#so this is entirely new territory

[thursfys]

Ok ok so I have some personal headcanons bout Eddie and Volt along with their interactions with the homeowner/you I have to share otherwise I will explode-

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Volt

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I'm probably reaching here but along with the obvious Frankensteins monster and Jekyll and Hyde theming, I've noticed Volt has a bit of vampire coding? That pale and almost unnatural, otherworldly beauty he possess and that cheeky, effervescent charm kinda tipped me into the vampire camp for him. Also, it makes the funny energy vampire joke so yeah.

His ears are pointed at the tip and he has a killer set of fangs to boot; his left (forward perspective right) one is slightly longer than it should be and peaks out a tad when smirking, even without a full toothy smile.

Playing more off of that, I think Volt can absorb or even pass on some extra electricity to Eddie if the need arises. Ed having some nervous jitters from an excess amount of power? Walk over and bite him to siphon it off! Ed feeling worn out and drained? Walk over and bite him to give him some energy! Volt doesn't do it that often as Eddie is exceptionally stubborn (+ embarrassed) and will tuck his head into his neck and flare the collar of his shirt to prevent the loving nibbles. He knows he can't pass any power to you without, ahem, dire consequences, but he still gives occasional nibbles as a show of affection.

On a different note, you know how he turns blue when pissed off in the their hate ending? I don't think it stops just there, nonono, I think Volt can go full on supernova glow stick if you fully managed to unleash his wrath. The only reason he probably didn't go full concentrated power of the sun mode was out of grief and self control. If something were to happen to both Eddie and you, well, I don't think it'd end well for whoever or whatever hurt you both. (This was inspired by that one meme of the glowing dude sitting in a diner-)

Now that you're part of the couples lives, that overprotectiveness that Volt feels for Eddie has been doubled and passed over to you too. Any shenanigans around the house that the other inhabitants might involve you with are under supervision of Volt and Eddie, but mostly Volt. He follows from room to room through the wires, carefully observing interactions with those he knows are trouble incarnate like the Hanks or Scandalabra. If he sees any form on discomfort etch itself across your face, the lights in the room flicker violently and dangerously; the bulbs rattle like the tail of a viper and the conductive wiring glow red hot as a warning to the offending object.

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Eddie

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Again reaching really far for this, but I think he used to look more like Volt before he made him. Still himself but maybe longer hair, with more streaks of white hair that resembled Volts. I guess a better way to describe it would be that the ends of Eddies hair as it is now used to have Volts hair at the end. V has always been there but I think it's not just in a metaphorical sense but physical as well.

Even though the wire is fixed now, he still has a habit of rubbing the part of his chest where it is. He can't say if it's because he was so used to it's ache that he still traces the spot or from a deep, unfounded anxiety that it could come back. He'll paw at the spot if he's starting to feel overwhelmed and overworked, it'll be one of his only tells that he's fraying himself.

Eddie gifted Volt his copper bracelets as a way to ask him out and gifted a small set of rings to the homeowner as a symbol of his love for them too. I think he enjoys metal working even with the pain he feels in his hands and wrists from his arthritis, bending and twisting the copper into beautiful shapes. Some of the other objects noticed the rings on your fingers and now Eddie has a side hustle much to his chagrin (he enjoys it but some of the requests made are so ridiculous it makes him want to toss a bar of metal at em)

Again on the overprotectiveness, Eddie can be just as bad as Volt but instead of watching and waiting, Ed will book it from the Breaker Box to snatch you up and escort you back to your room. The vicious side eye he gives the offending dateable as he walks away with you tucked away in his arms is enough to drop the temperature in the room by 10 degrees (he and Hector have an agreement-)

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Both <3

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This is a more bit of a self serving hc, but I think Eddie has the better singing voice between the two while Volt is the dancer. Eddie's singing voice is a touch deeper than his speaking voice, that chest deep rumble translating to a gorgeous serenade that is reserved for you and Volt alone, despite begging him to perform for the club. Volt on the other hand is as graceful as a professional ballerina and just as flexible too, moving as swiftly as a bolt of lightning.

Volt, unfortunately, is just as tone deaf as Johnny Splash, causing him to feel a kindred connection to the poor shower which is why he's still allowed into the Breaker Box. Though Eddie has put his foot down slightly and limited Johnny's "performances" to 3-4 times a week.

Eddie has two left feet and can't dance even when putting in a proper effort; last time he tried he managed to trip himself up and smashed his head against one of the tables. The bar was closed for 2 days for him to recover physically and emotionally.

They've also taken to sponsoring Beverly's bar to help her get some more traffic from the upstairs inhabitants, and in turn she has taken to supplying drinks part time or even taking over the bar temporarily whenever Eddie is out of commission (ie strapped to their shared bed and forced to relax for the night)

Volt has taken up a bit of Eddie's workaholic nature now that he's being forced to relax, nearly pushing himself to exhaustion some nights and having to be forcefully dragged to bed like a grumpy toddler by you. The best way to keep either of them from trying to get up to open the bar is to lay on em, whether it be you or one another, the warmth and pressure keeps the complaints to a minimum and prevents them for working themselves to the wire.

Lastly I think they have decent friendships with all the objects that rely on their shared power, except Freddy (drains a lot of their power but he tries to make it up to them with snacks) and Lux (keeps turning himself and his lamps on at night to "enhance" his live streams, Eddie is contemplating unplugging all of them and locking em up in the Breaker Box storage closet). They tried to have a conversation with Lux about it but had to cut it short before either of them blew a fuse from anger, Eddie moreso than Volt.

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That's my brain rot for the night, I hope y'all enjoy it!

//DO NOT USE MY WORK FOR GENERATIVE AI I WILL THROW HANDS//

[saturnniidae]

Other than the blatant sexism of it, I think part of why it bothers me so much that Valka was reduced to 'Mother figure' in the third movie because I've always felt that despite their efforts, Hiccup will probably never genuinely see Valka as a mother figure since she didn't actually raise him and he's an adult by the time they meet. Like yes, of course he knows she's his mom but they don't have that kind of relationship and likely never will.

I've always thought this based on a few things, mostly when she apologizes and says "can you give me another chance" because all Hiccup does in response is smile sadly, he never verbally forgives her (that I can remember) so she immediately starts going on about how she can teach him about dragons and that's what connects them, but very little else because they don't actually know each other (And it's so sad because you can tell Valka's trying so hard, she loves Hiccup and he loves her but no amount of talking about dragons will make up for two decades of absence).

The other main thing that I think about with this is that cut footage from when Valka was still planned to be the antagonist, where Hiccup says: "fine! I guess I kinda like the idea of having a mom, alright?" Despite being scrapped, it ties in well with how excited he was for them to all be a family again when Stoick shows up because that excitement is definitely based on the very unrealistic, idealized version of what a 'complete' family is, what Hiccup didn't get to grow up with but probably fantasized about having.

I think the way circumstances kind of forced Hiccup and Valka together could've been really interesting to explore, them mourning Stoick together, exchanging stories about him, Hiccup actually getting to know her outside of the very surface level 'expert dragon lady'. I think Gobber could've really helped with this, bridging the gap between them since he actually knew Valka and has known Hiccup for his entire life (and has experience doing this exact thing with Hiccup and Stoick years ago).

The single year between httyd2 and thw would definitely not have been long enough for it, but I think after a while Hiccup and Valka could be good friends. But they'll never be as close as they could've been and they both know that.

[bonefall]

YOO LETW GO MOONKITTO BUMBLE

BUMBLE FANS STAY WINNIN', WE WILL NOT REST UNTIL WE GET JUSTICE FOR OUR WOMAN

[thejesterstears]

Chat if I were to write a “jax period cramp adventure” crackfic based on that one gooseworx post (because a couple of people now have said they want me to write one) and posted it as an April fools kind of special, would I lose my credibility as a serious angst author or would y’all be chill with it lol

[secretlovesonthebreeze]

quick exercise - alex sdv x farmer

inspired by a post I saw by @fortunadriven (mdni please!!!!)

fluff, with some slight innuendo. haven't written in years at this point; so pls be nice to me!!!

