moonriseoverkyoto

[moonriseoverkyoto]

WIP - Married!Simon "Ghost Riley/reader x Johnny "Soap" MacTavish

I've had this brainworm for the past two months and I finally let it burrow this week.

Notes: 18+ MDNI, light smut, no use of "y/n", you and Simon know exactly what you're doing and Johnny is NOT prepared.

1.6k excerpt from the one shot I'm 8k deep in. Enjoy <3

“Lt…are ye sure this is the right house?”

“Mhmm,” the man grunted, boots thudding so harshly on the asphalt it was as if he fell out of the truck. “Ella’s skateboard,” he adds, pointing at a glittery purple deck left exposed to the elements on the front lawn. 

Johnny frowns, “…Ella?”

“Keep tellin’ ‘er to put it back in the garage,” he grumbled to himself, hunching over to collect the board. “M’such a pushover.”

Johnny stared at the man like he’d suddenly sprouted another two heads. Simon Riley? A pushover?

It was a once in a lifetime experience that he was even drunk. 

Eventually they made it to the front door, knocking. Johnny carefully avoided stepping on the chalk drawings on the path—and despite his stupor, Simon never so much as grazed a line with his boots. “Really Ghost—if this is some joke, I dinnae like it—this is someone’s home.” Warily, he eyed the skateboard still clutched in the man’s broad palm. 

“Fuck off Johnny,” the man said, pressing his forehead against the sage green painted doorframe, groaning.

A minute later the door rattled as the locks were opened, the door merely widened a sliver, a wide-eyed doe looking up at him wrapped in a silk robe, pale pink draping from her shoulders to the floor. You. Hair sprawling down your shoulders...round belly catching the porch light. “Sir, do you know what time it is? You’ve got ten seconds to explain yourself before—Si! You’re home!”

“Hey love,” Simon smiled, pushing himself off the doorframe to hunch over the woman, meeting her halfway in a hug. “Mmm—you smell good,” he mumbled into her neck, already laving kisses on the supple skin of your throat with no regard for his sergeant's lingering eyes. 

Johnny felt utterly bewildered—in the bloody twilight zone. What the fuck was going on?!

“Si—si,” you were laughing as you grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, pulling him off you with little effort, “you’ve got to introduce me to your friend.”

“Ella left her board outside again, love—" Simon grumbled, missing his wife's instruction, "where is she? Where’s Maddie?”

“They’re sleeping. It’s nearly midnight—Jesus, how much did you drink?” Your gaze snapped back to Johnny, narrowed and razor-sharp, “you know he’s a lightweight.”

He did?! “Sorry Ma’am,” Johnny cleared his throat, “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m John MacTavish—”

“Oh my god, you’re Johnny?!” And then he was getting hugged too, gingerly returning it with a pat to the back. “Si’s always talking about you!”

“M’not,” the brute grumbled, already fumbling with his boots behind you in the hallway. “It was like…once.”

“Yeah, once a day—oh my god,” you pulled back, beaming up at him, “I’ve been wanting to meet you guys for like…forever! Come in—come in!” He didn’t have much choice with how you pulled him inside. 

“Oi—boots off, just had the carpets cleaned,” Simon grumbled seemingly at johnny though he didn’t meet his eye, pushing himself off the wall and trudging deeper into the house without another word. 

You gave him a small smile, “sorry—I’ll just go grab him. He’s a bit of a wanderer, you know,” and then you too were off, leaving Johnny in the entry way.

He closed the door behind him, functioning outside of himself as he shed his boots, eyes stuck on the frames on the walls, the floral arrangement on the table just below it, keys, forgotten notes, and small pieces of Lego left in the dish like confetti. The wall was probably a safety hazard with the amount of photos mounted on it, your relatives—Johnny figured—and baby pictures, framed sonograms. Pictures of puppies and their greying selves not far from them. The handrails of the stairs were scuffed, crayon flowers on the skirting boards, a safety gate at the bottom of the stairs. 

An entire life in just the hallway alone.

Eventually, when no one came to get him, Johnny moved deeper into the house, tracing the steps Simon and his bird had taken.

“…she’s been missin’ me, hm?” Simon was saying as Johnny rounded the corner, hugging you from behind as you filled a second glass of water. “Or have her toys been keepin’ her busy?”

If the white knuckled grip you had on the counter was anything to go by—let alone the way Simon was rubbing your hips—Johnny knew he’d just stumbled into a conversation he never in his life thought he would hear. He cleared his throat, mouth gone dry, stealing your attention with a small gasp, Simon merely blinked, his eyes finding his sergeant’s across the room, “it was—it was lovely meetin’ ye Mrs. Riley. I’ve got an early mornin’ though—ought to get home.”

Instantly you were frowning again, “I don’t think so—were you drinking tonight?”

Johnny flushed, “one or two a few hours ago, I’m fine to drive. Appreciate the concern though—"

“I don’t know Johnny, I’m not comfortable with the thought of you driving alone like this. We’ve got a nice pullout couch, I’ll set it up, yeah? And there’s a downstairs bathroom, so you really won’t be a bother.”

“No, really, tha’s fine—”

“Take a seat Johnny,” Simon grunted, voice suddenly clearer than it had been since they’d stepped foot on exfil last night. The soldier in him made him take a damn seat, ass meeting the lacquered wood of the kitchen stool.

Simon’s bird brightened right back up, “perfect! Oh, I’ve got so many questions!” You slid over one glass of water to Johnny, the other finding it’s home in Simon’s grip—the man in question glaring at his sergeant as if to wordlessly say make her happy and answer whatever she asks. 

Within minutes, Johnny had recapped his mother’s side of his family history, the names of all his past pets, how he’d found himself enlisting in the military, his first impression of Simon and more. You weren't kidding when you said you’d been waiting forever.

When Simon’s lazy groping of your ass and hip was getting too obvious to ignore, you bid Johnny a fond goodnight on your shared behalf, “gonna take this lug upstairs now, do you have enough pillows? Are you sure?” And then the pair was gone, conversation lowered to whispers as they climbed the stairs. 

Johnny did his best to clear his mind, chugging a glass of ice water, heading to the bathroom to splash his face in equally cold water—and then to take a piss—before sitting gingerly on the edge of the pullout bed, all made up for him specialty of Mrs. Riley.

Holy fuck, his lieutenant was married with kids, to one of the most gorgeous, sweetest, frightening ladies he’s ever met.

Well, when he put it like that, he ought not to be so surprised.

At last, turning off the lamp standing between the couches, Johnny settled into bed, left with little other choice. (You'd taken his keys and dropped them in the pocket of your dressing gown the moment he’d shown them in his hand). He’d almost fallen asleep when a crackling sound on the table jolted him back upright.

A small, rectangle of blue-white light lit up on the coffee table, giggling filtering out of the speaker. “Missed you so much Si,” your voice said, breathless already, “fuck—so much.”

Johnny’s eyes couldn’t have grown any wider as he leapt out of the bed, eager to turn off the bloody baby monitor—why on earth was it down here in the first place?! The sound shut off as he thumbed the power button, the living room thrust into quiet once more.

Pure, dead silence. So quiet it was nearly unnerving.

