#wine delivery apps

[warehousepackagestore]

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[katsu28]

slow down, be here

pairing: lando norris x reader

summary: after a long, frustrating day of training, a night in with you is just what lando needs to leave it all in his rearview mirror (2.4k)

warnings: teensy but of swearing, reader is in university but major is unspecified, lando being a certified menace

a/n: i was gonna post this sometime next week but the lando girlies (aka me) need some comfort after today's shitshow. may or may not have been entirely inspired by that video of lando in the white singlet. that look (however fleeting) did things to me okay

You’re sitting at the kitchen counter when you hear Lando’s key in the door, one leg drawn up towards your chest, the other swinging aimlessly as you revise your notes last minute. 

Well, more specifically, when you hear him drop his keys on the floor in search of the correct one right before he inserts it into the lock. You’ve loved him and lived with him long enough to know it’s something he does everyday without fail. Whether it’s because he’s got clumsy hands or he’s Pavloved himself into dropping them at the same spot, you don’t think too much about it. The key drop signals that Lando is home. 

What also signals that he’s home is the way he lets out the strangest sound you’ve ever heard as he lets the door swing shut behind him after he’s let himself in—something between a sigh and a whine mixed with a guttural groan. 

“In here!” You call, taking the cap of your pen out from between your teeth. It only takes a few seconds until Lando emerges from the hallway, socked feet dragging himself towards where you’re sitting with a soft smile aimed at his rumpled state. “Hi, love.” 

He plops down on the stool next to you unceremoniously, hooking his foot under the bar of yours to tug you as close as possible to him on instinct. His chin finds the dip between your neck and shoulder to nestle into, and the deflating sigh he lets out once he’s situated himself to his liking sends a shiver through you. “Hi.” He mumbles, voice muffled. 

“Heard you’ve had quite a day.” You stroke a hand over his curls, smoothing them away from his forehead gently. Oscar had shot you a heads up text a little bit before Lando had arrived, saying that Lando might seem a bit put out when he got home. Something about a handful of tests not going the way they wanted, strategies not working out the way they planned. It sounds like enough to drive anyone crazy, but Lando is the type of person to take things especially hard. 

Lando lets out a vague sound of acknowledgement. You can tell he’s exhausted and frustrated, and you know exactly what he needs to wind down after days like these. “I’ll order takeaway for dinner. You go shower. It’ll probably be here by the time you finish up.” 

He gives a more content sigh this time, pressing a kiss to your pulse point. The tips of his hair tickle your cheek as he does so. “You’re a gem, darling.” 

“Tell me something I don’t know.” You tease, pushing him away playfully. He’s smiling big at you when you meet his gaze, something beyond fondness behind his eyes despite the tiredness as he does. “What?” 

“I love you.” 

“Love you too, stinky. Now go. Wash up before I make an executive decision and order sushi.” 

That gets your boyfriend scrambling to his feet fast, aiming a horrified look your way as he books it down the hallway. “You monster!” 

You chuckle quietly, busying yourself with finding Lando’s favorite Italian spot on your delivery app. Soon enough, the food is ordered and all you have to do now is wait.  

Lando reemerges from the bedroom just as you pull open the front door to grab the food from the delivery person. He figures you’ve got it handled by the way you’re chatting nicely with them, so he busies himself with drinks. 

There’s a bottle on top of the fridge that looks vaguely fancy, and though Lando doesn’t know much about wine, Charles had gifted him the bottle a while ago for his birthday. He trusts Charles’ taste. 

He does his best to sound out the French on the label and shrugs, snagging two wine glasses to go along with it. By the time he finishes pouring a generous amount in each glass, you’ve just closed the door, joining him in the kitchen with a massive bag of food. His brows fly into his hairline at the sight. 

You twist your lips to the side in thought, wrinkling your nose as you study the bulging paper bag. “I might’ve ordered too much.” 

“Good thing I always rise to the occasion.” 

You glance up at him, setting it down on the counter in favor of sidling over to where he is, not even fighting the smitten grin stretching your lips as you maneuver yourself between him and the marble. 

His curls are damp, messily towel ruffled and starting to frizz as they air dry. He already looks more at ease, comfier than ever in a pair of loose black sweatpants and a white singlet. You make a mental note to remind him to wear white more. It makes his tan skin glow, and it makes you not want to take your eyes off him. 

Your fingers skate along the exposed skin of his chest, stopping once to push into those dimples in his cheeks that you love so much before moving up to link around the back of his neck. His hands find their way to your waist at the same time, sliding coyly under the hem of your shirt to rest on your bare skin. 

In one fell swoop, you’re up on the counter, Lando nudging his way between your knees. He kisses you languidly, like he has all the time in the world to explore your mouth; long, slow kisses mixed in with brief pecks until you’re all but melting against him. He’s familiar and solid under your touch, all flexing muscle and warm skin as your hands run along his arms. 

After a while, Lando’s focus shifts to trailing open mouthed kisses down the side of your neck. On instinct, you tilt your head to give him more space to work and he takes it gladly, focusing on that one spot just below your ear that he knows for a fact works on you every time. 

You sigh appreciatively at the pressure of his lips against your skin, the way his teeth nip at that sweet spot but his tongue sneaks out to soothe the sting just as quick. 

Your fingers dig into his biceps as he continues his venture, but when he starts kissing along your shoulder, you squeeze a little harder. As much as you want to continue this, you remember you’ve got food waiting for both of you. He stops immediately, perfect lips pouted, eyes wide when he comes back up to gauge your reaction. 

“Eat first, kiss later.” You explain, peeling him off you (albeit a bit reluctantly) before hopping off the countertop. He whines something unintelligible as you unload the food, but as soon as you push a container of his favorite pasta towards him, he seems to forget his disappointment. 

The silence as you eat is comfortable, both of you seemingly more hungry than you thought you were as the food and wine begin to disappear. All the while, the space between the two of you grows smaller and smaller, until your elbows start to bump each other with each bite you take. 

You’ve mastered the art of enjoying each other’s company without having to say a word. 

“Were you revising earlier? When I came home?” He asks after a while, jabbing his fork in the direction of your notes. A few strands of pasta splatter onto the counter with the action and you tsk, nudging him with your foot. The last thing you want is sauce all over your papers. 

“Yeah, I was. Just some final practicing, see if anything needs tweaking before I have to present my thesis.” 

“I’m sure it’s perfect. You’ve been working on it for ages.” 

You spear a chunk of tomato with your fork, dragging it around in the sauce aimlessly. “I dunno. Everything is there, but it still feels like something’s missing.” 

“Present it to me.” 

“What?” 

“Pretend I’m the university board, or whatever, and present it to me. Maybe you’ll figure out what’s missing if you act like it’s the real thing.” 

“Really? You’d do that for me?” 

Lando scoffs, looking offended. “Baby, I’d do anything for you. Go on, do your little scholar thing for me. I’ll be the best fake board you’ve ever seen.” You gnaw on your lip, unsure. The idea seems silly, but it’ll probably work. “C’mon, bub. You’ve got a genius brain up there in that pretty head of yours, let me see it in action.” 

“Okay. Okay, fine, but you can’t be mean! You have to be nice, ‘cause I’m already freaking the fuck out about having to present next week and I don’t think I can deal with—” 

“First of all, I’m never mean to you. Second of all, get the fuck up there before I take my offer back.” 

You stick your tongue out at Lando whilst you grab your papers at the other end of the counter, feigning swatting him with them as he bounces his way over to the couch. He settles in right smack dab on the middle cushion, grabbing a pillow to hug while you do a quick once over of everything. Then you’re ready. 

You stumble through your introduction a little bit, but the words start flowing a few sentences into the body of your research—days, weeks, months of work having burned them straight into your brain. The longer you talk, the more comfortable you become, which gives you the confidence to set aside your notes for once. Part of you feels like you’re about to clam up and forget everything any second now, but you don’t. You forge on like you were born to. 

All that comes to a halt when you hasten a glance over at Lando, who’s staring at you without a thought behind those gorgeous eyes of his, smiling goofily at you. 

“Lando!” You whine, pouting. “Have you even heard a word I’ve said?” 

Lando blinks a few times like he’s coming back down to Earth, letting a sheepish grin creep its way across his face. “Not really.” 

“Seriously?” 

“I’m sorry! You just look really pretty when you talk about things you’re passionate about. It’s hard to focus on words when I look at you.” 

Well, you can’t exactly be mad at him when he’s sweet like that. Besides, you didn’t think he’d understand half of what you were saying anyways, and you’ve found the answer to your problems. Nothing was missing. Lando was right, you’re fully prepared for your thesis presentation. You just needed to get your nerves out of the way. 

“Worst fake board ever.” You huff. 

“But I just said you look pretty!” 

You prop a hand on your hip. “Flattery will get you nowhere, Norris.” 

“Oh yeah? Nowhere, really?” He rises from his seat, creeping towards you with that glint in his eyes you know far too well. You know what he’s about to do, and you’re about ready to make a run for it. 

He bridges the gap between the two of you faster than you think possible, catching you around the waist right before you can make your great escape down the hallway, hoisting you off your feet with ease despite your wriggling around like a fish out of water, and hauling you over to the couch. He tosses you over the back of it just as easily, following suit before you can scramble away. 

Realistically, you should've anticipated the whip fast reflexes of a professional racing driver. Having a faster reaction time than the average person is part of the job description. 

“Lando, no!!!” You squeal, already breaking into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. 

“Maybe flattery won’t get me anywhere, but I know what might!” He pins you down against the cushions with your knees clamped between his own as he digs his fingers into your sides viciously, ignoring your pleas in favor of grinning wickedly. 

“I give up! I give up, please—” You gasp, squirming under his relentless torture. One of his hands comes up to pin both your wrists down easily, probably so you don't punch him in the face trying to escape. (You’ve done it once before, purely by accident, but Lando’s never let you forget it.) 

“Say that you love me.” 

“You already know I do!” 

“Wanna hear you say it.” He insists, jabbing you in the side threateningly. 

You shake your head frantically. You’re near tears at this point, stomach hurting from laughing so much. There’s no point in dragging it out any longer, especially when sweet, sweet freedom is as easy as telling the love of your life that you love him. “I love you!” 

“What was that?” He tilts his head, brows raising expectantly. 

“I love you, Lando Norris.” You repeat, as steady as you can despite your breathlessness. That seems to satisfy him. 

He gives it up entirely, wedging himself between you and the back of the couch, making himself comfortable as you try to catch your breath. You roll over onto your side so you’re facing him, allowing him more space to nuzzle against you. “You’re a dickhead.” 

“I’m your dickhead, and you love me.” He replies smugly, burying his face into the crook of your neck. His arms worm their way underneath you and link up behind your back, legs tangling with yours. At this point, you’re not sure where you end and he begins, which is just the way Lando always likes it. 

“Against my better nature, I do.” You sigh, dropping a kiss to the top of his head. He hums sleepily, exhaling in deep comfort. “I’m sorry you had a rough go of it today.”

“S’fine. Nothing you’ve got to be sorry about. You’ve already made it better.” He mumbles. He already sounds like he's about to drift off.

“D’you want to talk about it?” 

Lando lifts his head to look up at you, blinking slowly. He offers you a small smile. “Not really. Just wanna lay here with you and forget about it all.” 

“Okay.” You say softly. 

You might not be able to help him with everything in life, but this, you can do. You thread one hand through his hair, smoothing through his curls in that one way you know he loves. Your other hand comes up around his back, fingers scratching a gentle path up and down his spine. 

If Lando was a cat, he’d be purring right now. 

Instead he opts for an appreciative groan, pushing his nose back into the warm nook he’d created. His lips press against your skin—once, twice, a third time for good measure. “Thank you.” 

Whether he’s thanking you for scratching his back or for just being here for him on the days he feels like he’s not at his best, you’re not sure, but either way you give him a tight squeeze and another kiss in lieu of a response. 

You’ll do anything if it means making sure he knows you’ve always got him. 