There was finally a few days of consistently pleasant weather out on the farm. It wasn't raining for days on end, and it wasn't too humid once the rain finally stopped. It was warm, but not face-meltingly hot, with a pleasant breeze to keep the air fresh. The sky was pastel blue, with fluffy clouds passing overhead.

There wasn't anything pressing that needed my attention; all of the machines were still processing the last round of crops, there wasn't anything that needed to be watered, the animals were fed, and all of the milking and egg gathering was done. It would be a shame to not spend some time simply enjoying the weather that afternoon. After all, wasn't slower living part of the reason why I left Zuzu City for Pelican Town? The giant porch swing, with it's large cushion and pillows, was calling my name, rocking gently with the breeze.

But before settling into the swing with the book I was currently reading, I needed something to drink. Luckily, I had some fresh strawberries from yesterday, as well as some lemons that needed to be used, so strawberry lemonade it was. I went into a meditative state cutting the produce, the consistent rhythm of my knife hitting the wooden cutting board creating a soft thumping sound. As I put my cut up strawberries into a plastic bowl to muddle them together, I jumped slightly when I heard children's laughter in my backyard. Children that were most definitely NOT there when I was working this morning. After calming myself down (and reminding myself that my farm wasn't haunted by small children's ghosts), I peered out the kitchen window to see where it was coming from.

My husband, Alex, was back there with Vincent and Jas, as well as Penny, their teacher and one of my best friends. Our dogs, Dusty and Duke, were running around everyone excitedly, looking for pets and coos of "good boys!!". Alex had set up....something for them to do. There were some plastic cones, ropes, and logs set up in a circuit in the yard. When did he have the time to set all of this up?? I thought back to any conversations we might have had this morning....now that I thought about it, he did tell me he was going into town today, but I thought it was just to see his grandparents. I sent him into town with a fresh bouquet of tulips, as well as a loaf of leek bread to give them, and other than a kiss goodbye, that was all we talked about this morning. Slowly, I cracked open the window so that I could listen in to what was happening. I pulled the bowl of strawberries towards me, muddling them into juice while watching Alex's plans come to life.

"Alright guys, this is what's called an obstacle course. Have you ever done one of these before?" Alex asked. Both of the kids shook their heads, looking excited to learn what Alex had set up for them. "Okay great! Here's how this works; you'll run through the cones just like this." Alex moved nimbly through the cones in an "S" pattern, his feet quick and precisely placed to avoid knocking over any of the cones. "Next, you're gonna crawl under the ropes," and as he crawled my mind went to slightly inappropriate places. I blushed, turning as red as the strawberries, and I dumped the lemon juice and sugar into the bowl a bit more forcefully than necessary, shaking the dirty thoughts from my head. "Finally", I heard him say, "You're gonna jump over the logs, and whoever can cross the finish line first gets a prize!"

"What's the prize, Mr. Alex?" Vincent asked, bouncing on his toes. Alex smiled as he jogged back to the start line, and he knelt down to look Vincent in the eye. "If I tell you, then it takes away the surprise, dude." He ruffled Vincent's hair before standing up again. "Okay, get ready! On your marks, get set....GO!!!" Alex yelled, and both of the kids took off in a sprint. Jas got ahead of Vincent at the cones, but he caught back up to her at the ropes. Vincent appeared at the end of the ropes first, jumping over the logs, but Jas wasn't too far behind. At this point, I fully abandoned the lemonade, caught up in watching the kids race each other. Penny and Alex were both screaming and cheering encouragement for the both of them, and the scene made me break out into a grin and giggle a bit. Alex always had a soft spot for kids, and seeing him in his element like this made my heart soften as I watched him.

Both Vincent and Jas were jumping over the logs, and they sprinted towards the finish line, both of their torsos leaning forward to try to give themselves an advantage as they crossed. Alex and Penny whooped and cheered for the both of them, with Alex giving them high fives when they came back to the starting line.

"Great job both of you! You were awesome!" Alex said. "The winner of this round is....Vincent! Congrats dude!" He clapped Vincent on the shoulder. "Can we do that again?? That was fun!" Vincent asked, with Jas nodding behind him. "Again?? It was that fun huh? Sure, let's go again!" Alex counted them off, and at the end of the second round, Jas crossed the finish line first. "One more time, please just one more!" Vincent asked again. "Oh I don't know, I'm sure your teacher has other plans for you today," Alex looked over to Penny, and she smiled. "Exercise is good for you, and as long as you're having fun doing something new, then I've done what I need to do. One more round, and then we'll head to the library." Penny says, and the kids cheer. They don't even wait for Alex to count them off before they go through the obstacle course again.

At this point, the lemonade is done, I just have to strain the fruit pulp out of the juice and pour it into a pitcher. I do so, and while the fruit finishes draining, I fill five glasses with ice and put them on the table. I don't hear who wins the third round, but I head to the back door and onto the back porch, almost bumping into Alex as he gets something out of the outdoor fridge. "Ah! Sorry, babe! Hey, do we have any plates and silverware for this?" Alex asks, giving me a kiss on the forehead, pulling a large box out of the fridge. "Yeah, why?" I ask. "Ooh, what's that???" Vincent runs up the back porch steps, and Alex grins. "It's your prize! It's your favorite, right?" Alex opens the box, revealing a melon cake, beautifully decorated. The kids are absolutely beaming at their reward, and their smiles make me smile. We all go inside, and as I get plates down and forks out of the drawer, I take a moment to just watch him with the kids, how kind he is with them, taking an interest in their conversation.

"Alright, who wants cake and lemonade?" I ask, going to Alex's side and wrapping an arm around his waist. Alex doles out pieces of cake, and I fill everyone's glasses with the strawberry lemonade. We sit around the table, laughing and enjoying each other's company. When everyone's finished with their treat, Penny claps her hands. "Okay kids, thank Ms. Fern and Mr. Alex for this wonderful afternoon. We're going to go back to the library now for our math lesson."

"Thank you, Ms. Fern! Thank you Mr. Alex!" the kids say simultaneously, giving us a hug on their way out the door. "Of course! You know you're welcome over here anytime!" I say, waving goodbye. When the door shuts and their conversation has faded away down the road, the silence is different somehow. Like the extra sparkle of life has left the farmhouse.

"Sorry if this afternoon caught you off guard, I thought I told you I was doing this today. Penny asked me last week if I could do a physical education class for the kids, and I said yes, but we had to reschedule because it rained on the original day I was supposed to do it." Alex looked over with a sheepish smile on his face. I do remember Penny asking me if Alex would be willing to do something like that a couple of weeks ago, but I was so busy with getting the farm back up and running after winter that I completely forgot about this entire thing. "No worries! I didn't realize what week it was to be honest." I gave him a quick kiss as we gathered the dirty dishes and put them in the sink.

"Can I ask you something?" Alex looked down at his shoes, suddenly looking really nervous. I walked over to him, and put both of my hands on his muscular arms. I squeezed him slightly, making him look me in the eye. "Hun, you know you can talk to me about anything. What's going on?" I ask, my tone growing concerned. Was something wrong with his grandparents? Was there something wrong with me, with us? I pushed the anxious thoughts to the back of my mind, doing my best to appear calm for him.

"We've been married for a little over a year now..." Alex started, swallowing and then clearing his throat. "And today was really fun with Jas and Vincent." As he gathered steam, he grabbed my hands between his and gently held them. "I realized that...I want that every day. But they're our kids. It sounds silly, but I had a vision of a little you, running around back there. Us taking her around to the animals, letting her pet them. Me lifting her to reach a peach that's ready to be picked. Her giggling at the both of us making funny faces at her. I want to have kids with you, and only you. I'm ready for that step, if you are." His face is full of adoration, and radiant with possibility. He's lost most of the nervousness, looking at me like I'm the only person that exists in this world. I smile back at him, touching one of my hands to his cheek.

