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grnherbs · 14 days ago

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my heart 💔

sought out

pairing. bob reynolds x gn!reader

summary. after a tiring mission, you seek out bob for comfort

content warnings. fluff, established relationships, cuddles, sleeping in the same bed, brief mentions of missions, r overthinking slightly, bob being sweet and sappy

word count. 1305

a/n. idc if i’ve already written a cuddling fic with him. this is what we deserve. it’s what he deserves. enjoy the sweetness, not proofread

———

“my door’s always open.”

that sentiment has stuck with you for the three short months you’d been dating bob. at first, you thought he meant metaphorically. that he was always there for you, and that you were welcome in when he’d offered. you’d slowly realized he meant more than that.

it would start with you knocking on his door, waiting patiently outside for him to answer. you watched his eyes light up when he saw it was you who was there to greet him, ready to ask him to take a walk with you, or if he had something you could borrow. each time, bob would usher you in his room, whether you necessarily needed to or not. you began knocking in hopes to simply come in and spend time with him, to sit next to him and talk to him. he was always so quick to oblige, opening his door wide for you.

bob liked having you around, something you eventually came to realize. he liked your company, he liked having you in his space. you brought comfort to him. one night, in a hushed whisper, bob let break to you that you made him feel at home. his room felt bare, almost empty without you around. it was that same night he let you in on another little secret of his. he loved you, and there was no sense in keeping it in. this love he had for you was practically seeping out of his pores. you’d spent the rest of that night giddy, the new confession filling you both up with so much joy.

tonight, as you slugged through the large tower, your mind went drifting back to bobs words. his door was always open, he felt at home with you, he liked your presence. it was a sentiment you shared, of course you did. all you could think about was having him near you, his warmth radiating onto your body, his steady heartbeat reminding you that everything was okay. the three day long mission you tended to took a toll on you, your body achingly sore and in a desperate need of a shower.

you made yourself shower first, warm water and gentle soap washing away the sweat and some of the tension for your body. this gave you time to stew in your thoughts, toss things over in your mind. all you wanted was to crawl into bed next to bob, relax into his soft blankets, to feel his gentle touch. you decided to yourself that you’d at least make your way over to his room.

with a plaid pair of pajama pants and a hole-y shirt on, eyes drooping with exhaustion and shoulders slouched, you shuffled your way across the hallways of the living quarters. you walked all the way to his room freshly clean, standing right in front of it with hesitation. a shaky breath racked through your body as you contemplated some more. do you knock and wake bob up? or do you simply let yourself in? both felt a little wrong to you, your mind betraying you, going against everything you knew about the man.

he wouldn’t be angry or upset at you for waking him up, even if you’d feel horrible for interrupting his peaceful sleep. he’d be happy to let you in. even then, you decided against it, acting before you could back out. your hand found his doorknob, gently grasping it and turning it, opening it forward as quietly as you could. it only processed with you then that these doors had locks on it, eyes furrowing together as you realize he wasn’t keeping it secured at night.

you just as quietly shut the door behind you, looking over at bobs bed, seeing the lump under the blankets that was definitely him. he was curled up peacefully on one side of the bed, comforter pulled up passed his shoulders, enveloping him in warmth. you tiptoed your way over to his bed, smiling softly at the sight of your boyfriend. he sometimes didn’t sleep well, and you were beyond grateful he was getting his rest. with slight hesitation, your hands gently gripped the sheets, lifting slightly to give yourself room to slide into bed.

the mattress dipped at your weight, something you tried to make slow and subtle, careful to not wake him. bob didn’t seem to notice as you slide into bed, letting the blankets fall over your body comfortably. it was quite easy to settle in next to him, his large body so close to you, presence calming your nerves. while laying on your back, your move your head to the side to admire him. he stirred only a little in his place, something you chalked up to him simply moving during sleep. you fought the urge to reach over to him, to touch him and hold onto him. still, you didn’t want to disturb him. you instead tuned over on your side, back towards his, only inches away from each other.