His mind clung to the facts though, it’d been a long while since he’d had a good fuck. The kind that left his spine limp and thighs burning, whistling-the-next-day-as-he-flipped-pancakes kind of fuck. He was already half chubbed when he turned the radio back on. Morals so depleted after the mission he couldn’t bring himself to debate the sanity of that decision.

“—at you, been dreamin’ about this face for a bloody month,” it was Simon’s gravelly voice that filtered through the speaker now, “wanted to kiss you here…here…here,” he lingered a little, earning a laugh, “here,” the laughter cut off, “definitely here—”

“Simon—”

Fuck.

“Oh—right here,” that was a tone he’d never heard from his lieutenant and would likely never hear beyond tonight—and it was instantaneously seared into his mind. Unforgettable. Irredeemable.

You gave no reprieve, panting like that, with those soft little moans as the image in Johnny’s mind only grew more and more lewd. Legs spread, two impossibly burly shoulders propping your thighs, a finely manicured hand gripping dirty blond hair with fervour. “Oh—oh—mmmph—” the bird must’ve turned into a pillow, muffling herself. Trying to keep quiet. And that’s what brought Johnny’s hand beneath the blanket you had so helpfully provided.

Simon groaned, sucking, slurping—the most obscene noises Johnny had heard in a long time. “Missed this cunt,” he huffed, bedsheets rustling, “missed your—Jesus, when did the milk come in?”

“This week I think, fucking uncomfortable—I’m already—” you yawned, “had to pump this morning already.”

“You want some help—” Simon’s voice was treading the line of teasing and caring and Johnny couldn’t listen any further, suddenly remembering he couldn’t rub one out in his best friend’s living room with Barbie doll arms and Mr. Potato Head noses lining the TV console just across the room.

He got up to splash some more cold water on his face.

Though he doubted anything less than a skinny dip in the arctic would clear his mind of the raunchy sauna brewing there.

Margarita's Masterlist

Firestation!141 Masterlist

🤍 Much love from Marg (...and here's my Ao3 too, just for good measure lol)

To @moonriseoverkyoto my fav (only) beta reader and co-scheming extraordinaire, finally starting to get this truck on the road.

[moonriseoverkyoto]

The more I reread Romeo and Juliet and watch various interpretations of this play, the more convinced I become that Mercurio and Tybalt are ex boyfriends

[moonriseoverkyoto]

superman, an undocumented immigrant being accused of representing some greater political agenda, made a political target after opposing an illegal occupation of an entire country, gets thrown into a secret and unlawful prison by a billionaire and tortured while the people in his life are put at risk. james gunn i knew you had the sauce but this. next fucking level. i love superman (2025)

[moonriseoverkyoto]

Announcing a break from updating all of my series due to a personal event in my life. Love to you all and stay safe

Xoxo, moon

[moonriseoverkyoto]

⤷ . ᵒ . 🥼 .༄ good girl confessions ! ࿔* ━━ series masterlist

pairings .' dr. jack abbot x morgue tech!reader

summary .' in which you ( the reader ) are shy, soft-spoken, and far too good for the world you work in—but dr. jack abbot wants you anyway. wants you especially because of it. he’s older, bigger, rough around the edges, and completely undone by the way you squirms in his lap and stumbles over your words. you never had anyone take their time with you—never been praised, teased, or touched the way he plans to. and when he finds out just how untouched you really are? he makes it his mission to teach you everything you didn’t know you needed.

trigger warnings .' lowercase intended!!!! \ medical trauma \ mentions of death \ hospital setting ( graphic references to autopsies, corpses, injury, blood ) \ social anxiety \ self-worth issues \ body image insecurity ( specifically surrounding reader’s curvier body ) \ reader internalizes micro-aggressions and negative self-talk \ emotional repression \ low burn with eventual power imbalance ( not exploitative, but notable that jack is of higher rank but NOT reader's direct superior ) \ age gap dynamic \ jack is gruff and emotionally avoidant at first ( but in his bf!era dw )

( readers physical apperance is not described EXCPET that reader has female anatomy and is curvy )

main masterlist | more jack abbot | join the taglist | dividers by @cafekitsune

CHAPTER ONE .' cold and predictable ( wc 1564 ) CHAPTER TWO .' cold storage ( wc 1402 ) CHAPTER THREE .' a cold shoulder ( wc 2073 )

CHAPTER FOUR .' too cold to touch ( wc 2208 ) CHAPTER FIVE .' cold cut ( wc 2314 ) CHAPTER SIX .' tbd ( coming soon )

CHAPTER SEVEN .' tbd ( coming soon ) CHAPTER EIGHT .' tbd ( coming soon )

jack abbot x morgue tech!reader concepts

⤷ dead on arrival ( wc 1.1k )

JOIN THE JACKSABBOTTS 1K EXTRAVAGANZA HERE OR REQUEST FOR jack abbot x morgue tech!reader

🔖  .   @Princesssunderworld  @mayabbot  @Imherefordeanandbones  @Arigoldsblog  @oldmanbunnylover  @I-mushi  @autumnleaves1991-blog  @lovelexi717  @peggyofoz  @qtmoonies  @nfwmb-gvf  @britt217  @babybatreads  @cheekym8s  @bitteroceanlove  @spooky-librarian-ghost  @dr-yapper  @yutasgem  @keseqna  @gardeniarose13  @witchbitchlovesdilfs  @sotragedynut  @robbyrosierobinavitch  @anglophileforlife @flyinglama  @reignbooks8506 @kmc1989  @sillymuffintrashflap @letstryagaintomorrow @caterpillarskimono @maiamore  @chuiisi  @madzleigh01 @qardasngan @Imightbeinsanebutwtv  @Shadowfoxey @foolishseven @anxiousfuckupon  @Lumpypoll  @Coldmuffinbanditshoe  @blueliketheseaa  @Justfaefaeee  @sweetdayme4427  @404creep  @yourdaydreamerfan  @ddrawers96  @m14mags  @generalstarlightobject  @twiddledeedumsworld  @dlljdhsh  @jetless  @Thedamnqueenofhell  @Topnerd03  @misshoneypaper  @abllor @Loud-mouph @cannonindeez @nubecita040 @Sabi127  @Coleground  @sevenberry   @idontcarenoughtonamethis  @beebeechaos  @cwzham  @homebytheharbor  @Sammiib444  @painment  @namgification  @Cherry_cosmos  @catmomstyles3 @livingavilaloca  @hello-lisa1026  @emma8895eb  @thesnugglingduck

[moonriseoverkyoto]

I just wanna kiss the girls in my media

Me trying to find wlw fanfics only to get bff!reader

[moonriseoverkyoto]

Baby Boy - Pt.4

continuation of this idea in a miniseries / Masterlist

warnings - MDNI +18, sub!gaz truther, forced proximity based attraction, slight abuse of power? (reader is Gaz's nurse), praise, no actual smut but dirty fantasies of such

pairing - Kyle "Gaz" Garrick x Nurse! Reader

author's note's - reblogs are welcomed if not encouraged!

Kyle "Scrub Seducer" Garrick who had believed Dante when he said he had discovered all seven circles of hell. But Gaz would propose an 8th, that being under your care during his shift.

Not that you were bad at your job, no no no no quite the opposite. You took such great care of him, you always had a perfect tone of authority that made his spine straighten out and his cock twitch, and your bedside manner was perfection. He couldn't complain, especially when you always made sure he was comfy.