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[storiesofsvu]

Solace

Rita Calhoun x reader warnings: language, brief mention of svu style angst, smut, dirty talk, thigh riding. sub!rita

Rita was home late, later than usual and much later than she had intended when she originally left her office. It was only supposed to be a drink, maybe two while she vented to Elana about the bullshit direction her case was going but one thing always led to another and this time that meant nearly finishing a bottle of wine. Normally these evenings were spent complaining about how annoying her client was, how stupid they were when they thought they were a genius, how the only reason they were on her client list in the first place was daddy’s money. Tonight it was the complete opposite, she’d taken a pro-bono, suggested through Rafael for an incredibly tricky case where she knew that her client was innocent, that they didn’t deserve suffering through a trial much less the prison time they were likely now facing. It was rare that she felt this defeated, that things didn’t feel right and it was eating away at her from the inside out.

The only light left on in the kitchen was the one above the stove, the living room dark and she felt a pang of guilt wash through her at the thought of you waiting up for her. A sliver of light shone down the hallway from the ajar bedroom door, soft music wafting through the air and she took a breath of relief, at least you weren’t already asleep. Nudging the bedroom door open she caught you coming back from the en-suite in a pair of thin beige joggers and a tank you usually slept in.

“Hey.” You greeted with a warm smile, making your way over to her your hand braced on her elbow you leant in, pressing a tender kiss to her cheek and Rita felt the warmth soothe through her veins at the touch.

“I’m sorry I’m so late.”

“It’s alright.” You squeezed at her elbow, “you’ve had a rough week.” You took the blazer folded over her arm, adding it to the dry cleaning pile in the walk in, “did you eat?”

There was a slight pause, “does a salad count?”

You popped back into the room with a brow raised and Rita knew she was already caught, “not if the salad was made up of fermented grapes.”

She let out a soft sigh, stepping out of her shoes and moving through the room to take out her earrings, “fine.”

“Are you hungry?”

“Not really.”

“Am I going to wake up to you nearly burning the house down at three in the morning?”

“They have delivery apps for that.” She nearly scowled, looking at you through the mirror and you laughed, wrapping your arms around her from behind.

“Well… if you don’t want food… and you’ve already had something to drink…” your lips brushed against her neck once, twice, “I can think of something else that might make you feel better?”

“Darling…” she sighed, her shoulders sinking at the thought of disappointing you after leaving you hanging all evening, “I just really don’t have the energy—”

“Who said anything about you having to do anything?” You asked, a gleam in your eye as your hands moved to her hips and turned her around to face you, “you’ve had a long week.” Leaning in, you kissed her softly, your lips brushing against hers as you spoke, “let me take care of you, hmm?” Your hands began tugging at the hem of her shirt, untucking it from her skirt so you had access to her skin underneath the fabric as you leant in again, kissing her gently. She let out a soft sigh into the kiss, her arms instinctively wrapping around your shoulders as she melted into your embrace, feeling a tingling starting under her skin, her head already beginning to get fuzzy.

“I do suppose that might help.” She murmured.

“I thought so.”

You playfully nipped at her lower lip before kissing her again, letting her relax into the embrace as your hands slid under her blouse, cold fingers running paths on her heated skin. She sighed into the kiss and you took the opportunity to slide your tongue into her mouth, gracefully rolling along with hers. When your hands crept upwards, gently pawing at her chest she let out a soft moan, her body melting even more into your arms.

“That’s it baby.” You cooed, your lips kissing across her jawline, finger curling under her chin to tilt her head away from you so you could trail kisses down her neck. “Just relax for me. You deserve it.”

When you nipped at her neck she let out a quiet hiss and you couldn’t help but chuckle against her skin, your hands tugging her shirt over her head before tossing it in the direction of the laundry. Her bra was quick to join it, her nipples hardening in the cool bedroom air as you kissed her again, tongue immediately slinking into her mouth. Your hands found her hips, backing her up until her back hit the wall and she let out a small ‘oof’ into the kiss, your lips curving up into a grin at the noise. You tugged on her skirt, yanking it upwards until you could feel the hem of it and you were able to bunch it up around her waist.

“Think we can get rid of these.” You murmured as your fingers slipped into the waistband of her panties, tugging them down her legs and she was quick to kick them off, her hands grasping at you to pull you back into another kiss.

Your hands slid up her body, cupping her chest, thumbs rubbing back and fourth over her nipples before pinching them. Rita broke the kiss with a gasp, her head dropping back against the wall and her hips rolling toward your body. Rather than walking her to the bed like she expected, you slotted a leg between hers, nudging your knee right against the wall so her bare cunt was right on your pant leg.

“Someone’s getting antsy…Go on, ride my thigh.”

“Fuck.” She muttered, her hands bracing on your shoulders as she ground down onto your leg, letting out a whimper as her pussy dragged across your thigh.

“That’s it,” you murmured, placing a kiss right under her ear, “grind that pretty pussy on me, I know you want to.”

Rita groaned softly, her arms tightening around your shoulders as one of your hands slunk up her body to pinch and toy with her chest again. Your lips made a home in the crook of her neck, alternating between biting, sucking and kissing at her supple skin. A shuddering breath escaped from the back of her throat when her clit pressed down onto your thigh, her body shivering as tingles started moving through her. She had already completely forgotten about work, the stressors beginning to melt away from her body the moment your lips touched her. She could feel the tension she’d been holding all week dissipating, dripping away all the way from her head to her toes to be replaced with tiny bursts of fireworks as pleasure took over her only thought process. The lazy roll of her hips was just enough to get her going, her pussy beginning to flutter around nothing as you nudged your leg harder against her.

“C’mon baby, let go. I wanna hear you, you can get louder, can’t you?” You pinched her nipples as you spoke, pulling a low swear from her before one of your hands ran down her side, wrapping around her hip and you began to guide her.

“Oh god..”

“That’s it.” You purred, nipping at her earlobe, your hand guiding her faster as you flexed your thigh, pushing her harder down onto it and she moaned again. “You like that? Hmm?” Your lips brushed against her skin, “that feel good?”

“Mmhmm.” She did her best to nod as her pulsing clit brushed against your leg, her thighs trembling around you.

“You’re so good for me.” Your thumb brushed over her nipple, flicking gently at it, “so good to me. Need to make sure you relax more often, you’re too stressed.” Your hand pressed her down onto your thigh with more pressure and she groaned right into your ear, her fingers clawing at the fabric of your shirt. “Need to play with that pretty pussy more often, don’t I? I bet you’d like that. Already struggle to keep my hands off of you, may as well play with these perfect tits before even getting out of bed.” You enunciated your words by squeezing at her chest, rolling her nipple between your finger and thumb. “Could probably start fingering you in the shower, make you nice and relaxed to start your day off? Hmm?” Your teeth scraped against the column of her neck and Rita ground down onto your thigh, her hips rocking faster now as your words egged her on.

“Fuck…”

“Yeah, I think I’d like that too, feeling your warm pussy wrapped around my fingers, always so fuckin’ wet for me, dripping down my wrist as you squeeze around me.”

Rita’s whimpering grew louder and more frequent, she could feel the wetness between her legs growing with each time you spoke, juices no doubt smearing all over your pants as she rode your thigh. Her cunt pulsed, clit swollen and needy and she had to angle her hips perfectly to get it to grind against your leg. She was starting to lose her breath, caught up in the dirty things you were saying and the pleasure coursing through her entire body. She felt a flame burning inside her, prickling under her skin as your hands toyed with her body in the utterly perfect way, you always knew the exact places to touch her to make her come completely undone.

“Course, I couldn’t let you leave the house without getting my mouth on you.” You husked and she could practically hear the smirk in your voice, her body shuddering at the thought.

“Oh god… fuck..”

“Catch you right before you’re out the door, pin you to the wall just like this.” Your thigh surged up, pressing hard against her cunt and she cried out, her body trembling in your arms, “skirts give me such good access. Just have to pull those pretty lace panties to the side and have my way with you. Be so nice to have the taste of you on my lips for the rest of the day.”

“Darling…” she panted and your hand wound around her body, cupping at her ass, squeezing hard as you urged her to move faster, “oh god…”

“I know you’re close.” You murmured, pressing kisses along her neck, nosing at her jaw to try and gain what little attention left you could, “let go for me baby. I wanna see you come.”

Rita’s nails began to dig into your back as breathless whimpers escaped her lips, her hips rolling faster and harder against your leg, guided by you, urging her on, sweet nothings whispered right into her ear as she buried herself into the crook of your neck. Heat pulsed through her, exploding in her core as she cried out, her pussy clenching down, pulsing harder than she’d expected as she hit her peak. Her head dropped back against the wall, her lips parting as she panted, her body slowly decompressed. Your hand continued to guide her hips, rocking her gently across your thigh, each drag slower and lighter than the one before.

“That’s it gorgeous.” You placed a kiss on her collarbone, your lips making a pathway up her neck until you captured her lips in a small, breathless kiss, “you’re so pretty when you’re coming for me.” Your hand cupped at her cheek while you kissed her again quickly, your thumb rubbing across her skin soothingly.

Finally your hand dropped from her ass, your knee falling from the wall to let your leg relax and your warms wound around her waist, making sure she was stable on her legs as you kissed her again.

“Christ.” She muttered, pulling a small laugh from you.

“I’ll say.” You pinched gently at her sides, guiding her gaze down towards your pant leg, “look at the mess you made.”

Rita felt a flush of heat surge into her cheeks when her eyes landed on the soaked patch of the fabric, a nearly embarrassed chuckle leaving her lips. “Sorry.”

“No need.” You laughed, leaning in to kiss her cheek, winding an arm around her waist, “seems like you really needed to get off, and I was gonna wear shorts to bed anyways.”

“Thank you.” She replied with a very satisfied sigh, finally reaching behind herself to unzip her skirt, stepping out of it as she scooped up the other pieces of discarded clothing.

“Feeling better?” You asked, following her into the walk in to swap your stained pants to a pair of shorts.

“Much.” She smiled softly at you, pulling a robe from the closet to wrap around herself and you couldn’t help but laugh as her stomach let out a growl.

“Sounds like someone worked up an appetite.” You teased, prodding at her side and she scoffed at you, “why don’t you hop in the shower and I’ll put in for some takeout.”

“Sounds perfect.” She leant in, kissing you gently as she squeezed at your hand, a look in her eyes that you knew all too well, “I love you.”

“I love you more.”

________

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[harmless-variety-of-garden-snake]

What else could Day Fourteen of BuckTommy Fluffebruary be but Valentine's Day? Happy Valentine's Day, you lovely folks. Here's an extremely fluffy fic for all of you. Once again, Tumblr doesn't believe in total HTML formatting and I had to use a fake iMessage thing for the texts. You can also read this on AO3 over here. Tagging @bucktommyfluffebruary

Tommy’s always outwardly been a “Valentine's Day is a commercialized bullshit holiday” kind of guy, but inwardly wants to love it. The problem has been that he's usually working or just wasn't in a serious relationship when the holiday rolled around. Twice, he'd done the whole wine and dine thing with Abby and another ex, Ben, who had actually been a “fuck commercial holidays” guy, as Tommy had found out over a very stilted Valentine's Day dinner just before they’d officially broken up.

He's working until midday, because Jerry on B-shift had needed to switch so he could take his daughter to an appointment and go to her gymnastics meet. That had given Tommy a few days to try to figure out what he could do for Evan, who's off all day. He'd decided on making dinner at the house and then taking him to the movies, since a theater near his place is showing Princess Bride, which Evan’s never seen. He starts a grocery order to get to the house when he should be getting home so he can start right away. He already has a card that he’d drawn and painted along with a set of tickets for an outdoor light show at a botanical garden in Palos Verdes and an itinerary for a trip to Napa, and they’re all safely in his glove box where no one can stumble on them.

When he's helping Sherri clean one of the engines, there's a call at the front for a delivery under his name. He frowns, looking at his watch. Even if he'd mistakenly ordered the groceries to his job, the driver's about three and a half hours early.

“Be right back,” he says, and she waves him away.

He opens the app on his way, wondering if he'd missed a message, but it's still telling him that it'll let him know when his shopper gets to the store. That's when he reaches the front desk and sees a huge bouquet of flowers. There's red roses at the center, but there's also pink hydrangeas, calla lilies, and peonies scattered throughout. Some sort of greenery with round leaves is poking through between some of the flowers. The entire bouquet is at least eighteen inches in diameter, and a card is standing in a holder with his name on the envelope.