you spent nearly 10 minutes laying in bed succumbing to your exhaustion, letting it wash over you and drag you slowly into slumber. that’s when you’d felt more shifting beside you, this time a lot more intentional. you slowly realized bob was waking up, a hand of yours reached up to your face, palm rubbing at your closed eyelids. you felt the bed dip as he turns over slightly, his body a little tense as he try’s to process what was happening. you were quick to tense up, suddenly feeling a little ashamed of your decision of showing up unannounced.

any negative feeling you had in your body slipped away at the feeling of bobs hand reaching out to you, meeting your hip in a gentle touch. he slowly began to maneuver himself around, sleep ridden body still acclimating to being awake. a little part of you still expected him to scold you, to say some off handed comment of you coming into his room without permission. even with his strong arms wrapping around your torso, pulling your into him, it nagged in the back of your mind.

and, even if it wasn’t quite how you expected him to, he did scold you.

“should’ve shook me awake,” bob murmured in a low, sleepy voice. you felt him cuddle into you, cheek pressing into your shoulder blade, large hands bracing your opposite sides. “missed you.”

your arms found their way to his in attempt to wrap yourself up tighter in his hold, something he caught onto and obliged to without question. in the same quiet tone, you spoke back to him. “didn’t wanna wake you, looked so peaceful. ‘n’ i missed you more.”

“i’d do anything to see you,” bob said in the most casually sincere voice. your chest tightened up at his words, even more so at how he just said it, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. the ache in your body all went straight to your heart. the tension in your shoulders melted away as he held you in his arms.

in the same way bob felt at home with you, you felt safe with him. secure. all of your worries left you for the night, the only thing that mattered was being right here with your boyfriend inside of the comfort he provided. it was such effortless feeling he gave you, something you could only find in him. that’s when sleep overtook you, rested in his arms, enveloped in his warmth, swarmed by his scent.

you never questioned what he meant by his door always being open again. not after he left it unlocked for you, not after he left open space in his bed, and not after he welcomed you without a fuss. bob would always be there waiting with open arms.

#herbs rec’s

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grnherbs · 2 months ago

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❝ MY SAVIOR ⋆｡˚

CHAPTER ONE ˎˊ˗———————————

pairing: super southern rick grimes x f!reader

word count: 5.6K

summary: you had moved away a long time ago to try and live your best life away from the small southern town you were raised in. but instead of facing a good life you found terror instead. you managed to escape your abusive ex, and figured it was time to be back home with your family at the ranch. you were crushed, mentally struggling through your recovery from the incident. you left your whole life behind, including your job, so your mom sets you up with the quickest, next best thing, a babysitting job.

warnings: explicit sexual content, MDNI, age gap, (23 and 46), southern, size difference, pet names, oral sex (f! and m! receiving), breeding kink, unprotected sex, yearning, dirty talking, praise kink, fluff moments, rick wants to heal with you, slow burn, little angsty moments, you’re a bit bratty but he likes it, mentions of abuse and blood.

note: happy first chapter to me! i hope you gets like it and if you don’t.. don’t tell me. this is my first time writing in this y/n style for real so i’m still getting used to it.. enjoy :P ALSO this is lowkey unedited cause im lazy, i just did a brief check over to see if it was decent.. sorry

———————————

It’s dark outside, the moon shines down through your window, making the blood and glass on your bathroom floor sparkle. All you can do is suck in your air, knees to your chest as you hold yourself tight. Your jaw is throbbing from the blow you took, and your head is ringing. Dizziness is overcoming you, and you shuffle around till your temple meets with the cold tiles underneath you. One of your eyes is glued shut, swollen and leaking. Your phone is on the floor at the other side of the bathroom, cracked, and too far to reach.

An empty cry leaves your chest, tears falling from your unbeaten eye. With all the power within you, you attempt to reach out towards your phone, but your whole body is aching. A long whine leaves your trembling lips, but you bite them to keep yourself quiet. If he hears you he might come back in, and really kill you. You know that if you want to call for help, you need to crawl across the shattered glass, and blood. Very slowly.

