#yard runners

[tj-crochets]

I have new neighbors and today they were out in their yard (the youngest kid saw a cool bug) and their little dog was offleash so I got to meet neighbor dog! Neighbor dog is my new favorite

[cementcornfield]

i feel like this is about to be such a weird game lmao

[platinummice]

I went to the store today, one way there one way back and saw it exactly five dogs with collars at 4 different roadkills just fuckin,,,,, chowin down,,,, hope whoever the fuck is just letting their dogs run rampant get fuckin rabies

[bevanne46]

Come See All the Quilts and Fabric Items I have been posting about at the Driveway Quilt Sale. It will be like a Garage Sale Only Better

Saturday, Aug 17, 2024 (Sale Day as the All Marysville Garage Sale)

9:00 am - 4:00 pm

78th Pl NE, Marysville 98270

by the Cedarcrest Golf Course

Find Quilts, Pillows, Pillowcases, Tableware, Wall Hangings, Stuffed Animals, Pet Beds, Baby Items and other Handcrafted Items.

Also find: Fabric, Notions, Patterns, Craft Books, Crafting Items & Storage Items

There will also be Non-Crafting Items here, just like a regular Garage Sale

Items like: Gardening Items, Tools, Housewares, Bedding, Puzzles and more.

Something for Everyone!!

Other homes in our area will be having sales also so you can shop from various Sales!

64th Dr NE, Marysville

74th St NE Marysville

[lovelyreviews1]

The Chicken Coop Company

Are you looking for a chicken coop but not sure which one is best nor are you sure on the kind you are wanting?

 Check out the Chicken Coop Company, they have quite a few different kinds and styles. They have coops with runs for 6+ chicken, a coop for 4+ chickens, and a coop for 10+ chickens.

It takes about 1-2 hours putting these coops together once you receive it and on the website there are useful tips on what to do to make the coops last longer.

They also carry, shirts, aprons, socks, tote bag, and chicken print products which are cool.

[espace--positif]

Mornings With Him

A collection of husband!Zayne x F!Reader domestic headcanons [Love and Deepspace]

Summary: Mornings are always better shared. Especially with the love of your life. A collection of fluffy snapshots of mornings spent with husband!Zayne. Pairing: Zayne x F!Reader WC: ~2.1K Content tags: Established relationship, Domestic fluff, Fluff, Romance, Mild suggestiveness Read on AO3 // My Masterlist

Ever since you married the love of your life and began living together, your mornings have changed for the better. But things haven’t always been so smooth, on account of a few differences in your lifestyle that made themselves glaringly obvious early on.

For one, Zayne is a morning person, and you’re regrettably not. Not to the extent that he is, anyway. You don’t ever clash on this, but it’s caused some… unforeseen difficulties in the past, especially for your husband.

He’s always been the type of person to be ready a full hour before he has to leave, whereas you’re more likely to be rushing out the door exactly on the dot, if not later. On top of that, he’s also a morning runner. So when he would try to quietly sneak out of bed to begin his rigorous routine every morning and you’d sleepily cling to him, coaxing him back to the warmth of your shared bed with an almost 100% success rate, to the point where he started regularly missing his morning runs, he figured something had to change.

His solution? He’d find a way for the two of you to spend your mornings together, outside of bed.

Thus, he carefully crafts a shared routine for the both of you, easing you into his way of life while easing himself out of the constancy of his own diligence, little by little.

One early morning, as Zayne woefully pulls himself away from your iron grip, he decides to venture towards the kitchen on a mission. He brews two large cups of coffee and returns to your shared bedroom, where he finds you sprawled on his side of the bed, trying to soak up any residual warmth. You lift your gaze, meeting his with sleepy eyes, and he instantly recognizes the look on your face - his betrayal will not be forgiven nor forgotten, especially this early in the morning when you’re less than agreeable on most things. Well, on all things, really.

He sits at the edge of the bed and silently offers a cup — your favorite cup — and you glare for a while before sitting up and grabbing it. It warms your hands, and you start to think about forgiving him for abandoning his duties as your personal heater.

Over the next week, Zayne gradually adds more layers to your shared routine, carving out a space for you in his little tasks. You’ve become less and less insistent on dragging him back to bed by force, knowing that you’ll be rewarded with a delicious coffee delivered straight to you within a few minutes of his departure. Once his peace offering is well received, he wraps your robe around you and takes you by the hand, leading you to sit by the patio window to enjoy your coffee - in the warmer months, you often sit on the porch — and only then does he take the opportunity to complete his run.

There, while listening to birdsong and being caressed by the gentle breeze, you’re thankful for the brief moment of tranquil solitude. Besides, you know that your husband will be back like clockwork, right as you’ve had your last sip. The corners of your lips inevitably tug upwards every time you see him rounding the bend, jogging back to you. It’s as if you’re seeing him for the first time all over again. You stand to meet him halfway through your yard, and he gently kisses your forehead. You wrap your arms around his warm chest, and his embrace feels as comforting as it has ever felt.

You wash your face and brush your teeth while he showers, and vice versa, both of you relishing in the proximity and safety of each others’ presence even while doing something as mundane as getting ready. While you complete the final touches of your routine in the mirror, Zayne works on a simple breakfast. You’ve never been a breakfast person, but after much insistence and lecturing about how it’s the most important meal of the day, you end up caving, graciously accepting anything he offers you in the morning. His prowess at cooking helps too, of course.

Once you’re ready, you sit across from each other at the dining table, where a helping of sometimes egg and toast, sometimes waffles, sometimes fancy greek yogurt, sits waiting for you. There’s often no need for very many words as you share breakfast together. Both of you sit in the solace of each other’s company for a while, comfortable silence occasionally truncated by a comment of yours on how good the food is, or a comment of his on the weather forecast. Eventually, your renewed energy causes conversation to naturally take off, and you end up rambling about mundanities while he listens attentively, as though it’s the most riveting thing in the world.

By the time you’re set to leave, your morning has already brightened, your smile shining brighter than the sun as you offer to tighten your husband’s tie, a ritual he never refuses even though his tie is already in perfect condition. He returns your beaming smile, and finds that his morning has brightened too, more than he ever could have imagined. For a moment, Zayne blissfully contemplates how he would gladly upend his entire mornings, afternoons, evenings, and nights, all at once, in exchange for this view.

Not all mornings are so predictable. In fact, some morning are simply a continuation of a long, long night…

Zayne almost thinks his eyes are deceiving him when he sees your hunched-over form lit up by dancing blue light from the TV screen. When he awoke at four in the morning to an empty and cold bed, he assumed that you fell asleep in front of the lawyer drama you were so captivated with, but he didn’t imagine that you’d still be watching.

He gingerly comes down the steps, socks muffling his movement, and you’re so caught up in your show that you don’t hear him coming. He stands there, amused and baffled all at once, taking in the sight of you. Here sits his wife, normally a pinnacle of responsibility, huddled in a blanket with nothing but her face poking out, eyes bleary with tiredness, but burning with fervent focus at whatever ridiculous plotline is surely unfolding before her. He lets out an incredulous chuckle. The TV volume is almost too low to hear and you’re busy squinting at the subtitles; you’re considerate even in your most unreasonable moments.

“Honey,” he says, breaking the almost-silence.

You slowly turn to face him, a serious expression etched on your face.

“I think Jacob’s gonna cheat… with Anna-Maria,” you say gravely, as if the world hangs in balance.

He makes a mental note never to leave you to your own devices in front of these shows, even if you swear up and down you’ll only watch one more episode before you join him in bed. But for now, he figures you’ll need proper closure on whether Jacob truly plans to cheat on his wife with his legal assistant, and though he’s loath to admit, he’s curious himself, as Jacob always struck him as an honest enough man.

So he plops down next to you, reserving his lecture on your late-night escapade for another time. You unfurl yourself from your blanket-cocoon, wrap the blanket around you both, and snuggle up against him, thankful for the added warmth on this chilly winter morning.

You watch two and a half more episodes together, in which the Jacob storyline wraps up neatly with a bow on top - he was majorly guilty, of course. Zayne turns the TV off when all is said and done, and you sit in silence, processing the somewhat unsatisfying end to the plotline.

“Don’t you think he got off too easy?” you look up with half-lidded eyes and ask Zayne with genuine curiosity. At this point, the show has become entirely too real in your sleepy mind, and you seem to suddenly have a big problems with the gaps in realism. “His wife immediately went to ‘let’s try couples therapy’ and not ‘you’re an asshole and I’m divorcing you.’ She even put some of the blame on herself!”

Zayne can’t help but smile at how serious yet unserious you look right now - it’s frankly adorable.

“Well, Jacob seems to have something called plot armor, so that helped to lessen his sentence.”

You chortle at the clever wordplay, lightly tapping your husband on the chest. Lazily reaching over to pick up your phone, you check the time and let out a groan.

“Oh no. It’s almost six.”

“It sure is,” Zayne replies with a resigned smile.

“And now I’ve kept you up too,” you whine. “Ugh, I’m sorry. We should go get ready.”

But just as you’re about to drag yourself away from him, Zayne pulls you back into his chest.

“Call in.” It’s more of a gentle command than a suggestion.

You contemplate his words for a while, and he hopes that the warm comfort he feels right now, your body against snugly glued to his, will entice you to stay right where you are as much as it’s enticing him.

“I do have a lot of sick days saved up…” you ponder out loud. “Okay, fine, but under one condition.”

Zayne tilts his head at you inquisitively. Conditional capitulation being one of your specialties, he presumes you’re going to drag him through another one of these dramas that you enjoy so much, and that he’s grown to enjoy as well since meeting you (though he would never admit it).

“You call in too,” you say with a mischievous smile. “I stole two whole hours of your beauty sleep, and a certain someone once told me that any less than 8 hours is unhealthy. So let’s just stay right here and nap all day.”

Zayne leans over and plants a gentle kiss on your lips. You have a knack for saying exactly what he wants to hear — yet another one of your specialties.

“Deal.”

Even when you’re on vacation, hundreds of miles away from any and all possible responsibilities, Zayne doesn’t seem to have an off button. He’s up at seven thirty in the morning, and despite your countless nagging about how that’s too early, he’ll insist that it’s far later than his usual, and that it’s perfectly reasonable.

He’s seemingly impervious to jet lag - he’ll tell you all about how good sleep hygiene and optimal nap times contribute to mitigate its effects, though you’re convinced your husband must have some kind of genetic or occupational advantage over you.

Your mornings together begin almost two generous hours after he’s begun his own routine. His 6AM runs are replaced with what he calls a leisurely maintenance routine at the hotel gym. Then, he comes back upstairs to quietly shower off while you’re still dozing, but not before scouting the hotel buffet. This is a very crucial part of his plan for the two of you.

Zayne is thoughtful enough to let you sleep in on vacation, completing the rest of his morning routine as silently as possible, knowing how much you both need the time off. However, once his shower is completed, your time is up. By 9AM, the curtains are flying open, room service is already on the way with coffee, and he’s crawling into the bed you’ve now appropriated as your own, gently but firmly coaxing you awake as you try to cover your eyes in vain. You settle for gluing yourself to his body and using him as a makeshift shield against the bright sun filtering through the window.

“Mmh… ‘s too early,” you mumble into his chest. He smells of hotel soap, and hotel soap has never smelled so good.

“It’s nine in the morning, dear. You’ll stay jet lagged the whole time if we don’t fix that schedule of yours.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah - you’ve heard it all before. But staying right there, on soft plush covers, cuddling with your husband in the morning sun sounds like an awfully good deal in exchange for a little bit of jet lag.

“And the buffet closes at 10:30.”

He never tires of the way your entire body perks up at the magic word. You look up at him, blinking remnants of sleep away, and repeat his words, as if they’re too good to be true.

“Buffet?”

“That’s right.”

“What’s the pastry situation?”

Your suddenly stern face and steadfast determination sends a low rumble of laughter through his chest.

“Full spread. Salty and savoury. Heated on demand.”

You gulp.

“And eggs?”

“However you want them. Unlimited toppings and fillings.”

You practically shove him off and commando-roll out of the queen bed, scurrying around the room to start getting ready. Normally your not-so-gracious dismount from your impromptu cuddle session would’ve earned you a cheeky comment, but as he watches you discard your robe on the bathroom floor, then saunter over to your open luggage to find your “buffet-primed clothes”, as you like to call them, your bare curves basking in the sunlight, he finds that he doesn’t mind your enthusiasm at all.

Thank you for reading! I’ve been thinking about domestic Zayne nonstop so of course I had to write about it. He’s so husband-material coded it’s not even funny. I might write something like this again in the future if I think of more scenarios! 💜

[trifoliate-undergrowth]

So I’m in a deeply red incredibly conservative state.  I ran a pride month 5k awhile back. The usual group of 3 protestors with an incredibly loud bullhorn showed up to yell at us about how trans people are mutilating themselves and AIDS is God’s judgement and we’re a menace to children etc. etc. etc. But they were vastly outnumbered by runners and volunteers. One of the first race announcements was that they hadn’t ordered enough T-shirts for the amount of people who ended up running, and would have to reorder, so anyone who wanted another race T-shirt should sign up now.

We’re all used to the protestors by now, they show up everywhere. We just ignore them. Interacting with them just encourages them.