“Tommy Kinard?” the delivery guy asks, and Tommy nods slowly. “Can you sign here, please?”

Tommy nods again and signs the paper without really looking. When he's done, he takes the card from its holder and opens it. It’s printed with a message that says:

For my Valentine:

I love you For sentimental reasons I hope you do believe me I've given you my heart

Evan

Tommy's breath catches. It's from the song they'd danced to in his kitchen just after they'd gotten back together last month. It was while that song was playing that Tommy knew he'd ask Evan to marry him one day. He remembers looking at Evan’s gentle smile and twinkling eyes and quietly singing along and feeling his heart ache with how much he loved him.

He holds the card to his chest with one hand and reaches out with the other to stroke his thumb across a soft, delicate rose petal. It's the first time anyone's ever gotten him flowers. He takes his phone out of his pocket and calls Evan.

“Hello?” Evan says, picking up on the first ring.

“Evan…” is all he can really say, his voice valiantly not shaking, though it’s a near thing.

“Do you like them?” he asks, sounding nervous.

“They're perfect,” Tommy says, his voice soft. He knows there's people milling around, but he just wants to exist in the bubble of Evan’s voice and the beautiful flowers. “Thank you.”

“Happy Valentine's Day, baby.”

Tommy smiles, his face warming at the term of endearment and with just how sincere Evan sounds. “Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart.”

They can only talk for a bit, because Tommy's supposed to be cleaning and doing a stock check before he hands the keys over to the next shift, but they confirm their plans for that night. Before they hang up, Tommy tells him he loves him, and he huffs out a laugh when Evan sighs and replies in kind, sounding so happy.

He takes a picture of the bouquet and scoops it up to bring to the kitchen so he can temporarily keep them in a large ice tea pitcher. He knows he has a vase big enough for the bouquet at home, because he has a lot of his Nonna’s and Zia’s things, but it’s packed away. He’s never had a reason to use it.

An hour later, there's another call for him at the front. This time, it's cupcakes from one of the only bakeries Tommy likes nearly as much as his boyfriend's baking. The note that's attached is handwritten and signed by Evan, and he wonders when he'd actually planned all of this.

For nobody else gave me a thrill With all your faults, I love you still It had to be you Wonderful you

Love,

Evan

Tommy laughs, because it's a bit of a private joke between them. He'd shown Evan A League of Their Own in the week after they'd gotten back together. When Marla Hooch drunkenly sings to her future husband, Evan had pointed at the screen and said that would've been him if Tommy had shown up to the karaoke night Howie had organized before Christmas.

“I would've tried to woo you back with sad, drunk love songs. I was so close to calling you and doing it anyway.”

“I mean, that might've worked.”

“Now you tell me.”

He calls Evan again, but his boyfriend texts him that he's picking Jee-Yun up from preschool.

He gets a picture from inside Evan’s Jeep of him making a kissy face from the driver's seat and Jee-Yun in her car seat in the back doing the same. She's wearing a pink sweater with little red and white hearts all over, and her cheeks are extra puffed out from the face she's pulling. Tommy wants to press kisses to them and blow a raspberry and make her shriek with laughter. It's one of his favorite sounds in the world.

There's no reply, likely because Evan is driving, and Tommy goes back to his end of shift duties. He's getting gently ribbed for getting two special deliveries, and more than one person is lamenting that Evan makes them all look bad. It’s the kind of thing he’s been able to say to other people, he’s never been on the receiving end of it. He can’t even pretend to be annoyed or over any of their comments, he’s too busy being happy.

It's when he only has forty-five minutes left that the B-shift captain comes up to him with a smile on his face.

“Delivery at the front, Kinard,” he says. “Delivery girl's real cute, too.”

Tommy snorts and sets down his clipboard. “Yeah, I'm sure she'll be just my type.”

“You never know.”

When he jogs to the front, he doesn't see anyone for a moment, but then he hears a giggle and Jee-Yun peeks from around where the bay doors are open. Tommy’s face splits into a grin, and he's on his knees to squeeze her close.

“Cap said the delivery girl was cute, he didn't say she was the prettiest in the world!” he exclaims as she giggles into his shoulder.

“Uncle Tommy!” she says loudly, pushing his shoulder and looking at him sternly. “I'm s’posed to give you a present.”

Tommy sits back on his heels and gestures for her to continue. “My apologies, please continue.”

She smiles and looks back just before a distinctly Evan-shaped hand reaches around to hand her a colorful piece of paper. She hands it to him, and Tommy unfolds it to reveal a wonky heart covered in crayon scribbles, several smiley faces drawn with marker, a flower (or sun) in marker, and words written by an adult hand that had been loosely traced over in crayon. They read:

Will you be our Valentine?

Love,

Jee-Yun Buckley Han and Evan Buckley

Tommy hugs the valentine carefully to his chest and smiles. “Yes. I'd be honored.”

“He said yes!” Jee-Yun whispers loudly over her shoulder.

And then Evan steps into view, and he has a single red rose in his hand and a smile on his face. Tommy stands and kisses him, plucking the rose from his grip, nearly lifting his boyfriend off his feet. He feels like he could float away at any moment.

“I love you,” Tommy murmurs, nuzzling their noses together.

“I love you, too,” Evan says softly, smiling and looking at Tommy with so much warmth radiating from his entire being. It always feels like Evan’s got a ball of sunshine inside just beaming out of him.

Tommy kisses him again before picking up Jee-Yun and pressing kisses to her cheeks and grinning when she does the same.

“I love it,” he tells her. “And I actually have something for you at my house that I can give to your uncle tonight.”

“Really?” she says, looking shy and happy all at once. He wishes so badly that he'd thought to put the stuffed dinosaur (store bought) and matching card (handmade, full of puns) in his truck.

“Of course! I had to get something for my favorite Valentine,” he says, finally blowing the raspberry on her cheek. When she laughs so loud it almost hurts his ears, he squeezes her to his chest and feels his eyes prickle when she throws her arms around his neck and squeezes back.

“Happy Valentine Day, Uncle Tommy,” she says, and he twists his mouth for a second so he doesn't cry.

“Happy Valentine's Day, Jee-Jee,” he says softly, kissing her hair.

She straightens up and looks around the bay they're in, and Tommy turns to see that they've accumulated an audience of people glancing over from whatever they’re doing. He instinctively tucks her close, but all he sees are smiles.

“Do you want to see where Uncle Tommy works?” Evan asks, and Jee-Yun nods. “I think he'll give us a tour if we ask really nicely.”

She turns her big eyes on him. “Uncle Tommy, can we please see your work?”

Tommy kisses her temple. “Absolutely. Let's go, baby girl.”

Everyone is charmed by her, especially when she starts pointing at some of their ground equipment and calling it by name, telling them that her Daddy uses it, too. It's when they get to the hangar that she looks excited, almost wiggling out of his arms to get a look at one of the helicopters.

“C'mon,” Tommy says, handing her to Evan before climbing into the cockpit. He reaches out for her and settles her on his lap while he points to different instruments and tells her what they do. She whispers the names of some of them quietly to herself as if she's trying to memorize them. Hell, she might. She's got the recall ability of both parents and her uncle.

When he looks out at Evan to check on him, his boyfriend has a phone pointed at them.

“Don't mind me,” Evan says cheerily.

It's past the end of his shift when they get back to the front.

“I gotta get her home,” Evan says, reaching for Jee-Yun. She goes with some reluctance, looking longingly back at the door out to the tarmac.

“Before you go,” Captain Marsh says, holding out an LAFD folder. “A present for our special visitor.”

It's the coloring pages and stickers they give out to kids, but theirs are cooler than most LAFD swag, because theirs also includes Air Ops stuff. Tommy had personally illustrated the helicopter and plane pages, and Melton’s husband, who had a side gig writing kid’s books, had written out the captions and a little digestible explanation of what made Air Ops so different than a regular unit.

“Thank you,” Jee-Yun says, hugging the folder to her chest. “I like your station.”

“I like it, too,” Marsh agrees, grinning. “Have a good Valentine's Day, Miss Han.”

Tommy walks them out to the lot, his arm around Evan as they make their way to the Jeep. “Thank you both. This is the best Valentine's Day I've ever had. I really mean that.”

“Me, too,” Evan says, grinning and leaning over to kiss him on the corner of his mouth without breaking his stride.

Tommy helps get Jee-Yun strapped in, gives her another cheek raspberry and a smacking kiss, receives both in return, and then Evan decides to do the same when Tommy leans in for a good-bye kiss.

“You are such a brat,” Tommy complains, wiping slobber off his cheek.

“Well, yeah,” Evan says, grinning. “But I'm your brat.”

Tommy pulls him close and rubs a hand down his back. “Yeah, you are,” he murmurs, smiling at the flush of Evan's cheeks. “You can come by a little early if you want.”

Evan bites his lip and nods, smoothing down the fabric over Tommy's chest. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Tommy confirms before kissing him, sucking gently at Evan's bottom lip and feeling a bolt of heat shoot through his belly when Evan lets out a soft noise against his mouth. When he releases him, Evan looks a bit dazed. “Get her home safe.”

“Y-yeah,” Evan breathes, bumping into his sideview mirror as he backs up toward the driver's side door. Tommy raises an eyebrow at him, and Evan flushes, ducking his head as he gets into his car. As soon as it’s on, he rolls down the window. “I’ll see you soon.”

“See you,” Tommy says, raising his hand in a wave.

He waits until the Jeep is gone before going back in. He takes twenty minutes to finish the stock check that had been interrupted, hands it off to Lucy, who had arrived mid-tour for her shift, and tries to ignore the knowing or sappy smiles pointed his way as he gathers his stuff and heads out to his truck. They don’t bother him, he’s just not used to it. He thinks he could learn to get used to it, though.

When he gets home, the groceries are waiting for him on the front step. He takes everything inside and goes to the kitchen, ready to make aroz con pato, since Evan has been reminiscing about the food in Peru on their last date.

While the duck is simmering, he goes into the guest room closet where he has the few boxes of things he hadn't found a place for in the house. Some of it is old paperwork, old uniforms, photos that need to be put into albums, mementos he should probably part with, and one has carefully packed china from his Nonna along with a hand-painted vase that had passed from Bisnonna Valia to his Prozia and then his Zia and now it's his. His Zia had never had children of her own, so he’d ended up with a lot of the Carlevaro family heirlooms when she’d passed. He’d never used the vase, though. The closest he'd ever come to receiving flowers was when people sent them after his mom died.

He wipes down the colorfully painted vase with a damp cloth and then with a dry one before filling it with water and putting the flowers in. He props the card against it and puts the other two on his fridge.

It's quiet in his house, but he knows that soon his doorbell will ring and he'll let in a man who talks almost unceasingly about whatever's on his mind, who will laugh and make Tommy laugh, who will fill the house and Tommy's heart with so much beloved noise that he'll feel it echo in the time they're apart.

And one day, maybe, he won't have to say goodbye unless it's followed by “I'll see you when I/you get home.” And they'll add to the collection of Valentine's Day cards every year until they’re old enough to have to think long and hard about the story behind each one. And inevitably, one of them will remember or someone—Jee-Yun, her children, their own children—will chime in because they've heard it a million times before.

When his doorbell rings, Tommy gets up to answer with a smile on his lips and a lightness in his heart that he doesn't think he's ever felt before.

[animeomegas]

Ideal Valentines Day - Omega! Aizawa, Mic, Toshinori, Dabi

A/N: For the anon who asked <3 I wasn't vibing with Shiggy today, so I left him off. I feel like these all ended up being home dates, but I think being a hero or villain makes those easier lol. There are hints of n-sfw, but it's non-descriptive and very tame.

Aizawa

Actions speak louder than words for Aizawa, and I think his preferred love language for receiving affection is Acts of Service.

He has no need for material items, and that goes doubly for anything covered in hearts. I don't think he's a massive fan of chocolate. And flowers are just another thing that he has to sort out and try to keep alive as long as he can. No, he much prefers practical care on Valentine's day.

