so I rubbed the spot between my eyebrows and forehead, trying to think clearly. What could he possibly want to say to me at this time? I had already told him that he was my enemy and we weren’t on close speaking terms to be calling each other on the phone. I previously didn’t delete his number from my phone, but I never thought that I would be receiving a phone call from him at a time like this. I was scared and my heart beat faster.

Finally, when the phone rang for the fourth time, I picked up the call saying, “I think we no longer have any reason to be speaking to each other again,” but then I heard a different man’s voice replying, “Hello. Is this Ms. Elise? I’m very sorry to be disturbing you like this, but it is quite an urgent situation. I’m the owner of the Carmine Dahlia wine bar in Loveland and I have a young adult male customer passed out at our bar. He’s unconscious, but very feverish and I don’t know who else to call. There is no identification card on this customer. The bartender told me that he muttered your name a few times before passing out and I looked through his phone’s emergency contacts and your number was the only one that I found. I’m trying to close up the bar and I was wondering if you would be able to come pick him up soon if it wouldn’t be too much trouble.” I thought about what I should do. Normally, wouldn’t he have been sent to the hospital or perhaps the owner could have called the police? I was thinking that in the worst case scenario, his fever could be life-threatening if he continued to remain unconscious without getting medical help. What if he became delirious and unable to control his Evol? Would other people around him be in danger? Why was he at the bar alone? Could there be anyone else from Black Swan lurking around him? After a little more deliberation, I told the bar owner, “I think I can be there in 30 minutes. Please keep an eye on him for me until I arrive.”

           When I arrived at the bar, Ares had been moved to a couch and was rolled over on his left side. He was still unconscious, but I could see that he was breathing fine. Seeing him drunk and passed out made me feel incredibly pissed. I paid the bar owner money, asking him and the bartender to please carry Ares into the taxi cab. There was no way that I would have been able to manage that alone. Then, I told the taxi cab driver to take me back to my apartment building and paid the driver more money as well so that he could help me carry Ares into the elevator up to my apartment floor.

Finally back inside my apartment, I carried Ares over to my bed and placed him on his left side. Thankfully, I had just changed the sheets on my bed earlier tonight so they were still new. I felt his forehead and placed a thermometer under his tongue. The thermometer’s reading was 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. He was sweating so much. I got a cold ice pack wrapped in a wet face towel to place on his forehead. Then, I dug through a box in my closet, found one of my father’s old shirts that I hadn’t donated, and placed it on the bed. I said, “Don’t get any weird ideas tomorrow. I’m just trying to help bring your fever down.” I unbuttoned Ares’s white dress shirt, wiped all of the sweat from his face and upper body, and changed him into my father’s old shirt. I got a glass of water from the kitchen and 2 acetaminophen tablets. I didn’t have any better idea to wake him up so I decided to do what I had been itching to do earlier ever since I saw him lying down passed out and feverish at the bar. I slapped him hard enough on one cheek to wake him up so that I could get him to swallow the water and the pills. Thankfully, Ares opened his eyes for me to give him the medication properly. I stared straight into his eyes while placing the pills into his mouth without looking away because I couldn’t afford to show him any fear. After swallowing the medication, he fell asleep. I thought that with his excellent memory and intelligence, he still might remember that slap tomorrow and the fact that I undressed him. It was already too late and I was too tired to worry any longer.

I took out a futon and placed it in my bedroom. I monitored him for an hour, making sure that his fever had improved and then fell asleep on my futon. I had to go to work in the morning so I quickly cooked a small pot of porridge with ground pork and green onions. Then, I also made some rice for my lunch with some steamed egg and tomato, a little bit of stir fry chicken, and bok choy. I put a cup of warm tea and a glass of water with a bottle of acetaminophen tablets on the kitchen table and quickly wrote a sticky note, which read: “Eat the porridge for breakfast and take the medication. There is a cold pitcher of water in the fridge and some dishes I made for lunch.”

I came back home from work and I felt frustrated so I wanted to clean the apartment before starting dinner. Ares was sitting on the couch in the living room when I arrived home and it looked like he had been waiting for me. I wasn’t in the mood to talk much yet so I told him, “I need to clean and make dinner first. Whatever you have to say to me will have to wait until later. I paid for the taxi cab ride to come pick you up and bring you here to the apartment last night so please help me clean my apartment and prepare dinner. Fortunately, you had already paid for your drinks at the bar beforehand so it’s just the cost of the taxi ride. I’ll consider it even if you help me today and you won’t owe me anymore. Vacuum and dust the living room and help me make a spinach soup for dinner.”

Ares helped me clean like I asked him to and I made a quick dinner consisting of stir fry chicken with mixed veggies and white rice. Then, I cleaned the kitchen counter and was about to start doing the dishes, but he already moved over to the sink and grabbed the dishwashing gloves away from me. With nothing else to do, I brewed a pot of tea for the both of us and went to sit on the living room couch. Ares sat down on a couch opposite from me and I grabbed the opportunity to speak first, saying “Thank you for your help earlier. More importantly, what were you doing or thinking that you got so drunk and passed out? You didn’t even know that you were running a fever? You drank so heavily even though you were sick. What if you did something while you were drunk and lost control of your Evol?” I didn’t know why I was so heated and felt like lecturing him.

He said, “That is my own matter. It does not concern you.” Then I replied, “Oh really? Then why have I been having recurring dreams in the past week about you drinking alone in another place in some dark corner while listening to some heartbroken song on your phone? If it was Lucien, he would have told me if he missed me. If it was Lucien, he wouldn’t be hiding from me and trying to keep everything to himself. That’s nothing like the Lucien I know. That’s a man who can’t even pull himself together and would rather suffer alone in silence. That’s not love. If you love someone, you should be able to trust them enough to let them know if you’re feeling sad, lonely, scared…everything. I can’t love someone who loves me half-heartedly and won’t even communicate with me properly.”

Ares walked over to the kitchen and didn’t say anything. I got up and followed after him into the kitchen, wanting to hear a proper explanation. Then, he suddenly pushed me against the kitchen wall, slipped one hand under the bottom left corner of my shirt, and caressed the area on my side slightly above my hip. Next, Ares lowered his head with his warm breath over my shoulder, bit the area between my neck and shoulder close to where my bra strap runs across my shoulder, and licked it slightly. He said, “The color on your face when you’re so angry looks ravishing too.” I was upset that I had let him be way too forward with me and intended to raise my hand to slap him across the cheek (I felt that he very much deserved this slap now), but he moved quicker than me, grabbed my hand, and kissed the top of it. Ares turned towards the door and walked away saying goodbye to me as he left. I locked the door after he left.

My thoughts were all heated, stormy, and jumbled in a mess. I tossed and turned that night in bed, unable to sleep so I got up and walked over to look outside my window. There was a full moon tonight and the night was beautiful and cold, almost like any other night this month. I walked over to my piano and started playing Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata over and over again with dedicated fervor before feeling sleepy enough to return to bed.

My alarm rang and I woke up, realizing that the events of the past 2 days were all just one night’s dream.

[dailyaudiobible]

02/04/2020 DAB Transcript

Exodus 19:16-21:21, Matthew 23:13-39, Psalms 28:1-9, Proverbs 7:1-5

Today is the 4th day of February, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible, I'm Brian it is great to be here with you as we move fully into this brand-new month that we’re. What…what and what an honor it is to share history together, right, to be here, like to be on planet Earth here at the same time. It…it could've been different. We could’ve been 100 years ago, and this couldn't have existed, but we get to share this time, this patch of history together in the world and be connected around this Global Campfire as we let God's word speak to us. So, let's get to that. For today we’ll go back into the book of Exodus. And the children of Israel are purified. They’ve been purifying themselves and getting ready for an encounter with God. Exodus chapter 19 verse 16 through 21 verse 21. And we’re reading from the Voice this week.

