#wine cooler bag target

[nickgerlich]

Foreign Matter

It is no secret that my favorite grocery store is Trader Joe’s. Sure, Whole Foods comes in a close second, but TJ’s is just my vibe. I love the laid back atmosphere, free of pretense and full of happy, adventurous shopping. They’re keen to keep bringing in foods and spices that most other groceries would never touch.

Unfortunately, we will probably never have one here in Amarillo. While they continue to add new stores (there are currently 564 stores in 43 states), they have their standards, tending to open in educated, upper-middle-class neighborhoods. We just don’t have enough people here who fit that demo.

So, whenever I travel, I go prepared with a huge cooler and a stack of Trader Joe’s reusable shopping bags. If Dallas, Albuquerque, or Oklahoma City are on my return trip, then I stop for a major shopping expedition. Believe me, I am not the only one. Many TJ’s fans who live in places that will never have one are just like me, and TJ’s knows it. Why add too many stores when people are willing to go to this extreme just to patronize you?

Trader Joe’s has been around since 1967 in Pasadena California. It was purchased by Aldi Nord (“North”) in 1979. And if you recognize that name, you should. It’s just that the Aldi stores we see in the US (which admittedly have many similarities, but different price points and target market) are owned by Aldi Sud (“South”). Both are German companies, and were once one big company until a rift developed between the brothers who owned it. They split into two at that point, so at best we can say that TJ’s and Aldi are cousins.

Given my love affair with TJ’s, it should come as no surprise that I have been known to include them in essay exam questions (wink wink, nudge nudge), incorporating their very cool podcast and other materials. This is a company that does exceptionally little advertising, adamantly refuses to allow online shopping, and will never have self-check lanes. It’s all about the shopping experience, and for this marketing prof, a company that is rich with marketing lessons.

But all has not been well with TJ’s this summer, because they have suffered through five product recalls. And they are odd ones, ranging from items that “may contain” rocks, insects, and metal. Ouch. Once that kind of news hits the airwaves and social media, it can become a public relations nightmare.

Roughly 85% of TJ’s items are private-label goods, meaning they are manufactured and packaged under contract by a different company. TJ’s doesn’t make anything; they just authorize its manufacture and labeling. It’s a challenge to find other-branded items in the store outside of the beer and wine section. It is these external providers who are the ones with quality control issues.

And yet TJ’s bears the brunt of the messaging, as well as responsibility for controlling the flow of response. That’s no small task.

None of these recalls is going to keep me from shopping at Trader Joe’s, but they might deter others, especially those who may not be quite so loyal as I am. Let’s face it, recalls are a black eye, whether you are at fault or not. How you handle that recall will help define your future. It starts with pulling all of the items that “may contain” said foreign matter, and then allowing for no-questions-asked refunds.

That’s only the beginning though. How do you begin to assure shoppers that they will be safe shopping there? Remember, we’re talking about food, something we put in our mouths. And what we put in our mouths is sacred. I liken meal preparation and eating to a spiritual experience. That is perfectly consistent with the religious training I received as a youth, that our bodies are temples and to be respected as such. Now why would I want to risk ingesting rocks, insects, and metal?

Given that TJ’s only uses Pinterest and Instagram on social media, along with their podcast and printed newsletter called The Fearless Flyer, they do not have many channels of communication. It’s so much easier when you leverage all of the socials, because you can broadcast to millions with a few clicks and taps.

In fact, TJ’s presence on Insta is predominantly fan pages that get as much traction as the corporate page, with people reviewing new products, offering recipe advice, and the like. That’s all great in terms of free word-of-mouth, but Trader Joe’s never gets to take the microphone on those pages, only their own.

Lastly, TJ’s could consider finding new vendors for some of its private label products, especially if a track record of recalls were to be established. Even still, this is no small task, because extensive vetting must then be completed. Existing vendors were chosen after thorough product testing in the first place.

I’ll be watching, TJ’s. You’re not at risk of losing me, but you cannot ignore these matters. Five black eyes in a little more than a month is a bad look. Here’s to righting this ship and sailing boldly into the future.

Dr “I Want To Work At TJ’s After I Retire” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[jackrileycomau1]

wine gift bag

fill the bag halfway with boiling water (gets more soap out). Rinse the bag thoroughly, ensuring that all of the soap suds are removed (if in doubt, taste the water; it should no longer taste like wine or soap). Fill the bag with hot water once it has been cleaned. Replace the valve and squeeze the bag.

Go https://bit.ly/3FX0f7U

#winebottlecooler #winebottle #giftwine #NewYear2022 #winecooler #winetasting

[jackrileysblog]

Is it true that having a wine cooler helps?

What makes a refrigerator, a wine cooler, and a beverage cooler different? A wine cooler is set to a higher temperature range than a refrigerator or beverage cooler since wine should not be kept as cold as other beverages. On average, a wine cooler will not provide temperatures below 46°F.

Go https://bit.ly/3u2hCgO

#winebottlecooler #winebottle #giftwine #winelover #winecooler #winetasting

[barrygeuse]

before i took a nap yesterday i was thinkin' about the maitland-deetz family going to a public pool together so you know i have to indulge

charles:

he's the typical beach dad (especially with adam dannheisser in mind)

this doesn't entirely translate to the pool (and the beach trip is a post for another day) but he still fits right in

black swim trunks and an unbuttoned, floral hawaiian shirt. i'm picturing something middle-toned blue

CHUNKY DAD SUNGLASSES

shirt comes off when he gets into the pool

would be the one to cannonball hard enough that there's a genuine splash zone. everyone knows to not sit by the deep end if you don't want to be splashed when someone prompts a cannonball contest

is the one that brings his wallet so that the family can get snacks from the snack bar

beetlejuice is limited to a single choco taco per pool trip. he cannot have more than one. this is a charles-instilled rule

delia:

you WILL hear her shrieking about not getting her hair wet

wildly patterned one-piece suit (this style for example, but not this pattern). something black and white or purple or both

she'll get in the pool if lydia bugs her enough about it, but she's usually laying around tanning on the chairs for most of the day

brings wine coolers in a tiny cooler that she fits in one of their beach bags and sips them when they lifeguards aren't looking

sometimes she and barbara will get up early and make margaritas before they all head over so they can sit together and talk and drink a little

always forgets to put sunscreen on before they get there and then the kids (bj and lydia.) pretend to retch while charles helps her put it on. barbara has to stifle her laughter at it

adam:

stupid flower patterned swim trunks and a nylon swim shirt

takes no convincing at all to get him in the water. loves being in the pool and messing around with lydia (it's the dad instinct!)

if barbara's taking some time in the pool, charles will get lydia onto his shoulders and they'll play chicken. delia refuses to ever take part in this game

gets the silly water toys from the storeroom and is an absolute menace with them

no one is safe from adam maitland and his water gun. except delia, because he's a little scared she'd snap and maybe attack him

his typical targets are barbara and lydia. lydia engages in War and he loves that. barbara will pretend to be offended and then jump in and splash him a ton before they dissolve into laughter and sweet little kisses

barbara:

absolutely wears something like this. again, not this pattern, though; something green or light blue

big, floppy sun hat. she doesn't even need to wear it she can't get sunburnt but she loves it so much

she also likes the smell of sunscreen, so sometimes she'll put a little on her shoulders just because it's nice for her

spends the majority of her time relaxing next to delia, but will go into the pool if prompted. usually to cool off if she's been in the sun for a while

pulls her hair back but doesn't care too much about getting it wet

is EVIL when it comes to water wars of any sort. probably more devious than lydia. always gets you when you're least expecting it

packs picnic lunches for everybody. cuts fruit and sandwiches into little flower shapes, makes sure everyone keeps hydrated, etc. mom behavior

lydia:

spends the majority of her time in the pool. doesn't much care for being in the sun, but she considers being in the sun in the water an exception

sweet black one piece with ruffles

pool menace. the first amendment protects you from the government not the lydia

especially if you're charles. i like to think that he and emily took her to the pool a lot as a kid

so she feels really close to her mom and to charles whenever they go there. will almost never turn down a family trip to the pool

swims laps sometimes, just for something to do. she took lessons as a kid but never went into any team stuff

splashes beetlejuice. no one else dares do this but he lets her (very, very reluctantly. there's a lot of cursing)

loves the sandwiches that barbara makes. sitting on her warm towel on the concrete eating a sandwich nd then a nutty buddy cone that charles gets for her

beetlejuice:

refuses to so much as touch the water. it would make him Cleaner, god forbid.

this is a good thing, because it would probably contaminate the pool if he went in. everyone would have to get out.

he goes with them just to get an ice cream and cause chaos amongst the other families (limited chaos. charles keeps an eye on him)

is constantly getting yelled at for the lifeguards for running and being loud and going places he shouldn't and climbing on shit

one time he gets forced to go to Baby Child Pool Time Out and lydia will not stop laughing at him

she goes over and taunts him about it and he just seethes. charles is watching to make sure he actually stays there

likes to take pool noodles and whap lydia whenever she gets near to the side of the pool. gets yelled at for this by the lifeguards, too. lydia thinks it's funny and sometimes they fight with them

walks on the hot metal without thinking and goes, "OW!" and then does it again five minutes later

[the-iceni-bitch]

Please do 61 with Ransom.

61) “If you don’t change out of those shorts and into some pants I’ll have them around your ankles by lunch time.”

Hmmm, more OTP for all you lovely hoes! You nonnies just keep lobbing em right at me.

This ended up sparking something in me and I ended up writing a full length fic about more escapades with the asshole bunch.

Tagging my babes @chrissquares @stargazingfangirl18 (I’m targeting you a little with this one Siri cuz lacrosse Ransom is def wearing Fila) @subtlebucky @egcdeath

Quick, dirty, outdoor smut!!! No minors!!!

You and Ransom had decided to meet at the park with the other couples in his little asshole group of friends.

It was finally starting to warm up some, and when the boys had brought up getting out the sticks for some lacrosse you had jumped on it. Ransom didn’t have the balls to tell you it was really just a guy thing, you looked so excited about it.

He parked the beemer at the park entrance and grinned when he saw your Volvo already there. He grabbed his sticks and the cooler full of beer from the trunk and headed towards the field where he saw the rest of you gathered.

He groaned as he drew closer and finally got a good look at you as you waved at him. You looked like a preppy dream in a polo shirt and tiny shorts, a headband around your forehead and knee high socks under your cleats.

“Hey baby!” You said giddily as you ran towards him with your stick slung over your shoulders. “Can you believe I still fit in my high school uniform?”

“I think you’re taking this a little too seriously sweetheart.” He grinned, dropping the cooler and catching you when you jumped into his arms and pressed your lips to his with a satisfied hum.

“Says the man who showed up wearing his letterman’s jacket.” You teased as you hopped down and helped him carry the cooler the rest of the way.

“Yeah? Well if you don’t change out of those shorts and into some pants I’ll have them around your ankles by lunch time.” He purred in your ear as you set down the cooler, wrapping his stick around your back and drawing you close.

“Ha! I’m not playing lacrosse in pants, Hugh!” You said with a shake of your head. “But keep that in mind for later. Can you believe none of the other girls brought sticks?”

“Honey, none of them play lacrosse.” He chided as he watched you stretch.

“Well then what’s the point of... oh goddamn it!” You rolled your eyes as you stood up. “This was supposed to be another boy’s outing where I sit with the other girls and get wine drunk wasn’t it? Don’t answer that! Chauvinist assholes...”

He just chuckled as he watched you mutter to yourself angrily, grabbing your extra sticks and storming off towards the other girls, gesturing wildly as you tried to go over the basics with them.

“So, the girls are playing then?” Dylan asked as he came to stand by Ransom, grabbing an IPA from the cooler and taking a gulp.

“Sure seems that way.” Ran answered as he watched you shove a stick at Lexi and make a throwing motion that she tried to emulate feebly.

“Is this gonna be another day of your girlfriend showing us all up, Drysdale?” Chaz asked as he joined the two of them, chuckling as they tried to figure out exactly what you were trying to instruct the girls on now. “Cuz I don’t think my ego can take it.”

“I dunno what to tell you man.” Ran said with a shrug, grabbing himself a beer and drinking deep. “Quit inviting us to this shit if you don’t want her to hand your ass back to you.”

“Alright douchebags, lets play some lacrosse!” You screamed at them, a massive grin splitting your face.

“I can’t decide if having her on my team or playing against her will be worse.” Logan groaned as the four men walked towards the field apprehensively.

“Alright, should we split this up by couples or what?” Dylan asked as Lexi moved to stand next to him.

“Sounds good to me.” You beamed.

“Great, so Y/N, Ran , Chaz and Brit, you guys can play together and me, Jess, Logan, and Lex will be the other team. Girls play defense.”

“Sounds good.” Ran said fast before you had a chance to start an argument, guiding you away from the center of the field quickly.

“But I play attack, babe.” You whined as he walked next to you and stopped in front of the goal.

“Yeah, I think that you playing attack might be a little too much all at once sweetie.” He said with a shrug as he moved to middle position. “Just channel that frustration babe, you’ll do great!”

You just chewed on your lip as you watched Logan and Chaz grapple for the ball. Logan won out, barreling over Chaz and spinning past Ran like a pro. You smirked as you pivoted towards him, bracing yourself as you charged each other.

He shifted his weight to spin around you and you grinned before full body checking him, ripping the stick out of his hand and helicoptering it out of his grip as you tossed him over your shoulder. You scooped the ball up and lobbed it to Ransom as you sprinted up the field. He passed it back to you when Dylan tried to take him down and you snatched it out of the air before diving around a confused looking Lexi and chucking the ball at the net, grinning when it sailed past Jess for a point.

“Goddamn it!” Dylan groaned as you jogged past him back to your position, giving Ransom a celebratory high five that he followed up with a smack on the ass as he grinned at you.

Logan was still trying to stand up as you returned to your defensive position, glaring at you as he ran a hand through his hair.

“How the fuck was that not a foul?!” He seethed at you.

“A foul?!” You shouted with an air of disdain. “Don’t be a pussy Van Doren! You bring that weak shit to my house and I’m serving it right back to you! Right babe?”

“That’s right babe!” Ran shouted back to you as he shrugged apologetically at Logan when he stalked past him.

The rest of the game went about the same, you hardly let anyone past and Logan flinched so bad every time you got near him it was easy for your team to dominate. Dylan finally called a stop after an hour, he and Logan covered in dirt and bruises from the rough play.

“That’s it, we’re done. I need a fucking drink.” He huffed as he dragged himself off the field, Lexi bouncing next to him excitedly. Apparently, one of the things you had been teaching the girls was how to hit, and she had cracked Chaz and Ransom a couple of times. You grinned and congratulated her and the other girls on a game well played as you moved to grab a porter from the cooler.

“Jesus Christ, Drysdale. That woman is a damn menace.” Logan groaned as he grabbed a bag of ice and pressed it against his ribs.

“Yeah, how the fuck do you keep up with her?” Chaz asked, shaking his head as sipped his lager. “She’s barely sweating.”

“I don’t even know man.” He said with a shrug, gasping for air as he chugged his IPA. “She’s a fucking pistol.”

“Not the word I’d use but whatever.” Logan said, annoyed at you two.

“Shut up, L, you’re just pissed she beat the shit out of you.” Dylan said with a grin. “Where you going, Ran?”

“Gotta take a leak!” Ransom lied as he jerked his head towards the trees suggestively after making eye contact with you.

“Scuse me gals, I gotta help Hugh with something.” You said around a grin after chugging the rest of your beer.

“Jesus, you two will do it anywhere, huh?” Brittney said with an eye roll.

You just shrugged at her as you jogged after Ransom towards the small clutch of pines.

Ransom grabbed you around your waist and swung you off your feet when you reached him, making you squeal before he smashed his lips against yours.

“You were amazing.” He purred as he pressed you up against a tree, running his lips up and down your throat and making you whine.

“Yeah, I’m a fucking legend babe. I told you.” You muttered around a grin. “Did you see those hits I landed?”