He wants you to pick him up from UA after work so he doesn't have to drive, a warm cup of his favourite coffee, far sweeter than his image would suggest, ready for him.

He wants to go straight home of course. When he walks through the door, he would love to see the house sparkling clean and tidy. It lifts a burden off him that he didn't even know was there.

There's no fancy outfits with him. He wants to immediately get changed into the comfiest clothes he has, and he would love if you did the same.

Dinner should 100% be his favourite takeaway, eaten on the couch, of course.

I don't know why, but I don't get the vibe that Aizawa is that interested in sex on Valentines Day. I think he'd prefer the intimacy to come from a shared bath or a massage.

And ideally the night ends early, so he can face tomorrow well rested, for once in his life.

Mic

Hizashi loves cheesy romance, he lives for cheesy romance! He eats, sleeps, and breathes it!

I think receiving gifts is something he loves, so get him a pink teddy bear, get him a comically oversized chocolate bar, get him a sappy card filled with cheesy love poems (bonus if you write them yourself.) He loves it all.

He also wants to be at home, because he's worried about people recognising him and interrupting the date.

He would love, love, love if he came home to a trail of rose petals to follow, he's always wanted to do that!

I think he'd enjoy cooking dinner together, just making a mess, playing around, listening to music.

Please pull him to dance with you, he will melt.

Once the food is eaten and the mess left for tomorrow, I think he'd want to do some sort of activity. A board game, a video game, painting together, anything! He's having fun as long as he's with you.

And then... well he's certainly not going to complain if one of your gifts to him was lingerie or a new 'toy'. And it would be rude to not try them out 😏

Toshinori

His idea of romance is old school. He developed his taste mostly from films, rather than experience, after all.

He wants roses so badly. He can't decide if it's more romantic to get a dozen roses, or just one, so he'll let you decide.

I think something private would be more meaningful to him because he's spent his life in the spotlight.

He wants you to meet him at the door with a rose/bouquet of roses, and then lead him into the living room of your home, where you've laid out a fancy dinner.

He wants the fancy dinner table to be set to the nines, he wants candles, champagne, and some food that he can eat. He wants classical music playing in the background.

And then he wants you to pull out his chair for him and wine and dine him until he's completely smitten, not that that's hard.

He doesn't mind if you order the food, but he'd prefer if you either made it by hand, or had it ordered from a special place as opposed to just off a food delivery app. He wants everything to feel special.

The best way to finish the night after dinner is with a movie. One of his favourite films, probably a ridiculous American action film or terrible romcom.

He needs some good old fashioned cuddling at the same time of course.

And because he's getting old, he wants to spend the final moments of the day tucked up in bed, talking about feelings and the future, and all the fuzzy things you're both looking forward to in your relationship.

Dabi

Dabi is softer than he will admit, which means Valentines Day with him involved tricking him into feeling loved.

You can't do things that are too typical, because he'll get spooked. If he comes home and sees heart shaped balloons or dozens of roses, he will flee the scene.

Luckily, he is utterly weak for pizza, so if he comes home and you've ordered his favourite pizza and got a video game/film set up, he can't resist.

"This isn't some weird Valentine's shit, is it?"

"It's just pizza, Dabi, but if you don't want any, I'll eat it all."

"What? In your dreams, knothead."

Once you've lulled him in with pizza and games, you can start putting the moves on him.

He's almost always down for sex, so that part is easy. The hard part is stopping him from escalating it into something rougher, and keeping it gentle.

He gets frustrated at first that you're being too soft on him, and it's at this point that you start lavishing him in praise and body worship. His frustration turns into bashfulness and Dabi gets kind of shy.

Let him know how much you love him.

And then, right when you're both about to drift off, wish him a Happy Valentine's Day.

[grntre23]

modern day things jsmn characters would love:

segundus: excruciatingly detailed tea ceremonies, wearing his pjs till they have holes in the sleeve hems, afternoon baking television specials, subscribing to science magazine periodicals, indoor plant gardening, trader joe’s, (being a teacher) and decorating his classroom, weekly (gossipy) neighborhood book clubs, keeping a physical journal on him at all times, independent booksellers

childermass: not being on social media, niche tarot draw youtube videos, the concept of irish goodbyes, using the oldest working phone model possible, bed on the floor no frame, wearing sunglasses indoors, depressing british rock, guessing jeopardy/who’s going to be a millionaire answers before anyone else can, never picking up phone calls, being a horse girl, having a masochistically loud alarm, being a political centrist, being a coffee purist

vinculus: drink vouchers marketing people hand out on the street, public transport, tinder, watching a game at the pub, rentable public scooters, selling fake fortunes/conducting seances online for believing middle-aged clientele, mobile gambling apps, action movies, spending inordinate amounts of money on his tattoos

norrell: instacart grocery delivery, obsessively stalking subreddits, ebay, sending whatsapp threads of fake infographics, eating a whole foods diet with no seasoning, directing people to his PA (lascelles), obscure netflix documentaries he quotes for two weeks after watching, keeping up with the british royal family, vitamins, remote work policies, twitter conspiracy theorists

strange: starting a podcast, apple pay, getting really into running, getting really into bitcoin, being a ‘wife guy’, using his veteran’s discount for overconsumption, truth or dare and he only ever picks dare, backpacking in xyz european country, picking up his work phone during date night, making ‘am i the asshole’ reddit posts which norrell secretly and unknowingly follows, eating ‘superfoods’, ensemble cast movies

gentleman: tiktok trends, shitty reality television, amazon prime next day delivery, owning a motorcycle, going on resort vacations 6x/year, brand name clothing with ostentatious logos, biweekly hair appointments, sliding into DMs, caffeinated energy drinks you can overdose on, orange theory classes, having a miniature designer dog, acting ‘woke’, getting scammed by phishing, dentist appointments

stephen: interior design, considering veganism, high thread count bedsheets, having a cat, going to therapy and actually improving, high quality european butter, 10 step self-care routine, homemade laminated pastries, sustainability, notion

emma pole: advanced embroidery kits, spiked morning drinks, doc martens, girls’ night, having a private instagram, clubbing, cat instagram reels, 9-5 work hours, racket sports, going with bell to expensive dessert cafes, classical music

arabella: pinterest boarding, girls’ night, knowing wine pairings, being really into running (influenced by strange, she keeps going after he quits), jellycats, diverse milk options at coffee shops, watching ootds, bon appetite recipes, meal prepping, having a well-loved dog whose lifestyle needs she researches with academic detail, expensive dessert cafes, radio pop playlist

drawlight: excessive instagram posting, watching tiktok fashion critiques, weekend brunch, ‘i know a guy’, bespoke clothing, 34 hour screentime, influencer events, house parties, half off convenience store wine, being employee of the month, forgetting his wallet at group dinners/not paying back venmo requests, keeping up with celebrity drama

lascelles: group projects he can monopolize, stock market trading, expensive branded clothes without logos, being a coffee purist, driving a ridiculously loud sports car, not caring about politics, getting valet service, searching his own name up on google, winning employee of the month over drawlight, scrolling his linkedin feed

[persephones-journey]

You Will Be Loved

Benedict/OC

This was requested by @jasmineisenchanted.

The prompts requested were:

You deserve to be loved.

Let me ruin you.

Enjoy!

Benedict frowned as he laid on the couch, his eyes heavy as he watched the reality show on his telly. He grabbed the control and muted the television. He heard the faint knock again followed by the soft sob and sniffle.

“Ben,” he heard the voice of his closest friend, his best friend, Merryck whisper through the door.

He pushed himself up off the couch and made it to the door in three strides. He yanked it open and caught Merryck when she fell into his arms. He hugged her and turned closing the door behind him. He pressed his back to it as he let his fingers get tangled in her reddish brown hair.

“Jason left me,” she muttered as she nuzzled her face in his chest.

“Wanker,” Benedict answered immediately.

He knew she was smiling as he held her closer. “Violet will be so disappointed that the Eaton teaching were lost on you,” she answered as she rested her chin on his chest and looked up at him.

He smiled and reached out. He brushed her eyes away and looked into her grey hazel eyes. He smiled. “I am the second son,” he answered, “a lot of things are lost on me.”

She pulled away and smacked his chest. “Don't do that,” she whispered.

He nodded. He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “How about you hop in the bath and I will order from take away for us,” he answered softly.

She nodded. “I can steal your comfy clothes?” she asked.

He smiled and stroked her chin. “Always,” he promised.

He let her go when she pulled away from him and walked further into his loft. He pulled out his phone and opened the delivery app and began scrolling. He ordered all of Merryck's favourites from a few of her favourite places. He also made sure to order ice cream and chocolate.

He walked over to the kitchen and opened his wine cooler and pulled out one of Merryck's favourite. He opened it and let it breathe as he grabbed two glasses. He poured the wine into the glasses and set the bottle back down. He picked up the glasses and carried them down the hall to his bathroom. He smiled when he heard the water running and Merryck singing under her breath. He knocked on the door gently and waited.

“Wine?” Merryck asked as she opened the door in his terry cloth robe.

“Yes,” he handed her a glass. “And I ordered all of your favourites,” he added.

She looked at him, her eyes sparkling and pulling him in. “You are my favourite person in the whole world, Benny,” she answered as she took the glass.

He smiled. “Good, because it is mutual.”

Merryck smiled. She leaned in as she took a sip of her wine. “I won't tell Eloise.”

He laughed and leaned in and kissed her nose. “Thank you for that,” he pulled away. “Enjoy your wine, I'll wait for the food.”

“I won't be long,” she answered.

He snorted. “I doubt that.”

She shoved him away from the doorway before she closed the door again. He stepped away from the door and walked back down the hall. He checked his phone and saw that most of the deliveries were getting picked up. He sipped his wine again and walked over to his television. He picked up the controller and began to scroll the guide checking the stations. He made a face and switched over to his streaming services. He smiled when he found one of Merryck's favourite movies.

“There, all set,” he said to himself.

Forty minutes later, all the deliveries had arrived and he heard Merryck leave the bathroom and run down the short hall to his bedroom. He had set all the food out, put the ice cream in the freezer. He turned his head and smiled when he saw Merryck walking back down the hall in one of his wool sweaters. Her damp hair was twisted in a low bun at the base of her neck. She walked around and sat on the couch next to him, the sweater riding up and showing her bare legs. He looked away, feeling desire fill his blood again.

“You really did get all my favourites,” she said as she looked at the coffee table.

“I did,” he said. “More wine?” he asked.

She nodded and cursed. “Wait, let me get my glass-,” she started to get up.

He placed his hand on her thigh. “No, it's fine. I got another one here,” Benedict said. “I know you and knew you would no doubt forget the glass.”

His breath caught as she reached out and took the hand he had placed on her thigh and held it. “Reading my mind again, Benny,” she answered.

He nodded as he poured her more wine in another glass. “Now, let's forget all about that wanker and just eat and enjoy each other's company.”

She nodded and held his hand in her lap. “I can do that.”

He smiled and squeezed her hand. He felt a pang of loss when she let go of his hand to grab the food and begin eating. He turned on the movie and grabbed his own food and sat back. He pushed aside the feelings of longing he had, the feelings of love for Merryck.

She needed him to be her best friend, so that was who he would be.

***

Merryck sighed as the movie finished. She didn't move from her spot, snuggled against Benedict on his couch. It was late but she didn't feel tired at all. They had watched her favourite movie while eating and after it was done, she had helped Benedict clean up the food, put away the leftovers, and laid on the couch too full for ice cream to watch another movie.

She nuzzled her face in his shirt and his chest as he shut the movie off. She sighed as she felt his hand rub her back. She turned and looked up at him. His green eyes looked down at her, so filled with love. She smiled as tears came to her eyes.

No one looked at her the way Benedict did.

“Mer?” he asked as he reached out and pressed a hand to her cheek. He brushed her tears away. “Are you all right?” he asked.

She shook her head. She pushed herself up and sat back on the couch. She felt her body press into the corner of the couch. Benedict sat up and looked at her. She smiled as more tears rolled down her cheeks. Benedict reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders and rubbed them.

“I'm not all right,” she whispered as the pain filled her chest. “It just,” she shook her head. “How could he just hurt me like that?”