Commentary:

Okay. Couple things to talk about today. In the book of Exodus God has come down and has met with the people and they are completely freaked out about it. And what we see today is God giving the 10 Commandments. What we’ll see over time is basically the systematic construction of a society. And we need to remember, the people that are around this mountain hearing from God right now, they don't really have an identity other than as a slave. That's all they ever were. So, God begins with what we call the 10 Commandments because they apply to everyone. But God will continue to organize His people as we go forward through time and through the Scriptures. And some of these things we can look at and go, “well, I don't know how to apply that. That doesn’t…that…that custom is not in the culture I live in. I’m not even sure that customs still in the world today.” Or we could read our 21st-century life into a culture that existed thousands of years ago and wonder why God would want them to do that or why they would even do this or that or the other. Don't get all caught up on that. What God is doing is coming to this people and establishing an identity, His chosen people, a nation of priests. He’s bestowing an identity upon them, and then telling them, “this is what a holy people looks like”. And, so, He's telling them, “Holy people don't kill other people. Like, Holy people don't commit adultery. Holy people don't steal from each other.” What God is doing is pulling these people dramatically forward in their understanding not only of who they are as God's people, but also of who He is as God. And a culture unlike any other culture in the world at this time is being established in the middle of the wilderness where they have no way in or out. Like, they’re utterly and completely at God's mercy and He's trying to show them that that is the safest place in the world. And we would do well to learn that lesson. So, God speaks of the people, the people are terrified, and they go to Moses and they’re like, “we…we…we cannot have God speak to us, that's too terrifying. We can't even pay attention we think we’re gonna die. You speak to us instead. We’ll listen to you. God can talk to you and then you tell us, and we’ll listen to you. This is where we begin to see the prophetic voice appear in the Bible and we’ll talk about that more in the coming days.

We got to the book of Matthew today and Jesus basically just lets loose. He just pretty much confronts straight up the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. These are the people who are entrusted to lead the people in the ways of God. And just hearing Jesus talk in Matthew 23, it's…it's heartbreaking because we know Jesus has come to Jerusalem and He's gonna get killed, He's gonna die going to be awful. And the people, the people, they were…their eyes were being opened but it was the religious leaders that were blocking the path. So, what is Jesus so upset about? What were they doing? What was He calling out? He had plenty to say, but if we distill it down what was he saying? He was saying, “you spiritual leaders will stand before a crowd and lock the door of the kingdom of heaven, right in front of everyone. What you say is not what you do. You'll travel all over the world to get a convert, but once you got one you enslave them as you are.” In other words, you've converted them to your system but not to God. And He’s like, “you have it…you just…you have it backward. You’re focused on the wrong thing, the exact…exact opposite. You’re putting value on what can be brought to God instead of understanding that it has a value because of God. You tithe from your luxuries, but you've ignored the essentials of the law - justice, mercy, faithfulness. You remove fine layers of film and dust from the outside of a cup or bowl, but you leave the inside full of greed and covetousness and self-indulgence. Can’t you see that if you clean the inside of the cup the outside to be clean too? You appear at first blush to be righteous and selfless and pure but inside you are polluted.” And there's more. I mean, you can go back and read it for yourself. It’s just…this is what's got Jesus so upset because this behavior masked and cloaked in religion was keeping people from entering the kingdom of heaven. And it’s so sad because after He says these things, after He lets loose, such an opportunity for repentance here, but instead they redouble their efforts to kill Jesus. But Jesus is brokenhearted. “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the prophets whom God gives you, you stone those who God sends you. I’ve longed to gather your children the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you refuse to be gathered. This will be the first time that we move into this territory this year, the story of Jesus arrest and trial and execution. And it's…it's super easy to just kind of go theological, “well, He was born to die and that was that and that was all part of the plan. And, so, I don't really…I don't really need to know a whole lot more than that”, but when we enter into the stories, when we walk with Jesus, when we listen coming out of the Gospels what He is saying to us, when we watch Him move around we see clearly something’s different and it's what we want. We want to live like that. And Jesus is revealing the kingdom saying, “you can, you can. You just have to wake up, you have to open your eyes, you have to open your ears. It's all here, you’re just not perceiving it. But that's too dangerous. That can upset the power share that's going on between these religious leaders and the Roman government. And although Jesus is drawing a crowd and is showing up on the radar, it doesn't look like He's trying to build a militia to attack the Romans. So, later on in the Bible we’ll see a depiction of the high priest at this time saying, “it’s better for one person to die then for all of us to die.” And Jesus's is putting himself in this position. Like He's willingly putting Himself in this kind of danger in order to bring light into the darkness to ultimately bring light into the darkest of dark. But it appears that the people who missed it the most and did away with Jesus were the people entrusted to bring people to God. Jesus is basically saying, “I…I’ve come for you and you’re refusing me.” Does that not just a little bit break your heart for God?” I know you’re saying, “that sounds weird. You know, He doesn’t have feelings. He's God. He’s the most-high God. He can just make more people. He can do whatever He wants, He’s God. He can be wherever He wants. For some reason though, He loves us and…yeah…whatever…whatever reason that is, He does. For whatever…for  some reason He’s still putting up with us, still believing that our eyes can be opened and…and we can stop this backward life that we’re and live forward, live from within, spilling out into the world, instead of the world flooding in and contaminating everything about us. Yes, indeed God loves you. god loves us and we will be seeing just how much in the coming days.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We love You. It's hard to try to enter into these stories and walk with You. It’s easy to just read them as stories, cute little Bible stories we've heard our whole life but it's different to try to walk those stories with our hearts and open ourselves to You and see what You are facing and to see that You've never lost hope in us, that You've never given up on us. And we’ve accused You of it plenty, but it's just never happened, that's never been the truth. And, so, Jesus we just want to say how…how much we do love You…we love You Lord and we’re grateful and the words will fail very quickly because what can we say? We don't have anybody else in our lives like You. Your goodness can silence us because there is no vocabulary to describe it. And yet, You have come for us, to gather us, to know us. You want to know us? And all we have to do is open our eyes that we’re living backwards and reveal our hearts to You completely. And we were talking about that yesterday and we talk about it again. Come Holy Spirit, we open ourselves completely. We want no deceit whatsoever between us in any way. We've seen what an honest life looks like in the Scriptures and You have invited us into that life although the path is narrow. Come Holy Spirit and show us the way. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, its where you find out what’s going on around here. So, be sure to stay plugged in and connected in any way that you can and in any way that you will.

We will be…within a couple of weeks heading for the land of the Bible, which is an annual excursion and we will be broadcasting from there. I mentioned that yesterday, so be sure to stay connected at social media and all of that. We’ll be posting pictures continually from there. So, make plans for that ahead. We’ll be talking about it as we get closer.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There’s a link on the homepage and I thank you with all my heart for your partnership. If you’re using the app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer the mail, the address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, you can hit the Hotline button in the app or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

[athousandfootsteps]

28th of May 2019

As I am writing this entry, I am about half way through my flight to LA. I woke up at 3.30am and got ready to go to the airport because I wanted to make sure that I was there for check in as soon as it opened. We loaded the car with our bags, mine being completely oversized and heavy, making me have second thoughts about packing a backpack and not a suitcase. We headed off for the airport just before 4.20am and made it to the airport at around 5.20-5.30am. Jesse and Mum bought coffee and I organised my bags before going to the check in desk. The check in was not too busy as it was just before 6am and so my mother and I got through straight away. The women who weighed my bag and checked my passport asked me if I had an ESTA attached to my passport, and I said no, I have a J1 visa attached. That is the reason why I could not check in online, because they have to enter the J1 visa manually into the system. I checked in, got my boarding pass and then my mother, brother and I sat at the coffee shop for a few more minutes before going through customs and border control. That did not take long either, so soon we were at our gate waiting. We saw our plane land and taxi to our gate, and when it was time to board, we were in the rows that they said would be boarding first which was exciting. We made our way through the chaotic "line" and got on the plane. The plane is Qantas QF93 and the aircraft is an A380, one of the biggest planes in aviation and my first time flying on one, which I've been a bit nervous about, flying on a plane so large. Usually I'm a bit nervous before flying but then I'm fine once we get to cruising altitude. The take off was smooth and the flight has been mainly smooth so far with only a little bit of minor turbulence, although the pilot did say at the start of the flight that there would be clouds when we arrive in LA, so I'm not sure if that means that there'll be turbulence. The seat configuration is 3-4-3 and Mum and I are in the middle but on the right hand side. I'm in aisle seat and the seat next to Mum doesn't have anyone in it, but there's a lady in the seat next to that one. The plane is pretty full but it is very spacious which is nice. The meal that I got was a vegan special meal I ordered, it was vegies with edamame beans and cous cous. I am on a gluten free diet, so I don't usually eat gluten (except for 2 slices of sourdough bread I recently introduced), but I decided to eat it anyway because I was hungry and now I'm regretting it because I think it's upset my stomach. If my next meal is gluten, I'll just have to go without and wait until we land to eat, which will mean I'll be incredibly hangry, but I'd rather be hangry than extremely bloated. When we land I'm looking forward to going to Taco Bell, I haven't been to the USA since 2012 and Taco Bell was one of my favourite fast food places to go and I like burrito bowls, so that's probably going to  be one of our first stops along with finding an AT&T store so that I can buy a local sim. When we land Mum and I also need to find a supermarket or Walmart or Target or something because we are cooking our dinner in our apartment tonight. We are staying in Hollywood and are wanting to see the Hollywood sights and Mum said last time she was here (I didn't go on that trip), her and my brother found it hard to find a supermarket without going into the burbs. So hopefully we can find one with not too much difficulty. I am excited and nervous to be beginning my 4 month adventure in the USA and Canada. I think it's really important for me to go with the flow, remain alert and keep an open mind. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I may not be able to do something like this again so I want to make the most of it. So far on this flight I have not really slept, I nodded off, I don't know how long for, but then I woke up when a flight attendant passed something over me to my mum so I've been awake ever since. I've watched Alien so far and also I'm almost finished The Lost World: Jurrassic Park. I don't know if I'll get through a third movie, we'll just have to see.