“Mmhm, sure did.” He mumbled, nipping at the hollow behind your ear that he knew drove you crazy as his hips ground against you.

“You ever eat a legend’s pussy, Hugh?” You teased, starting to shove his head down between your legs.

“Are you fucking kidding me? Y/N!” He whined as you forced him to his knees. “I was kinda hoping we could both get something out of this.”

“Sorry babe, middle gets whatever attack says they get.” You said with a shrug as you slid your shorts off and hooked your leg over his shoulder. “Make me come with that pretty mouth and maybe I’ll let you get your dick wet.”

“Bitch.” He murmured as he started brushing his lips over your inner thigh, no real malice in his tone as he gazed at you through his lashes.

“That’s right Hugh, I’m the fucking bitch. Now lick it.”

He ran his nose over your clothed core and inhaled deeply before shoving your panties aside. You moaned as he dragged his tongue over your slit, lapping up the evidence of your arousal before swirling his tongue through your folds.

His hands moved under your ass and tilted your hips towards his face, giving him even more access to your dripping heat. Your fingers gripped his hair painfully when he flicked his tongue over your asshole in a quick series of kitten licks before moving it in a heavy stripe back up to your clit.

You had to bite your lip to keep from screaming when he slid a finger inside you, curling it in a come hither motion at the same time he pressed his tongue against your clit. He lashed your bundle of nerves lightly as you writhed against him, your head thumping back against the tree as he slipped in a second finger.

His lips wrapped around your clit as he started fucking you with his digits, curling and twisting them inside you so he hit every spot he knew would drive you absolutely crazy. You felt him grin against you as he shook his head to bury himself deeper in your folds, groaning when he felt you clench around his fingers.

“Fuck, Ransom! I’m so close.” You panted breathlessly, grinding your pussy into his face as you neared the edge.

You felt him slide his pinky into your puckered hole, spearing past the tight ring of muscle until you felt the cool metal of his ring against your entrance and you fucking lost it.

Your thighs tried to crush his skull as you came violently, somehow managing to swallow the shriek that tried to rip out of your chest. He moaned as he ran his tongue over your pussy to collect your release as it ran over his fingers while you clenched and fluttered around him.

“How was that, champ?” He said around a wicked grin once you finally released his head, sliding his hands up your body as he stood up.

“Good... it was good.” You panted as he buried his face in your neck.

“Yeah? Good enough for you to help me out, babe?” He asked, grinding his hips into you to show you how hard he was at the same time he wrenched your polo and sports bra up to expose your breasts.

“I think we can work something out.” You murmured as he palmed your breast with one hand while the other splayed over your ass.

“What did you have in mind, sweetheart?” He hummed as his lips moved over your throat softly.

“Oh, I dunno. Something extra special for my favorite middle.” You purred, pushing him away from you a little bit so you could turn around.

“Fuck, really?” He beamed, running his hand over your ass as he pressed you into the tree.

“Really, you did such a good job, baby, you deserve a reward.” You said as you peeked are him over your shoulder. “Now fuck my ass until I come again, Hugh.”

He chuckled darkly into your hair as he slid his shorts down his legs and drew his cock out of his boxer briefs. You moaned as he ran his length through your slick before he pressed his tip against your pretty hole. The groan he let out as he speared into you made your pussy clench around nothing, fluttering as your body tried to draw him as deep as possible until he was fully sheathed in you and his hips were resting against your ass.

“Shit. Oh my god.” He hissed into your shoulder as he stilled his hips for a beat. “You feel so fucking good, baby.”

“Yeah, I know.” You mumbled as the tree bark scratched at your cheek. “Could you move? I’d like to have another orgasm sometime before noon.”

“So fucking bossy.” He groaned before sliding out of you halfway and slamming back into you, making you yelp.

You moaned as he finally started fucking you, his hips moving at a vicious pace as he bounced you against the tree. He wrapped a hand around your throat and squeezed lightly as he drew you back against his chest.

“Love when you let me fuck your ass, baby.” He growled in your ear as his hips slapped against your cheeks, making you mewl as slick started leaking down your thighs from your aching pussy. “Love how wet you get and how you strangle my cock. You want my fingers in that tight little pussy?”

“Yeah.” You whined as he teased his fingers over your clit. “Need you in my pussy so bad Ran, I’m gonna come.”

He sucked your earlobe between his teeth and spanked your pussy before shoving three fingers inside you as you came with a shriek, your body arching against him as you spasmed uncontrollably.

“Jesus, you’re squeezing me so good.” He groaned as you came down, sobbing with pleasure and sagging against him. “I’m gonna fill this ass up.”

You felt his cock throbbing inside you at the same time he twisted his fingers and you screamed, your release gushing out of you and soaking his thighs as he filled you with his spend, pressing you against the tree and sinking his teeth into your shoulder as his hips jerked. He groaned into your hair as he shoved his cum deep inside you and pulled his fingers from your swollen cunt.

“Holy fuck.” He mumbled into your hair before sucking his fingers into his mouth and groaning at your taste.

“Yeah.” You murmured as you yanked your bra and shirt back down and pulled your panties back into place before bending over to slide your shorts back on. “You should’ve lettered in that.”

——————————————————————————

A/N: Not just regular assholes, preppy jock assholes!!!

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

By Your Doorstep (Part 7)

Summary: The reader spends her first Thanksgiving with Dean and his friends and she and Dean grow closer as a couple. But things change when a knock on the door happens one night...

Pairing: Doctor/Neighbor!Dean x reader

Masterlist

Word Count: 5,600ish

Warnings: language, bad parenting, past child abuse, violence, blackmail

A/N: Parts of this series are told from two different POV’s. Dean’s POV are written from limited third person. Reader’s POV are second person (like a typical reader insert). Enjoy!…

_________

Reader’s POV

Two Days Later

“We’re here!” called Dean as you followed him inside of his friend’s Donna and Benny’s house. Sam helped Toast navigate the cluster of shoes by the door as Tessa stepped in. 

“About time you Winchesters got here,” said a man poking his head out from down a hall. “Hey, somebody’s looking better.”

“Are you that firefighter?” asked Tessa.

“At your service,” he said as he walked over. “Benjamin Laffetite. My friends call me Benny.”

“Aw, he is like a big teddy bear, Dean,” you said. Benny gave Dean a side eye but smiled. “Nice to meet you in person. We missed you at the last party Dean had.”

“Likewise. Me and the missus were out of town. Come on ladies. Let these two handle the bags,” he said as Toast ran up and sniffed him. “Well aren’t you adorable? What’s your name?”

“Toast. He’s my service dog. Kinda,” said Tessa.

“We’ll save him a slice of turkey,” said Benny as he pet him. “Hey you single kid?”

“Benny,” said Dean with a sigh.

“Jack’s here,” said Benny before he turned the two of you. “He’s our buddy Cas’ little cousin. 18. Freshman at Elmdale. He’s got that whole sweetly naive innocent thing going on for him.”

“Benny!” said a young looking guy in a hoodie standing at the entrance to the kitchen.

“Speak of the devil. Hey, Jackie, come say hi to this chick out of your league. Give you some practice talking to girls,” said Benny with a smirk.

“Hi. He’s an ass,” said Jack before Toast wandered over to him. “This your dog?”

“Yeah,” she said as Toast started to lick him. “He likes you.”

She gave you a look and you waved for her to take off, Benny chuckling to himself.

“Always gotta harass the kids, don’t you, Benny,” said Dean. The boys exchanged quick hugs and Benny let out a big laugh.

“Well since Sammy got big enough to beat me up I had to pick easier targets,” said Benny. He gave you a smile and threw his arm over your shoulders. “I got this one boys.”

“Benny…” said Dean as Benny walked off with you. “Play nice.”

“Don’t I always?” he said. He showed you into a kitchen and stopped next to a blonde working over the stove. “Y/N this is my lovely gal, Donna. Deano set us up a few years back.”

“Oh you’re adorable,” she said, ditching a spoon in a pot before giving you a big hug.

“She’s a hugger,” said Benny as he took over the stove.

“We haven’t seen Dean in months. We were starting to think he fell off the face of the earth,” she said.

“Sorry. We uh, we’ve been busy with a lot lately,” you said, getting an eye roll from her.

“Don’t apologize. He is head over heels for you,” she said. “But I will fuck you up if you hurt him, okay?”

“Permission granted,” you said.

“Donna, she’s almost kicked ass for me before,” said Dean as he and Sam carried in two casserole dishes.

“Then she doesn’t have to worry, does she? So you a beer or wine kinda gal?” she asked.

“She likes bourbon,” said Cas as he walked in with a plate full of bugles held strangely close to his face.

“Why are you so weird buddy?” chuckled Dean, slapping Cas on the back. “Everybody else knows Y/N and Tessa for the most part.”

“I’ll take a beer for now,” you said. You followed Dean into the garage and grabbed a bottle from the cooler, a goofy smile crossing his face. “What?”

“I’m really happy you’re here is all,” he said. You set the beer down on the cooler and wrapped your arms over his shoulders, smiling back at him. 

“I really like when you’re happy.” He blushed a little as your nose grazed his. His eyes kept lock with yours though and you smiled as you saw the creases near them from his own. “I think I might be falling for you or something Winchester.”

“Fancy that. I could say the exact same,” he said. “The deranged woman shouting toast in the neighborhood.”

“The man who fell on his ass on my front porch,” you said. He giggled and you immediately kissed him, Dean pulling you flush against himself. “That just might be the best sound I’ve ever heard in my life.”

He grinned and you both heard the door open, Tessa coming out and digging around in a cooler for a soda. She looked a little tired as you picked up your and Dean’s beers, Dean ruffling her head slightly. She shut her eyes and you both smiled.

“You’re still recovering. Take it easy if you need to,” he said. 

“I know,” she hummed. She straightened up when Jack came out to get a drink, Tessa ducking back inside where it was warmer. 

“Jack,” said Dean with a whistle. “Why don’t you and Tessa go sit down and watch some football? Something easy going.”

“She likes football?” he asked.

“She got sick a few days ago and needs some rest is all,” you said. “But you don’t have to-”

“No that’s totally cool,” he said with a smile. 

“She is out of your league, Jack. Also in highschool,” said Dean. Jack held up his hands and Dean chuckled as he walked out. “Don’t worry about him. He’s the sweetest kid I’ve ever met.”

“Cas always brags about him. I figured he wouldn’t be like, an asshole,” you said. “So he’s like Cas’ nephew, right?”

“Technically, yes. Legally, he’s his kid. Cas’ whole family is full of nutjobs. Jack’s dad isn’t a great guy. Cas took custody of Jack about two years ago.”

“You ever talk to him about...taking charge before you’re ready?”

“Cas was twenty nine with a very good job and house and security and Jack was seventeen. They’re more like brothers I guess. Cas is one of my best friends but he doesn’t...get it. His parents help a lot. I know you know the difference.”

“I do,” you said. You gave him another kiss and slipped back inside with him, a woman you didn’t recognize giving you a smile as she popped into the garage. “You know her?”

“Must be a friend of Donna’s,” he said as he took your hand. “You’re all chilly. Let’s get you warmed up, sweetheart.”

“I’m officially stuffed,” said Dean that night back at home after his fifth slice of pie that day. He was in his onesie and you’d slipped into your gray one, Dean hopping over the back of the couch and pulling you into his side. 

Tessa hummed as she skipped downstairs sporting a pink and white one, Sam sighing loudly as Toast trotted down the steps.

“Sammy, you look cute!” called Tessa. She sounded a little too pleased with herself and Dean gave her a fist bump just as Sam walked around the corner. His was black and he had the hood up, a pout on his face.

“Aw, he’s adorable,” you said.

“I hate you. All of you,” said Sam as he stretched out on the other end of the wrap around.

“Sam, share,” said Tessa. He smirked and flipped her as he pulled her down, Tessa yelping but letting out a few giggles. He sat back and she leaned back against him, leaving enough room for Toast to use his pillow on the floor to hop up onto the end.

“Alright, now that everyone’s settled, let’s watch some football,” said Dean.

About an hour later Tessa was passed out on top of Sam, Sam breathing softly as he slept as well. You looked at Dean to find he was watching them too, a silly look on his face.

“We should do onesies for Christmas Eve too,” you said.

“Definitely. This was the best thanksgiving I think Sammy and me have ever had.”

“Really?”

“I got my girl. I got my little sis and brother. Got my dog. Sammy really liked that Eileen girl he met today. This is definitely up there as one of the best days ever,” he said.

“You know how earlier I said I was falling for you?” you smirked.

“Oh yes. That was a highlight of the day,” he chuckled quietly. 

“Looking over at those two, this is the first time she’s not cried on a holiday in years. She had a really good day and I don’t feel like I’m fucking this up as much as I was anymore and I know it’s because of you.”

“Oh I’m doing this all for entirely selfish reasons,” he said, kissing the tip of your nose. “Very selfish.”

“Oh yeah?” you asked, resting your head on his shoulder with a smile. 

“I’ve only ever let one person in, all that way down to the shit deep down there. I love my friends and I’d do anything for them. I’d give ‘em a kidney if they needed it. But it was only ever Sam my whole life that got all the way in. Lately though, there’s this girl and she’s making me rethink some things and for the first time in my life, I let somebody else in and it feels terrifying but I’m happy in a way I didn’t think I’d have. She’s making me a better person and I feel so good and I am going to keep being incredibly selfish about that.”

He tilted his head down as you leaned up, meeting him for a kiss. It was soft and lingered, Dean cupping your cheek. You moved and he went with it, slow and lazy, laying back and enjoying a playful game. Something swelled up inside of you and burst open, a moment of pause as you took a breath. Tears prickled the corners of your eyes and you tried to look away before Dean saw but he was still holding your face, big green eyes locking onto yours.

“What’s wrong?” he asked quietly, wiping away the sticky droplets.

“Nothing,” you said, shaking your head. “I’m happy. I’m so happy right now I don’t understand.”

“You let me in,” he said gently. “Way down you let me in just now, didn’t you.”

“I don’t understand why I’m crying,” you said.

“Because the last people you let in there, it broke your heart when you lost them,” he said. “Don’t be scared of losing me. I’m not going anywhere.”

You nodded and put your palm against his chest, Dean wiping off your face. His heart thumped along evenly, strong and steady. He nodded and he turned off the TV, carrying you up to bed. He sat you down and lay down beside you, stroking your cheek with his thumb.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Not really,” you said. He propped himself up on his elbow and you rolled over to meet him. 

“Sweetheart you can’t go around living scared of people dying on you. It’s-”

“It’s not that,” you said. “I just...can I ask an unaskable favor?”

“What?”

“If something happened to me, would you help take care of Tessa, until she’s ready to be on her own?” you asked.

“Why do you think something-”

“Dean could you just…” you said before he nodded.

“If anything ever happened, Tessa will always have us,” he said. “I swear.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t have to thank me for that,” he said. He stroked your cheek again and offered a soft smile. “Is there something you’re not telling me sweetheart?”

“The last boyfriend I had I was twenty three. I’d been with him for three years. I thought he was gonna be the one, you know?” 

“What happened?” he asked quietly, still tracing over your skin.

“He moved away after school for a job. It was working until it wasn’t. It was amicable. I still...never quite got over him I suppose. After the accident, he reached out to make sure I was doing okay. I really wasn’t but he was coming into town to see his parents anyways so he stopped over. I thought he cared, maybe I could let the wall down a little and it’d be okay. But he was so rude to her. She was in a real bad place at first and he just...was a dick and I got over him like that for good. But you, and Sam, I feel like, you’re the kind of the people that...if I dropped dead this second you’d be over her house ten years from now helping her put up a shelf or you’d take her out for drinks or something and the fact that she has people she can depend on and I don’t have to worry about her as much...it just kinda hit me tonight, you know?”

“I do. You have people you can depend on too,” he said. You leaned over and kissed him, Dean sliding his hand to the back of your head. “It gets easier. I promise it does.”

“I know,” you said.

“Let’s have a little quiet day at home tomorrow. Maybe we can put up the tree,” he said. “That sound fun?”