I hadn’t realized how early the race date was this year compared to previous years and hadn’t prepared as much, and there were a lot of hills; not to mention there was some confusion as to the race route which resulted in the announcer referring to it post-run as a “4-mile 5k” (they are supposed to be about 3.5 miles. One guy ended up in an entirely different district of the city from where the race route was and still finished first.) I ended up walking a lot of the race, but I finished it, and did do a fair bit of running.

I had top surgery a few years ago but I’ve only gotten comfortable running shirtless this year as body fat redistribution happened. I had been trying to decide if I wanted to run shirtless or not before the protestors showed up and started yelling, then I was like ah. I will run past the transphobes shirtless like a human middle finger. And that is what I did. was wearing delightfully garish rainbow shorts I found at a thrift store and my pink triangle necklace.

Some Americorps volunteers were directing runners at one of the more confusing junctions, I high fived one and panted that I had just joined Conservation Corps. The sound of angry bullhorn shouting faded almost immediately behind us, and there were rainbow flags hanging in several of the yards we ran past throughout the route.

As in previous years, a lot of tough incredibly fit beautiful older people, mostly women, breezed past me during the race. One jogged up even with me with an encouraging “what would you do for a klondike bar!” I wasn’t sure how to reply to this and didn’t have the breath to express that I did not want anything thick or creamy at that moment, but what did come out was “you did remind me that there’s beer at the finish line.” Another lady who walked and jogged near me for awhile near the middle-latter half of the race talked a bit and complained that one of the volunteers organizing the race hadn’t set up the “water” table with fireball shots that she did for some other races and we just got a regular water and gatorade station!

Coming back to the finish line I was handed a flag and ran past long rows of cheering people. Around the corner the protestors were still lurking, but were mostly silent now. Apparently they had gotten worn out by just standing there and not running. As I passed the bullhorn guy shook himself out of his torpor enough to give a halfhearted “is it a man? is it a woman? who knows anymore?” I passed him and the sound of cheering, and then the 80s music (I remember Blondie and ABBA) they were blasting closer to the finish line.

Once most of the runners were back there was a fun run for the kids. A couple of the older ones had also run the 5k (I just know the protestors were awful to the poor guys ughh) but all of them made a lap around the parking lot and got handed medals. All of the adult volunteers and participants spread out around the middle of the parking lot so that there was someone cheering and waving flags for the kids along every step of the route.

There were free snacks, water and beer courtesy of our sponsor [brand redacted]. There was also non-alcoholic “beer”, which I thought was nice to see, I’d been thinking there was a heavily alcoholic element to a lot of local queer events. I drank a lot of water and ate some food before getting a free beer, which still hit me pretty hard after the run. While I was hovering around the refreshment table a big handsome butch came up next to me and I noticed a faded tattoo on her arm of a chain, each link a different color of the rainbow.

I went to put something down in my car just as the protestors were starting to leave, and realized that they were moving on a course that overlapped with mine as I walked to my car. I decided I wasn’t going to stop or veer out of their way and just see what they did. As I got closer they seemed to be talking about how we had definitely totally noticed that they were leaving (no one had.) They noticed me coming towards them and suddenly got quiet, avoided eye contact and skittered out of my way. Ha.

I stumbled into the nearby fundraiser to cool down and sober up in the air conditioning before I left. They were playing girl in red, rupaul, that girls/girls/boys song by Panic! at the disco, and that Taylor Swift song “You need to calm down” that some people on this site complained was cringe. The lady next to me sang along to “shade never made anybody less gay.” I bought a baseball hat.

It’s easy, I think especially if you’re very online and not very active in your local community, to start feeling like there’s no queer community in your area and we’re outnumbered by people who hate us. Unless you live in the middle of Westoboro Baptist territory that’s generally not true. I cannot stress enough how incredibly conservative and red my area is. We’ve got like 3 very loud people with nothing better to do who bother us at every event, and large amounts of people across all demographics who show up in support. I’ve been thinking about this post by @headspace-hotel about not being able to find stuff online and this is a slightly different thing but yeah. If you don’t know what there is in your area, you don’t know what you’re looking for or where to find it when searching online. If you search “is there queer stuff happening near me” google is going to shrug and recommend you Products And Services that it can Sell You. When I moved back home after spending some time in a much more blue state (but which had much less of a sense of community--I think it’s the way we band together down here when we know just what the stakes are) I felt like I was going to be the only trans person in the state, then someone mentioned to me that there was a local private facebook group for trans people to share personal posts and resources with many hundreds of members. There are more of us that aren’t on facebook. The Facebook group, though, introduced me to many more resources I hadn't known were in my area.

Get outside. Find some sort of local queer event and ask around. There will be other queer people. There is very likely something you’re interested in already happening or people who would love to work with you to start it if not. Even if you’re in a very red very rural state, you’re not alone, and chill or neutrally polite people vastly outnumber the few assholes, it’s just that the assholes are very loud and especially if you’ve been marinating in overwhelmingly toxic online environments it can feel like they’re everywhere. They’re not. Don’t give them that power.

The current legal landscape is terrifying and needs a lot of work but it doesn't reflect lived experiences. Get outside, find your local community, show up to in-person events if at all possible, it’s so encouraging.

[kurooh]

❆ SLEIGH RIDE !

KINKMAS 2024 — christmas choking + suguru geto

❆ desc. your first time on a sleigh being pulled by curses is supposed to remain on the ground, but you quickly find yourself above ground and atop something else. ready to become a member of the mile high club?

❆ warnings. 18+ content — mdni, fem! reader, cunnilingus, choking, sex in the air, some asphyxiation, gojo cameo, creampie, fluff. | 3.9k words

geto suguru has never been on a sleigh. 

he has never seen one in action or outside of a television screen. hell, he didn’t even know the difference between sleighs and sleds! until you convinced him to hunt down a few reindeer-like curses and fix up an old sleigh from a yard sale.

the thing was a shell of itself, with red paint flaking off all sides and creaking loudly each time it was pushed so much as an inch. when you worked together tirelessly to restore the sleigh so it could be a neat lawn decoration, you’d pitched a brilliant idea to him — why not absorb some suitable curses to pull the sleigh around?

fractions of the waning sunlight shine on the fluffy snow and highlight the new quality of the sleigh’s red paint. wispy curses gallop ahead, pulling the sleigh steadily, and snow crunches beneath their hooves. their bodies are tangled with green loops of rope, a cursed tool that attaches them to the sleigh and acts as a harness.

this is sweet, like the candy canes that suguru loves in the winter and the smell of the candles you’re planning to give him for christmas. you look ahead, silently savoring his company and the idyllic scene. it’s like you’ve just jumped into a photo on pinterest—you’ve got the clothes, sleigh, surroundings, and man to boot.

“my girl looks so pretty when she’s smiling,” suguru says softly, a playful sparkle in his eyes. “let me guess, is it the sleigh ride? or me?”

the gentle jingling of the sleigh bells grows distant as you turn toward him with a laugh, catching his eyes. “both. the scenery is beautiful, and so are you.”

he sticks out his tongue, rolling his eyes dramatically. “bleh, beautiful? really?”

“fine. handsome, sexy, attractive, delicious,” with each word, you lean an inch closer until your lips are so close and yet so far apart. your breath warms the small space between you and gets his heart picking up its pace. “is that better, sugu?”

“definitely, sweetheart,” suguru replies, cheeks heating up despite the cold air. “are you gonna kiss me or do i have to make the first move, like always?”

“oh, i was just teasing you,” you titter, pulling back the moment his fingertips ghost along your cheek. he throws you an offended glance, tipping his head up and jutting his chin out. “don’t look at me like that, you do this to me all the time.”

suguru shrugs nonchalantly, keeping his eyes ahead and focused on the reindeer-ish curses. a plethora of colors paints the sky as the sun disappears beyond the horizon, the temporary dawn illuminating the backs of the curses and emphasizing the shadows on the snow. a small bump in the otherwise smooth ride is just the beginning—a moment later, there seems to be a sudden choppiness that bucks you nearly a foot up off the bench. 

it seems like the runners have gotten caught on something, making the curses stumble off kilter. the sleigh swerves to the side and so do you with a startled gasp, right into suguru’s awaiting arms (and lap). he steals a kiss to your cheek, and the chaste action sends a ripple of heat through your body.

“seems like there’s been some turbulence,” suguru comments, his voice low near your ear.

“oh,” you flounder for something to say instead of moving off his lap, at a loss for words now that the little tease has been flipped on its head. “i wasn’t holding on, and the curses, they—they probably tripped.”

“they look fine to me,” he whispers, nodding towards the recovered curses in question. it’s as if they’d never stumbled in the first place. “it’s not like you tried to stop yourself.”

instead of coming up with some annoying, sly answer, you’re busy being consumed by suguru’s heated gaze. the desire is painfully obvious in those pretty eyes of his, and in those explorative touches along your back that make you shiver. he’s got his hands beneath your fluffy winter coat and on your skin, his fingers heating you up much faster than the downy material. 

“give me that kiss,” he almost demands, a pleading edge to his voice. “i caught you, didn’t i?”

at first, your lips meet gently—a soft touch that makes the world around you disappear. to encourage you closer, suguru’s hand lightly cradles your face, the pad of his thumb gingerly brushing over your jaw. for a moment, the kiss is full of something tender and sweet, but then something shifts into place and it deepens.

your breath catches in your throat as his lips move against yours urgently, right before he slips his tongue between your parted lips. your hands can’t help but seek purchase in his neatly bound hair, fingers pulling the dark tresses from their hold and tugging. he groans into your mouth, his cock hardening in his pants; the close proximity instills a sweltering heat inside you that radiates through your clothing and pools into your panties. 

the once frigid air now crackles with a certain electricity; he’s hot and hard beneath you, which is something that melts your inhibitions away like snow near a fireplace. are you actually about to cast away the cuteness of a sleigh ride in favor of something utterly filthy? yes, you are — and you don’t regret it one bit. clearly, suguru doesn’t either, not with the way he’s impatiently shifting you around on his lap.

“move your hips f’me, baby,” he grunts, nose bumping into yours when he comes up for air, his hands settling on each side of your waist. “show me how much you want this cock, hm?”

“o-okay,” you pant, chasing after his lips while you roll your hips onto him. god, you’re already soaking wet, just from weakly humping his clothed cock. whiny moans pour from your lips and he hushes you with endless kisses, along with a splayed hand at the small of your back, which guides you whenever you start to slow down.

the curses race onwards, and there’s a little more turbulence before there’s nothing at all. literally, nothing at all—confused, you crack open an eye, movements pausing as you take in your surroundings. just like magic, the sleigh is rising off the ground and being pulled into the dark sky. 

you’re trembling on suguru’s lap, half startled and half turned on. only he could have this effect on you, making you drip wetter with excitement at the prospect of flying into the clouds. the hand that was once resting on the small of your back now pushes into your skin insistently, and suguru’s acting as though you’re still on the ground, completely unfazed.

“why’d you stop, sweetheart? is something the matter?” the corners of his lips curl into a mischievous smile as he protectively hugs you closer. 

“we’re in the sky,” you swallow slowly, fingers absentmindedly toying with the metal button of his pants. silky, sable tresses blow in the air like thick ribbons behind him, and the comforting scent of his shampoo wafts into your face. “did you tell them to—what the hell even happened?”

suguru clasps your hands together with his own, helping you undo the button. he’s unbothered as he works the zipper down before moving onto what you’re wearing. “i suppose they brought us up here on their own,” he lifts you off of his lap, ignoring the small scream that tears from your throat. instead of letting you slip and fall out of the sleigh, suguru sits you down on the bench and sinks to his knees. 

dark pupils dilate against amethyst irises, his heavy gaze fixed on what’s between your thighs. yes, his favorite christmas gift; suguru could probably pass as santa claus, with how often he eats a certain cookie...

you’re trembling as suguru slowly peels the thin panties away from your wet cunt, his eyes hungrily following the glossy strings of slick that move with the material. brisk wind rushes into your face, and your eyes flutter shut in an attempt to resist the discomfort. 

“hey, it’s cold up here,” you complain, letting him pull your hips up to his face. you’re like putty in his hands and effortlessly giving in to him—suguru notices, and he’s ready to reward you. “my nose is—shit,” you gasp, breath catching in your throat when his tongue flicks through your sticky folds. 

“your nose is cold, honey?” he supplies, finishing your sentence for you while buried between your splayed legs. “tuck your face into your coat.”

all too soon, you’re reduced to a dumb, babbling mess—but this is what always happens when suguru’s between your thighs, eating your pussy like he’s been starving for days. that silky tongue of his roughly pushes into you, and his eyes dart up to yours in a silent command. 

use me, that look reads, and who are you to defy him?

with a breathless moan, you brace yourself with a hand in his hair and the other planted on the bench. “mmm, fuuck—was this what you’d been planning since we got into this thing?”