A groan tore out from his lips as he tried to sit up. Johnny had joined him in his room today. The stale air now permeated by the soft whisper of your perfume and deodorant as well as a floral shampoo and was that.. lotion? Anyways you smelled and sounded like heaven, a platter meant for him.

"How's he been doing doc?" Johnny said with a knowing look toward's Gaz that you missed as you checked him. Over the first week you had slowly softened to him from trained bedside manner and proximity

"he'd be good if he could sit still." You responded, as your gaze followed up his chest and found his eyes. Kyle's body straightened up, stirring a chuckle in your chest, "ease up, atta boy."

The praise slipped out easily and nobody in the room missed the way the heart monitor began to spike and quickly cooled as your brows furrowed in worry. Johnny coughing out a chuckle as Gaz's glare found his frame.

"Is there any way visitors could be removed, I'm not feeling well." Gaz clipped out as Johnny freezed his frame like somebody paused his movie.

"Of course Kyle, all you gotta do is ask." Your response came as you checked his IV, meeting his eyes with a challenging brow. You wondered if he would really kick out his friend and almost dared him too.

"Could you please remove my friend," Kyle paused as his voice dipped and his eyes seem to pool into a big brown pool of begging as whispered, "Miss."

"Of course Kyle." You nodded before turning to Johnny. Your eyes finding the frozen sergeant quickly who seemed to be locked into the interaction. "You heard him."

This became a habit of Kyle's as he sat in the infirmary throughout his recovery, he found out that'd you do mostly anything, as long as he asked. The boys had this idea that you were wrapped around his finger but in reality it was the other way around.

He was quiet when other nurses, especially past hook-ups no matter how professional they came off as, did his vitals and bandage changes. If he had a tail it would thumb in tune with his climbing heart rate whenever you came close into his proximity. Your perfume had even awoken him during sleep in the night when you came to do a last round check. His most infamous incident was the day before his care transfer as Price seemed to dot on you.

Kyle woke up drowsy, his eyelids fluttering as his pupils focused in on the window of his room. He saw how his captain and you talked. Normally he would swell with pride at his mentor doting on somebody he took affections to but not you. You were his prize, something he had been working towards. So what did he do?

He cleared his throat and then noticed the little crack in the door and opted to start groaning softly as if he were in pain. His hand clutching his bandages as he saw your head quickly snap to find him in his bed. Your head ducked in front of Price to excuse yourself.

"Yes Garrick?" You questioned, a brow raising high as if you were keenly aware what his motived were, "need me to change your dressings?"

"Yes ma'am." He nodded and a smile found your face as you helped him lean up again. He swore he heard you murmur but that didn't matter now as you began to change his dressings on his ribs and monitor his pain meds.

Soft hands trailed along his abdomen as you took off his dressing but yet he can't help himself but wish they would reach lower. God he'd beg on his knees right now for you to take your soft hand under his hospital garments and relieve the mess you've caused for him.

As you came around to get his other side his eyes followed your arse. Every soft ripple as you swung your hips seemingly on purpose but realistically on accident. His hands seemed to open as he imagined what it would look like taking his cock.

He could imagine your hand on his neck holding him down as your ass meanly came down onto his cock connecting your bodies in throws of pleasure. How your tongue would carve mean fantasies into his head leaving a searing imprint of your mutual desire. He never wanted a woman to dominate his senses so confoundedly as you had started to.

With every praise and command you give as you rewrap the muscle and check his vitals he can't help but lean into your touch. The final straw is a soft gasp as your cold hands trailed up his hot back. It was faint but beautiful like he was surprised at such a relieving touch.

"if it's tender, I can't give you a massage but I'm sure the morphine will relieve it in a few moments." You said softly, feeling a bit of pity as rib injuries do caught patients a lot of pain and are pain for soldiers.

"Sure you can't give me a massage?" he prodded the question mischievously with a glint in his eye. A soft giggle passing your lips as you rolled your eyes before pondering,

"I'll tell you what Garrick." He preened closer to your words as he realized his dreams might come true. "I'll give you a massage once you fully recover"

"Happy ending included, ma'am?" He said, his tone hopeful yet carrying a plead in it.

"unless you want a head injury with that I'd take what I give you."

"yes ma'am" He nodded. His lip caught on his teeth as he bit it to conceal a moan at your praise. His cock twitching under the robes.

"atta boy, Garrick. You learn everyday" the heart monitor snitching on him once again.

Good God would you be the death of him. Yet the idea of your fingers digging into the tender crevices of his back availed him of death's clutches, for now at least, he had found an anchor of hope in his sea of desperation.

[moonriseoverkyoto]

me, moments ago, discovering that ao3 does not have scheduled uploads like tumblr

[moonriseoverkyoto]

Moon Phases Masterlist

Bear Shifter AU! John Price had been everywhere with his men, from the hot desserts of the Middle East to the blistering cold forests of Russia. As his own retirement papers came across his desk, so did the destination of his roots. Armelle's Rest called out to him in his retirement like a siren song. But yet when he followed the song he now feels like he entered a lion's den instead. Too bad John Price never backed down from a challenge especially one with such furry ears and beautiful brown eyes.

Pairings - John Price x AFAB! OC, Kyle "Gaz" Garrick x AFAB! OC, Simon "Ghost" Riley x Johnny "Soap" Mactavish

Series Warnings - bear shifter au but no bestiality, still talks of animal instincts, eventual smut, eventual romance, oc has a kid and past trauma from her child’s absentee father, talks of emotional abuse from ex,

Series Playlist / Also available on AO3, leave a comment or kudos! Enjoy :)

Inspo from @the-californicationist's series called "Ursa Major" on ao3, an absolutely AMAZING John Price Shifter au fic with ghoap and honestly what drew me into the au. Make sure to be logged in to access it!

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 - Coming Soon!

[moonriseoverkyoto]

Moon Phases - Chapter 1

Pairings - Bear Shifter!John Price x Bear Shifter! Original Female Character, Bear Shifter!Kyle "Gaz" Garrick x Original Female Character, Bear Shifter! Simon "Ghost" Riley x Johnny "Soap" Mactavish

Summary - John Price had been everywhere with his men, from the hot desserts of the Middle East to the blistering cold forests of Russia. As his own retirement papers came across his desk, so did the destination of his roots. Armelle's Rest called out to him in his retirement like a siren song. But yet when he followed the song he now feels like he entered a lion's den instead. Too bad John Price never backed down from a challenge especially one with such furry ears and beautiful brown eyes. - available on AO3 as well.

Warnings- oc has a child? Bear puns, slight angst for John

Notes - this is a bear shifter au but no bestiality, I promise, please enjoy and feel free to leave a comment below! See you at the bottom, xoxo Moon.

Word Count - 7.1k / Series Masterlist / Series Playlist

Spring was always the most beautiful time of the year. The birds chirped as rabbits climbed out of their burrows to welcome new kits. The ground still had minimal moisture from any leftover showers as the sun rolled in summer. Just as animals migrate home, John Price migrates to Armelle’s Rest. 

He had served his country well and finally turned in his dogtags after his last mission nearly put his men in their own wood-framed beds. Now he searched for a place to rest his head after years of hol’ing himself up in the city for the sacrifice of his job. His bear yearned for a safe place with the impending date of his first hibernation out of the military. So when he was recommended by Laswell to come here, he took one look at the surrounding mountainous terrain of the town and decided to follow one last order. 