“He's an asshole,” Benedict said harshly. “He is selfish and he clearly didn't love you.”

She snorted. “And what about Colin before that? And Thomas? And-.”

“Listen to me,” Benedict said firmly as he moved closer to her. His eyes looked into hers. “They were all idiots. You are too good for them,” he told her.

More tears rolled down her cheeks. “But,” she swallowed a sob that came up. She looked into Benedict's green eyes. “What about love?” she whispered. “Didn't they love me? Am I really that hard to love, Benny?”

“No, Merry, you aren't,” he said as he sat right beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him, into his lap almost. “You are not hard to love at all,” he whispered. She felt his fingers stroking her hair, pulling it out bun it had been in. His eyes looked into hers. “You deserve to be loved.”

Merryck felt happiness settle on her chest, pushing aside the pain and hurt. Benedict was her best friend, her happiness. He loved her completely and fully. She had tried to find someone else who would love her that way, who would understand her that way.

But no one had.

Ever.

She sobbed and felt Benedict hold her closer and tighter. “Have I been an idiot?” she asked as Benedict leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“No,” he told her softly. “You have just been looking for love,” he paused, “in all the wrong places though, Merry.”

She laughed a bit. She shook her head and looked at him. She pressed her hand to his cheek and blinked as more tears rolled down her cheeks. “And I completely missed the love that was right in front of me,” she answered.

She waited, thinking that Benedict would pull away from her. Her heart began pounding faster as Benedict leaned in, his face getting closer to hers. He pressed his forehead against hers and his nose brushed hers. She breathed in the air he breathed out.

“You are seeing it now,” he whispered.

She cupped his face with her hands and nodded. She moved the rest of the distance between their lips, and pressed her lips against his. She sighed as Benedict kissed her back, his arms wrapping around her body pulling her closer.

The kiss started out gentle and soft before it moved to something deeper; something more. Benedict began to suck on her bottom lip and she moaned pressing her face against his more. Benedict pulled her and she straddled his lap.

Time stilled when she felt his hard cock through his sweat pants. She pulled away from the kiss and looked at Benedict. She felt his hands grab her ass. She smiled as he groaned when he felt her bare ass cheeks. She bit her bottom lip as he looked at her, his green eyes filled with desire.

“Let me ruin you,” he told her, his voice deep and filled with lust.

Merryck blushed. She knew Benedict had also had his own romantic issues; well, his mother saw them as issues Benedict didn't. He had a string of liaisons and lovers but nothing that ever lasted long. She had watched him seduce women, and the odd man, and every time, she ached to have him look at her that way, to have him speak to her that way.

And now, he was.

“I've already been ruined, Ben,” she whispered. “Emotionally.”

“Shh,” he whispered. “You have not been ruined emotionally, my Mer,” he added as he placed his hand on her neck. She felt his thumb brush her jaw and her cheek. “You are not ruined at all,” he smirked. “Not yet anyway.”

Merryck moaned as Benedict kissed her again, deeply and fully. His tongue gently traced her bottom lip and she parted her lips allowing it into her mouth. His tongue gently stroked hers as his hands grabbed her ass and held her against him. She moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her up and stood with her in his arms.

“Can I?” he whispered in between kisses. “Can I ruin you, Merryck?” he asked softly as he pressed her against the wall in the hallway.

She got wet and felt herself beginning to ache. She went to kiss him but he held his lips away from hers. He smirked as he lowered his face and let his lips brush her chin and jawline. She whimpered and felt him smile against her skin as his fingers dug into her ass cheeks. She locked her ankles at his lower back and pulled him closer.

“Merry?” he whispered.

“Yes,” she answered as she raked her fingers through his hair and tugged his head back. She looked into his eyes. “Ruin me, Benedict,” she muttered.

He smirked. “Oh, I will, Merry,” he pressed her lips against hers. “I promise I will ruin you for any other man.”

She whimpered and held him tighter as he pulled her away from the wall and carried her back down the hall to his bedroom. She tugged on his hair and kissed him over and over, getting wetter and wetter at the thought of finally having Benedict between her legs and inside of her.

The minute he carried her into his bedroom, their kisses became hungrier. Merryck, the moment her feet touched the floor, stepped back from Benedict and grabbed the bottom of the sweater she wore, and pulled it up and off. She tossed it aside and blushed as she saw Benedict's eyes watching her.

“Don't,” he said as he reached out to stop her from covering her body with his arms. “I want to see all of you,” he added.

She looked at him. She reached out and gently tugged on his sweater. “I want to see all of you too,” she added.

“As my lady wishes,” Benedict said as he winked at her.

She watched as Benedict grabbed his sweater and pulled it off as well. He tossed it aside and quickly placed his hands on his sweatpants. He pushed them down and kicked them aside. She eyes raked down his body, she had seen him shirtless before, so her eyes raked lower. She swallowed when she saw his hard cock.

It was thick and long.

She had not seen many cocks as long or as thick as his.

“Like what you see?” he asked as he stepped closer to her.

She nodded. “I do,” she answered as she stood on her tip toes. “Now, ruin me.”

The next thing Merryck knew, her back was on the covers of the bed and Benedict's lips were everywhere on her skin. She tugged on his hair, loving how thick it was between her fingers as he kissed lower and lower down her body. She opened her legs, knowing where he was going. He stopped and pressed his lips on her lower abdomen, his nose brushing her skin.

“Tell me this isn't a dream,” he whispered.

Merryck opened her eyes and looked down and saw him looking up at her. She shook her head. “If it is, I don't want to wake up from it,” she told him.

He smiled and pressed another kiss to her skin, holding her eyes. “Neither do I.”

She opened her mouth to answer, but her words were lost in her moan as Benedict finally buried his face in between her thighs. She wrapped her legs around Benedict's head and tugged on his hair as he sucked and licked at her folds. She pressed her cunt more into his face, needing more as she felt his hands grip her thighs.

Pleasure washed over her quickly. Benedict knew what he was doing; his tongue lapped and swirled around her clit as he sucked on it, over and over. Merryck felt her body trembling as she ached and clenched around nothing. She let her head fall back on the bed as she moaned and tugged on Benedict's hair.

Her first climax hit her hard and fast. She had never cum that fast before. She cried out Benedict's name and felt him smile against her. Her legs fell from around his head and she felt him kiss his way back up her body. She whined when she felt him slid a finger inside of her, followed by another one. She clenched around them as Benedict kissed his way back up to her breasts.

“Ben,” she huffed as she blinked her eyes and looked down at him.

He hummed and smiled against her skin. She moaned and hissed as she felt him press his thumb against her sensitive clit as he crooked his fingers and pressed them into that spongey spot that had her body trembling all over again. He looked up at her as he licked her nipple.

“I think you can cum for me one more time before I bury myself inside of you,” he whispered to her.

She tugged on his hair and whimpered. “Please,” she whispered. She was close to begging. She never begged. Then again, she had never had a lover bring her to the brink so quickly before.

“Shh,” he hushed her. “Don't worry, Mer,” he smirked and winked at her. “I plan on having my way with you.”

She moaned as he closed his mouth around her nipple. He began sucking on it and nipping it. She arched her back, pressing her breast into his mouth more. She closed her eyes as she rested her head on the bed again. She tugged on his hair and pressed her knees to his sides as his fingers and thumb pressed and stroked her.

“Benny,” she moaned as the pleasure washed over her again and again.

She clenched around his fingers as he moved his mouth to her other nipple. She cried out as her second climax hit her. Tears came to her eyes and she dug her nails into Benedict's scalp. The air left her lungs and she gasped, sucking more in. She whined as she felt Benedict's fingers leave her. She blinked her eyes as she looked down at Benedict.

“Christ, look at you,” he whispered as he moved his face from her breast to her face. “Fucking beautiful,” he added as he kissed her.

She blinked and more tears rolled down her cheeks. She hummed and sighed as she kissed Benedict over and over. She whimpered as he moved and pressed his body against hers. She felt his cock brush her inner thigh and his tip rub against her folds. He ran his nose along hers and she felt his fingers stroking her skin.

“Are you ready for me?” he whispered as his eyes looked into hers.

She hummed and nodded. She cupped his face with her hands and smiled. “Yes,” she answered.

She was ready; more than ready in some ways. It was already so different with Benedict. There was none of the shyness, she normally felt at taking a new lover and having him see her naked. This was Benedict, she trusted him.

She loved him.

“There's my Mer,” he whispered as he kissed her.

She kissed him back and moaned into his mouth as she felt his tip press into her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her knees into his hips. He moved slowly, allowing her to feel every inch of him as he rubbed against her walls and pressed deep into her.

“Fuck,” she moaned as she pressed her forehead against his as she felt him bottom out inside of her.

He was deep; deeper than any other man had gotten. She clenched around him and hissed. There was an ache. But she loved it.

She felt full.

“Can I ask you something?” Benedict whispered as he held himself inside of her, allowing her to get use to having him deep inside of her.

“Hmm,” Merryck hummed. She nodded a bit. “Go ahead,” she whispered.

She looked up and held Benedict's eyes. She felt his hands on her hips, his thumbs rubbing circles in her skin. He smiled that crooked smile that she loved.

“Would you be my girlfriend?” he whispered.

She looked at him and laughed. She felt more tears come to her eyes. She nodded and laughed more as he kissed her nose.

“Yes,” she whispered, “I'll be your girlfriend.”

He smirked. “Good. I was worried you were only using me for my cock,” he added as he kissed her.

Merryck laughed and kissed him back. She moaned as Benedict dragged his cock from her and thrusted it back in.

Yes, she would be Benedict's girlfriend and his lover. She had a feeling she had finally found the love she had been looking for.

[beardedmrbean]

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has sacked a number of staff after they abused the company’s $25 (£19) meal scheme to order household goods such as toothpaste and washing powder.

Almost 30 staff in the company’s Los Angeles office were dismissed after they were found to be routinely using takeaway credits to order groceries and cosmetics, employees said.

The sackings included high-paid engineers earning six-figure salaries, according to posts on the anonymous chat app Blind.

Meta, which is currently worth $1.5 trillion, provides staff with free breakfast, lunch and dinner at its larger offices.

Those in smaller offices without staff canteens instead receive vouchers for delivery apps such as Grubhub, which they can use to order food when working at the office.

However, Meta recently discovered that some employees were using the $25 vouchers to order household items from stores that feature on the apps.

In some cases, staff were using the scheme to buy wine glasses and laundry detergent, according to the Financial Times.

Meta and other Silicon Valley companies have long offered free food in their offices, which are seen as an incentive to come into the office instead of working from home, or in the case of breakfast and dinner, to encourage longer working hours.

Staff initially received warnings about abusing the meal voucher scheme but those who continued to do so were sacked last week.

The news came as Meta also laid off a larger number of staff across WhatsApp, Instagram and its virtual reality unit on Wednesday.

The company said it was restructuring certain departments, and moving some staff to other areas.

The redundancies are not believed to be as widespread as the mass layoffs in 2022 and 2023, when Meta cut tens of thousands of staff in what Mr Zuckerberg called a driver for “efficiency”.

A Meta spokesman said: “Today, a few teams at Meta are making changes to ensure resources are aligned with their long-term strategic goals and location strategy.

“This includes moving some teams to different locations, and moving some employees to different roles. In situations like this when a role is eliminated, we work hard to find other opportunities for impacted employees.”

Meta has cut down on perks introduced to encourage staff into the office in recent years, scrapping “to-go” boxes that allowed employees to take food home, as well as benefits such as laundry services.

[lambsouvlaki]

For the Hell of it - Coming Home

Character: Jason Todd x civilian! Fem!oc

Rating and Warnings: SFW

Word Count: 1257

Summary: Jason comes home from a long trip away from Gotham and visits Andy. Both of them try very hard to pretend they're not yearning.

Masterlist

Jason arrived back to Gotham after two months in space.

He was sore, tired, and annoyed. He hated space. There was never enough room, the food was terrible, and no matter how much you liked your fellow voyagers, the close quarters and endless hours with nothing to do meant he spent the whole time in endless petty arguments. 

He was pretty sure he owed half the Outlaws apologies for the stupid shit he said on the ride home. 

