#with how nervous he looks he could definitely know Oven is there

[mail-posting]

also throws this promo art at you

WOOO

[lymtw]

Suggestive

Gojo x f!reader

Description:

Gojo enjoys keeping you company while you cook. Especially, when there's wine and kisses involved.

Thinking of Gojo who keeps you company while you make dinner. You said he could stay and watch, but he wouldn’t be able to help after the last time he offered to help. This man dropped every ingredient you had prepped for this new dinner idea you wanted to try out, all in one full force swing of his elbow. He’s been fired as your kitchen assistant since then.

You let him observe, but sometimes he just sits at the dinner table and watches you from there. It makes you nervous because he gives you bedroom eyes and you have no choice but to ignore him or you’ll never get anything done. It’s not his fault you look hot in an apron.

Once everything is cooking, you lean against the counter and take your reward for all the hard work you’ve done— your glass of wine that’s been sitting in front of you as motivation to get dinner finished. Gojo gets up from the table and walks over to you after a couple minutes of just watching you savor the drink.

“That looks good. Can I try some?”

He doesn’t drink alcohol, says bitterness is the worst taste a human can endure, but you make it look so appetizing, the way you sip on it. You don’t question it, though. You offer him the glass, but he pushes it back towards you gently and shakes his head.

“You know I don’t like bitterness.” He grins at the confused look on your face. You’re thinking about how else he would get to try the drink while he admires how pretty you look. Your cheeks are pink from the heat surrounding the kitchen, your hair is pulled into his favorite type of bun—the one that has loose locks around the sphere that makes it look like blades, and to top it all off, you’re wearing an apron.

“You can’t have any, then.”

“Sure I can. Do you give up?”

You give it one last thought before shrugging in defeat. He takes the glass out of your hand, putting it up to your lips for you to take another sip. He puts it down on the counter afterward, taking the whole step it took to be pressed against you. You look up at him, left with no time to wonder what his next move would be. He puts his hands on your lower back, where your apron is secured in a knot, and leans in to kiss you. The way his tongue invaded your mouth was as if he wanted to take all the flavor out of it. Then he broke the kiss, only to go back and kiss every inch of your lips, his tongue poking out occasionally to absorb the flavor on them as well.

You looked genuinely stunned once he finished, meanwhile, he looked satisfied.

“That was pretty good, but I wouldn’t have it on its own.”

“What was that?” You ask, cheeks burning as you try to hold his gaze.

He chuckles, pulling you close again. Your chin rests on his chest as you look up at him. “Your lips are a natural sweetener. I would never drink that on its own so I figured I could taste it off your lips instead.”

“There’s no wine flavor in my mouth anymore, ‘toru.”

He grabs the glass again, shaking it in front of you. You swallow, wondering if he’ll do it again if you have some more.

“Thirsty?”

Your heart drops, but you reach for the glass anyway. You have another sip, holding eye contact with Gojo as you do. He repeats the same process afterwards, this time leaving you even more breathless. Maybe it was the wine working its magic on you, or the heated tension between you and Gojo, but you felt incredibly light.

“Do you like it?” You mumble, holding his bicep.

“It’s the literal definition of getting drunk off your kisses. What’s not to like?”

Your timer went off, pulling you out of the trance Gojo lured you into. “Shit,” you mutter, pushing past him. “Dinner’s ready,” you say, turning off the oven.

“It needs to cool down,” Gojo mumbles, kissing the nape of your neck as you stand up to shut the oven door.

“Don’t you want fresh food?”

“Mm… maybe in a little bit. Once I don’t have to fear burning my tongue off.” He wraps his arms around your waist, still kissing your neck and shoulders. “Just want some more of those drunken kisses, right now.” He loosens his hold on you and grabs the bottle of wine and your hand, dragging you to the room with him.

“I’m sure we’ll be starving once this is tapped out,” he says. With the weight the bottle held, it seemed like Gojo grew addicted to the taste of your lips lathered with that burgundy colored liquid. It would be a while until you both devoured anything that wasn’t each other because the bottle was brand new, and you had only poured a single glass of it.

[mowu-moment]

ranking food tokens by how much personally i want to eat them

- Throne of Eldraine -

i have reason to distrust this meat pie thing, not only because of its wails of anguish but it also seems to have burst a bit in the oven. still not honestly opposed, at least the dishes are clean. 5/10.

how does one unpeel a curly banana? why are there sliced-open fruits on what appears to be a stone in the woods? where is the light coming from? i'm going to be taken by the fae and it's not even gonna taste too good while i'm at it, these things look dirty. but idk i don't mind someone else taking the wheel of my life rn. 2/10.

again, concerns about the floor food, but at least it looks more like some deliverygirl got eaten by a wolf and dropped her basket than a trap. someone already took a bite, though, maybe i should leave it be. 4/10

i have been invited to the Goblin King's Feast and while i don't fully agree with his choices i will certainly partake. boar looks wonderful apart from the hair. 7/10

- Commander 2020 / Strixhaven Commander -

i'm pretty sure cattails are poisonous to humans (not to mention the actual poisons in there) so i unfortunately can't oblige gyome's swamp soup. that crusty bread looks pretty nice though. i'll pick this thing apart like high school cafeteria lunch. 3/10.

- Modern Horizons 2 -

i at least know who cooked this one, and i trust asmor a decent bit, but this is still food for demons, so maybe it's not too good for me. goddamn do i wanna know what it tastes like though. 4/10.

- Unfinity -

i'm considering these two together. as a filthy american, i am allured by these fat-filled foods, but as a lad with a tiny stomach, i doubt i could eat enough to feel good about not wasting it. astrotorium's about excess, goddamn. the only funfair burger i've had was the best thing i had eaten in months, but it also made me ill the rest of the day. i really do want some infinity fries though, those look like the golden mean between a steak fry and a curly fry. 6/10.

- March of the Machine Commander -

meanwhile this looks like a texture nightmare. like i respect it, i imagine it's filling and fulfilling, but i don't think i ever could eat more than a bite or two. bread looks a little worse than gyome's but only a little. 5/10.

- Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth -

my white ass loves a charcuterie board. and i'm not going to be intimidated out of it by not eating enough, since it's all in snack-sized bits already. definitely gonna overindulge this sucker. i'm nervous about some of those spreads though. 9/10.

this looks like i'm in a dream, is it actively cooking? or still hot? i can't identify what's in that pan anyway. i'm leaving it alone out of respect. wouldn't mind a drink though. 2/10.

this is not food. for humans. 0/10.

- Wilds of Eldraine -

this is a king's feast i am properly intimidated by. i'm more into it than the Goblin King's, particularly that triple-layer blueberry pie or whatever that is, but i'm going to have to be as polite as possible lest i get a face full of flaming beer. 8/10

i'll probably be eaten before this can eat me, and it barely looks like food, but at least i go down with sugar in the mouth. 1/10.

ogh. that egg looks divine. the bread looks amazing, there's a full glass, i've got like beans or mermaid tears everywhere. we've even got seasonings back there. the best damn breakfast i'll ever have. 10/10.

i would still probably eat this over nothing. there's onion, at least. i will either be hexed or violently ill, but like i could at least get it down. and maybe the witchmother is testing my strength and she'll reward me after slurping an eyeball. a convenient lie to tell myself. 2/10.

- Doctor Who Commander -

y'know, four, i think i would like a copyrighted candy. they look sad and british, which is on point. but like it's not actively killing me like half of these. i think anyway. i don't know doctor who. 6/10.

what is this? i have no idea. custard? raw batter? giant dunkaroo? is he dipping fishsticks? it doesn't look like it's done cooking, like do we need to put it in a fryer again? i'd say it's inedible but it's not poison stew so i have to be nice. 4/10.

get AWAY from me. this is a PERSONAL vendetta. i would rather try to eat spiderwebs. plus he's already eaten half of it. -10/10.

- Fallout Commander -

i can't be too mean since this is literally apocalypse food. i think i prefer this over poison stew? like i recognize it at least, even if it's foul and moldy. man has to eat something. 3/10

i'm not convinced there's actual soda in here. is this just a perspective shot or is this a giant prop soda? i don't like cola anyway. again, worth it in an apocalypse i suppose. 4/10

this soda i trust even less. it glows? does this give me magic powers in the fallout world or does it just kill me slowly? i think it'll kill me slowly anyway. i need fluid to survive in apocalypseland but damn i hate for it to come to this. 2/10.

[typicalopposite]

Tommy stumbles upon Buck's journal. They read it together 🙂

Omg! OMG!! I love this so much! So much I wrote it three different times before I figured out the way I actually wanted it to go! LOL! Hope you like the final cut! (she got a little long!)

<3<3<3<3<3

Buck is busy making dinner. He has his brand new apron on; a housewarming gift from Bobby. Although it’s not technically a housewarming gift, since Tommy has already lived in the house for almost a decade… Either way, he loves it, and he is officially breaking it in. 

“Baby,” Tommy calls from their room. Their room… Buck can’t help the smile that creeps across his face at that. “What’s this?”

He looks up from seasoning some veggies as Tommy walks in, a notebook in his hand. His notebook. Buck nearly yelps: “Oh— uh— uhm— wha— wh- where… did you find that?” 

“It was sticking out from under the mattress,” Tommy says. “I didn’t know you kept a journal.” 

“Oh, well… it’s not— it’s just—” Tommy finally lifts his eyes from the cover (that may or may not be covered in little doodles and a couple dozen fancily penned versions of their names together) to look at Buck. Buck feels his face getting hot; he sighs. “Uh yeah—I used to write a lot… Back when I first started seeing my therapist, she suggested it. Said it might help to get all the thoughts I tend to keep bottled up… out.” He lets out a nervous laugh, switching the spice shaker he’s holding from one hand to the other, and back. 

Tommy finally hands the notebook to him. “Is this one recent?” 

“It is,” Buck admits. “I— uh— I actually picked it up again when—” His voice falters, his nerves kick in. He knows he shouldn’t be nervous; Tommy would never judge him for anything, especially not something he uses as a coping mechanism. “When I met you…” he finally says. He can feel the blush all the way in his ears. Tommy smiles that soft understanding smile. “You— uh— you wanna read some of it?” 

“Only if you don’t mind,” Tommy says, but his eyes light up excitedly. 

Buck’s heart is racing as he quickly finishes the meal prep, shoves it into the oven, and sets a timer. “Okay…” He wipes off his hands and picks up the notebook. Buck’s Journal 2024-2025 is written on the front cover in the bottom corner. Tommy pulls him down onto the couch beside him, situating himself around Buck’s body, resting his chin on Buck’s shoulder so he can read along.  

Buck flips to the first page. 

March 19 2024 

Secretly followed Hen on a hunch she had. Flew through a hurricane, and saved Cap and Athena from their capsized cruise ship. Came up with the team's new motto, “Who Cares!?!” 

Oh and I finally got to meet Tommy. He’s pretty cool!

Next to the entry is Tommy’s number, he got it from Chimney so he could call about the tour… and it’s circled. 

March 29 2024

Got a tour of Harbor Station today. Seeing all the helicopters and learning what all air ops does was pretty cool, not as cool as the guy who gets to man the helicopters and do all the stuff air ops does… but still. I kind of didn’t want the tour to end. I’d have loved to get to know Tommy a little more, BUT unfortunately he had other plans… weirdly they were with Eddie… he flew him to Vegas to see a fight. 

He did offer to give me flying lessons though… that will be fun. I wonder if he offered to give Eddie flying lessons too.

Buck can feel Tommy smiling. “So jealous,” he hears him whisper, and he nudges at his jaw with his shoulder. 

April 4 2024 

I have a date. 

Which is definitely not how I expected my day to end… giving it kind of started with me hurting Eddie.  

Ok so to explain that… I kind of convinced Chimney to bring me along to the basketball game because I was maybe just a little jealous of Eddie getting to spend so much time with Tommy when something always came up when I tried to… and I guess it just got the better of me. I feel really bad about it, probably will feel bad for a while…

BUT THEN Tommy came over! And he… kissed me!? And I liked it?!? And now we have a date. On Saturday. 

Yes… the date of their date was circled with a heart around it. “Awww,” Tommy says, pressing a kiss to Buck’s cheek. Buck laughs and turns the page, then quickly tries to turn it again, but Tommy stops him. “Can I see?” He asks. 

April 6 2024

I BLEW IT.

That was all that was written on that page. In big letters and underlined. Tear stains were scattered across the page. He feels Tommy’s arms tighten around him. “I’m so sorry baby,” he says quietly. 

Buck shrugs; smiles. “It’s all good because…” he skips a page to—

April 12 2024

I FIXED IT!

And now I have a date for the wedding! :)

Tommy barks out a laugh. 

May 6 2024  Buck writes about the bachelor party, and losing Chimney, and coming out to everyone at the hospital wedding

May 19 2024 Buck writes about helping save the kidnapped baby, and spending the night at Tommy’s for the first time. 

May 25 2024 Buck writes about the medal ceremony, and meeting Gerrard, and hating Gerrard, and wanting to fight Gerrard for being mean to Tommy, and wanting to make out with Tommy in front of Gerrard so he can go into homophobic shock and wither away like the old wrinkly ass he is…

May 30 2024 Buck writes about Bobby, and the fear he had about almost losing him. He writes about Christopher going to Texas, and missing him. He writes about Tommy, and how he thinks he can picture forever with him. 

June 23 2024 Buck writes about Gerrard being the new captain. 

September 1 2024 Buck writes about Gerrard finally getting fired permanently. The time under him was miserable; he didn't feel like writing during that time. He writes about Tommy being his rock through it all. He writes about thinking he’s in love. 

The timer goes off in the kitchen. “Well,” Tommy says, pulling Buck into his arms for a kiss. “That was nice, getting to see some of the stuff you keep bottled up. Thank you for sharing it with me.”  

Buck smiles; he feels that damned blush creeping up again. He holds the notebook close to his chest, carrying it with him back into the kitchen. That was close… he thinks. He really needs to find a better hiding place, at least until after their anniversary… 

.

.

.

March 29 2025

I bought a ring. I’m going to ask him to marry me on our anniversary. I want to spend the rest of my life feeling this happy and safe and satisfied. 

.

.

.

April 4 2025

He said yes!

<3<3<3<3<3

might put this one on ao3 later too!

[agentwhiskeysdarlin]

Eat Dessert First

Pairing: Jack ‘Whiskey’ Daniels x F!Reader

Rating: NSFW 18+ (minors dni)

Warnings: cute banter, fluffy goodness, domestic bliss, oral (female receiving), cute nicknames and the cutest ending ever

Word Cont: 1.4k

Author’s Notes: Well long time no fic huh? Life really gets in the way sometimes. I decided when the writers block decided to stick around that I would go through some old fics I never posted and see if there was anything I could change my mind on. I picked five fics that I am nervous but excited to share! Thank you if you take time to read and even more so if you leave any kind of note. I am using my old taglist so please if you want to be removed or added please let me know!! Also for my ao3 readers I swear one day I’ll get it updated.

Ao3 link coming soonish

  Your knuckles wrapped on the wooden surface of the front door as you entered the all too familiar ranch house. You were immediately met with the most amazing smell that had your stomach growling. 

  “I sure hope that’s my honeybee!” The southern drawl of the man you loved echoed from the kitchen and you smiled at the sound. 

  “Who else is going to just waltz in here barely announced?” You spoke with a smirk as you rounded the corner. 

  The sight before you would never get old. Your boyfriend of four years cooking away in his kitchen, making dinner for the two of you. It was an almost daily occurrence but it still made the butterflies in your stomach rapid. Jack Daniels and yourself had stumbled into each other's lives and even though a relationship was far from both of your minds things just fell into place. Jack paused what he was doing to turn to you. He pulled you into him and quickly locked his lips to yours in a deep, toe curling kiss. 

  “You keep kissing me like that cowboy, we are going to forget dinner and head straight for dessert,” you smirked as he pulled away. 

  “Now darlin’ I’ve been slaving away in this kitchen but you do know my favorite saying right?” He gazed down at you with a twinkle in his eyes. 

  “Life is short. Eat dessert first,” you let out a giggle as he pulled away and went back to his cooking. 

  You knew then you had to tempt him just a little bit more so you found a clear spot on the counter and jumped, sliding yourself comfortably on the cool service. Jack gazed at you and you gave him a wide innocent smile. He let out a chuckle and shook his head. 

  “What?” You asked, teasing him, swinging your legs gently. 

  “You drive me crazy. After all these years, you still just drive me crazy.” 

  “I am simply sitting on your counter minding my business. I have no idea what you are talking about.” You couldn’t keep the smile off your face if you tried. 

  Jack sat down the spoon he was using to move around whatever sauce he was working on and stalked over to you. You now were slightly taller than him but not by much but even with slightly looking down at him you felt as if he was gazing down at you. 

  “You know exactly what you are doing darlin’ and soon what I’m fixing will go in the oven for a bit and I am going to devour you.” Jack smirked knowing his words were going to leave you wanting. 

  He had definitely raised you. Your teasing manner fell and you found yourself panting, realizing how hot it was in the kitchen. You glared at him when he gazed over at you with a winning smirk. 

  “Don’t give me that look. If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen darlin’…literally.” He winked and you stuck your tongue out at him but followed up with a laugh which he joined in on. 

  The two of you fell into normal conversation asking each other about your days and anything else you had yet to discuss through the text messages exchanged throughout the day. These were the moments you always loved, the domestic ones. Simple and small but always left a lasting impression. You watched him as he moved around the kitchen before finally placing the almost finished meal into the oven and then threw the oven mitts on the counter. He all but stalked toward you and you welcomed him with opening your legs for him to stand between and laced your arms around his neck. Your fingers went into his hair as his lips fell to yours in a needy kiss. You sighed at the feeling of having him so close. So ready for him to touch you where you needed him most. 

  You had worn a pair of leggings which Jack maneuvered you carefully out of discarding them on the kitchen floor. He pulled away to look at you, his forehead resting on yours. 

  “No underwear huh? Did you plan this angel?” 

  “Maybe, maybe not,” you smirked and pulled his lips back to yours. 