"Alex Mullner, there's no one else that I want to have kids with either. We have that spare bedroom that Robin just got finished working on. It would make the perfect nursery." We smile and giggle with each other, and I thread my arms around his neck to pull myself closer to him. "So now the question is...when do you want to start working on making those babies?" I wag my eyebrows at him, and he bursts into a full belly laugh before giving me a kiss. "Well, I do need a shower after sweating my ass off outside, so...in about thirty minutes?" I smile, pulling him into a deep kiss. He smells like sweat and dirt and a hint of pine, and I've never been more in love with him than I am at this moment.

[theragamuffininitiative]

🙃

[orcelito]

Man I really hadn't gotten as far in the manga as I thought. I just finished ep 267 of shippuden and it's gearing up for the Gaara vs his dad fight, which I remember being where I dropped off in the manga. Bc I'd been keeping up with new chapters for a while, but with all the war talk... idk it just didn't capture 14 year old me that much. So I stopped keeping up.

Now, though. I find all the war tactics interesting hfkshdk it has me wanting to play a fire emblem game again. Hmmmmmm

[dangoulains-devotion]

yuffie has many interesting elements to her but people refuse to move past "i find energetic kids annoying" and it makes me sad

[youremyonlyhope]

I'm not a "new musical theatre style music" person. Never have been.

Even when I was doing voice lessons, I'd steer towards the golden age or jazzy musical theatre songs. My voice teacher would have to drag me kicking and screaming towards adding anything new musical theatre to my repertoire. For a while, the most modern song in my book was I Know The Truth from Aida, and I wouldn't count that as new musical theatre style since I mean more the Pasek&Paul or Joe Iconis type.

And now I have an audition coming up for a small production of a show in that style and I'm supposed to sing a song in a similar style. And I'm looking at all my sheet music like... let me do some Cole Porter... or Gershwin... at least Sondheim please...

[arolesbianism]

Thinks oh so hard abt the spiraling upwards clan founders, especially the birchclan founders. Silly lil kitties who's pasts are drenched in blood with the primary regret of not drawing it sooner

[it-may-be-dull-but-im-determined]

Some more context: this installation was displayed at the Tate Modern in London from 2010 - 2011, and also in 2011 Ai Weiwei was finally arrested and detained by the Chinese government after years of controversial art and speaking out against them. He was ostensibly accused of tax fraud but in reality it was considered a response to his critique of the Chinese regime. There was a huge international outcry at the time about his arrest from the US and the EU.

He was also apparently tortured while in detention (it's complicated but that's one reason why this artwork feels even more acute) and has lived and worked abroad in exile since he was finally allowed to leave China again in 2015.

my favorite piece of modern art is Ai Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds, over one hundred million hand-painted ceramic sunflower seeds made by dozens of craftsmen

[leafyeyes417]

Delivery

Danny really didn’t like the bowing and formality of being the Ghost King. Yes he had a lot of power but as long as you were decent he didn’t feel the need to exercise it. So Danny decided to disguise himself. His choice, a messenger.

He used to have only two forms, his human side and ghost side. Now he has four. A Royal form and his messenger form. His normal ghost form could now could be considered his comfy form, which he uses when he’s just hanging as friends.

Anyway what started the whole messenger thing was when he found out there was an entire room full of paperwork just relating to one guy. Like good for him in his Soul Evasion but not for the poor Ghost King. So he decided to return to sender.

Once in disguise (Thank you minor shapeshifting), he used a portal to get to the guys vicinity. Which happened to be in the middle of a Justice League meeting. Great. Okay Danny you got the bored look down, just do your supposed job.

“I’m looking for a…” he checks a clipboard he pulled out of nowhere. “John Constantine.”

He hears a curse to his left and glances over. Yep that’s the guy. Someone asks, “Why are you looking for him?”

Danny smiles blandly. “I need to deliver a package. It is quite large though so I will need a…” He glances at the clipboard again. “12 by 24 by 30 foot room to place it in.”

Constantine blinks confused. “But I didn’t order anything? Especially not from one of your kind.”

Danny nodded. “Yes this is a late return order I’m afraid. We finally got through some of the back log.”

Perturbed Constantine agreed and Danny was led to a place in the Watchtower after getting a signature for confirmation of delivery. Checking that the measurements were correct, Danny opened the portal and with a whomp the piles of paperwork landed in the room. Impressively none of the towers of paper toppled over, only swaying a little.

The heroes that had followed out of curiosity gaped. Constantine sputtered out a, “What the ‘ell is all this?!”

Danny gave a toothy smile. “This? This is all paperwork tied to you. The Ghost King decided that if you wanted to create so much paperwork then you can be the one to fill it out.” Ripping open another portal Danny waved and said his goodbyes. “Well my job is done. Bye!”

Once back in his keep he couldn’t keep himself from breaking out into laughter. It was so worth it to play messenger boy for that.

Later (not really a connected scene but had to share):

Danny floated into one of the Demon Princes receiving rooms. Constantine had gone through some of the paperwork and he needed to deliver the finished copies. Turns out being a messenger gave him a lot of wiggle room in going to new locations.

As Ghost King he would need to ask permission, get a bunch of gifts, etc etc. Messengers just needed a ‘hey I’m neutral and temporarily entering your territory’ and as long as Danny stayed out of restricted areas he had basically free rein.

Upon getting the sigil of confirmation from the Demon Prince he handed him the papers. The Demon frowned as he started reading and then snarled. “What is this?! That human’s soul was mine so why do I suddenly not have full claim?”

Danny shrugged. “I’m just the messenger but at a guess, the guy took advantage of the fact the bureaucracy was back logged and got some more deals. Heard the Ghost King is having him work through his own paperwork as punishment for making so much.”

Snarling and grumbling, the Demon shooed him away. He smirked. It was fun to see everyone react upon receiving bad news.

[mwphisto]

How LaDs Men Eat Your...

Pairings Include: Xavier x Reader | Rafayel x Reader | Zayne x Reader | Sylus x Reader | Caleb x Reader

Warning, this post contains: pretty straight forward, pussy eating!

Xavier

Xavier eats your pussy like a man starved. You didn't think he had it in him, and oh, how sorely mistaken you were. Making out had progressed into something more, daring the two of you to finally cross the line into uncharted territory.

When Xavier so shyly asked if he could go down on you, who were you to say no? Honestly, you didn't know what stars to thank for the courage to say yes, because Xavier had brought you over the edge three times with just his mouth and tongue.

Xavier eats pussy like it's his last meal, his last chance to ever taste you in such a way. He's all tongue and saliva, licking at your puffy clit so vigorously and sucking at your clit so harshly that you're shaking.

It gets to the point his entire head is moving with his tongue's motions, shaking back and forth while drool seeps down his chin, covers your cunt, and makes a mess of the sheets below your ass.

He won't stop until you're begging, and even then, he'll go longer.

Rafayel

Rafayel eats your pussy like he wants to memorize it. Just like everything else about him, he'll go down on you with some level of grace. It's kind of fascinating, the sweet noises he makes as he nuzzles your cunt with his nose, eyes locked on your face as if he is mentally sketching it out for a new art piece.

It happened for the first time in the middle of his art studio, with him on his knees and your legs spread for him on the velvet of his couch. He had taken his sweet time, causing you pure agony as he licked and sucked and bit as if he were merely testing the waters.

When comfortable, Rafayel will eat you out until you're crying. Until your clit is swollen from arousal and his constant sucking and nipping. Until whatever surface below your ass is stained or soaked with your cum and his drool. He could spend hours down there.