“maybe,” suguru murmurs coyly, smacking his lips before taking your clit between them. his cold, slick fingers nudge against your hot pussy when he slides them inside. the dichotomy between the temperatures makes your eyes roll back into your skull as you weakly thrust against his face. 

above the thin clouds, you’re only able to see the bright moon and the dimmed lights of the city beneath. you shakily inhale, surprised by the lack of oxygen this high up; each breath is more elusive the harder you pant, and it makes your head spin in a way that compliments suguru’s ministrations.

the tip of his nose brushes against your pelvic bone and he finds that he has trouble breathing too. he quickly forgets about the whole thing once he spits onto your clit, watching the shimmery glob trail down your slit and onto his fingers. your chest heaves in effort and you close your eyes, pushing suguru’s head deeper.

“mmmph, baby,” he moans wetly, grasping with his free hand to pull your body closer. “y-you’re always so fuckin’ hot, shit.”

oh, that’s right. it’s freezing up in the sky, but suguru’s like a match, keeping your fire stoked and fueling his own. 

your head weakly rests against the backing of the bench, lips parting around countless moans of ah’s and ooh’s. suguru’s shoulders shake as he devours you, the wind blowing his hair onto your thighs or against your tummy. it tickles, and because of the sensitivity, it’s also extremely stimulating—your hips jerk forward, clit throbbing between his lips.

as your cunt sporadically clenches around his relentless fingers, you feel your back arching up and off the bench, thighs squeezing tightly around his head. 

“h-hey, sugu,” you whimper breathlessly, “god, fuckkk—gonna cum, ‘m so close,” that unadulterated desperation in your voice sparks something inside him, something that compels him to yank you forward so he can really dive in. 

suguru’s smacking and licking sloppily at your overstimulated cunt, pushing you right off the edge and carrying you through the fall. a euphoric cry tears from your throat as you shudder uncontrollably, panting out clouds into the air. when you finally release him, his face is a complete mess—rosy cheeks glossy with wetness, nose and mouth smeared with sticky cream. 

and his eyes—they’re sparkling like he’s just opened the best christmas gift ever, some kind of horny joy shining in his violet irises. 

“s-shit,” you exhale, drunk on him as much as he is you, “we need to go down a ‘lil, can’t breathe.”

suguru lets out a small laugh at your slurred words, wiping a hand across his face while the curses start to gallop downwards at a slow pace. he sidles up beside you on the bench, making no move to pull your pants up for you. 

“that’s not fair,” you shiver, blindly rifling around for your panties if they haven’t fallen out of the sleigh. “y-you’ve still got all your clothes on.”

he tugs you toward him, effectively halting your search for the panties. “sweetheart, i’m nowhere near finished with you.”

“yeah?” you snark, teeth chattering, “gonna even the playing field and strip down too?”

“already taken care of,” he hums, pulling you into his lap. suguru’s boxers and pants are bunched at his knees and you’re mere inches away from his cock. damn, he must’ve done all that while you were talking to him.. again and again, he proves he’s great with his fingers.

“be a good girl ‘n sit down on it,” he huffs, an arm wrapped around you while he holds his cock upright by the base. with the moon behind you as your only source of light, though dim, you can see the thick outline of his length and even the veins that run along it. it’s always a stretch with him, and you sniffle out a whine as you slowly sink down.

“what a greedy fucking pussy,” suguru bites out, watching as it swallows inch after inch of his cock. once he finally bottoms out inside you, tip flush against your cervix, you’re both groaning, although he’s much louder than you.

“god, you’re just the gift that keeps on giving.”

you clumsily paw at his shoulders, mewling when he gifts your bare ass with a smack. it already stings, and the cool air immediately rushes over the skin, providing a few extra licks of pain. suguru lightly nips at your neck, tongue flicking behind your earlobe.

“ride it, sweetheart. don’t make me have to help you out, ‘kay?”

you nod, teeth sinking into your lower lip. he’s so damn deep, filling you up and stretching you out all at once. slowly, you raise your hips and steady yourself; then you’re starting to bounce on his cock, feeling each punchy thrust right into your cervix. 

“sugu—oooh! f-fuck, ngh,” you’re breathing hard and sucking up the thin air, sweat beading on your forehead as you exert yourself. no longer are the sleigh bells jingling softly; instead, they’re rattling against the wood because of the high speed. but with his cock inside you, making your tummy bulge just a little, you’re unable to fully comprehend the fact that you’re racing through the sky. 

sable tresses drape over the edge of the bench, tangling in the blowing wind and flying into your faces. suguru’s gasping, and his flushed lips are kissing away the drool that seeps from the corner of your lips. 

he feels amazing, but it’s nearly impossible to fight off the exhaustion that settles in your limbs and prepares to stay. the once loud smacks of skin against skin and wet squelches begin to diminish quickly as you wilt against him, head hanging over his shoulder tiredly.

“‘m sorry, sugu,” you cry, feeling the tingling sparks of euphoria dissipating inside you, “i really—oh, i can’t keep going . . need you to make us cum, sugu.”

gingerly, he plants a kiss to your neck and chuckles, grabbing at your ass like freshly made dough. “thought i said i wouldn’t,” he grouses, although he’s not entirely upset. “who’s gonna control the curses, hmm?”

“we’ll be fine,” you mumble, sliding your cold hands up beneath his coat and shirt. “just for a minute or two. you started it, so finish it.”

“oooh, aren’t you sassy,” suguru clicks his tongue and rolls his eyes before wrapping a light hand around your throat. his fingers don’t dig too hard into the sides of your neck and you’re a little thankful since the air’s so thin up here. “if we start plummeting, it’s your turn.”

“stop it,” you huff, eyelids fluttering shut when he finally sets his hand onto your hip and starts to move you. god, he’s balls deep and groaning your name, along with various curses and praises. wet squelches and sticky smacks of skin on skin fill the air—the utterly nasty sounds have you squeezing hard around him.

his grip tightens on your neck and he grits his teeth, feeling the beginning sparks of pure bliss. it’s no use when he’s inside you, but he tries to fight it off any way, cheeks splotching a darker pink. “ngh, shit. i need to—hah—feel you cum with me, all over my cock.”

all too quickly, your hand wanders between your legs, and you gasp out clouds of breath when your fingers find your swollen clit. through the haze, you’re able to notice the new course of the sleigh—you’re racing downwards, much like a car on a rollercoaster.

your stomach flips and you start to sob out his name, enamored by the exhilarating rush of it all. “s-sugu, fuckkk—‘m gonna cum.”

“yeah?” he pants, gripping your waist hard enough to leave bruises. you feel him adjust you to the side, giving his cock deeper access at another angle. “you better cum hard for me, sweetheart. we’re not getting off this damn sleigh ‘til you’re crying.”

as if on cue, a few horny tears gather in your eyes, but they don’t splash down your cheeks just yet. you hiccup out his favorite words, eyes rolling back into your skull. “yes, r-right there! fuck, ‘m cumming,” suguru interprets this as permission to finally cum too, and his mouth falls open, cock spurting white into you.

in your boots, your toes curl as your cunt squeezes him impossibly deeper, the both of you temporarily oblivious to the bumpy sleigh. the city lights are suddenly becoming clear, and suguru regains control of the curses, his energy flaring as he commands them to fly back up.

“heh, that was close,” he lets out a shaky exhale and releases his grip on your neck, pulling you into his chest. the winter coats swish quietly as they come into contact with one another, and suguru feels a persistent buzzing at his side. “you were supposed to take control if that happened. lazy girl.”

“if you were asphyxiating like i was, i think you’d also be tired,” you sigh, shivering as suguru notices a persistent buzzing at his side. in a pathetic attempt to prevent him from picking up and answering, you mischievously start to shift on his lap again. but really, who the hell is calling him right now and why is there still reception this high up?

that inevitable sensitivity creeps up on him and makes him shudder as he pulls out his phone, clumsily swiping to answer on a very familiar caller id. his shaky thumb misses the green button and he bites his lip, stiffening when you press your lips to the shell of  his ear.

“aw, don’t answer it,” you murmur, voice smooth and easily convincing. oh, he’s quick to notice the dazed, blissed out look in your half lidded eyes and the sultry implication in your next words. “c’mon, sugu. you’ll ruin all the fun.”

but it’s too late. letting out a resigned sigh, suguru shakes his head and finally answers the phone. with a precarious glance tossed your way, he hoarsely speaks up. “hello? satoru?”

“took you long enough, suguru,” gojo’s cheerful voice rings through the phone, confident and unbothered. “what’s going on up there? i can feel your cursed energy going haywire. it’s all over the damn sky.”

he freezes immediately, fingers cautiously digging into the plush skin of your hips. you offer him an innocent shrug, adjusting on his cock once more; heat flares in his gut and he flounders for words. “satoru, it’s . . nothing important. it’s just the rainbow dragon flying around, heh.” shameless delight has your heart kicking in your ribcage when your ears catch the unusual tightness in his voice.

“nothing important?” gojo laughs, the smirk obvious in his voice. “you’re causing a storm over the city. and come on! you haven’t summoned that one in years.”

suguru’s face twists into a grimace and he desperately tries to stay quiet against the quickening pace of your rocking hips. he hopes that the awkwardness will be enough of a hint and dissolve into the goodbye he’s been dying for since picking up the phone.

“it’s coming down in waves.” gojo laughs at the silence, pausing briefly to look up into the sky. it takes him a moment, but he’s able to push past the choking plumes of suguru’s cursed energy to pinpoint yours. “oh, wait. holddd up, suguru.”

“huh? look, i’ve gotta go, satoru,” he nearly stumbles over his words, “i’m busy with some new curses.”

“don’t tell me you’re busy with her up there, suguru,” gojo remarks suggestively, “no wonder you’re flying all around like a cursed santa claus.”

suguru’s face flushes and he glances helplessly at you, searching your face in hopes of coming up with an acceptable answer. “cut it out. we’re just fine, satoru.”

“bleh, you could’ve just rented a plane, you freak.”

suguru doesn’t even entertain his best friend with a response, swiftly hanging up and tossing the phone to the bench. “i hope you’re happy,” he grumbles dryly, cock twitching inside you. “that was fun, huh?”

he’s half irritated, half in seventh heaven. “i know, i know. he’ll forget about it in a month.”

“in a few months,” suguru corrects you with narrowed eyes that still glint with playfulness despite his embarrassment. he pulls you close as the sleigh starts to drift toward the ground, the curses bracing to land. “besides the call, that was a great ride.”

you can’t stop grinning, leaning in to kiss away the pout on his lips. “next time, leave your phone at home so you don’t get us into this mess again, hehe.”

[hauntedhowlett-writes]

DON’T YOU EVER GROW UP

CHARACTERS: Joel Miller & Sarah Miller

RATING: none | WORD COUNT: 900

SUMMARY: Joel experiences many emotions as Sarah reaches the childhood milestone of getting her “big girl” bed.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is me, projecting my own experience onto my favorite character because I’m a fic writer and that’s what I do. Divider by @/saradika-graphics and beta read by @murder-wife 💕

LINKS: support for palestine 🇵🇸

Joel wipes the sweat beading along his hairline with the back of his hand. He stares at the new bed frame, his mind not reconciling how much bigger than her convertible crib it is. It's just a twin, white wood that matches her dresser and her bookcase stuffed with children's books of all shapes and sizes, but it seeing it take up so much space feels jarring.

"Little help?" Tommy calls from the hallway. Joel shakes his head to clear his thoughts before joining his brother, who holds one end of a mattress teetering on the stairs. Together they bring it the rest of the way into Sarah's room, settling it on the frame.

"Thanks for the help," Joel says, patting Tommy's shoulder. "I owe ya one."

"Don't sweat it. I know the little miss was dyin' for her new big girl bed."

There it is, the phrase that makes Joel's heart clench in his chest. Sarah's barreling towards five years old, shedding some of the baby roundness in her cheeks and no longer saying certain words incorrectly, the way toddlers tend to do. She gets up every morning for preschool and eats her cereal all by herself and comes home in the afternoon to tell Joel about her day, legs kicking against the chair while she shows him her art because she's not quite tall enough to reach the floor. Joel looks around the room again, remembering the rocking chair in the corner that was the first piece of her childhood to retire, followed by the changing table with its pile of diapers. He thinks about how small she'd been, how light her tiny body was on his chest and for a moment he misses it so fiercely his eyes burn with the threat of tears.

"I need a beer," Tommy says, leaving the room. Joel takes the opportunity to press his fingers to his eyes, willing the wave of emotion to subside before joining his brother in the kitchen.

They share a couple beers before Tommy checks his watch, announcing that he should leave. On the way out the door, they pass the dismantled crib and Tommy taps it with his hand.

"You want me to drop that off for donation?" he asks. Joel looks at the chipped white wood, rubs a thumb over a dent in the veneer.

"No, that's alright. I'll take care of it," he replies. Tommy shrugs and Joel walks him out to his truck parked in the drive way, waving him off. When Tommy disappears from view, he heads next door to Connie's house.

He knocks on the front door and waits, the sound of tiny feet against wood growing louder, making his smile grow wider. The door opens, Sarah's sweet face peeking through the crack allowed by the chain lock.

"Password?" she asks, tone as serious as a four year old can muster. Joel crouches down to look her in the eye.

"Pizza for dinner," he says. She squeals in excitement and jumps away from the door just as Connie unlocks it. His daughter sits on the worn carpet runner to pull on her shoes while Joel asks how she behaved.

"She was an angel as always," Connie assures him. "Wait right here, we made cookies earlier and I want to send y'all home with some."