“Sounds perfect Dean.”

Two Weeks Later

“Tessa,” you said as she zipped up her winter jacket in the foyer. 

“Y/N. I’m going over Jack’s to play video games, I swear,” she said. “I’m pretty sure Cas and Kelly will be home anyways.”

“Your shirt’s on backwards, doofus,” teased Dean from the couch. She huffed and took off her jacket, fixing it as Sam jogged down the stairs in a suit.

“Hot date tonight, Sammy?” she teased.

“At least I know how to dress myself,” he shot back. “Ready to go?”

“Mhm,” she said. She put her jacket back on and hooked up Toast’s leash the two of them heading out.

“You think she’s actually going over to play video games or make out with him?” asked Dean.

“Both?” you laughed.

“Not bad plans if I say so myself,” he said, pulling you into his lap. The doorbell rang and he groaned. “Stay put. We have a makeout session to get to.”

He hopped up and went over to the door, immediately shutting it.

“Something wrong?” you asked as he walked back. He shook his head, the doorbell ringing again, you got up and went to the door, hearing Sam talking loudly outside with someone. You peeked the door open and saw a man on the front porch, Sam rolling his eyes and walking away from a woman. He got in the car and drove off with Tessa, the man giving you a look. “Can I help you?”

“We’d like to speak to Dean,” he said.

“Who are you?” you asked.

“His father,” he said, pushing the door open wide. “Who are you?”

“His girlfriend,” you said, stepping in front of him with crossed arms. “I don’t recall inviting you into my home.”

“Leave. Both of you,” said Dean as they both stepped into the foyer. “I said-”

“We want to speak to you. In private,” he said.

“I don’t think-” you got out before he got in your face and glared down at you. You swallowed. He was as big as Dean but there was something off to him.

“Dean. Private,” said his father. 

“Y/N, go upstairs. Please,” said Dean. You sighed but went up, hanging around the balcony to try and overhear them in the family room below. “What the fuck are you two shitheads doing at my house?”

There was a thud and you froze, listening for more.

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?” said Dean, his voice slightly off.

“You know how this works.”

“Why don’t you get a job lazy ass? Oh wait. You get fired for being drunk at yours?” said Dean. There was another thud and you took out your phone, trying to record whatever was going on. “Oh punching. Very mature of…” said Dean before he gasped and made a whining sound.

“You know how this goes. She calls and you pay. Now pay or we’ll tell Sam the truth.”

“That you’re a sack of shit? He already-” said Dean before he went quiet.

“Have the money tomorrow by noon at the locker or else Sammy’s gonna drop you like the sack of shit you are, Dean. He’s gonna hate you for taking him from us and you know it.”

“I saved his-”

“No, no Dean. You were pathetic and couldn’t stand the thought of being alone so you took Sam. You pay us every few years. That’s the deal for us staying away. If you go back on your word now, we’ll go back on ours.”

“I’m done with you blackmailing me for-” said Dean before there was another thud.

“I’m done with you thinking you’re better than us. You’re nothing, understand boy?” he said. You went over to the hall closet and grabbed a baseball bat, walking downstairs to catch John staring down at the floor, Dean sat back against the wall holding his side.

“Get the fuck out of my house,” you said, gripping the bat tightly.

“Noon, Dean,” he said. He walked out with Mary on his tail. You quickly locked up and rushed over to Dean who had his eyes shut and was sporting a few bruises on his face. 

“Jesus Dean,” you said. You moved his hand and saw a bruise on his ribs, Dean holding up a hand when you tried to move him.

“Give me a second,” he said. You picked up the bat and he caught your wrist, shaking his head. “He doesn’t have any problem hitting a woman, Y/N.”

“I should be calling the cops,” you said.

“Y/N,” he said when you tried to tug away. “Please don’t.”

You put down the bat and he dropped your hand. You cupped his cheeks and he winced.

“I need to take you to the hospital,” you said. He shook his head and you shook it right back. “Dean.”

“Help me over to the counter,” he said. You hooked an arm under his and got him up, walking him over to one of the stools. You sat him down, Dean inhaling sharply. You got out the first aid kit from the cabinet and set it down, taking a kitchen towel and wetting it before you dabbed it against this cheek. It soaked up a little blood and you frowned, Dean looking away.

“Dean I recorded the whole thing on my phone. It’s still going on the stairs. We gotta call-“

“Y/N. Just…don’t.” He started to grab the bag and stand when you scoffed. “I can handle this.”

He got up and started to walk, slowing down after a moment and holding his side again. He stopped by the back of the couch and dropped his head. You sighed and took the bag from him, throwing his arm over your shoulders and walking him upstairs, grabbing your phone along the way. You walked him into the bathroom and he sat up on the counter, leaning back against the wall with a wince.

You helped him out of his shirt and saw the bruise was darkening over his ribs, Dean shutting his eyes.

“Hand me your little mirror,” he said, pointing over to your vanity. You picked it up off the counter, Dean holding it up and looking at his face. “Alright. Can you get me-”

“Stop. I got this.” You used a washcloth and got it wet again, holding it against his cheek and around his eye. He tried looking down but kept moving his head and you settled on putting some more cold water on the towel, pressing it over his skin again. When it seemed like the bleeding had stopped you dug out some medication, dabbing it over the cuts. He was quiet, holding his side while you put a butterfly bandage over his cheek. You peeled his hand away and figured there wasn’t much you could do for his ribs.

You went downstairs and got some painkillers and an ice pack, returning to Dean right where you left him. 

“Here,” you said, dropping the pills in his hand. He took them with a quick gulp of water, hissing as the cold touched his skin but he soon relaxed. You held the pack for him, Dean taking a deep breath. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Dean. Your dad just-”

“This is not the first time and it probably won’t be the last,” he said. 

“Now I’m definitely calling the cops,” you said. You reached for your phone but he grabbed it first, holding it over his head. “Dean. He hurt you. He can’t just come into our house and do that.”

“What I need you to do is take my debit card, go to the ATM and take out five thousand from my savings and five thousand from checking. Hundreds is fine. Okay?” he said. “The PIN is-”

“I’m not doing anything other than putting you in bed,” you said. He glared and you gave it right back. You grabbed his arm and pushed him into the room and over to the bed, Dean laying back against the headboard reluctantly. “Why on earth do you-”

“It’s how I got Sam,” he said. “Custody of him when I was eighteen. We didn’t go to court. I paid them off. It was five grand at first and it tied them over for a bit but when he turned eighteen, they called and wanted more. Every three years they call. Last time it got bumped up to ten thousand. They called around the time I met you and I didn’t pay this year hence the ass kicking.”

“But why do you still pay them off?” you asked.

“Because Y/N,” he said. You crossed your arms and he slammed his fist against his pillow. “Because Sam was the favorite. He didn’t get the shit kicked…” 

Dean trailed off and shut his mouth, looking away. You sat up next to him, holding his free hand and holding him as best you could.

“I got the worst of it but that’s not to say Sam didn’t get some. I knew, I knew that fucker would hurt him once I was gone and I couldn’t stay so Sam had to come with me. I tried looking up how to get custody and that sort of thing and they found out about it,” said Dean. He laughed and you ran your hand through his hair. “Tonight? That was nothing compared to what happened after they found out. But my drunk of a father, well, he owed money and I had some saved up from working for my Uncle Bobby. So I paid to get Sam the fuck out of there. They claimed it was because they were going to travel and wanted Sam to be able to stay in school and shit. It was all shit. Now...now they tried their best to make him hate me on the way out, make it seem like I was stealing him from them. Plant those little seeds. You can’t kill an idea once it’s in there. So I did what I had to and I keep doing what I have to and they stay away from us. It’s how it goes.”

“Do you...do you pay them not to hurt you?” you asked.

“No.”

“Then what’s it for?”

“He will hate me if he knows the truth.”

“Dean he won’t-”

“Our parents fucked us up. I literally bought custody of my baby brother. How is that not fucked up?”

“It’s a fucked up situation. You though, you are not fucked up,” you said as he rolled his eyes. “I’m serious. Your father is...a monster and I don’t know what the fuck is up with your mom but you are good. Sam is good. You have the biggest fucking heart of anyone I’ve ever known. Sam would never hate you for getting him out of that situation. Never. But I don’t understand why you keep paying them money, Dean.”

“So they don’t tell him the truth.”

“The truth doesn’t sound all that bad though. He-”

“If he finds out I’ve lied to him for half of his life, he will not forgive me for that. We tell each other all our crap because we’re the only ones that can understand what went on in that house and I can’t risk losing him.”

“There’s more to it,” you said. Dean shut his eyes and nodded. “Dean, what is it?”

“I stole money,” he said. “When I was eighteen. We needed food and rich people don’t notice when twenty, fifty bucks goes missing out of a drawer. If you just take a little, they don’t notice. Well, my father found out about it and threatened to have me arrested if we didn’t come to some kind of payment plan. He was proof and I don’t deny I did it. We needed-”

“You stole from my dad,” you said.

“I did. Money out of his desk drawer at work. He caught me red handed and in one second I thought my life and Sam’s lives were over. I just...started crying and he shut the door and he gave me some money and he took the rest of the afternoon off and we got some stuff like clothes and toothpaste and food and he gave me a job as a paralegal intern. I had no fucking idea what I was doing and he helped me get into school and I worked there and made way more than I did in the mailroom and he’d have dinner with Sammy and me at our place once a month. You have no idea how badly I wanted him to my dad. But we knew he had a real family so we tried not to bother him. By the time I got into med school, Sam was going into his first year and we were on our feet. I’d gotten a good job at a medical place but he checked in every once in a while. I didn’t know he’d died until I met you. I always thought we’d take him out and repay him someday. If he wasn’t kind that day...I’d have nothing.”

“I’ll share my father with you and Sam any day.” He smiled and you kissed him, Dean starting to relax. “So your dad has proof of you stealing money? How much?”

“I wasn’t particularly great at it. Sam and I both had jobs. It was probably a hundred bucks,” he said.

“How’d he get proof?” you asked.

“What do you mean?”

“How would he have proof of you stealing from some random person?” you asked.

“He has photos,” he said. “He showed me.”

“Photos of…”

“Me with the money.”

“Outside of someone’s house?” you asked.

“I was in my car,” he said. 

“Dean. Where was the car?”

“Outside...work,” he said, thinking to himself. “Your dad...he gave me money that day. There was never any proof. I just let him manipulate me again into doing what he wanted.”

“How much did you steal Dean. Altogether?”

“A few hundred bucks?”

“You donate some money to charity?” you asked as he nodded. “Your debt to society has been repaid, trust me. No more feeling guilty. Plus when my dad the lawyer lets you off the hook, it’s fine.”

“Sam still can’t know.”

“Sam’s been outside the door for most of this conversation,” he said. He turned around the corner, Tessa there with him. “Fuck, Dean. What happened to your face?”

“Are you okay?” Tessa asked, climbing up on the bed.

“I thought you had a hot date,” he said. “The both of you.”

“Jack’s just a friend,” she said.

“Eileen understands,” said Sam. “Besides, we both got a bad feeling after mom and dad showed up like that.”

“You really thought it was appropriate for an 18 year old to hear all that?” asked Dean.

“Considering all the shit I just learned about you at 18, I’d say I’m good,” said Tessa. She fidgeted a little and Dean sat up more.

“You can hug him. Carefully,” you said. She moved up to his other side and gave him a gentle one, Dean chuckling.

“I love you too, dork,” he said. He watched with a swallow as Sam stepped inside and moved the icepack from Dean’s body. Dean stared up and Sam sat on the edge of the bed, placing the pack back. “I’m-”

“You have nothing to apologize for. Nothing,” said Sam. “You protected me and that’s all there was to it. Everytime she calls, talking to her tonight, I still get manipulated too. I don’t know why they hate us so much and it’s wrong but you aren’t. Not you.”

“Y/N’s offered up their parents if we’d like to take ‘em,” said Dean.

“Mr. Y/L/N was your guys dad?” said Sam as you and Tessa nodded. “You know I met you once Tessa. You must have been five. You were bragging about something to do with kindergarten.”

“How’d you remember that?” she asked.

“Cause I was so fucking jealous of you. You were so happy,” he said. She looked down but Sam laughed. “It worked out how it was supposed to.”

“You’re a lawyer, can’t you like, do something?” she said, glancing at Dean. 

“Tessa, this isn’t that simple,” said Dean.

“Yeah, it is,” she said. He nodded and she relaxed some. “I don’t think you should pay anything. He should pay you while he’s at it.”

“Yeah,” he said, ruffling her head and wrapping his arm around her. He looked at Sam and then you before you nodded. He wouldn’t say anything about his father. Sam was grown and bigger than himself yet Dean still kept paying. With you and Tessa around, there was no way he was risking a thing.

“Sam,” you said. You both got up, Dean pouting when he realized he wasn’t getting up without some help. You walked down to Sam’s room and he shut the door, crossing his arms. “We can’t let him keep paying off your father. Tessa has a point. You’re a lawyer. What are our options?”

“There’s not blackmail evidence and our parents would claim it was a gift. The only things I can think of that we’d have a shot would be the incident tonight which he’d be out on bail like that anyways and...stuff that happened when we were kids.”

“Sam he came to our house.”

“I know,” he said, rubbing your arms. “Dean always gets quiet for a few days after something like this happens. Nobody is paying anything. I’ll make sure Dean doesn’t leave the house tomorrow morning.”

“What do you think John would do? Will do?”

“I don’t know. He’s an abusive dick, not a psychopath.”

“Did you ever tell my dad about this stuff?” 

“Dean did a bit I think.”

“Good,” you said as you left the room.

“Why good?”

“Because if I know my dad, he made a note of it and put it on record with a judge,” you said as you headed downstairs.

“Y/N,” said Dean from the end of the hall, leaning on Tessa. “Where are you going?”

“To see if dad ever reported John. Or at least kept a file on him. We still know the partners at his old firm. I’ll be back in an hour,” you said. “Two tops.”

“Sam go with her,” said Dean. “Please.”

“Tessa, put him back in bed and get him a fresh icepack in fifteen minutes. Get some food too, okay?” you said, tugging on your winter coat. “Oh and take Toast-”

“I got it,” she said.

“We’ll be back soon,” said Sam. “Hopefully with some good news.”

_______ 

A/N: Read Part 8 here!

[keepingupwithpotters]

summer wine

@efkgirldetective 's Summer of Jily week 4 🍓🍓🍓

picking (mul)berries + I know I've kissed you before, but I didn't do it right

also on ao3

In retrospect, Lily could say none of it had been his fault, but it was hard to remember that when James was walking so sullen beside her now.

The date had started nice enough. Well, the idea of it was nice anyway. A summer picnic date sounded like the perfect first date on paper, if only the execution hadn’t run into some problems… But really, how was he supposed to foresee the grass being wet because it had been watered recently? And they solved that one pretty easily too, before his face could be clouded with the first hitch on his perfect plan, finding a bench by the lake with limited space quickly.

If you asked Lily, she would say the first hitch had been when he decided to keep the nature of the date as a surprise and her carefully decided heels started to sink deep into the fresh mud as they walked through the field. But he had seemed so excited, and she was not about to dim that smile – so Lily Evans marched on, without complaining.

Now that she was thinking about it, she supposed he could be blamed a little about the food – not that she would ever tell that to his face. They dug into the basket right away after they sat down, eager to salvage their first disappointment, only to be crushed once more when they saw the condition of their food. Maybe tuna and egg salad sandwiches hadn’t been the top choices to make for this sweltering heat after all. She appreciated the aesthetic of the peterboro basket, she really did, but a cooler bag it was not. The chocolate for the strawberries seemed to have ended up in the same fate too, melted and beyond recognition. At least they still got the wine, a little warm but still delicious – and desperately needed to forget how hungry they were.