His fingers gripping the plush of your thighs, moaning wantonly against your quivering cunt as his hips hump whatever is closest to him in that moment. He simply can't get enough, can't stop.

And you don't think you want him to.

Zayne

Zayne eats your pussy meticulously. Years of med school and more anatomy classes than he can count, he'll joke that they all led up to this very moment. When Zayne ate you out for the first time, you genuinely saw stars and were left questioning if he had been joking or not about those anatomy classes.

He had asked you for help with stress relief, and you had initially thought he meant he wanted you to go down on him. The surgeon had a very different motive in mind, and you were over the moon when he fell to his knees before you.

Zayne studies your pussy, as if he's in awe of what he's seeing. Carefully touching, kissing, and licking every part of you. Whispering sweet nothings that you can barely make out due to the muffling of his mouth on your clit. Sucking the pulsing bud between eager lips.

Eating pussy is Zayne's favorite de-stress tactic. He'll have you splayed out on his bed, his head between your thighs, and tongue working your sweet cunt until you're damn nearly pulling his hair out of his skull because he won't relent.

He can't help it, you're his perfect remedy.

Sylus

Sylus eats your pussy like he'll die if he doesn't. He knows you have high expectations, and he is nothing if not a man of his word. So when things got heated and he assured you he could make you cum more times than you could count with his mouth alone? You were quick to accept such a promising offer.

Sylus had you stripped and on his bed in record time, evol keeping your hips down as his head remained stationed between your legs. One thing about Sylus is that he is a loud eater, he's moaning and groaning into your slippery cunt as his nose and tongue work you over the edge again and again and again.

Sylus makes out with your pussy, showering it in as much love as he does the rest of your body. His nose bumps your clit so many times you're seeing stars, crying hoarsely as his lips suction to the way-too sensitive bud and he brings another orgasm crashing down on you.

Sylus is smug about it too, kissing your cunt as you come down from yet another high. He'll utter sweet nothings, resting his nose against your pubic bone as he observes your chest rise and fall rapidly, cheeks flushed and eyes glossy. Still, he's not done with you.

He's greedy, and now that he's had a taste, he's utterly insatiable.

Caleb

Caleb eats your pussy like a goddamn animal. He is feral, you're sure of it, sobbing hysterically as you physically cannot get him off of your overstimulated cunt. Damn him and that evol, you're forever at his mercy and it doesn't seem like he's letting up any time soon.

When you finally gave Caleb the green light, the poor boy came in his pants before he could make you cum. Eating your sweet pussy was enough to have him busting a load completely untouched. You took it as a compliment, finding it oddly adorable.

Caleb is cruel with your pussy, licking, biting, sucking, and spitting on it like it's his own personal chew toy. He's not satisfied until his chin is dripping with your cum, until it's soaked not only through the sheets but into the mattress below.

Caleb's evol keeps you at his mercy, babbling and begging for him to ease up. Your poor pussy so sensitive and yet he keeps going, slobbering and slurping like you're the best meal he's ever had.

Honestly? In his eyes, you are.

[candyriku]

Spring quarter starts for me this Monday BUT I think I'll actually be able to write during the quarter for once! I finally applied for disability accomodations (I had accommodations at my last school but thought I could maybe get by now without them - I could not) and one of the accommodations I was granted was the ability to take a reduced credit load and still receive financial aid! So I'm only taking two classes this quarter, which should give me more free time and also lower stress levels. Also, one of my classes is a creative writing class (specifically focused on prose) so I'm already going to be in the writing groove, probably. I'm hoping to get chapter 11 out before Monday -- I'm out of town visiting grandparents right now and was planning to write during my trip but have found it difficult to write here... still, I get home tomorrow and I'm sure I can finish the chapter over the weekend -- but the last two or so chapters after that may take a bit longer.

As soon as I finish JTSYS I have to decide if I'm gonna write my guardian angel au whump fic immediately or wait on it a bit and instead write my prince/knight au fic (which will be only a oneshot or maybe two chapters at most). Either way, my next fic will also be Soriku unless something drastic happens (like I start thinking about Final Fantasy 7 or Goro Majima too much again).

[rosemaryhoney27]

Danny's Hustle

Title: "Hit of the Day"

It had been a rough couple of weeks for Danny Fenton.

Gotham was not the friendliest place for a broke, half-ghost teen. Metropolis had Superman. Central City had The Flash. Gotham had… shadows and crime and a suspicious smell of despair baked into every brick wall. Danny had drifted here after some close calls with ghost hunters and his parents' trial dragging into absurd territory. He figured Gotham's chaos might be enough to help him stay hidden. But what he hadn’t figured was how fast money dried up when you didn’t have an ID, a home, or even a working toothbrush.

So here he was, half-starved, trying to figure out how to make enough cash to survive the week without attracting the attention of either Batman or, worse, one of Gotham’s less-restrained vigilantes. He needed something fast, something eye-catching, and maybe just a little insane.

Luckily, Gotham thrived on insane.

He was trudging along an alley near Crime Alley — fittingly enough — when he heard laughter. Not the fun kind. The cold, wheezing, "somebody's about to be horribly maimed" kind. Rounding a dumpster, Danny froze.

The Joker stood there, wiping a bloody crowbar on a fancy purple coat, whistling cheerily as a few unfortunate henchmen moaned in pain on the ground behind him.

Joker blinked, seeing Danny. “Huh. You don’t look like one of mine. Or Batsy’s. What are you, street meat?”

Danny’s ghost core surged. Not because he was scared. He was furious. He remembered Gotham news reports, saw what the Joker did to kids, families, entire neighborhoods. And here the guy was, strolling around like he owned the block.

Danny’s lips slowly curled into a smile.

About fifteen minutes later, people passing by the alley would stop, turn around, and double back, squinting in disbelief at the sign made from cardboard and duct tape:

"GET YOUR HIT IN ON THE JOKER!"

One Day Only! $5 Per Swing! Bats or Bars or Slippers Provided! No Questions Asked. No Refunds.

The Joker was hanging from the wall — literally. Tied up with a mix of ectoplasm, rope, and some glittery shoelaces Danny had picked up from a donation bin. His crowbar was now neatly propped on a folding table next to a wiffle bat, a nerf gun, a glitter-filled pillowcase, and a set of squeaky rubber chickens. His eyes swirled dizzily, and every few seconds he giggled, hiccuped, and muttered, “Best… carnival… ever…”

Danny, in a stolen hoodie and phantom-form halfway active to keep himself invisible to passing cops, called out to a growing line of locals.

“Step right up, folks! Has your family ever been terrorized by Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime? Did he blow up your apartment building? Poison your pet goldfish? Steal your car and leave it parked on top of a giraffe? Well, today is your lucky day!”

He slapped the sign cheerfully. “Five bucks per hit! Pick your weapon! Vent your soul! And maybe, just maybe, you’ll sleep a little better tonight!”

People laughed. People paid. People lined up.

A tired nurse smacked Joker with a flip-flop while muttering about missed sleep. A barista pelted him with soggy muffins. A guy in a ratty Penguin mascot suit delivered a dramatic monologue before dunking a pie in Joker’s face.

Danny made bank.

Somewhere around hit number forty-two, Red Hood dropped down from a rooftop, helmet gleaming. He stood, arms crossed, watching a ten-year-old repeatedly boop Joker on the nose with a nerf bat.

“You charging money for this?” Red Hood asked.

Danny grinned. “Five bucks. First hit’s free if you were personally murdered by the guy.”

Red Hood stared.

Then he pulled out a twenty, peeled off the cash, and grabbed the glitter pillowcase.

“Make change,” he muttered before stalking toward the Joker.

Danny leaned back against the wall, counting his earnings, the Joker’s giggles echoing behind him as more people joined the queue. A few bats flew overhead. Somewhere, Batman probably facepalmed.