Connie disappears down the hall and Sarah darts after her. When they return, his daughter is balancing a foil wrapped plate in both hands, tongue peeking out of her mouth in concentration.

"Thanks again, Con. I'll be 'round Sunday to help Dan with the yard," Joel promises. Connie waves a hand at him.

"Don't you worry about it, you know it ain't a big deal to watch her. You got a good egg on your hands."

Back at home, Joel calls in an order for pizza that he shares with Sarah. He lets her take sips of his Coke to wash it down, her brown eyes wide with excitement at getting to drink soda with dinner. After a bath, pajamas, and a minor argument over brushing her teeth, Sarah enters her room for the first time that evening and sees her new bed.

"Wow!" she exclaims, clambering onto the mattress. She stands, jumping excitedly and Joel wraps an arm around her middle, placing her back on the ground.

"Remember how that song goes? The monkey falls off and bumps his head?" Joel asks, knocking his knuckles against the top of her head as she giggles. "No jumpin'. Come on, let's get your sheets on."

Together, though the bulk of the effort falls on Joel, they get her bed ready. Purple sheets with a cream colored quilt decorated with purple butterflies, a set that she spotted in the store that Joel went back to purchase on his own. She crawls between the sheets and settles her head on the pillow, ready for her stories. Joel reads three books of her choosing and shuts down her argument for a fourth, seeing that she can barely keep her eyes open any longer. He plugs in her pink butterfly nightlight and kisses her forehead.

"Goodnight, baby girl," he whispers.

"'M not a baby, I'm a big girl now," Sarah replies in her sleepy voice. Her eyes have already drifted shut before he can respond and he stands there for a moment, watching her with a lump in his throat.

Sarah may be getting bigger, but she'll always be his baby. Of that, Joel is certain.

Thank you for reading! For more of my writing visit:

All masterlists

Joel Miller masterlist

[midnighthazee]

Greenridge ABO Series

a/n: This chapter is not for the faint of heart.... grab your wine or chamomile tea and buckle up!😰

Series Masterlist Masterlist

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, violence, mentions of past rape/trauma, explicit language, SMUT, 18+ MDNI, aggression, rough sex, creampie, marking/biting, pet names, somnophilia (if you squint)

WC: 5003

Chapter 10

It was the next morning, Chan and his betas were back at the Ahgase house ready to have breakfast. He hoped to create a lasting friendship with this pack, learning from them and being a more patient and fair alpha like Jaebeom. Maybe he was being too reckless, Jaebeom’s suggestion of talking it out on his mind all night. Was he being too impulsive? Maybe talking would be an easier way to solve this problem.

 “You sleep at all?” Seungcheol asked Chan with a chuckle.

“Not really.” Chan forced a smile.

They knocked, the door swinging open and an energetic Jackson bringing them into a big hug. “So good to see you guys. Come in.”

They followed him in, through the house and onto the back deck. The deck was elevated to the second story, overlooking the yard below. The treeline and mountains were an inviting view as they stepped outside. There was a large table out here as well. It looked to be a marble slab with metal railings in a zigzag formation supporting it. There were also fourteen chairs, metal framed with a cushion and curved back.

Jaebeom and the rest of the pack were at the table already, chatting amongst themselves when they stepped outside. Jaebeom smiled warmly as they entered.

“I figured it was such a beautiful morning, we could enjoy the fresh air while we eat. Please…. sit.” Jaebeom said. “We have mimosas and breakfast is on the way.”

Once everyone was seated, Jaebeom stood. “Here’s to our alliance. To new friendships and brotherhood.”

“Here’s to taking down that bastard of an alpha.” Yugyeom snickered.

They all raised their glasses in a toast, sipping the mimosas. Jaebeom sat down as the ladies from last night brought out breakfast dishes and placed them on the runner decorating the center of the table. There were several gourmet options, Hyunjin and Jisung practically salivating at the sight. 

There were eggs benedict, bananas foster belgian waffles, lemon blueberry scones, buttermilk pancakes, smoked sausage, apple maple bacon  and seasonal fruit. It was just as luxurious as the dinner from yesterday.

It also tasted just as good, the boys definitely eating too much. Jisung’s cheeks were so full the whole time as they conversed through breakfast. It was a lovely meal but unfortunately the time had come to part ways, Chan wanting to get back home.

“We will definitely have to invite all of you over for dinner as a thank you soon.” Chan noted.

“We don’t wanna impose on your omega so make sure you ask her first.” Jaebeom says, nodding towards Chan.

“Of course. But I’m sure she wouldn’t mind. And please bring your omegas with you too. I think it would be good for y/n.” Chan insisted.

“That’s a great idea. We will have to set that up.” Seungcheol smiled.

“I will wait for your invitation.” Jaebeom said with a smile. 

“Me too.” Seungcheol pointed his finger at him. “And don’t forget to email me that document when you get home.”

“I won’t. You should have it by four. If not, I might have gotten distracted so just call me.” Chan stated.

Jaebeom nodded and off the two packs went. They got into their respective cars and pulled off, heading back home. Chan sent a text in the group chat before pulling off.

Hey. Alliance secured! On our way back. 

We should be home in a couple hours!

Jisung texted too:

How’s y/n?

They were nearly an hour into their drive, Hyunjin was playing DJ, rapping along to the songs, while Jisung played his video game. They only had a few hours left, but Jisung complained he had to pee. Chan reluctantly pulled over at the nearest rest stop and let him. Chan took the opportunity too, Hyunjin having gone before they left. After a couple minutes, they were back on the road, driving towards home on the local highway.

“Jinnie, babe, are you trying to put me to sleep?” Chan asked.

“No.” Hyunjin smirked. “Don’t like classical music?”

“Not while I’m driving…and tired.” 

“I can drive and you rest.” Hyunjin offered.

“It’s fine. I just wanna get back home. Then I can rest”

Jisung snored dramatically from the backseat.

“Yah! I’m changing it.” Hyunjin glared, making Jisung laugh.

The music changed from a piano lullaby to an upbeat, bass booming song. Chan drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, singing along.

“Better?” Hyunjin asked, scratching the back of Chan’s head briefly.

“Yes.” Chan smiled, eyes focused on the road.

“Better, Ji?” Hyunjin shot daggers at him

“I guess.” Jisung shrugged, making Hyunjin roll his eyes.

CRASH!

Glass shatters, pieces flying everywhere as the car is jerked sideways. The car swerves, flipping one… two… three times before landing upside down in the ditch on the side of the road. The underside of the car smoked a bit as it creaked and settled. A dark van, coincidentally being the only car on the road, squealing to a stop. Five large men climbed out, hurrying over to the car.

Inside, Chan groaned, looking over to his betas. They all were hanging upside down, superficial cuts from the glass decorating their skin. The car was bent and crushed, glass shards and fragments of metal littering the roof.

“Hyunjin? Jisung?” He called out, coughing as he reached towards Hyunjin.

“Mmm….what happened?” Jisung muttered from the back, his hand going to his head only to find a trail of blood near his hairline.

“I don’t know.” Chan looked over at Hyunjin. “Jinnie?”

Hyunjin didn’t answer, unconscious as the seatbelt held him up.

Chan hurried to undo his own seatbelt, dropping to the roof. He winced but reached for Hyunjin, feeling a heartbeat in his neck. He breathed a sigh of relief when suddenly his door was forced open. Two men pulled him out, sticking a needle in his neck before he could realize he wasn’t being rescued. He shook from their hold, landing a punch to one of the men before his body went limp and they carried him over to the van.

“Chan! Chan!” Jisung yelled, trying to undo his seatbelt but it was jammed.

Two more men were pulling out Hyunjin, making Jisung squirm in his seatbelt. He was fighting against the restraint as he tried to save his mates. Three more came over to his side and pried the door open. It didn’t give easily, the frame bent out of shape. They had to use tools but eventually got it open.

“No. Get the fuck away from me.” Jisung growled.

The men just laughed, one reaching in quickly to slice the seatbelt. Jisung dropped to the roof but before he could gather himself, they also stuck him with a needle. His body too went limp and they dragged him from the car.

Carefully turning around to see Minho, you see him resting, small snores coming from his mouth. You attempted to slip away but his hold tightened. You tried to remain calm and peel his arm from you. He groaned, shifting as he slept. Looking at the nightstand, the clock informed you it was half past ten. The rest of the boys were probably eating breakfast or about to.

You tried again once more, but this time he opened his eyes. He looked at you, breathing in your smell and smirking. He leaned forward, kissing your cheek and down your neck.

You tensed and whispered, “Minho?”

With all the resolve he could muster, he pulled back.

“You should go. Before I lose control.” he whispered.

“It’s your rut, isn’t it?”

He nodded, eyes squeezed shut. 

You fully turned around to face him, his face twisted as if in pain. You caressed his cheek, and his face relaxed. His eyes opened, a deep honey color to them, as they looked into yours. You don't know if it was his scent clouding your better judgment or the fear of making him mad, but you didn’t leave.

“Y/n…please. I don’t know how much longer I can hold back. I don’t want to hurt or scare you.” Minho whispered, the restraint evident in his voice.

“No.” 

He looked at you wide eyed.

“As your omega, I should help you.”

“It’s too soon.” Minho sat up, trying to clear his head. 

“I am still getting over everything they did to me, yes. But I care about you all so much. I don’t want you in pain or suffering if I can do something to help.” You said, resting a hand on his shoulder. “You’re my pack now. I didn’t get to help Jeongin but I can help you.”

“Chan should be first to lay claim to you. He’s the head alpha.” Minho says, looking straight ahead.

“But you need help now.”

Annoyed, Minho abruptly got out of bed. 

“I know you care for me. And because you do, you won’t hurt me like the Nykos did. At least let me take the edge off.”

“No. Go get Felix or someone.” he practically growled.

You stood up and walked over to him, resting a hand on his upper arm. “Minho…please let me-”

He cut you off, pushing you back into the wall and pinning your hands on either side of your head with a growl. Startled, you let out a little squeal. Your heart began to race and you grew nervous of his next move as felt the heat radiating off his body. 

“See. You’re afraid.” he stated.

  You could feel his breath on your face as you were engulfed in his rut scent. God he smelled so good.

“I don’t…” he trailed off, releasing you.

“Minho..” you say in a small voice.

“I don’t want you to hate me.” His voice was barely audible.

“This is my choice. I’m choosing this. I would not hate you for this. Please Minho…” you say, reaching up to stroke his cheek. 

He sighed heavily, leaning into your touch. “I’ll try my best to be gentle.”

You smile up at him, melting his tough exterior. He smashes his lips onto yours, lifting you up. Your legs wrap around his waist as you make out. His tongue pushes past your lips, dancing with yours as he deepens the kiss. You could feel the warmth going straight to your core.

Of course you were nervous and scared. You had never had a good experience since it was always forced on you. This time, however, felt empowering since it was your choice. You were still worried how he would act but he was your soulmate so it shouldn’t be awful, right? Not like the other hybrids who used you and were extremely rough, not caring about your well-being.

Minho laid you down on the bed, quickly ripping off your clothes. He kissed you hungrily, trailing down your neck and attaching his lips to your nipple. You gasp, it felt amazing. You had them bitten and yanked, but never sucked and the feeling had you floating.

He sucked both buds before kissing lower, down to your core. The other hybrids never went down on you, not caring about your pleasure. If they wanted a taste, they briefly used their fingers. So when Minho swipes his tongue through your folds, collecting your wetness on his tongue, you moan.

Your moan excites him, his throbbing dick twitching in his boxers. He was definitely happy to be the first to show you how sex should be. He licked and suckled, prodding your hole with his tongue. Your juices were so sweet - the sweetest he’s ever tasted. He slurped and circled your clit, making your back arch.

You had cum a few times, just enough to know when it was about to happen. And right now, Minho had you already about to snap. Your hand found its way to Minho’s hair, and you tugged in the effort to ground yourself. He groaned, the vibrations sending you over the edge. You came all over his tongue and he lapped at the juices. Your legs tried to squeeze closed around his head but he pinned them down.

As you came down, he crawled up your body with a mischievous look on his face. His eyes were so dark now they were almost black, displaying just how much his control was slipping away. You shuddered at his predatory gaze.

“Minho?” your voice was barely above a whisper.

He didn’t answer, too lost in the moment as his instincts took over. 

He lined himself up with your entrance, sliding harshly inside. You wince, a pained groan slipping from your mouth. He was big and stretching you out. You swear none of the other hybrids were this thick. Your pussy wasn’t used to this and should have been prepped but his rut didn’t allow for the patience to do so.

He groaned as he thrusted, you were so tight, gripping him as you tried to adjust to him. You breathed through it, wanting to support your alpha. You could already feel the bond strengthening between you two - between the pack too as you were claimed by one of the alphas. It awakened something inside you and you relaxed underneath him as the pleasure overtook you.

“Fuck you feel so good, baby.” he moaned.

You ran your fingers along his chiseled body, taking in every curve and contour. He had a few minor scars here and there, although not as much as you did. His skin was soft and warm under your touch, electricity flowing through your fingertips from the contact.