Going back towards the car together, she couldn’t even bring herself to hold his hand as they walked, with his hands in his pockets and head fallen down. In all honesty, this was not how she expected the date would go either, not after the way he had been so charming, so confident the whole summer. Well… not the whole summer. She bit her lip to stop a grin from breaking out when she remembered his panicked face after he kissed her for three seconds, a peck more than a kiss really. Watching him lose his cool for the first time had been a highly entertaining spectacle, and the kiss itself… It was no use thinking about it now, when there was absolutely zero chance that she was getting a kiss after this date. She could feel a scowl settling in on her face. Now they matched.

The frown disappeared when she noticed something from the corner of her eye.

“Hey, are those mulberry trees?”

James was so deep in his, probably self-berating, thoughts that he hadn’t heard her. She gave his arm a little tug after some consideration. “Come on.”

She didn’t let herself look at his expression as they got closer to the trees she spotted from afar, eyes locked on the target. Her hunch was proved right when she saw the black fruits, dangling ripe from the branches.

Hunger getting the best of her in an embarrassingly short time, her hands reached towards the best-looking ones quickly, sweetness exploding in her mouth with nostalgia. She noticed James was standing frozen behind her without moving after a few, okay maybe a handful, berries, scolding herself for not realizing earlier.

She collected some for him right away as an apology, explanation falling from her lips at the same time. “We had a mulberry tree in the backyard of our old house. I learned how to climb trees on it.” Memories brought forth a fond smile. “Tuney hated it, said it always stained her dresses.”

He took the berries from her with a look akin to awe, eyes closing briefly when he finally tasted one. She tried to ignore the flutters in her stomach in response to his blissful face and berry-stained lips.

“I can get more for us if you’d like. The ones up above are always better anyway.” Her heels were off before he could say anything. “Can you help me up?”

He finally seemed to break free from whatever daze he was in, coughing out a hasty “Sure.” His left hand enveloped hers as she put her left foot on the trunk of the tree, the other hand supporting her back behind her. Warmth seeped through everywhere he touched, and she prayed to whoever was listening that she wouldn’t slip and fall on her face from the shock.

When she was finally on the tree, his left hand joined the other one on her back, sliding a little down to grip her firmly on the waist, creating a nice little support system for her. She certainly was glad that he wasn’t able to see her face from down there.

There was no need to go further up anymore, with an abundance of mulberries in front of her now. She felt a sharp pinch in her side when she started to eat them without breathing.

“Oi, I didn’t help you up just so you can feed yourself, did I?”

Berry lips widened for a smile. Oh, he was back.

Her hands filled up quickly with the fruits, she struggled to turn her back without dropping any. There laid another problem when she successfully faced him.

“Sorry, Evans. Hands full.”

There was a dangerous grin on his face, eyes alight with mischief.

“No problem, Potter.” She could match him. He was not the only person here with guts. “Open wide.”

His surprised expression was only there for a second, half open lips doing exactly what she said quickly. Hazel eyes blazed over when her finger touched his lips, burning right into hers with the intense gaze. She swore she could feel a flick of the tongue as he ate the last of the berries, causing shivers to ripple inside her.

“Get me down now.”

Her voice was hoarse, demand falling from her mouth like it belonged to someone else. The hands that never left her side while she was up wrapped around her completely, lifting her slightly with a tight hug. She didn’t know if the reason her breath got caught in her throat was the firm grip or the new proximity, feeling heady suddenly in his arms. They were oh so close as she finally slid down to her feet, reaching his shoulder barely with the lack of her heels. She was so sure they were going to kiss this time before he opened his mouth.

“Lily, I’m so sorry about the date. I just— I wanted it to be perfect and I planned it for so long right until the kiss at the end, and I know I kissed you before, but I didn’t do it right and now the date is ruined too I’m—"

“Do it right then.”

His mouth hung open before he could think to close it. “W-what?”

“I want the grand finale.” She took one step closer to him. “Show me what you planned, James.”

He let out a breathless chuckle. “This is way beyond anything I’d planned, believe me.”

Lily had to stop herself from sighing when his hand finally touched her cheek hesitantly, the distance between them practically nonexistent now. She couldn’t be expected to stop the soft exhale that escaped when his lips finally found hers though, swallowed quickly by him. Berries exploded in her mouth, with the sweet taste lingering in between, kisses feeling black and purple all around. Her hands went to his shoulders first, all thoughts about stains escaping her mind, before they finally reached where they’ve been itching to touch all day, getting lost in the inky strands.

She was gasping for breath when they finally fell apart, head dizzy from the lack of oxygen.

“I would call that a perfect kiss.”

There were little purple fingerprints on his neck, face still in wonder. He looked at her like he couldn’t believe she was real.

She went to pick up her heels without waiting for an answer, gathering them in one hand while she caught her breath. He was right where she left him when she turned back, a hand touching his lips lightly.

This time when she offered her hand, he took it without hesitance, purple stains and all. They continued their walk back to the car, Lily’s bare feet gliding through the wet grass easily.

“Hey, James?”

“Hmm?”

“For our second date, please don’t plan any surprises.”

[flamencodiva]

A Different League 1 - Walls

Description: Y/N never experienced the life of luxury. Being the daughter of a hunter never gave her that experience. But what happens when she finds a job working for one of the most prestigious hunting companies in the world?

Word Count: 1960

Beta: @wonder-cole

Warnings: Language, Violence, Angst, Fluff, Smut, Slow Burn (yes, that's a warning), Rivals to Idiots, Idiots to Lovers, Lovers to Idiots.

Main Masterlist 

Series Masterlist

<< Prologue 

Code Red! Code Red!’

The red lights and alarm sounded throughout the building.

‘Level 10 monster detected.’

Y/N Y/L/N made her way through the hall towards the locker rooms to suit up. As usual, she was part of the ground team, which did all the messy work when hunting monsters for Hunter Corp.

Marching down the hallway, she made her way to the briefing room, grabbing the folder handed to her and reading it right away.

“Think this is the one?” Benny asked, standing by her with his folder.

Y/N shrugged her shoulders, “don’t know. Maybe it is. But according to the data recon has gathered, not likely. If it’s a level ten, then--”

“It’s most likely an Alpha monster,” Ketch interrupted. “Y/N, darling, when are you going to take me up on that offer to wine and dine you?” he asked, trying to flirt with the huntress.

“When hell freezes over, Arthur,” she sighed, “I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, my focus is on work, not my--”

“Libido,” Benny and Ketch echoed with matching smiles.

“We know, Cher,” Benny chuckled, “then again I did see you eyeing--”

“You say it, and I hog tie you and castrate you,” Y/N growled, “I lived on a ranch for a good amount of years while dad was taking care of a pack. Don’t think I won’t do it, Benjamin.”

Benny lifted his hands in surrender and chuckled, walking toward his seat on the conference table. Other squad leaders filtered in as they were ready to talk about the Level 10 monster that had appeared. This included the two sons of the CEO, the eldest of the two, Dean, taking a seat next to Y/N.

“Units 1 and 2, you will take the lead on this, “ John Winchester said as he walked into the room, taking a seat at the head of the table. “These two units will oversee operations and capture. I will repeat that,” he said, looking at each unit leader in turn, “capture the target. Our goal is to learn as much as we can before eradicating their species.”

“Do we have the special equipment that I had made for occasions like this?” Y/N asked as she flipped through the different pages, analyzing the data collected. “Do we also know what kind of Alpha we’re dealing with?”

“As of right now, we just know it’s an Alpha. I’m waiting on relay team Gamma to get back with the complete analysis,” John announced, impressed with his top hunter. “But I do want my best teams there in case something goes wrong.”

Y/N simply hummed as she let her mind process the strategy the boss set up. Her boss wasn’t wrong. Her squad, along with Snob, as she liked to call Dean, would be a formidable force. That is if he wasn’t trying to talk about his exploits on a private jet.

No matter where they were, he always had some way of interjecting how nice it is to have money and experience things. Y/N has never had the pleasure of doing. Sure she had the money to do those things now, but she never saw the big deal. It only spurred her annoyance at Snob when he would try to make conversation with her. They had nothing in common, yet he continued to try to talk to her while she ignored him.

After the meeting ended, Y/N made her way back to her room. She was the only one of the squad leaders not to have a place of her own. It was something that didn’t go unnoticed by the other leaders, especially John. Y/N would brush off the comments of her not having a place to unwind away from work. In all honesty, she didn’t know what else to do. She grew up hunting, and she figured living in the facility would give her faster reaction time to save more lives.

As she packed her things, she could feel a pair of eyes on her.

“What do you want?” she called out, never facing the person who stood at her doorway.

“I was wondering--”

“No, Dean. I will not go to whatever fancy place you want to take me to,” she sighed, moving around her room to collect what she would think she would need.

“I’m not, Ketch,” Dean grumbled, “And I know for a fact that you barely leave the compound. You don’t even have your own place.”

“Why do you care, Snob,” she hissed at him. “To someone like you, I’m just a worker. Why do you care that I live in the compound?”

“If this is about the gala, I already apologized,” Dean whined, “What more do you want from me?”

“To let me do my job,” Y/N huffed, slinging her bag over her shoulder and pushing past him, “and right now, my job is to make sure we know what we are dealing with before we go in blind and kill good hunters on a hunch.”

“The recon team--”

“Has been wrong before,” she pointed out, “Your brother has been wrong before and at my expense!”

“Samuel would never-” Dean began.

“He has, and he did, Dean,” she argued. “That scar on my back was not because I thought it would be fun to ignore that there was another Rugaru.”

She glared at him, “It was because I was told by your brother that there was only one when there were, in fact, three of them.”

Dean stayed silent as she walked away from him and towards the garage. Never in his life had a woman angered and enamored him before. The minute he had laid eyes on Y/N three years ago at the gala, he could feel his heart pound in his chest. His insecurities had gotten the better of him, and he had to play the millionaire asshole. When she didn’t bow down to his charm, he was intrigued.

After a year of training, moving up the ranks, and being her partner, Dean learned that Y/N was all business. Not like any of the girls he ever dated or bedded. Y/N had a drive, but what it was, she wouldn’t say. Y/N began to distance herself more from him for every case they had, only communicating if it had to do with the hunt and to turn down his invitations.

Dean made it to his dorm with a deep sigh and began packing his things, hoping he could try to break through the walls Y/N built with this hunt.

Looking at her watch, Y/N wondered where Charlie was? Usually, Charlie would be her research partner on cases like these. Well, Charlie is always her choice as a research partner. The woman was a genius when it came to technology and making her way into security footage to search for monsters.

Y/N didn’t notice as Charlie walked up behind her. Most of Y/N’s attention was on the recon folder. She was trying to assess what the team had found.

“You know,” Charlie said as she approached Y/N, “You’re really taking this not thinking with your libido thing a bit too far.”

“I am focused on my work,” Y/N replied, never taking her eyes off the file. “I have a feeling we’re dealing with a Shifter-Alpha.”

“What gives you that idea?” Charlie asked as she sat down next to Y/N.

“It’s the fact that in every house reported, Mom and Dad are dead,” Y/N pointed out as she pushed the folder towards Charlie. “But the baby goes missing,” she pointed to the details in every story.

“Huh,” Charlie let out, tilting her head to the side as she looked over the notes, “I guess that means we’re heading out early?”

“No,” Y/N sighed, “going to talk to John first.”

“Really?” Charlie gasped, “you’re usually gung-ho about going when you have a hunch like this?”

“Okay, I’m a hunter, not suicidal,” Y/N drawled.

It didn’t take long for Y/N to point out the details in the story and voice her suspicions to John. Of course, when John agreed with her suspicions, he organized all quad leaders and put his plan in motion. Nearing the next house that Alpha would attack, Dean and Y/N placed themselves in charge of moving in to capture the monster.

‘Leader 1,’ came Dean’s voice through the walkie-talkie, ‘we have movement inside the house. I repeat, we have movement inside the house.’

“Copy that, Leader 2,” she responded before taking a breath, “Red-Recon, Red-Recon, what do we have on the video feed?”

‘Can’t I have a cooler nickname?’ Charlie whined through the intercom, ‘like Red Hawk!’

Y/N rolled her eyes, letting out a chuckle before responding, “Okay, Red Hawk, can you just tell me what the video feed shows?”

‘You were right, Leader 1,’ Charlie confirmed, ‘glowing eyes in the feed. We’re dealing with a nest of shifters. We also are seeing a large nursery through the micro-cam footage.’

“Shit,” Y/N cursed, “we might need to abort and come up with--”

‘You are going to do nothing of the sort, Leader 1,’ Samuel’s voice came through, ‘we’re here to do a job. We will kill every last one of them if we have to.’

“Samuel, there are kids in there. No matter what the species, kids are kids!” Y/N argued.

‘That’s Recon-Leader to you, Leader 1,’ he barked.

‘Recon-leader,’ Dean’s voice came through, ‘I agree with Leader 1. We are only here for the Alpha. We need this to be a quick and clean operation.’

“I don’t need your help, Leader 2,” Y/N growled. “If Recon-Leader wants us to go through the paperwork explaining why the squads changed Leader Prime’s plan, he can do it himself.”

‘What are we going to do, Leaders 1 and 2?’

Y/N closed her eyes, knowing full well the consequences of her actions, “we are going to go as planned, capture the Alpha, take down as many shifters as you can.”

‘Y/N,’ Dean called over the com, ‘I think your instincts were--’

“I’ll deal with the fucking consequences,” she called back, “we move on my mark.”

To say the operation was easy was a big fat fucking lie. Just as Y/N predicted, getting to the Alpha with all the other Shifters in their way was a challenge. So much so that they had to call Squads 3 and 4 for backup. It took longer than it should have for the team to capture the Alpha, and that was after Y/N was full of bruises and deep scratches. The nursery with the children was empty when they searched it. Some Shifters made it out with the abrupt change in plans, while others were killed trying to let them escape.

Once Y/N was patched up, she prepared herself for the yelling she knew John would give her. Even if they got the Alpha, the method they used almost cost the lives of good hunters. Y/N had made sure to try and save as many hunters from death as she could.

“Y/N!” she heard as she walked out of the medical tent.

Rolling her eyes, she turned away from Dean, who was jogging towards her.

“Thanks, Jess,” she called to the doctor on staff that stitched her up.

“Damn it, Y/N. Please wait!” Dean called out to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I talked to Samuel and--”

“Save it, Snob,” Y/N growled. “I am going to head to my room in the hotel and write up the report. Don’t worry about Douchebag. I will take all the heat on this.”

“Why do you do that?” Dean growled, “Why can’t you let me tell Dad about--”

“Leader Prime,” Y/N barked, “when we are on the job, you address him by his title.”

Dean let out an audible groan, “can you take the stick out of your ass for just one fucking minute!”

Y/N turned to glare at him, “what could you possibly say to me? That you’re going to use your privilege to get Daddy not to punish me because your brother was being an ass? Please spare me. I’m used to this. You and Samuel get away with everything while the rest of us have to struggle!”

“You are such a bitch, Y/L/N. No wonder people don’t want to hang around you,” Dean spat, his eyes widening at the realization of what he said. “Y/N I’m--”

“At least people don’t hang around me for my money,” she spat, “leave me alone. Why are you even talking to me, Snob? We have nothing in common, you live in an ivory tower, and I live in the mud. You stay with your people, and I’ll stay with mine.”

Dean watched her walk away, unsure what to say or how to fix what he did. He hated himself for the way things went down. Dean should have talked to Samuel about his behavior, but Samuel was just as stubborn and headstrong as their father. Dean knew he could only do one thing, and that was talking to his father about what happened, whether Y/N liked it or not.

Dean stayed silent as he contemplated how to fix things with Y/N.ht--’

“I don’t care what Samuel says. The operation could have gone smoother if he had just listened to Y/N. You can’t fire her--”

‘Calm down, son. No one is getting fired. Especially not my best hunter,’ John interrupted. ‘Now, calmly, tell me what happened.’

Dean began at the beginning, telling his father all about how there were more Shifters than just the Alpha and how Y/N wanted to re-adjust the plan to lessen any casualties. As Dean continued to recount the tale, he never noticed Samuel walking in. The younger brother crossed his arms, scowling at his older brother.

“Yes, sir,” Dean said before hanging up the phone.