But Danny?

Danny grinned wider.

In Gotham, pain was currency. And today, Danny Fenton was very rich.

part 2

[readwritealldayallnight]

Part five of ‘Bird Watching’ aka hot construction worker Simon x single mom reader

Some moments were simply indescribable, certain feelings too large to be named, emotions so grand they couldn’t adequately be put into words, lest their true value be lost in translation from lip to ear

Some things just couldn’t be said, but rather needed to be shown, to be felt

A chaste little thing, a short peck, the smallest, faintest of touches as you brushed your lips against his, more of a quick exchange of breaths rather than a proper first kiss, it had been the most honest response you could think of to express your growing feelings for the man who’d so easily closed his eyes and leaned in to you without hesitation

Nearly a week later and it’s still the only thing you can think of

His lips are at the forefront of your mind as you rock a tired Rosie back to sleep in the middle of the night, his terrible jokes popping into your head whenever you hear the sound of laughter coming from the telly in the background, his deep voice is rattling through your mind as you lie awake in bed, wondering what it would be like to have his strong, steady arms wrapped around you instead of cold, empty sheets

Hope

That was what he said the last time you saw him

He said you gave him hope

You and Rosie

The longer you know Simon, the more you realize you’re starting to hope for things too

You hope that he goes about his day with you on his mind as well, perhaps running into the most mundane things that now remind him of you, the sight of yellow flowers perhaps bringing a smile to his face

You hope he doesn’t work himself too hard during the day, a true ‘dad’ to his projects as he complains of achy knees and a back that sounds like milk being poured into Rice Krispies cereal each morning, the snap, crackle, and pops that come with such physical work

You hope he isn’t too tired to chat with you on the phone after work, something he says is impossible, though you can hear him stifling his yawns on the other end of the line as he tells you otherwise, asking you to keep telling him about yours and Rosie’s day

You hope that you give him butterflies, having seen that you can make him at least blush the most beautiful shade of crimson you’ve ever seen a man wear

You hope the butterflies swarming your own stomach each time you think of him aren’t going to end up eating you alive from the inside out

You hope he’s as sincere, as true, as real as he seems to be, as he continues to convince you he is

You hope this whole thing isn’t too good to be true like the nagging voice at the back of your mind keeps trying to convince you of

You hope you won’t regret letting him in

Right now however?

What you’re really hoping for, is for your sitter to show up already, so that you and Simon can go on what you hope is the first of many dates to come

He’d sent you a text not too long ago, letting you know that he’d just gotten finished with the job for the day, that he was going to head home to shower and change, and that he would come swing by to pick you up within the hour

You’d been looking forward to tonight all week long, ever since he’d asked to take you out on a proper date following the quick kiss in the kitchen, your heart rate feeling as though it’s been waiting to come back down to earth since then

You weren’t entirely certain what Simon had planned for the night, though he had mentioned you’d be grabbing dinner together at some point in the evening, the anticipation of both seeing him and the idea of this being the start of something new, had your stomach in knots

Not only that, but you couldn’t deny your nerves were also all aflutter thinking about leaving a now two and a half month old Rosie alone for the first time since she’d been born

It was a concept you were going to have to grow used to sooner than later, seeing as she’d be starting nursery up in not too long, but this was still uncharted territory for you, motherhood was something you were growing accustomed to, and the idea of leaving your baby alone for just a few hours was an even more foreign sentiment

Your best friend, someone who at least knew Rosie and her routine better than most, had graciously agreed to be the first person you entrusted your baby with alone, and though she wasn’t technically late yet, you were nonetheless surprised that she hadn’t shown up quite yet, knowing that she was always keen on extra time with the tiny baby who has finally starting to fatten up, her pudgy arms and legs getting softer and squishier each day

The little lady in question was currently hanging out in her bouncer, watching you flit and flounce around your room as you got ready yourself, listening as intently as a baby can as you spoke to her, doing your best to involve her in the process

“What do you think, babe? Red or pink for my lips?” You ask, holding up both lipstick tubes in front of her, smiling at the way she seems wholly engaged in the conversation, eyes flitting between your hands. “I think you’re eyeing the pink one. Is that your pick, hon? You want mama to wear pink tonight? Mhmm, I think you’re right. Maybe I should wear something pink too then, huh?”

Glancing down at her own little outfit of the day, an idea pops into your head, quickly out your phone and snapping a photo of Rosie, the onesie being one that your friend had gotten for her while you were still pregnant

You : ‘someone’s excited to show off her outfit to you’

You : ‘as long as she doesn’t spit up again lol’

You shoot off the texts along with the photo of Rosie wearing her corny ‘I love my godmom’ onesie before turning towards your closet, though it’s not long before you get a reply back from her

Sarah : ‘look at those cheeeeeeeeeeeks!!!’

Sarah : ‘i promise i’ll try not to eat your baby but like cmon look at her’

Sarah : ‘maybe just one bite’

Sarah : ‘love it! but you’re hoping to keep her in that til tomorrow? lol good luck with that’

Unsure if you’re reading her last message correctly or not, you quickly send her another few texts, hoping to clarify

You : ‘ikr and she still smells so good too’

You : ‘this is the first time the onesie finally fit her’

You : ‘but i have her jammies and her diaper all laid out for you on her dresser, she can wear that for bed tonight’

You’ve barely had the chance to shoot Rosie a glance that says ‘your godmom’s losing her marbles’ before the phone still in your hand starts to ring

“Uh, hello?”

“What day is it today?!” Your friend asks animatedly over the line

“It’s Friday…? Aren’t you on your way here already? Simon’s meant to be here soon.”

“You’re kidding me.” You hear her whisper to herself before she’s groaning in apparent defeat. “Oh my gosh girl, I- I’m so sorry, I could’ve sworn we were Thursday today! I’m literally in my parents kitchen across town right now. I am so sorry, I- I could leave now and try to make it-”

“Oh, no that’s okay. I know you don’t see them that often anymore, it’s okay. I’ll explain to Simon and we’ll reschedule or something.”

“Are you sure? I feel so bad. You were so excited for this date.” She says, and you know she means it. You don’t want to make her feel any worse than she probably already does, though you can’t deny that you’re disappointed, you were really looking forward to tonight

“Mhmm, I’m positive. You enjoy dinner with your parents, tell them I say hey.”

“Alright, only if you’re sure. But let me know if he wants to just push the date to tomorrow, I promise I’ll be there!”

“I’ll let you know. Bye.” You say before quickly hanging up, tossing your phone onto your bed along with a frustrated sigh. “Oh Rosie, what are we gonna do now?”

Rosie offers up her solution in the form of coos and whines aimed your way, her volume increasing with every second she deems a second too long not being held

You’ve just scooped her up into your arms when you hear a steady knock at the front door, your heart skipping a beat for a moment knowing that he’s here early, that maybe he’s been just as excited for tonight as you’ve been and that he couldn’t wait a moment longer to see you, but then your shoulders can’t help but to sag slightly, knowing that you’ve got to break the news to him

Making your way across the small flat, you cradle Rosie in one arm as you lean against the door, peering into the peephole just to be sure, when the sight on the other side forces you to clamp your mouth shut, god forbid you actually let out the ‘holy shit’ your brain is thinking right now

It’s Simon stood out there, that’s for certain

But you’ve never seen the man look so fucking good before

You’ve grown used to seeing him in his work attire, his dirty, sweaty t-shirts, old jeans caked in paint and plaster, plaid button ups so used and abused they’re practically see-through, hell he was even wearing the stereotypical white wife beater when you first met him across the fence, his defined biceps on full display that day (not that you were complaining), along with his muddy boots, you’ve only ever seen Simon wearing a hard working man’s clothes

Now however?