  He smirked against your lips before finally moving down on you. His lips brushed down your neck and soon he was on his knees, his arms wrapping around your legs and spreading you open for him. You let out a whimper at the cool air hitting your wet center. 

  “Jack please,” you begged looking down at him with one hand white knuckling the counter edge and the other tangled in his brown locks. 

  “I’ve got you angel. Look at you so wet,” he breathed before his lips fell to you and you let out a loud moan. 

  Your head fell back to the counters behind you and your eyes fluttered closed in pure pleasure. This was something else that could never get old. The way Jack made you feel was not of this earth, hell the universe. He still made your head spin and he knew your body better than you did. Two fingers entered you and your mouth fell open in a gasp followed by a moan before you forced your eyes open to take in the sight before you. Jack’s head between your thighs pushing you closer and closer to your impending high. 

  “Jack I-,” you whimpered. 

  Jack simply answered with a moan against the vibrations coursing through you and the wave took you under. Your head went back, you back arched and you let out a loud moan that made you thankful Jack had no neighbors. He kept pushing you through your orgasm as your legs shook around him until you collapsed panting. His mouth fell away and his fingers left you causing you to feel empty. Your eyes fluttered open to be met with brown eyes gazing at you. 

  “Always so perfect and delicious,” Jack murmured as he kissed you. 

  You moaned against him, tasting yourself in his mouth. You reached down for Jack’s pants but his hand stopped you. You pulled away looking at him with a confused expression. 

  “It’s your turn,” you pouted softly. 

  “Later darlin’. We got all night,” he smirked as he gave you one more peek just as the timer went off. “Perfect timing dinner is ready. I gotta clean my girl up first.” 

  Jack made quick work cleaning the both of you up before helping you from the counter onto shaky knees. He didn’t let you go until you were stable and you couldn’t help but let out a laugh as you slipped your leggings back on as he pulled dinner from the oven. 

  “We are worse than a bunch of teenagers huh?” Jack laughed with you. 

  “Kind of but I love it.” 

  “As do I,” he leaned, giving you one last kiss before fixing each of you a plate. 

  You sat at his dining room table and dug in a comfortable silence falling between the two of you as you ate. You were glancing around Jack’s house as you always found yourself doing when you looked back at him. He had stopped eating and was watching you. You smiled softly. 

  “What is it?” You asked. 

  “Move in with me.” 

  It wasn’t a question, just a simple statement and it took you by surprise. It shouldn’t have, you had waited for it for a while now but all the same it made your stomach flip in the best way. 

  “Are you sure?” You spoke trying to keep your wide smile at bay. 

  “I’ve never been more sure about anything honeybee. It’s about time. I like the way you look here. It feels right when you are here. It doesn’t feel so big and lonely anymore and I don’t ever want it to again.” 

  You felt tears spring into your eyes but a smile split your face wide. 

  “I would love to move in. I’ve never felt more at home than I do with you.” 

  Jack’s smile matched yours and the two of you carefully leaned over the table and kissed each other. You finished your meals with bright smiles. The two of you laughed as you washed up the kitchen and made plans as you headed to bed to get you moved in. As you laid in bed Jack hovering over you already panting and wanting he smiled down at you before kissing you. 

  “Welcome home honeybee.” 

Tagged: @jimmythegirl​ @arcadianempress​ @discogrrl​ @immundusspiritu​ @someplace-darker​ @thisis-theway​ @ohpedromypedro​ @scribbledghost​ @fioccodineveautunnale​ @princess-and-pedro​ @phoenixhalliwell​ @littlevodka​ @all-hallows-evie​ @mack4676​ @perropascal​ @audreyshepbvrn​ @mswarriorbabe80​ @kaqua​ @novemberrain221​ @weasleywinchester​ @lady-bess

[thebeast-dennis-etcetera]

An Unlikely Pair

Your knee bounced up and down in nervousness as you waited for news in the little lobby. A little trembling chihuahua was on the left of you and a 3 legged Dalmatian on your right. It seemed to be a busy day for sure at the clinic as even more clients started coming in.

“Y/N?” the vet tech called from the door. You stood up and followed her as she led you to another little room where the vet and the little kitten you found this morning waited.

“How is she?” you asked. When you had dropped her off, she was absolutely filthy, barely breathing and couldn’t open her eyes. Had you not decided to go for a run this morning, you never would’ve found her. You figured some horrible person must have abandoned her there. Now, she looked completely different. Her bright fluffy orange coat was clean and her green eyes were alert.

“She’s good now. Just needed a good bath, warmth and a little food. She’s got a couple scratches on her face but those will heal with time. You said you found her in a park?”

“Yeah. I took a morning run and heard meowing from the bushes. She was tucked all the way in the back, I honestly thought she wasn’t gonna make it.”

“Well cats are pretty resilient. Were you planning on keeping her?”

You thought about the question and knew the dilemma. Jethro was not a cat guy. He loves dogs, doesn’t mind plants, but definitely doesn’t like cats. But if you didn’t take her, she would just end up at the shelter.

“We do have an onsite shelt-

“No, I’ll keep her,” you impulsively blurted out.

Crap, Jethros gonna kill you.

————

You sat on the couch watching tv when you heard Jethro come home. Quickly, you threw the blanket over the kitten in your lap.

“Hey hun. Dinners in the oven, you just gotta heat it up.”

He came over and gave you a kiss before going into the kitchen and preparing his food. Upset that she was being smothered, she let out a small meow. You just turned up the volume slightly on the tv. You at least wanted Jethro to eat before you broke the news to him.

Once he heated everything up and sat at the table to eat, the kitten let out another meow.

“What was that?” he asked, looking around.

“The tv,” you lied smoothly.

Thankfully, the kitten decided not to make any more noise while Jethro finished eating and cleaned his plate.

“So you’ll never believe how my day has been going,” you started. “I was going for a morning run because I wanted to see if I could beat my personal best, which by the way, I’ve come to the conclusion that I could probably beat Torres in a foot pursuit. And as I passed by that park over on Downey St, I heard something crying.”

Jethro stood in front of you, drying his hands with the kitchen towel, attention now fully on you as he listened, making you nervous.

“Normally I wouldn’t investigate a weird noise at the park, especially because you could find a person sleeping in the bushes or some rabid raccoon, or-

“Sweetheart, you’re rambling. What did you find?” he pressed, wanting to speed the conversation up.

Instead of explaining, you just pulled the blanket back and showed him the little ball of fur. She looked around before seeing Jethro and pulled her ears back in displeasure before giving him a tiny hiss.

“No,” was all he said before walking off to the bedroom. You put the kitten down on the couch and followed him.

“Honey wait. I know you dont like cats but this one is so cute. And I rescued her. I couldn’t just leave her there to die. And I couldn’t give her away to the shelter. Who knows if she ever would’ve found a home.”

He stopped at the stairs and turned to you.

“She’s already up to date on vaccines, the litter box will be in the laundry room, and she’s so tiny you won’t even know she’s there. Please Jet,” you pleaded.

He sighed and you knew right then, you already won.

“If she scratches up anything, she’s out,” he threatened.

You beamed with joy and wrapped your arms around his neck in a hug.

“You’ll come to love her, you’ll see.”

————

It was a love/hate relationship between the little orange cat and Jethro. Mostly because every time Jethro tried to get close to her or you, she would give him a swat and hiss. She loved messing with him and knocking all of his stuff off the shelves when he accidentally left the basement door open. There has been multiple times that he’s had to pick up broken jars fulls of bolts and nuts off the floor. The only love part of the relationship is for you when he sees how happy she makes you.

The sound of Jethros heavy footsteps coming up the stairs woke you up from your sleep. Looking at your phone, the time read 2am. You didn’t move from your spot as he came in quietly and got changed.

“You’re gonna have to move your little gargoyle out of the way,” you heard him grumble after a minute. Smiling, you turned on your side and saw your kitten giving Jethro a glare that might equal his own.

“Just tell her to move hun.”

“She doesn’t listen. Something you two have in common.”

Rolling your eyes playfully, you picked up irritated kitten and brought her to the other side of the bed so Jethro could get in.

————

Pulling into your driveway, you parked right behind Jethro’s truck and made your way to the house. As you opened the door, you were greeted with a little bouquet of flowers and a little note that read Welcome Home. You smiled at his sloppy writing and figured he was down in the basement building that boat of his, so you dropped your bags by the couch and walked downstairs.

What you saw, you weren’t expecting at all. Jethro was busy vice gripping different parts of the boat while his furry nemesis laid lazily on top, watching him curiously.

“How was your mother’s?” he asked, grabbing a tool right next to your kitten who didn’t even make a move to swat or hiss at him.

“Uh, it was nice. Got to see Dad’s newest addition to his pocket watch collection.”

He chuckled as you walked over and gave him a long hug.

“When did you two become friends?” you inquired, pulling back and motioning towards the small feline.

“She climbed the living room curtains and got stuck. Ever since I helped her, she won’t leave me alone,” he explained.

“Awe, she connected with you. You’re her savior honey,” you teased, watching as Jethro reached out to pet her and she accepted it happily while purring.

“Yeah well next time she decides to use our curtains as a vine, I’m not saving her.”

You laughed and gave him a kiss. You knew sooner or later, he would warm up to her.

Note: I purposely didn’t give the cat a name because I wanted to leave that up to the reader but gave it a color because I just feel like Gibbs and orange tabbys have the same vibe. 😂

[hopelesslywanderingone]

the dress

I have never been more anxious in my life.  I’ve been thinking about this for months now, but now that I’m finally standing in the middle of my kitchen, smelling the roast cooking in the oven, I can hardly breathe.

When I hear his car pull up, the anxiety comes to a head.  I force myself to walk to the front door, going over what I rehearsed one last time.  

But the second I hear the keys in the door, I find myself pushed up against the back of it, blocking him from opening it any further than the half a foot he already has.

“Baby?  What’s going on, you okay?” He asks.  I can tell how confused, and slightly worried, he is.  I let out a shaky, uncomfortable breath.

“I-” I swallow, taking a deeper breath and laughing again nervously.  “Oh god.  I’m sorry.  I planned a thing and now I’m really re-thinking the thing. Oh god, this is embarrassing.  Just wait outside a minute, maybe I’ll-”

There’s no weight on the other side of the door anymore.  He’s backed off.

“What kind of a thing, baby?”  He asks in that strangely calm voice, like this is a casual day-to-day occurrence.  Like he knew all day that he would have to come home and talk me off a ledge before he could get in the door.

“A- a thing.  A thing for you that I thought you might like but now I feel ridiculous and I think that maybe I’ll just, um, not...”  I trail off, still gripping the door, but not moving.

“I think maybe you should let me make that judgement for myself, don’t you?”  He has stepped back up to the door and nudged it gently towards me now.  “You also know that I most definitely will not think that something you’ve taken the time to do for me is ridiculous.”

I consider this.  That’s true.  What’s the worst that can happen, it doesn’t do it for him like I had hoped?  He’ll still like that I went to the effort to do something like this for him.  And really, he was going to love it.

“Okay,” I say quietly. “Okay, give me a second and then you can come in.”

He steps away from the door again, and I back up to the spot I had imagined myself standing.  I fix my hair and adjust my dress quickly.

“Please come in.”  I say, and slowly he pushes open the door.

He has never been speechless before. Never.  There have been plenty of times where silence stretches on as he contemplates how he wants to say things, where he waits purposefully to let me squirm.  This is not that.  This is pure, unexpected speechlessness. 

I’m nearly giddy.  I can’t stop the grin from spreading across my face as he continues to look me up and then down, over and over again.  Why was I so nervous to do this?  I feel a rush of confidence I didn’t expect.

“May I take your coat?”  I ask, and he’s still so enthralled by my look that he doesn’t notice my little smirk.  That’s probably a good thing.

“You certainly may.”  He says when he finally meets my eyes again.  As he shrugs it from his shoulders and I turn to hang it in the closet, I feel like a bug under a microscope.  He watches me like this often, but now it feels renewed.  A new curiosity, a deep probing gaze.  I turn, my mouth open to ask if I can fix him a drink but I don��t get any of the words out.  

He wraps an arm around my waist and the other hand settles on the back of my neck, pulling me in for a hard kiss.  When he pulls away I am truly one of those girls from the movies, who has forgotten who she is and what she’s doing.  Now he’s smirking down at me as I look up at him, I am sure visibly affected.  The power dynamic has been righted.

“May I- may I fix you a drink?” I ask, mildly breathless and willing the fog of arousal to clear a little from my brain.  

He smiles and brushes a hand along the side of my hair that’s pulled back with the comb.  He nods, leaning down to kiss me softer, and then letting me out of his hold.

I straighten my dress again on the way over to the drink table I’ve set up.  Normally, all the liquor and glasses are shoved into a tiny cabinet at the top of our pantry.  I’ve washed the glasses, arranged three of his favourite liquors, and bought one of those decanters to hold his favourite scotch - the ones that rich men have in their offices, except this one isn’t real crystal.

Still, as I bring him over his tumbler, I can tell that he likes the set up.  When I hand it to him, he wraps his other arm around me and brings me to his side as he takes a drink.

“You look incredible.”  Even as I was hoping for a compliment, I still flush with his words.  

To begin with, it was always jokingly.  I should be a house-wife for Halloween.  Yes, I should wear that yellow skirt with the buttons up the front that looks straight out of the fifties.  Yes, he does like being the provider.  No, he does not want me to help him do the bills (this I tentatively ask one day, praying that ‘no’ will be the answer).  An off-handed comment about trying on that classic-fit dress that all sit-com Moms wore.  

A far less off-handed comment about how he really likes the look of those dresses, and would really like to see me in one.

So, never being one to do things half way, I buy one of the dresses.  It fits like a glove, one of the halter-style ones that a women might wear out on the veranda serving iced beverages.  It’s soft white, with flowers of blues and greens and reds (Sir likes floral print).  I buy a pair of soft blue Mary Jane’s, a little more modern looking, that match the colour of some of the flowers.  I do my hair with that kind of fanned out wave down one side, and pull the other half back behind my ear with an old comb I found at a vintage shop.  I do my make up soft but with a little winged eyeliner and a muted red lipstick.  I have never felt more feminine in my life.  

“It’s hard to decide whether to watch you float around in that, or to take it off you right now.”  I giggle, he looks like he’s legitimately debating.

“I was thinking that you might like to read the paper while I finish setting out dinner.”  I pick up one of the two papers I bought at the store today.  Sir does like to keep up with the news, but we decided it made more sense to just read the articles we wanted to online for the time being, before subscribing in paper to anything. 

“Dinner?”  He raises an eyebrow.  I blush.  This is where I was nervous he’d think I’d gone too far.  Too much a roleplay, too involved.  Maybe I should have done just the dress.

“There’s a roast in the oven.”  I glance towards the kitchen, keeping my eyes from him.  He turns my head back to look at him.

“I look forward to having dinner.  And you.”  Corny as it may sound, it doesn’t when he’s boring a hole into your innermost psyche.  

“I’m all yours after we eat, then.” I hear myself say, but am really just focused on the way his hands have tightened on me and the way he’s looking at me.

“You’re mine until then, too.  You’ve never been more mine than you are right now.” 

[roach-works]

I’m always a bit nervous to talk about being Jewish on the internet. In part, I’m afraid of getting outright antisemitic harassment, and in part it’s because a lot of positive discussion of Judaism ends up getting hijacked by oblivious goyim who turn the discussion sour, no matter how well-meaning they might be.

So, it makes me really happy to see you writing openly and unabashedly about being jewish. Whether you’re writing from a place of celebration, social-media-exasperation, sorrow, joy, education, frustration, or any of them at once, it’s always good to see people talking openly. I’m starting to think that I could follow your example, and be a bit less anxious.

I know I’m just a tumblr stranger, but I want say thank you. Even the little things help! :)

aw, thanks for the sweet ask! being jewish was definitely the least and most 'minor' piece of my identity until uhhhh yknow. nazis started being real again. but i remember slamming into this weird realization a couple years ago that i had put a lot of effort into learning to respectfully depict black people, because i wanted to be a thoughtful and conscientious ally, and because i firmly believed that fantasy and science fiction should belong to everyone... but i had never even once thought of drawing a man that looked like my family.

like, i thought i was white. and then i thought, i'm white and jewish. and then i thought, what if i drew this podcast character as jewish? what if i drew him as if he looked like my uncle or my dad or my brother? and then i felt, immediately, reflexively: absolute terror.

generational trauma, growing up in the shadow of the holocaust, living and working in the midwest, you just... you hide that part of yourself. you survive. you don't get loud and proud and angry. you live like a mouse, in the corners, in what space you gnaw out for yourself.

i still don't wear a star of david. so many of my coworkers wear crosses but so many of my coworkers have guns. i think of wearing a gold star around the people who i've already cheerfully told i was gay, and my hands sweat. i think everyone who goes outside with that kind of target on their chest is phenomenally brave.

there is a bone deep terror in me of my own jewishness, of when i'll have to pay for it, of what the bill will be, of what i might do or say that's a little too loud or clumsy or obvious or true, and thus sign my own warrant. jews are so brave and so strong to keep living through all this but like have you seen the midrash? have you seen how many generations of our sages left behind the distilled wisdom of a lifetime and it boiled down to be secret, be safe.

jewish representation is so fucking fraught! the theif, the banker, the pedophile, the goblin, the bones in the oven. we don't often get to tell our own stories, or wear our own faces. and even when we have the opportunity, it's terrifying. we flinch. how jewish is superman, really? our hero, our ubermench, the most famous converso. we joke around, we make coded allusions, we minimize.

it's hard to walk into the spotlight and smile when you don't know if you're in a theater or a prison yard, you know?

so. i don't know. i don't know! sorry to explode on you! i'm going to a christmas party at a bar tomorrow. i live in indiana and work a blue collar job with guys who think trump was a whole lot of fun but invited me specifically and promised to buy me a pint. there'll be ax throwing and free drinks and i'm probably going to have to explain hannukah for the fifty millionth time. second verse, same as the first, a little bit louder and a whole lot worse.

the sages write: be secret, be safe. survive. but even with all that weight, you've got to be brave, you know? i think you know. you can't live your life in the dark. you can't make art from the fetal position.

even the mouse deserves a day out.