“You called, Dad?” Samuel let out, making Dean jump.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that, Samuel,” He scolded.

“Don’t, Dean,” Samuel huffed, “You called to tattle on me? You know as well as I do that you should be Leader 1 no matter what a stupid test said all those years ago.”

“Is that what this is about? Is that why you have this grudge against Y/N?” Dean asked, raising an eyebrow at his brother.

“She is nothing but a--”

“Don’t say it, Samuel,” Dean growled.

“A second-rate hunter with no class,” Samuel continued, towering over his older brother. “You need to forget about her, Dean, and learn to take her position from her.” he let out a huff, “besides, she dresses in nothing but second-hand clothing. Does she even know what designer clothing is? Does she even care about the clothes that she wears and how she presents herself?”

“Samuel, her choice in clothing doesn’t mean she is incapable of being a good Leader. Besides, what she wears is her business. And what good would taking the position from her by force do? How would being Leader 1 make me any more capable of running the company?” Dean crossed his arms, staring right into his brother’s eyes.

“For one, it would show Dad that you have the skills to lead,” Samuel huffed. “Y/N couldn’t even stand up to me after what I said. She could have tried harder to go over my head. She has no leadership skills.”

“No leadership skills?” Dean said, his voice rising in anger. “You call putting her life on the line to make sure no one dies, poor leadership skills?” Dean shook his head, giving his brother a disappointed look. “Do you realize that she didn’t go over your head because she feels you would use nepotism to get away with it?”

Samuel tilted his head in confusion, “what? Since when? I--”

“Dad spoils us, Samuel. You know he does, but it’s different in hunting and our lives, and Y/N doesn’t know that. She already thinks we’re pompous snobs.”

“So?” Samuel chuckled, “I love that we live a life of luxury. Someone like her is never going to understand us. Besides, why are you trying to get her approval?”

“I am not looking for her approval, but I am trying to establish a civil working relationship,” Dean said, turning away from Samuel.

“You had had eyes on her since the ball all those years ago,” Samuel chuckled, “‘if you want her that badly, woo her and leave her. Or you could take Bela Talbot on her offer.”

“Bela?” Dean shook his head in disgust, “she is nothing but a low-grade black market dealer. “

“One who has had her eyes on you for a while,” Samuel said, smiling slyly at his brother. “You don’t have to make a business deal with the woman, just bed her and be done with her. She also knows her way around good scotch. Let’s not forget that Bela also has better fashion sense than Y/N. ”

Dean contemplated the thought of having Bela in his bed. Bela had more than shown she wanted to lay with him, wanting to have Dean pleasure her in the ways he was taught. Shaking his head, Dean sat on the couch of the double room suite he shared with Samuel.

“I’d rather fuck a porcupine than Bela, Samuel,” Dean sighed, leaning back to place his hands over his face.

“Then at least go find a sweet lounge fly and bring her up to have your way with her,” Samuel said as he walked over to his bedroom, “I mean, we should put the skills Dad had us learn for a reason, right?”

Dean stayed silent as he contemplated how to fix things with Y/N.

Chapter 2

Tags in the Reblog

[yongiefilms]

FILM | Bound At The Start

BASED ON | A Taste of Winter collaboration feature done by @pastelsicheng​ and @dearyongs​

STARRING | Lee Donghyuck and Gender Neutral Reader

GENRE | Teen, Drama, Romance, Angst, Fluff, Winter themed, and Holiday centred

RATING | PG-13

WARNINGS | (upon release not all in teaser) Thematic elements, suggestive references, sexual innuendos, crude humor, strong language, lots of banter, lots of arguing, and Donghyuck is simply an annoying shit 

PLOT | Everyone knows how the best friend to lovers story goes, the typical caught feelings and confession cliché with a dash of unwarranted spice. Except at the same time that is not how the story goes for everyone, especially for you and your own best friend. Feelings? Out of the picture. Sickening romantic love? Nonexistent. Drama? None, unless you count that one time Lee Donghyuck tried to sneak wine out of the cooler when you both were sophomores and he was grounded for three weeks since he got caught red handed. So life was simple with no complications for the two of you, but sometimes life works in mysterious ways that are not always welcomed. Maybe feelings were not as out of the picture as you believed them to be and if they wanted one last chance to have something more before being forced to rot away, then everything got a whole lot tricker during the winter season. OR The unforetold pact between two best friends is finally broken. 

ESTIMATED RUNNING TIME | 10k words

RELEASE DATE | February 2021

DIRECTOR’S NOTE | Send an ask or private message to be featured in the credits (tag list) for this upcoming film release.

▸ CLICK BELOW TO ROLL CLIP FOR FILM PREVIEW...

“Here we are, kids! Get up, get up!” 

Another shrill voice to wake up to besides Donghyuck’s was not a pleasant sensation, especially when you could feel a headache coming on from one remark. 

“Ugh, Dad! Why do you have to be so loud?” You groggily whine in response, clenching your eyes firmly shut since you knew if you opened them you would be met with the blinding light from the sun, which reflected across the white snow. You shift in your seat, a supposed bony body preventing you from comfort in your desperate approach to get back to napping.

You hear him scoff way too dramatically followed by the sound of the car door closing shut. He knocks his knuckles on the glass of the window while he maneuvers around the vehicle, yet you remain unmoving despite the beep of the trunk opening. “Why do you have to attack my volume of voice? How else do you expect me to get you up when I know you can sleep through a fire?”

He does not let you answer him before he proceeds in a rise of voice. “Exactly!”

You huff and cross your arms like a young child, not giving in to share a piece of your mind. 

“Make sure you both get inside within the next couple of seconds or I will drag our bundle of joy here inside myself. Oh, and get your bags from the trunk. Do remember to close it.”

Donghyuck’s head shifts in the form of a nod targeted towards your father and you hit his forearm to stop him from moving so much, not even acknowledging the previous words spoken.

“Damn, sunshine. Even your parents can’t stand you...that's kind of sad,” Donghyuck snickers loudly, purposely wriggling his body to get you off of him.

“Shut the fuck up and stop fucking moving,” you retaliate with one eye open, peering down at his black combat boots to raise your clad foot down on his in hard motion. 

His knees knock with your own and it is now a battle of who will admit defeat first after countless attempts of shoe stepping. 

“Okay! Okay! Dammit, you heathen. I can’t catch a break from pain over here...ever,” he sighs and scoots away from you as far as he possibly can, leaving your head hanging in the process, his shoulder no longer there to provide support. 

“Ow! I just got neck pain, you jackass. Warn me next time you move so abruptly!” 

You crane your neck upwards and move the entirety of your head in circular motions, making sure to roll every joint to get back feeling. You bring your hand to massage the tenseness in the skin further and throw in a stink eye at the boy still sitting besides you, rolling his eyes at your theatrical efforts. 

“You okay, you big baby?” He questions with a pout, not that he truly cared since he knew it was just a try to make him feel bad as it always tended to be. 

“Yes, I’m fine now. Thank you for caring,” you respond with clear emphasis on the latter word. 

He rolls his eyes again and nods, placing his ring adorned hand on the car handle to push open in order to exit. “Let’s go then and remember I’m not carrying all your bags inside this time. Be a strong bitch for once.”

You wave your hand in the air, following suit. “Yeah, yeah. I got it, but need I remind you that it was only one time and I was tired.”

He mocks you, raising his own hand in the air to move about. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, sunshine.”

You huff, but keep your lips sealed, taking hold of the handle of your luggage and duffle bag once Donghyuck takes them out of the trunk in one swift motion. Once his own pieces of luggage are secured, he closes the trunk and the obnoxious ring of the car alarm echoes into the surrounding, most likely the cause of your dad inside locking the car up from inside.

“Adventure awaits!” Donghyuck declares, stomping ahead with lightness at the thrill of a much needed vacation after the long, painful times at school. 

You giggle at his youthfulness, but still follow in his footsteps because adventure did await as long as you were with him. Hopefully that would never change.

[wastelandcth]

spooky baskets - cth

anon requested: u can use this for a blurb if you want but I was just:( thinking of dovey and cal packing care packages to all their friends in quarantine and since they live together and take care of each other all the time it's kinda pointless to make ones for each other but each of them does that without the other knowing:( and they're like ~surprised but not really since they're soulmates so they could have seen it coming~ but the things inside??? so precious omg:(

summary: spending halloween season in quarantine means that Dovey has to resort to other fun ideas, like spooky baskets. 

author’s notes: thank you to the anon who requested this! i know quarantine has been a hard time for everyone (trust me, i know) but i hope this blurb brings a little joy to these uncertain times. 

masterlist || request

As the weather switched from the hot summer heatwaves into the cooler nights where Dovey was finally able to sit outside in the backyard wearing a sweater without wanting to melt, she knew that eventually, the seasonal sadness that crept its way into Calum's soul would come. She knew it would mean that as the sun set earlier and came out later in the day, Calum's mood would change and the already quiet personality he had would be heightened. So she'd come up with a plan to get him out and be productive while still being safe and socially distant from the crowds of people that seemed to think the pandemic was over. 

"Hey Dove, do you think we could pop over to the store tomorrow? I was thinking we could make care packages for everyone, it's been almost two months since we last saw anyone in person and I think it'd be a nice surprise for them." she had offered while they both ate dinner, a rerun of a show playing softly out from the television. "I was thinking we could make them spooky baskets!" 

"Spooky baskets?" Calum asked softly and chuckled, raising an eyebrow at his wife as he looked up from his bowl of roasted veggie pasta. "What are spooky baskets?"

"Oh you know, they're like care packages but they're themed to Halloween! It'll be nice for everyone to have a little Halloween basket. We could get them some candy, pumpkin spice stuff, oh! Fuzzy socks and maybe even like wine." she nodded excitedly and chuckled. 

And that's exactly what Dovey and Calum found themselves doing the very next day. Dovey had woken Calum up with some banana protein pancakes he'd been meaning to try for the past couple of weeks and a cup of coffee. She'd been excited to go out ever since Calum had agreed that care packages for their friends would be a nice way to celebrate Halloween in the current state the world was in. So with both of them wearing a mask and Dovey's bag stocked with a bottle of hand sanitizer and wipes, they made their way into Target to browse for anything they could use for their spooky baskets. 

It wasn't long before their cart was filled with candy, gummies, multiple bottles of wine, and anything that Calum and Dovey deemed appropriate for a spooky basket. Dovey had even managed to sneak in a couple of items for Calum, who she was sure hadn't noticed as he'd been too busy looking for things the band would like. Calum however, had been too busy looking for things that Dovey would appreciate, having snuck an extra orange pumpkin bucket that he knew she would never notice since she wasn't the best at simple math. By the time they had reached the self-checkout and had managed to hide each other's presents from one another, they were in the car sanitizing their hands and driving back home. 

"I think Ashton would prefer to have the socks and Michael would enjoy the hand lotion," Calum said as they sorted through bags of Halloween themed self-care. "Maybe we could give Luke the set of nail polish? I know he's been itching to get his nails done but doesn't want to risk it by going out to a salon." 

It went on like that for a while, Dovey showing Calum a pair of socks or a shirt or any of the other things they'd bought for their friends and then they'd both discuss who they thought it would be best for. Soon enough, they had a line of spooky baskets on their dining table and all they had to do was finish writing on their Halloween themed cards which Dovey had specifically picked out for every single one of the baskets. 

"Do you mind finishing up the cards? You have a way with words, I would just say something weird and you're poetic. I'm going to take a shower and then we can watch a movie?" Dovey asked as she handed Calum the stack of envelopes and cards, walking down the hallway to their bedroom where she had hidden the bag filled with everything she'd gotten Calum for his basket before he had time to even notice. 

Calum sighed in relief as he saw Dovey walk away into their bedroom, waiting a few moments before he made his way over to his office where he'd hidden his bag of treats for Dovey under the desk. He worked silently, arranging everything he'd snuck into their shopping cart while Dovey had been distracted looking at homeware and Halloween mugs, and when he was finally done, he set the basket back under his desk before making his way back over to the dining table to finish up writing the cards for their friends. 

The next day, the morning sky was grey and the cold air had made its way in through the bedroom window that Dovey had insisted stay open throughout the night. Calum wished he could've stayed in bed all day, knowing that there was nothing he and Dovey could do either. Tour had been rescheduled and all their trips and vacations had been put on hold, with no guarantee of when he could fly back home to see his parents or even fly to London to see his sister. He'd rather stay in bed and sleep the day away, knowing there was nothing else to do but stay home and stay safe. Dovey, however, had different plans and when he heard music playing from somewhere in the house, Calum knew she'd come in with plans to take on the day. It wasn't too long after Calum had woken up that Dovey walked into their bedroom, holding two mugs with coffee and the smile that Calum knew he could count on seeing every day. 

"Ready to deliver spooky baskets?" she asked as she sat down next to him in bed and handed a skeleton mug over to him. 

A few hours later, after many sneaky deliveries of spooky baskets, Calum found himself in Dovey's arms while they laid on the couch. He'd been taking a nap, the cold air from outside had seeped into his bones and he'd been in Dovey's arms covered by a blanket to chase off the cold. She'd been watching television while he slept, her fingers raking through the curls which had grown out ever since the start of a lockdown. His short hair transitioning from a pink that Dovey had been obsessed with to a blonde quiff that made him look golden, and now into a mess of brown curls that she couldn't help but run her fingers through whenever she got the chance to. It wasn't until she felt Calum's lips on her shoulder that she realized he was waking up from the nap he'd accidentally fallen into. 

"I have a surprise for you," Dovey whispered into Calum's hair, a soft kiss pressing onto his forehead which brought Calum back down to Earth and into his lover’s arms. "Need to get it from our room though, I'll be right back." 

Calum was still half asleep as he sat up and watched Dovey wander off to their bedroom. He let out a yawn and let himself stretch out onto the couch, his eyes closing again as his mind tried recalling whatever dream he'd been having a few minutes ago. It had made him warm, flashes of Dovey's smile and her laughter mixed in with little ones chasing after Duke. He knew if he kept his eyes closed for a while longer he'd slip back into the dream and stay a little while longer. 

"Dove?" At first, it seemed like Calum had slipped into his dreamworld and the love of his life was roaming the halls of a house filled with love and kid's toys, but as he felt a hand on his cheek, his eyes opened again and he was met with Dovey's eyes, who seemed to hide the excitement. "I have something for you." 

Calum's eyes wandered down to Dovey's lap, which was currently holding an orange basket that was filled with flowers, candy, and gift-wrapped boxes. Calum's yawn was met by a laugh from Dovey who placed the basket in his lap, her body practically bouncing in place as she waited for him to open everything. Inside the basket, Calum unpacked a new coffee mug with a painted dog wearing a sheet over it making it look like a ghost, a blanket which was so soft Calum was surprised that Dovey hadn't kept it herself, and along with some more candy and snacks that Calum loves, he found a new journal with a polaroid picture of Dovey and Calum inside of the cover. 

"Sweet girl, this is amazing. I, I can't thank you enough for this." Calum nodded and pulled her into his arms, "I have a surprise for you too, you know? Guess great minds think alike." he chuckled and set the basket down to go grab Dovey's own spooky basket from his office. 

Dovey couldn't hold back the laughter in as she saw Calum walking into the living room holding a basket that resembled the one she had made for him, filled with goodies and self-care needs she loved. When Calum handed her the basket, she looked through it, her own heart swelling as she unpacked candles, lotions, and all the sour gummy worms she could dream of. It was everything a spooky basket should've been and all she could do was pull Calum into a kiss. 

It wasn't until a while later when candles had been lit on the coffee table and the Doves were laying in each other’s arms under the world's softest blanket that the group chat all of the guys and their partners were in started to go off, with pictures of the baskets Calum and Dovey had worked hard on. Calum couldn't help but chuckled as he read through the messages his friends had sent to them, answering their praises with memes he had saved from conversations with Dovey. It wasn't until he heard a sleepy whine coming from Dovey that he realized she was asleep and the constant buzzing from her phone was probably going to wake her up soon.  With a goodnight to the group chat and with fall candles being blown out and covered, Calum carried Dovey over into their bedroom and laid her down in be, making sure that the window was open before he laid down and closed his eyes, yearning for dreams of Dovey and the big house filled with laughter, love, and spooky baskets. 