Well, he obviously must have been planning on taking you somewhere fancier than you expected tonight, seeing as the man is wearing proper dress shoes, dark slacks that hug his enormous thighs just right, and a goddamn button-up shirt that accentuates just how wide his shoulders are, how huge he is to begin with, a man who has very evidently worked hard for years upon years and has the build to show for it

Wanting to lay your eyes on the real thing, you try your best not to look too excited when you all but rip the door open for him

“Hi Simon.” You murmur to him as you lean against the doorway, glancing down at Rosie with a smile as she coos at him too, readjusting your hold on her so that she can see him better. “You- you look really nice tonight.”

You can’t help the way your cheeks heat up getting the full picture now rather than distorted through the lens of a peep hole, god how can someone actually be so tall? You can’t help but lean closer towards him when you catch a whiff of what you think is an enticing cologne or aftershave, your eyes taking in his clean shaven appearance, scars standing out more prominently without the stubble only adding to his already rugged charm

You see his own eyes go wide, gaze scanning you from top to bottom more than once, his lips falling open ever so slightly as he stands there, taking in the sight before him

“Simon?” You ask with a small smile tugging at the corner of your lips when he still hasn’t said anything after a moment, laughing softly when your words seem to snap him out a daydream, his eyes focusing more intently on your own now

“Sorry. I jus’-” He begins before clearing his throat, taking half a step closer to you as he speaks. “You’re so beautiful. Caught me off guard for a beat there.”

Your first instinct is to believe he’s exaggerating, just pulling your leg, because sure your makeup might be more done up than usual, and your hair styled a little nicer than it’s been recently, but you’re still just clad in simple lounge wear, never having had a chance to change properly before your friend called and you didn’t have a reason to dress up anymore

But looking at him now, seeing the way he’s looking at you, you can’t find a trace of insincerity in his gaze, can’t pinpoint any reason why he would be anything but sincere with you, the blush on your cheeks only deepening as you decide he means what he says

“Yeah well, you clean up pretty nicely yourself.” You mumble to him, pleased at the small smile he offers in return. “Though, this wasn’t what I’d been hoping on wearing tonight, obviously.”

“I think you’re perfect.” He answers instantly, tacking your name onto the end. “But there’s no rush, if ye wanted a minute to change? I can hold her, if y’need.”

“No, actually I- I’ve got some bad news.” You add solemnly, absentmindedly shuffling your feet, a nervous tic from your younger years that you never grew out of

“Y’alrigh’?” Simon asks, taking the last few steps closer until you’re within reaching distance, his hand coming up to land on your arm out of pure instinct, though he seems to catch himself at the last second as his palm hovers just above your skin

“Yeah, no, everything’s fine. It’s just that the sitter can’t make it tonight. She got the dates confused, thought I’d asked her for tomorrow.” You regretfully explain to him, unable to meet his eyes, as though this were somehow your fault, rather than a simple mixup that had you feeling just as disappointed. “I’m sorry Simon, I’d really been looking forward to-”

“D’you wanna bring her?”

“W-what?” You ask, momentarily befuddled by the question, unable to understand what he means

“D’you wanna bring Rosie wit’ us? Is tha’ alrigh’? Or if she’s still too little to go out we can stay ‘ere, order takeaway. Or I could cook for ye. Though the takeaway migh’ be less likely to come back and haunt ye tomorrow.” He replies casually, as though the answer were always so evident, the solution truly that simple, a problem easily solved at a moment’s notice

“I- she- wait, are you serious?” You question, only slightly bewildered by how nonchalant he is with the change of plans. “You- you don’t mind? You’d really be alright just staying in tonight?”

“‘Course.”

“But you- I mean you obviously had something nice planned for tonight- just look at you! I don’t want to ruin-”

“You’re not ruining a damn thing, love.” He cuts off your rambling, his heavy palm now landing on your shoulder with confidence. “Wearin’ my nice civvies, fancy food, s’all jus’ to impress ya. I don’ need none o’ it. Just want to spend time with ye, right ‘ere or anywhere else. Alrigh’?”

You can only bring yourself to nod in agreement with him, fearing that words might fail you if you dared to open your mouth now, a flood of emotions threatening to rise to the surface if you spend too long taking in what Simon’s just said

“Why don’t we go in then, and you start thinkin’ ‘bout where you wanna order from.”

Before you can even realize it, nearly two hours have trickled away, the brilliant hues of pink and orange and yellow shining against your windows as the sun sets cast a warm reflection throughout your flat, a sight that can only pale in comparison to the glow that’s emanating from inside

Because that really is how you’re feeling isn’t it?

As you and Simon lounge together on your couch with full bellies, contrasted by the empty takeaway containers and utensils scattered across the coffee table, some radio station or another softly playing music in the background, you feel as though the only way to describe this feeling growing in your chest is glowing, you feel like you’re glowing when Simon’s around

And based of the way he’s sunken comfortably into the cushions of the couch, an arm resting casually across the back with careful fingertips caressing your shoulder every so often, any and all traces of stress and work and life outside this bubble you’re caught up in have lifted off his shoulders, leaving him looking lighter than you’ve seen before, you’re inclined to assume he’s just as content as you are in this moment

“Hmm, dunno ‘bout that.”

“No, I swear to you, Simon! You’ll see, next time we’ll have to go in person, or we’ll just order dessert first.” You insist through your laughter, watching as he shakes his head in playful disbelief. The food you’d ordered was delicious, but as good as your dinner had been, you told him that it was really their sweets that had you coming back for more

“Well, if ye swear, s’pose I’m inclined to believe ye.” He teases with a knowing look in his eyes, ghost of a smirk painted across his lips. “Next time then.”

“Next time.” You agree easily,

“Like the sound o’ that. Next time.”

“Me too. That is, assuming you’d want to do this again, of course. Maybe a proper date?”

“This is a proper date, love. S’like I said, just like spendin’ time with ye. Look, we’ve even got a chaperone an’ everythin’. Proper date in my books.” Simon jokes, jutting his chin towards Rosie in your arms, her chubby little fists tugging at your shirt relentlessly

“Oh yeah, real proper.” You laugh, readjusting your hold on her, smoothing a hand down her back. “Speaking of which, I probably should try to lay her down soon.”

You’ve managed to avoid putting her to bed for as long as you could, the three of you hanging out contently together, bouncing her between your arms and her swing, but you also know your baby, and you don’t want to keep her up any longer, disrupt her routine any more. You weren’t expecting to juggle both Rosie and your fist date with Simon simultaneously, and while she’d been an angel for you two tonight, you knew better than to push your luck

“Ah right. Needs her shuteye, that one. I can head out, if ye’d like.” He offers, almost as though he doesn’t necessarily agree with the words he’s speaking, doesn’t want the night to end yet, but knows that they need to be said nonetheless

“No! I mean- it shouldn’t take me too long to get her down, I can tell she’s already pretty sleepy. If you don’t mind waiting, we could watch a movie together, or just keep talking. I- I’d really like you to stay, if you want to.” You extend the invitation to him, putting the ball in his court now

The idea of parting ways already leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, knowing how incredibly busy with work he is to the point that he told he he’d been working straight through the weekend to get this newest nursery finished, and because of that you’re left unsure when he’ll be able to see you next, your own days dragging longer as you’re left only with Rosie to occupy your hours, in addition to the very man who occupied your thoughts

“I’d like that. I’ll stay.” He answers simply, though his eyes tell you much more than his words ever could, the relief clear in his features

“Great.” You say with a genuine smile. “I might just run to the washroom quickly, before I put her down. Are- are you okay if I just- leave her here with you for a bit? It should only take me a secon-”

“You’re fine love. We’re fine. You go ‘head. We’ll be right here waitin’ for ye.” He tells you, gesturing down the hall towards your bathroom.