[footy-fictionist]

Endgame - Karim Adeyemi

Pairing: Karim Adeyemi x female reader

Warnings: talk about Nigerian foods (please correct me if I'm wrong), fluff, like very cute fluff, meeting the parents, badly translated German

Word count: 1946

Note: As always, English is not my first language. This one was requested and the request was: Could you write a fluff about meeting Karim's parents or teammates for the first time, and them absolutely loving you, just him being in awe of you My dear anon, I hope I did your request justice and that it is what you hoped for. Requests always make me a little nervous because I'm always afraid it won't be what you expected. This is purely fiction and I do not know Karim or his parents in real life. Please do not copy and/or publish my work, reblogging is totally fine!

To say she is nervous is an understatement and it is (according to her) for a good reason. She has been in a relationship with Karim Adeyemi for 7 months and they decided it is time to meet each other’s parents. He met her parents last week and today she was going to meet his mum and dad. They decided it would be a fun idea to invite them to Karim’s place instead of going to their house, but now she is doubting that decision. Especially since she promised Karim she’d take care of dinner and that it would be totally okay. 

For the past week she’s been researching how to make traditional Nigerian dishes. Some of them she could skip because they were specifically made for things like marriage and that was definitely not the vibe she wanted to give off yet. She decided that fufu with Egusi soup would be her safest bet. She went to quite a few different stores to find all the ingredients and she made sure to get some extra things to make a salad and some things to make lasagna in case she screwed up or they didn’t like the food. 

Karim would be gone for most of the day because of training and social media duties, so she had the house and the kitchen to herself. Early in the morning she decided to clean the house, well the last bits since they cleaned most of the house together in the past few days. After that she completely focussed on dinner. Karim didn’t even know she was going to make a traditional Nigerian dish, she kept it a secret in case it wouldn’t work out and she’d have to serve the lasagna that she prepared as well. It was ready to go in the oven in case it all turned out bad. This was not the case though. She read the recipe multiple times in the past few days and she generally knew how long some steps would take. Of course she still worked with the recipe, but it did help when it came to handling different steps and the time limits to them. 

After a few hours in the kitchen and some hard work, everything was finally ready and right on time too. Karim would be home any second and his parents would arrive in an hour, giving her the time to shower and get ready. As she steps out of the shower, she can hear the front door opening and closing. She tries to quickly dry off and as she’s pulling on her underwear she hears footsteps on the stairs. A moment later Karim enters the bedroom, he takes a glance at her and immediately stops in his tracks. His eyes rake over her figure and he leans his shoulder against the doorframe whilst biting his lip. 

She lets out a laugh. “What?” 

“Nichts, ich bewundere dich.”

She can feel the blush taking over her face, so she turns to the wardrobe in order to look for a good outfit. She mumbles a thanks and a second later Karim approaches her. He took a shower at the training grounds, but is looking over her shoulder for a different outfit. He’s faster when it comes to choosing and has his outfit within a minute. Before he turns away after grabbing the outfit, he presses a kiss to her shoulder and suggests one of her favourite outfits. 

“Isn’t that too casual. I want to make a good impression on your parents.”

“Mein Schatz, it’s not a fancy restaurant. We’re at home and you should wear something you’re comfortable in. My parents will love you, they’d love you even if you wore a garbage bag.”

She smiles at his reply, thanks him again and grabs the outfit he suggested. They dress in silence and take their time in the bathroom. Somehow she’s done before him and this time it is her turn to admire him. The outfit he chose looks incredible on him, he has his own style and she adores it. After he’s sprayed on his perfume, she steps in front of him and wraps her arms around his waist. His arms immediately wrap around her shoulders and she takes a moment to breathe in his scent. It helps to calm down the nerves she has, ever since they met, she’s felt most comfortable in his arms. She notices him taking in her scent as well before laying his head against hers. 

They stay like that for a bit before he kisses her forehead and they pull away. She grabs his hand as they descend the stairs. They walk into the kitchen and she asks him if there’s something he would like to drink. She doesn’t get a response straight away and it makes her look at him. He’s standing in front of the stove where the dinner is ready to be heated. He’s lifted the lid of the stew and she can see his eyes are closed. 

“Karim, are you okay?”

“Did you buy this somewhere?” She’s a bit offended that he’s asking that, especially since she spent a few hours making it. 

“No, I made it. Why?”

His head snaps her way. His eyes are wide and he moves to grab a spoon. He puts a bit of the stew on the spoon and tastes a bit of the stew. He puts the spoon on the counter and looks at her in awe. She made this? She made a traditional Nigerian stew, she put in that much effort just because his parents are visiting. He quickly moves towards her and lifts her off the ground a little. He’s complimenting her left and right, whilst she’s barely registered what just happened. As he’s putting her down, the bell rings and they move towards the front door. As Karim goes to open the door, she quickly grabs his hand and squeezes it. He squeezes her hand back and opens the door.

Immediately his mum moves past Karim to get to her. She wraps her arms around her and expresses how excited she is to finally meet the girl that stole Karim’s heart. She hugs Alexandra back with a big smile, not having expected her to be so warm. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep any boundaries by hugging you. I hope it’s okay.” Immediately she assures Alexandra that it’s totally okay and they hug again, this time really introducing themselves to each other.

“Hi mum, how are you? Yes, I’m here as well.” 

Karim’s sarcastic comments make them laugh as they release each other. Alexandra moves to him whilst calling him a big momma’s baby. He immediately protests only to be silenced by both his parents and his girlfriend. Abbey moves past Karim and Alexandra to introduce himself. He also gives her a hug. It’s just as warm as Alexandra’s, just a bit shorter. She invites them further into the house and they all sit on the couch. Karim asks around for drinks and she walks with him to turn on the stove to heat up the food and to help him bring the drinks to the living room. 

As they sit down, Alexandra immediately starts a conversation with her and they get along incredibly well. They talk about jobs, football and going to watch some of Karim’s games together. Meanwhile Abbey adds some comments into their conversation here and there whilst Karim is just admiring his girlfriend and the dynamic between her and his parents. After a few minutes she moves to the kitchen to check on the food, leaving Karim alone with his parents. 

“Is that Egusi soup I smell?” It’s his dad that asks first. As Karim confirms that it is in fact, Egusi soup, his mum is quick to add in her piece.

“She made it from scratch? She’s a keeper, Karim. I love her already, she’s not allowed to leave this family.”

Karim smiles at his mothers comments and agrees with her. He’s incredibly aware of how amazing his girlfriend is and he’s not willing to let her go, not ever. 

She walks back into the living room not long after to announce that dinner is ready and they move to the dining area. She’s a bit nervous as she’s serving the food to his parents, more so when she realizes she’s never tried eating fufu before and that she’ll probably embarrass herself quite a bit. Karim notices though and is quick to help her out, which amuses his parents greatly. She made the dinner for them, yet doesn’t know how to eat it herself. They think it’s incredibly sweet. 

The second they try it though, they are in awe. They immediately start complimenting her cooking skills and Abbey even asks her if she’s willing to give her secrets. Abbey is fully convinced that her Egusi soup is better than his own. It makes her blush and she is more than willing to share her recipe with him. Conversation really flows and they’re all having a great time. Karim can’t help but admire her, she’s literally everything he could ever hope for and more. After dessert he is fast to grab her hand under the table. He squeezes it softly and it makes her look at him and she mouths a ‘you okay’ his way and he just gives a small nod. It’s almost midnight when Alexandra and Abbey head home, promising to keep in contact and to meet up again soon. 

Alexandra doesn’t leave without giving her an extra hug and softly thanking her. Both for the food and for making Karim happier than she’s ever seen him. She blushes and holds Alexandra a bit tighter and responds that he’s the best thing that has ever happened to her and she’d be crazy not to treat him like a King as he treats her like a Queen. Another smile is exchanged as Alexandra pulls away and they wave as Abbey drives himself and Alexandra home. 

They are both tired as they clean up the mess and turn off the lights to head upstairs. They’re in their sleeping clothes getting ready for bed in the bathroom when Karim wraps his arms around her waist from behind. She looks at him through the mirror only to already find him looking at her straight in the eyes through the mirror. His eyes show some tiredness, but mostly she finds love and admiration. It makes her blush a little.

“I love you, I really really love you.” Karim’s whisper is soft and he immediately presses kisses to her right cheek after saying it. “You’re amazing and I can’t believe how well you get on with my parents. I knew they would love you but this had surpassed my wildest dreams. Ich liebe dich.”

They have said they love each other before but never as intensely as Karim has now. It makes her eyes water a little as she reciprocates his ‘I love you’ with her own. She turns around and puts her hands on his jaw. She presses kisses all over his face, repeating the same phrase over and over again. They share a soft but passionate kiss before heading to the bedroom. She gets under the covers as he turns off the light. He takes a small sprint to the bed and climbs in quickly. He wraps his arms around her and pulls her as close as he can. Their foreheads are touching as they breathe in sync. Both of their eyes are closed as they whisper another ‘I love you’ to each other. Both of them, incredibly aware that they’ve found their endgame. 

Nichts, ich bewundere dich: Nothing, I'm admiring you Mein Schatz: my dear/treasure/darling

[starlitangels]

Hi Star! Could you do like an micro fic with Guy and Honey talking about lasko and his date?

This is like the third time someone has brought up Guy telling Honey about that 😆

Let's go for it, shall we?

—

The door to the apartment burst open. "Honey!" Guy exclaimed.

I jolted and looked up from my work laptop. "What is it? Who died?" I demanded.

"What? Nobody. I just had the funniest night!" He beamed and fell onto the couch next to me. "I mean, it's definitely only funny because it didn't happen directly to me but you know what I mean."

I closed my laptop. "What happened?"

Guy slapped his knees. "Okay. So. This couple comes in, right? And I've seen one of them before. He's come in with friends before. Tall, gangly—a bit of a klutz but well-meaning. Kinda cute. Professor-core type aesthetic. I've seen him and his friends swing by a lot, but this time he came with someone new and the two came alone. And the professor-lookin' one is way more nervous than usual. So, obviously a date, right?"

"Sure," I said.

Guy nodded. "So, Riley is on seating hostess duty and she shows them to a table and Tim is their waiter. I'm on kitchen and checkout counter duty, but I can see the whole dining room floor from my spot, right? And this guy is so nervous his hands are absolutely shaking.

"And his date, at one point, said something that I couldn't hear over all the other noise but the blond dude jumps halfway to the ceiling and ends up spilling his whole soda right into his date's lap.

"Right as Tim is walking over with their pizza.

"And this poor dude. This poor—dude. He's so flustered by the fact that he spilled the drink that he stands up—and slams right into Tim. And—and Tim—" Guy had to stop to laugh for a bit there. Rocking on the couch until he could get a hold of himself. I waited until he caught his breath before giving him a look. "Tim, of course, drops the pizza. I mean, Tim is, what, five-eight? And this guy is like six-one. Like, I don't think his brain has caught up with his body on how long his limbs are. So this six-foot-something dude hits into Tim and the pizza does a full one-eighty and lands facedown on their table. And this poor guy is just standing there—trying to apologize, I assume, but he's stammering so hard he can barely get a single real word out. I mean—" Guy took a deep breath. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I feel bad for the guy. What a way to screw up a date, right? But from my distance, just watching the pizza sauce and soda get everywhere—" He shook his head while he laughed. "What more can you do but laugh, right?"

"Right," I said. "Anything else interesting happen or can I get back to work?"

"You get back to work. I'll get started on dinner."

"Dinner's already in the oven," I said.

Guy scrunched his eyebrows at me. "Since when do you start dinner?"

"Since I knew you were going to be home late. Surprising as this may sound, but I do actually know how to use the kitchen. You just usually get to it before I do."

He chuckled. "Well. Thank you, honey," he said, kissing my temple. "Shall we eat? Because I'm f—"

"Starving. Yeah. You say that all the time." I got up and hauled him to his feet. "Let's eat, you goof."

[shingekinosimpson]

You Had Me At B Minor: Chapter 13

First | Previous

Pairing: Jean Kirschtein x Marco Bodt

Other relationships: Reibert, Springles, Historia x Ymir, Levi x Hange, a smidge of Jearmin

Rating: Mature

Summary: Jean's band needs a new bass player. Cue freckled Jesus.

Warnings/tags: Long fic, slow burn, Jean POV, friends to lovers, British AU with cannon locations, northern Jean, Unsigned band AU, nonbinary Armin, I promise there will be smut eventually! drinking, mentions of death, descriptions of domestic violence, panic attacks, see start of each chapter for more specific trigger warnings

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

Trigger warnings: n/a

Who am I, darling to you? Who am I? Going to tell you stories of mine Who am I?

Oh, who am I, darling for you? Who am I? Could be a burden in time, lonely Who am I, to you?

And who am I, darling for you? Who am I? Will be a burden Who am I, darling to you? Who am I?

“I got the job!”

“Wh-what??”

“I got the job!!”

“Yes!! Shit that’s amazing, I knew you would!”

“I didn’t! I thought my lesson went a bit wrong but they said I had lots of good things in there and they really liked how I was with the kids and…fuck. I can’t believe I actually got it!”

God I could listen to his voice all day.

I may not have seen Marco as much as I would like this week – nowhere near as much – but I’ve heard that voice plenty. So much so that I swear I can hear the difference between a small smile and a big smile. And let me tell you, that is a wide-ass fucking grin Marco is sporting right now.

Probably matches the one I’m wearing. I’m so fucking pleased for him. The number of times this poor guy’s rang me this week in a total stress and in need of a distraction has almost reached double figures. Not that I mind in the slightest. Although it was pretty eye-opening finding out how much pressure Marco puts on himself, how desperately he wants a steady job so he can give more support to his mam and sister. Even though I’m sure they’d be the first to tell him not to worry. It's a big relief knowing he can stop stressing so much now.

“I’m so fucking happy for you. What did your mam say when you told her? Did she scream in Italian like you said?”

“I haven’t told her yet. I literally just got off the phone with the head teacher. She probably will though.”

“…So…am I the first person you’ve told?”

“Erm, yeah,” he chuckles. “I guess.” It’s a good job I’m sitting down, otherwise that information might’ve floored me. A flush of heat rushes over my cheeks and chest and I grip my phone a little tighter, coyly chewing my lip. He just landed a permanent job and the first thing he does is ring me.

“I mean, you did say to ring you as soon as I heard,” Marco adds.

“Damn right I did!”

“Though now you mention it, I probably should give my mum a ring,” he says with a nervous laugh.

“Probably. I’ll speak to you later though yeah?”

“Yeah okay. Later then.”

“Later. And well done again. You’re gonna be amazing I know it.”

“O-okay.” That’s definitely his blushing voice. “Speak soon.”

As soon as he hangs up, I start typing a message.

HeresJeany:

By the way I am 100% taking you out for food tomorrow to celebrate! :P

He still hasn’t taken up my offer from last week, with him being so busy and all. I hope he doesn’t already have plans.

_________________________________

I've just chucked some chips and fish fingers in the oven (I can't be arsed to cook a proper meal) when my phone starts to ring, the picture of me and Marco where I look like a pineapple flashing up on the screen.

“It's like you knew I was making a fish finger sandwich. Well the answer is no, you can't have any.”

“Aw not even a bite?” he asks, snickering at my blunt greeting.

“Nope. All for me.”

He hums through another chuckle before speaking. “Soooo about food tomorrow. Do you want the good news or the bad news?”

“Err, both I guess?” Okay, I know we're going away to Dauper in like, two days, but I'll still be gutted if he's not free for food. I am seriously craving some Marco time, especially after how touchy-feely he was the last time we hung out together. “What's up?"

“So the good news is we can have food tomorrow.”

Phew!

“Bad news is my mum is going all out cooking a family meal and she is absolutely insisting that you join us.”

What?

“Which basically means you don't have a choice.”

“Err...okay?”

The tips of my ears prickle with nervous energy. Family dinners always fill me with a sense of dread, especially since that disastrous one with Hitch a couple of years ago. I know there's no way Marco's family would be like them, and I've already met Mia but still, there's a formality to these things that sets me on edge.

“You sure? You don't actually have to I was only kidding…but my mum is really keen to meet my friends and... I’d really like it if you came.”

Oh fuck. His voice sounded really adorable there.

“N-no that sounds great! Tell her thanks for the invite that's really nice of her. So erm, what time should I come over?”

“Is six okay?”

“Yeah fine. Do you want me to bring anything or...Oh what do I need to wear? Do I need to wear something smart?”

He barks a laugh at that question. “No absolutely not. Wear anything you like. Though maybe don't risk the Moomin Vans or I might steal them.”

“Haha, okay.”

“Okay. I'll let you get back to your fish fingers.” His voice sounds so gorgeous I kind of don't want him to. “Speak to you later.”

“Okay later then. Bye.”

“Bye Jean.”

_________________________________

I pull the handbrake and toot the horn when I get to Marco's. After finding out he was planning to get the bus, I absolutely insisted on picking him up.

Butterflies are already starting to flip in my stomach in anticipation of seeing him. On one hand, I cannot wait to hang out with him again (it’s pretty much all I’ve thought about the last few days), but I won’t lie, the coward in me wants to run for the hills.

Last weekend was just so…I don’t even know how to describe it. I still have to pinch myself whenever I think about it. The way he was with me felt different. All the touching and blushing. There was just so much fucking joy in his eyes and in his laugh and I felt like I was a big part of that…maybe even the cause of that.

There have been moments when I’ve felt certain of that fact, to the point where I daydream telling him how I feel – what I’ll say, where I’ll say it, what he might say back…But then there have been other moments…moments where I’ve imagined Marco pulling away from me, backtracking on his affections and playing it all off as a bit of fun or drunken silliness…

The front door opens and I look over, my stomach landing with a ker-thump…

Wait, what the actual fuck???

I roll the window down as fast as I can while my eyes start bugging out of my head. “Marco what the hell!?”