[nomanismyequal]

I am man and I am a fucking machine running higher than a stewardess wearing thigh highs in the mile club high as hell louder than fuck and set to maim and kill like a fucking whipperwhill willing to live and hoping you join me but hoping even more you wanna fight cuz I am liquid mercury dynamite like Jimmy Walker at the dentist and I’m an emcee cooler than Kermit the muppet man frog and my rainbow connection dope dealer sells sunshine in duffle bags and like LOVERBOYS MIKE RENO I AM LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT AND THIS KID IS HOTTER EVERY NIGHT THAN DIAMOND DAVID LEE ROTHS TEACHER WHO WANTS TO SHARPEN MY PENCIL LIKE A SHARPENING TOOL IN GRADE SCHOOL WITH TOO MANY SIZED JOLES AND LIKE LAYNE STAYLEY I AM THAT MAN IN YOUR BOX NO LONGER BURIED IN YOUR SHIT BECAUSE LIKE BRADLY NOWELL IT LOVING THAT I GOT BUT MY SANTERIA AUNT FUN MAGIC FOR MONKEYS AND JAN AND DEAN SURFIN CITY I RIDE WAVES ON THE BACKS OF SHARKS SURFING LIKE EDDIE VEDDER ON HIS OCEANS WHO I WISH WOULD HANG ALL TEN WITH MY SURFIN SAFARI OF BEACH BOY LITTLE DOUCE COUPE CRUISIN TO THE HITS AND SINGING EVERY SONG ON KEY AND MY BARITONE IS BUILT IN WITH A MEGAPHONE AND MY RADIO ANNOUNCER TIMBER BASS WILL RATTLE THE EYES IN YOUR EYES WITHOUT A FACE BILLY IDOLS REBEL YELL SCREAMING TRUTHFUL SHIT LIKE IM HAVING A FIT LIKE PHIL ANSELMO AND HE WAS FUCKING HOSTILE AND NOW IM A MADMAN WITH OZZY OSBOURNES BARKING AT THE MOON AND LIKE NEIL DIAMOND I GOT HOT AUGUST NIGHTS AND I AM SEPTEMBER MORN FOR LOVE ON THE ROCKS AND MY SWEET CAROLINE SWEET AS HOZIERS SWEET CHERRY WINE WHICH GIVE MEN CAVITIES FROM THOSE ANGELS BEING SO SUGARY SWEETENED IN ANTI SACCHARINE SUGAR CUBES FOLLOWING THE MONKIES RATHER THAN BEING THE BEATLES JUDY AND I LOVE ALL MUSIC LIKE BARRY MANNILOW AT THE COPACABANA WITH MANDY SINGING LOOKS LIKE WE MADE IT THROUGH THAT MISERABLY SAD WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND ALMOST MADE ME WRITE SONGS THAT SHOULD MAKE THE WHOLE WORLD CRY BECAUSE YOU STEAL THE LIGHT FROM THE DRIVE IN THEATERS OF EARTH LEAVING SONGS WITHGREAT HOLES EXCAVATED FOR PREPARATION OF TOWERS TO BE ERECTED AND YOU STOLE THE BLUEPRINTS FROM OUR DRAFTER LIKE A HOT IRON GRAFTER WITH METALLURGY IN MY BIOLOGICAL FORTRESS AND MY ULTRA VIOLET LIGHT IS SET TO GIVE YOU SUNBURN YOU HAVE NO COPPETONE TANNING BED EXPERIENCE WITN AND I CUT TEETH GETTING SUNBURNED FOR SUMMER FUN IN LAKE TAHOE SO IM USED TO THE HEAT AND IM BRINGING AN OVEN INTO YOUR OWN KITCHEN THAT HAS MUCH MORE HEAT THAN YOUR POLITICAL CORRECTNESS LIKE DONALD TRUMP SENDING TWEETS TO KOREA NORTHBOUND ON TRAINS OF THOUGHTS CLEARLY GONE OFF THE RAILS AND I DO NEVER RESIST ANYTHING AND THAT PERSISTING YOU POKING THIS DEMON DOG DAWGFATHER OF YOUR WARS IS SET TO SPILL AND I AIMS TO KILL AND I NEVER MISS A TARGET LIKE A SNIPER ONE MILE SHOT SERGEANT AND MESSING ME ROUND IS DUMBER THAN GIVING THAT RICKY GUY THE YOUNG BOY SENTENCED TO 18 IN LIFE I AM PISSED AND A WILDMAN LIKE SEBASTIAN BACH AND NIKKI SIXXS LOVE CHILD SPERM DONAR DELIVERY INTO PAMELA ANDERSONS SWEET VA J J...

I am man and I am a fucking machine running higher than a stewardess wearing thigh highs in the mile club high as hell louder than fuck and set to maim and kill like a fucking whipperwhill willing to live and hoping you join me but hoping even more you wanna fight cuz I am liquid mercury dynamite like Jimmy Walker at the dentist and I’m an emcee cooler than Kermit the muppet man frog and my rainbow connection dope dealer sells sunshine in duffle bags and like LOVERBOYS MIKE RENO I AM LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT AND THIS KID IS HOTTER EVERY NIGHT THAN DIAMOND DAVID LEE ROTHS TEACHER WHO WANTS TO SHARPEN MY PENCIL LIKE A SHARPENING TOOL IN GRADE SCHOOL WITH TOO MANY SIZED JOLES AND LIKE LAYNE STAYLEY I AM THAT MAN IN YOUR BOX NO LONGER BURIED IN YOUR SHIT BECAUSE LIKE BRADLY NOWELL IT LOVING THAT I GOT BUT MY SANTERIA AUNT FUN MAGIC FOR MONKEYS AND JAN AND DEAN SURFIN CITY I RIDE WAVES ON THE BACKS OF SHARKS SURFING LIKE EDDIE VEDDER ON HIS OCEANS WHO I WISH WOULD HANG ALL TEN WITH MY SURFIN SAFARI OF BEACH BOY LITTLE DOUCE COUPE CRUISIN TO THE HITS AND SINGING EVERY SONG ON KEY AND MY BARITONE IS BUILT IN WITH A MEGAPHONE AND MY RADIO ANNOUNCER TIMBER BASS WILL RATTLE THE EYES IN YOUR EYES WITHOUT A FACE BILLY IDOLS REBEL YELL SCREAMING TRUTHFUL SHIT LIKE IM HAVING A FIT LIKE PHIL ANSELMO AND HE WAS FUCKING HOSTILE AND NOW IM A MADMAN WITH OZZY OSBOURNES BARKING AT THE MOON AND LIKE NEIL DIAMOND I GOT HOT AUGUST NIGHTS AND I AM SEPTEMBER MORN FOR LOVE ON THE ROCKS AND MY SWEET CAROLINE SWEET AS HOZIERS SWEET CHERRY WINE WHICH GIVE MEN CAVITIES FROM THOSE ANGELS BEING SO SUGARY SWEETENED IN ANTI SACCHARINE SUGAR CUBES FOLLOWING THE MONKIES RATHER THAN BEING THE BEATLES JUDY AND I LOVE ALL MUSIC LIKE BARRY MANNILOW AT THE COPACABANA WITH MANDY SINGING LOOKS LIKE WE MADE IT THROUGH THAT MISERABLY SAD WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND ALMOST MADE ME WRITE SONGS THAT SHOULD MAKE THE WHOLE WORLD CRY BECAUSE YOU STEAL THE LIGHT FROM THE DRIVE IN THEATERS OF EARTH LEAVING SONGS WITHGREAT HOLES EXCAVATED FOR PREPARATION OF TOWERS TO BE ERECTED AND YOU STOLE THE BLUEPRINTS FROM OUR DRAFTER LIKE A HOT IRON GRAFTER WITH METALLURGY IN MY BIOLOGICAL FORTRESS AND MY ULTRA VIOLET LIGHT IS SET TO GIVE YOU SUNBURN YOU HAVE NO COPPETONE TANNING BED EXPERIENCE WITN AND I CUT TEETH GETTING SUNBURNED FOR SUMMER FUN IN LAKE TAHOE SO IM USED TO THE HEAT AND IM BRINGING AN OVEN INTO YOUR OWN KITCHEN THAT HAS MUCH MORE HEAT THAN YOUR POLITICAL CORRECTNESS LIKE DONALD TRUMP SENDING TWEETS TO KOREA NORTHBOUND ON TRAINS OF THOUGHTS CLEARLY GONE OFF THE RAILS AND I DO NEVER RESIST ANYTHING AND THAT PERSISTING YOU POKING THIS DEMON DOG DAWGFATHER OF YOUR WARS IS SET TO SPILL AND I AIMS TO KILL AND I NEVER MISS A TARGET LIKE A SNIPER ONE MILE SHOT SERGEANT AND MESSING ME ROUND IS DUMBER THAN GIVING THAT RICKY GUY THE YOUNG BOY SENTENCED TO 18 IN LIFE I AM PISSED AND A WILDMAN LIKE SEBASTIAN BACH AND NIKKI SIXXS LOVE CHILD SPERM DONAR DELIVERY INTO PAMELA ANDERSONS SWEET VA J J…

You gots nothing like me and you don’t even see that my own Physiology is supreme like a Taco Bell taco And my steak is beefy like an eighty year old eighties grandma screaming where’s YOUR BEEF BRUH??

[firstofall-howdareyou]

How was your trip aside from seeing the fantastic show?

Oh it was amazing!! We had an incredible time. I’ll do a play by play with some photos and if you don’t have any interest, just move along haha 

Started out in Niagara Falls on Friday - obviously its a massive tourist trap and has very Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg vibes, so we had a very expensive dinner for the view that wasn’t worth the value and then checked it out in the daytime that next morning. I think we ended up leaving by like 9:30 am haha

We made a pit stop in Niagara-On-The-Lake on our way to Kitchener and what an adorable little town!! I never got a chance to try ice wine while we were there so I’m going to have to find some somewhere. 

In Kitchener before the show, we explored St. Jacob’s Farmers Market (I got a bag of chippery chips and my friend got a doner kebab which just took me back to London and studying abroad and I miss ittttt) - so many Mennonites working there, it was really interesting. 

We had dinner before the show at The Rich Uncle Tavern in downtown Kitchener and I cannot recommend it enough! It was absolutely delish and such a cool vibe on the inside. 

Headed to Toronto on Sunday morning and I had my first Tim Hortons experience. It was… like every other coffee experience? Also timbits are just donut holes right? Anyways. 

We went to the Royal Ontario Museum (that city pass life) – my friend made a joke about one of the artifacts being yet another thing the western world stole and of course, it was said right in front of a docent who then told us that the museum purchased those items from the Vietnamese a few years ago. Whoops! 

We had lunch at Hemingway’s and it was such a fun place. I imagine when it’s not, you know 38 with 20 mph winds, the patio is a lot cooler, but was really good food! 

After lunch, we got super lost trying to find Casa Loma and ended up wandering around the mansions on Russell Hill Rd before we finally figured out how to get to the ~castle. Which was stunning!!! I felt like we were playing clue with the conservatory/secret passageways. 

That night we grabbed more Tim Hortons to walk ourselves to Yonge-Dundas Square and the Eaton Centre, before we took the subway to the CN Tower. My friend is super wary of heights but I dgaf so we went at night so she would be less scared. 

Then we went to Smoke’s Poutinery for our first poutine experience. omg its both awful and amazing at the same time. If I was drunk, I think you’d have to drag me out of there, but it was just a tad too much gravy for me. 

Monday we did the Aquarium, which was a lot of fun! Thank you to my anon who recommended it. I showed photos of it to one of my nieces last night and she was obsessed. 

Then we went up to graffiti alley, explored some of the shops on Queen Street, etc. and finally went to the Eaton Centre to truly shop. We went floor by floor and into any store that we didn’t recognize haha (no photos of tessa in the rw&co but I did see her on the wall in bonlook!) Managed to grab a Canadian Olympic team shirt from Hudson’s Bay (thanks for that tip!!!) 

And then off to London for our final stop! We headed there a little earlier than I expected so we didn’t have a diner plan. We ended up walking around Covent Garden Market for a bit before going to Milos’ Craft Beer Emporium for dinner/drinks. What a good vibe there. It felt like a lot of bars we have at home, but of course we had to get Ontario beers. I had a sour beer from Bellwoods Brewery (felt fitting with the band) and it was delish. 

Obviously, the fact that Canada let Target fail is horrifying to these Americans, and Google told us that Canadians typically went to Canadian Tire instead, so we had nothing else to do but tour the store that destroyed the best store in the world. Listen. I’m so sorry Canadians, but Canadian tire is trash and I really want you to accept that. It smelled like a mix between an Ollie’s and a KMart. I even messaged someone and said “I can’t believe Tessa Virtue had a m&g in one of these” hahahahaha

Unfortunately, the Bag Lady is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so we couldn’t go there, but we went back downtown to The Early Bird for breakfast and it was DELISH and so filling omg. Cannot recommend it enough. 

And then I took my friend on what I called A VM Tour of London HAHAHA 

We started with Bud Gardens because it was right there (as someone who lives in a city that is larger than London but not like… that much larger population wise - wow wow wow that is a small downtown), drove right past Molly Bloom’s, Tessa’s house, and then off to Ilderton, the arena, Scott’s parent’s house, and finally the Skate Shop. 

Can I just pause for a moment and talk about how they picked SUCH a good location for the skate shop? There are new subdivisions going up all over the place right there and its close to the suburbs of London. It was a solid move. Also it’s super cute on the inside!!! They did such a good job. I loved all of the photos they had in there, including 2010 OD Nationals, Mahler, the Greg Kolz ones. Ugh. Well done. 

My friend is SUCH a good friend. Like I cannot stress that enough. I drove and she took photos of everything and I love her for it. 

Finally, we ended up at the Museum London for a bit since it was donation-only and explored that before we hit the 401 and headed home. 

I’m genuinely not kidding when I say that I teared up on the 401 imagining teenage VM making this drive weekly forging their friendship. I got really sappy and I’m not even sorry about it. 

Overall, it was SUCH A FUN TRIP. Thank you to everyone who gave me recommendations on where to go, where to stay and what to eat. 

[jackrileycomau1]

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[jackrileysblog]

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[marshmallow-phd]

Where Waves Meet the Shore

Genre: Neighbor!AU

Pairing: Jongdae x Reader

A/N: And now... another little story inspired by @xui-n-soowillbethedeathofme‘s moodboard featured above. Because she’s just too good at what she does. 

**

You didn’t hate your neighbor, per se. But if he suddenly up and moved away, there would be no tears from you. It’s not that he was rude or obnoxious. Since the first time you’d met him, he’d been friendly and nice. He was just. So. Loud!

Spending the summer relaxing by the beach sounded like paradise, but while you were enjoying the laid back isolation, your neighbor – who lived there all year round – apparently didn’t like to be alone. Friends were constantly over, throwing bonfires until well after midnight with music blaring and laughter and screaming. It was like he didn’t realize that other people might actually want to sleep at night.

With the sun setting in the west just above the shimmering water, you were settling down for the evening. A freshly poured glass of wine was resting on the side table next to the couch and you were flipping through the pages of your latest novel to find your previous spot. It was quiet and you were looking forward to the chill evening. Unfortunately, that only last about half an hour.

At first, it was just the music. That didn’t bother you too much as it was at the right volume to be simple background noise. Easily ignorable. Then the shouting started.

You weren’t sure how many of them it took to be so obnoxious while whooping and hollering, but tonight – tonight you were not going to just let it slide.

Slamming your book shut, you jumped up from the couch and stormed out your back door. The sand under your bare feet was still scorching hot from being beat down by the sun all day, but you pushed through it until you reached the rowdy group down by the water. A medium-sized bonfire served as the center of the chaos, surrounded by lawn chairs and coolers. One of the men noticed you standing there a few feet away with your arms crossed. He nudged the arm of the target of your wrath, who turned around and had the nerve to beam at you.