You rise up enough to be in a crawling position, your bruised knees pressed against the tainted tiles underneath you. A warm wind blows in through the crack of the bathroom window, giving you goosebumps as it grazes your bare back side. Your body is shaking with fear, you're terrified he'll come back into the bathroom and bang you against every surface he can reach again. Your head throbs, reminding you of the urgency of this situation. If you don’t get your phone, you will pass out on the floor of this shitty apartment, in this disgusting bathroom.

The phone is so close yet so far, you start to drag yourself along the bathroom floor, quiet sobs leaving your lips. This is by far the worst situation you’ve ever been in, and a horse has kicked you in your chest before. Your dedication to get out of this situation is the only thing getting you closer to the phone, but you can’t go any further, and you're just barely out of reach.

Maybe this is how you're meant to go, on this grimy bathroom floor. Your family won’t hear from you again, you’ll never get to bring your dog back home to your ranch, and you’ll never see or feel the sun on your skin again. Your body weakly caves in on itself, and you weakly fall against the broken glass. It pricks you, cuts you in places but you’re already in too much pain to feel it.

It feels like it’s been years, the sun is slowly coming up, you wince when the golden light shines against your face. You are getting to see the sun again, this is not where you are meant to die, or how you're meant to either. The ache in your head has lessened, but you still need medical attention. With one final push, the phone is in your hand.

You try your best to type against the cracked screen, trying not to cut your fingers that are already caked in your dry blood. A shaky sigh of relief leaves your chest, someone is on their way to save you. You did it, you’ll never be in a situation like this again. You hope.

—

The dissociation upon your arrival back to your childhood home was like nothing you have ever experienced. Bubbles of pain that refused to pop were still wrenched between your joints, and the constant reminder of your boyfriends mistreatment on your eye. The pain in your heart was overwhelming as well, the tightness in your chest completely unbearable, and the only thing you could do about it was cry to help ease some of the tension.

Being back at your childhood home was amazing, but the first steps you took didn’t allow you to explore, they sent you right up to your bedroom, closing the door behind you gently so as to not burden anyone, and crawled yourself into the depths of warm sheets.

When you weren’t sleeping or crying, you spent your extra time staring up at your displayed calico critter sets along a shelf that wraps high along the walls of the bedroom, the little dolls and houses peering down at you. And you thank your childhood self for picking the least scary toys to collect. You spent the next two weeks locked away, only showering twice, barely eating, and not speaking to anyone. Getting out of this hole is going to be hard, and you know it will be, even though this isn’t you. Being with him ruined your mental, and he was the only one to be able to put you into a ‘state’ such as this one. You can hear the chatter of people beneath you, taking advantage of all the space downstairs, people coming over to visit your parents and have a chat on the porch. You wish you could go down and say hello but you are melted into your bed by now, too tired to speak, or be social.

The cold morning fog is making the innards of your bedroom a bit chilly as it flows in through the crack of your window, and you pull your feet under the covers, your body slowly coming to life again. The sun is starting to shine through the white lace curtains adorning your window, the orange sun is glittering down on your sleeping form, as you stretch and twist under the sheets. A long yawn leaves your throat as you stretch your limbs, your arms stretched out above your head, your legs and toes tensing slightly. It doesn’t take you long before you’re rolling out of the warmth, bare feet connecting with the cold wooden floor underneath you.

For a moment you just stand there, unsure of what you're going to do. You’d be dead lying if you said you wanted to stay in this room for another day, wasting away the increasing warmth of summer. You need to be outside, honestly you think it’s all getting worse if you sit in this room and rot forever. You yearn to be outdoors, to feel the warmth of sun against your skin, you haven’t been able to live without it, so how can you continue to do it now? Two weeks in, and you're done, your parents are worried, and you haven’t spent any time with your siblings or being back in town since you got here.