WHY?? Why is he wearing a blazer with a fucking shirt and tie!?

He turns to me looking perplexed. “What?”

“What d'you mean 'WHAT'? Why are you dressed like that? You said I didn't have to dress up!”

“I’m not dressed up. I’m just dressed for a family meal. I thought it was obvious you needed to dress like this,” he says sounding a bit hurt.

“Of course it's not obvious! Why do you think I asked!? Shit, I need to go home and get changed. I don't even know if-”

Marco doubles over and starts howling with laughter.

“Oh my god,” he chokes with his hands on his knees. “Your face! Could you be anymore freaked out?”

He descends into wheezy chuckles again holding his stomach.

“Oh my god. You bastard.”

“I'm sorry. I just thought it was cute when you asked about wearing something smart and I couldn't resist.”

My grumpiness can't help but lessen at the word ‘cute’. Not to mention how cute he looks giggling away at me.

“I'll go get changed. Two seconds,” he says turning back.

That little shit. As if he actually came out dressed like that just to mess with me. At least I get a nice view of his arse in smart pants and his nipped in waist as I watch him retreat.

“If you don't come down here looking like a hobo, I'm gonna be seriously pissed!”

I’m treated to one more cheeky smile as he closes the door. My smile stretches so wide my cheeks ache. Fuck. I like him so much.

When he returns, he's definitely dressed way down compared to before but that does nothing to stop my butterflies making themselves known again, twirling and somersaulting like they’re caught in a tornado. He's wearing ripped black skinny jeans and a grey Superdry hoody. That's it. That's literally it. But christ does he look fucking sexy. His thighs and his shoulders and oh my god he just turned to lock the door and look at his arse nnggghhhhh!!

“Better?” he asks with a sunshine smile as he practically skips towards the car.

“Much better,” I answer honestly.

He buckles up and we set off with only ten minutes to spare.

“I am absolutely blaming you if we’re late,” I huff.

“We won't be late. Why are you getting so stressed?” Marco asks with an amused look.

“Because I don't want to make a shit impression.”

“You're really that bothered?”

“Of course I am, they're your family.”

There's a weight to those words I wish wasn't there. Marco considers me from the passenger seat, a warm smile on his face. I don’t realise I’m holding my breath until he speaks.

“You've got nothing to worry about Jean. My family likes you plenty.”

“I've only met Mia remember? Your family don't know me.”

“Okay but they know of you. How you helped out with Mia, how you've helped me...” He looks down at his lap with a blush, picking at the threads near his exposed knee. “My mum's been pestering me to bring you over for a while.”

“She has?”

“Well yeah, I talk about you all the time and she wants to meet-” He stops to clear his throat, brow furrowed. “I mean, she knows how you helped me find Mia that time so, yeah...like I said you've got nothing to worry about, so can you please calm your tits?”

My ears flush hearing he's talked about me with his mam, and all good things by the sound of it. I chew my lip around the huge smile trying to burst across my face, not wanting to look like a complete dork.

“Okay. Calm tiddies from now on. I promise.”

I let the smile out anyway and Marco mirrors it.

To my great relief we’re not super late, arriving one minute after six to be precise. I’m sure with some parents that would result in a passive aggressive comment or just an outright scolding when they answer the door. That is absolutely not what happens when Marco’s mam welcomes us.

“Marcorsetto! Come here my baby boy! Mwah, mwah, mwah!”

Marco’s mam can’t be much over five foot but that doesn’t stop her from pulling his face down for some serious smooches.

Not gonna lie - it’s adorable. She reminds me of Connie’s mam and I instantly like her.

Fuck, I hope she likes me.

She cups Marco’s cheeks with a big smile and then turns to me. “Jean! I’m Gianna. It’s so nice to finally meet you!”

I’m a little (a lot) unprepared for the huge hug I find myself in. The air in my lungs leaves me with an oof but I quickly recover with a chuckle.

“You too! Thanks for inviting me.”

“Oooh molto bello!” she says over my shoulder, making Marco turn crimson.

“Mum!!”

“Hahaha! Come in! Come in! Help yourselves to slippers if you like!” she says disappearing down the passage towards the kitchen.

“Marcorsetto?” I ask, toeing off my shoes.

“Orsetto means ‘little bear’ in Italian.”

“Okay that might be the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Marco slides on some fluffy bunny slippers but I opt for the far more sensible tartan pair. I follow him down the hall towards the kitchen, where a number of voices are chatting animatedly.

“How in the hell? That one’s rigged. It must be!” says a gruff voice.

“It’s not! Here you bloody well use it!”

Opening the door, two things come into focus. The first thing is all the noise – laughter mostly, accompanied by something sizzling loudly on the hob and a classic disco tune dancing out of the radio in the corner. The second thing is the incredible smell. A mix of garlic and onion and herbs and other delicious things I can’t quite put my finger on.

I feel my stomach grumble, like it knows it’s in for a good time.

“Hello bonny lad!” says a stocky man with slightly greying, light brown hair.

He rises from his seat to give Marco a quick hug. The lady next to him – a dead-ringer for Marco’s mam – also stands, her eyes soft when she pulls Marco towards her.

“Hello Marco sweetheart!”

“Hi! You both okay?”

They nod and hum, both throwing a smile and a sideways glance in my direction.

“This is my friend Jean,” Marco beams making my stomach flip. “Jean, this is my Uncle Dave and Aunty Maxine.”

“Good to meet you son!” Uncle Dave smiles giving my hand a warm shake.

“Call me Max,” his Aunty replies, slipping a delicate hand in mine for a moment.

I greet them both in turn and take a seat next to Mia, offering her a quick ‘hi’. She quietly returns it, giving me what I think is a genuine smile before looking up at her Uncle Dave.

“C’mon then! You’ve got the rigged one so you shouldn’t have a problem now.”

Dave gives a hearty laugh, holding a small red counter between thumb and forefinger.

“Oh jeez,” Marco moans. “Tiddlywinks again Dave? You know she can’t be beaten.”

That explains the random assortment of things on the table – a red cup, counters of different colours and sizes and a few small, plastic animals - the kind you’d get in a Christmas cracker.

“Right then, this is the one I can feel it,” Dave smirks.

He presses the edge of his counter to another and it pings across the table, missing the red cup by quite a margin.

“Bollocks,” Dave grumbles, causing everyone to laugh. “Haway boys see if you can beat her. An entire pound coin is riding on this game!”

Marco grabs a small plastic spider with a weird tab sticking out of its arse. He presses his finger to the tab and the spider jumps forward, grazing the edge of the red cup before landing on the table.

“Oh, so close! C’mon Jean, see if you can get one in,” Maxine says excitedly.

I consider the options before me.

“I’ll try my luck with Mr Froggy I guess.”

I grab the green plastic frog and place it in front of me, deciding the best angle. I notice Marco and Mia sharing a smile but think nothing of it…

“JESUS!”

…Until the plastic frog flies a fucking mile and they both burst out laughing.

“Oh god I’m so sorry!”

The fucking frog has flown over to the kitchen bench and plopped right into the fucking salad bowl. I jump up and rush over to pick it out, muttering a million apologies to Gianna.

She laughs warmly, grabbing it before I get the chance. “It’s fine Jean darling don’t panic. You two!” she snaps, throwing the frog in Marco and Mia’s general direction. “You could have warned the poor boy!”

Marco gets his giggles under control and pats me on the shoulder when I sit down. “Sorry. The frog is notoriously hard to control. It always goes flying no matter how softly you try to do it.”

“And you just let me choose it without saying anything! Some friend you are,” I say shoving him in the shoulder.

“Wicked boy,” Gianna smiles, swatting Marco with a tea towel.

“He’s a menace!” I laugh. “Have you heard what he did to me when I picked him up?”

I tell the tale of Marco winding me up with his bloody suit, much to the amusement of everyone else.

“Oh Marco you are awful!” Gianna says with a laugh. “Right clear the table then. This will be ready soon. Marco darling, can you grab the bread from the oven? Mia, help me with the plates, would you sweetie?”

“Anything I can do to help?” I ask.

“No Jean darling you’re our guest! You just relax,” Gianna insists.

“Can I tempt you with some wine Jean?” Maxine asks, pouring herself a glass of red.

“Oh, yes please. Just a small one though. I’m driving.”

Plates and bowls start appearing on the table – bread fresh from the oven and oil for dipping, tomatoes and mozzarella, and something else I’m not quite sure of.

“Wow. This looks amazing. Is that hummus?”

“It’s mashed cannellini beans with garlic and a bit of lemon,” Gianna smiles. “Here, try it on some bread, it’s delicious!”

Literally everything is delicious. Marco was right about his mam being an amazing cook. And I can’t believe all this is just the starter. Everyone quietens during the first part of the meal, enjoying the food too much to bother with conversation, but it soon picks back up again when the last few bits disappear from our plates.

Dave and Maxine have plenty of questions for Marco about his new job. He gets so enthusiastic talking about all the ideas he has for his new class. It’s nice listening to him interact with Dave and Maxine – he’s clearly very fond of them and I can tell they have a lot of love for him too. They both come across as genuinely lovely people and it warms my heart to know that, despite his past, Marco has a loving family he can rely on.

“Alright dig in everyone!” Gianna smiles after presenting us with the main course – mushroom risotto.

“Mmm, wow, this is really good,” I mumble around a mouthful of heaven.

It is literally the best mushroom risotto I’ve ever tasted in my life. I’m not even that into mushroom risotto, but I would happily have this one every day of the week.

“Thank you dear! You can come back anytime,” Gianna replies with a wink.

Now I see where Marco gets his cheeky nature from.

“How’s the band going Marco?” Maxine asks after we’ve all been tucking in for a while. “Your mum was telling me you’ve had a couple of gigs.”

“Yeah, good thanks,” he says scratching his neck. “I’ve managed to remember most of the songs so far, so that’s good.”

Like hell am I gonna sit here and let him be so modest.

“He’s doing more than good. Your nephew is one seriously talented man,” I say, more to Marco than Maxine.

“A seriously talented man you say!” Maxine beams.

“He’s overexaggerating,” Marco smiles, nudging my shoulder and blushing prettily.

“I’m definitely not! None of us can believe our luck he joined. We’ve never sounded better.”

Marco’s cheeks flush a deeper shade of red but I just smile. I’m only telling the truth after all.

“Aww how lovely! My clever boy,” Gianna gushes, smooching the top of his head as she gets up to grab another bottle of wine.

“Well that’s good to know…because I have a bit of a proposition for you boys,” Maxine grins. “You know your cousin Sara’s wedding is coming up? In June?”

“Yeah,” Marco replies.

“Well the band they booked for the evening have cancelled. Would you boys be interested? No pressure but I said I’d ask.”

“You guys have done weddings before right?” Marco asks, turning to me.

“Yeah, we have. They’ve always been a good laugh.”

“I’ve no idea what songs they’d like but if you send her a message on Facebook, I’m sure she’ll be happy to give you the details,” Maxine continues.

“Okay I’ll get in touch with her. What do you reckon Jean? Will Connie and Eren be interested?”

“I’m sure they would be up for it. Hey, maybe by June I’ll have finally convinced you to start singing,” I grin.

“Doubtful,” he smiles, rolling his eyes at me.

“Thank you!” Mia suddenly pipes up, gesturing at me. “See Marco, how many times have I said you should be singing?”

“He’s got a good voice, hasn’t he?” I say to Mia. Good to know I’m not the only one who’s told him so.

“Yeah! He always used to beat me on Singstar. He’s well good.”

“Oh, what was that song you used to sing so beautifully together?” Gianna ponders. “The ‘hold on for one more day’ song.”

“Ah, Wilson Phillips,” Mia answers.

“Yes! Oh I used to love it when you sang that together.”

“Well, maybe Sara will want it at the wedding if Marco’s that good!” Dave laughs.

“Listen if you heard this guy sing,” Marco says gesturing to me, “you wouldn’t be praising my singing abilities.”

I’m almost derailed by his compliment but I power through. “There’s always room for more singers in the band Marco, and we’d be daft not to make use of your voice from time to time.”

He hums, wilting under my and Mia’s staring. “I’ll think about it.”

“You bloody better,” Mia mumbles, smirking at Marco.

Gianna gets up starts clearing the table, asking Maxine a million questions about the wedding as she places our dishes in the sink. Marco makes a start on washing them and Mia soon gets up to help him dry. They speak in hushed voices as they work side by side so I can’t hear what they’re saying, but at one point Marco grabs the tea towel out of Mia’s hand and slaps her playfully on the head with it.

Then dessert starts appearing on the table – chocolate ganache with shortbread, strawberries and orange segments to share. I wasn’t sure I’d want any dessert after the filling risotto but oh man does it look good. Gianna recommends smoothing some ganache onto the shortbread and topping it with an orange segment so I go for that first.

Marco smiles when I hum contentedly. “It’s good right?”

“Sooo good.”

“I hear you’re heading off on holiday tomorrow boys,” Dave comments with a grin.

“Yeah. Our friend’s grandma is lending us her holiday cottage for the weekend,” Marco replies with a smile in my direction, making my ears prickle.

“Oh nice. Good friend to have. Just the two of you is it?” Dave beams.

“N-no,” Marco splutters turning red, which makes me turn red. Even more so when Mia tries to cover up her snort with a cough. “There’s about ten of us going.”

Marco takes a sip of water, so he doesn’t notice Maxine’s death glare or Dave bewilderedly mouthing ‘what!?’ It’s kind of funny actually, like seeing what Connie and Sasha will be like in 30 years.

“Whereabouts is the cottage you’re all staying in?” Maxine asks, trying to ease some of the tension.

“Dauper,” Marco replies.

“Ooooh lovely! Gorgeous part of the world Dauper. We’ve been a couple of times. Have you ever been Jean?”

“No. Looking forward to it though. The dark skies are meant to be great there.”

“Oh yes, the night sky is beautiful in that area! Oh Dave, what was the name of that pub? The one where you had that gorgeous trout…”

Dave and Maxine give us all their best tips for where to go and what to do. Hearing them talk about it so merrily gets me even more excited for the trip.

After practically licking my bowl clean, I excuse myself to go to the bathroom. I find Katniss snoozing on the landing.

“Hey baby girl!”

She indulges me in some head scritches, before sleepily rolling over for some tummy love. I slip my phone out of my pocket to snap some cheeky pics, though my desperate need to pee stops it turning into a full photo shoot. I’ve just finished up in the bathroom and cracked open the door when I hear Dave’s voice downstairs in the hall.

“Max! C’mere I can’t find it.”

A few seconds later I hear Maxine. “You never bloody can despite it being right in front of your face! There! Look! In the front pocket like I said…I’ll bloody kill you for embarrassing Marco.”

“Wha-? How’s it embarrassing to ask if you’re going on holiday with your boyfriend?”

“They’re not boyfriends!” Max whispers exasperatedly.

“I thought Gianna said they were?”

“No! They’re just friends!”

“Oh bloody hell. Put my foot right in it there then,” Dave grumbles.

“Gianna said she thought they might become boyfriends. She says Marco talks about him all the time.”

“Oh yeah, that was it…Well you can see why I thought they were already an item. They’d make a lovely couple wouldn’t they?”

“Yeah…a right handsome pair. Oh, I hope they do. Jean seems so lovely.”

I’ve literally frozen to the spot. I dare not move, or even breathe for that matter.

As if I’ve got Marco’s flesh and blood rooting for me! Holy shit!

I couldn’t help but wonder what Gianna thought when Marco let slip he talks to her about me. At worst, I thought she might be wary of me hurting him like so many others before. At best, I hoped she’d be grateful Marco had found a good friend. To hear she thinks there might be something more than friendship though…I’m just…Gyaahhh!!!

Worrying my absence might start to become suspicious, I close the bathroom door loud enough to make my presence known and head down the stairs. Dave and Max quickly hush up at the sound.

“Alright dear?” Maxine smiles.

“Just grabbing my insulin pen! Needed a bit of a top-up after helping myself to too much dessert!” Dave laughs.

I smile widely; I really can’t help it after what I’ve just heard. “Bet it was worth it though. That chocolate ganache was insane.”

“Bloody gorgeou-”

A series of giggles and a surge in volume makes us all turn our heads towards the kitchen. We share an inquisitive smirk, heading to investigate what’s so funny.

The three Bodts are dancing up a storm around the kitchen table. Marco’s toing and froing between his mam and Mia, waltzing and spinning them as they sing along to George Michael and Aretha Franklin.

Maxine and Dave both laugh and smile but my lips only twitch slightly. My smile is soft and tender as a bittersweet tug in my stomach sends warmth throughout my body. I was right when I said Connie, Eren and I were lucky to have found such a talented bassist, but the bigger truth of how lucky I am to have found Marco fills me to the brim as I watch him laugh and smile.

He looks radiant and just…impossibly beautiful.

“Show them how it’s done Maxy!”

Dave takes hold of Maxine and they begin to sway back and forth. After a few beats, they break apart and grab a hold of the nearest person – Mia and Gianna – and start dancing with them.

Emboldened by Dave and Maxine’s earlier conversation, I take a step forward and sweep into Marco’s space, my fingers slipping into his palm as I lead him in a twirl. He chuckles and returns the favour, spinning me away and pulling me back. My hand finds a hold in the dip of his waist on instinct, and I rock him side to side, not caring one little bit for the goofy grin on my face or the glowing looks I get from Marco’s family.

And then he sings and the warm fuzzies in my chest increase tenfold.

“So we were draaaawwwn tooogether through destinyyyyyy…ooh boy. Ooh!

I know this loooove weeee share was meant to beeeee. Oh!

Knew you were waiting! WooOoooh, yeah!”

The rest of his family are singing too but I the only sound I hear is him. I beam and laugh at the way he hits the high notes, doing his best over-the-top popstar impression.

“Oh, when the valley was low. No, it didn't stop meeeee, no!

Knew you were waiting! Knew you were waiting for me!”

I’m giddy when he spins me away and tugs me back into his orbit. He laughs and something flashes in his eyes when they meet mine. He pulls me close enough to meet the warmth of his torso as the song draws to a close. Our embrace only lasts for a moment, but it leaves me lightheaded and breathless. I reach out a hand to steady myself on a chair as we all break apart.