You could feel the coil inside you tightening. It felt good…too good. Wow it’s never felt like this. Moans were falling from your mouth as he continued thrusting. He latched onto your nipples once more and you arched into his touch, one hand tangled in his hair. 

“Ugh…you’re so tight, kitten.” Minho groaned.

Your legs wrapped around his waist, his dick hitting deeper inside you. He continued to hit your cervix and you were seeing stars. The coil snapped and you came with a loud moan of his name.

“Fuck!” he gritted, spurting his cum deep inside you.

His hips stuttered as he filled you, gripping your hips. Your chest heaved as you came down from your high. His smell was intoxicating and you felt like you were on cloud nine. Was it always going to be like this?

He slipped his cock from your heat, making you wince. You wanted more - it felt too good. He must have read your mind because he flipped you onto your hands and knees and thrusted back into you. You gasped, clenching around him as you gripped the sheets. 

“Fuck..kitten.” He growled.

He began thrusting into you and you could feel the orgasm building yet again. You didn’t think he could fill you any deeper, but somehow he did. You didn’t want it to stop as it felt so incredible. You would have gotten over your fears faster and helped Jeongin if you had known it would be this mind-blowing.

Leaning forward, Minho flushed with your back, he hit your sweet stop repeatedly. Your orgasm was approaching fast as he continued to grunt and growl in your ear, the sound of skin slapping nearly drowned out by your moans.

“Minho…” you whined.

“I know, kitten.” Minho whispered.

He leaned into your hair, sniffing at your scent gland. Your scent mixed with your arousal was making him feral. He pushed your hair to one side, exposing your scent gland even more. It was then he was reminded of the branding Lewis put on you - because it certainly wasn’t the bite of a soulmate.

His eyes glowed red with anger at the idea of his soulmate being marked by another hybrid. You were his. You belonged to his pack and no one else's. He was so angry, he couldn’t see straight. He couldn’t stand to see that alpha’s mark on you. He opened his mouth and bit down near your scent gland.

You cried out, pain pouring into every muscle, tissue, and vein in your body. Your body shook, your orgasm washing over you. You rode the high, legs shaking as he latched onto you. He groaned as you squeezed around his cock but he didn’t let go. 

It was overwhelming and too much, making you see stars. Your vision began to get hazy as your orgasm continued to wash over you. Your whole body shook, eyes squeezed shut. You don’t know how long it lasted but eventually your body went limp and everything went dark. Minho released his mouth and fell with you, finally able to resume thrusting as you relaxed around his cock.

He was too gone to realize the gravity of what he just did.

Seungmin, Felix, Changbin, and Jeongin burst into Minho’s room. They heard you scream and now you were lying lifelessly on the bed as he continued to thrust into you. He was kissing across your back as he chased his own high. 

The boys were hit with the smell of his rut and panicked.

“What happened?!” Changbin nearly yelled.

Minho growled in response, flashing his red, possessive eyes at them. They knew it was not a good idea to interrupt an alpha and his omega….especially during his rut but they had no choice. It was too soon and they knew you weren’t ready to engage in such activities. Little did they know you insisted.

 “Minho….focus on my voice.” Changbin spoke calmly.

Minho growled in response, shielding you with his body. Changbin moved forward, as did Seungmin and Jeongin, and quickly lunged towards Minho. He growled and thrashed but they managed to get a grip on him and pull him off of you. You whimpered as he slipped from your tight heat, Felix hurried over and covered you in a sheet.

The boys pinned Minho to the far wall, him growling and fighting their hold. Felix noticed the bloody bite on the top of your shoulder near your scent gland and his eyes went wide. 

“Y/n?” Felix delicately brushed your hair back from your face. 

You didn’t wake.

Minho growled, making Felix jump. Felix was very sensitive to emotions, so he was scared and anxious with all the smells around him - anger, arousal, rut, worry, fear. Felix quickly scooped you up and brought you down to the med room, laying you on the bed. He pulled out his phone, dialing Doctor Quinn and putting her on speaker. Then he grabbed his stethoscope and blood pressure cuff. 

The phone rang five times. No answer.

“Dammit.” Felix panicked, hitting the call button again.

His hands were shaking, tears threatening to fall as he listened to your heart.

No answer.

“Fuck.” Felix rasped. “Answer doc!”

Felix called Doctor Quinn once more.

“Hello?” Quinn finally answered. 

“Thank god. I need you here immediately. Something’s wrong with y/n. She won’t wake up and she’s bleeding and-” Felix rambled, lip trembling.

“Felix, slow down. What’s wrong?” Quinn said in a calm voice.

“Y/n!” Felix exclaimed, tears filling his eyes. “Something’s wrong. Minho marked her and now she's not waking up.” 

“Minho marked her? Not Chan? Where’s Chan?”

“He’s not here! He took two betas to make an alliance.”

“Okay. Um, I'm with a patient right now. What’s her heart rate and BP?”

“It’s faint, I don’t know.” Felix threw his hands in the air.

“Felix, calm down. You need to take a breath. You can’t help her if you don’t collect yourself.”

Felix took a shaky breath.

“Okay. Tell me her vitals. Can you do that?” Doctor Quinn asked, her voice gently.

“Yes.” Felix sniffled.

With shaky hands, Felix told her your heart rate was fifties. He then measured your blood pressure, informing Quinn it was 60/40. 

“I'm almost done here Felix and then I will be right there. Give her fluids and keep an eye on her vitals. It sounds like she's sub-dropping.”

“Oh no…” Felix's eyes pooled with tears, streaming down his cheeks. “Isn't that fatal?!”

“Not always. I'll be there soon.”

With that, Quinn hung up in an effort to finish up with her current patient. Felix looked at you with such love and worry. He just got you…you couldn’t be taken from him now.

Meanwhile, the boys were bringing Minho to the rut house. There were chains there if needed for an extreme rut. They may have used it once but never had a regular need for it. Changbin chained Minho to the wall and he growled, not wanting anything to do with him.

“Let me have her.” He growled.

“Minho. Get a hold of yourself.” Changbin challenged.

“I’ve never seen him like this…” Jeongin whispered.

“I think y/n made him feral.” Changbin muttered, walking over to the others.

“Did you see he marked her?” Seungmin asked.

“Chan’s not going to like this.” Changbin ruffled his hair.

“Should we call him?” Jeongin asked.

“We shouldn’t worry him. Plus he should be on his way home by now.” Seungmin said.

“It’s just nearly noon.” Changbin looked at his phone. “He texted. He’s on the way. Jeongin, go help Felix and call him.” Changbin said.

Jeongin ran back home, coming in through the basement doors. He closed the door behind him, pulling out his phone when he heard crying. It was coming from the med room. His stomach dropped and he rushed over. He saw Felix laying his head in your lap, crying. Your skin was pale and it didn’t look like you were breathing. He couldn’t hear a heartbeat over Felix’s sobbing.

“Felix?” Jeongin whispered.

His head popped up, eyes puffy and cheeks tear stained. “She’s gone, Innie.”

“What?” Jeongin found the will to move and came over, gripping your wrist and looking for a pulse. “No. Fix her.”

“There’s nothing I can do. She sub-dropped. And Doc Quinn isn’t answering her phone.” Felix cried once more.

“You’re our medic. What would Doc Quinn do if she was here?”

“I did CPR for nearly five minutes.”

“What meds would Doc Quinn give her?” Jeongin asks as he comes over and begins CPR once more.

“Jeongin…”

“WHAT MEDICINE!?” Jeongin growled, not realizing his Alpha dominance was taking over.

“I, uh…” Felix stumbled over to the medicine cabinet. “Think, Felix, think.”

After a few seconds, Felix came over and injected you with a couple different medicines straight to your heart.

“What are those?” Jeongin asked.

“Epi and Amiodarone.” 

“Now what?”

“We continue CPR and hope Quinn gets here soon.”

“Call Chan.”

Felix looks at him with eyes so big it was shocking they didn’t fall from his head. 

“I was supposed to but I’m busy. Call Chan.” Jeongin said again.

Felix swallowed thickly and pulled out his phone. He dialed Chan but he didn’t answer. He tried Hyunjin and Jisung too.

“No one is answering.”

Jeongin rolled his eyes.

“Let’s switch.” Felix said.

They switched and Felix took his turn. 

“How’s Minho?” Felix asked.

“I think she made him feral.” Jeongin said, inspecting the mark.

“I’m afraid to clean it. I don’t want to hurt her.” Felix explained.

“You wouldn’t hurt her right now.” It slipped out before Jeongin realized.

They remained silent.

Chan slowly came to, his head pounding and his whole body aching. He groaned, reaching to massage his muscles when he felt a restraint. Opening his eyes he realized he was sitting in a dungeon of some sort. The smell was….familiar. Awful but familiar. There were chains around his wrists, securing him to the wall. He got up, looking around to see a wire cot with a thin, water stained mattress. There was a hole in the floor off towards the back.

Oh shit… Chan thought.

He was with the Nykos.

“Hyunjin? Jisung?” He called out. “Hyunjin!? Jisung!?”

He looked through the cell door, and across the walkway was Hyunjin beginning to stir. He looked around, restrained as well.

“Where the hell are we?” Hyunjin freaked out, standing and fighting against the shackles.

“Jinnie, relax. We are with the Nykos.” Chan stated.

“The Nykos?” Jisung questioned, coming to his cell door. “You mean this is where y/n spent her life?”

“Afraid so.”

“It smells like shit in here.” Jisung pinched his nose.

“We gotta figure out a way out.” Chan stated, looking around.

“Hey, miss? Can you help us?” Jisung called to the girl across from her cell.

“Jisung, who are you talking to?” Chan asked.

“There’s a girl in the cell next to yours.” Jisung explained. “Do you remember y/n?” 

The girl ignored him, cowering in the corner. She could smell the alpha and it terrified her. Hell, even the betas scared her. She was definitely not as brave as you had been.

“Stop scaring her.” Hyunjin says.

Jisung gives her a half smile before sitting on the mattress, groaning at the lack of support and cushion. 

There was a creak of a door and then footsteps descending. The smell of alpha hit their noses and the girl whimpered. They all stood alert, watching for what would happen. Alpha Lewis stepped to Chan’s cell.

“So you thought you could steal my omega and I wouldn’t find out?”

“She’s not yours.” Chris snapped.

Lewis laughed, stepping aside. His men opened the cell and snatched Chan, bringing him down the hall to his torture room. Chan was chained to the wall, barely having room to move his limbs this time. Lewis went over and pulled a stick off the wall.

“Why don’t we talk this out like adults.” Chan suggested. “I’m sure we can come to an agreement.”

“Is the big bad alpha scared?” Lewis mocks.

“Beat me all you want. I’m not afraid. I know she belongs with us.” Chan says.

Lewis flings his arm to the side, the stick expanding. He presses a button and the end crackles. He shoves it in Chan’s side and he groans.

“We had an agreement once already and you broke it.” Lewis reminds, shocking him once more. “Let’s see how long before the True Alpha breaks.”

“You know I didn’t kill my brother. You were there.”

“Doesn’t matter. Society will never see you as the True Alpha.”

Chan growled, fighting against the restraints.

Lewis electrocuted him once more. “I can do this all day, Chris.”

“Don’t call me that.” Chan seethes.

“No? It’s your name, is it not?”

“Not anymore.”

“Shame” Lewis jabs him with another five hundred volts of electricity.

“Stop!” Hyunjin cries out.

Lewis smirks, making his way over to the betas.

“You can take his place if you like…” Lewis gestured.

“No…” Chan growled, out of breath as he recovered.

“Why did you bring us here? To torture and kill us?” Jisung asked.

“No. You’re bait for my sweet little omega to come back to me.” Lewis answered, coming over to Jisung’s cell.

Without warning, He stuck the pole between the slots of the cell door and shocked Jisung. He cried out, falling back.

“Leave us alone.” Hyunjin growled.

Lewis stepped over, looking Hyunjin deep in the eyes and smirked. “That was her exact cell you’re standing in. Maybe you can leave her a little note for when she returns.” 

Hyunjin banged on the door, only making Lewis laugh as he returned back to Chan.

Knock. Knock.

It was doctor Quinn at the basement door. Felix poked his head out the med room, ushering her in. She hurried over.

“Talk to me.” She said, coming in to see Jeongin holding your hand.

“We got a faint heart beat about five minutes ago.” Felix stated.

“How long without one?” Quinn asked, looking over your new mark.

Felix and Jeongin exchanged glances, the silence making Quinn look up.

“Nearly…twenty minutes of CPR.” Felix said in a small voice.

“Twenty minutes? Two Zero?”

Felix nodded. “I gave her epi and amiodarone.”

Quinn took your vitals as they both stood by and watched.

“Her blood pressure is still low and her she’s brachycardic.” Quinn explained. “We will need to keep an eye on her until she regains consciousness. So tell me what the hell happened.”

“I guess Minho started his rut this morning. They were…you know, when we heard her scream. We all rushed in and he was on top of her still going even though she was unconscious. I don’t know if he even knows what happened.” Felix told her.

“He went feral?”

“I think so.” 

“So she probably screamed when he bit her, seeing as she was already marked. Although that mark is fading.” Quinn shook her head. “I told Chan to have me there when he felt it was time and she was ready. I never expected this to happen. Where’s Minho now?”