You can’t help but to search his face quickly for any chance he might change his mind, but Rosie’s safe in her swing, her whines and grumbles at a minimum for the time being, and so you nod to him before standing and turning the corner

But of course, your girl’s got some sort of sixth sense for knowing when her mum’s left the room, her cries reaching your ears through the closed bathroom door

You try to be a quick as you can, though at least a minute or two has passed by the time you’re jogging back towards the living room, apology already on the tip of your tongue for having left Simon with her, how you should’ve known she’d get upset, but the words die in your mouth as you spot the scene playing out on the couch

Still sat comfortably on your couch, Simon appears as though he hasn’t moved from his spot at all, which you’d be inclined to believe, were it not for the tiny bundle laying across his chest, his large hand rubbing small circles against your baby’s back

Her whines are already quieting down before you can process it, her coos softening the more Simon shushes her, soothes her, speaks to her in that low timbre of his, as if this were second nature to him, something he’d done a thousand times before and had mastered the art of

“Shh, you’re alright now. Your mum’s comin’ back, Rosie. No need for tears.” You hear him tell her as you step closer to the pair

“She- is she okay?” You ask, coming to sit back own next to him, your own hand instinctively coming to caress the back of her head, soft little wisps of hair tickling beneath your fingertips

“Tired. Like ye said.” He replies, his movements never faltering as he comforts your baby as if she were his own flesh and blood. “Think she’s almost out.”

And surprise surprise, he’s right

Rosie’s fighting to keep her heavy eyelids open, mouth parted in the tiniest little ‘o’ as she tries in vain to continue her protests, but in the end she can’t hold out any longer, and drifts off on Simon’s chest, fitting against him like a perfect puzzle piece, appearing all the smaller compared to his large size

“I can’t believe that just happened.” You whisper in awe, eyes locked on the sight of your baby safe and sleeping in the arms of a well-dressed Simon, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his muscular forearms, a vision that leaves you feeling warm all over

“I’m sorry, I should’ve asked before just pickin’ her up like tha’, you didn’t-” He begins to say, posture stiffening as though he’s about to stand

“Oh my gosh, Simon! Don’t even try to apologize right now. This is like, just about the hottest thing I’ve witnessed all year.” You reassure him instantly, relieved by how he softens up at your words, leaning back into the cushions once more, small chuckles being shared between the two of you. “Wasn’t expecting her to kick up a fuss so quick, and certainly never expected you to jump in and comfort her but, thank you, Simon. Really. I figured she was going to put up a fuss with the sitter tonight, she’s never had anyone but me put her to sleep before. But look at her.”

You both gaze at the sleepy little lump cuddled cozily into his dress shirt without a care in the world, her breaths coming out in soft, even little huffs

“Think she knows I’m trying to earn brownie points wit’ her mum. Helpin’ me out.” He teases his own hand coming lay atop your own, still cradling her back of Rosie’s head

“Already promised you dessert next time, didn’t I?” You say softly, returning his own cheeky smirk with a grin of your own

You hardly even recognize the way your head starts absentmindedly shaking in a mix of disbelief and awe, unable to fully believe the situation you’ve found yourself in, sitting on the very same couch you used to crash on after late nights out with friends, the same couch you’d bawled your eyes out on for hours after discovering you were pregnant, the same couch you’d fallen asleep on after one too many sleepless nights caring for a newborn by yourself, the same couch cushions you’d been digging through for loose change as money got tight

It’s the same couch that Simon Riley is sitting on now, as he holds your sleeping baby, as he looks at you as if there’s nowhere else he’d rather be right now even if this wasn’t the original plan for tonight, as he makes your heart beat faster than you’ve ever felt possible, as he challenges every notion and preconception and idea you’d built for yourself since becoming a single mum

Part of you wants to scream ‘How are you real?!’ just to see if the echo of your voice will ripple across the mirage he might have been all along, will reveal the smoke and mirrors and shed the spotlight on a stage that’s been empty this whole time

But you’re growing tired of holding up the weight of the walls you’ve had to build around yourself, you’re growing sick of making up excuses that never benefited you in the first place, you or Rosie, because a world kept at arms length might in theory be a safer one, but it’s undoubtedly a lonelier one, and while your new role as a mum means having to prioritize someone else’s well being before your own, having to take on the problems for two, you glance at Simon now and know for certain:

You’re not worried

He’s worried

It’s been too long now, almost a full week that he hasn’t heard from you

Not a text, not a call, not a goddamn carrier pigeon, nothing

He hates to admit it, loathes to acknowledge it as the truth, but he’s been so busy with work that he hadn’t even noticed the radio silence on your end until more than three days had passed

He’s been working practically inhumane hours as of late, fulfilling his guarantee to have the site finished and ready to open in exchange for a nursery spot for Rosie, and the work’s had him feeling more exhausted than he has in a long time, though the mental stress could never hold a flame to that of his time in the SAS, the physical toll is nearly comparable, especially considering his body getting any younger

Simon had been arriving at the construction site two or three hours before anyone else was scheduled, before the damn sun was even thinking of cresting the horizon, leaving him relying on an absurd number of floodlights to help get the work done

Not to mention that he wasn’t just the last man to leave the job every single time, Simon only allowed himself to head home when his body literally could not take any more for the day, the streetlights having turned on ages ago telling him to clock out

Arriving home and immediately collapsing into bed had been the routine each night, sleeps so short and restless that his brain never had the chance to conjure up a dream, not until that third night, when he finally slept well enough to dream of you

After all, he had left your flat that night last week feeling as if he was still waiting to wake up from a dream, to find out that was all just a figment of his imagination, in fact too good to be true

After having carefully transferred Rosie into her crib, the two of you had stayed up much too late into the night talking to one another, laughing together, and ultimately, as he’d been hoping he would have the chance to do again, kissing

He remembers how comfortable you were sat next to one another on the couch, how the more you spoke the more the space between your bodies slowly dwindled until he could no longer handle the look in your eyes, the one he knew had to have been reflected on his own face, and he’d taken the leap and reached for you, slotting his lips against your with a hesitancy that was quickly thrown out the window as he heard the deep hum of satisfaction reverberating through your chest into his

He remembers how soft you were, your skin, your hair, your lips, everything about you felt like something too precious for his sullied hands to touch, something too priceless for him to be stealing for himself, but your solid grip on his biceps gave him no room to question whether this was something you wanted as well, something you wanted just as badly as he did

It could have been five minutes, it could have been five hours, all Simon knew was that he was drowning in you and he never wanted to resurface again

Each little gasp you had let out as his strong hands gripped and squeezed your curves had his head spinning, every whimper and moan you didn’t mean to let slip had his own tether on the situation beginning to weaken, each press of your lips against his proved to be a test of his resolve, his willingness to do this right, to take things slow

But fuck, if you weren’t the most delectable thing he’d ever come across… your milk swollen tits pressed up against his firm chest, your soft thighs beneath his fingertips, your bodies arching into one another as though they already knew each other, had danced this dance before

Simon would have died a happy man that night, more than content with having you as his cause of death, a death certificate he could be proud of, but of course, he was only one of the two people in your flat that was vying for your precious attention

Rosie awaking from her sleep and demanding to be fed was the only indication that time was still ticking by, that your make out session had not in fact stopped time as your hearts may have otherwise had you believe

You’d walked him to the door, kissed him goodnight again just for good measure, promising to talk soon and plan another date, one where he might actually be able to take you out

But now, Simon’s left to grapple with the fact that you haven’t called him since, haven’t texted him, haven’t reached out once

He feels like a fish out of water

He’d never done this before, had never had something like this in his life before, something worth holding on to, and now he was left wondering what he was meant to do

Was this his fault? Had he been meant to call you first? Was that some unspoken understanding that he’d never gotten the memo for? Were you waiting for him to reach out first?