“Always knew I’d married into a family of crackerjacks!” Dave chortles, giving Mia a quick tickle on her side before sitting down. “Reckon me and Jean should run for the hills while we still have a chance!”

“I dunno,” I grin, taking my seat next to Marco. “Reckon the food is worth the craziness.”

“Ooooh you’re definitely allowed back again you little charmer!” Gianna coos, squidging my shoulders (to my absolute delight). “Phew! I need a brew after that. Shall I put a pot of tea on?”

Max helps Gianna sort out the cups and teapot while Mia and Dave start setting out the tiddlywinks again. I look at Marco with a coy smile, still a little dazed from the moment we shared.

“I promise we’re not always this mental,” he smiles quietly. “But now you know, if that song ever comes on the radio, it’s pretty much a given we’ll all drop everything and start dancing.”

“Fine by me. I love a good twirl around the kitchen now and then,” I smirk, resting my head on my hand.

It makes Marco blush for some reason, though maybe he's just flushing from all the dancing.

“Why that song?” I ask.

“Well my mum used to play it a lot when we were younger,” he starts, keeping his voice low, “but once it was the three of us, I noticed...when she played it, she started actually singing along with it. I’d never heard her sing before. So I started joining in and then eventually Mia did too and it kind of escalated from there.”

Once again, I'm in awe of Marco and his family. In awe of how they’ve found the strength to sing and laugh after everything they've endured. In awe of how much love and warmth they extend to everyone around them when they could so easily have closed themselves off. They're amazing.

“You fancy another round boys?” Dave asks, wiggling a tiddlywink in our direction. 

We stay another hour or so, sharing a few laughs and silly stories as all the delicious food settles in our stomachs.

After bidding the rest of Marco's family goodbye, his mam follows us to the door to see us out.

“You will come again won’t you Jean?”

“I’m literally booking in for every Sunday! Can’t remember the last time I was so well fed,” I reply.

“Oh you’re more than welcome dear. Thank you so much for coming.”

She pulls me into a squishy hug and then turns to Marco, pulling him down to reach her.

“Love you baby boy. Have the best time this weekend okay? You deserve it sweetheart.”

“Love you. I will, don’t worry,” he says with a sleepy smile, resting his head on her shoulder a moment.

Too cute.

“Drive safe Jean okay?” Gianna smiles.

“I will. Gotta get this precious cargo there in one piece,” I grin, giving Marco a playful squeeze on the shoulders.

I run around to the driver’s side as Marco slumps into the passenger seat. We bid Gianna another farewell and pull out into the road. Marco settles back with a contented sigh, gazing sleepily out the window.

“...I really like your family,” I say after a moment.

Marco's gaze jerks towards me, a look of surprise on his face, but it quickly softens into a smile.

“Yeah,” he breathes. “I like them too.”

“I can't believe how much your Aunty Max looks like your mam!”

“I know. Apparently they'd always get mistaken for twins when they were kids.”

Marco tells me more about his aunty and uncle during the drive; the shenanigans Dave gets up to at family parties and the jumpers Max makes for them every Christmas.

We pull up outside Marco’s much sooner than I would like. Luckily he doesn't seem to notice, continuing his story about the time Dave ended up in A&E, after losing a fight with a goose that took a disliking to him.

We giggle and laugh with our heads resting against the back of our seats, our general sleepiness starting to take over.

He looks over at the front door and sighs. “Guess I should head in,” he says with a sad smile, unbuckling his seat belt. “Thanks again for the lift.”

“Anytime.”

I pause. Secretly hoping he invites me in to hang out. I know he won't though. It's late and we've got a long drive tomorrow...Still though.

“So erm, d'you..?” he starts and I hold my breath.

“Do you...still wanna pick us up at eleven tomorrow?”

“Oh. Erm...yeah 'course. Eleven still works for me.”

I make a point of ignoring the disappointment I feel in the pit of my stomach.

“Okay cool,” he says climbing out of the car. It feels like he has something else to say. “See you tomorrow then. Drive home safe.”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow,” I reply, trying to work out what expression I can see in his features, but it changes into a sweet smile before I get the chance.

He turns with a wave of his hand and I release a pent-up breath. My chest and stomach twist as I watch him head inside. It's not exactly an unpleasant feeling though.

I replay so many parts of this evening in my head on the drive home, but when my head finally hits the pillow, it's the voice of Dave that sends me to sleep with a smile.

'They'd make a lovely couple wouldn’t they?'

_________________________________

Connie helps me load up the car before waving me off (with an actual fucking hanky he got from god knows where) with an obnoxiously loud 'Farewell my beloved!'

Due to a couple of other people booking time off, there was absolutely no way Connie could get away from work before 8pm tonight, so he's joining us later. I feel bad knowing he’ll be on his own for the journey. I would have offered to go with him but that would have meant making Eren and Marco late too and it seemed silly not to make the most of our stay.

I park my car outside Eren and Marco’s and give the horn a quick toot, rolling the window down so I can lean on my elbow while I wait. My phone beeps after less than a minute. I’m expecting something silly from Marco but it’s from Eren.

Jaegermeister:

Good fucking luck

What the hell?

HeresJeany:

???????

Jaegermeister:

>:-)

Before I tap out another reply, the front door opens and the meaning behind Eren’s message becomes all too clear.

“Morning!” Marco says cheerfully.

He’s got his hair tied back again. A few wavy tendrils are escaping from where it’s loosely pulled back…It looks really fucking good.

“Hey you,” I smile, not really bothering to hide the affection in my tone.

“Good morning my favourite douche!” Eren squawks obnoxiously, appearing behind Marco with a shit-eating grin.

“Your smelly ass needs one!”

My reply doesn’t faze him in the slightest.

“You doing alright?” he asks with a knowing smirk I’m glad Marco can’t see.

I decide to ignore him, jumping out of the car to open the boot for Marco.

After loading up their bags, I connect my phone to the car stereo. It takes nearly three hours to get to Dauper, but the music I've put together for the journey is a veritable 90s/00s wet dream of a playlist so we’re in for a good time.

Marco catches my eye and smiles as he recognises the opening bars of Sabotage by the Beastie Boys surging through the speakers. I smirk back before checking on Eren.

"We all clunk-clicked back there?"

"Yes Mam."

"Right let's go then."

After our rendezvous with everyone at Sasha’s, we head off – Mikasa taking Sasha, Armin and Historia in one car with Bert and Reiner in the other. The busy streets of Trost gradually fall away as we make our way to the motorway. There's a buzz in the car that affirms just how excited we all are for the trip. Between sing-alongs, taking the piss out of shitty drivers and sniggering at weird place names, the journey goes by quickly. Even the heavy rain we hit half an hour in doesn’t dampen our spirits.

Marco is especially animated, twisting in his seat to laugh and joke or reaching forward to turn the music up every time of one his favourites comes on (which is often!). The whole car vibrates when Goon Squad by Deftones gets turned up a notch and we all sing (scream) the lyrics as we clear the last of the rain clouds.

“I feel like ‘Goon Squad’ would be a good name for us if we ever decide to become vigilantes and fight crime,” Eren says as the next song starts and we catch our breath.

“Maybe for you two,” I tease. “I think Captain Kirschtein and the Goon Squad sounds better though.”

“You fucking wish.”

“Hmm, I don’t think I know this one,” Marco says nodding at the stereo.

I cock an eyebrow at him as the persistent riff of Good Morning, Captain starts up again. “How can a total 90s dweeb like you not know Slint?”

He looks at me blankly. “Slint?”

“Oh my god. Spiderland? Are you kidding me?? Right, you need to listen to this song.”

Eren starts babbling away to Marco about the album and how the band originally wanted it to be instrumental, that is until I turn and smack him on the leg.

“Okay OW!”

“Well fucking shut up! You can tell him when the song’s over!”

Crashing cymbals and guttural guitars fill the car as Marco taps out the rhythm on his knee. When the song reaches its crescendo, he looks over at me.

“Oh man, I think I have a new band boner!”

I laugh, because it’s obviously a joke, but he says it with such a salacious grin that I blurt out, “Wait, seriously?”

All he does in reply is stick his tongue between his teeth and waggle his eyebrows at me.

Shit that’s hot.

I cover how flustered it makes me with a chuckle and focus on the road. My imagination starts running wild though, and I can’t help the way my gaze slides over to Marco’s crotch just to have a cheeky look.

“Saw that.”

My eyes snap up to Eren in the mirror.

“Saw what?” Marco asks, thankfully oblivious.

“You didn’t see shit Jaeger.”

He chuckles, very obviously pleased with catching me red-handed.

Despite all the singing and chatting, Eren still manages to conk out about two hours into the journey. Never in my life have I known this guy stay awake on a long car trip.

“Oh, man down,” Marco smiles quietly looking back at Eren.

My eyes flit up to the mirror and I see his reflection; slumped down into his hoody and gently rocking with the car’s movement. I turn the music down a little. I don’t really need to – Eren could sleep through the apocalypse – but Marco’s hushed voice makes me feel like I should.

After a few songs, I notice Marco glancing at me out of the corner of my eye, his mouth opening and closing as if he wants to say something. Eventually he clears his throat and speaks.

“Hey I meant to ask…” he trails off, looking oddly awkward all of a sudden.

“Yeah?”

He scratches his neck and looks out of his window instead of at me.

“I know you and Connie are roomies but…I figured he might be sharing with Sasha so…I was thinking it might be nice if - I mean I don't know what the sleeping arrangements are at this place but," his eyes flit over to me as he babbles and stutters. "Do you...do you maybewannasharearoomwithme?”

Ba-dump.

I’ve thought about it. Obviously I've thought about where I might be sleeping - where he might be sleeping - but I figured people would just pair off when we got there and that Eren would somehow wingman me to make sure I share with Marco.

What I didn't think about was Marco just coming straight out and asking me!

Shit. How do I answer this without completely giving myself away or making it weird?

“E-Err,” I stammer, my grip tightening on the steering wheel.

“We don't have to!" he backtracks when I fail to answer. “If you've already arranged something with Eren or Armin or whoev-”

My determination not to screw this up brings confidence surging back to my voice in an instant. If he’s got the guts to ask me, there’s no way I’m going to ruin it by losing my cool.

“We can share a room.”

“…Yeah?” Marco asks with a slight tone of disbelief.

“Yeah ‘course we can share a room. It'll be fun,” I add with a big smile to show him I’m not just being polite.

“Okay...cool,” Marco replies.

The way he ducks his head to hide his own smile and blush makes me giddy, though that feeling is definitely coupled with weird mixture of nervousness and anticipation. My stomach starts flipping at the thought of what might be whispered and confessed in the dark, when we're wrapped in soft blankets and sleepiness has lifted our filters…

Then a short but incredibly loud snort from Eren snaps me back to the present. Marco and I both lock eyes before breaking into hysterics.

“What the hell!?” I laugh, with Marco wheezing beside me.

“Huh? Wha?” Eren murmurs, squinting at us with sleepy eyes and wiping the drool from his chin.

_________________________________

By late afternoon we reach Dauper. After staying within close range of each other on the motorway, we all manage to take the exit at the same time and follow Sasha’s car as it weaves its way along the narrow, grass-lined roads.

The higher we climb, the more beautiful the scenery becomes. The houses become less frequent and older in style, broken up by farmers’ fields, rolling hills and the occasional mill.

“Deer! Oh my god there’s deer in that field!” Marco says excitedly, causing Eren to press his face up at the window and gawk.

There’s so much wildlife here. Aside from the deer we also spot a huge flock of geese flying in a V-formation above us, a fox zipping across a field and we narrowly miss hitting a pheasant that thought it was a good idea to stand in the middle of the road.

After a couple of tight turns and an awkward encounter with a tractor, we pull onto the cobbled lane with the cottage at the end. The car judders and wobbles as we follow Sasha, with Bert and Reiner behind us. Eventually, we stop outside a stone building with blue pastel windows and a yellow door.

“Wow. This looks nice,” Marco says with bright eyes after we climb out of the car.

It really does.

Armin gasps from the open door of Sasha’s car, looking at the driveway. “How am I going to get to the door? My Vans are going to get ruined!”

The rain stopped over an hour ago, but it must’ve been especially heavy in Dauper if the puddles around us are anything to go by. My eyes travel down Armin’s all-black outfit to the new lilac Vans on their feet. Yep. Those kicks are gonna be fucked.

Marco chuckles beside me and asks, “Why are you wearing them for a trip to the countryside? I thought you were smart!”

“Typical bloody PhD student – all those brains and no common sense,” Eren grumbles heading in Armin’s direction.

“I’ve got sensible clothes in my bag! I just wanted to be comfy for the journey. Plus their cute as fuck,” Armin adds with a cheeky grin that makes me smile.

“Alright c’mere princess.”

Eren sweeps Armin off their feet, earning a loud laugh from Sasha and a whoop from Historia.

“Eren!” Armin cries with a smile.

“Do you want your shoes to get muddy or not?” He starts heading to the door and calls over his shoulder, “Can someone get my bags? Hands are a bit full of idiot here!”

“Yeah I got ‘em,” I laugh, bending over my seat to reach into the back.

When I straighten up, I feel eyes on me and turn to see Marco, a red blush blooming on his face as he quickly looks down.

Erm…?

“H-here, let me take the guitars for you,” he says reaching out his hand, still not meeting my eyes.

“Oh, thanks.”

Was he…was he checking me out just now??

I walk around to the open boot, purposely (and unnecessarily) bending over again to get my own guitar.

“You threatening us with a good time Kirschtein?” Reiner barks behind us, laughing as he walks past with Bert in tow.

“You wish!” I yell as I dig around in the boot.

I look back at Marco with a sly grin, straightening up to give him mine and Eren’s guitars, but keeping my back arched so my ass sticks out.

“Here you go,” I say, my tongue poking slightly between my teeth.

“Thanks,” he replies, ducking his head with a smirk, the blush on his cheeks intensifying.

Excitement sparks through me as I watch him walk away. As if I just flirted with him! And he didn’t seem to mind!

I follow him along the yellow gravel path, lined with daisies and bluebells. The back door opens straight onto the kitchen, which is an impressive mix of exposed stone, patterned tiles and rich blue cabinets. My eyes follow the old, wooden beams across the ceiling, down to a large dining table at the opposite end.

“Woah. This place is stunning!” Marco chirps, turning in a slow circle as he takes it all in.

Cute.

He cranes his head to look up the staircase beside the back door.

“Should we put our bags in a room or-”

“Guys come see how cosy the living room is!” Armin yells, appearing in the doorway opposite us.

They reach forward and grab Marco’s hand before we’ve even had a chance to reply, dragging him through the door. I follow them both with a smile.

Wow. It certainly is cosy in here, though way bigger than I was expecting; they must have knocked down a wall down at some point. There are rugs all over the floor, cushions and throws all over the furniture and bookshelves all over the walls. Aside from the TV mounted on the wall, everything has a comforting, old-timey feel to it. The beams across the ceiling match the ones in the kitchen, but there’s no exposed stone from what I can see. Instead, a rich navy colour covers the walls.

Everyone’s in the living room now, except Sasha, but she soon makes her presence known.

“Hey guys?” she calls from the kitchen.

“Yeaaah?” a few of us reply.

She appears in the doorway with a look that spells ‘trouble’.

“Bedrooms are first come first serve and I may have forgot to mention, some are waaay nicer than others…Bagsie the master bedroom!” she cries racing off.

Everyone silently glances at each other before bursting into action. There’s a massive crush as we all try to fit through the doorway at once. Thankfully I hadn’t sat down yet so I get through quickly, heading for the staircase just ahead of everyone else.

I’ll get us a good room Marco don’t you wor- “Ahh!!”

Someone pulls my ankle and I land flat on the stairs. I look up to see Mikasa long-jumping over me and racing up the rest of the steps.

“Go Kasa!” Armin shouts somewhere behind me.

I try to get my legs back under me before I’m trampled. Luckily, the next thing I feel is a pair of warm hands hooking under my arms and lifting me up.

“Man down!” Marco laughs. “C’mon Jean we can do thi- Ahhh!”

Marco collapses on top of me as Eren scrambles over both of us.

“Eren! You fucking tool! Mikasa’s already won you a room!” I squawk.

Someone else tries to get passed us but Marco gets up before they manage it.

“Not so fast Bertie boy!” Marco cries, blocking Bert’s path. “Go on Jean! Go!”

I leave Marco to wrestle the giant and hop up the rest of the stairs two at a time. I dive left but quickly back up when I see the bunk beds against the wall – No fucking thank you! Footsteps thunder up the stairs so I take my chances with the first room on the right.

Oh thank fuck.

I hop up onto the double bed, claiming it as my own and more than willing to fight if anyone tries to take it from me.

Bert sticks his head in the door muttering a quick ‘shit’ when he sees me sitting on the bed. There’s a commotion further down hall. I really want to go look when I hear Sasha screaming ‘Mikasa! Put me down!’ but I dare not leave my spot.

“Bunk beds!? No fucking thank you!” Historia’s voice. I have an awful feeling about where this is going. “Haha! Give it up Kirschtein! This room is mine!”

She runs towards me, with a manic grin, trying to grab my legs so she can pull me off.

“No no no! Marco! Help!”

Historia and I both laugh and giggle as she tries to get a hold on me. I keep her at bay with the two pillows I’ve grabbed, just long enough for Marco to come in and save the day.

“Waahhh!”

Distracted by our battle for the bed, she doesn’t realise Marco’s behind her until he’s lifting her up over his shoulder.

“Oh no you don’t!” he laughs carrying her out as her little legs wiggle and kick.

He plops her on the floor, runs back inside and closes the door. I hop over to join him, both of us laughing as we brace ourselves, ready for someone to push it open. Luckily no one does and we slump down to the floor after a minute or two, our faces flushed from all the excitement.

“Seems like we’re safe for now,” I smile, leaning my head against the door.

“Yeah,” Marco replies taking in his surroundings. “Hey this room is pretty nice. Good job.”