His deep claws dug into the crumbling soil of the dense forest as he padded through. His deep cerulean orbs caught the solar fractions through the green arrowheaded leaves of the coastal redwoods. He was so far away from the thick grasps of civilizations he almost was unsure of every step he took with a scent strongly permeating his every thought.

His snout filled with a swirling deep amber scent until it pooled in his gut like a warm resin form of the smell. It made him want to curl up and bask in it like a housecat does at the first notion of sun in the early morning. His thick fur shook with a force as a shiver passed through at a realization. This was marked territory. It wasn’t just a dense forest home to a cavernous mountain range. He could hear the nearby rushing of the river as it pounded into the rocks below. He could feel the low breeze of spring ruffle through his thick and dark brown bristled fur. 

The nearest town was an old retirement community that had one inn, a few shops, and a whole lot of old cottages. Sure there were lake houses but this was not some vibrantly young community of curious humans. So when he moved here to plant roots, he assumed that he would be alone, perfect for his Kodiak and better for a war-torn old man who couldn’t bare much sentimental or deeply personal human interaction. 

When he was younger and a cocksure idealist, John imagined finding a mate and filling her with cubs and keeping her safe in a den. He imagined being surrounded by a big family during hibernation and big hunts to commence every time he came home. Then the reality of his life struck his brain like a bullet to the skull in the middle of a war-torn field. He wouldn’t get that because he didn’t have the time, nor would any sane human want to become a shifter like him and nonetheless a kodiak. 

Kodiaks were beautiful bears but yet cursed to a life of solitary confinement much like himself. He remembers fondly how his parents were happy with just John. Growing up as a lone cub was hard but lacking a strong community was harder. Sure, bears are solitary but kodiaks are the most lonesome. His species originated from a lone archipelago and mates never stayed together long or stayed loyal unless they were meant to last. He never understood why his own species couldn’t live together like other bears but it was something that he learned to grow accustomed to and crave. Even as a Captain and a pack man, he always spent his winters alone and in some poorly rented apartment off base. 

But yet as he followed the trails deeper into the forest, he felt his inner bear preen. This was the life he was meant to lead. He was meant to be safe within redwood pillars of this seemingly impenetrable woodland. Except this wasn’t just a home for him. It was a home already constructed for somebody else.

These worn paths he trekked were filled with smaller paw marks and a softer scent was carefully tucked behind the overwhelming amber. Something bigger than him had worn away these trees to make it safe. Something wiser than him understood the safety that these trees held. His brain began to ponder what softer scent the amber seemed to be guarding so well. But his query was shortly answered as his mouth salivated while the amber continued to pool in his nose. But a new scent was overtaking now as he strided closer to an open pasture.

It was the smell of honey, and it was soft and it blended so well with the amber it almost brought John to his knees. But the sight before him caused him to be alert and concerned. 

Just past the tree line was a newly bloomed meadow. The grass was tall and the ground was firm. The sun warmed the soil below but in the middle was the real beauty. Surrounded by beargrass and lavender plants was a little babbling toddler. She had the brightest green eyes and deep brown hair that cascaded down her back. The baby’s skin and tongue unmarred by any violence or fear typically held by young cubs. Her teeth were still coming in but her cheeks were round and plump like a fresh apple. Her giggling imbued the air with an air of unmitigated bliss and youth. Her hands glistened in the sun as she fiercely held onto a piece of honeycomb, her lips and chin smothered in the glaze.

But soon the young beau set her sights on John and stood up. Her mouth opening and a meager growl crawling out of her throat as she bared her small set of teeth. Four barely sharpened canines glistened in the spring sun as honeycomb dripped from her jaw. 

John almost cooed at such a scary image until real fear plagued his veins as the view changed. The tall grass parted behind the girl as thick hazelnut fur came into his view point behind her. The bear had soft rounded ears but that was the only nice feature as her coned snout twitched with her lips coiling up to reveal razors for teeth. Her deep brown eyes harshly scorched Price with her gaze. While the cub's mouth dripped with honey, Price recognized the thick red liquid that dripped from the mother’s. The amber scent that once pooled in his gut now soured like a bad meal as his brain connected the pieces. The scented trees, the paw tracks, all of it.

For being such a warm-blooded animal, Price felt his ichor run cold at the realization that not only was that Grizzly in front of him, but that it was her cub he had found. He always knew that bears never left their cub alone but some deep part of him prayed for a mere moment that the seething bear in front of him was some hazed illusion his mind conjured up. 

But as her roar rang out and slammed his body awake again, he realized he might die here in this field. Not the snow covered mountains of Russia or the hot deserts of the Middle East but here in this meadow, by the hands of another shifter. And just like a good man, he was willing to roll over and accept it as payment for his sin of intrusion. For who was he to have followed this bear and her cub up here.

Deep in her eyes he saw a blazing fire that he wanted to stoke and feed. He knew that was what kept your cub safe. His fur wouldn't be the first to be skinned for a pelt and his head wouldn’t be the last to be sold at market.

Yet within those burning brown eyes, he also recognized the flash of gold within her eyes. The gold that he once planted his heart into when he met them longingly across a bar once. It was a rare chance that you were the same woman from 10 years ago. Yet the flash of gold brought John’s knees to the floor to pray for just one miracle within his life of calamity. 

Price laid his head low but didn’t break eye contact. The grizzly’s deep brown eyes leveled him in such a way reminiscent of a look he’d seen before. But as much as John would like to take a moment to recognize that look, he would rather like to see if he could live to recount this tale for another day. The grizzly stepped forward as Price stepped back and a tense moment passed but a certain golden girl cut through the moment. 

“Mama!” she cried as she turned around to see the female grizzly at her side. The toddler stuck her honied hands deep into the brown fur and stuck herself to her mother. The grizzly turned for a moment to look at her cub, a silent pass to Price to run for the hills and the man obliged his fellow shifter.

But as he fully extended his limbs to run back to his home and escape with his life, he didn’t mind leaving his dignity. Especially as his ear caught the sweetest voice cooing to the babbling baby.

“My darling Ossie what did you do.” came a woman’s voice as she picked up her young. Her bare skin warmed her child as she coddled the babe in her arms and kissed her head, a sigh of relief passing her lips as the young girl just babbled with her honeycomb. 

When Tallulah Rhodes brought her babe to Armelle’s Rest it was with the intention of sanctuary. Tallulah was a woman raised in a community of bears and thus wanted to give her daughter, Osa, the same. So when she discovered Armelle’s Rest after searching far and wide while her belly grew, she decided this would be perfect.

Her home was a beautiful wood house with some cobblestone walls and big beautiful windows that reached out to the sky. Sure the exterior could be burned down by one single match but the wood was homey and carved by her like a cradle for her baby. 

It wasn’t the high-priced penthouse overlooking a vast empire that her ex, Noah, wanted but then again that man never knew what he wanted. One day he was kissing her belly with talks of suburbs and the next he was yelling at her to control herself. So when Tallulah discovered the growing cub inside of her, it almost gave her a taste of the freedom she thought Noah would give her. From that moment on, she decided that if he wouldn’t give her a place in the mountains to keep her Osa safe, then she would just make it herself. Human boys always rubbed her the wrong way. 