[barbaracuningham]

39th Business Anniversary Memories

I was showing molded parts to a customer from our display case and a particular project brought back many memories. This month, we proudly celebrate our 39th business anniversary. We started Toth Mold/Die Inc. in 1982 but we actually have 45 years in the injection molding trade. Back in 1976 my father, two brothers and myself ran an injection molding/injection mold building company for a silent owner for five years. My brothers and I had very little experience in the trade. Two of us just graduated high school when the opportunity came about, and we immediately began working.

My twin brother and I did start an apprenticeship program but due to time constraints of having to go to class instead of being at the shop working, my father told us that we should just quit.  His plan was to eventually have our own injection molding family business. He said we would never have to work for anyone and would not need to have our journeyman papers. How right he was!

The Plan

Our father had a colossal undertaking trying to teach his three sons how to design and build molds, run production parts, and manage a business.  We worked 12 hours a day Monday through Friday as well as eight hours on Saturday.  This schedule was a huge burden for us siblings.  Two of us just graduated high school and were not expecting this. Our older brother did not care for the grueling schedule either. I actually tried to quit about five times within the first year but always came back.

 First Injection Mold Build Job

The first injection mold build job we had was this die cast part for a military jeep.  It was pretty complicated.  As I think back to those days, I remember the feeling that it was basically the worst time of my life.   I got yelled at all the time and made numerous mistakes.  On the upside though, I learned the ins and outs of this trade pretty quickly.

This particular die cast part really took a toll on my brothers and I because it was so difficult to understand the function of an injection mold.  My dad was extremely tough.  He had very little patience with trying to teach us because we made a huge number of mistakes.  There was an exuberant amount of daily yelling go on.

The Blunders 

While building this mold, our father had to go out of town for a few days.  He decided to leave the three of us alone in the shop to work on our own, which was not the best idea.  We made some pretty big mistakes building the molds for these parts. My older brother Steve Jr. almost cut his fingers off on a radial drill press.  He was holding a vice with one hand while trying to drill a 1 ½” diameter hole in a piece of steel.  Naturally, you do not do that but since we were beginners, we did not know any better. We did have to make a trip to the emergency room, and he got quite a few stitches.

In addition, I was cutting ejector pins with a cutoff wheel on a surface grinder and it exploded sending a piece of the cutoff wheel past my brother Tom’s head and stuck into the wall.  While that was happening, another piece went straight up and broke a fluorescent light above me and I was showered with glass. My father was very upset when he got back and said it will be a very LONG time before he leaves us alone again. On a positive note, we finally did end up completing the molds and then we were on our way.

 The Here and Now

Fast forward 45 years and my twin brother Tom and I are still going strong in the trade.  We make a great team. We lost our father and older brother Steve Jr. along the way but chose to keep the family business together.  I feel very blessed to have been able to work side by side with my family for all these years.  That is why I always say, you should try and find an occupation that you really “like” to do because it is such a big part of your life.    

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[suninagarajan]

THE DOMESTIC DIFFICULTIES OF MAJOR GENERAL CHARLES SYLERIOUS FORESTER

When Medesh Madavana Ki, flutist of the Royal Court practises holding a note on a chord, he is attempting to mimic in octave and tempo, the Ptunooko bird whose mating call hangs in the morning mists over Hydrabha and Kai-Puriji like an apple in the air or a blossom on a tree. As the King’s Master of the Flute it is his task to entertain the Royal court and to inspire the court poets by creating a sound, known across India to be as sweet as sugar-paste and as lovely as a summer's day, …………………………………………..divine. 

The Ptunooko bird’s scarlet body and long sweeping cobalt tail evokes more Spanish Infanta or English Duchess than the humble parrot origins of the bird. But this does not deter them as they make free to descend upon the statues of the Gods in the many shrines of Hundyrabha where they take the winter sun.  

They do not fear providence because so sweet is their call that it will stop the soul and bring a tear to the eye, so the people of Hundrabha, like the people of Kai-puriji, whatever their caste or profession will offer prayers to the gods for the preservation and safekeeping of their songstryls.

When a Ptunooko bird who has made the journey from Kai-Purji, via Khassi to Hudyrabha for its winter sojourn, lands on the statue of Rama defeating the demons, the founding legend of Hudyrabha, it is not to commemorate the Gods victory in battle.  

Should the people in their ignorance ever forget the honour due to the God, there is, fortunately, another reminder of His triumph, for which the city is rightly famous.  For Rama ever mindful of the souls of his people, left for their protection that brave army that stood with him on the field of battle and defeated the foe, whose glory is still with us today.  The Chebawgua monkeys.

Given their history and association with the city it is unsurprising that the Chebawgua monkeys, veterans of Rama’s wars, are deferred to by the people and have free access to roam through Hudrabha at will, for it is thought bad luck for any in the city to harm a monkey or shew it from a kitchen or a garden or a parlour. 

They will take from table and purse and headdress with no thought for occasion or status. Many a Hudyrabha bride will be poorer at the end of her wedding day with stolen bangles or earrings or other valuable dowry items swiped from her unguarded purse, and it is not unusual for the mango’s to be pinched from market stalls or a lemon-ice lifted, with a long fingered whip, from a child’s sticky hand. 

So when a three year old female Chebawgua jumps into the open window of Colonel Rawlins’ office because she is attracted to the sleeve of the green and purple striped silk gown he is wearing, which she spies from her pear tree perch, Colonel Rawlins having long since concluded that whatever buffoon was in charge of the regulation dress code had never paid a visit to Kangalhi, had no notion of her naughtiness nor did he flinch when she compounded her felony with a swipe of her paw and drained the brandy from the bottle that the coolie had brought with his pigeon lunch, adding to her already perfect day. 

In fact Colonel Rawlins, man of the company, who had been in Kangalhi for eighteen months as that twit Harcourts’ second-in command, would not have noticed if a battalion of Chebawgua monkeys with Rama at its head had marauded through his office and invaded the parade ground. 

Colonel Rawlins, was a man who until an unfortunate gaff at a regimental dinner some two years ago, was doing quite nicely in the Company having risen through the ranks with much ease and little maneuvering.  He had made a bit of money in the Hindu wars and had seen some action in Flanders where he was appointed staff officer to the Duke -  of all things! 

In between a spot of horse trading, balancing mess bill and domestic accounts in a manner not dissimilar to a plate spinner at a fair, he had manage to pay of debts, tradesmen and bailiff enough as to avoided the clink most of the time, his dear fecunditious wife Annabelle having accommodate herself to Newgate less times than crows turn to manslaughter in their fifteen years of matrimony together, a matter of some pride to them both.

He had acquitted himself adequately enough to come to the attention of certain honorary military gentleman and there was even talk of promotion, but then an unwise joke made on that same commander, regarding an unfortunate habit with trumpets and trousers, recounted as an apple for amusement of fellow travelers one evening when the claret was flowing and the stories of battle proliferated as tomatoes on the vine. Put a rather unexpected and inconvenient dent in an otherwise promising and excellent career.

Due to him serving most of his commission both under the Duke’s command and at his side throughout the peninsular campaign and beyond, he had become known in the clubs, dining halls and better establishments of England as the “Duke’s Arm”. A reciter of tales  who was “as good as having tea with the Duke on the eve of the battle” as was muted by more than one pamphlet. 