If you stood there thinking about your situation much longer you’d completely miss the scent of your moms signature waffles slipping into your room through the crack under your door. There is the sweet aroma wafting through the air, and bacon floating up the stairs and into your bedroom, your stomach churns. You're too stubborn, and you haven't been eating very well since you got back. Coincidentally, your mothers waffles are one of the only things that could make you really fold, and she knows that. You’ve been tricked.

Even with the hesitance in your heart, you're hungry and you know it. And this meal is not something you’re willing to pass up for a million dollars. It’s been years since you’ve had breakfast with your family, and you need this to heal your soul more than ever.

Slowly, you follow the scent of breakfast from downstairs, walking down the familiar narrow hall, your feet light as feathers. You sneak down the stairs, turning the corner when you get to the bottom and venturing towards the kitchen, passing through the living room on the way. The scent just keeps getting stronger, and the sound of consistent sizzling from the kitchen can be heard as you approach.

You peek your head through the kitchen's walkway, seeing your mother in her cute flowery apron making breakfast. For a moment you just stand there, taking in the view, and breathing in the familiar feeling as you stare. The sun is shining through the long window above the sink, shining down onto the wood of the island. Briefly, you clear your throat and your mother smiles when she catches a glimpse of your messy morning hair.

“Mornin’ mama.” You push past the walkway, stepping into the kitchen and making your way to stand on the side of the island.

“Hey baby, you hungry?” Your mom has never been the one to bombard you, or guilt you for feeling the way you feel.

She has never made you feel bad for being hurt, or not being around her or spending time with your brothers. Your mom knows that everyone goes through things, and this particular thing is not something you can get over so easily. Although she yearns to know the truth, and you understand what happened to you that night, when you refused to tell her the first time, she accepted that, and offered you nothing but love and comfort.

“Famished actually, please.” The pleading in your tone is real as you gently clutch your stomach, moving around the island to sit on the bench, making yourself comfortable as you watch your mom cook.

“Good, I need you to eat.” There is the slightest bit of worry hiding under the playful tone in her voice, but she doesn’t try to push it.

“Your brothers should be joining us in a minute, they were playing with the donkeys so I made them take a quick shower.” She shakes her head, and you're surprised your brothers are up so early just to play.

Just like clockwork, the boys rush into the kitchen smelling of soap, wet curls bouncing around as they enter, happy little smiles plastered across their little faces. You’re happy to see them, for the first time really since showing up two weeks ago.

.“You’re not sad anymore? You’re out of your dark, gross, girl cave?” Your brother Theo jokes, sitting next to you after emphasizing every rude word he said.

You wince with fake disgust, rolling your eyes as you scoot away from him. “So.. If my room is a..” You raise your hands to make quotations. “A.. dark, gross, girl cave.. Then what is yalls?” You pause, letting your hands fall onto the island. “A gross, grimey, dirty little boys cave?” You tilt your head at them, Theo dramatically rolling his eyes and groaning loudly, turning his head away from you, towards your mother then back again.

“Shut up, losers.” Your other brother Thomas, chimes in, sitting across from the both of you. “I’ve got a headache, and yall hooligans are making it worse.” He rubs his head dramatically before slumping over the island, curls squashed under his forehead.

A smug smile spreads across your face, and Theo sticks his tongue out at you. Whatever, these kids are bad as hell, but you honestly missed having them around. Gently, you grab the side of his face and kiss the top of his head as you stand from the bench, letting your hand slide away with the distance. He doesn’t react, he knows it’s all love at the end of the day.

The fridge is only a few steps away, and that’s your destination. When you open the fridge, the cold gust of air gives you goosebumps across your bare arms, causing you to tense up a little. Your eyes scan the inside to see if there is anything to drink other than water, and of course there is. There is hand made orange juice from the market, and freshly made sweet tea your mother brewed this morning.

You reach in and grab the glass pitcher, turning your back towards the fridge, and pushing the door closed with your foot. After placing the pitcher gently atop the island, you turn back and reach upwards in the cabinet beside the fridge, and pull out a glass cup. Sometimes you wonder why all of the house utensils are glass, but then you remember the lesson your mom taught you all when you were younger. If you break something by accident that's okay, but it's all about learning how to handle delicate things with care.