When his first text goes out to you the following morning, a simple message checking in on how you and Rosie are doing, he spends his entire work day eager to finish up so that he can check for your response

What he isn’t expecting however, is for his message to go unseen

Left puzzled, more than a tad confused, he decides to call you, wanting to hear your voice, to make sure everything is okay

When the call goes unanswered, your standard voicemail tone being the only thing to come through the phone, Simon has to fight against the familiar voices in his head telling him to jump to the worst case scenario, to anticipate the worst, and instead decides he’s not going to allow another day to go to waste

He’s pulling up in front of your flat and taking the stairs two at a time before he has the chance to talk himself out of it, to imaging reasons A through to Z as to why this may not be a good idea, why you might be ignoring him

Knocking on your door, Simon is steeling himself for whatever scenario he might be about to face, though what he comes face to face winds up being a situation his mind had not jumped to, a much more plausible explanation he hadn’t fathomed in all of his pessimistic worrying

It’s evident from the moment that you manage to crack the door open for him, that that alone took up more energy than you had to spare, the prominent bags under your eyes darker than ever before, the sweat seeping across your brow and upper lip contrasted by the way your body shivers involuntarily

“Love,” he says as softly as he can, though his tone is reminiscent to that of a young child being lovingly scolded, his brow furrowing in concern. “Should’ve told me you were sick.”

“D-didn’t want you t-to see me l-like t-this.” You barely manage to croak out, trying to correct the blanket that’s slipping off of your shoulders, though you barely have the strength to lift your arm and tug it back in place

“How long have you been ill?” He immediately asks, shutting the door behind him and leading you through your flat with a gentle hand between your shoulder blades, feeling the heat radiating off of you even through all your layers

“I- I don’t know. Few d- days?” You reply, glancing sideways at him as though you’re only now realizing that he’s here. “H-how - what are you d-doing here?”

“Haven’t heard from you, didn’t answer your phone. Had me worried, and apparently rightfully so.” He tells you, head on a swivel as he looks for your tiny roommate. “Where’s Rosie?”

“In her c-crib.”

“She sick as well?”

“N-no. Somehow sh-she’s been o-okay. I just- I feel awful, Simon.” You admit, frustrated tears beginning to pool in your eyes, fat drops sliding down your heated cheeks as you blink through them

“You’ve got to be runnin’ a fever, love. You’re not well.” He says with a hand pressed against your forehead, doing his best to school his features despite his displeasure with how warm you feel, your skin borderline burning up beneath his palm. “Let me help you.”

“S-Simon, I-”

“Please.” He iterates before you can even attempt to turn him down, the words quickly dying on your tongue, not a single ounce of energy left to spare for you to fight him on this. “Can we get you to bed?”

Nodding, you allow him to help lead you towards the door he can only presume hides your bedroom, pushing all other thoughts aside as he sees your intimate space for the first time

You hardly have the energy to climb into bed, allowing Simon to stack the pillows behind your head and to cover you with the blankets, exhaustion evident in every move you make, the kind of bone-deep tiredness that has him wondering as to how you’ve been able to manage these last few days by yourself, let alone caring for Rosie on top of everything

“You jus’ lay here, alrigh’? Let me handle things.” He instructs, smoothing the sheets over your legs, brushing your hair out of your eyes, fussing over you like he imagines his mother might have done for him decades and decades ago when he was too young to remember. “When was the last time you ate?”

“Uh- I um- I don’t- I don’t know.” You admit, closing your eyes as you lean back into the comfort of the pillows supporting you, the only thing keeping you upright at the moment

“Stay here, I’ll get things sorted.”

He knows you really can’t be feeling like yourself, based on how you put up no effort in telling him otherwise, hardly even acknowledging his words apart from the slightest nod of your head, your mind evidently in a fog that he’s worried has lingered too long already

Stepping out of your room, Simon peeks into Rosie’s nursery, if only to reassure his own wandering mind that she really is alright, his heartbeat calming down in the slightest when he spots her in the cot, her chest rising and falling in even, steady breaths, nothing appearing out of the ordinary as compared to her sick mum on the other side of the wall

Satisfied that Rosie is settled for the time being, he busies himself in your kitchen with preparing you something to eat, going back to the basics when he heats up some soup he managed to find in the cupboards, trying his best to straighten up the flat while your meal warms up on the stove, throwing wadded up tissues into the waste bin and tossing crumpled clothes into your washer

You appear as though you’re on the verge of sleep, if not already counting sheep, when Simon returns to you with a warm meal, a cold glass of water, and a generous amount of ibuprofen

You hardly protest when he starts feeding you the soup himself, barely blink when he drops the meds in your palm and instructs you to swallow them, only perking up when you overhear Rosie begin to grumble from across the hall

“I’ve got her.” Simon quickly reassures you before you try to move. “I’ll bring her, just wait here love.”

Despite having held her less than a week prior, Simon still can’t believe just how small she is, a true baby bird, how minuscule she feels in his hands, how light she is in his arms, how light she makes him feel when she tries to snuggle her way farther into his chest, as though she and her mum weren’t already burrowing their way directly into his heart already

Stepping back into your room, he watches the relief roll over you as your tired eyes lock on your baby, arms instinctively reaching for her as Simon transfers her over to you

“Oh Rosie g-girl, I know. I know.” You coo to her, sniffling in spite of the brave face you’re clearly trying to put on. “Thank you, Simon.”

“I should’ve come by sooner. Should’ve known.” He says, sitting next to you at the edge of your bed, arm coming up to help you hold Rosie steady should you need it. He’s beating himself up over this, in spite of all logic indicating he had no way of knowing you were feeling poorly, he still feels like he should have been here, should have been helping you sooner

“Y-you didn’t know. I didn’t s-say anything. S’my fault.” You mumble, rocking Rosie against your chest, leaning your cheek against the crown of her head. “I hate f-feeling like this. Feel like I’m useless to my own b-baby, feel like a bad mum, f-feel like a bad girlfriend f-for not talking to y-you, feel li-”

“Shh, none o’ that now.” He shushes your worries, leaning over to press a kiss to your temple, eyes closing as he lingers against you for a moment, begging the relentless beating of his heart to calm down before you’re able to literally hear it banging against his rib cage, itching to be freed and put directly into the palm of your hands where it belongs

He knows you likely didn’t mean to say it, didn’t realize you’d let the word slip, your fever and exhaustion taking precedent over your usually clever mind, but he certainly heard it

Girlfriend

He feels like a damn school boy, blushing the way he is at the prospect of you calling yourself his girlfriend, a term that feels too juvenile, too mundane for what’s been growing between the two of you

He brushes your worries aside, casts your discomfort out the window, taking your dishes to the kitchen if only to allow you a moment of privacy to feed Rosie, promising to return momentarily, though he doesn’t mind taking the time he needs for his cheeks to return to their normal shade, his body betraying the way your words affect him

He knows you likely won’t remember having said so come morning, though he’s hoping you’ll wake up faring better than you are now, that your slip of the tongue was truly nothing more than an honest revelation in your hazy state, an unintentional peek into the thoughts that have been swirling in your mind as of late, perhaps even an unspoken wish accidentally said aloud

But Simon? Well, he’s got no intention of keeping you waiting

If you’re wishing to be his, he’ll have to let you know soon enough that that’s fine by him, seeing as he’s been yours from the very start

Next chapter

Thank y’all so much for the patience with part five being uploaded, in true tumble fashion my first draft of this chapter got deleted right as I was preparing to upload it, and so this was my second time writing this out, tried my best to capture as much of the original draft as I could remember, so I’m really hoping it doesn’t come across as crazy as my brain feels right now

Appreciate all the suggestions people had for where to save drafts from now on, as well as the love you guys always seem to have an abundance of when it comes to my writing. Really does mean a lot

Anyways, really excited for the next few chapters as things are going to start getting messy, someone’s lies might start catching up to him, who knows

- M 🫶🏻

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