It had taken Rawlins, a straight-forward sort of chap though theatrical of mind, some long awkward moments to realise that his dinner companions were no longer the braying donkeys of his amusements, as he sung like a songbird his liturgy of remembrances. He had felt, given the company and the nature of chaps in general and battle-hardened army chaps in particular,  that some earthier, saucier, amongst-men sort of humor was called for. This at first had been widely encouraged by the officers present, their ladies having long since departed seeking fairer society.  His stomach and his purse, hung on expectations that he would delight and enthral the company with an ever ready quiver of polished monologues in his actors folio. An able sort chap, with an eye for a chance, Colonel Rawlins layered his cake like a profiterole. 

It was both shocking and upsetting then, when a few days later Rawlins had started hearing rumours of overseas postings and phrases such as “ungentlemanly” and “not an officer”  were whispered in his hearing. Inevitably, and as in the way of things,  steps were taken and in order to avoid the embarrassment of all, or any unavoidable difficulty which might prove awkward in polite company, the Colonel quietly left his club.  

Perhaps just to spare His Graces blushes for a great reputation may hide a great many secrets, whatever the reason, within a fortnight of Rawlings’s regrettable lapse, he was dumped by the top brass on a packet ship headed for Kangalhi, a hellhole on the other side of the earth, to spend his days babysitting a pin-head with no prospect of seeing Annabelle or the children, or Duggans, or his Norfolk home again anytime soon.

Having spent three months on voyage and another two weeks in port, quarantined, the first thought that poured through Rawlins brain as he finally disembarked in Hudyrabha, his regimental sopheristry being a distant memory was, “it’s hot”. 

His second thought was “it's damn hot”, the third thought, following closely on the heels of the second thought was, “lorks, if a man doesn’t get some good English beer down him quick, a man is liable to expire”. His fourth thought, on making his commanding officers acquaintance was “that imbecile should be flogged for stupidity”, but he settled finally on “Business is booming and business is good”.

He had arrived with the ever amiable Major Maitland, a clever young fellow with a talent for surveying, who had impressed his superiors with his map making skills. They had both some time ago returned from an expedition into unknown territory having spent the best part of eight weeks up country with some collie trackers looking at deposits.

He was eager therefore on his return to Kangalhi to check up on a little bit of business he was taking care of conducted well below the Company’s towering all seeing eye. For Rawlins, who despite his occasional lapses in judgement was an otherwise up to speed sort of chap, had noticed on his arrival in Kangalhi a certain loucheness of temperament, favoured by the Governer-General, which meant all sorts of opportunities were possible for a fellow with an eye to a chance. And if Harcourt was too busy amusing himself with his Mussel-women and drowning in Claret with the Nawab to know or care what he was signing, well that was hardly the concern of the Colonel. 

So it was that a packet of spices, that was meant for Liverpool, duty paid, might find its way to Bristol instead, duty paid.  And if customs men in Bristol were to inquire, they might discover that the license for such imports and taxes due had been signed by a certain Governor-General on behalf of the Company and decide to move on to other less impertinent enquiries instead. No mind then if it was that good christian lady in Bristol, Annabelle and not the Company man receiving goods on the quayside, duty paid.  

It is these concerns then, of a more personal nature, which occupy Rawlins mind rather than monkeys and lunches.  But what the Colonel doesn’t know, can’t know is that at this very moment Major General Forester and Sir Howard of the Boardroom, have Kangalhi in their sights and practices that exclude the Company from the Company’s business may henceforth be considered irregular.  

________________________________________________________________

Major General Forester too has a lot on his mind.  For having decided that the best way to move a donkey was through deception and cunning, his earthen toned mind, determined that the melody that had so intoxicated the Nazmin, french money, french brandy, french whores, might be sung again but to a different tune so as to spin an immutable Indian chief around a balance sheet.

The Governor-General’s efforts to secure the necessary accord, affections and approvals so ardently anticipated and salivated over by the Company, once reports of salt petre, ire ore and timber were known, had fallen far short of the necessary hoped for arrangements. It was at a house party and meeting of the Brayford Hunt, therefore, in the English countryside where Major-General Forester, oak of England, was assigned to the fray when Company man to Company man sir Howard, as smoothly as the unfolding of a newspaper at his English club, sermonised the matter like a Bishop in a pulpit and welcomed Forester into the temple of his mind. 

Once the problem of how to tickle the maharaja's appetites so as to make him forget his reason and follow the lady was posed to that eminent man, the Major-General, whose half framed image would one day grace a wall in a room in a castle in the English countryside conjured the answer wine woman and song. 

It was to Monty Woodehouse then, that excellent and reliable fellow whose relations the Major-General had known socially for some time, and who had acquitted himself so admirably as aide-to-camp for the Major-General’s sojourn in Flanders as to ensure that gentleman never ran out of Madeira, that Forester chose as his weapon of industry.  

Monty had no trouble purloining the several barrels of Irish Whiskey, French Brandy and good Claret, off-the-books, as was required and shortly disposed of the lady of understanding from an excellent London house. But as the gap closed between immutable Indian chief and balance sheet, there were more delicate matters still outstanding for it is often said by those of a military persuasion that to crack a big nut, one needs a big stick .

The noises of pilfering, piracy and derelictions of christian duty that had reached the lofty ears of the Company from their perch in Whitehall, had not overly concerned them. The solution being easily acquired in the form of instilled discipline in the ranks and the unfortunate gentleman’s poor motherless-daughters, the Miss Harcourt’s immediate transport to their fathers presence. 

Those gentle maidens, having acquired the required education in etiquette and deportment for the daughters of respectability and character, at Miss Packenham’s Establishment for Young Ladies of Quality and Society in Clapham, now lived in a modest home in Hampstead with their governess. And who, with that good lady, would be sent post haste on the Company’s account to provide to their dear father the privilege of responsibility in the Christian solace of Mary and Martha.

But with dismissals of “yes, yes, …………...it’ elemental” the ponderings that so obsessed the Chevalier’s palace of cognitive functioning in the English countryside was, “what if the chief should prove fickle?............ or disloyal, and disdain a ladies charms?”

Then the tibit from Kangalhi, pertaining to the health of the heir and the wonders of the alchemists in Germany from the bore at the evening at the Cuthberts, combined with his knowledge of his dear Gertrudes’ own health had revealed the solution to him as if a truth from a tablet. All that was needed was a chemist who could, in his wizardry, successfully infiltrate a noxious brew of chemicals into the elixir of youth:  Anthrophine.

Anthrophine, Carr knew, had been successfully provided to patients like his dear lady who labour under the travails of slow aortic functionings.  If it could be transported, Carr surmised that fateful morning in his office, or if not then made to appear like water into wine, then the immutability of the indian chief may just bend to a father’s care. So it was then that the honorable Lady and her agents and Sir Howard and the Major General, and their agents, scoured the country in search of an alchemist.

But as the head of logic at King’s was at pains to point out when that good Major General held him by the collar until his visage redden into a beatroot of pain, “whereby as alchemies being novel they are oftentimes hard to dissolve”, and that the learning the Major General so earnestly sought had not yet seen fit to arrive on these shores. To which the Major General made free to reply, “Balderdash!”.

So it was then that after twenty four years of blissful harmony bordering on disregard, as evidenced by the on-going survival of their second son Ernest, the good Lord having seen fit to remove that angel young Charles to his heavily cloud. The Major General had on several occasions needed to request of his dear lady, that she “bugger off!”   

Then, as if God himself had heeded the Lady’s cry, Montague Woodehouse, the most useful of chaps, whose Stuart ancestors had centuries ago left Holyrood for Westminster with the first Stuart King and worn the plumed hat of the cavalier for another, heard from one of his regrettable but necessary dalliances with the lower classes that a ship in the docks had recently delivered a cargo of vials to Scotland.

[fanfictionsrookie]

I’m Never Going In There Again!

Unlike most teenage girls Ruby Rose didn't typically like going shopping on a Saturday morning, unless her sister dragged her out the door or bribed her with a new hoodie or video game.

But if it meant that at she would be able to spend some time with her girlfriend; Cinder then she would happily follow her through the jungle of shops and boutiques.

And it may or may not have something to do with the fact that she got to see her in sexy dresses.

'Like a love sick puppy.' Cinder would tease, Ruby's blush always making her eyes glint with amusement.

After strolling through the shops for about an hour and buying everything from clothes to groceries, the two women found themselves passing a new addition to the mall.

One that especially piqued Cinder's interest when she saw what it had to offer.