As you turn back to the island and place the glass down, you speak to your mom. “Ma, where is daddy?”

She cranes her neck to peer over her shoulder at you, and tilts her head towards the front of the house. “Outside on the porch with his friend.” An impressed expression graces your features, your father? Having friends? Hm. Intrigued isn't a big enough word for how you’re feeling, and that’s all you need to hear.

As you top off your glass and return the pitcher to the fridge, you start making your way towards the front without a word to your mom, cold glass in hand, and she doesn’t have a second thought about it. Silence is normal, she gets it. Your footsteps against the wooden flooring is soft, your parents raised you not to stop and you’ve now perfected it. The main door is open at the end of the hall, the screen door being closed so as to not let bugs in, and you can hear your dad chattering with an unfamiliar voice. The curiosity in your gut is ever growing. Your dad has done many things over the years, he works, trains horses, goes to horse actions, barrel races, he does the damn thing, but he doesn’t really make close connections with people for what you know. Your parents are still young, not old enough to be in a dry spell for friendships.

Slowly, you make your way to the entryway, pushing the screen door open, and it creaks loudly the entire way. When you peak your head out you can’t see anyone, but the voices go silent. Awkwardly, you make your way outside, letting the door fall closed with a slap behind you.. In an attempt to be less weird, you lean against the wall where they can see you, and they both look at you in silence.

The unfamiliar face is rather handsome, looking a bit on the more mature side, definitely older than your father but he’s attractive. His beard is one of the first things you notice, brown but peppered with grey hairs. And he has the nicest looking brown waves, and you can’t help but let your eyes wander down his chest, confined behind a tight black tee. Rick just stares back at you, curious eyes wandering along your barely dressed body. He takes in the blue gingham sleep shorts, and the white tank top so thin he can see your nipples.. He almost doesn’t notice the black eye, which isn’t nearly as swollen or pinned shut. Just blueish purple, and slight swelling around your eye socket and cheekbone.

Slowly you push yourself off the wall and approach your father, and when you're close enough you rest your delicate free hand on his rather large shoulders, and place a kiss on his stubbly cheek while balancing your rather filled glass in the other hand.

“Care to introduce me, daddy?” The southern twang in your voice is the first thing he notices, even though they all have it, yours is quite delicate, and polite.

You're adorable, he thinks. Rick has never seen someone so delicate and soft looking down here, and for the briefest moment he wonders how old you are and if he’ll have a chance. He has to remind himself that you are his friend's only daughter, and what that entails.

Your dad clears his throat, he looks up at you for a moment then back towards Rick, gesturing towards him. “Rick, this is my baby girl, (your name).” Rick smiles, a sexy, soft smile.

“Baby, this is Rick Grimes.” He finishes, tilting his head back to rest low against your stomach.

“Nice to meet you, Rick Grimes.”

The silence that fills the air isn’t awkward, but you realize it’s probably best if you leave them be. Rick doesn’t reply but he nods in your direction, not the talkative time? You wonder. Instead of staying and impeding on their conversation, you take one step back, your foot sliding against the rough wood porch.

“I’ll let y'all be then.” You whisper, lips puckering idly at the end of the sentence.

You turn your back towards them and Rick’s gaze falls right on that nice ass you got, your shorts letting the curve of your ass be seen. But your father doesn’t look, he’s too busy in his thoughts before he stops you, making you spin back on your feet.

“Baby! Actually, Rick needs a babysitter..” He waves his hand for you to return to him, moving to lean against the porch railing, making a triangle of the three of you.

With you being closer he can smell you, he can smell the sleep, and the slightest bit of sweat, like you haven’t showered today, and he doesn’t mind it. Especially when the light vanilla smell follows. And he’s smelled much much worse than just a little sweat in his years.

“Oh does he now?” You look at him, and he stares up at you from where he’s sitting.