“Rut house chained up. He kept trying to get back to her.” Jeongin explained. “He didn’t want any help from us.”

“He might eventually calm down and allow one of you to help so keep trying.” Quinn said.

“So what do we do now?” Felix asks.

“Now we wait for her to wake.” Quinn asked.

They waited hours, Minho alone in the rut house as everyone sat in the basement. It was awkwardly quiet as they all strained their ears to focus on your heart rate. 

Changbin’s phone ringing broke the silence. He stood, moving to take the call outside.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Hello. This is Seungcheol. I was calling because I can’t seem to reach Chan. I called him a few times and Minho as well but neither of them answered. Did he make it home?”

“Uh…no. They aren’t here.” Changbin turned from the door, facing everyone.

They were so caught up with waiting for you to wake, they lost track of time and realized their mates never showed up.

“He was supposed to send me a document by four. They should have been home by now.” Seungcheol noted.

“They definitely should have been home.” Changbin snapped his fingers and Felix was quick to call Chan. Jeongin called Hyunjin and Seungmin called Jisung.

They all received no answer.

“They aren’t answering us either.”

“Seems like the Nykos made their move…” Seungcheol said. “We’ll be there within the hour.”

TAGLIST:

@estella-novella @lxvxchxrlxttxbxrsx22-blog @butterflydemons @readr1221 @gaby105-skz @notevenheretbh1 @bah2004 @sinfulfic @bowsnbang @just-a-blackthorn-cookie @dreamerwasfound @motheraiya55 @m00njinnie @writeuntilthebitterend @jutdwae-flower @staytinyluv @emmxxsworld @galaxy4489 @wolfo2027 @iknow-uknow-leeknow @thatgirlangelb

Shout out to my lovely betas!! @its-the-solar-system @cherry-erii

[hometoursandotherstuff]

This home in Indianapolis, IN was restored in 1960 with an interesting aesthetic. 4bds, 3ba, 2,680 sq ft, $675k.

I love the flooring on the porch.

Enter the large hall with wainscoting and new railings. Love the runner on the stairs.

Since the home was renovated back in 1960, I have to say that they chose a very timeless look. This sitting room has an unusual location in the home and is open to the kitchen. I like the dark walls, but I'm wondering if this is supposed to be the dining room.

Nice guest 1/2 bath on the main floor.

The kitchen is very attractive. That table looks like an elongated desk- so interesting.

Wine fridge and espresso coffee area.

This open kitchen/family room is the only dining space, so I would definitely say that the other sitting room is the dining room.

Off the dining room is a beautiful sunroom/conservatory.

The bedrooms, on the upper level, aren't overly large, but they're very beautifully decorated and get lots of natural light.

Lovely renovated bath.

This bedroom has its own en-suite. Beautiful tile in the shower.

On the 3rd level there's a finished attic.

Beautiful yard with a built-in hot tub and patio.

Lovely garden has a pond with a footbridge. 5,227 sq ft lot

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/925-N-Beville-Ave-Indianapolis-IN-46201/1077004_zpid/?

[mediumgayitalian]

part two

———

Getting outrun for seven miles by an eight year old is a uniquely humbling experience. Compactly humiliating, coincidentally, is being outrun by an eight year old while dragging along a bouquet large enough that it cannot be adequately contained with two hands and must therefore be carried between two people.

Lee is having something of an afternoon.

“It starts in seven minutes!” shouts Will, at least twelve solid yards ahead of them and running backwards. He does not appear even to be sweating. “Hurry!”

“Could not be hurrying more if I tried,” Lee wheezes.

(It’s not that Lee isn’t a good runner. He is. It’s that Will is freakishly fast, because he has dimples when he smiles and has endeared himself to the dryads, who have been teaching him how to sprint like the hopped up little Energizer Bunny he is. Michael has been calling him Soda Boy for ages, on account of how he so closely resembles a can of pop that has been vigorously shaken, which he hates. Remembering it brings Lee some peace.)

“Let’s go let’s go let’s go!”

Clamping his mouth shut in a desperate attempt to preserve energy, Lee surges forward. Michael matches him, having to run significantly faster to keep up with his long legs. Their panting forms a discordant melody of despair. Poetic.

When they stumble through the door, chests heaving, Lee considers collapsing to the ground and weeping for joy. He will never run again. If a monster chases him, he will simply fight or accept his fate. He has reached his quota.

But, for perhaps the first time in his life, there is no time for dramatics. The lobby is devoid of the massive crowds it held earlier, shadows eerie in their absence, and only the final tail end of a line shuffles through the stage doors.

Despite his internal vow, Lee sprints forward to catch up with them.

“Hold it,” says a man in a venue volunteer! vest, holding up a hand. He glances at them, resting his gaze on Will’s messy hair, Michael’s scuffed shoes, Lee’s wrinkled shirt, and pausing for quite a while on the giant bouquet. The narrowed eyes and thinned lips are familiar. Lee stiffens.

“Go on in,” the man says to the middle aged couple in front of them, who’s crease-free jackets read ‘Dance Mom’ and ‘Prop Team Dad’ respectively. He shoos them inside, complimenting the honest-to-Apollo corsage in the woman’s hand, chortling along to the man’s joke. The laughter drops from his face the second the couple is guided through the doors, and the man turns back to the three of them.

“The show,” he says, nose upturned, “has begun. I can’t let anyone else in lest they cause any…disturbances.”

“The show starts on three minutes and forty-seven seconds!” Will protests, sticking his watch in the man’s face. Completely oblivious to his murderous look, he continues, “Forty-six seconds! Forty-five! Time’s-a-tickin’, let us in!”

The man bares his teeth in a smile. “Regrettably, you are too late. You’ll have to wait for the intermission.”

Will blinks at him. He looks at Lee, at the doors, then back at the man.

“But…we’re on time. And if we come back later, we’ll miss my sister’s dance!”

The man shrugs. “This will be a valuable lesson, then.” He purses his lips, glancing again at the bouquet. “Perhaps be more prepared, next time.”

Will turns back to Lee and Michael, crestfallen. He swipes quickly under his eyes, squeezing his thumb into fists, but the tears well up anyway. “We’re going to miss it?”

Michael snarls. In one quick move he shoves the massive bouquet entirely into Lee’s arms, yanks Will by the shoulders to stand behind him, and gets right in the man’s face.

“You listen here, you slimy ratbag, you had no fuckin’ trouble letting those last scragglers in so you better clean up your act quick before I —”

A loud crashing noise makes them all jump, interrupting him. Nearly crushing the flowers, Lee whips towards the source of the sound. One of the competition banners has been yanked down, metal frame collapsing on the tile floor. Fastening screws rattle to a slow stop beside it.

“What the —”

Another banner crashes to the floor. This time, the little hands that tore it down are a touch too slow to dart away, a blonde head not quick enough to duck behind a corner.

“Hey!” the man shouts. Shoving Michael aside, and moving quicker than Lee can think to stop him, he sprints towards the corner Will disappeared behind. “Get back here! You can’t do that!”

Lee curses, trying to manoeuvre the flowers to see and run at the same time. Michael runs ahead of him, on the man’s heels, chanting shit shit shit shit under his breath. Lee’s brain takes the initiative to alternate, chanting fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck every time he takes a breath.

They’re going to get kicked out for sure. Diana is going to kill them and it’s going to be justified, because Lee is going to have to live with the noble look he knows Cass will have on when she realises they’re not there to watch. The shakey, practiced smile she’ll slap over the disappointment in her dark eyes.

Shit shit shit shit indeed.

“Lee! Michael! Over here!” whispers a voice. Lee whirls around to face it — boy does he ever feel like a puppet on a stick right now — and, for the second time in as many minutes, feels his head pound at the disorienting frenzy of emotions that bubble up when he sees his baby brother’s face. Will stands half inside a doorway Lee hadn’t noticed on the way in, tucked in the shadow of a corner.

He is fast, holy shit.

“What the hell are you doing,” hisses Michael.

“Getting us inside! Hurry up!”

Lee doesn’t need further prompting, clock ticking in his brain. Gods, how long do they have left? Thirty seconds? Less?

“Most big theatres have sideline entrances,” Will explains after Michael helps shove the giant bouquet through the tiny door. He guides them, upright to their hunching, down a tight corridor. “They’re for performers to pop up in the audience without being seen. Mama and I race each other to find ‘em when she did shows.”

Lee had forgotten, for a moment, how much of his life Will has spent in and out of theatres, bars, stages. Naomi Solace has been growing more and more famous since…half of his life, at least. Lee remembers hearing about her four years ago, when she’d done a smaller show in Queens. A friend of his had gone.

Michael reaches out and tugs the mostly-undone ponytail he’d wrestled Will’s hair into that morning. “Good job, kid.”

He grins over his shoulder. “Thanks.”

They stumble into the darkened audience in the nick of time. The second Lee steps out of the cramped little corridor, dragging the stupid flowers (he is, in fact, regretting his choices at this point in time; when he has a free moment he will add this to the list of reasons he will be kicking his past self’s ass if the Hephaestus cabin successfully recreates DeLorean time machine) along with him, the stage lights come on. An announcer’s voice calls out, “Entry 109, Competitive Open Solo: Cass Hasapi.”

“Fuck,” Michael mutters. A quaint family of four gasps. He sneers at them. “Fuck, you see Diana?”

“No, is she maybe —”

“I think that’s her hair —”

“That person is way too tall, what are you —”

“I swear to the gods, I am going to kill you both,” whispers a beautifully familiar voice, and then Lee is being dragged. “Sit the hell down and shut the hell up. Will, baby, c’mere.”

Will climbs happily over the two empty seats, settling onto Diana’s lap and curling under her chin. He sticks his tongue out when Lee and Michael follow in behind him, struggling with the bouquet, muttering about favouritism.

“I’ve literally known you for six times longer than you’ve known him,” Michael mutters, sticking his tongue out right back. A grandmother with a severe bob whirls back and hushes him.

“Yeah, I’ve had all that time to get tired of your bullshit. Shut up.”

Before Michael can retort — Lee is sure he has an eloquent and devastating response, Lee has been helping him practice — soft piano drifts out from the speakers. A light turns on, pointed at the stage.

All four of them snap their mouths shut.

In the centre of the stage, Cass stands, poised. Her back is turned to the audience, arms extended above her and tilted to the right, as if reaching for the setting sun. Her hair, braided loosely back, brushes the edge of her thickly draping purple costume. Her knees are bent and locked and one bare foot sticks out like she’s trying to balance herself, like she’s mid fall.

A gravelly, male voice sings lowly along to the piano. How do you know which time might be the last? She moves along the dip of his voice, dragging her limbs through the rigid air. What I would give just to see you again? She moves with a swooping twist of her heels, twisting at the waist. Under the heat of the stage lights, her face contorts, forehead deeply wrinkled, mouth parted, breathing quickly. I’d walk to the depths of a world down below and demand to get back what some circumstance stole. She holds herself with such tension that Lee finds his own shoulders hiking up to his ears. Her chest moves rapidly, hands shaking, knees buckling. His breath goes stale in his lungs.

When the chorus starts, hard and heavy and sudden, I turned back one last time just to prove you were there, Cass hits the floor. He gasps with the rest of the audience, clutching the plush armrest, but it’s intentional, part of the dance. ‘Cause the last ray of sun made Eurydice cold. Collapsed on the floor, limbs bent, dress askew, she crawls, begging, towards the audience. Did she know? Did she know? Did she know? Did she know?

Cass does not move gracefully. She moves like a beached, gasping siren dragging herself back to the depths, like someone climbing out of a pit. Every movement looks heavy and painful. She looks at the audience and Lee is surging forward before he can stop himself, breath hitching, brain screaming: help her! help her! help her!

If I knew how it’d feel back then, I wouldn’t take another step.

Her body twists again, hair escaping her loose braid and sticking to her neck, her forehead. She claws at her throat like she’s suffocating, eyes accusing everyone watching like they’re holding her under. Each movement of her arms swell and sway on the beat, bare feet slapping the ground with every hit of the kettle drum. If you can see me it’s all in your head, but it feels real to me now, it felt real to me then.

Everything ends.

The piano fades out, the drums hit their last beat. All that’s left is the wretched guitar, taught like strings snapping, taught like the tense pull of her suspended muscles.

But I opened the door and went down the stairs; I turned back one last time to prove you were there.

As the last word fades, she drops. Not slowly, not evenly, but like whatever was holding her up crumbled to dust. Like she was shot. Her purple dress pools out around her like dark Hyacinth. She lays completely, entirely still.

The lights cut. The air in the audience goes heavy.

They come back on and no one says a word. Lee realises, as it drips onto his hands, that he is crying. Diana is, too, tear tracks too fresh to dry on her face, and Will is leaned forward so far he sways precariously. Michael’s hands are pressed harshly to his eyes.

Trancelike, Lee stands. All eyes snap, abruptly, towards him, but he ignores them. He looks straight across the rows of chairs and locks eyes with his sister, upright now, heaving, standing hesitant. She looks at him, and then beside him at Michael, and then at Will in Diana’s lap. They scramble quickly up next to him, and without any of them saying anything, they begin to cheer.

Cass’s face lights up.