So as she walked to a nearby creek. Her mind plagued her with memories of that night 10 years ago. Hungry eyes, tingling skin, and a promise of wilderness among a time of urban dreary. But yet, her own little wild promise cried in her arms as she waded into the river. The toddler squealed as her soft digits grabbed and a hiss fell over the air as Teddy lowered her lower half into the water. The cold river rushing across her skin as it flared up with goosebumps in protest. Teddy, as always, chose to comfort her wailing offspring instead of the blistering cold liquid which permeated her bones. 

“I know Osa baby, but Mama has to clean off this blood then I can run you a nice warm bath for our little honey mess.” Teddy promised softly. She grabbed a nearby towel she had placed earlier when they had originally walked out here.

As Teddy strided through the forest back to her house, she noticed how certain trees now smelled faintly of cinnamon and it made something swirl in her chest. Something that hadn’t moved since a night long ago. But the swirling in her chest sloshed into a different feeling as Osa’s hands curled into little fists. A rumble rung out into the air which further confirmed the issue as one of hunger and not of temperature. 

“Mama’s hurrying okay?” Teddy spoke as she picked up her pace. Her feet were digging as she worked into a jog and her home came into view. 

The back doors slid open as Teddy reached for some homemade berry sauce and quickly fed it to her youngling. A pleased sound left Osa’s mouth as she suckled the elixir clean from the bottle. Teddy smiled as the scent of her home filled her nose and Osa’s gurgles filled the home. She had made it home safe, again. 

John could relate to that sentiment as he passed through the doors of his home and nearly collapsed onto his floor. His limbed burned from exhaustion as his knees throbbed harshly like they’d been knocked together. However none of that mattered as his head swam. His body felt worn yet his mind renewed at the possible discovery in the meadow. 

“Cap!” A certain posh accent rang out in his ears. Shit. John forgot he told the men to stay for dinner. Gaz came running in to the man’s aid.

“Bloody ‘ell, Garrick ‘m only 35 not fifty.” The man said he swore he smelled fear snuggled between his friend’s fervent scent of jasmine and frankincense. The younger man moving to offer his arm to help as Price grabbed it. 

“Ye sure it’s not that ‘genetically’ bad knee over ‘ere Cap?” Johnny butted in from his spot on the couch. Ghost nowhere to be seen, but not completely worrying to the eldest member of the group.

“You smell different.” Simon comments. It nips at John’s ear as he processes the comment and Gaz takes a whiff. 

“Aw Cap found a little honey now did ‘e.” Gaz grins but a loud whine cuts them off. Simon’s eyes barely soften as they find a cross-armed Scotsman. 

“Man, I always miss out on this stuff.” Soap frowned, and as he aimed his oral cannon to fire off another comment, his lover quickly stamped out the ignited gunpowder. 

There are two kinds of shifters in this world. Genetic Shifters who are born into the beauty of the wilderness. They are welcomed to the world with open arms and fawned and cooed over. Within their birth they are given a scent by their surroundings and their parents as if to mark them. Humans love them as babies and come to respect them as adults. What genetic shifters lack in control of their animal, they make up for in pure size and fortitude.

But choice or chosen shifters aren’t so glamorous. They made whispered promises of love and mauling bite marks. They are monsters to humans, because while a birth is beautiful why would somebody choose to become such a monstrous thing. Why would somebody choose love and bone-cracking animal transformations all in the name of love. Genetic Shifters are even looked down upon in the community because they lack size and their scent is awful. While Genetic Shifters are given beautiful aromas based on their surroundings, Choice Shifters are forced to bear the scent of their creator along with a vicious mark of the metamorphosis. A choice shifter lives a life of pain as their human bones never quite adjust to the dna change and that was a fate Simon could never condemn his boy to. 

“ Which is for the better.” Simon snapped. Soap’s frown only deepened as John ignored the silent lover’s quarrel. John ignored the tension as he headed off for a rinse and was back down within a coin drop of a moment. 

“Kyle, lad? You said you found a spot for dinner?” John questioned with a quick cough, desperate to get some fresh air to break up the foul smell of Simon’s silent frustration.

Tallulah was a tired woman but eager to come in and catch and pick up a shift for a friend at the inn. Her daughter safely tucked away into the kitchen with the chef who she trusted because since it was the dry season, most people wouldn’t be making the trek out of beds or even out of their homes to come eat out. It was no big deal, the town was full of retirees and their grandchildren but the winter season would linger long enough to stave off any real trouble in town. Speaking of real trouble, that bear earlier on her territory was still eating at her brain as she walked up to the podium. Her work boots clicked the ground as she looked into the dining room. 

But some sooner trouble came at the door when she heard the commotion of four grown men coming. That didn’t sound like the sweet couple who usually frequent The Cedarwood Inn and restaurant. They rather seemed more befitting of the The Savory Stag crowd, a rowdy tavern across town often frequented by men looking for a good pint of ale, a game of pool, and a basket of fried whatever. 

Tallulah wasn’t one to raise her hackles but something was different about this group and its leader. Sure all these men were big, but they were burly as well. The smallest one, adorned with a mohawk and a brutish laugh hung off the side of the tallest one, a rather quiet blonde with a scar over his eye loomed over his loud counterpart. There was the more posh man with a rich, dark skin and a beautiful smile that gleamed from behind his lips like newly bedazzled diamonds. Finally was their ring leader or who walked in front, his shoulders were big yet filled in with thick muscles protected by warm fat. His dark henley under his jacket did nothing but tease the warm expanse below. Surely all of their bulky size combined created a mountain of muscle to be feared, but yet it was their scents that caught Tallulah’s attention. 

Humans had a very distinct smell to them of flesh and blood, it was a flat note of aroma piled on with their artificial perfumes. It was intoxicating as it was annoying because even when they were changed they still reeked of flesh under the scent of their new bear. Yet the men in front of her, save for the loud mohawk, all had a darker tone to them, richer, deeper, and they walked with a little more heave and give than humans did.It was way too soon for hunting season and they had laws against poachers, but what would pack would have any sort of business on her land unless. 

Something was different about them, and it had Tallulah’s hackles raised, but she quickly lowered them as she remembered where she was. This was human territory, this wasn’t a dense forest where she could hunt them out one by one and then sell their pelts for profit later. It was man’s land and she had to abide by a man’s rules for now. 

Even though their muscles ached with the pain of travel and moving boxes all day for their captain, the boys were relieved as the deep promise of warm food wafted from the restaurant kitchen as they walked into the inn at which Kyle was renting a room while John set up his spare room. 

“Table for four please?” John spoke as they approached the hostess podium for the restaurant entrance on the right side of the inn lobby. Soft jazz pooled through the area as low candles lit all the tables. The restaurant was marked by large windows to let light pool in but they were now all closed for the late afternoon. 

For some reason, the gorgeous woman in front of him flare her nostrils for a mere moment until she pulled her lips into a thin, fake smile. He saw on her name tag her name was Teddy and he only found it to be fitting of the woman in front of her. Teddy wore some beat-up black work boots as well as matching black low rise boot-cut jeans and a fitting dark button up blouse. The blouse had two buttons undone allowing her scent to flow freely and safely in the previously lonesome area. Her almond brown skin looked soft and endless to John as he watched her face contort. Her pillow pink lips pulled into a flat line with a slight curl in her upper left lip as she recognized him. They were a dark umber brown but in that moment, they flashed gold in a similar way in something he couldn’t place. 