He dumped his bag of gear in the doorway of his cold apartment. The lights took a second to come on and bathed the rooms in bleak white light. He pulled out his phone and saw the backlog of messages and calls. He scrolled past and deleted most of them. 

Andy had sent him a backlog of memes. A tired smile tugged at his mouth. 

He had thought giving her some space while he was in actual space would probably be good for both of them. He hadn’t had this much to do with someone outside of the hero scene since before his death. It wasn’t fair to her when she didn’t know the danger inherent with his company. 

He chuckled at a hideous meme about Nicholas Nickleby. Damn, he had missed her. 

He’d forgotten just how stabilising it was to have civilian friends. How relaxing it was. It kind of weirded him out sometimes. No wonder Dick was always hassling Bruce to go socialise. 

He flipped her a message, letting her know he was back. 

He shucked off his shirt and took a shower. He rewrapped his bandages but couldn’t be bothered shaving. His stubble was really just a beard by now. Tomorrow’s problem.

In a towel and slippers he wandered back through his apartment. Was it always so draughty? He’d forgotten to turn the heating on or close the curtains. He pulled the fridge open. 

It was completely empty. 

He tipped his head back and sighed for about a million years. 

Of course he’d cleared everything out before he left. He wasn’t an idiot. And there was plenty of shelf stable food in the pantry, he could technically feed every bat in the city for a year, but he was not eating rehydrated food from a packet tonight. He refused. 

His phone buzzed on the counter. He flipped it over. Andy’s face glowed next to a message asking if he wanted to come over for dinner. 

‘Got a giant pot pie in the oven,’ she said. 

He grinned. He wasn’t going to say yes, all he needed was a quiet night decompressing. Still. The thought counted. 

He opened a delivery app.

Andy sent him a photo. Her giant dog’s soulful eyes and fluffy snout took over the screen. 

‘Marlow doesn’t want you to eat sad take out in a sad empty apartment.’

‘My apartment isn’t sad,’ he replied.

‘But it doesn’t have Marlow. Who’s begging will you cave to and give the scraps from your plate?’

‘Marlow makes a compelling case.’

He flicked back to the delivery app. He scrolled by pizza and stir fry and curry. He opened the fridge again. Still empty.  

He opened the chat. 

‘What kind of pot pie?’

‘Beef burgundy.’

He leaned his head against the fridge door. 

‘I’ll be there in twenty

‘😀’

He threw some pants and an old shirt on and grabbed a bottle of wine from the depths of his pantry. 

Shortly after he climbed the stairs to Andy’s apartment. It was a nice enough spot for Crime Alley, a corner apartment on the top level. The elevator didn’t work, the paint was peeling, and the balcony was technically condemned, but the landlord hadn’t put the rent up in five years. A steal. 

He heard excited dog noises from behind the door before he even knocked. His shoulders relaxed.

The door swung open a moment later and Andy grinned up at him, the vanguard of a wave of wave air that enveloped him. He was holding a bottle of wine, she was holding a potato peeler. He folded her into a hug. She squeezed him happily. 

She took the wine, and he soon found himself sitting on the living room floor, his back against the couch, with a giant happy dog sitting on his legs. He was warm and sank into a puddle of golden afternoon light. Delicious smells wafted in from the kitchen and MASH reruns played quietly on the tv. He had somehow ended up holding the potato peeler.

“Can I help?” he called, even though he suspected if he had to stand up again he might just cry. 

Andy laughed from the kitchen. “Absolutely not.” 

He draped his arms over Marlow’s back, and let his head fall back against the couch. A contented huff came from the dog. Jason closed his eyes. 

When next he opened them the light had changed. 

The curtains were closed. A reading lamp off to the side cast diffuse orange light across the room. The opening credits for a later season of MASH played quietly on the tv. 

He turned his head, groggy and unconcerned. Andy sat curled up on the couch behind him and to the side. He spied a scraped empty plate next to her and an open book on the arm rest. The dog had dragged over his bed and was sleeping next to both of them. 

He looked up at her for a moment, studying her. The curl of her hand against her cheek. The little flyaway of her hair curling over her forehead. One shoulder of her cardigan slipping down her arm. Her toes tucked under a couch cushion. If he was a painter, he would want to paint her here, now. 

“Dinner’s in the oven for you,” she said quietly. 

His stomach reminded him of how pressing a concern that was. 

He clambered up with a groan. Marlow came along to the kitchen to see what he was doing, and then back again to sit optimistically at his feet. 

Jason sat next to Andy on the couch and ate his fill.

“I forgot how good a cook you are,” he moaned. 

She beamed. 

He pointed with his fork. “My turn, next time. I owe you.”

Her smile turned lazy. “Sure. Next time I fall off the map for two months and resurface with a beard and a full week of sleep debt, you can do the cooking.”

He narrowed his eyes while chewing his mashed potatoes. “Cute.” 

“You’re cute.” 

“Yeah I am. Fuckin’ adorable.” 

“Missed you, Jay.”

Something thick lodged in his throat. Too much, it was too much, if he opened his mouth something stupid would come out. 

Andy’s expression shuttered. She looked down at her book. 

“Too much peace and quiet without me?” he managed. He aimed for soft, and not sharp, and hoped like hell he succeeded. He was too rough and jagged for this kind woman. She didn’t deserve his bullshit. 

“Not enough peace and quiet,” she said like nothing had happened. “I can’t trick anyone else into walking Marlow for me. He’s taken to whining about it.” 

The dog sat up straighter at hearing his name.

“Really? Two whole months and nobody’s replaced me as his favourite?”

She shrugged and reached out to rub behind his ears. “No other contenders.”

“Well they’re missing out,” Jason said. He rubbed Marlow’s flank. 

They petted opposite sides of the dog, not making eye contact. Marlow, who had never hesitated to love anyone in his life, was perfectly happy to receive their affections.

Next>>

[the-log-ffl]

S10:W5

The year of the mish continues… what the fuck is going on? I always try to put on a positive exterior but in reality, I think I lean to the glass half empty side of life unfortunately. I’m always watching for that check engine light to come on, my entree is the one the server forgets to ring in, the leak in the office skylight trickles down and lands solely on my desk, my package is in town but delivery has been delayed. It’s always fucking something. But lately I have felt a shift in the tides. I am learning how to say fuck you to things that don’t serve me well. I’m saying fuck you to foods, foods that I love but don’t love me back, I’m saying fuck you to some people, and for the same reason. I’m seeking small victories, setting micro goals if you will. Due 10 pushups you pussy, pass on the bread fag, jump in some cold water you little bitch, smoke less you degenerate, run a mile you lazy ass, walk to the beach and leave the phone behind, tell the kids you love them and you will kill anyone who ever tries to hurt them and get the wife some god damn flowers for no reason at all. Simple. Due to this change in mental management I have begun to reap some interesting benefits. I’m down 25 pounds, I no longer have to hold my breath to put on socks, I had to buy two new pairs of jeans, I mean they’re Amazon Essentials but still, I’m over 100 push ups a day, my kids love me, did some psychedelics with my wife, got to enjoy one of the best steaks on the planet and a little road head too. I’m thinking my glass is pretty fucking half full right now. I admit it puts a big smile on my face, and brings me extreme gratitude, but as much joy as these things currently bring to me, they don’t put the sparkle in my eye or the pride in my heart like starting off the 2024 season in the LOG 5 - 0!  It really is the apex of life.

Week 6 Predictions

Looks like we have a couple of double headers this week. I don’t know why Spirit, Redfield, ODBJ and myself are matching up in back to back weeks, but it has something to do with making sure The Romancer and Petey matched up on Big Sur Food and Wine week. Nevertheless, it is what it is. So it looks like Spirit will get another crack at the king, but alas, Turds already have their costume and  go to Costco instead. 

Turds over Spirit 111-89

FREEDOM over Nugs 108-96

SORDIDUS over Gringos 98 - 88

Sluts over Piece of Shit 122 - 103

ODBJ gets the wedding day edge over Redfield 110 - 101

Week 5 Results (3-2)

Turds over Spirit  101-87  120-95

Gringos over Nugs 89-79

Raj=Shit over Discipline 99-78  95-85

Sluts over Sordidus 112-110  141-109

Beckham over Redfield 97-88

Kick back with a microdose boys, a heavy microdose.

LOG 4 life!

~mish

LOG WEEKLY DICK SIZE RECAP

Matt Maier has the BIG DICK OF THE WEEK: 141 Points

Matt Hames has the small dick of the week: 85 Points

Shawn House has THE THROBBER - 190.64 (S9:W3)

Ethan App has the STINKY DICK - 48.76 Points (S8:W10)

[smthliminal]

𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 !

LOCATION ⸻ rustic house.

special delivery: amara washington ⟨ @theiressence ⟩

In apology for having been a few minutes late Isaiah had ordered the specialty, and only barely past the initial pleasantries and catchup the raw oysters were delivered to their table and set between them. A smile was on his face as he thanked the waiter and his green eyes met with Amara's. It wasn't often he indulged in this seafood treat, not necessarily out of cost, it was mostly due to the acknowledgment that too much revel in something special could rub off some of the shine. "Please tell me these are better here than in bloody England," Isaiah half joked, a bad accent tossed in. His childhood friend, one of the people he'd been closest to the longest in life, had been returned to their hometown for nearly to a year now, and even then when they got together he couldn't help but be grateful.

The reasons behind Amara's return had dimmed his happiness a touch, and Isaiah had hoped it would turn out to be a better outcome for her. His divorce finalized some twelve years ago and all he'd done was throw himself into work. It mattered, it was important. There was a living reminder of that in his home. Somewhere along the line he should've gotten over it and moved on, tried again, even just enjoyed dating. "So you think I should get out there and give it a shot?" Isaiah returned to their conversation once the waiter had departed. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure he had it in him. That he had the energy for it. He reached for his glass of wine and pulled the hot sauce closer. "I'm not sure I could do a dating app. The last time I dated I was in college, I guess that would make me old school —"

[lindevi]

Media Favorites of 2023

Who can't believe that 2023 is nearly over? *raises hand* As the year winds down, this seems like the time to reflect on the things that helped us or brought us joy. The following is a list (not exhaustive) of my favorite apps, books, music, TV, and video games from the last year, including many that I would recommend to others. You can find my list from 2021 here. (I missed compiling this list in 2022, in no small part because I was sampling eastern Germany’s best Christmas Markets all through December.)

Apps

Airalo. My new go-to for international data, but you’ll need an unlocked phone. I was able to save a ton of money by setting up a second e-SIM to access Japanese mobile data networks. (It cost $10 for 10GB of data across 30 days, which was plenty for the week I spent there, and much cheaper compared to my phone plan’s offerings.) I wish I’d heard of this before my trips to England and Europe this year, but I was able to try it out in Japan successfully. I’ll definitely be making use of this app when traveling in the future. The only downside is that I can’t have both e-sims active, so I had to restart my phone in order to check my text messages. Luckily, most communication is done over apps these days instead of SMS, so I wasn’t missing much.

​Reverso. This app pulled more than its weight for me while I was traveling abroad this summer. The thing I liked most about it is how it pulls up example sentences so you can help see the context and usage of a given word. It also saves your searches for you, so if you were a more disciplined language student than me, you could write down any new vocabulary in a notebook to study later. Also, it’s free and works fairly well offline, and it’s able to handle multiple languages in the same app.

Vivino. When in France, drink as the French do, I suppose. But when you’re at the supermarket trying to decide between the many, many wines available for less than 10€, this app helps to narrow down the field. Scanning the label gives you the user score for that vintage, plus a personalized rating for how it compares to previous wines you’ve enjoyed. By rating the wines I tried, I was able to get a better sense of my preferred styles and remember which labels to avoid in the future. It was also excellent to have on hand when we went to Bordeaux and sampled various Grand Crus. The app helped me to get a sense for how much those bottles would fetch back home, and whether it was worth it to buy it in France to bring home or to seek it out at my local liquor store.