With permission, much of the audience claps. No one stands as they do and as they continue hooting and hollering the claps fade quickly, replaced with stares and murmurs, but Cass still stands there, beaming, looking away and looking back like she can’t believe they’re there. That someone is there, that someone watched her, her, from beginning to end. A hand tugs on his sleeve.

“Can I sonic?” Will asks, raising his voice to be heard.

“Level four,” Lee allows.

He needs no further permission, grinning. He lets out a piercing whistle that makes everyone around them shout in alarm and Lee’s ears ring. But Cass laughs, loud and bright, so it’s worth it, and when Will looks at him in question he nods. The second whistle is definitely beyond a level four, but Lee doesn’t care. Cass looks the happiest he’s seen in a long time.

———

None of them care too much about staying for the other performances. But Cass has two more dances with her studio classes, spread out as they are, so Lee remains doomed to two hours of an aching ass and performances that come nowhere near Cass’s masterpiece. Will seems intrigued, though, by some of the pieces, so he grits his teeth and bares it. Besides, the rolled eyes he shares with Diana and Michael every time someone does something exceedingly cliche or tries and fails at depth (someone, often, being one of Cass’s teammates, shocker) makes it somewhat worth it.

By the time the judges call the last entry, though, Lee is ready to book it out of there.

The lights come back on and pop music plays through the speakers as dancers, in track suits over their costumes, congregate on the stage. Lee stands and stretches, letting Will stand on his shoulders and jump off into Michael’s arms to get some of his energy out. (And, also, ‘cause tossing a small child between them is fun. Diana jogs into the aisle so they can throw farther, but they all decide against it when a security guard glances over.)

After what feels like eight million years, the judges finally lumber over to the stage. The building voices hush as they climb the steps, standing in front of the gathered studios with cabled mics and stacks of foreboding envelopes.

“Welcome, dancers and families,” starts one judge.

She blabs on for several minutes about what an honour it was to judge and how wonderful everyone was. Blah, blah, blah. Lee spaces out about the time Diana’s eyes glaze over, and he looks instead to the gathered stage, observing. There are five different studios that he can see, each with about forty to fifty dancers. Mostly young women. They sit tangled together, legs on legs, arms around shoulders, feet tucked under thighs. Cass, he notices, sits on her own, at the very back of the stage. She sits straight-backed and proud, though. Chin lifted, braid resting over her shoulder.

Impossible to miss.

Two of her group dances win Diamond (Diana explains to them that this is Very Good. She thinks). Most others do not get this honour. Lee notices especially the older couple to their left looking quite sour. The glee he feels is indescribable.

“The winner for our open solo, for all age groups, was actually unanimous. It’s been a while since that happened!”

A girl near the front of the stage, who Lee recognises as the one to make a cruel joke about Cass’ mother, preens. Her solo was boring as hell. He’s not sure what she’s so smug about.

“With a score of 97.6, congratulations to Entry 109, Cass Hasapi!”

The four of them scream like lunatics.

They don’t even wait for scattered applause. Each one of them clambers up on the pristine chairs, covering them with scuff marks, and yell at the top of their lungs, jumping and cheering like chimps in a cage. Cass goes red, but she can’t hide her smile as she stands and accepts her award, grinning over at them. Michael holds up his camera and snaps a photo of her, pink-cheeked and wild-haired, glowing.

———

“Cass!”

Will sees her before the rest of them, sprinting towards the changeroom doors at top speeds and leaping up into her arms. She catches him easily, spinning them both around, pressing a thousand kisses to his hair and face.

“Hello, my darling! Hello hello hello!” Every word is punctuations with a kiss, or rather a press of her wide smile to anywhere she can reach. In seconds his cheeks are stained with her lipstick. “Oh, it has been weeks, darling boy, I missed you!”

Will clings to her sweater, face buried in the crook of her neck. She holds him just as tightly.

(Will has seen Cass more than Lee, in the past few months. He knows she’s made a few sudden trips to camp. But he also knows that she was the first one to welcome him into camp, the day his mother dropped him off, and when he was claimed she was the first to bring him home. She loves to tote him around, too, to have him trail after her for cabin inspections, holding the clipboard, or paint his nails when she’s bored. He misses her something fierce in the winters. She holds on tightly when she comes back home.)

Squeezing him one last time, she turns to the rest of them. Despite her wide smile, her mascara runs.

“You came,” she says, voice wobbling.

Michael clears his throat. “No shit.”

His voice wobbles, too.

“Come here, you goober.”

He’s the next to cling to her, inserting himself under her arm. She presses a kiss to his temple and he pinches her ribs, complaining, getting louder when she digs a knuckle into his hair. Diana jogs up and separates them, as she always does, flicking Michael on the forehead and pressing a kiss to her sister’s cheek.

“I’m so proud of you,” she whispers, squeezing her hand.

Cass’s tears spill over again. “Thank you.”

Lee clears his throat. He feels, suddenly, like a doofus, holding a bouquet of flowers the size of him, but Cass looks at them and grins again, chuckling.

“You sell your kidney for that or what?”

Lee snorts. “No, we exchanged Will. This is a clone.”

“Did not!”

Lee blows a raspberry. “Did too. Clone.”

“I’m not a clone! I’m me!”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Ya-huh!”

“Alright,” Cass interrupts, rolling her eyes fondly. She kisses the tip of Will’s nose again and sets him down, turning towards Lee, hands outstretched dramatically. “Hand me my dues.”

Because she is, at the core of her, a true daughter of Apollo, even though the amount of poise and grace that bleeds from her at any given time contradicts almost directly with the guy who beams Pocketful of Sunshine directly into their brains at five in the morning every single day without fail, she kneels with a flourish. Because Lee is, at the core of him, also a child of Apollo, he goes unquestioningly along with the bit, pulling out one of the flowers to knight her before resting the entire bouquet in her arms. She has to hold it with both hands.

“You guys are ridiculous,” she says, grinning.

“They are ridiculous,” Diana stresses. “Dumbasses were damn near late getting this for you. They already had flowers, mind you. They’re just dumb.”

Will holds up his hand with his watch. “I kept us from being late!”

Diana squishes his cheek. “Thank you, sweetpea. You’re already smarter than your brothers combined.”

“Stick out your tongue again and I’ll grab it, you little snitch,” Lee warns.

Will, darting to hide behind Diana, does not heed his warning. Because he’s a little shit. bc

The walk out of the building in a gaggle of movement. As other dancers and their families walk by, glowering at Cass’ flowers and at Cass in general, Lee makes a point to catch their eyes. To smirk. To let them know, without saying a word — you were wrong. Of course you were wrong. Look at how she’s better than your bitter ass without even trying.

It warms him inside, truly.

“I’m thinking,” Diana says, walking back to the car, “that we stop at Dairy Queen on the way home. On Michael’s dollar. Will, look real excited so Michael can’t say no.”

“I am excited,” Will says, turning to face him, “so that’s real easy.”

Michael sighs. He taps his foot on the pavement, glaring. He sighs again. “You’re getting s plain cone and that’s that. You understand me?”

Will takes that as code for ‘begin negotiating’. Diana joins him, the two of them chasing Michael to the car, yelling about Blizzards and sundaes. Cass falls into step next to Lee, adjusting the flowers.

“So,” she says, shooting him a small smile.

“So,” he intones.

“Diana told me you snuck the boys out of camp.”

“…Yes.”

“Organised the whole trip, basically.”

“It wasn’t hard. I just told Michael to pack his shit and he listened, for once. So.”

“Lee.” She waits for him to open the trunk, letting him stuff the ridiculous flowers inside before facing him, grabbing his hands and squeezing. “Thank you.”

“I don’t —”

He swallows past the lump in his throat. How can he say it? How can he tell her about being fourteen and older than half the unclaimed kids in Hermes, still reeling over camp as a whole, and the fear that had dissipated from his chest when she stood in front of camp and said, firmly, he’s ours? About the hours she spent listening to him ramble about Pokémon, learning the game for him, mailing him cards she finds around? About the letters she sends him every week without fail, even though she’s swamped with her own shit, because she remembers the night he cried, months and years of being weird and lonely and unlike anyone else he knew? How can he explain the bubbling in his chest, the ache for her, because of her?

“Of course, Cass.”

She opens her arms and he falls into them, forehead on her shoulder, arms tight around her waist. She grips around his back, pressing a kiss to his hair. His throat is dry, choking back the thickness of his tears.

“I love you.”

“Love you too, Lee.”

[chellestrash]

Joel Miller x F!Reader

summary: seeking comfort and company you end up at joel's door warnings: none. word count: 3.1k a/n: i think this is the first thing i wrote this year…so, the quality might not fully be there but i really needed to wite something with Joel. This is just a little one shot that maybe will help someone who needs it

“Hey”

You mumble quietly when the heavy, wooden door to Joel’s big farm house on the outskirts of Jackson opens in front of you. The man leans on the door frame, head slightly tilted to the side, eyebrows pulled together in a slightly confused expression as he looks you up and down quickly, attempting to guess the purpose of your unannounced visit.

“Hey”

His deep, groggy voice rumbles through your body as you stare at each other for another moment. He continues when you don't pick up the conversation like he expected you to do.

“Didn't know you were coming.”

You nod silently as a response.

“Yeah, I...wasn't planning to, just sorta…”

You shrug, not sure how to explain the extremely deep need for his company you feel at this very moment, to the same middle-aged man standing right in front of you.

“...happened.”

Joel nods this time, sniffling quickly as he looks around the front yard. The cool winter breeze hits you both, uncomfortably cutting through your already exhausted body so intently you'd swear you can feel it going through your bones.

“Come on.”

He nods toward the inside of the house, inviting you in before you can say anything else. Without hesitation, you step into the hallway and glance back as he shuts the front door closed behind you.

“So you just happened to be on the other side of Jackson in the middle of a night? In November. Winter.”

Joel stands behind you, arms crossed in front of his chest, his eyes not leaving you even for a moment as you take off your boots, scarf and the thick winter jacket he managed to find for you in one of his supply trips with Tommy a couple of years ago.

You sigh quietly, eyeing him up and down, once again going over how you could try to possibly explain the overwhelming anxiety in your head to Joel Miller.

“I don't know, Joel, I just… I needed to be here?”

That's the best you can do. The best way to put whatever the hell has been happening inside your body lately to him and maybe to yourself as well at this moment.

“Alright.”

He speaks quietly; it's almost a whisper, but loud enough so you can hear him. His body relaxes once he realizes it's not an emergency. No one is dead, no one lost a limb, there's not a hole in the wall somewhere for the runners to get through, everyone is safe, you are safe.

“You want to sit here for a bit?”

He continues, walking over to get your coat before he hangs it up above the heater. The warm air inside his house hugs your body like a thick blanket. Joel was used to rough conditions. He spent most of the years after the outbreak on his own or in smaller groups, sleeping in abandoned buildings, often outside the safe zones or somewhere out in nature. After all that, there was no way in hell he would refuse the luxury of a lit fireplace and a warm house, now that he has settled in Jackson.

“Don't really have much to offer you, though, coffee?”

You breathe out a quiet laugh, watching him quickly tidying up the space around you: kicking his shoes closer to the wall, picking up the one glove that fell on the floor probably hours earlier, or straightening up the coat on one of the hangers.

“Joel, it's almost ten now.”

He frowns, glancing at the big, wooden clock by the stairs before turning back to you.

“And?”

You shake your head, scoffing with a quiet chuckle, and he hums softly, amused with the results of his attempt to cheer you up slightly.

“Well, was gonna get myself a cup anyway.”

He gestures toward the kitchen, and you think over the offer again.

“Alright, but a small one.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He nods again, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips, before making his way over to the other room.

Being left alone now, you shut your eyes and attempt to take a deep breath in, doing your best to calm your body down. It is shallow and short, it won't help, and you know it. However, you still try to push this overwhelming feeling away. You try to focus on the things around you, redirecting your attention to something outside your panicked brain. It's just this heavy, tightening feeling in the center of your chest or deep down in your stomach. You can't shake it. You can't make it go away this time, no matter how hard you try. That's why you came here in the first place. That's why you walked almost the whole length of Jackson at his hour and on your own. That's why you sought him. That's why the only thought on your mind with every step you took was, “please be home.”

“Hey.”

You shake your head, blinking a couple of times before it comes to you.

“Oh, shit sorry.”

Reaching out slowly, you wrap your fingers around the ear of the cup and smile softly as a thank you, the smile never reaching your tired eyes.

“Thank you.”

You mumble, trying to sound as normal as possible.

“Yeah.”

He starts, his eyebrow raised slightly as he does his best to estimate the situation. He knows something's off, you're acting different, you're quiet, and your demeanor is different, almost as if...muffled for some reason.

The silence is long, longer than you would've liked, you know he can tell something's off, you know you're not doing the best job at holding it all together and as your brain continues to fight itself on the matter of whether you'd prefer to tell him everything or that he wouldn't know anything was wrong you do yourself a favor and open your mouth to the first thing that comes into your head.

“You ever get that new rifle?”

His eyes widen slightly at the question, like he wasn't expecting it; he wasn't. But it was the only thing you could think about that could save you from attempting to most likely over-explain whatever the hell was happening to your body and mind on this godforsaken day.

“The one from Jimmy?”

He gives in, and you sigh, relived.