“Oh can’t cook anything at home can you? I suppose with everyone just coming out for spring and winter leaving us so soon, I can’t place any heavy blame.” Teddy said as she looked up and met John’s eyes. She was scanning him for answers to questions he didn’t know were being asked. 

“Sorry ‘m afraid we’ve just arrived for the spring, love. Winter had a certain effect that made moving here a challenge.” John responded, testing the line. Her hickory eyebrows pulled into a line before quirking up, something was written on her face that John couldn’t begin to transcribe but her words were more comprehensive of something evident. 

“Welcome to The Cedarwood Inn, glad to see you came here during visiting hours and didn’t trespass just for a bite” She remarked softly before John continued, both testing. 

“Didn’t mean any harm by it, we can leave if you want to close early, honest” He spoke, taking another deep breath to huff more of the scent of amber and.. Tonka bean was it? He could feel three pairs of eyes now boring into him as he spoke with the hostess in a battle of blazes between their looks of different feelings. 

“You should check in with a doctor in the city if you couldn’t smell the amber,” She mumbled under her breath, John would’ve missed it if every fiber of his being wasn’t hanging on to every word. A flash of gold again but still no smile. John couldn’t understand what game she was baiting him into, but suddenly the warm amber and tonka bean were snatched from the air and the scents of his own team were all he could detect.

“You callin’ me old and we haven’t even exchanged names?” John emphasized and a hum from Tallulah agreed. A moment passed as they stared at each other before a cough from Simon made the two relent. 

“You can seat yourself if you can bring your feet to walk a few more steps, and I’m not your server for tonight so I do not need your names, just your promise to dine.” She said with finality to him to which John just hummed with a nod, grateful for the interaction. 

“Reckon it’s any good if they’re empty on a week day?” Johnny murmured and Simon seemed to agree as a chuffed laugh passed the blonde’s crooked lip. A scar from a forgotten mission sunk a line through the left upper side of his lip straight through the bottom in a way that when he moved his nose, the top half of the line shifted. 

“Ye of little faith.” He sighed in response to his partner before Johnny’s burly hands came up to press into his blonde scalp and shove him slightly. The man enjoying his partner’s hands momentarily scratching his grown out buzzcut.

“Well let’s try to announce ourselves then.” John noted and suddenly pushed his chair back as he sat and a loud screech tore through the soft sounds of the inn. But the screech was answered with a line of curses in the kitchen as well as some banging pans, running water, and the traffic doors pushed open and a woman came walking out quickly. 

A low gasp passed Gaz’s lips inwardly as he found himself entranced by a woman quickly approaching their table now. Her brown clogs hidden behind some loose and stained light washed jeans which hung low on her waist while she wore a sheer blue button up and a white tank top underneath. It was pulled up at her elbows and the woman flattened out the apron she was wearing as she walked closer to the table. 

While he took in every feature, the world seemed to stop. The woman before him was gorgeous in all aspects. Her wild auburn waves were held back by a white bandana while some shorter pieces framed her soft peach colored skin that was dotted with sepia colored freckles. Her sea green eyes pulled in Kyle like the shore pulls in the sea with every breath. As his eyes raked down her, so did her hair. It was poofy and big on top like a jelly fish and its tentacles cascaded down her back as they stopped around her mid-waist area. Her nimble digits came to brush a bit of flour off her own cheek as she grabbed a pen out of her ear and a notepad from her apron. Gaz was about to take a moment to admire her some more before a quick boot to his shin struck him back.

“I’m so sorry for the wait, if you did wait that is. We don’t usually have busy nights on- I mean we don’t usually get customers, I mean, the food is great it’s just the customers usually eat- crap, uhm, what can I help you all too. I mean what would you want to eat because of course you came here to eat, right?” She rambled out to Kyle in such a way he felt skipped like a broken record. 

“Your name might be a good thing to bite into first.” Gaz smiled with a certain charm that made Simon’s eyes slam into the back of his skull with a roll as a chuckle fell from John’s lips. The men at the round table were not shocked by his antics but didn’t understand the severity of his already growing admiration. 

“Selena MacRae.” Her tongue curved around both words as her throat made a noise in Gaelic pride in her last name. She continued after seeing Gaz nod for a moment. “Now can I get the names of you newcomers and what you’d like for a drink to start you off or..”

“I’m John and I’ll take a whiskey on the rocks if you’ve got it.” The eldest said with a knowing smile and soft blink as he noted how it pained the poor woman to look away from Gaz. 

“MacRae you say? Pleasure to meet ye lassie, I’m John MacTavish.” Johnny spoke and a similar pride in his last name with a smirk as he motioned partner, “A pint will be great for me and Simon ‘ere but we actually call big fella ‘ere-”

“That’ll do, Johnny.” Simon growled out in response to his lover, his lip curling and his scar twisting in the low light but as he turned to look at their waitress, she had already found Kyle again who had stuck out his hand to greet her.

As she took Kyle’s hand, he gently caressed her thumb for a moment and noticed how soft her hands were even against his, “I’m Kyle, love, but the lads here call me Gaz.” he spoke softly as if the room was just filled with them. Selena’s lips parting barely for a mere second at his touch and words alone. The other three men holding a breath as Gaz’s scent of jasmine and frankincense, two natural relaxers and aphrodisiacs, filled the room naturally from how pleased he was. 

“And you’ll have to drink?” Selena said with a quirked brow, her hand slightly tightening his own in a grasp at his next sentence

“Well you’re already a tall drink of water so I’ll take a cuppa.” Kyle said with a purr. The gentleman releasing her hand to let it drop as she moved to recount the order and then go to the kitchen. 

“Two pints, one whiskey and one cuppa.” she said with a nod, her cheeks visibly hot to the group, “Oh shoot all I have is cases of beers because we just got out of off season but I swear we are usually more stocked-” 

“Sweetheart, that works just fine, right?” Gaz spoke with finality to an amused Simon and Johnny who nodded with him.

“Okay then I’ll have your two beers, one whiskey, and one cuppa, out soon.” She informed with a soft smile at Gaz’s comfort. 

“See you then.” Gaz said with his eyebrow quirking up to her as she smiled and quickly scurried off to the kitchen to collect the orders. 

“Laying it on a little thick now are we?” Simon said with a judgmental look toward his friend. 

“Say you, talk to your partner.” Gaz shot back, his head cocking towards the guilty Scotsman. 

“The wee lass is Scottish, what can I say in ma own defense? I’ve got to let ‘er know, she is no longer alone ‘ere.” Johnny balked, a hand quickly and playfully clutching a pair of imaginary pearls around his neck. 

“Oh you’ll give her company alright.” Kyle gruffed out, his eyes finding their way to the small windows on the traffic doors of the kitchen, the sound of soap inquiring about the hostess being drowned out.

Inside those doors, Selena was biting her palm to control herself and her giggles as she quickly scurried to grab mugs and cups. 

“Oh I hope it’s not the table I just sat, well at least not the old hairy one” Tallulah queried her long time best friend. The woman sat on a far end of the kitchen counter. Osa sitting on her lap sucking on a pair of her own jam-covered fingers, Tallulah’s legs dangling off the counter.