He does need a babysitter, but the only thing he can think about is if he can handle you being the one to do the job. Rick can’t imagine seeing you curled up on his couch when he comes home late, wearing your sleep shorts around his house, all too comfortable in your own skin. But he doesn’t for a moment doubt that you’d be a bad pick to take care of his kids.

“I do darlin’, reckon you can help me out?” He tilts his head at you, and you finally get to hear that gruff southern accent of his. It’s thick, and that name makes your heart beat hard in your chest. Darlin? Not many people call you that.

“Depends on what yer askin’ for.” You take a deep swig from the sweet tea in your hand, keeping eye contact with him as your lips wrap around the edge of the glass.

Despite not wanting to stay and ruin their conversation, the three of you actually end up talking about the baby sitting job and what it entails for the next little bit until your mother calls you in for breakfast, you say your goodbyes, not really wanting to let the conversation go, and you leave. But he really doesn’t mind watching you go, his eyes glaring down at the way your ass bounces when you walk. It looks delicious, like he wants to plant his face in it.

—

You bite back on your bottom lip, smiling down at the plate of steaming waffles, then at your mom. She just likes to see you happy, smiling back at you before turning away to tend to the rest of breakfast. Your heart swells with love, finally remembering how good it is to be back at home. Being out of your room for the first time in a few weeks, it feels good to be eating breakfast with your family.

The table is filled with love when you sit at the opposite side, watching your brothers talk loudly at each other and shove food in their mouths. It’s adorable, they’re still young and filled with innocence, it’s amazing to watch them like that. Only then do you finally realize what you’ve wasted your first few weeks back, and it’s really time to change things for the better. At the end of the day this little depression moment doesn't define you, this isn’t the you that you desire to be, you want to go back to being your usual self.

When your brothers leave the kitchen your mind kind of goes blank with the silence they left behind. Your mom is washing the dishes and cleaning up the mess she made around the kitchen while cooking.

You chew your last bite of food, swallowing it down before talking to your mom. She’s wiping her hands on a kitchen rag after cutting off the stove when you start talking. “Mama..” Your voice cracks a bit, you haven't really spoken to your mom since you got here. A real conversation, or a real explanation, just short hurt words, and little to no eye contact.. “I uh.. want to start working again?”

It sounds like more of a question laced with uncertainty than a statement, and your moms eyebrows raise with interest, and the corners of her lips turn upward. She’s excited to see your shift in energy, in her head about if her waffles are just that amazing.

“I figured since I don’t plan on leaving any time soon that I should start finding a way to make some kind of money.” You shrug, sliding your hands down your thighs, letting your head fall just slightly.

Your mom looks like she’s about to explode, her already happy nature now more inflated than ever. She had a glint in her eyes as she rubs her hands together slightly, and you raise an eyebrow at her strange energy.

“What is it?” Clearly there is something on your mind, you rest your elbows up on the island and rest your chin in your hand, tilting your head at her.

“So… You're going to take the babysitting job.. With Rick?” She’s too excited, and didn’t even realize she made it seem like your father and her planned this.

Why else would your dad randomly be outside with a friend when he usually spends his morning working on something outside? Or maybe you haven’t been back long enough to know that he really does hang out with his friend rather often.

“Did you plan this?” You grab your fork from the side of your plate, cutting a piece of the waffle into a mouth sized piece, rubbing it all around in the syrup and bacon grease before shoving it into your mouth.

“No, no baby.” She shakes her head dramatically and rolls her eyes too hard for it to be the truth.

Lying is not one of your mothers strong suits, and the smile on her face only gives her away more. She giggles to herself, tucking a long dark curl behind her ear as she finally gives you the truth.

“Alright, yes. Your daddy and I might have planned it but we needed you to get out and try something new!” She admits, leaning against the island.

She’s too happy to hide it behind any type of facade, and it clearly worked. You’re interested in taking the job helping Rick, and you finally got out of bed to join them for breakfast this morning. To her, everything is going perfectly today. And you’d be lying if you said you weren’t happy, you finally get to touch grass and spend some time outside of the house, all while making some money. You’re lucky that rent is out of the picture, you just get to spend this chapter of your life on the ranch with the animals and your family.