Not knowing if she should or not, Ruby glanced up at the sign.

'Naturally Naughty'

It read, the words stamped in metallic lettering that twisted like vines as if to capture anyone who would draw near.

"No way!" Ruby exclaimed as she grabbed hold of her girlfriend's hand before she could take another step forward, visibly blushing. "Not after what happned last time."

Cinder raised an eyebrow in question but a smile quickly spread across her face when she remembered.

"Don't tell me you're referring to that incident. It happened months ago."

"Easy for you to say." The girl defended as she crossed her arms, almost pouting. "You don't go to my school."

Visibly trying to shake the image from her mind as she shook her head to which Cinder chuckled, leaning to the side to whisper in her ear.

"Which makes it a perfect opportunity..."

The slightest touch of her breath tickling Ruby's neck as she broke into a fit of giggles.

"I'm not blackmailing my Biology teacher, Cinder."

Gently pushing her away before the woman could find that particular spot she liked.

"You're too good for this world." She murmured, her voice soft and velvety before pressing a kiss to Ruby's forehead.

The girl smiled in appreciation and wrapped her arms around the older woman, shining silver eyes meeting burning ember.

"I love you, but I'm not going in there until I'm sure Mrs. Goodwitch isn't getting more riding crops."

She stood on her toes to press a chaste kiss against her girlfriend's lips. And when Ruby's hands started to make their way to her lower back, Cinder's heartbeat started to quicken...more that she would like to admit.

Only for Ruby to reach into the other's handbag to retrieve Cinder's purse, daringly smirking at her as she shoved it into her pocket.

"You go on ahead."

"Am I being a bad influence?" The woman asked with a mischievous glint in her eye, loving how Ruby can be innocent one moment and teasing the next.

There was a sense of thrill to it that Cinder never seemed to get enough of.

"The game store is just up ahead. There's this new Grimm Eclipse game that I just gotta get and I maaaayyy...have forgotten my wallet at home."

"You're luckily I love you."

"Be back in a second 'kay!" She chirped and gave her a peck on the cheek before scampering off, Cinder catching a quick glance of her cute little butt before entering.

It was not the first time Cinder visited a sex store and it certainly won't be the last, but she found herself to be slightly nervous and excited.

Maybe because when she caught sight of a red studded colar her mind instantly started to wander.

Even though they were not at that point in their relationship, Cinder couldn't help but to wonder what might become of her and Ruby's relationship.

Not necessarily on a sexual level, but if that day did come when Ruby was ready then she didn't want to disappoint...

After browsing through the rows of sex toys, whips and outfits (and making sure Mrs. Goodwitch was nowhere to be seen) Cinder spotted Ruby near the entrance and decided to take her leave.

Outside Ruby was busy reading through the little booklet that most likely came with the game that was clutched in her left hand.

Deep in thought, the girl didn't even notice as Cinder snuck up behind her while she read about aura gauges and beowolves.

"Should I be jealous?" The woman quipped, snaking her arms around the other's waist.

Nearly jumping up in shock, Ruby looked up to see Cinder looking at the list of controls and power ups with a slight frown of confusion.

She grinned back at her, "Nah, I'd much rather look at you." Enjoying the look of surprise that flashed in her eyes, before fading into gentle affection.

"Besides, I kinda think my game console is afraid of you." The girl teased and giggled to herself when she remembered the last time they played video games together.

"And rightfully so."

If Ruby didn't know any better she would've thought that Cinder was trying to melt the controller when it was in her hands.

"So where are we going now? The girl asked as she sneaked the purse back into her girlfriend's handbag.

"I was thinking 'Fragrance' and then dinner afterwards?"

As if on cue Ruby's stomach grumbled at the mention of food, making Cinder chuckle as she took hold of her girlfriend's hand as she led her to their next stop.

But what was supposed to be a quick stop turned into much longer.

Briskly Cinder walked through the rows upon rows of shelves, eyes flying over each label as she searched for the specific name that Ruby loved ¦and didn't make her sneeze nonstop.

'Coco Adel'

Cinder visibly glared at the little glass bottle, the was stuck smelling like someone had spilt their coffee on her for a week. 'JNPR'

Much too sweet for her taste and how the smell couldn't attract every insect on the continent was beyond her.

'Neopolotian'

Cinder pursed her lips in thought, not recalling hearing that name before and when curiosity got the better of her she decided to give it a chance.

It was sweet but at the same time not overbearing, still light as the fragrances melded together.

Not some thing she would wear but...

"Ruby?"

At the sound of her name the girl's head popped up among the shelves, her eyes flying across her surroundings before landing on Cinder.

"Come here for a moment?"

Nearly knocking over another customer Ruby hurried over to the woman who held out her wrist towards the girl, confused for a moment before taking a whiff.

"Ooh I kinda li-ACHOO!"

In an instant all eyes were on the two and the strange gazes only reddening Ruby's blush to which Cinder couldn't help but chuckle.

"Stupid nose...stupid allergies." The girl muttered while sniffling and rubbing her nose, Cinder only then noticing the bottle of perfume in the girl's hand.

"Found something you like?"

"Oh uhm nope...I just uh..." Ruby fumbled with the bottle in her hands before holding it out to Cinder with a beaming smile. "This was the one you were looking for, right?"

'Scorching Syringa'

The woman smiled in return. "Now what would I do without you?" And took the glass bottle from her hands after giving the girl a quick peck on the cheek.

After paying for the perfume the two women wasted no time in heading straight for the nearest restaurant, with the sound of their grumbling stomach in their ears.

"Oh I almost forgot." The girl chirped as she trotted after Cinder, who was without a doubt very hungry. "We should check out that tattoo place later."

"How so?" The woman asked, the frown on her face clearly stating her confusion.

"Y'know...To decide which one's well get." Ruby mumbled as she swayed on her feet, hopefully looking back at her girlfriend.

Cinder pursed her lips with a frown on her features as she debated on how to respond.

"I don't recall this being something I agreed to."

"Yes you did!" The girl exclaimed, unaware of the questioning looks from passing strangers as she pointed an accusing finger at Cinder. "Last week, last week you said we can get matching tattoos."

"I said I would think about it." The woman replied, her tone even and calm.

"You've been thinking for like...months!"

"And I've decided that we should wait." The woman explained as they entered the restaurant, quickly led to their table by a waiter.

"So pretty much no?" Ruby deadpanned, silver eyes downcast as she slumped in her seat with Cinder sliding into the booth now sitting opposite her

"For the time being, yes."

"But whyyy?" The girl drawled as she rested her head on the table, trying to find a way to convince her girlfriend otherwise. "We've done much crazier things together so what's the big deal? I mean my dad got one with Raven."

"My point exactly." Cinder deadpanned.

"How about Yang and Blake?" Ruby tried again, this time a bit more hopeful.

"After dating for four years." Without looking, Cinder took a menu offered by their waiter and started flipping through it, while Ruby just stared at the cover.

"So? We're almost there..."

Only then remembering that their one year anniversary was just a few months ago. "...and...and they're just numbers anyway."

For a brief moment Cinder glanced at Ruby and the burning ember in her eyes faded into warmth.

"I understand what you are trying to say, but I don't think we are ready for something like that."

"Fine." Ruby muttered, using her own menu to shield Cinder from her view.

Although the woman will admit that there were moments when she found Ruby's childish side endearing and part of her charm, this wasn't one of them.

"Ruby, why has this gotten you so upset?" Cinder asked, her tempered tone only getting her and icy glare in return.

But when Ruby saw her partner's tender expression her intense gaze was quick to waver. Replaced by that of hurt as she let out a heavy sigh, shoulders slumping ever so slightly.

"It' just that...I mean you said it yourself. Yang and Blake got one cause they've been together for like forever and..."

The grip around the booklet softened, letting it wall onto the table with a soft 'plop.'

"When my dad got one he and Raven were really in love."

Her fingers twiddled with the strings of her hoodie, still refusing to meet Cinder's eye as she looked at the down.

"So when you said no...I just...I thought that...you were thinking about breaking up with me."

"My beautiful flower, I could never leave you." She breathed and moved over to her girlfriend's side and wrapped an arm around her in comfort, the other hand cupping her cheek.

"But something like that takes a lot of commitment and the last I thing I want is a symbol love turn into a moment you regret."

A wave of relief swept over the woman when she felt turn her face to the side, accepting the gesture.

"No way." Ruby mumbled as she placed her own hand over the Cinder's, savouring the warmth.