“Hey, neighbor!” Jongdae greeted with a wave. “Decided to come out and join us for once, huh?”

“No,” you snapped. “I came to ask you to please keep it down. I can hear both you and your music all the way in my living room.”

Jongdae just laughed. “Oops, sorry. We’ll try to keep it down.”

“Thank you.” Spinning on your heels, you started back up the beach.

“It wouldn’t kill you to have some fun, though.”

And that made you screech to a halt. Excuse me?

Turning back around to face the jerk. “What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

Jongdae opened his mouth to elaborate on his comment, but one of his buddies stopped him.

“Just let it go, dude.” He was one of the shorter ones, with curly black hair and sharp eyes. You noticed that he kept a safe distance away from where the water met the sand. “Sorry, ma’am, we’ll keep it down.”

“I appreciate that.” You headed back to your home before Jongdae could let out whatever snide comment he was holding back.

Once you were standing in your living room again, you sighed deeply.

Peace and quiet.

**

For the past couple days, that silence from your neighbor had continued and they were the best nights you’d had in a while.

Coming to an oceanside villa for a month or two was exactly what you needed. After the rough year you’d had, getting the chance to not have to worry about work or anything else that could send you into a sour mood or a downward spiral. This little place you’d discovered randomly in your research was simplistically perfect, you were almost tempted to stay here permanently.

Another little activity that you actually enjoyed in this place without rushing or stressing out was grocery shopping. The seaside town was small and rather than a large chain store, your source of perishable items for cooking was a small mom and pop shop. And you loved it. Nearly everything sold in the store was fresh and local. You could wander up and down the aisles without worrying about being in the way or having to choose through a dozen different brands.

With a half-filled basket hanging from the crook of your arm, you inspected the different oranges for any bruises or other signs of impurities. The citrusy smell was clinging to your fingers, making you smile.

“Howdy, neighbor.”

And your good mood slumped.

Finishing off the bag of oranges in your hand, you tied it up and placed it your basket before turning to Jongdae.

“Hi,” you replied in a monotone voice.

He raised an eyebrow at you. “Bad day?”

“No,” you scoffed. “I was having a nice day until you appeared.”

“Now that’s not very nice,” he pouted.

You threw him a look before continuing down the aisle. “Bombarding my nights with your noise out on the beach constantly isn’t very nice, either.”

“Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Hang inside your house all day.”

“I do not hang out in my house all day!” you barked. The poor old lady behind the register leaned over the counter to check on the disruption. You mouthed “sorry” to her before turning back to Jongdae. In a quieter voice, you argued, “I leave my house quite often. I go out with friends and obviously I’m standing in the middle of a grocery store at the moment.”

“But you are in a villa on the beach,” he whined. “You should be enjoying the sunsets and seeing more of the sand than your morning jogs.”

You gaped at him. “You’ve been watching me?”

“You jog past my place at the same time that I’m eating breakfast on my back porch every day,” he explained. “Kind of hard to miss that pattern.”

That argument just pulled a heavy sigh out of you. “I enjoy my morning runs. From there, I spend the day with my friends. Sometimes. Other times… I just want to stay inside.”

A group of your friends were staying in a hotel a little over half an hour away for a water park and they’d graciously come to visit you a few times on their own vacation. You just didn’t hang out with them as much as you were implying at the moment.

“Why?” Jongdae challenged.

Your arm was going numb from the basket hanging from your elbow. Shifting the basket over to your other hip, you narrowed your eyes at him. “I don’t know. I guess I just like the lack of expectations when I’m alone.”

Instead of arguing with you, Jongdae nodded in understanding. “I get that. There’d be no expectations if you wanted to join our little get togethers. We just hang out and do whatever. You can drink or not. You can go into the water or not. It’s all up to you.”

“Maybe I’ll think about it next the time you get together.” Surely it wouldn’t be too long until their next bonfire.

“The boys are coming over tonight if you want to join.”

Why were you not surprised?

“I’ll think about it,” you half promised.

Slapping the container holding the lemons, Jongdae’s face broke out into a million watt smile. “Great! Hope to see you there!”

As you watched the boy walk away and out of the store, your heart did a little skip.

What the hell was that?

**

Were you actually going to do this? Were you actually going to join in the chaos just outside your door?

Apparently, the answer was yes based on how you were dressed.

It was simply your swimsuit under a tank top and and shorts, a pair of flip flops adorning your feet. You were currently staring out your back door, fighting with yourself on whether or not to head to the beach. The group did look like they were having fun….

Screw it.

Shoving your back door open, you headed out, telling yourself that if you didn’t like it, you could always leave.

When you reached the group, you froze, unsure of what to do from there. At least eight other boys made up the party and Jongdae was currently chasing one of the taller boys around the fire. Until he noticed you.

“Hey, (y/n)!”

Forgetting all about his pursuit, Jongdae ran up to you, grinning from ear to ear.

“You made it,” he huffed excitedly. Taking your hand, he pulled you towards the group. “Hey, guys! This is my neighbor, (y/n).”

Everyone waved to you and Jongdae, finally letting your hand go, but swiftly moving it to the small of your back, went around and introduced you to each of his friends. Then he gestured to a low-sitting lawn chair.

“You can sit down there, if you want,” he offered. “I’ll grab you something to drink.”

You’d barely sat down in the chair before Jongdae was gone and back with a cold bottle of light-colored beer. You muttered out a small “thanks” as you took the drink.

Rather than hover over you, Jongdae ran off to talk Minseok and Chanyeol who were kicking a soccer ball back and forth. Unable to help yourself, your eyes lingered on your neighbor. How could he make a loose white tank top and a pair of light-washed skinny jeans look so incredibly good?

Damn it, you could feel your cheeks heating up by the second.

“So, what did he say to get you to join us?”

You jumped at the sudden presence setting a chair down in the space to your left. It was Yixing, one of the quiet ones.

Shrugging, you took a sip of the beer. “You know, I’m not exactly sure. Maybe it was just the outright invitation?”

Yixing nodded. “Jongdae has a way drawing people to him. He’s very kind-hearted.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” you chuckled.

“He was really excited when he told us that you might show up.”

You perked up at that new piece of information. “Really?”

“Uh-huh.” He flashed you a cute little smile. “He was practically jumping up and down. When you first moved in, you were all he could talk about. Actually, he still talks about you a lot.”

You didn’t know how to respond to that other than clearing your throat and scratching the space behind your ear.

“Oops,” Yixing chuckled. “I don’t think I was supposed to tell you that.”

You stayed quiet, sipping away on your drink.

Several times throughout the evening, Jongdae came over and made sure that you were okay and didn’t need anything that he could provide. About three beers and a sunset later, most of the boys were packing up and heading home for the night.

Sehun was the last to leave. You were debating whether or not it was time for you to go back to your villa as well when Jongdae dropped into the chair beside you.

“Did you have a little bit of fun?” he asked.

“Yeah,” you nodded sincerely. “I did.”

The whole group was a hoot, constantly dragging each other through the dirt in a very brotherly way. You’d never been so entertained in your life. If anyone were to ask, you were sure your abdominal muscles were going to be hurting tomorrow from laughing so much.

“Good, good.” He side-eyed you with a mischievous glint. “Glad to know the stick isn’t stuck in the mud.”

Oh, that was rude.

Scoffing at his insult, you reached over to the cooler that was in arm’s reach and grabbed a handful of ice. You threw it right at his chest. A big wet spot was now clearly visible on his shirt, making you giggle.  

“Hey!” Jongdae jumped up from his seat to get the ice off of him as soon as possible. Then he narrowed his gaze at you.

Crap.

You scrambled up to your feet and ran for your life. The sand and your flip flops made it impossible to get anywhere fast. Jongdae caught you in his arms, sending you both down to the ground. He landed on top of you, barely missing knocking his head against yours.

“Oh, man, (y/n), are you okay?” He pushed himself up to his elbows, eyes searching you for any injury.

“I’m okay,” you whispered.

That was lie. You were certainly not okay. His close proximity was sending your nerves into overdrive and your eyes were lingering on his lips no matter how much you fought it.

With his right hand, Jongdae brushed the sand that covered your cheek before cupping the back of your neck. Slowly, he lowered his head until his lips brushed up against yours. It was just a tease, but it didn’t last long.

Jongdae pushed down more, turning the brush into a full, deep kiss. His lips were hesitant, giving you all the time in the world to pull away. But you didn’t. You brought your arms up, locking them around Jongdae’s neck to keep him in place as you eagerly kissed him back.

What the hell was happening? This neighbor that you insisted annoyed you was suddenly making your heart race and you didn’t know what to make of any it.

Reluctantly, you broke the kiss, needing air to refill your lungs. Jongdae was smiling down at you, giving you one last kiss to your forehead.

“So,” he chuckled as he sat back, “I’m not so bad.”

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. Lips still tingling, you sprung up, taking a seat in Jongdae’s lap with your legs wrapped around his hips. “No, I guess you’re not too bad.”

“Can I take you to breakfast tomorrow?”

Chewing on your bottom lip, you couldn’t hold back the smile. “I think I’d like that.”

But right now, you wanted desert.

With your fingers tangling in his thick black hair, you started the kiss up again. Jongdae held you steady with his arms around your waist, happy to continue what he’d started.

The setting for this strange turn of events couldn’t have been more perfect. As the fire crackled beside you, it sent little sparks up into the night sky that faded before they could hit the stars. Waves met the shore with a crash, pulling back before rushing forward again. While you’d expected a peaceful and ordinary time by the beach, it seemed life had decided to take you on a different trail. And you weren’t sure how long this would last, but for a little while, at least, you would certainly be grateful for the unexpected twist.

[quiveringbunny]

You Can’t Afford Him (Olicity fanfic, rated M) - Chapter 2

Here is Chapter 2 of my fic. 

If you missed Chapter 1, you can read it here on Tumblr. 

If you prefer reading on Ao3, here are links to:

Chapter 1       Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

“Archer, meet Celeste Chen, who has impeccable taste in shoes and her fellow, Myles Crofton.”

Without missing a beat, Myles piped up. “I’m told she also has impeccable taste in boyfriends.”

At the utterance of their target’s name, Oliver had tightened his grip around Felicity, just enough for her to notice. Then he offered his hand to the arm’s dealer with a perfect playboy grin.

“Good to meet you, Myles.”

Myles offered the universal head nod that could have meant yes or the feeling is mutual. As with so many wealthy people, much was left to be interpreted.

“Panda told us you’ve had some bother with your luggage.”

“That’s right,” Oliver sighed. “Can you believe it?” He tried to seem put upon without coming off a complete dick so early in their interaction. If these two didn’t like him, they might shut down the obvious opening that Felicity had created for them.

“And since our room isn’t ready,” Felicity added, leaning into Oliver’s sizable shoulder, “it seemed like the good idea to spread a little cryptocurrency around the shops, although I guess since it’s all virtual it doesn’t actually spread.”

Oliver held his breath. He loved Felicity’s rambles, but he didn’t know if they translated well in other cultures. His worries dissipated when Celeste chuckled and Myles cracked a smile. He watched the woman tug on her man’s sleeve and then give him a questioning look. Myles took note, shook his head, then wordlessly wandered away, raising his phone to his ear. Oliver was curious, but forced himself to remain partially attentive to the half of the couple that remained. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Myles. On his first call, everything seemed fine. Then, it was as though he was talking to someone else because he looked agitated. He didn’t raise his voice so they could hear, but he was seething for a moment.

“Archer, I know this is Panda’s first visit to Macau. What about you?”

“I have a recollection of passing through once with my family, but it was decades ago. So much has changed since then. It’s incredible now. The architecture. The energy. The beautiful women,” he added pointedly. Felicity raised an eyebrow at him, at which he became very serious. “And by that I mean that Panda wasn’t here, so it was much less attractive then.”

The two of them studied each other for a moment, then Felicity playfully prodded Oliver’s ribs.

“Good recovery there,” Celeste volunteered.

“Yes,” Felicity smirked. “My hero.”

“Do you two have any dinner plans tonight? We would love for you to join us.”

Felicity looked up at Oliver, her eyes twinkling. They needed to play it cool, but she really wanted to pump her fist in the air at this moment.

“We don’t have plans tonight, do we Baby?” Felicity looked up at Oliver with a warm smile.

“I think we do now, PandaBear. That is very kind of you, Celeste,” Oliver offered the woman a genuine smile. “I hope I won’t be overdressed,” he added, looking down at his tuxedo.

“Nonsense,” Celeste replied. “It’s perfect.” She then directed her gaze to Felicity. "You have excellent taste, Panda."

Oliver felt Felicity’s hand slip between his shirt and his jacket and rest near his heart. He hoped she couldn’t feel it beating more violently than usual. What had gotten into her? The touching? Apparently Pandora Fleece was a lot more handsy than Felicity Smoak. He hadn’t even begun to process their earlier kiss. And what was that about Felicity having good taste? Before Oliver could question or protest, he was interrupted.

“That would be lovely,” Felicity responded to the other woman while softly running her fingers against Oliver’s expensive shirt-covered abs.

Just then, Myles returned and took the hand of his beautiful Celeste. He wasn’t the only one who could be affectionate. Of course, the Americans were always a little too obvious about it in public. Celeste studied his face for information.

“I have had a word with the desk. Just go see the concierge. He will be looking after you personally.”

Felicity and Oliver expressed enthusiasm for their host’s kindness.

“No problem,” Myles replied. “One of the benefits of owning the place.”

“Oh, wow.” Felicity feigned surprise. She could not let on how much they already knew about the man. They were, after all, just tourists.

“Thank you,” Oliver added, “that’s very kind.” He offered his hand again with a sincere smile. Myles took it.

“Don’t mention it.” Myles turned to Celeste. “Darling, I am now running late for a meeting and I’m told the art consultant is upstairs. I’m afraid we are going to have to try this shirt thing another day.”

“Of course,” Celeste sighed. “Panda, I’ll have dinner details sent to your room.”

“That’s wonderful, Celeste. We are looking forward to it.”

xoxoxo

Once they had settled the details with Javier regarding the final purchase, arrangements were made to have Archer’s clothing sent up to their room via the hotel concierge. Throughout the transaction, the two generally avoided eye contact. There was much to be said, much to explain, but it had to wait until they were in private.

The two proceeded to the concierge station near the front desk and were greeted enthusiastically by a middle-aged woman named Kim who had jet black hair with a shock of white on one side. She smiled warmly and apologized far too much for inconveniencing them. When she signaled for them to follow her away from the desk, they realized she was going to escort them to their room herself. The two exchanged curious looks as they proceeded up an elevator to the 25th floor. The woman finally led them down a gold and red-hued hallway to a very opulent door. She swiped a metal card and it unlocked with a decisive click.

It was a suite. Not a junior suite like at the Marriott with a fold out couch, a sad desk in the corner and a couple of bottles of water. It was a full-fledged apartment, suitable for hosting visiting dignitaries. If they were sultans. The space had a dark Arabian Nights kind of vibe. Felicity found herself gawping, legit gawping, as the woman provided the grand tour of the rooms and amenities. Huge sitting area with tall windows. Massive bedroom with gigantic bed. Check. Large sitting room with fainting couch off the bedroom. Crazy fancy bathroom with a huge soaking tub and a rain shower. Check. Second fancy bathroom. Check. Pillows. Pillows. Pillows. Everywhere. Flowers. A chilled bottle of wine placed in a cooler on a wet bar. It just became more ridiculous with every moment.

“Excuse me, Kim. This is truly amazing, but it definitely isn’t what I reserved.”

“Yes, Miss Fleece. Mr. Crofton would like you to stay in this suite. It is one he sets aside for his and Miss Celeste’s friends.”

“I am speechless,” spoke the young woman, who had eyeballed some of the finest accommodations in Las Vegas when she was young.

“Thank you,” Oliver volunteered, seeing the woman to the door. “This was a very generous gesture. We are so very grateful.”