“Yeah, the one you were supposed to carve the handle for?”

He shuts his eyes with a soft nod and a quiet hum.

“Mhm.”

You glance up the stairs, towards the bedroom where you saw he keeps his guns, and he turns to follow your gaze.

“Did you want to see it?”

“Sure.”

He gestures to the stairs, letting you pass by and walk in front of him. You don't say much more for a bit, somehow there's this silent understanding between both of you, he somehow understands the situation, without fully knowing it. That's why he's not asking, he's not drilling into you like some people would, he does not want to force the answers out of you. What he knows is that you needed to be here, and that is enough.

Stepping into the bedroom, you smile softly to yourself as your eyes scan the familiar space. It's comforting, it's safe, you know it. The half-made bed takes up almost half of the room, the grand painting of wild horses resting above the wooden headboard. He finally hung it up.

Joel walks past you, it feels natural now for you to occupy this space, it is almost as if he feels comfortable with you being there, more than when he's alone. After setting his cup down on the nightstand closer to you, Joel makes his way over to the big closet door.

“Didn't get the chance to clean it yet.”

He explains, reaching for the rifle through the hanging clothes as you sit at the edge of the bed, your back turned to him, waiting to see the weapon.

“Here.”

He holds the barrel towards himself and away from you as he hands you the rifle over your shoulder.

“Holy shit, Joel.”

You exclaim, setting down your cup next to him before taking the weapon in your hand. Your thumb runs over the detailed carving on the light wood. The mountain and trees with a deer bust chiseled carefully into the rings of the wood.

“She's beautiful.”

“Yeah, you think?”

The man asks, sitting down next to you with a loud grunt.

“Yeah, look at it, goddamn it, that must've taken weeks.”

“Eh,”

He shrugs, showing how much he disagrees with your statement.

“Took more patience than time.”

He explains as you drag your fingers over the handle, astonished by the details he managed to transfer into the rough material.

“Still needs some work, and care…she's in a rough shape.”

“Yeah…”

You listen to him explain the process to you and you let him talk. It's not like you haven't seen him working on different commissions before. But you want it, you need it, his voice so comforting, you wish it could be the background noise for your life as you go about your days.

After carefully resting the gun against the wall, you admire it for another moment. Your thoughts wander as you realize how aware your body has become of Joel’s presence so close to you. You can smell his scent so vividly now, you can feel the heat radiating off of his body, the touch you long for so strongly.

“Yeah…gotta clean the metal, you know, don't want it rustin. The wood needs some oil too, maybe some stain so it'll look properly and not like every other-”

He doesn't get to finish the sentence, cut off by your lips crashing against his the second you turn back in his direction. Your hands fly up to his face and you hold him right there, so close to you now. He lets you lead, his eyes shut, his lips following yours as he grunts loudly into the kiss. The soft scent of his body surrounds you when he leans forward and draws closer to you. Quickly raising his hand, he rests his palm against the back of your head, pulling you even deeper into the kiss.

You pull away after a moment, resting your forehead against his while you catch your breath and reach for the buttons of his old jeans.

Joel follows your gaze, wrapping his fingers around your wrist almost immediately. There are no words shared between you, but you look up into his eyes, panting after the prolonged kiss. You take a few short breaths before he lets go of your hand.

Not taking his eyes off of you, and without a single word, Joel takes the lead now. Leaning back against the wooden headboard of his massive bed, he guides you closer to him, pulling on your wrist gently to suggest you follow. And you do. Turing to face him before throwing your knee over his legs, you let him hold onto your hips. His big, working hands resting on both sides of your lower body now, his eyes scanning your face for any clue of what this whole thing meant. It's been a while since you two slept with each other. It was never anything exclusive, never really anything to make a big deal about; however, to be completely honest, it was never entirely casual either. Relationships got a bit complicated for some people after the outbreak. And for people like Joel? They always were.

“You sure you want-”

He starts, but you muffle the words, quickly pressing your hand to his lips.

“Don't.”

The whisper slips past your lips, and you drop your hand, now slowly leaning down and closer to him. There is not a single thought in your head beside that you need this, you need comfort, you need his touch; you need his body against yours. You need him. Joel watches as you move in closer and closer, his eyes glancing down at your lips occasionally, his hands passively resting at your sides. There is no push, no lead from him anymore, you have the floor, and he wants this to be how you want it or how you're convinced you want it.

Now more hesitant, you stop. Your lips almost brushing against his, your chest resting on top of him, your body rising and falling gently with his every breath.

Once again, the choice is yours. With your gaze dropping, you focus on his lips again.

Shutting your eyes quickly, you lean into him, searching for the comfort in the desperate act of intimacy. It feels different from before, when you used to see each other more regularly. Your body, despite the familiar setting, feels tense, as does his. The anxiety not leaving your chest even for a moment, despite how hard you try to get rid of the feeling. But you want this, you need this, the closure, the distraction, the company.

You tilt your head to the side, deepening the kiss, and his hand moves from the side of your hips to your lower back, his lips never following yours.

You know he can feel it too, you know you can't hide it, not from Joel, he knows you too well. There is no give in the kiss, his body does not respond to you, it is as if he wants you alone to realize what he already knows.

You move away, breaking the kiss as you pull back quickly. There's a moment of silence when you both stare at each other, not sure what the reaction will be for the other person, not sure what is meant to happen now. The stinging sensation behind your eyes grows stronger as you feel your chest tightening, your chin trembles, and your lips part. A shaky inhale gives away the current state of your mind and there's nothing you can do to try to hide it now.

He doesn't say a word—there's no question, no confronting, no confusion or frustration. Once the tears flow to your eyes, and you turn away, shutting them in a desperate attempt to stop this, he finally speaks.

“It's okay, you're okay.”

His quiet, gentle voice is enough for you to crumble this time.

You sob loudly, covering your face with the palms of your hands. You allow Joel to pull you down and onto his chest, where you bury your face into the fabric of his shirt. Curling up into a ball, you let your body tense up on top of him. You let yourself feel the anxiety within the tension, feel everything, for the first time in so long you can't remember it properly. With tears streaming down your face, you rest on top of Joel. Your head pulled into your shoulder, your legs pressed against his chest, his hand resting firmly on your back. He adds to the pressure, feeling your body shaking with the sobs. The overwhelming need to let all the built-up tension out doesn't allow you to really think through what you're doing. It just happens and you can't stop it, not this time.

Joel shuts his eyes at your shaky inhale, rubbing his big hand over your back in an attempt to comfort you slightly. He’s not really sure what to, he has never really been great at this. Vulnerability, or the desperation of the display of emotions, was never something he was in tune with. It was definitely better if the emotions on display weren't his, it helped that he didn't have to think about himself. Worrying about others is always easier than worrying about yourself. Still, he always felt inadequate to provide any sort of comfort.

With shaking shoulders, trembling chest and cheeks wet from the tears, you clutch onto the fabric of his dark navy blue shirt when the tension becomes too overbearing to handle. He wraps his arms tight around your body. Your chest and throat hurt as you unsuccessfully attempt to calm yourself down, choking on your own tears.

“Shh, shh, I have you. I have you, babygirl.”

His gentle words make you lose whatever composure was somehow left within your body, and as your tears drip onto the fabric of his shirt, Joel moves his hand from your back up to the back of your head. Pressing a gentle kiss against the side of your head, he holds onto you like this for a moment before brushing his palm over your hair. He continues the movement from that point on, the slow, repeating sensation bringing you the desperately needed comfort. It takes a while for the feelings that turned out too strong for you to handle to slowly wither away. A long moment somehow stretched out in this otherwise calm, ordinary night in the small city of Jackson. The lights illuminating the main streets dim behind the window of Joel's bedroom when you finally feel like no tears remain behind your eyes anymore. With a loud sniffle, you snuggle your face into his chest, still curled up into a ball but now, attempting some deep breaths to calm yourself down. The pounding of your heart slowly softens deep within your chest.

Joel rubs his fingers against your arm slowly, gently moving his hand up and down against your skin. Your body so exhausted now, finding comfort within the gentle touch of this, some people would say, violent man's hands.

No words are spoken as you reach up, wrapping your arms loosely around the back of his neck. Another quiet sniffle as you pull yourself up on his chest slightly. With your face hidden in the crook of his neck, hidden from the world, finally provided with the comfort you've longed for weeks now, you let out a deep sigh. Joel feels your body relax in his arms, feels the tension fleeing from your limbs, your chest, and lungs as you slack on top of his body.

Holding onto you, he adjusts his position slightly, his hands gently rubbing over the back of your neck and down your shoulders.

Shifting gently with the movements of his chest, you feel your eyelids growing heavier. Your body, your insides, your brain are all exhausted from the loss of control over yourself. Tilting your head up slightly, you glance up at Joel. There's a second when you both stare into each other's eyes before he looks away, leaning down as he presses a kiss to the top of your head.

“Get some rest.”

He mumbles, the sound of the words rumbling in his chest. And with those words, hidden in his arms, with his heart beating gently against yours, for the first time in weeks you feel at peace, you feel safe, you feel at home.

[kedreeva]

Well, Monday night, SOMEONE went on an unauthorized adventure.

We got home from going to see The Mummy (1999) at our local big screen, and it was just about hitting twilight. Bug was outside (big girl!! she's been outside for most of the day for the last few days) with Earl, so I went in and closed up Earl, then closed up Artemis' pen of birds, and then Bug and I walked down to close up the barn pen's door. We walked back around and I ducked into the barn to do a quick night check of the barn birds and the quarantine birds and the quail, something that takes less than 2 minutes, and when I got back outside.... no Bug.

Now, Bug often comes outside with me at night to lock up the other birds. We go from pen to pen together. She even hops up onto the fence runners up top and flies from one to the next, and across the alley, and often when she comes down, she'll fly up to the front side yard and then run back for the hell of it, or takes a right instead of a left and ends up out by the compost heap, so I walked both places calling her, expecting to see her pop her head up and come back like always.

But.... no Bug.

So I go inside, and get Sark, and we both start looking. Did she get spooked? Did she jump up someplace? I once searched for Beep for an hour on the ground, only to look up and find out she'd just been silently watching me from above. But after almost 2 hours of searching... no Bug.

Well, it was pouring down rain, and wherever Bug had gone, she was not talking back to us, and she certainly wasn't coming when called, so we gave up and came inside. I called the local PD to let them know one of my birds had escaped and despite looking for her, we had to stop because of the storm, but left my number in case anyone called. I stressed all night, dozing on and off. I got up around 1am to do another lap of the yard and see if I could hear her, now that the frog symphony was over and the rain had stopped, but no luck.

At 5am, I went out again, and parked myself in my car on the phone with my Australian friend, to await dawn. I figured, if she'd gone up to roost, then when it got light, she'd come down. Sark came out around 5:45 and parked himself out in the field by our firepit in case she went that way. Eventually I got up and walked up and down the street, since people were leaving for work, and I stopped a few cars and asked them to keep an eye out.

As I was walking back to the house, down our long drive, I spotted her on the barn roof just as my phone began to ring. Sark had seen her fly down from one of the 60ft tall oaks on the edge of our property. He got her some peanuts, and I called her down

She acted like nothing happened. Just like hey guys what's up?

So, no more outside time at night, unless she's in a pen! Which.... considering my day today, she may be outside full time soon!

[artbyblastweave]

Herofy Norman Osborn (in a way that’s not just “Iron Man in a different costume”)

So this speech, from the wrap-up of one of the Dark Avengers Seige tie-ins, is one that's stuck with me:

The man-at least as written by Bendis- wants to be Amanda Waller very, very badly. He's not.

So, to the extent that Dark Avengers wasn't already doing this, you take this dynamic and you play it for tragic tension rather than framing it as a foregone conclusion that Osborn is going to explode. You take a man who's witnessing every stanford-style superhuman mass casualty event that otherwise gets lost in the churn of continuity and from this you produce a guy who's actually, sincerely trying to get this under control, for whom that has always been the long-term project of his entire corporation, all the way back to before Spider-Man was a glimmer in anyone's eye. Lex Luthor if his abstract antagonism towards Superman's "potential threat" wasn't just transparent cope.

In an inversion of the company's role in the Ultimate Universe, where they were one of the front-runners attempting to reproduce the Super Soldier Serum, Oscorp is the anticape company. Oscorp is the company that builds power inhibitors, a major bankroller of Damage Control, the company that sinks resources into bespoke "cures" for cut-and-dry examples of deleterious x-gene mutations, like that guy who makes everyone within a hundred yards melt. Of course, the problem is that you can't put the genie back in the bottle; you can't sit at a distance from the scrum and just quietly attempt to contain it without becoming part of it. Every Oscorp facility becomes a battlefield between X-men and extremists like Stryker and Trask; research on how to contain or mitigate superhuman abilities gets swiped by disgruntled scientists and used in the opposite direction to create even more superhumans. There's nothing you can do that won't get assimilated into of the game. The goblin persona is a late development- generated from a combination of ambient exposure to research materials in the lab, and the raw stress of sliding over the event horizon into the cape game despite his best efforts- a little voice telling you that the only way you're going to get this under control is to fight fire with fire, just start cutting deals, getting the worst monsters on leashes, blowing them up if they don't cooperate...