Books

​Dracula by Bram Stoker. The vampire book that started it all (well, not quite), this one really does live up to its reputation as a classic. A few years ago, I read Stoker’s The Jewel of Seven Stars and enjoyed it tremendously (it even served as the inspiration for a Dark Sun one-shot scenario I wrote based around Queen Tara), so I’m not sure what took me so long to get to Dracula. The epistolary style is really well done and should serve as a reference point for any game masters who long to add handouts to their campaigns. It’s inspired me to try running Night’s Black Agents in the new year.

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. Apparently this book is the first in an urban fantasy series I’ve been sleeping on for some time. The easy comparison is Storm Front, the first book in the Dresden Files, but I have to say that this one comes out on top re: modern wizard investigator stories, mostly because of the protagonist’s sense of humor and the audiobook narrator’s brilliant delivery. I think fans of British TV will find themselves very much at home with this book. I had the happy accident of being in London while reading this, and I had been exploring Covent Garden and the alleys surrounding the Royal Opera House immediately before reading the finale, which helped tremendously when picturing the final scenes.

Slaying the Dragon by Ben Riggs. With the news of the recent Hasbro layoffs affecting the D&D team at Wizards of the Coast, this book feels like required reading to understand some of the boom and bust cycles of D&D (although, sadly, D&D seems to be doing better than ever, and the layoffs appear to be mandated to help cover losses elsewhere in the company). It’s hard to fact-check/cross-reference this book because so much of it is original research and interviews done by the author, but that’s precisely why it’s a must-read for fans of the franchise.

Music

All Quiet on the Western Front (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film). One word: haunting. The main “melody” is extremely simplistic, but it fits the subject matter so well. I also recommend the movie if you play any 20th century-based wargames or read any history. I found it interesting that this was only the first time a German production company adapted it from the book.

Seelie by CLANN. I’m not sure how to categorize this album, except it’s incredibly ambient and dark and pagan (especially Celtic). The tracks all kind of blend together in a good way, making it excellent for writing or focus work.

Gris (Original Game Soundtrack). Another great soundtrack I put on repeat this year, mostly while reading. It’s melancholic, sweeping, hopeful. I’ve never played the video game, but if it’s half as good as the score, it’ll be quite good.

Movies/TV

​Barbie. I went for a “Barbenheimer” double-feature this summer, and I did not expect Barbie to hit way harder than Oppenheimer did. Ryan Gosling might have stolen the show, but the story and the feels really made this movie stay with us. Coming from a franchise development/IP approval perspective (and this is where I have to do the disclaimer that my opinions are my own, I’m not speaking on behalf of my employer Asmodee), I’m shocked that Mattel let this get made, but I’m so glad they did.

Blue Eye Samurai. (Netflix) I had little idea this was coming until a few weeks before the release, but this show blew me away and shattered any expectations I had for it. The character development, the animation, the voice acting, the themes… it’s hard to find faults with the show (although, perhaps Mizu’s ending was unexpected). If you enjoy samurai cinema or anime, if you’re at all interested in the history of Japan, or if you’re simply an appreciator of animation, this is a must-watch.

​Vienna Blood. (PBS) I like to joke that I have a grandmother’s taste in TV, because BBC/ITV period dramas make up so much of my streaming diet, but this is a mystery/detective show first and foremost. Instead of Sherlock and Watson, you’ve got Detective Rheinhardt and Max Liebermann. Max is a Jew in 1900s Vienna and a student of Freud’s work, with the psychoanalysis lending the show an interesting frame, but I’ve also really appreciated how important his family is to the show. I’ve found it really fascinating how they explore the many peoples of the Austro-Hungarian empire before its collapse, and it’s made me want to run a Cthulhu by Gaslight campaign in Vienna (elements of which I might pull forward into the NBA game).

Video Games

​Baldur’s Gate 3. (PC) It shouldn’t come as a surprise that someone whose hobbies center on Dungeons & Dragons and other roleplaying games should thoroughly enjoy this game, but I’m certain that even folks who have never rolled a d20 will be delighted by this CRPG from Larian Studios. The writing and voice performances are phenomenal, and the sheer amount of content (and thus, replayability) is staggering. I’ve logged over 60 hours playing and can easily see myself playing for 60 more. I’ve only just started Act II, so no spoilers, please!

Horizon: Forbidden West. (PS5) I was a bit of a latecomer to this game after it released in 2023, but once I started, I could barely put it down. Amazing characters? Check. Phenomenal gameplay? Check. Open-world exploration that actually evokes the feeling of discovery? Check. My only quibble is that the story isn’t quite as brilliant as the first game, but given that the first game was a masterpiece and easily in my top 5 games of all time, that’s a high bar to clear. I admit I bought a PlayStation 5 just so I could play the Burning Shores expansion when it came out in April, and while personally I had been shipping Aloy with Kotallo, I appreciate the romantic subplot being included.

What were some of your favorites from 2023? Did your list have any of the same titles as mine?

Featured image by Alisa Anton on Unsplash

[daydreamgoddess14]

We lie awake in love and fear pt. 2

MASTERLIST

From a @lilacmermaid25 prompt - Rebecca's legs cause Ted's brain to short circuit.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

The window was wide open, Rebecca could hear the boys shouting and jeering with each other. She continued to work her way through her inbox until she heard Roy call the whistle when she stood and went to stand at the window so she could see them all lined up. They looked so excited to give their gift to Ted. Sam and Isaac led them off - both surprisingly good singers. She giggled at the dance moves. Roy nodded his head in time to the music, she was so proud that he’d managed to arrange the routine. By the time Dani was stepping up for his solo, she was on the verge of tears - the combination of being so very proud of the team, and of the goodbye itself. Dani’s gentle chorus of "Adios" nearly tipped her over the edge and she clutched at the window frame, leaning over for a closer look. Ted and Beard turned to watch Dani join the others in the stands as they reached the finale. She could barely hold herself upright. Then she heard Ted, with a smile in his voice. 

"Thank you fellas. That was perfect." She sighed with relief, pulled the window closed and pressed her forehead against the glass. She'd need a very large glass of wine over lunch with her mum, the day was proving just as highly strung as she’d expected. She felt like an acrobat on the highwire just millimeters from a fall. 

After their slightly awkward morning, and fortified by the wine at lunchtime, Rebecca braced herself to talk to Ted. She knew realistically that it had to be today, tomorrow was match day and she didn't want it to overshadow the game. She knew he'd sneak off as soon as he could to avoid any prolonged goodbyes, so that left her with now. Right now. She went down to the office, but it was dark and quiet. Only the pink gift bags from Keeley stood out. He'll be in the stands. She knew exactly that that's where he'd be. 

"I'm ready to talk now." She stated. And she did. She covered every thought that popped into her head, the schools, the money, selling the club. Threw in a joke about going away to “sleep, drink, fuck.” She poured every ounce of love into what was ultimately a one-sided conversation. 

"You liven up the place, Ted. I don't think I can do this without you." A sob rose in her throat. "Believe it or not, I'm not trying to change your mind. I know you have your heart set on this. I just need you to know how I feel." She placed a hand over his, "Would you… would you come back to mine? For a drink?" He shook his head. That final dismissal was almost too much. She nodded in acceptance, not daring to speak any more. Reluctantly, she squeezed his shoulder and left him to his thoughts. 

Once again, she found herself in bed with a large glass of wine, still working on the same page of her book as the previous night. Again, she was distracted by the doorbell. 

"If that's Beard again…" She mumbled. She checked the app before she bothered moving. Hoping it could be someone she could ignore - an incorrect food delivery or taxi driver. It was Ted, and he appeared to be alone. He had his back to the door, only turning when he heard it open. She wore a pink silk cami and shorts set - no robe this time. No counter to hide her legs. 

"Fuck me." He whispered. Rebecca raised an eyebrow in surprise. Well, not quite a surprise given how he’d been looking at her that morning and been trying to hide. "Sorry, Rebecca. I didn't mean to disturb you. I feel bad for how I left things between us earlier tonight. I wanted to apologise." She didn't say anything, offering him the same silent treatment he'd given her. "I'm sorry." He tagged on. 

"Would you like a drink?" She asked. He shook his head. "For fucks sake Ted, I know why you're being so… not you. But quite honestly it's giving me the fucking creeps. This odd, emotionless version of you. I don't like it. This isn’t my Te-" she stopped abruptly. Not my Ted - don’t fucking say that, “this isn’t the Ted I know.”

"I'm sorry 'bout that, Rebecca. I'm just tryin’ to get through the next couple of days, that's all. Some big emotions goin’ round the place - the game tomorrow, me leavin’. Feels like we’re all just clinging on like Jack and Rose on that door. I’m just tryin’ to make it through in one piece."

"At what cost, Ted? You’re allowed to be upset for the life you’re leaving behind, you know? You’re allowed to miss us. I can't stand to see you like this. I miss the Ted who finds humour in everything, who is so giving and so caring and so passionate, I miss-" She was cut off unexpectedly with a searing kiss. He'd taken a stride forwards, taken her face into his large hands, and kissed her hard. "I miss you." She trembled. "I'm going to miss you. So much."

"I'm gonna miss you too sweetheart. Gonna miss how riled up you get, gonna miss how when you blush, it starts right here," he placed his hand in the center of her chest, "gonna miss how loudly you roll your eyes. I'm really gonna miss your legs." She shifted closer to him, bringing her hand to his waist. She leaned up to kiss his jawline, keeping her eyes on him. "This really ain't a good idea." He muttered.

“I feel like I should say something about not always getting what you want, but getting what you need?” She muttered against his collarbone. He raised his foot behind him to kick the door shut.

“What if they’re the same thing?” She pulled away from him slightly. “If I’m leaving, I want you to know that I want you and that I need you.” Her eyes filled with unshed tears and she pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

“I wasn’t going to let myself do this. What if it hurts too much when you go?”

“If it was always going to hurt, then doesn’t this make it worth it?” She closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder and he swayed her slightly in his arms. After a moment, she looked up.

“Well then I want you too. And I need you more than you could possibly imagine. The trouble is I only have you for a few hours” He smiled sadly,

“I know. Do you want me to leave? I don’t want to make this goodbye any worse.” She shook her head firmly.

“No, I don’t care if it makes it worse. I don’t care, I just need you.” The tears threatened to spill down her cheeks but he kissed them away,

“I got you, baby. I got you. Let me love you.” He kissed her cheeks, her forehead, her nose until he captured her mouth. He spun her on the spot and backed her into the door, the wood was cool on the silk of her nightwear and made her shiver, she pulled him closer seeking his warmth, and the weight of his body against hers. His hands and kisses were everywhere, Rebecca felt overwhelmed with trying to concentrate on one sensation at a time, trying to commit each one to memory. The roughness of his hands at her waist, on her thigh, the hot kisses against her throat and travelling down between her breasts. He caught a nipple between his teeth through her cami and her whole body arched towards him.

“Please, Ted-” she moaned. He lifted her top over her head to allow for better access and fell to his knees in front of her. She tangled her hands through his hair, pulling it gently and making him moan against her soft belly.

“You’re gonna be the death of me.” He smirked.

“Haven’t, ooof,” she gasped as his hands moved to grab her ass and pull her towards him, “haven’t done anything. Yet.”

“Yet. May I?” He asked, hooking her waistband under his fingers. She nodded, a little bashful, and a blush bloomed from the center of her chest - just as he said it did. He took his time, following the silk material down her legs with kisses and little bites. He found the spot just behind her knee that made her giggle. “Way to ruin a moment there, Welton.”

“It’s not my fault there’s a very fine line between you tickling me and you… oh holy shit, Ted, you doing that.” He’d taken one of her legs and placed it carefully over his shoulder, exposing her to him fully, and placed a kiss at her core.

“Haven’t done anything yet.” He threw her teasing words back at her, earning him a glare.

“I can still tell you to go home.”

“Really?” He stopped completely, sitting back on his heels. She had been joking, but his commitment to checking in had her legs turning to jelly.

“No. Stay all night, I dare you.” She smiled down at him, brushing his hair off his forehead and cupping his cheek. He leaned into her and kissed her palm.

“Anything for you, Becca.” She pulled him to standing.

“Don’t say that,” she said, shaking her head, “The one thing I want is the thing I can’t have.” The comment lingered between them. Everything she wanted would be gone by morning. “But let’s not think about that now. Take me to bed so you can finish what you started.” He rested his forehead against hers before kissing her softly and leading her upstairs.