It is now that I look at it. It’s not super big and the window doesn’t let much light in, but the peachy paint, wall tapestries and salt lamps create a really snug, mellow vibe.

“Aw look, they’re cute,” Marco says pointing up.

I smile at his reaction, looking up to see a dozen little crochet plant pots hanging from a wooden beam, woven flowers sitting inside each one. They do look very sweet all dangling there above the bed.

“My grandma used to crochet stuff for me, when she was alive,” I smile.

“Oh yeah?” He tilts his head to look at me.

“Yeah, lots of bonnets when I was a baby, then toys. She was really good at animals. I had a whole farmyard at one point. My favourite was Buchwald the horse.”

“Buchwald?” Marco laughs, his breath tickling my cheek.

“Yeah, she was half German and she often gave them German names. His mane was really cool. It was made of this thick but super soft wool or something. I used to like running my fingers through it.”

“Oh I had a toy I used to do that with! Mine was a lion though. Rory - you know because…lions roar.”

An unattractive snort escapes me and he chuckles softly, his eyes not just looking at me, but seeming to take in my whole face. I wish I had the willpower to stay where I am, but I get a little flustered at our close proximity and get up, grabbing one of the cushions and a throw that’s fallen off the bed as I go.

“You reckon it’s safe to get our bags now?” he asks.

“Maybe, don’t let your guard down completely though. Hey Marco, look at this.”

I’d never even heard of this book until Marco gave it to me so I don’t know what the chances are of finding another copy here of all places but there it is – What we see in the stars – the book Marco gifted me after our visit to Trost museum, sitting on the stone windowsill.

“Oh wow!” Marco says when he sees what I’m holding.

Butterflies start flipping in my stomach. He reaches out and I swear I feel it hum with energy or some shit when he takes it from me. My pulse quickens. He holds it with a soft smile, glancing at the other star themed trinkets on the windowsill.

“Weird. It’s like we were meant to have this room,” he says with an awkward laugh.

Asddfghhjkl!! I was thinking it, but I didn’t think he’d actually fucking say it!

I nervously laugh too, my face turning crimson.

“Haha, yeah. Maybe it’s a good omen for some stargazing tonight.”

Then as if to say, ‘we’ll see about that’ Mother Nature decides to fuck me over – the gentle pitter-patter outside turns into a downpour, hammering against the window.

“Well fuck.”

“Yeah. Looks like we’re staying in tonight.”

_________________________________

After unpacking, nobody is in the mood to brave the rain for the sake of the pub, so we decide to have a night in; everyone’s brought some food for a buffet anyway. I have a quick shower, stick my comfy clothes on and then head downstairs to join everyone.

Eren and Armin are gathered around the woodburning fireplace, constructing a pile of logs and kindling. There’s a spot on the sofa next to Marco with my name on it. I sit next to him with a smile and a sigh, sinking into the plush green velvet.

“Do you guys even know what you’re doing?” Historia asks, looking rather regal sitting in a Chesterfield wingback chair.

“Well, I’m a man so I assume it’s in my DNA somewhere,” Eren smirks, knowing fine well he’s going to wind Historia up with that comment.

“That is the biggest load of bullshit I have ever heard! Penises are not valid qualifications for fire building!” she protests.

“What about penises?” Reiner grins suddenly appearing in the doorway, earning a very big eyeroll from me.

“Yes!” Eren cries when the tiniest of fires flickers into existence, both arms in the air. “AND JESUS WEPT! FOR MAN HAD CREATED FIRE!” It flickers out the moment he stops speaking. “…Shit.”

Historia is beside herself, hanging over the arm of the chair and cackling at Eren’s disappointed face.

“Well you bloody have a go then!” he snaps.

“I’ve never lit a fire before and I’m not arrogant enough to just assume I can,” Historia snaps back.

“Maybe there’s a book somewhere explaining how to do it,” Armin suggests.

“Min we are NOT reading a book to find out how to do something as basic as light a fire,” Eren says with a huff.

Reiner and Bert opt for the biggest armchair, the shorter pulling the other one into his lap and twining their legs together.

“Thanks again for switching Historia,” Bert smiles.

“No worries. Though I’m sad I won’t get to see one of you trying to fit into that top bunk.”

“You’re too nice Historia. I’d have paid good money to see Bert sleeping in that with his big legs hanging off the end,” Marco smirks.

“Glad we didn’t come begging to you then,” Reiner says, throwing a cushion at Marco.

Once Eren and Armin (though mainly Mikasa) finally get the fire going we help out with food and before long, there are all kinds of tasty things to pick at on the dining table. Although not everything makes it there (Sasha insists on ‘testing’ everything before we lay it out). The homemade stuff looks especially good – some bread from Armin, a chickpea dahl from Historia and a pasta salad courtesy of Marco’s mam.

After everyone’s first plateful, we decide to dig out some board games for the evening’s entertainment. Though it takes us a while to agree on which one to play.

“We’ve got to play Monopoly,” states Armin. “It’s a classic!”

“Yeah, no. I’d rather not stay up until 4am mortgaging all my properties because you’ve somehow fucked me over again,” Eren glares.

“Let’s split into teams and start with something simple,” suggests Sasha. “Ooh! And whichever team wins the most games gets to snuggle Maggie!” she grins, grabbing a tiny highland cow from a nearby shelf and holding it aloft like a scene from the Lion King.

After a game of Boggle descends into ‘which team can make the dirtiest words’, we play an insanely intense game of Jenga, followed by a much less stress-inducing game of Pictionary. Whatever we play though, Marco and I have an absolute ball. Everything seems to make us laugh way more than usual and our desire to team up for everything creates lots of opportunities for playful touch. At one point, when he wins us a wedge in Trivial Pursuit, I squeeze his arm for a ‘well done’ and he boops me on the nose.

Cue me melting into a puddle on the rug.

By the time most of the buffet has gone, each team has one win a piece, so Eren demands a game of strip poker to decide the overall winner.

“Okay hands up who actually knows how to play poker,” Historia asks with an eyeroll in Eren’s direction.

Only Eren and Reiner put their hands up.

“Okay fine, fucking…Strip Go Fish then!” Eren smiles.

It’s such a ridiculous idea that we all agree to give it a go. However, we all quickly catch on to the fact that we’re all targeting Eren. By the time everyone’s had their first turn, he’s lost both socks and his t-shirt.

“Hey Eren, got any threes?” I grin.

“No! Go fucking fish bitch!”

I curse and pick up a card.

“Hey Eren?”

“For fucksake Marco.”

“Got any Jacks?”

“Fucking hell. YES,” he grouses, causing everyone to break into hysterics again as he shimmies out of his jeans and sits huffily in just his underwear. “Right my fucking turn. Sasha, you got any sixes?”

“Ugh. Yes,” Sasha grouses handing them over. “Da-da da daaaah! DA-da da daaaah…” she sings while seductively taking off her sock.

Reiner’s turn.

“Hey Eren?”

“Jesus Christ no.”

“You got any…aces?”

“…Oh you absolute anus face.”

Everyone simultaneously cheers and screeches with laughter, knowing Eren has no choice but to get naked.

“Why are you all so desperate to see me naked!?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Mikasa deadpans. “Serves you right for suggesting it.”

“C’mon Eren! Time to show us the goods!

“Off! Off! Off! Off!”

We all tap a drumroll on our legs as Eren reaches into his underwear to cup his junk with one hand and pulls them down with the other. When they reach the floor, the sound we make is deafening – Thank fuck there are no neighbours to worry about!

He sits down with a shit-eating grin. “Well at least you can’t all pick on me anymore.”

We continue the game until Sasha notices a set of headlights moving past the window – Connie is finally here. She gets up to meet him and returns moments later with a seriously tired looking Connie trailing behind her.

“Hey!” We all say, greeting him almost in unison.

“Hey!...Why the fuck is Eren naked?”

That sets us all off laughing again but we eventually compose ourselves enough to fill Connie in on all the details. Sasha offers to show Connie where he’s staying and we decide to give up on Go Fish, letting Eren put his clothes back on. Armin and Historia offer to make everyone a hot chocolate and we all settle into various cosy spots around the room.

I sneak a peek out the window for the hundredth time that evening. The rain has stopped but it’s still overcast. Not one fucking star in the sky.

Marco must sense my frustration when I sit down next to him with a huff.

"Still cloudy huh?"

"Yeah. Not even a patch of sky on show."

He taps at his phone. "Weather's meant to get better. Maybe we'll get lucky with the sky tomorrow night."

"Yeah I hope so. It would be shit to come out here and not see a single fucking star.” I look up to find Marco smiling at me. “Though I guess, there are other good things about being here.”

His eyes twinkle and there’s a pause - probably just a second but it feels like much longer.

“The hot chocolate?” he smiles cocking an eyebrow.

“Yes the hot chocolate, definitely the hot chocolate.”

“I figured.”

“Yeah.”

“Mmmhmm.”

We jostle each other in the shoulder with a giggle.

“Here you go!” Armin appears with two steaming mugs for us.

They beam at me when I take mine and I can’t help but smile back. It can’t all be in my head if Armin’s noticed too. Things between Marco and I have definitely shifted. Only ever so slightly, but enough to make my heart skip a beat at the possibilities of what it could mean…

Blushing, I take a sip of my drink and smile. Marco does the same before covering his mouth for a big yawn.

God, he looks so cute when his eyes get all scrunched up like that.

“You doing okay there sleeping beauty?”

Another yawn hits him straight after the first making me snort.

“Oof. Yeah sorry. I think this week’s catching up with me. I didn’t sleep too well the night before my interview and I’m still feeling it.”

“Aw. Don’t force yourself to stay up. No-one will mind if you wanna head off to bed.”

“Yeah I know but” - another big yawn cuts him off – “I don’t really want to…I’m having a good time.”

His sleepy eyes find mine and he smiles, so so softly…I can hardly bare to look at him but I’m powerless to stop.

If I kissed him right now, he’d taste of hot chocolate.

He looks down at his drink and takes a nice long sip. After setting his mug down he pulls out his hair tie and cards his fingers through his roots, shaking out his wavy tendrils, and then leans his head back against the sofa with a contented sigh.

It’s not even fair how gorgeous he looked doing that.

I shuffle along and close the tiny gap between our sides. Marco, understanding my intention, lets his head fall to my shoulder. He snuggles his cheek against the fabric of my t-shirt and settles down with a deep exhale.

I’ve just closed my eyes to enjoy the moment when Historia clears her throat, catching everyone’s attention.

“Soooo…anyone else noticed Sasha still hasn’t come back?”

“Oh?...Oh! Yeah, you’re right,” Eren answers.

We all share a moment of squeeing like excited schoolgirls, everyone sharing the hope that Sasha and Connie might finally become official. I feel relieved knowing Mikasa and Historia feel the same way. Sasha must have said something to them about wanting things to go in that direction.

After another half hour or so, the warmth of the hot chocolate starts to make everyone pretty sleepy so we all decide to get ready for bed. Marco grumbles when I nudge him awake from his doze, but his face immediately softens when he remembers where he is.

“C’mon buddy. Bedtime.”

I let Marco brush his teeth and use the bathroom first, and by the time I return he’s flat out asleep.

Doing my best not to disturb him, I climb under the covers and lie on my side facing him. I remember the last time we slept in the same bed and how nervous I felt. I remember how simultaneously over-the-moon and terrified I was. How my heart pounded in my chest.

This time I feel completely at peace. I let a goofy grin take over my face and breathe with Marco, watching his peaceful face with every inhale and exhale. I brush his hair out of his face and marvel at how steady my movements are, how unbothered I am by the prospect of him waking up and catching me. My eyes start to soften as I think about waking up next to him tomorrow and how much I’m looking forward to it…

_________________________________

“Jean…Hey Jean.”

There’s a warm hand on my arm, switching between stroking my skin and gently rocking me.

“Jean wake up,” the soft voice continues…Marco’s voice…and Marco’s fingers brushing my hair off my forehead.

“Hmm?” I scrunch up my eyes and roll over.

“Hey, you awake?”

“Y-yeah,” I manage, blinking my eyes until they adjust.

Marco’s sitting beside me on the bed, looking over me.

“What’s up? Are you okay?”

“Yeah sorry to wake you, it’s just…I just got up to pee and noticed the clouds have gone. You wanna go look at the stars?”

“Oh, erm,” it takes me a moment to process his words, but excitement sparks through me when my brain finally catches up. “Yeah definitely. Just err, gimme a sec to get changed.”

We shuffle about in the dark as we try to find our warmer clothes, the odd whispered giggle filling the silence when we inevitably bump into furniture or each other. Once we’re wrapped up nice and warm, I creak the bedroom door open, and we sneak downstairs as quietly as possible. I chance a look out the kitchen window when we reach the backdoor and see a starry patch of sky between the outline of two trees. My breath hitches in anticipation as I feel around for the torch hanging by the door frame.

“Marco, do me a favour,” I whisper, turning to him.

“Hmm?”

“Don't look up until I say so. Trust me it will be way better.”

“Alright.” I hear rather than see his smile.

“Okay let's go.”

The latch makes a soft click as I open the door and, thankfully, the hinges don’t squeak when I swing it open.

Cold air greets us, carrying that unique scent of rain, soil and pine needles you only ever get on a rainy day in the countryside. We step over the threshold and follow the light of my torch.

“Eep!” There's a loud crunch in the gravel as Marco grabs my shoulder. “I can't see where the dips are!” he giggles in a hushed voice.

“Here you numpty, hold my hand.”

Our palms slot together and I almost have to pinch myself over how warm and comforting and right they feel. I squeeze Marco’s hand as I tug him forward, navigating around the puddles until we reach the narrow road. There are less trees to block the view a few yards further down – the perfect viewing spot.

“We can just walk in a straight line from here so I’m gonna turn the torch off. Remember not to look up yet though.”

“Okay,” he replies giving my hand a quick squeeze.

I pocket the torch and wait a few seconds for our eyes to adjust to the darkness. Once I can make out my feet next to the grassy verge, I start walking.

“Hoo-hoo.”

“Aah!”

An owl flapping and hooting makes us both jump out of our skin and we grab each other, wheezing and giggling like a couple of idiots.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Marco whisper-shouts. “What the hell?”

“C-come on,” I laugh. “It’s not much further.”

This time I lace our fingers together, stroking my thumb over the back of his hand as I pull us further into the darkness. I feel his thumb do the same.

“Okay this should do. You ready?” I ask bouncing a little on the balls of my feet.

“Y-yeah,” he chuckles.

“Okay…look up.”

A sharp intake of breath punctuates the night air as we gasp at the sight before us. A canopy of lights, each unique in their depth and glow, consumes the sky above our heads.

“Oh my g-god.”

“I know.”

I will never get over this view. Never. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen it before; the sheer depth of the universe always knocks me for six. All this beautiful light filling the sky, despite having started its journey thousands, or even millions of years ago. It’s as if the starlight has travelled just for us, to create this perfect moment. I squeeze Marco’s hand tightly as I start to recognise some familiar sparkles.

“Look, you see that bright star there?” I ask, leaning into his space and pointing at the sky. “That’s Rigel. It’s the bottom of my favourite constellation Orion. See there, that’s Orion’s belt.”

“Oh yeah! Is that reddish one part of Orion?”

“Yeah that’s Betelgeuse! It’s a collapsing star! Oh and can you see those ones next to it?”

“Mmhmm.”

“That’s the constellation Gemini – that super bright star at the head of it is called Pollux. Oh, and that zigzagging cluster is Cassiopeia. And then if you go further up you can see the big dipper. It’s the one that’s kind of shaped like-”

I stop when I realise Marco’s gaze is no longer following the end of my finger. A million galaxies shine above his head but he’s looking at me. I can see them all reflected in his eyes, just like that time in the planetarium except even more breathtakingly beautiful. His thumb starts stroking my hand again as he takes a step closer.

“Jean…”

“…Yeah?”

His other hand moves to my waist and I forget how to breathe.

He closes the gap between us, so much so that I feel his breath tickle my skin…and then his lips touch mine.

It’s brief, barely even a peck before he draws back a fraction, only a whisper of space between us. He releases a shallow breath. My heart yammers in my chest. A heavy second passes between us, but then, when I squeeze his hand and start stroking his knuckles, he leans forward and finds my lips again.

The grip he has on my waist tightens as he untangles our fingers and holds the back of my head, pulling me closer to him. My own hands snake over his back, holding him just as tightly as I tilt my head and melt against his soft lips.

And then his tongue finds mine and I die on the spot.

Oh my god. I’m kissing him. I’m kissing Marco. I’M KISSING MARCO!

AND. I. CANNOT. GET. ENOUGH.

I feel overwhelmed and utterly insatiable all at once. Like, I know I’m kissing him, but I wish I was kissing him more somehow. I’m kissing him and I wish I was kissing him and I never want to stop kissing him…

…But he stops kissing me.

“Jean, wait I’m sorry I can’t…I don’t know if…I don’t know if I…”

I freeze.

“I mean…I want to kiss you, but…I can’t do this if it’s just a one-time thing okay? I don’t…I don’t want this to be something casual that we joke about at the next band practice like it was nothing. I-I…I like you, okay? I’ve liked you for a long time…longer than I should have…”

Fuck.

This is it. This is the moment. These are the words I’ve been longing to hear but never dared to believe I actually would. Holy fuck! But…the way he said them…

He doesn’t know. How can he not know?

How can he not know how much he means to me? How can he not know how much affection floods my body when I look at him? How I have to remind myself to breathe when he touches me. How my heart scorches me from the inside out every time we’ve ever said goodbye.

“J-Jean?” His voice breaks and my heart breaks with it.

I step forward and reach for his hands on instinct. There’s still a warmth to them, despite the chilly night air.

I’ve rehearsed this fantasy a thousand times in my head, but nothing prepares me for the real thing. I don’t know where to begin, whether it’s even possible to make him understand the depth of my adoration.

He squeezes my fingers ever so slightly, like he’s scared anything more might break me, but his delicate touch is all the courage I need to start speaking.