Honestly this was helpful, it finally gets you to take your mind on everything that happens, and gives you a new chance.

You spend the rest of the day mentally preparing yourself for your first day of work even if it is a few days away now. The long awaited shower you really needed was fulfilled, your long dark curls were finally washed and they bounced back amazingly, much needed hydration and volume returned afterwards. It was warm outside, the sun shining down against the green grass, you made it a beautiful day, spent some time playing with your brothers, and even exercised a few horses. It almost completely makes you forget about what happened, until darkness falls.

Moonlight shines down through your bedroom window, shining against the wooden floor. It’s bright, but not bright enough to make you lose any sleep. What makes you lose sleep is the thoughts that flow back through you like water. Drowning you. Suffocating you.

When you do finally fall into a comfortable sleep, the nightmares start running rampant. You have no peace, no rest, and you know that as the days go on, you’re not going to be ready to babysit. Physically at least. But you’ll try your best regardless of anything.

Peace in the night is one of the things you yearn for the most, over the next few days you barely get any sleep. The nights are sleepless and your brain is forever running with thoughts about what happened that night, even about what happened before it.

Most nights you wake up completely breathless, tears staining your delicately stained cheeks, your lips swollen from biting them at night. Anything bad that could happen at night, besides peeing on yourself does. And when your first day rolls around, you’re exhausted. But you know that if you don’t pull through, this easy opportunity will never come back to you.

It's early morning, the birds are barely out and singing as you get ready for the day. You try not to think about how much effort it took to get out of your bed on time, but you managed to make it out.

You pack a small bag before anything else, a few snacks, and necessities like water, your phone charger, and a book if you want to read while you’re there. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t feeling nerves bubble low in your stomach, but you need the money, and this could really be a good experience for you. You rummage in your closet for something appropriate to wear, you have so many options but nothing perfect to be a babysitter for an entire day.

After trying multiple outfits on you land on something simple. Boot cut denim jeans, your boots, your matching leather belt, and a tight black t-shirt. You decided it was best you leave your hat behind, and you stare at yourself for a bit longer than usual in the mirror before spraying some perfume that smells like vanilla and coconut, your two favorite scents. You grab your bag, a simple black backpack, throwing it over your shoulder. You try your best to shake off the exhaustion as you venture out of your room, the wooden flooring of your childhood home creaking underneath your feet as you go down the stairs.

The house is filled with an uninterrupted peace, your brothers and parents are still sleeping peacefully, and you don’t want to wake anyone up. When you hit the bottom floor you turn towards the living room, walking past and making your way into the kitchen. The long window over the kitchen sink let's plenty of sunshine into the kitchen, allowing a warm glow to fall against the wooden island, the fruit in the bowl there glistening under the light.

You could really stand here and take it all in, but you're scheduled to meet Rick at his house in about ten minutes and you don’t want to make a bad first impression by being late. Quickly, you pour two cups of the sweet tea you had yesterday, ice in each cup, and a slice of lemon one. One for you, and one for Rick. He lives at the ranch next door, a quick walk. So you reckon the drink will still be cold by the time it gets to him. The nerves are ever-growing but you try your best not to think about it, grabbing the drinks and making your way out the front door carefully, trying your best not to spill anything.

The sun shines down on you now, the grass crunching quietly with your every step, and the wind blowing gently through your dark curls. You’re slowly approaching Ricks ranch, his white two story home coming into view. The wrap around porch has come fully into your view, his home is gorgeous.. In the distance you can hear the gentle sounds of a guitar playing melodically, and soon he comes into your view.

Rick sits on his porch, rocking back and forth in his wooden rocking chair, guitar in hand. You bite onto your bottom lip to settle your nerves, coming up on the gravel driveway that leads right towards him. Crunching can be heard from underneath your feet, and that catches Rick's attention. He sits up as you approach, his shoulders tensing as you smile.