"I can get a tattoo with your name on my face and I'd still love it." And as she broke into a smile Ruby glanced up at Cinder with that same sparkle in her eyes that she had come to love.

The woman chuckled softly as she titled the girl's chin so that she stared into two glistening pools of silver.

"I'd rather you not blemish that pretty face of yours." At the sound of Cinder's loving words she couldn't help but to blush as her gaze darted about.

"You think my face is pretty?"

Cinder replied with an amused smile as she leaned closer to Ruby, practically feeling the heat of her cheeks while their noses barely touched.

"Beautiful."

Only then closing the distance between them with a gentle kiss on Ruby's lips, soft...so very soft.

As she slowly pulled away Ruby lifted her head further, not allowing their lips to part as she kindly returned the gesture.

And when the girl's hands cupped the other's face to deepen the kiss, refusing to let go she felt Cinder smirk in satisfaction. Her heartbeat instantly started to skyrocket and it was then when she had to gasp for air, inhaling Scorching Syringa and cinnamon.

Moving closer, their bodies were now flush together and Ruby didn't know which was more exhilarating. The fact the she had Cinder pinned to the seat or the fact that she was letting her.

All she could think of was her lips, her fingers tracing patterns on her shoulder and that perfume that simply drove her insane!

And Ruby's fingers started to trace the soft skin of her neck and shoulder to that specific spot that her girlfriend liked to be kissed, Cinder bit down on the girl's lip.

A soft moan escaped her lips when the other's tongue slipped past, teasing her with soft touches and mere moments of their tongues intertwining.

Cinnamon melding with strawberry.

With her hands moving up to Ruby's chest the woman gently started to push her away, letting out a shocked gasp when Ruby replied with a bite of her own, not wanting her to stop just yet.

She didn't miss the her girlfriend's adorable little giggle as it sent shivers up and down her spine. And as much as she wanted to continue this, it would have to wait.

"Ruby..." Cinder breathed against the other's neck as she tried to catch her breath, but was silent when the girl captured her lips once again.

So maybe a bit harder than she meant to, Cinder pinched the girl's thigh who instantly pulled back with a yelp.

"We... still need to order, love." She explained with a bit of laughter in her voice as she mentioned, to the young man standing wide eyed before them.

With his sandy blonde hair and crystal blue eyes Ruby recognized him instantly as all colour drained from her face.

"J-Jaune?"

...

It was one thing to walk in on your teacher buying questionable content, but to be caught by one of your friends making out in a restaurant was on a completely different level of embarrassment.

It didn't help that Cinder tried to make him even more uncomfortable with every chance she got.

So after Ruby had wolfed down her food she dragged Cinder into the nearest clothing store just to get out of sight with the girl was in total panic about what she was going to say to Jaune when she saw him Monday morning.

Until Cinder came to show off a new dress she tried on and Ruby decided that she would much rather give her girlfriend the attention.

But when the two dresses that Ruby picked out for her turned into five Cinder decided that she couldn't let Ruby couldn't have all the fun.

"Last one then I want you to wear something for me." The woman said with a smirk as her eyes traced the golden patterns of the red dress, before disappearing into the dressing room.

"Okay, but no heels!" The girl called after her, only making Cinder chuckle in return.

With her eyes glued to her phone's screen, the girl barely noticed Cinder as she came back seemingly out of nowhere.

"Hey that tickles!" The girl giggled as she started to tie something to her neck, slender fingers barely brushing against her skin and making Ruby shuffle around on the spot .

"Perfect." The woman said in satisfaction and when Ruby looked up at the mirror, she was met with her reflection staring back with difference being the black ribbon tied to her neck.

And only then did she notice that Cinder was wearing one too with the dress she picked out.

"It's not matching tattoos but it was the closest I could get." She explained while tracing a finger the delicate fabric, only making Ruby giggle even more.

"You're so cute when you go all softy." She murmured, wrapping her arms around the other's neck to and giving her an adoring smile which Cinder couldn't help but to return.

"After a few months if you still want to get us both to get one then we will." Not missing as Ruby's eyes lit up with excitement.

"But no dragons, guns or explosions." She warned, knowing very well how extreme her girlfriend can be.

"Awww you're no fun." Ruby groaned, only making Cinder chucke as she wrapped her arms around the other's waist, pulling her close.

"If you're looking for something more exciting..." She whispered, smiling as she felt Ruby's blush. "...I did see a pair of matching collars at that new shop."

"Cinder!"

[allenmendezsr]

How To Play Golf | Complete Golf Lessons For Beginners

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How To Play Golf | Complete Golf Lessons For Beginners

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    If you’ve been looking for a solution to meeting friends, clients and business partners on the golf course, this course will get your started with becoming the best golf player that you can be. Learn the Best Tips & Techniques for How to Play Golf. Amazing Golf Course for Beginner to Intermediate.

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The Complete Golf Lessons For Beginners

How To Play Golf | Complete Golf Lessons For Beginners

Date:

From the desk of Ryan Jones (GolferDays Gold Member):

If you’re anything like I was, then your friends and colleagues leaving you behind on the golf course is frustating, but also causing concern that you are missing out on important business associations and deals too…

…plus the damage caused from the loss of clients just because you can’t golf!

Then there the missed opportunity for making new friends and gaining new customers.

I used to be upset about not getting the business deals required until I met Golf Instructor Kevin and signed up for his fantastic golf lessons for beginners course. In a matter of days, I was ready to hit the golf course bringing my top notch game.

I was making friends on the golf course with proper etiquette, an impressive swing, and always staying competitive in the game even when with playing against very experienced golfers. Most importantly, my business meetings took off on the golf course and I started making deals with my business associates that just couldn’t be done anywhere else!

…Before taking these great golf lessons for beginners, it was pretty embarrassing too, when your business clients want to go golfing, and you have to find an excuse that you don’t know how – isn’t it?

After speaking to friends also visiting a few forums online, it was clear to see that business people not knowing how to golf is pretty common.

Some of the stories I read made me feel lucky, such as one guy whose wife left him because he couldn’t close a real estate deal with a golfer.

Apparently, this was all about the lack of knowledge and and just spending some time learning the basics of golf with a quality golf course…which is what a lot of more modern golfing programs now try to teach, although quality that you find in Golf Instructor Kevin’s program is rare.

Anyway being desperate for a solution, I did my research and looked for a way to calmly learn the basics in a fun and entertaining way. I wasn’t sure what to expect from golf lessons and also wondering will golf lessons improve my game ?

The problem, as I soon found out, was that golf trainers cost a fortune. I’m a busy guy, so finding time to schedule the training sessions (even on weekends) was not always possible.

I also read a lot about types of training equipment that I could use at home, such as golf clubs and putters. Let me tell you, my wife yelled at me for trying to learn golf at home…I can’t imagine how painful it can be for novice golfers trying to learn the game fast.

During my research, I kept coming across an online course called “How To Play Golf | Complete Golf Lessons For Beginners” instructed by Golf Instructor Kevin.

It looked promising to me, as it had all the things I was looking for, such as:

• Well established, • Entertaining, • Educational, • Taught by expert instructor, • Immediate access, • Focuses on golfing relationships (alpha pack) that other courses/ instructors overlook

Therefore, I decided to go ahead and try it out. Some weeks later, and here’s my own review of what this course is all about, as I am sure other people are in that frustrating situation of trying to get started golfing…

I’m going to go over my opinion of whether the course actually works, who I think it’s right for, and of course, whether it’s worth the money.

What To Expect From Golf Lessons For Beginners?

“How To Play Golf | Complete Golf Lessons For Beginners” – is a treasure chest full of secrets to transforming your golf game in a fun and easy way that anyone can do. With “Complete Golf Lessons For Beginners” you’re going to save time, money, and aggravation with learning how to play golf.

You’ll learn to avoid the mistakes and disastrous situations that you’ve been vulnerable to. With “Complete Golf Lessons For Beginners” you will be able to get the most out of your training time and build those important business relationships on the golf course!

The real secret behind Complete Golf Lessons For Beginners is that they employ the increasingly popular method of setting up your swing with the correct positioning, (along with eliminating numerous bad behaviours at the same time).

Essentially, it’s golf training in the fast lane…let’s see if it actually works though, shall we?

First Impressions

As soon as I got my hands on the Complete Golf Lessons For Beginners Course, I immediately realised that there is a lot of information and advice that they’ve crammed in here. It also appears very well laid out and professional looking too.