“Marco…you were never a ‘one-time’ option for me.”

His breath hitches, eyes sparkling as he lifts his head to look at me again.

“I like you too okay? Like, A LOT. I think…I think you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met and I you’re my favourite person to spend time with, but it’s been getting harder and harder because of how much I want to touch you all the time and kiss you and stroke your hair and-”

I puff out a breath and gather my thoughts. The darkness makes it easier to say what I want to say.

“I don’t want this to be a ‘one-time’ thing either. I want…I want everything with you.”

He steps forward, kisses me again and all the stars above our heads turn supernova.

[batz-surveys]

10.

Does it irritate you when people are late for things, or do you not really care? Oh no, I hate when people are late. It's not that hard to be on time.

Are you nervous about anything? I really want to call out tomorrow. Honestly, I want to do it to spend the day with my husband. It's been a few weeks since I've been able to spend a day with him and it's killing me, haha. But also, with everything that went on last week with my dad, I could use a mental health day. Is your bed against more than one of your walls? No, the head of it is just against one wall.

When was the last time someone chased you with a hose? I don't think that's ever happened before.

Have you ever burned yourself while taking something out of the oven? Yes. It sucks. Do you think seeing a gay/lesbian couple in public is gross? Yikes, no way. I love seeing love, no matter what the couple looks like. Have you ever made out in your room? Last time? Yes. I don't know, probably a couple weeks ago. I'm honestly not that big on the making out. I'm kind of a "we know this is going to happen, so let's just get to the good part" kind of woman, haha. Don’t you just hate running into people you know? YES. It's like 90% of my anxiety when I go to somewhere that I know will be busy. I've known a lot of people in my younger years, and I'm a completely different person than I was then, so running into anyone from my past is such a worry of mine. Who is the last person that disappointed you? Myself, I'm sure. Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? Oh, I definitely have before. What are you going to have for dinner tonight? I had a peanut butter and pickle sandwich for dinner. Hey, don't knock it until you try it. Do you think the last person you kissed cares about you? I hope my husband cares about me! No, I'm kidding. I know he does. Have you ever sold your old clothes instead of donating them? Yeah, I used to have a Poshmark like...six, seven years ago. All my listings sold, and I made a little over $100.

Does your favorite mall have more than one floor? The department stores in it do. But not the mall itself. I mean, it barely has any stores left in it, haha. Do you have a crazy aunt? Nah. I think that's going to be me in the future though, haha. Do you like family get togethers? Sure. I don't dislike them as much as I used to. It depends on who is showing up, really. Have you ever been to an art museum? Yes.

Would you kiss the last guy/girl that texted you? Yes, I kiss him everyday. He's my hubby.

Have you ever injured yourself while you were under the influence of alcohol? Yes.

Will you talk to the person you love/like tonight? Yes, we live together.

Are you still with the person you fell hardest for? If not, do you ever miss them? Yes, I married him.

Do you think you’ll kiss someone tonight? My husband (sheesh, this is getting redundant) before we both turn over to go to sleep.

Have you ever kissed anyone with the last name Jones? Not to my knowledge.

Is it possible to be ‘in love’ with someone, if they don’t love you back? Absolutely.

How many times have you cried in the past week? Oh God, I can't even count how many times I lost it this past week. My dad was in the hospital, and I cried like every day until he came home. And then I cried tears of joy when I finally saw him outside of the hospital. If you can't tell, I really love my dad, haha.

If you could have one wish right now, what would it be? Honestly? That I was rich so I didn't have to work. I know that's completely selfish, but hey, it's my wish. If I could wish for more wishes, then I'd use them on the worldwide shitshow going on.

[tia-amorosa]

Keon & Javier (Part 4)

Later. While Keon was in bed, Javier lay on the self-made sofa in the living room and turned from side to side. But it wasn't the uncomfortable lying position that prevented him from falling asleep. He had to get up. The light was still on in the bedroom, but it was quiet, no nervous man tossing and turning. "I can smell you. What's up?".

Javier stopped outside the curtain. “I’m sorry, I… I didn’t mean to watch you”/ “Sure? Your scent tells me something different." Javier felt caught. After all, there lived an animal in Keon whose sense of smell is many times better than that of a normal human. “Now you’re stressed, relax, okay? Stressed prey only attracts him."

Javier took a few steps into the bedroom. “Sorry, I don't mean to irritate it” / “It only feels irritable when someone is stressed. Someone who is stressed is easy prey, there is no exception. So like I said, relax, okay? “/“that… It’s not that easy”/“yes, I notice that. Do you want to talk about it? “/ “haven’t you already analyzed everything through my scent?”

“I can't read everything from it, but I can read a lot. I just didn't think I could trigger certain...feelings in a male person..."/ "You trigger... nothing, I..."/ "Please... don't pretend unnecessarily, Javier. So, do you want to talk about it? So that I understand it, with us wolves there is no such thing, and the lower-ranking males were not allowed to approach a female" / "But you are no longer low-ranking, and... I am not a female"

Keon couldn't help but grin slightly. Indeed, there was no female standing in front of him, but a man, just like him. "You know what scares me a little right now?"/ "No, what?"/ "That what comes from you is quite… pleasant to me… It was like that earlier after dinner, when I had the same smell of you in my nose. And I know that smell from the others, but that usually meant, be careful, don't come any closer"…

"But I'm not one of the others… So you have nothing to fear from me." Keon smiled again. "I wouldn't fight you either, you're too weak and too unstable for that. But you still haven't answered my question…". Javier was a little embarrassed… "It's… I can't tell you exactly, I just know that a woman, however attractive and nice she may be, doesn't trigger anything in me. But when a man crosses my path… Is that different"/ "Does every man trigger that in you?"/ "No, not every man"…

Keon moved closer to the foot of the bed so that he was sitting close to Javier. And his gaze was hard to interpret, almost a little shy and considering, he looked up at him. "A suggestion… We'll share the bed tonight. In the pack, we always slept close to the others after the hunt. I know we haven't hunted, but maybe right now… The same wishes?"/ "because you can smell me well? hn". Javier grinned with just one corner of his mouth.

“That's not funny, Javier... There's more going on here than I could ever imagine. I just want you to lie down with me... You definitely don't leave the oven on at night, do you?"/ “no, out of caution, in case a spark breaks out”/ “and it’s definitely very cold here at night”/ “yes… by the water anyway”/ “so…?”/ “O.k., then you have to make room for me” .

Keon lay down a little on the other side, but only halfway, which almost made Javier grin a little. "The bed is so wide and you're not taking advantage of it…"/ "I just… Don't want to lie so far away from you". The smirk turned into a quiet smile. "And now, should I nuzzle your neck a little or how is it with you?"/ "When we're in a pack, we just warm up to each other and… It strengthens the bond between each other"

"And you didn't have any strange thoughts running through your head?" Javier ran his fingers through Keon's hair, starting at the roots and slowly combing it from front to back. "Not when we're lying next to each other, full of adrenaline and fully eaten as animals, nobody thinks about that."/"So you all just wanted to sleep… O.k… are you cold?"/"A little…".

Javier's whole body was tense as he slowly lay down with his back to him. At the moment, this was the only logical position for him to warm someone else. Almost simultaneously and naturally, Keon put his arms around him and pulled him close. Javier felt his breath on his shoulder. Keon inhaled deeply. "You smell like… earth, the sea… and the other thing I like about you right now." A low, almost affectionate, vibrating growl could be heard.

The tension in Javier's body eased after a few seconds. Keon's grip was firm, but he still gave him enough room to breathe. They lay like that for quite a while, cuddled up close to each other. Until Javier unexpectedly felt Keon's warm lips on his neck. He was overcome with goose bumps and his little hairs stood on end. "hn, if only I wasn't so tired already…"

“Then… What?”/ “Then I would fulfill more than one wish for you and myself. But this…was the biggest wish I had at the moment…your warmth." Javier held on to his arms. He enjoyed it and Keon noticed it because that pleasant smell came back to his nose. “Don’t… let’s sleep, I have to get my strength back first.”.... “mhm”.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

End of part four

[writer1]

I have a fic that I lost a partner for, so if anyone would like to do a real ghostbusters fic with me please dm me ☺️ here’s the first chapter!

Odd things had started happening at the firehouse lately, and no one could figure out exactly what was going on. It wasn’t anything big most of the time, Egon’s older inventions were dusted and shining, Peter would wake up from a nap to a steaming cup of coffee sat on his desk, Ray would come home from a call to find food sat out for him, usually a chocolate muffin, his favourite. When Winston is working on Ecto-1, his tools that he needs somehow appear right beside him before he can ask about it.

All in all, what's been happening has been very strange. But what takes the cake is what’s happening now. Egon had been going to get himself breakfast. He never usually did, but today was an odd day, what can he say? But as he walked into the kitchen, he froze to see a tray of muffins being pulled from the oven by some invisible force.

The tray is dropped almost immediately, the tray making a loud clatter and the muffins rolling across the floor, one hitting his foot. Egon blinks a couple times and stares at the muffin by his foot, unsure who exactly made the muffins. None of them can bake to save their lives apart from him, and he definitely didn’t make these.

“Everything okay in there?” Venkman and calls from the room next door.

Egon swiftly replies. “Uh, yeah, I just dropped some muffins I was baking.” A lie, but one the others would believe. If there’s a ghost in here, they must be more sophisticated than the usual ghosts they catch if they’re able to make muffins from scratch.

Egon slowly and carefully gathers up the muffins and places them back on the tray for now, placing it on the cooker and closing the oven door and switches it off. He looks around the room, looking for any sign of physical ghost activity. He can’t find any. “Is anyone here?” He asks quietly, not wanting the others to hear.

Suddenly the trash can is opened and a stray Muffin is put in it, before a pen is picked up and it writes on the sticky notes stuck to the fridge. No traps.

Ash will not be trapped like some filthy heathen of a ghost, she won’t risk it! So she will wait for him to assure her. She has been around too long to be fooled this easily.

Egon watches as the pen scribbles something on the sticky note, so he walks closer and reads it. So they can write pretty well too. He nods his head. “Alright, no traps. Could you show yourself?” Egon asks, hoping they might.

For a few moments, there's nothing as Ash debates. But then she shows herself, wearing the familiar ghostbusters uniform. On the name part all it says is Ash, and she crosses her arms as she eyes him. “As I said, no traps.” She floats there, just eyeing him with nervous eyes.

Egon is surprised to see quite a normal looking ghost, a glowing blue figure of a woman, her wavy hair shoulder length. She looks just shorter than he is if her feet were touching the ground. Feeling like this is not a ghost they have to contain, he relaxes, just comfortably eyeing her. Egon chuckles softly. “It’s a little ironic that you’re wearing a ghostbusters outfit.”

Ash blinks, that… was not what she had expected. “Well, it’s much more comfortable than my other outfit and as I am your resident ghost I figured that I should look the part…” She then pauses. “I also can only go between the two outfits or a woman made of fire.” She shrugs, uncrosses and then recrosses her arms nervously. “This is what I am comfortable in.”

“That is fair enough, I’m not judging.” Egon says in a polite tone. He assumes the fire is how she died, since ghosts usually take on characteristics from how they died. “How long have you been here for… Ash?” He reads the namepatch. “Is that your name?”

“You don’t need to know that.” Ash hums. “If you mean the firehouse, then about a month.” She says softly, she at first thought he meant since her death, but realizes he might have meant the firehouse… she’s a bit touchy, concerning her death. “And yes, that’s my name. Don’t judge, Egon.”

“Yes, I meant here at the firehouse.” Egon confirms, then smiles. “Again, no judgement, just curious. I’ve never talked like this to a ghost before. You’re different from others.” He’s intrigued, then realises how that might have sounded, getting slightly flustered. “I-I mean, a good different.” Well this is going smoothly.

Ash snorts. “That is because I haven’t lost myself yet, or been pulled into the ghost demension.” She hums. “Or hell, as we ghosts like to call it.” She flickers a bit just thinking about it.

Egon gently pushes up his glasses as he listens to Ash. “I’ve done a fair amount of research about your dimension and how ghosts work and exist, finding out everything I can about it, but I haven’t discovered everything yet. Being stuck in this realm makes it nearly impossible to know everything.”

Ash hums. “I’ve never been there, but once a ghost goes in… they lose everything. Everything that made us human, our memories, our soul… all gone in a blink of an eye.” She says. “It takes a lot, to last as long as I have and not be pulled in. But let me tell you this, Egon. You find yourself getting pulled into there, dead or alive… you run the other way. Because answers don’t matter when you become a monster. Even Gozer was once human, it doesn’t end well.”

That makes Egon feel uneasy, but he doesn’t show it. “Understood. Maybe not knowing all the answers is safer that way then.” He half heartedly chuckles.

“Much safer.” Ash hums.

Egon smiles softly, thinking about how strange yet wonderful this interaction is—

“Egon look out!” Suddenly there’s a ghost trap under her feet, and Ash becomes a woman of blue fire, as she’s pulled into the trap.

Egon’s eyes go wide, staring at the ghost trap before spinning around to see Ray. Egon is furious, it's an emotion he doesn’t feel often. “Why did you do that?!” He yells.

Ray frowns. “I… ghost!” He says. “That’s what ifs for!”

The others come in, and Peter frowns. “What’s going on in here?” He asks, before seeing a ghost trap. “In our own home? Seriously?” He growls.

“It was only a matter of time, what monster this time?” Winston laughs.

“She was doing nothing wrong! You didn’t need to intervene, you shouldn’t have…” Egon growls and huffs, looking at the trap again. He takes a deep breath to level his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And she wasn’t a monster. If only you guys would think for once before you act.”

“Egon-“ Ray starts, but a glare shuts him up fast. “Sorry, we’ve never seen a good ghost. But we all trust your judgement.”

“Unless it comes to slime.” Peter mutters.

“Anyway, I’ll let her out.” Ray goes to pick up the trap, but suddenly Egon grabs it.

Egon handles the trap with care. “No, she asked for no traps. I promised her that. I’ll handle this by myself, like I was.” With that, Egon goes upstairs and to his room, making sure the door is locked. Egon places the trap on the floor just a few steps away from where he sits down on his bed, the organised mess of books and paper around him making it difficult to sit anywhere else. After a moment, he presses the release to open the trap.

Suddenly a ghost flies out, stretched and in a womanly shape of fire with glowing eyes. It should look menacing, but the fear in those eyes shows that she isn’t. Not at all. The room gets cold as she shrinks, going back to her look before as Ash looks terrified.

The heat for a few moments was immense, Egon almost finding it too much, but he’s relieved when it’s cool again. He doesn’t like how scared she looks. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe.” He attempts in soothing her.

“You promised!” Ash yells. “How could you!” She looks so betrayed before she flies off in a blast of heat. And she’s gone.

Egon's heart shatters, and he sighs.

xxx

Hours later, all the ghostbusters are in a meeting. “So… a lady who’s not old or ugly? Interesting.” Peter hums. “Don’t get many of those ghosts.”

“I need to apologize.” Ray frowns.

Egon sighs. “Well I don’t know where she is. She got really upset and disappeared.” He feels really sad for some reason. He liked Ash’s company.

“Welp.” Ray stands up. “I am sorry, Ash. I shouldn’t have trapped you. Please forgive me.”

“And date Egon!” Peter jokes, getting a slap to the back of the head from Winston.

Egon turns red, sighing. He hopes she hasn’t left.

[harry-styles-obsessed]

Devil in disguise

Dark! Harry x y/n

Warnings: dark content, psycho! Harry, crazy! Neighbour harry , smut, kidnapping, gore, mention of ‘rape’ word 1x, slight breeding kink

Word count: 3,400

You had recently moved into your new apartment, all by yourself, you wanted a new life and a fresh start and getting out of your old city and living far far away was the only way you could properly do that. It was in a quiet part of town so there wasn’t really anyone that lived there apart from one guy you had seen from time to time but he seemingly kept to himself sometimes offering a slight smile to you but other than that he remained silent.

You awoke that morning to the sound of raindrops hitting the glass window, the rain trickling down quite quickly. How miserable. You sighed softly sitting up in your bed, you had laundry to deal with and some other things you just couldn’t bear to deal with so early on in the morning but before you could even think one more thought a loud knock was heard at the door, soon followed by another knock and another and another until you pulled the door open- dressed in only your dressing gown. “Hello,” you glanced at the man, his voice was timid and soft- he seemed nerdy? But still kind of sweet. “I’m Harry, I’m sorry I wasn’t able to come visit sooner- I was just nervous… you know? But I uh made these for you as a welcome to the apartment complex sort of thing” he rambled with a little smile, holding a small container of cookies “oh- you didn’t have to. Thank you so much.” You said beaming as you took the box from him, you didn’t even think to mention your name to flustered by the fact he even thought of you. “I know I didn’t, but I wanted to. It isn’t often newbies come up at a place like this but when they do I sure do like giving them a welcoming they deserve” he said a slight creepy smile on his face, but you paid no mind to it simply thinking he was being sweet and generous “well thank you.. again… I appreciate it.” You said and he simply smiled staring at you, not saying another word. “I’ll see you around, harry.” You said smiling before you shut the door catching a quick glimpse of how he waved but you paid no mind to it, pulling the chain across the door and placing the box of cookies the counter.

As the days and weeks passed you and Harry continued bumping into each other, his charming smile working its magic on you, so much so he had invited you over for a meal at his house and you felt terrible so you agreed to go over. I mean what’s the harm in doing that? A free meal and engaging in conversation with a friend- it’ll do you good with your social life. You wore a comfy but casual outfit, nothing too snazzy but something nice and comfortable. Harry lived the apartment opposite to you, so it was incredibly easy to get there.

You ran a hand through your hair and before your knuckles could even knock on the door, the door had already been opened, Harry standing there a wide smile on his face “hey again- welcome… c’mon in.” He said happily and you smiled thanking him as you made your way into his apartment, it was nice and clean- spectacular even. “Please make yourself at home, dinner is in the oven ready for whenever.” He said with a happy smile. “I forgot to ask- what’s your name?” He asked and you looked at him taking a seat on the sofa “y/n” you said smiling and he hummed “y/n- a nice name. Do you happen to drink wine or just a soft drink?” He asked and you let out a soft laugh “soft drink please” you said and he nodded, you watched as he poured you and him a drink each, his hair was adorned with luscious short curls, tattoos littering his arms. He was gorgeous most definitely but he gave off a weird vibe so you weren’t quite sure how you felt about him just yet.