She wasn’t shocked to see how fast Selena had ran out to serve them. Just displeased that she was now giggling at the group of men. Sure they seemed like good fun, but she couldn’t trust that their mountain of strength didn’t accidentally have trouble etched into it’s fine print. 

“Oh, Teddy, yes! Wait, you know them?” Selena squealed softly before turning to her. The sound of loud jazz and running fans overhead covering her noises. A moment passed Selena sized up her counterpart before she finished off her response,  “Teddy.. You spill.” 

“Don’t ‘teddy’ me.” Tallulah responded with a crooked accusing finger at the sound of her town name. A nickname given to her because when she first moved to Armelle’s rest, she only allowed the adoring community members to buy Osa Teddy bears.

“Tallulah you owe me for all the food I gave you for the winter.” 

“You said I didn’t! Oooo God doth hate all who lie, sleep with one eye open.” Tallulah said with an evil wink to her friend.

“You’re avoiding it.” 

“You’re wasting time. You spill now and I’ll tell you when you get back.” 

“Okay fine there’s a hot man, the posh one not the couple or your old hair bear, and he said I was a tall glass of water” Selena confessed with a hushed yell as she quickly found the glass of whiskey

“Oh god, laying it on thick and winter has already passed?” Tallulah teased as she started to bounce Osa while watching Selena fly around the kitchen and throw a kettle on the stove for tea. 

“Oh you pessimist.” Selena reprimanded with no harshness in sound. 

“Well you better be a good little optimist and get them their orders before they get pessimistic like me!” Teddy countered as Selena cracked open the beers and poured the fine, aged whiskey over ice and placed it onto a tray. 

“I always do!” Selena declared as she picked up the tray and used her back to open the swinging doors. 

John and Simon seemed to be deep in conversation at the table as they sat next to each other with Kyle on John’s right and Johnny on Simon’s left. But Kyle as being the one closest to the door heard Selena walk out but Johnny beat him to the first word 

“Only three cups? Who’s going thirsty?” the Scotsman jested quickly, and a small frown inscribed itself on Selena’s lips as her eyebrows furrowed inwardly and her eyes grew in a guilty manner. The heel of Kyle’s shoe found a nice home on the toe side of Johnny’s shoe for his crime of humility. 

“Kyle, I’m sorry about your tea, it’s going to take a minute, the kettle is on though.” Selena apologized and she swore she saw his eyes soften a bit within their already kind gaze. 

“Anything to bring you back to me, right?” in response to a late cup of tea, but secretly testing to see what Selena would do, to which she nodded softly and her smile only deepened as her guilty look faded. 

“What can I get you boys to eat tonight?” Selena surveyed with looks, “it’s a weekday so we don’t have much but we do have smoked salmon, roasted potatoes with greens, and wildberry pie topped with sweet cream.” 

Selena was looking down at her notepad so she missed the way that Simon’s eyes lit up, and the rest bit back a groan at the sound of such delights. Her head tilted up to see them already dreaming for the food, 

“I’ll go put the order in then.” She said softly with a knowing look and nodded to the group to walk off and leave them in their haze. 

Selena padded into the kitchen with a renewed sense of vigor which caused Teddy to peak up at the energetic intrusion of giggles which now filled the kitchen. A newfound vigor passed through the redhead as she passed by Teddy and Osa on the counter to quickly swipe open the refrigerator door and pull out the ingredients for her customer’s meal. 

“And what’s this all about?” Teddy questioned Selena with a harmless cocked brow, “you only get this happy for sunday roast” 

Selena recanted the story as her feet danced across the kitchen tile to fire the oven to prepare for the pie as her fingers delicately placed the seasoned salmon with a soft sizzling hiss leaving the pan at the contact. Her fingers deftly moved the pan to another burner as she slowly heated up a cast iron for her potatoes. Teddy moved silently in suit with Selena to wash the potatoes as Osa babbled on the counter beside the sink

   “So what’s the problem with ‘the big hairy one’ hm? John seemed nice.” Selena said with a knowing look to Teddy as she took the skinned potatoes to cut them up. 

“Something is off about him. That’s all.” Tallulah responded with a soft look towards Osa. 

“When you came in here, you didn’t even tell me you sat those men down, I had to hear them screech their chairs.” Selena gently reprimanded her friend. Teddy’s eyes rolled as she washed the last potato, her hands falling short as she rang out against the towel. Selena carefully took the last potato from the bottom of the basin. Tallulah’s mouth opened to speak before the sudden shrieking of the kettle set off throughout the kitchen causing Osa to cry out at the loud intrusion of noise. The baby’s cries filled the kitchen as Selena’s hand quickly found an oven mitt to yank the kettle off for a cup. 

“I got Osa and the food for a minute, you can go give your lover boy his cuppa.” Tallulah said with a soft smile as she scooped up her daughter. Petting the back of her brown wavy hair down as she softly sang her coos to the baby within the safety of her arms. 

The conversation between the men had become a laughter of recanted stories of each other. A warm sensation filled in Kyle’s chest as he heard the door from the kitchen swing open and Johnny perked up as well.

“Aye there’s the Scottish lassie, ye finally got Kyle’s cuppa o’ shite?” Johnny’s mockery came out with a puffed chest of laughter as Simon’s hand quickly grazed his thigh in warning below the linen cloth and out of Selena’s peripheral vision. 

“Ach Johnny that’s-” Kyle quickly piped in after to defend but Selena’s response came quicker to the punch. 

“Aye I do have his cup of tea, here but he’ll have to make it himself because I didn’t know how he liked it steeped.” Selena said as she placed the dark oak trivet onto the linen table cloth in front of Kyle, the kettle on top of the trivet as she handed a mug with a tea bag. The kettle settling onto the trivet nicely, “here is the mitt so you don’t burn those hands off.” 

“Thank you sweetheart. Really appreciate you getting me a cuppa, how’s the food coming?” Kyle said, his tone calm yet his words rang out like a siren song to keep Selena closer to the table.

“It’s coming along good and your first course will be out soon, can I get you men some bread or anything?” Selena offered as Kyle’s hand twitched at his side to reach out and touch her. Kyle’s hands loosely wrapped around the kettle handle under the protection of the thick mitt as he poured his tea into the ceramic white mug with his tea bag inside. The man pushed it out to let it steep as John answered for the group. 

“No we’re just fine, we know your kitchen is busy already.” John said with a kind smile to the woman, his hand gently caressing his scotch glass. The men all took a deep breath in to intake the wafts of deliciousness that Selena escaped into as she passed through the white swing doors. 

Selena had a proud smile as she was greeted with the sight of the greens and potatoes all browned and the salmon cooked to perfection as Tallulah had taken over. Osa was on the counter behind her mother in a high chair with her own platter of dinner but the babe was beginning to nod off. 

“And you say you can’t cook well just look at you!” Selena smiled with a high praise as a chuckle left Tallulah’s mouth. Selena passed by her quickly to get out the pie dough and the wildberry mix to bake her pie as she rolled out the dough onto a pan. 

“Because I’m always comparing my cooking to yours.” Tallulah responded quickly as she put the salmon onto a ceramic dish and pushed it into the oven to make sure it cooked thoroughly. The kitchen was now smothered in the sweet notes of the maple wood burning in the oven to heat the fish.