The woman explained that she would have their purchases brought up when they were available and would call with details of their dinner plans. Oliver thanked the woman again and was grateful that tipping was not standard practice in Macau for this particular service, as he didn’t have any cash in his pocket.

Once the woman was gone, Oliver kept staring at the closed door, collecting his thoughts before he turned to see Felicity sitting tentatively on an opulent couch, her chin resting on her hands. He considered his next move carefully and then acted swiftly, as he always did.

Oliver moved across the carpet and sat right down next to Felicity, invading her personal space. His warm body and even hotter breath tickled her ear and she gasped. The look in his eye was curious, even to her, and she had seen all of his expressions - or so she thought. It was like he wanted her. But that couldn’t be right. Just as she became uncomfortable with his gaze and attempted to shift away, Oliver grabbed her arm and whispered into her ear.

“Can you sweep the rooms without anyone knowing?”

Felicity let out a relieved and in no small way disappointed sign and nodded. Soon, she was grabbing her phone from her bag and touring their digs again, chatting mindlessly about the decor and the amenities, all the while checking for listening devices and cameras. It was unlikely their space would be monitored, but Oliver was right. It was good to check. After her circuit, she ended up in front of her partner, who was standing at a bank of windows, looking out on the Macau harbor in the afternoon sun.

“It’s clean,” she announced, brightly.

“Good.” His voice was flat. Tired, perhaps. But there was more to it. “I’m going to rest.”

With that, Oliver walked into the bedroom, past the bed and into the sitting room. He disappeared behind a closed door, leaving Felicity alone and unsure of what had just happened.

xoxoxo

Felicity knew something was off with Oliver. He hadn’t said more than a few words to her after they left Dolce & Gabbana and then he seemed to want to ditch her the moment they got into their insanely beautiful suite after looking at her with expressions she couldn’t decipher. Now he was asleep. An afternoon nap also seemed uncharacteristic of Oliver, but they had been traveling for 24 hours and it wasn’t unreasonable to imagine he could be wiped out.

Not knowing what to do next, Felicity first jumped on her tablet and made the necessary changes to their backstory support on the web to accommodate a quick alteration in cover stories, just in case. She also did some snooping on Celeste and soon discovered she was a very sought-after debutante in Hong Kong before coupling up with Myles Crofton.

A knock at the door signaled the delivery of numerous bags from the dress shop and D&G. Felicity had the stewards litter the living area with them.

Eventually, the lure of the amazing soaking tub in the master bath became a distraction. Felicity  gathered up her purchases and took up residence in what amounted to a marble temple. She helped herself to some of the high-end bath products that were provided on the counter, slipped into the tub, and finally felt herself decompressing from the many sharp turns of the day. But every time her mind started to clear, her thoughts drifted to that kiss.

What had possessed her to do it? Was an epic lip-lock really necessary to sell their cover at that point? Or had she done it to mark her territory — as if Oliver Queen was hers? Felicity debated with herself about it for quite some time and then decided that, yes, the smooch had quickly and definitively established the credibility of their cover to the target of their mission and created greater potential for mission success since it led to an invitation to socially engage with said target.

Yep. That’s exactly what it did. The fact that Oliver’s lips felt so hot and strong against hers, while remaining curiously soft was irrelevant, as was the way he smelled — woodsy and masculine — even though he had been cooped up on a plane for a day. She could almost still feel it reverberating on her mouth. Imagine what an actual kiss with Oliver Queen might feel like, if a fake one had her knees buckling in a designer clothing store! She couldn’t bring herself to entertain that thought. Oliver wouldn’t kiss someone he could care about. She had to remember that.

Felicity also needed to remind herself that allowing her feelings to take over could be dangerous for her heart. And they were already surrounded by physical danger just being there in Hong Kong, thousands of miles away from home, trying to wheedle their way into the private business of a man who made an impressive fortune buying and selling devastating weapons. That man might have even procured Mirakuru and the potential to raise and army of nearly invincible killers.

This was simply no time to moon over her infuriating and attractive partner. There it was - the crux of her situation, clear as day. Lives could be at stake, Smoak. Pandora Fleece and Archer Middleton were just the masks they needed to wear to be heroes now.

After a solid soak, Felicity emerged from the water with a clearer head. She was back on mission now. Hyper-focused. Once she had finished fretting, she spent twenty solid minutes considering various scenarios that could transpire with Myles Crofton and devising ways to use them to gain access to his sensitive data. Ew. That sounded a little sexual. Her mind always found the worst ways to say something.

Her first task was to fix her hair. She couldn’t decide how she would wear it for the evening. Up? Down? Straight? Curly. Being a lady uncover was not easy. She stared at herself in the mirror and grimaced.

Felicity distracted herself from the dilemma by rooting through the luxuriously-packed boutique bags and pulling out items she had sourced hours before. This included a flat box. Inside, there were three pairs of red satin panties nestled inside cream-colored tissue paper. Three. Huh. She had asked for just two pairs, but maybe Margot was feeling generous.

At first she snorted at them. Silly scraps of fabric. But then she reconsidered. Maybe they would be good luck. She could definitely use some if they were going to be successful on their mission. Who was she to turn down potential good fortune?

Relenting, she soon discovered she had underestimated them. Those ridiculous panties. How they would make her feel when she slipped them on. But the satin was perfect and rubbed deliciously against her skin. Looking at herself in the mirror…admiring herself…Felicity felt sexy and powerful. She didn’t know she needed this. God bless Margot.  

Still not sure what to do with her hair, she decided to do her makeup next. But she would need to retrieve her purse from the living area sofa first. She enveloped herself in a plush white terry robe emblazoned with the logo of the hotel and emerged into the master bedroom.

Her breath was stolen when she found Oliver sitting on the edge of the bed, facing the bathroom door. He was wearing his tuxedo, but was currently foregoing the jacket.  His tie was missing and his top shirt buttons open. His posture was deflated until he saw her and sat up straight. He didn’t speak. He just looked at her, carefully, studying her while Felicity tightened the belt on her robe and attempted to settle her breathing.

Neither of them spoke for the longest time. Felicity was waiting for Oliver to say something, perhaps to reveal what seemed to have him out of sorts earlier. Meanwhile, the Arrow’s face reflected a heavy storm, one that he couldn’t find the words to express.

“I…I just needed my purse,” she finally stammered, gesturing toward the main room. Suddenly, she was moving, scooting out to collect her bag.

Oliver’s eyes followed her as she rushed out of the room and snagged her purse from the coffee table. She returned wordlessly, steering herself back toward the bathroom. This felt beyond awkward.

“I was going to ask your opinion about how to wear my hair but since you don’t seem to be speaking to me…” she muttered, her back to him as she headed to the door. Then she heard his voice rumble, quiet and deep.

“Down.” He cleared his throat. “Your hair looks nice just like that.”

Felicity stopped and turned around.

“Okay,” she whispered.

Their staring contest reconvened. Oliver was winning like Secretariat.

xoxoxo

Oliver had woken up from a short, but deep nap in the late afternoon and then brooded in a sitting room for at least an hour. Maybe two. Every that had happened earlier in the day with Felicity in the boutique played over and over in his head. He still hadn’t talked to her about the events that led to an apparent role reversal in their cover stories.

How had she connected with Myles Crofton so quickly and made such an impression that they were already invited to dine with him and his girlfriend? The obvious answer was…it was Felicity. She was remarkable, after all. He should have known better by now to even wonder. But he was still curious.

And then there was the damn kiss. She completely surprised him with that move. He knew it was probably necessary to establish some kind of relationship with Crofton and Celeste, but it was unexpected and unsettling. He really needed to talk to her.

He opened the door to the bedroom and realized she was using the bathroom. Rather than interrupt her, he wandered out into the living area and found the bags containing the purchases from Dolce & Gabbana. He took them to the extra bathroom before indulging in a relaxing shower.

After getting cleaned up, Oliver began digging through the bags. The shop had been aware of his luggage predicament and added a number of items he might need. There was a sample of aftershave and even a simple pair of pajamas. He didn’t wear pajamas, but maybe he should start. It appeared that the hotel had also chipped in some extra toiletries so he could trim his beard.

Oliver finished dressing, except for his jacket and tie, and wandered around the main room of the suite. Okay, he was pacing, considering what he wanted to say to Felicity and whether or not he could actually express himself, even if he got his shit together, as well as worrying that any kind of conversation now might be counterproductive to the mission. A dangerous mission.  Eventually, he ended up sitting in the bedroom directly across from the bathroom door, slumping a little in his designer clothes. It occurred to him that if Thea could see him, she’d give him all kinds of shit for wrinkling the Dolce.

It’s funny when you are waiting for something to happen and then when it does, you are still surprised. That’s how Oliver felt when the bathroom door swung open and Felicity emerged, barefoot and enveloped in a hotel robe. Suddenly, the situation, the job, felt so intimate. This was Felicity like she might be at home in the morning getting ready for work or dressing for a date with someone who wasn’t him.

And he had no words. Everything he had been going over in his head earlier seemed pointless and petty. All she had to do was stand there and look at him. Like that. He could tell when she blanched that he was probably making her uncomfortable with his silence. He knew that Felicity hated pregnant pauses. It was like her brain wanted to switch on and begin ruminating on a problem or a piece of code, but it couldn’t because there might be some pending exchange.

Felicity appeared to wait a moment, then she rushed into the other room. Something about her purse. Oliver took a steadying breath, no longer under scrutiny. Get it together Queen.

When Felicity came back into the room, she didn’t engage with him at all, but rather headed for the bathroom.

“I was going to ask your opinion about how to wear my hair but since you don’t seem to be speaking to me…” she said quietly.

Something in him cracked at that comment. It wasn’t that he wasn’t speaking to her. He simply didn’t know what…how to say anything when she was right there, shimmering like a terrycloth mirage.

She sounded offended. Say something, Queen. She never asked him how he liked her hair before and in all honesty, he liked it however she wore it. Wait? Did she say something about him not speaking to her?

“Down.” He choked out. “Your hair looks nice just like that.”

Felicity stopped moving forward. She pivoted and looked right into his eyes, surprised.  

“Okay,” she whispered, tilting her head.  

A force — Oliver really had no idea what it was, or he didn’t want to name it — pulled him up off the bed and drew him toward her at the doorway like a magnet. And now she was looking up at him, her blue eyes blazing with curiosity.

“Why did you think…I wasn’t…I didn’t know. I didn’t know what to say,” he exhaled, towering over her, but still seeming soft and sincere.

“Usually I’m the babbler, Oliver. That’s my thing. You wear the leather and put the fear of God in people.”

Felicity followed up her statement with a sweet smile, trying to defuse what had quickly become a tense moment. Oliver let out a breathy chuckle and looked at the ceiling to gather himself.

“I do that, don’t I?”

“You do, although if I’m being honest, I prefer you doing the former to the latter because leather is, you know,” she grinned, “hot and fear of God gets kind of arrowy and there’s blood. Not that it’s your blood. I mean, actually, usually it’s somebody else’s but it’s still gross and gets all over the leather, which is good.”

Oliver was shaking his head now. God, she was adorable.

“And I’m babbling again. Oliver you have to stop me when…”

“Felicity,” he spoke sharply. Then he grasped her arms at her elbows, holding her still. He had her attention now. “Earlier, you kissed me.”

Felicity’s eyes slammed shut for a moment. She couldn’t run, but she was definitely thinking about it. “I know. I’m sorry I couldn’t explain what was happening, but when I met Celeste we talked about cryptocurrency and it was a crazy coincidence that her boyfriend was involved in it and she wanted me to meet him and then there he was…freaking Myles Crofton himself and it felt like an unexpected opportunity and I should run with it.”

When her eyes opened, he was studying her face, looking at her with unexpected warmth.

“Felicity, look at me.” Oliver left hand disengaged from her arm and he gently placed his palm against her cheek. Felicity’s eye’s fluttered open.

“When we were at the house and I needed to get Slade,” Oliver said with a quiet, deliberate tone, “I said something to you…”

“It was just for the mission,” she volunteered, trying to button down her expression, which likely still reflected disappointment. “You gave me the syringe.”

Oliver shook his head and he sighed.

“It’s alright, Oliver. We have to say things sometimes that we don’t mean.”

“The natural thing for me to do to really sell the plan to Slade would have been to kiss you.”

Felicity avoided his glance as heat rose on her face. He was still cupping her jaw against his hand and she was enjoying that feeling. It was tender. Sweet.

“But I didn’t want to do that,” he continued. Felicity turned her eyes up to meet his. If he was going to deliver bad news, they should just get it over with so she could go back in the bathroom and fall apart alone.

“Felicity, I’ve kissed a lot of girls. You could wallpaper a room with pictures from the tabloids of me doing thoughtless things and making an exhibitionist ass out of myself back before the island. But I’m different now. I didn’t want the first time I kissed you to be a ruse. I wanted it to be perfect and, just…I thought if it was ever going to happen, I wanted it to be real and I didn’t want to share that moment with anyone but you.”

His beautiful partner’s eyes grew wider as she processed what he was saying.

“Oh. Oh, you wanted to…” her expression morphed from surprise to devastation. “Oh God. Did I ruin it? I did, didn’t I? I shouldn’t have…”

Her voice trailed and room became silent except for the hum of the air conditioning system.

Oliver watched Felicity’s eyes started to fill with moisture. His pulse rose with concern. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her. He leaned down and his eyes shined at her in a way he had never allowed in the past.

“No,” he rasped. “It was just practice. For this.”

Then he wrapped one arm around her shoulder and the other circled her waist, rubbing against the soft terrycloth belt of her robe. He tugged her closer and lowered his mouth to hers, seeking her lips with the lightest of touches.

When he felt her her body press against his, the anxiety in him relaxed a little. Then she tilted her head to find the perfect angle to answer his kiss and his heart surged beneath his crisp, linen shirt. Time slowed and Felicity’s purse met the ground with a dull, quiet, thud.

Oliver was barely aware that he was moving them, stepping back to the bed, lifting her and draping her across his lap as he sat down. He memorized everything from the exotic perfume of the soap she wore to the whimper she made when he reluctantly pulled away and rested his nose against the soft pink shell of her ear.

“Wow,” she gasped, followed by a “meep” noise signaling she had meant to keep that comment internal. Soon, Oliver’s body was shaking with a laugh he tried to stifle by pulling her closer.

“Yes, wow,” he added, honestly, and also to assure she didn’t feel alone in expressing appreciation because it was the best first kiss he’d ever had. It was the last first kiss he ever wanted. But he kept that to himself for now.

Now, they had a serious mission. As much as he wanted to set that aside and focus on the woman in his arms, he knew that. Oliver took a step back but continued to hold her.

“Oliver.”

“We should probably try to focus on tonight now. This dinner with Crofton. The sooner we get it done, the sooner we can talk about this and lots of other things.”

Felicity studied his face and the way the corners of his mouth were turning up. He was right. She gave him a definitive nod.

“Why don’t you go in there and finish getting ready?” he added.

“Okay,” she sighed and ambled to stand.

“Then you can tell me about our new covers, although I gather you are the lead on this now and I’m the boyfriend.”

Felicity headed toward the bathroom, picking up her handbag along the way. She stopped when she got to the doorway and bit her lip. If she wasn’t still flushed from the kiss, he might have noticed her sheepish look.

“Oliver…”

“You did the right thing. I’m not thrilled that you are more involved than we planned, but you made the right call. And we’re partners. Sometimes that means that you’ll be the one out in front and I have to make peace with that. I’ll still worry, but you are remarkable. No matter what happens, I never forget that.”

“Partners.” Felicity smiled at him, warmth and pride filling her. “Thank you.”

Oliver beamed back at her and leaned back on the bed, supported by his elbows.

Just as she was about to close the door, she peeked out. “I’ll wear my hair like this.”

Good, he mouthed to her.

“And it’s possible Celeste is under the impression that you are my boy toy.” She quickly shut the door, leaving Oliver to process her words and their ramifications.

“Felicity,” he groaned, then flopped against the bed.