He handed you your drink, taking a seat opposite you “I sometimes even make my own drinks… squeeze an orange or two” he said and you hummed smiling “they’re really good, want to try one?” He offered and you shook your head taking a sip from your drink “I’ll pass, but thank you anyways. Maybe next time” You said and he nodded his head, he seemed to be staring at you a little bit too eagerly. That made you slightly uncomfortable and a feeling of dread overcame you. Something was wrong. Incredibly wrong. But in that exact moment you couldn’t do anything you were trapped. “Do you mind if I use the toilet?” You asked and he shook his head “of course not, the toilets just down the hall and to the left,” but unbeknownst to you Harry’s directions weren’t entirely sincere. You stood up placing your glass on the table as you smoothed your hands over your clothes, smoothing the wrinkles out before you followed his directions, and as you opened the door to the bathroom you stepped in only to notice a cold empty room. What? It looked like it was some dark alleyway that was attached to his apartment. Weird. “Maybe I went the wrong way” you said mindlessly to yourself but as you turned around you bumped directly into a hard chest, Harry’s tall figure blocking your way out “no. You went the right way.” He said, a sly smile on his lips and you furrowed your brows, becoming increasingly panicked “Harry… what are you doing?” You whispered visibly terrified but he simply smiled “I love you” he said with a shrug of the shoulders as if it was the most normal thing to say to his neighbour, you barely knew him so it frightened you. “Harry I’m going home, I’m sorry.” You said trying to push past him but as you moved forward he rested his hand on your shoulder pushing you back gently “no.” He murmured his eyes clouded over with some sort of darkness. “No?” You asked your flight or fight mood starting to kick in “you aren’t leaving” he said a sick smile staying on his lips, “you’re mine.” He said your eyes widening as you let out a laugh “oh this has to be a joke you freak!” You yelled before trying to shove past him your hands pushing against his chest and as he simply held on to you your panic increased, you lifted your knee up to collide with his crotch as he let out a grunt “silly girl” he spat out before gripping your T-shirt and shoving you backwards your head whacking against the wall, stars suddenly appearing in your vision and as he appeared over you his face was soft, his eyes kind again “I’m sorry, I didn’t want it to begin like this but you have to learn you can’t do that.” He said softly, you wanted to cuss him out, tell him to go screa himself but before you even could a wave of tiredness streamed over you, your head falling down onto your shoulder as darkness consumed you.

Harry had left you in the dark cold room, he left for an hour or so just drinking his egret away. He didn’t mean to hurt you, of course he didn’t, and because he did- he regretted it but he knew he had to have you in his life. He looked at the time on his phone before he exhaled and stood up making his way to the dark room, unlocking the door as he pushed it open quietly his eyes immediately focusing on you making sure you were still asleep, a small smile tugging at his lips as he stared at your helpless body, peaceful yet your face was contorted in fear and terror. The perfect combination that he liked. He knelt down just beside you, taking your jaw into his hand as he brushed his thumb over your bottom lip “so pretty” he whispered a psychotic grin tugging at his lips and after a few more minutes of simply staring at you he stood up, lifting you up bridal style as he made his way up of the room and into his bedroom, he laid you down on the bed, chains lingered on the bed frame. He took your left wrist into his hand before tying your wrist to the bed, he left one of your wrists free so you could have some sort of freedom. “Good girl” he whispered leaning down his lips lingering over your forehead, before he pressed a little kiss to your forehead before standing up straight as he stared down at you.

~

As you fluttered your eyes open you noticed the room you were in was clean, the lights dim. you slowly sat up noticing the chain on your wrist, your eyes widening as your breathing grew heavier. It was no nightmare this was real life. “Don’t worry, those are just for mine and your safety.” A voice suddenly spoke up and your head snapped towards the voice. Harry. The bastard. Crazy mother fucker. He was sat on a chair next to the door. How long had he been sat there for? And as if he read your mind he answered “I’ve been here for about an hour. Just wanted to keep an eye on you. Make sure you were okay- you know.” He said with a slight smile and you let out a shaky breath your eyes wide with fear. “a-are you going to rape me?” You asked, tears forming in your eyes as you stared at him visibly terrified and he stood up letting out a soft chuckle, as if he found it hilarious that you asked “I’m not going to rape you.” He said calmly “then what are you going to do?” You asked worriedly, he sat down on the edge of the bed as you curled up trying to get as far away as possible from him “I’m going to love you.”

His words hit you like a ton of bricks. He was creepy. “Please let me go home I won’t tell anyone please I beg of you” you said tears spilling down your cheeks, instead of responding he cupped your cheek in his hand wiping away your tears “don’t cry. There’s no need.” He said with a calm smile. “Please let me go home please!” You yelled, begging him and he fell silent staring at you “I cant do that, sorry.” He said your eyes filling with rage and fear “let. me. go. Please.” You said softly and quietly “cant do that” he murmured yet again, your breathing growing heavier “please Harry please please I- I-“ he cut you off “I said I cant do that!” He raised his voice silencing you as you let out a shaky whimper. “I’m not going to hurt you… I just want to love you… you were the girl I always wanted.” He said with a small smile

You stared at him, visibly confused “you must have the wrong girl then” you said a disapproving look forming on his features “oh… no no no.” He let out a soft chuckle “you really don’t remember?” He asked and you shook your head sniffling trying to stop the flow of tears gushing out of your eyes “okay, let me try and help you remember; Harry styles.” He simply said and as you stared at him some more your eyes widened. The young boy who was in the same year in high school as you. He was obsessed with acting and being on stage, just like you were at that time in school… you two practically “dated” for a week. Yes a week. It was nothing serious but Harry must’ve taken it seriously. “We were meant to be together y/n, I’ve been looking for you for five years and I’m not letting you get away now.” He said his words sending frightening chills down your spine “I. Love. You and you will love me too someday”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You spent the next few weeks remaining in Harry’s room, he never slept with you, he in fact chose to sleep on the sofa in the living room giving you time to adjust and become comfortable, you were getting used to him and as much as you wanted to fight it off you were starting to regain feelings for him, the feelings your younger self had. It made you feel sick. You had some sort of fucked up Stockholm syndrome but you couldn’t shake the feelings no matter how hard you tried.

You stared up at the ceiling the brief sound of Harry moving around grabbing your attention and you stood up, the chains immediately rattling but Harry didn’t even seem to notice so you sighed, sitting back down as you leaned against the headboard. After a few minutes the door was unlocked and opened as Harry stood there, a tray of food and drink as he beamed at you “morning y/n” he said happily “good morning Harry” you responded more calm than ever and he seemed to notice that “in a good mood?” He questioned and you smiled shrugging “I guess.” You said and he smiled before unchaining your wrist. A knife and fork were laid out just on the side of the tray “enjoy, you don’t have to eat it all” he said his hand resting a top of your head as he ruffled your hair before kissing the top of your head. You picked up the knife and fork as you immediately tucked in, you took gulps of your drink, the taste of the drink sweeter than usual but you thought nothing about it.

After a few minutes a sudden knot built in your stomach, something you hadn’t felt in a while. Your heart began to race the ache in your body becoming more prominent as you let out a shaky breath. You felt needy… the need to touch yourself but you held back your breath shaky and a bit loud. You placed the tray down on the floor just beside your bed “h-Harry” you called out, scared and he made his way into the room “yes??” He asked and you stared at him scared “what did you put in my drink?” You asked and he smiled softly, almost innocently. “What? Why? Aren’t you feeling well?” He asked and your breathing grew faster as he touched your forehead, his touch was effecting you in ways you couldn’t even explain and that’s when you realised something: you were needy for him.

As he stared at you, holding your hand your eyes gazed at his face then down to his lips then up to his eyes “I-I…” you couldn’t get your words out the need only intensifying and before you could even stop yourself you had thrown yourself at him, your lips sealing against his as his hands immediately wrapped around your waist, his tattooed arms only tightened around you as your hips began grinding down on him, you had never been this confident with someone like him… someone so out of your league. His hips rocked in a steady motion with yours, giving you some sort of friction to get off to which he found rather hot. His tongue slid against your bottom lip asking for permission but when you didn’t open your mouth, his hand suddenly slapped your ass a soft gasp falling from your mouth as he took that as his chance, slipping his tongue into your mouth kissing you deeply and passionately, the usually cold room now steaming hot as he worked your hips down onto his clothed bulge. His teeth gently tugged at your bottom lip, sucking on it gently before he pulled back gazing down into your eyes “such a good girl” he said, his lips kissing down your jaw and down your neck. You felt like you were betraying yourself but at this point you just didn’t care, he soon ripped your T-shirt off, trailing wet kisses down your chest and all the way down to your stomach “you like this? Don’t you hm? You dirty girl” he murmured a smirk on his features, before he kissed all the way back up to your lips attacking your lips in another kiss. His hand wrapped around your waist as he lightly lifted you up unhooking your bra as he took it off of you, staring down at you in awe, “woah” he whispered seemingly not believing what he was seeing “I’ve never seen someone so beautiful” he admitted, making your inner schoolgirl blush, as his kisses grew more passionate and harsh you grabbed a hold of his hair tugging at his curls.

He pulled your underwear off, his kisses kissing all over your thighs before he licked a stripe against your folds, his finger gently and teasingly pushing just into your folds, making you whine in need “you gonna be a greedy girl, hm? Want me to fuck you? Are you that needy?” He asked a small smirk on his lips, pushing one finger into your pussy as you fluttered your eyes shut letting out a whine of euphoria, his finger being replaced by his tongue as he lapped at your cunt repeatedly little moans leaving your lips as he sucked your clit flicking his tongue against your sensitive skin, your back arching from just that and as he let out a soft chuckle your body shivered from the vibration shooting throughout you. “You gonna come on my tongue? Hm? Do it. I want it. Such a good girl… hm” his words were enough to send you over the edge, your first orgasm spasming through you as you cried out his name, your fingers curled in his hair, your hips bucking in need for more of his touch.

He didn’t stop touching you, his touch driving you insane, but after you cooled down from your first high you began to realise what you were doing… what was happening… “you gonna have my babies? Hm? Oh we’re gonna have beautiful babies.” He murmured, you watched as he unbuckled his belt “wait…” you said softly and he looked at you continuing to undo his belt “I want to try something…” you said softly and he hummed, you got onto your knees, pushing him down onto the bed as he took his shirt off, you began trailing kisses down his chest keeping an eye on him and as you began to palm him his eyes immediately fluttered shut, his head falling back “mmm, fuck…” he whispered, his hand grabbing a fistful of your hair and as you took him into your mouth he without caring forced you all the way down his cock. His eyes squeezing shut as he let out a groan “such a good fucking girl…. Fuck… taking my cock so well hm”

As his eyes remained shut you continued to give him all the pleasure possible, your hand slowly moving down the side of the bed carefully and slowly making sure he wouldn’t notice, your hand grabbing a hold of the knife that was laid on the tray before you brought it up onto the bed “mhm, good girl.” He whispered letting out heavy breaths, his grip on your hair loosening as you felt him twitch in your mouth but before he could do anything else you bought the knife swinging down straight into his thigh as he let out a sudden scream of agony, his eyes filled with rage and confusion as he stared at you and you without waiting around stood up running out of the room, “y/n! You bitch!!” He yelled out, the sound of the knife clattering against the floor making you sprint towards the front door. You yanked the door open looking over your shoulder as you saw Harry anger on his face as he walked towards you, a slight limp in his walk, you took the keys on the counter before slamming the door shut, locking it from the outside, as he began screaming, banging on the door as he screamed your name over and over again.

“I’m going to kill you! You stupid slag! I’m going to fucking kill you.” He yelled out and you pushed your apartment door open before slamming it shut and locking it, putting the chain across as you let out a shaky breath, your eyes wide as his screaming continued… you escaped… you escaped him. You had done it. Your hands shakily grabbed a hold of your phone before you bought it to your ear

“999 what’s your emergency?”

[thevampsworld96]

Valentines Day Surprise

Hey, everyone. I hope you are doing well. Sorry this is a bit late it was meant to be posted for valentines Day, but I just got busy with personal things. This was a bit hard to write, and I hope you all like it, of course, open to any suggestions and things I could improve on.

Apologies in advance if there are any spelling or grammar errors.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

It was valentines Day. You were feeling excited but nervous at the same time cause you had plans for the night with the love of your life.

You took a day off from work and went out to shopping to buy the things you needed for the romantic night you had planned. You brought the whine, the flowers, and the chocolate. You're both favourite. You then went through your wardrobe to search for the new dress that you brought a couple of days ago.

It was coming up 8pm while you waited for Brad to come home you got ready. You showered and got dressed and done your makeup perfectly while you were doing that dinner was cooking in the oven, the table all you had to do is to serve it and light the candle and wait for the love of your life to come home.

The dinner you wanted to the kitchen and quickly served the food onto a plate, and you finally lighted the candle.

You dimmed the lights to make the night perfect. Once you were happy with everything, now all you had to wait was.

You played the slow at a low volume and stood by the table with your phone.

Watching the clock, you waited for him patiently for him to come home, and eventually, he did you hear his car come in to the drive-through, and you ready. The keys began to jingle, and the door opened, and the moment he walked in, you had a smile on your face. You patiently waited for his reaction it wasn't long til his eyes widened and looked at you. Brad was definitely mesmerised by the sight of you.

"Hello there handsome"

You say to him. One hand on the table and the other was on your hips.

Brad walked over to you and grabbed you by the waist and pulled your body close towards his.

"Did you do all this"?

He asks while moving in to kiss you. He hasn't stopped smiling from the moment he walked into the house and saw you.

"No, someone broke in and did for us. Of course I did for you, my love. I want to show you how much you truly want to me. But first answer me this question"

You say to him.

"Love your sarcasm. You can ask me anything, babe,"

He says while chuckling.

"Will you my valentine Mr Simpson"

You put your hand on his neck, Brad's bands still on your waist his eyes were on you and nothing else.

"Always and forever, my baby, I love you. Thank you for nice surprise"

He says while pulling you even closer towards him and both lips touched.

"I love you too. Now shall we eat otherwise was going to get cold"

You said. You both then sit down and cling your glasses, which was filled with expensive whine. You both started digging in the meal. Everything was going smoothly, but what you didn't know is that Brad had something else planned for you, and of course, so did you, but you needed to wait just for the right moment.

Brad handed over a dozen red roses and, of course, your favourite chocolate. You didn't like receiving expensive things long as the person thought of you. You focused on the small gestures that Brad did for you as you, a very simple person.

After the meal and constant laughing and dancing around the kitchen while doing the washing, you both sat down on the chair. The lights were dmmed, and the music played at a low volume. A few candles were burning, and the night was just calm, perfect. You had your red whine which you finished off as you waited for Brad to come and join you.

Eventually, he made his way to the sofa and joined you, and he wrapped his arms around, and you both cuddled up with each other.

"Thank you for tonight, darling. I loved every single second of it"

He says.

"You're welcome, my love. I just wanted to show you how I love you"

You say to him while leaning on to his shoulders and cuddling him.

"Don’t have to show it cause I already know, sweetheart. I love you so much. From the moment we started, some things always told me never to let you go. I think you definitely took a part of me"

You both laughed as you still remained cuddled up and started to play fight on the sofa, of course, in a loving way.

"Oh thar was fun"

You say.

"Never knew you were that ticklish"

He says.

"Dang it now you know weakness"

Both still were playful. You had good laughs and scoffed chocolate whine perfect way to finish the night.

You had one more thing to surprise him with, and this you were excited about but very nervous about it too, but there was no way you were going to let your nerves down you. You really wanted this to go down perfectly.

Brad put his phone down and drew his attention back to you thinking what should you both do now.

"So my love, what would you like to do now?" Brad asked while gently kissing your hands.

"I think I have an idea, babe. Why don't you get comfortable in the room and I’ll be there I will make it worth your while"

You say to him and he knew what you had planned but of course he wanted to be surprised.

You came into the room, which had rose petals scattered around the room and clean whine and glasses and bottles of gin on the nightstand. You took your time making sure all the candles were blown out and the gas was switched off. You grabbed your kimono robe and made your way to the shared bedroom.

Brad waited patiently, and the moment he saw coming into the room, he could help but smile. He noticed you wearing a black robe that smile changed to a confusion.

"Whats going on"

Brad asked. You then walk towards him and gently push him down to the bed and put your finger on his lips.

"I just need to relax while I take you away and give you an amazing night a night. You will never forget"

You say to him. You then move back to the standing position and place your hands on your robe to remove it to reveal a lingerie set that you brought specially for this night. You sat down on bed and you let your hands do all the moving.

Brad couldn't take his eyes off of you seeing what stood in front of him. He then pulled your body close towards him, and lips touched the two of you dived into the sweet, passionate kiss he grabbed your body close to him and just like that you were in bed with him.

The pair of you touched each other, exchanging words suck as "I love you"

You removed the t-shirt that Brad was wearing only to reveal his bear body. He gently laid you down on the bed, and her lips still squish together, with hands gliding up and down on both bodies.

"Oh god I fucking love you"

Brad says in between kisses.

"I love you more than anything in this world. If I were to dis now I'd be the most happest person on this planet"

You say to him while cupping his face in your hands. You could tell that he was happy you were able to see the joy in his eyes, which lit up very bright.

"You made me the happiest man tonight, my love. You really did I'm so thankful for that"

Says to you. He then lies down on your belly, which was his favourite place to lie down when the two of you were in bed.

"Then I have did my job babe happy valentines day my love"

You say to him, waiting for him to say it back to you. You knew he would.

"Happy valentines day my darling I love you"

He says to you.

"I love you most"

You say it back and wrap your hands around each other, holding one another very close, and just like that, you both feel asleep in each other's arms...