“Speaking of comparing, that ‘big hairy one’ you’re so displeased with seemed so sweet, Tallulah,  I don’t understand.” Selena said softly to her friend with furrowed brow as she placed the pie dough onto the sheet. Tallulah came around the corner of the island to check up on Osa as she sighed softly her hands coming to the girl’s head. 

“His eyes are so familiar in a way that scares me. I recognize his presence but I don’t know where.” She spoke soft, “and after Noah I don’t know if I can do it again.” 

“Do you think he could be the bear from earlier?” Selena said, her eyes suddenly full of concern as she recognized her friend’s sad tone and thus decided to shift gears. 

“I mean they both smelled like cinnamon but I just don’t know.” Tallulah skeptically murmured to herself as she looked down upon her child. Osa’s big brown eyes bored into her own as she stroked her daughter’s hair slowly 

Selena nodded in an understanding nature. Tallulah had a lot to lose to a strange man. She had a daughter and a new life to think off. It was a risk considering what happened last time she exposed her true nature to a man. It sends her running away from pitchforks in the city into the safety of Armelle's rest cradling a swollen belly. 

The women moved silently after that but in a beautiful dance to plate each dish. Selena was hearty in her portions, something Osa’s plump cheeks and Tallulah round hips were no stranger to. The women nodded to each other before the plates were set onto a carrying tray as Tallulah quickly stole the tray to take it out. All but ignoring Selena’s flour and berry slicked protests as her back hit the swinging door to deliver the divine meal. 

The men quickly dried off from their conversation as the aroma of smoked salmon, buttered greens and roasted potatoes on the side. Each plate followed a soft noise and a thank you as it was placed onto the table. 

“Can I get you boys anything else, perhaps another round?” Tallulah said, the woman was not trying to be rude as she avoided John’s gaze but it was fed through an eagerness to return to the kitchen. Something deep within her called out to meet John’s eyes but she would not listen. 

“No, we're all good love.” John said, as he looked to the table, his words quickly squash any comments from Johnny who was already tongue deep into his food like a man starved. His partner flustered at such a raw show. 

As quickly as Tallulah excused herself, the rest of the men joined suit and dug in. Kyle’s senses were enveloped in a world of flavor as the rich notes of salmon hit his tongue, the skin flaking off beautifully as he swore he could take in soft notes of the applewood used to smoke it. The men were all in different states of pleasure as the warmth of the food wrapped their souls in a warm embrace. Suddenly, Johnny began to eat his aforementioned questions about the validity of the restaurant.  

As the ladies watched the men slowly eat their meals, jabs and affections flowing so freely it painted itself like a hearth of love. Tallulah’s eyes were drawn to the heavyset man once again. Not because he was older than the other men at the table, but because of the way his eyes somehow found their way to hers through the circular glass window of the swinging doors. The woman looked away quickly like a school girl. This was not something she had planned for this spring. 

Author's Note - I hope you enjoy this!! I am so excited to work on this more, and I appreciate all reblogs, comments, likes or anything of the sort. Have a great day, xoxo moon

[moonriseoverkyoto]

a feel like the new generation of fanfic readers NEED to understand that clicking on a fic (interaction) does nothing. ao3 has no algorithm. your private discord discussions of fic do not reach the authors. if you do not actively engage with writers they will stop posting. this isn’t social media this is community.

[moonriseoverkyoto]

hi. fuck ice. here is how you can help families affected by unlawful deportation

edit: and FUCK LAPD. here is how you can help bail out protestors who are in the trenches, facing mass arrests and putting their bodies on the line.

[moonriseoverkyoto]

Retirement. prevoiulsy a patreon exclusive

[moonriseoverkyoto]

sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four

[moonriseoverkyoto]

just a heads up

if you’re an active follower of mine, i do recognize your username and/or icon. i smile when i see it in my activity. i get excited when you add funny tags to things. i get really happy when you reblog my op posts. so thank you, i appreciate you massively.

[moonriseoverkyoto]

“Having a southern accent doesn’t effect my writing at all!” I say as I confidently write that a (definitely non-southern) character says y’all

[moonriseoverkyoto]

(mdni, suggestive content, +18) Dirty Dancing AU! Ghoap x reader

Author's note - yk that once scene where Penny is leading Baby's hips as she dances with Johnny, here, and then skip to 1:15 for after Johnny spins reader

Music - Johnny's Mambo from Dirty Dancing for if you don't know the tune of Mambo. I love Mambo so much.

Warnings - suggestive content, Simon's a bit mean, Johnny's a flirt, what's new with Ghoap.

Requests are open! / Masterlist

Simon's left hand clasped your own firm right as your eyes held each other's gaze. Your joined hands keeping your arms firm as your left hand clasped onto his right shoulder. You could feel the taught shoulder muscle ripple under your fingertips.

The deep thrum of the Mambo filled the room. The striking percussions, and the combination of brass instruments.

As your feet moved in tandem with your partner in front of you. Simon's hands weren't the only one touching yours. But your mind was too worried about correctly staying in rhythm and tandem then actually moving freely with your partners

"Breathe, gotta loosen up these muscles right here." Johnny cooed as his hands found a home in your hips and his feet fell quickly in-line with yours and Simon's.

You could almost burn under Simon's fiery gaze and Johnny's warm praises. Both of them moving you like a malleable figurine between them.

"I told you, Si. All she needed was a little guidance, right Baby?" Johnny purred in your ear. A scoff left Simon but he didn't disagree.

The blaring trumpets combined with the deep pangs of bongos. It was lively. It was beautiful. It was more than a dance between the three of you.

"Respond to Johnny when he speaks to you." Simon said gruffly as he pulled his muscles even more taught to keep you in his dance space while the scotsman behind you tried to tug you into his instead.

"Yeah just a little guidance." You mumbled as your mind was starting to numb between the two hulking giants. Johnny and Simon's cologne mixing in your nose as your frame began to weaken under your lead's gaze.

"Atta girl" Johnny purred as his fingertips trailed down to your hips and began to caress. Suddenly, Simon released you as Johnny spun you by your hips and now your hand found their place upon Johnny's as your pushed onto each other's palms for tension.

Simon took to sitting on the dance floor to watch you both dance. Something swimming in his eyes as he watched you both. Your eyes flickered to Simon on the floor

"Don't look at me. Look at Johnny, he gets jealous and we don’t want that, do we?" Simon said to correct your behavior. A soft blush coming upon your cheeks at Johnny's next works

"Good girl, Keep those pretty eyes on me" Johnny praised you with a smirk as he slowed down the dance slightly. His gaze ravenous upon you as you shifted weight between your feet with each tiny step back and forth.

"Keep tension in your shoulders, stop letting your arms fall." Simon spoke again, his critical voice cutting through Johnny's praise.

"You're doing great, baby." Johnny whispered with a wink.

"Again." Simon barked out as he flipped the record to start over again.

This was going to be a long night before you could even begin to get the Mambo down. Between Simon's scrutiny and Johnny's praise, you don't think your weak knees or drenched panties were going to make it much longer.

Author’s note - big thanks to @jesivene for encouraging this ghoap idea, I’ll expand on this later when I’m feeling frisky or if I get a request idk