Rebecca sat on the bed and pulled Ted closer by his belt buckle.

“You’re frustratingly overdressed, Ted.” She muttered, working to undo the catch. She pushed his Richmond sweater up, a hint for him to take it off, which he took.

“I was busy with you. I’d like to be busy with you again.”

“Patience. I’m trying to tattoo this into my brain so I can remember you like this forever.” He reached down to kiss her,

“You’ll see me again sweetheart.”

“Not like this. Not for the first time.” She pushed his khakis down his legs, heat coiling in her belly at the sight of him.

“Now can I finish what I started?” He kissed her and laid her back on the bed before kissing his way down her body, getting to his knees in front of her once again. "Have I told you how beautiful you are yet?"

"Hmm. Not yet." She giggled.

"Well y'are. So beautiful, so perfect." He placed kisses and nips across her thighs, getting closer to where she most needed him, placing a strong hand on her hip to hold her still. She writhed under his kisses, getting more and more impatient.

"Ted, please, please just touch me, you're killing me." Finally, finally, he flicks her clit with the tip of his tongue, her hands fly to tangle in his hair and fuck his mouth feels so good. She was so wet and ready for him, he quickly settled into a rhythm with his tongue before sliding a couple of fingers into her and curling them. He kept pace, knowing exactly where and how she needed him. He could feel her unraveling beneath him, shaking, with his name on her lips like a prayer. As soon as she regained the feeling in her trembling hands, she pulled him up her body and into a deep kiss. "My god, Ted," she sighed, "I really am going to have to insist that you stay now." He laughed, pressing kisses into her neck while she still tried to catch her breath. She feels him, hard and hot against her thigh and it's not long before his kisses move down to her breasts with a gentle bite to one nipple while he brushes the pad of his thumb roughly over the other. She arches her back, trying to get a much contact with his body as possible. Her hand trails down between, gripping him, before slowly stroking him. He stuttered against her skin with a low moan and moved between her legs to fully cover her body. He pulled back to look her in the eye, 

"You sure about this? We can still-"

"I'm sure, Ted. I need to feel you inside me, I need to love you." He kissed her firmly as he pushed into her, covering her obscene moans with his mouth, "Yesss" She hissed, bringing her legs up to lock around his hips, bringing him deeper.

"Fuck, Rebecca, you feel so good." He rocked into her slowly, languidly, the closeness pulling her apart once again. He considered speeding up, fucking her into the mattress, but she spoke directly into his ear, biting his earlobe first, "Stay with me, Ted, I need you right here."

"I got you baby, I'm always yours." Her body trembled in his arms as she called out his hand over, and over. His release came only seconds later, he went to move but she placed a hand between his shoulder blades.

"Don't move yet." She whispered. 

"I'll hurt you." He said with a sad smile, she shook her head.

"You could never." He rolled just enough so that she could breathe easier, but held her in his arms. "I'm always yours." She repeated back to him. They cleaned up together in the shower and climbed into bed. 

"You sure you want me to stay over?"

"I dared you, didn't I? If this night is all I get, then I want all of it." She ran her fingers through his hair as he told her his plans for when he got back to Kansas. She noted how he never called it 'home'. Eventually, they fell asleep, limbs tangled together. 

Rebecca woke at some ungodly hour with Ted's hands everywhere. She wasn't sure if he'd try to sneak out, a gallant attempt to make things easier for them both, but two orgasms before breakfast made her very pleased that he'd stayed. They ate croissants together, stealing shy glances at one another, before Ted looked up at the kitchen clock and sighed.

"Back to reality?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Regrets?" 

"Non, je ne regrette rien." 

"Now you're just being cruel." Ted laughed. "Those legs? That smile? Seeing you come apart over and over? And then you speak French to me?" He shook his head. "Cruel."

"I've got to leave you with something, Ted." She giggled. "Time to go. Good luck for the match." He kissed her one final time, briefly, chastely.

They won. Not quite the whole fucking thing, thanks to Man City, but close. They spent a magical night with the team at Ola's. The live band karaoke was wild and despite Ted’s impending departure, everyone was in good spirits. Rebecca left him alone to take some time with each of the team. She'd had her goodbye. She snuck off into the night, leaving the celebrations and her broken heart behind.

She watched five planes depart after Ted's the following morning. She hadn't been able to resist one final declaration, though she had managed to not kiss him. She held off until she knew he wasn't getting off the plane, sitting with Beard and Jane until he'd given her a small nudge and said, "I think that's it, don't you?" She'd told them to go ahead, she'd see them later, and emerged into the bright sunshine of a new Monday morning. 

"It… it's you?" A familiar Dutch voice spoke up.

~~~~~~~

Read the sequel? HERE 💜

[chocolatedetectivehottub]

Best laundry service,

Best laundry service,

In today’s fast-paced world, finding time to do laundry can be a real challenge. Whether you’re a busy professional, a student, or a parent managing a household, laundry often takes a backseat. That’s where the best laundry service comes in — offering convenience, quality, and peace of mind.

Why Choose a Professional Laundry Service? Here are a few compelling reasons to trust a laundry service:

Time-Saving Convenience Professional laundry services save you hours each week. No more sorting, washing, drying, or folding — just drop off your laundry or schedule a pickup, and it’s done for you.

Expert Cleaning The best laundry services use high-quality detergents, advanced equipment, and trained staff to ensure your clothes are thoroughly cleaned and well-maintained.

Affordable and Cost-Effective Considering the cost of water, electricity, detergents, and your valuable time, professional laundry services often turn out to be more economical than doing it yourself.

Special Care for Delicates From silk to wool and everything in between, a good laundry service will know how to handle delicate fabrics with the care they deserve.

Stain Removal Experts Got a tough coffee or wine stain? Professional services have the tools and techniques to remove stubborn stains without damaging your garments.

Key Features of the Best Laundry Services When searching for the best laundry service near you, keep an eye out for these features:

Free Pickup and Delivery Convenient doorstep service that saves time and effort.

Eco-Friendly Practices Use of biodegradable detergents and water-saving technologies.

Fast Turnaround Time Same-day or next-day service for urgent laundry needs.

Affordable Pricing Packages Flexible plans for singles, couples, and families.

App or Online Booking Easy scheduling and order tracking via mobile apps or websites.

How to Choose the Best Laundry Service Here are a few tips to find the perfect laundry service for your needs:

Read Customer Reviews Real feedback from users can tell you a lot about service quality.

Compare Pricing Check for hidden charges and evaluate value for money.

Ask About Detergents Used If you have allergies or sensitive skin, ensure they use hypoallergenic products.

Check for Insurance or Damage Policy A good laundry service takes responsibility for lost or damaged items.

Conclusion The best laundry service isn’t just about clean clothes — it’s about saving time, reducing stress, and getting premium care for your garments. Whether you need weekly laundry help or a one-time wash and fold, a reliable laundry service is a modern-day essential that delivers quality and convenience.

Say goodbye to laundry day and hello to fresh, clean clothes — effortlessly.

Would you like this article customized for a specific location, business name, or service area?

[livingliquidzmumbai]

Buy Liquor Online in Mumbai with Living Liquidz

Looking to buy liquor online in Mumbai? Living Liquidz makes it easier than ever to order your favorite drinks from the comfort of your home.

A Vast Selection at Your Fingertips

The Living Liquidz online store features a huge range of premium spirits, wines, beers, and liqueurs. Customers can find popular and niche brands, ensuring they always get the best selection.

Easy and Secure Online Shopping

With an intuitive interface, Living Liquidz allows customers to browse, compare, and purchase their drinks seamlessly. Their secure payment system ensures a smooth transaction every time.

Mobile App for Fast Ordering

For added convenience, Living Liquidz offers a mobile app, allowing customers to place orders anytime, anywhere. This user-friendly app makes selecting liquor brands even easier.

Reliable Home Delivery Service

Living Liquidz offers safe and timely liquor home delivery across Mumbai. Whether you’re planning a party, celebration, or casual evening, their fast delivery ensures you get your order on time. Check out their delivery options for more details.

Conclusion

Ordering liquor online has never been more convenient! Living Liquidz brings a wide selection, secure payment options, and reliable home delivery to make sure you always have the best drinks on hand.

[arooojchoudh]

Discover the Best Online Gift Shop for Every Occasion

Finding the perfect gift can be a challenge, but with an online gift shop, it’s easier than ever. Whether you're shopping for a birthday, anniversary, or just want to surprise a loved one, online gift shops offer a wide variety of gifts for every occasion. With the convenience of browsing from home and the ability to have your gift delivered directly to the recipient, online shopping has revolutionized the way we gift.

Why Shop at an Online Gift Shop?

Wide Selection of Gifts: Online gift shops offer an extensive range of products, from personalized items to luxury gifts. Whether you're looking for tech gadgets, home decor, or unique experiences, you can find it all in one place.

Convenience: Shopping for gifts online saves time and energy. You can browse, compare, and purchase gifts anytime and anywhere, without leaving the comfort of your home. Many online shops even offer mobile apps for on-the-go shopping.

Gift Personalization: Many online gift shops allow you to personalize items with custom messages, names, or dates. This makes your gift even more special and meaningful for the recipient.

Delivery Options: Online gift shops provide flexible delivery services, including same-day or next-day delivery for those last-minute gifts. You can also schedule a delivery in advance to ensure it arrives on the perfect day.

Exclusive Discounts and Offers: Online gift shops often offer exclusive deals, discounts, and seasonal promotions, which can help you save money while buying thoughtful gifts.

Popular Gifts You Can Find at an Online Gift Shop

Personalized Gifts: Custom-made items like engraved jewelry, monogrammed accessories, and personalized home decor are always a hit for birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays.

Gift Baskets: Choose from gourmet food baskets, wine and chocolate baskets, or wellness gift sets. Perfect for corporate gifts or special occasions.

Technology Gifts: From smart gadgets to the latest electronics, online gift shops have a variety of tech gifts that are perfect for the tech lover in your life.

Home Decor: Find beautiful home accessories such as vases, throw pillows, and artwork that make for thoughtful housewarming or wedding gifts.

Experience Gifts: Give the gift of experience with vouchers for concerts, spa treatments, weekend getaways, or cooking classes. Many online shops offer this option for a memorable gift.

How to Choose the Best Online Gift Shop

When selecting an online gift shop, consider the following:

Reputation and Reviews: Check customer reviews and ratings to ensure you're buying from a trusted retailer that delivers high-quality gifts.

Product Range: Look for an online gift shop that offers a wide variety of gifts suited for different tastes, occasions, and budgets.

Pricing and Payment Options: Compare prices to find the best value for your money. Many online stores offer multiple payment methods, including credit/debit cards, PayPal, and even gift cards.

Customer Service: Ensure that the online shop has a responsive customer service team that can assist with any questions or issues.

Delivery Policies: Look for an online gift shop with clear delivery policies, including shipping times, costs, and return policies. Some shops offer free shipping or delivery discounts for large orders.

Top Occasions for Shopping at an Online Gift Shop

Birthdays: Find the perfect birthday gift that will make your loved ones feel extra special. Personalized gifts and unique surprises are great choices.

Weddings: Wedding gifts can be tricky, but an online gift shop can help you choose something meaningful and thoughtful for the couple.

Anniversaries: Celebrate a milestone in a relationship with a romantic and meaningful gift from an online shop.

Holidays: From Christmas to Valentine’s Day, you can find seasonal gifts and holiday specials at your favorite online gift shop.

Thank You Gifts: Show your appreciation with a thoughtful “thank you” gift, whether it’s a bouquet, a gift basket, or a personalized item.

How to Make Your Online Gift Shopping Experience Smooth

Know the Recipient's Interests: This helps you select a more personal and meaningful gift.

Plan Ahead: Avoid last-minute shopping by planning early, especially if you need to schedule a delivery or require personalized items.

Double-Check Delivery Details: Ensure you have the correct delivery address and the recipient’s contact information for a smooth delivery process.

Add a Personal Touch: Don’t forget to include a heartfelt note or card along with your gift to add a personal touch.