On first arrival, I was excited to click the play button and then just couldn’t turn it off. I began to notice that they progress through the stages of golf training for beginners in a pretty logical manner (from buying the right golf clubs, through to setting up your swing, making winning putts, through to the hands on training sections).

This is great for me, as I like to follow a path of progress, rather than pick and scrape information all the time.

However, I would say that the course is perhaps a little overwhelming at first (I kept thinking – am I going to have time to do all this, and will I understand it all?)

Then it occurred to me, I can watch this again and again, and go straight from beginner to intermediate. The more times I view this course, the better my golf game seems to get.

What’s This Course All About?

This beginners golf course will get you started playing golf impressively, right from your first tee off. Learn all about the important rules of golf, and how best to approach the golf course when beginning. This isn’t just a fun and enjoyable sport: in business, golf is a fantastic method to meet and speak with customers and collaborators. You may be missing out on a great number of associations, if you don’t feel sufficiently good to go out on the golf course. These Complete Golf Lessons For Beginners will help you solve this problem. You’ll learn all that you need to know to start enjoying the game. The journey that you begin here with these golf lessons for beginners can be enjoyed for a lifetime. This is because golf is favorite of everyone from students to business people, amateurs to professional golfer, and also a favorite recreational activity during retirement.

What Will I Learn?

In this course, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to play golf including how to swing a golf club, hitting the golf ball, how to putt effectively, what type of golf equipment you need, plus much more. This course is just packed with fun and exciting content on golf. Almost 2 hours of step-by-step lessons on everything you need to get started on the golf course. Golf Instructor Kevin also analyzes how conditions of the golf course can affect your game. And he describes some benefits of becoming a member of your local golf country club. Overall, these are golf lessons for beginners that you just don’t want to miss out on. Travel around the golf courses with your friendly instructor in these awesome golf lessons for beginners, and you’ll soon learn all the best tips and techniques for how to play golf. The instruction provided during the golf lessons are presented in a fun and easy way that makes learning enjoyable for all students. This is the complete golf course for beginner to Intermediate. Get started today becoming the best golf player that you can be.

Yeah, But Does It Work?

As I started viewing the onine video guide, I found that the first few sections are pretty straight forward stuff that seems more aimed at new golfers, but a few useful tips to do with choosing the right golf clubs for your needs/lifestyle.

Secondly, there is plenty of extensive start up advice for choosing the right clubs and what to look for when choosing golf sets (some info is pretty useful, and there’s also a lot of great tips that I didn’t know (they also cover all the different types of golf club types so you know what to look for specifically)

Also, as I got deeper into the later parts of the online course, I noticed that there were some great tips on preparing to bring your game to the next level for a new golfer, but again, mostly useful if you’re at that stage of moving up from intermediate to almost expert.

What I loved about this online course and what clearly took effect immediately after applying, were the sections on “Adding Finesse To Your Game”. This section seemed to be the most powerful in creating a bond, trust and respect between you and your golf friends, clients and business partners on the golf course.

The training material is generally spot on, although a little brief in parts, but they do a great job overall of explaining the psychology behind golf, as well as giving step by step exercises to use to take control of the problems (from setting up your swing to hitting the golf ball effectively, it’s all here).

Finally, it’s easy to see that the training and care of your golf game can be accomplished with this course, providing you put in the time and effort…

Why do I think this? Well, because the techniques and approaches covered in the online video guide are modern, effective and just seem to make sense when you try them on the golf course.

What Are The Details?

Who Is It Right For?

After using this online video course for a while now, I can confidently say that this is ideal for beginners to intermediate golfers, or people looking to get started with golfing.

Also, anyone with serious golfing issues that need urgent attention would find this online video course extremely helpful in resolving the immediate problems and building stronger relationships on the golf course with proper etiquette and finesse. This will undoubtedly help you in business and in life.

I would also say this is even better suited for people looking for an all in one online guide to getting started with golfing, as the course seems to cover all these aspects in more than enough detail.

However with all this being said, you will still need to be committed to learning and be able to put some time aside to apply what you’ll learn (and a little patience too, as some of the techniques take up to 3 weeks to complete!) Now you know what to expect from Golf Lessons For Beginners. By the end of this course, you’ll know how to golf and impress your business partners on the golf course too! Make it a great Golf Day!

[jamesandanna12]

Bogota (Colombia) to Miami (USA) - 20-27 July 2017

After a lovely time seeing our families, we flew back to Bogota. We were very excited to resume our trip! After a long flight we were back in our usual friendly hotel in Bogota by 11pm. After a few hours of sleep, we were back in the shipping agent's office at 8am the following morning. She warned us that clearing the bikes through customs would take the whole day - up to 11pm!!! We weren't looking forward to such a long day but didn't have much choice. We put all our luggage and bike clothing in her car and travelled to the warehouse.  The bikes were waiting for us 😀

We put all the luggage on the bikes, put on our safety gear and followed Veronica on our bikes as she negotiated Bogota's horrible traffic in the comfort of her car. We couldn't lose her, so rode a little faster than usual but hey ho, we were safe. Eventually after about 45 minutes we got to the correct part of the airport. We were met by Veronica's colleague, Libardo, who had the required "airside clearance" and was our agent from then on. Lovely man! He went from one window to the next whilst we waited outside ☺

Our mileage whilst in South America!! 20,045km! 👏👏👏

This was it - our bikes were in the process of being shipped to the US... It felt very strange knowing that we were "finished" with South America. For now... 😉

We weren't allowed to take any photos whilst inside the airport. The clearance process took a while but nowhere near as long as we expected! We were finished by 3.30pm! The most amazing thing was that the Customs didn't even want to look at our bikes! We were shipping them FROM Colombia to Miami! Incredible! 😉 Libardo said that this never happens. We were lucky as this particular part of the process takes at least two and a half hours! Result! 😀

Libardo was fabulous! We were very grateful for his help! 

We taxied back to our hotel, packed the remaining bits and pieces and went out for a last dinner in our favourite Thai restaurant. We walked back looking at the lovely hills of Bogota wondering how/if we will like the US... 

We got up very early the following morning, took a taxi back to the airport and queued again for hours to get through security. I (Anna) was pulled out for the enhanced security check. I hadn't had my coffee at that stage yet so must have looked quite rough haha! 😂😉😋

Our flight was on time but had no entertainment - there was an issue with the screens. I love my movies on the plane 😞 Anyway, it was a good opportunity to read about the US and the places we might want to visit. We were a little sad leaving South America - traveling there was hard work but also very rewarding. Thank God I learnt to ride a bike - we got to see such great places and leave with wonderful memories!  😊

We booked four nights in an airport hotel in Miami - we had a three day window in which the bikes would arrive so needed to "hang around". I found a nice hotel with a lovely pool. So after checking in... Straight to the pool 😀

It was very strange to be back in an English speaking country! Suddenly everything was so easy! 😉 We really have to improve our Spanish further!

Veronica told us that the bikes weren't going to fly the following morning so we were free to go to the beach 👏 One of the requirements for choosing a hotel near Miami airport was a free airport shuttle - it worked like clockwork every hour on the hour. Once in the airport, we walked for about 20 minutes through the airport to the shuttle buses to Miami beach. Given that we were potentially going to do that quite a few times waiting for our bikes to arrive, it saved us quite a lot of money on multiple long taxi rides to Miami Beach. It just took a while to get to the beach 😉 

As we caught the first glimpse of South beach we saw a large group of people gathering on the edge. We got closer and saw an alligator! 

A slightly unnerving welcome to Miami beach! 😉

There were two rangers trying to catch the alligator... We watched their entertainingly unsuccessful attempts for nearly an hour. Eventually, with the help of a few beachgoers, they caught it!

It was incredible to see. There were people swimming a few metres from where we were. 

A very interesting start to our time in Miami! 😉 

We went for a swim and it was bliss! The water was amazing!!!! 

Some hours later we went for a walk. The weather was great but very, very hot! 

We needed a little air-conditioning... It was about 40 degrees Celsius! We found a little fresh fruit smoothie shop 😊.  Constant cooling required!

We took the shuttle bus back to the airport - it took twice as long as earlier in the day but we had no pressing engagements so it didn't bother us too much 😉 We got an email from the shipping company - our bikes wouldn't be flying the following day either... 

So... In the morning we made the same journey back to the beach 😁

We swam again for hours! Happy days! 😊😊 I have to say... I wasn't terribly upset that the bikes weren't yet in the US 😉

Walking around the Art Deco area of Miami beach was very enjoyable.