He places the guitar down against the rocking chair, and rises to his feet. He’s tall, much taller than you. When you met him before he was sitting, now you get to see him at his full height, looking down at you with something interesting behind his eyes.

Slowly, you make your way up his porch stairs, and he doesn’t say anything yet, only making you feel all the more nervous.

“Hey there.” You smile, now at his level and standing only a few feet away, still clutching the two glasses in your sweating hands.

“Hey..” He pauses, looking down at you. His voice is gruff, something you weren’t really expecting. “Is one of those for me, darlin?” He tilts his head at you and your jaw pops open just slightly.

“Oh, uh.. Yeah, here.” You hold out the glass with the lemon slice in it, and he takes it with a smile.

He can tell you’re nervous, just by the look in your eye and the frantic way you’re speaking to him, and you are. Even when you met him the other day you weren’t this nervous, but something is different. Your heart is pounding in your chest, and you're stuck on what to say next as you watch him take a generous swig from the drink, his throat bobbing with the action. His eyes scan you, your outfit, and he takes in the fact that you might have accidentally put on almost the same outfit he had on the other day. You’re cute, cuter than you need to be for a babysitter and he knows that this will become an issue for him.

“The kids are watchin TV. If you have any issues or concerns you can call me. Sounds good, darlin?” He tilts his head down at you, and you nod. That’s the only thing you can manage doing.

“Sounds good.” Repeating back to him is all you can do, and he smiles. You flutter your eyelashes up at him, staring at him through them and he didn’t notice it before.

He almost doesn’t want to go, he wants to stay here and stare at you. The way you look at him making his dick react in a way he can’t afford right now. His tongue slides out to wet his lips, and he takes another sip of the tea to distract his mind.

“Alright, baby doll. I’ll be back around two. Feel free to fall asleep, don’t do no waitin’ up for me.”

This was one of the last things you needed, a filthy little crush on the father of the kids you're going to be babysitting. It’s sick, it’s wrong, but it feels oh so right. He leaves you there to go to work, makes you feel like he left you on an abandoned island in your lonesome, and promises to come back to get you sooner or later. Too in your head. You know you are, but you can’t help it. An attractive man like that can not be single.

The next few hours consist of you getting to know Carl and Judith, Judith is only four, young and innocent. Blonde hair that glows softly underneath the sunlight, and an appetite so insatiable that it’s cute. Carl is more on the playful side, thirteen and still wondering why his father leaves for so long. It seems to you like he looks up to him, he wears a cowboy that his father gifted to him when he goes outside to play, and it’s cute.

For an hour you watch them play in the yard, picking up rocks and comparing them, then throwing them at a tree or as far as they can throw it. They’re competitive, not mean, not mad that they need a babysitter or spiteful little brats like you’d see in the movies from back in the day. They’re good kids, and give you nothing to complain about.

As the sun goes down you make the kids dinner, and send them off to bed after their baths. They don’t give you any fights, Carl probably read a book for a while before bed but Judith was out cold. Already so attached to you, but ready to sleep. She was a clinger when she was awake, and you were honestly surprised she didn’t try to get you to sleep with her. Most kids you’ve babysat do.

When the moon has fully risen, you find yourself gently swaying inside the hammock he has at the front of the porch, a few ways away from the rocking chair by the door. The sound of crickets calling and the gentle sway of wind in the leaves has you drifting off to sleep as you rock.

You being asleep on his front porch was not at all what he expected, but as he found himself stepping up towards his door, he did it quietly, seeing your small foot hanging over the edge of the hammock, he knew you were there. Slowly, he approaches you, his heart warming just slightly.. He wasn’t expecting to see his daughter Judith snuggled into your side, her blond wavy hair all messy and adorable. She looks so at peace sleeping next to you, and Rick doesn’t know if he can bring himself to take her away. You might just be the death of him lying with his baby girl like you’re the one who made her, and for a moment his heart tightens as he gets that painful reminder of Lori.

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[AO3]

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