We got back to our hotel and there was no message from the shipping company... Technically the bikes were supposed to arrive the following morning. We emailed Veronica and unfortunately there was a day's delay... So we extended our hotel by an extra day and...

Went back to the beach in the morning! 😁 What else would we be doing?!! 😁

Whilst at the beach, we got a text from Veronica saying our bikes would be in Miami overnight and ready for collection from 10am the following morning! We had a great time at the beach but were now very happy to resume our trip 👏

We reached the airport early, found the correct part of the (huge) cargo terminal, filled in some paperwork, paid some money and waited to be allowed into the warehouse.

After a few minutes we were in! So straightforward.

We could see our bikes on a pallet that had been removed from a 747 cargo hold a few hours earlier ☺

As we got closer we noticed that one bike was leaning on the other! 😱😱 Really not what you want to see! They had obviously moved in transit.

We were anxious to see any damage... 

But thankfully, after closer inspection, the bikes were fine! But that's only thanks to the fact that we had used soft luggage on the bikes! If we'd had aluminium boxes on the bikes, the sides and indicators would have been significantly damaged. Phew! That was lucky!

The airport staff were friendly and helpful.  Before long, we had our beasts back! 😍

We were free to go after a couple of hours all in all - unbelievable! In South America this process would have taken a very long day. We were very happy!

It looked like it was going to pour rain so we rode back to our hotel quite quickly, our first miles in North America. 

After unloading the luggage, we had the difficult job of repacking everything! Oh the horror! 😬 The swimming pool helped to ease the pain 😉

Before long we were ready to go! Miami was hot! It was lovely to be by the beach but with bikes ready to go, we needed to move on to cooler places with a lot less tourists!

[ernmark]

Some more of the Human!Arum plotline. About half as long as I intended it to be, because of reasons. At least I’ve got the next section thoroughly outlined.

And because I forgot when I posted this-- a lot of what happens is largely a response to this pic by @disasterscenario

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Damien wakes just before dawn to the sounds of morning birds and buzzing insects and a faint snoring coming from the cot beside his. The air is perfumed by a hundred herbs and spices drying from the ceiling– beautifully aromatic on its own merit, and all the more so because it reminds him so much of Rilla. She’s in the next room, mumbling nonsense in her sleep– from the sound of it, she’s still poring over the books in her dreams; last night he had to pry her off them and shepherd her into bed when she was too tired to see straight. Lord Arum is closer, his hair endearingly disheveled, one leg thrown over the side of the bed.

He climbs out of bed, careful not to make a sound that might wake Lord Arum.

He’s always loved the earliest part of morning, when all is quiet and the world is still half caught in a dream. There’s a peace in this hour that he can find at no other time of day– and here, so far away from the bustle at the heart of the Citadel and the other knights rising for their duties, so close to two people he holds so dear, it seems particularly holy.

He would keep this moment forever if he could.

He secures the perimeter, checking and then double checking for signs of intruders, human or otherwise, but the cottage is undisturbed. He draws buckets of cold, fresh water from the well and leaves them where Rilla will find them, though he takes enough to wash up.

He could wash the dishes or chop the firewood out back into something more manageable, but either one would risk waking the other sleepers, and he would rather let them rest.

There isn’t much to do after that. This is officially guard duty, after all, inasmuch as Rilla will allow him to guard her, and that always entails a certain amount of standing around and waiting. All he really can do is remain alert and prepared to fend off any attacks that might come their way, and to that end, he finds a clear patch of ground beside the garden to practice his forms.

It occurs to him that he doesn’t have a change of clothes– or rather, that he does, but they’re meant for Lord Arum’s use– and that any sweat he works up will likely linger in the fabric once the day’s humidity sets in. Shrugging, he takes off his shirt and sets it aside. After all, nobody else is awake to see him.

The martial forms are meant to loosen his muscle and reinforce his technique in preparation for combat, but he’s drilled them so often that he could trace the steps in his sleep. The motions are slow and flowing, with a rhythm to them like the beat of waves on the shore. He’s so caught up in the ritual of it all that he almost doesn’t hear the sound of bare feet approaching the garden.

When he looks up, Lord Arum is watching him with interest. His oversized garment has given up on staying in place; now it’s hanging off one shoulder, leaving quite a bit of his chest bare.

Damien freezes, suddenly self-conscious. He must look ridiculous, pacing around half naked like this.

“By all means,” Lord Arum says. “Don’t stop on my account.”

Damien clears his throat. “I hope I didn’t wake you.” He should… retrieve his shirt. Yes. That would be best. Even though that would take him even closer to his audience.

He can feel Lord Arum’s eyes on him, taking in every detail.

“You have more scars than I expected,” he observes.

“Oh. Well. Yes.” Damien fights another surge of self-consciousness.  “That is the lot of a knight.”

“And every one marks a victory.” Lord Arum steps forward, and suddenly he’s in Damien’s space. He barely has to reach out to touch the newest scar on Damien’s arm, the one that's still fresh from the duel on Saint Damien’s night. “All except this one.”

Damien’s heart skips a beat, and then several. He should probably stop this– wash up or put a shirt on or remove himself from this conversation– but he seems to have forgotten how to talk. Lord Arum is so very, very close.

“I gave you this scar,” he murmurs, articulating the words an odd significance, like ritual. Like prayer. “I tasted your blood. I took you inside me. I have a claim on you, honeysuckle, by the most ancient laws of my kind.”

This isn’t like before, when Damien could shroud himself with the strictures of duty. He’s vulnerable here, exposed, and it frightens him a little. Surely that’s why he’s so dizzy. Surely that’s why his heart is pounding.

“I–” His mouth is dry. He would speak his heart if he knew how to put it into words. “I brought you clothes.”

It’s hardly his most graceful exit.

He tries to take the opportunity to compose himself, but his face is still burning by the time he returns.

“Here,” he says, pushing a shirt and trousers into Lord Arum’s hands. “That should fit a little more comfortably.”

Lord Arum holds it up, examining it with a careful eye– and then a careful nose. “It smells like you.”

Damien swallows. “Yes. Well. They’re my clothes.” Is that bad? Should he have washed his laundry more carefully?

But Lord Arum presses his face into the fabric again, inhaling deeply, and the sight of it puts even more indecent thoughts into Damien’s head, and he needs to stop that immediately.

“I should give you--” He swallows. “Some privacy.” That is not the way that sentence wants to end, despite his best efforts. “To change. I’ll-- I’ll just be checking the perimeter, shall I?” 

He’s halfway through his circuit around the cottage before he remembers how to breathe properly.

“Saint Damien,” he whispers under his breath, halfway between prayer and blasphemy. “Does he have any idea-- no, of course not. He’s just... unaccustomed to... to all of this. Some difference in-- in custom, or understanding, or--”

I tasted your blood. I took you inside me.

And if Damien hadn’t left when he did, he suspects he would have returned the gesture. The thought horrifies him-- and worse, he can’t decide whether he’s more upset for having left or for wanting to stay.

He stops by a well, hauling up a bucket of cold fresh water just so he can splash it in his face. It’s almost shocking against his still-flushed skin, but it helps bring him back down to reality.

Lord Arum has been transformed against his will, and so has the Queen. Getting flustered and distracted won’t help either of them.

Renewed in his determination, he turns to go back to the cottage-- and immediately his hand flies to his bow. Footsteps are approaching.

“Who goes there?” he demands.

“Sir Damien?” A man in armor steps around a copse of trees and into plain sight, his armor clattering as he walks. “Fancy seeing you here. I thought you were meant to be on guard duty.”

“Sir Caleb,” he returns carefully.

“You don’t have to be all tense,” Sir Caleb says. “I’m here on the Queen’s orders. I’m to relieve you of duty.”

“That won’t be necessary.” The words spill out too fast to sound natural. “I’ve got this under control. I’m sure your energy would be better spent elsewhere.”

Sir Caleb laughs, giving him a friendly slap on the back. “No need to be so protective, Sir Damien. I remember what your fiance did to the last man who tried to flirt with her uninvited. I’d rather skip the nightmares, if it’s all the same to you. I’ll keep my guarding to the outdoors, where it’s safe.”

“Thank you, Sir Caleb,” Damien says. “That does put my mind at ease.” He clears his throat. “I’ll inform her you’ll be here.”

“If you must, but you should hurry. The Queen instructed that you were to report to her immediately.”