#(i used to celebrate it all the time when i lived in hawaii)

[killerandhealerqueen]

新年快乐!🐉

Happy Chinese New Year!🐉

Wishing you a prosperous year of the Dragon! 🐉

[ienjoywritingfilth]

a sinner i am

If its so wrong, why does it feel so good?

trope: Boyfriend's Dad PP character: Joel Miller x f reader summary: Your boyfriend Shawn Miller and his dad Joel bring you along to Hawaii for Christmas vacation. Things don't go as planned.

warning: 10/10 on the sexual tension scale, slowishh burn, kissing, grinding, cheating on your bf (but it’s cool, cuz its with Joel and everything is fictional in this universe), alternative universe b/c daddy miller stays alive and hates golf and he has a son named Shawn, no Sarah. rating: E

words 6.8k

wanna see my other stuff?

part i :

The best things in life are the people we love, the places we’ve been, and all the memories we’ve made along the way. - author unknown

"Loving him is a sin; of that I'm fully aware. But a sinner I am." - Bella Jewel

Your boyfriend Shawn brings over two iced coffees as the two of you work on a crossword together at your local coffee shop. You have been filling in the squares quickly.

"Thanks babe," you say warmly as you take the coffee from him. He presses a kiss to your temple, taking a seat next to you. 

"Damn, you're fast this mornin'," he says when he sees all you've filled in. It's a tradition for the two of you; weekend crosswords over coffee. It's nice. It's domestic. 

It's a little boring. 

You're college sweethearts who met your sophomore year and have been inseparable since. And while the love is still very much there the butterflies have unfortunately been hibernating for a while. 

It's normal, you tell yourself when you sometimes zone out during sex. It's normal when you've been together with someone so long. 

"It's so nice to be doing this instead of college essays," you say. 

"Fuck yeah it is." 

This is your first summer of freedom without the threat of schoolwork looming in the near distance. Shawn is starting his master's in the fall and you've just accepted a position at the local museum. 

“Just think I’ll actually be able to enjoy Christmas this year,” you tease. “Unlike someone who’ll be working on essays.”

“Hey now,” Shawn says with mock offence. “I’ll be able to enjoy my Christmas just fine. Actually, my dad wants to celebrate Christmas somewhere warm this year. He's talkin' about some resort in Hawaii."

Shawn comes from money, the son of the infamous Joel Miller of The Miller Company, the premiere construction firm in Texas. This means expensive vacations, nice cars, all of that is normal for him. You meanwhile have had to work hard for everything you have.

Being left behind at Christmas seems strangely unkind for the normally thoughtful head of the Miller family. Shawn's dad has always treated you like one of the family so this news is unexpected.

"Have a great time," you say trying not to be jealous. "Bring me back some chocolate macadamia nuts."

You can admit that even though both Shawn and his father are humble, kind men, you're always a bit bitter that they live so nicely. Leaving you out of their holiday vacation seems especially unkind. 

"He's taking both of us babe," Shawn says with a grin. "You think he's gonna leave you behind on Christmas? After you’ve spent the last six with us?" 

Christmas in Hawaii? Is this a dream? Your pencil lays forgotten on the table as you gape open-jawed at your boyfriend. 

"Are you serious?"

"Babe," Shawn says meaningfully. "My dad likes you better than he likes me. Of course you're invited."

You've always gotten along with Joel. It's impossible not to. He's friendly, funny and charming. There's a reason he's good at his job. And you're a good girl, a kind girlfriend to his son with clear career ambitions. 

A smile breaks out over your features and you pull Shawn into a tight hug. He chuckles, embracing you back, kissing your cheek. 

"Make sure you don’t overpack, okay?" He murmurs in your ear as you giggle. “I don’t feel like helping you haul six bags of shoes for a week-long trip.”

Thoughts of lounging by the pool with a drink in one hand and a magazine in the other while the Hawaiian sun beats down on you is all too enticing. You kiss him fiercely, imagining the time together.

"I can't wait." 

The two of you finish the crossword puzzle all the while talking about the drinks and food and the excursions you'll both take. 

"Maybe once I've got a handle on school we can think about findin' an apartment in the new year," Shawn broaches, his hand over yours.

Sex fades, but this? This domestic stuff you have with Shawn? That's special. That's love. 

“Yeah, I’d love that.”

He gives you a smile, that dimple poking out of his cheek that makes you swoon.

"Ready to go?" Shawn asks, extending his hand to you when your coffees are drained. 

"Yeah," you say with your hand taking his. "Let's go."

When December twentieth announces itself with a thunderstorm you couldn’t care less because you’re at the airport. Your large rolling bag bag is stuffed with cute outfits, swimsuits and even some snorkelling gear. 

"Feels like you got a dead body in here," Shawn laughs as he struggles with the two bags, handing you yours before swinging an arm around your shoulders. 

"I wanted to be prepared."

"Let's go my little Girl Scout," he laughs with a gentle kiss to your temple. You both check in and then find your boarding gate. 

"I'm gonna grab breakfast, you want anything?" Shawn asks as he parks you and the suitcases by the gate full of noisy travellers. 

"Nah, I'm good." 

Shawn jogs off in the direction of a Starbucks you passed on your way in. 

Out the larger windows you can see planes taking off. You've never flown before; you thought that you'd be excited. But at the first view of those planes out the window you feel your stomach drop. 

They’re so big and bulky. How does it fly properly? It couldn’t. What if people shift around too much in their seats? Surely this can’t be a safe form of travel!

You pull out your phone, distracting yourself with a game. You try for several moments but your eyes keep being drawn to the huge planes outside. You grimace, wondering if you should have gotten your doctor to prescribe you something for anxiety. 

"Cheer up," a voice says. "You look like you're goin' to prison, not a five star resort." 

You glance over to see Shawn's dad, Joel, at the other side of you, an amused look on his handsome face. He's wearing jeans and a faded grey Longhorns t-shirt. You're momentarily thrown as normally you see him in dress pants and button downs for work. 

"I'm excited for the resort, just not the giant metal death box hurling through the air that is my only means of getting there." 

"Touche."

Shawn jokes about Joel liking you better then he likes him, but the truth is you and Joel are very similar. Your senses of humour, your ability to read people, your tendency to see the worst in people before they prove themselves worthy.

Shawn is more like his mom, sweet and naive at times, always seeing the good in people. It's ironic considering which parent stuck around to raise him and which one escaped the country six years after Shawn was born. 

Joel takes the empty seat next to you, his kneecap kissing yours as he pulls out his phone. 

"Never flown before," you explain. 

"Ah, I see," Joel puts his phone in his pocket, his attention fully fixed on your face. "Well what if I told you it's actually the safest way to travel?"

"I'd call you a liar."

Joel chuckles richly, his hand falling to your knee and squeezing as he laughs. 

"I promise you, I wouldn't take you on anything unsafe. And if all that's not good enough, you'll have Shawn beside you holding your hand the whole time."

You grin at that, nodding. The thought of Shawn being there does help your anxiety. Joel smiles back, eyes crinkling in the corners. 

"Thank you so much for inviting me along in this trip, Joel. I've always wanted to go to Hawaii."

"S'a beautiful place," Joel nods. "And you don't need to thank me. You're practically family at this point." 

Shawn returns with a muffin and two coffees in hand. 

"Hey dad, got you a coffee," Shawn says handing it to his father. 

"Thanks," Joel says gratefully. Just then the intercom alert sounds 

"Good afternoon passengers.This is the announcement for flight 82B for Oahu, Hawaii. We are now inviting passengers to begin boarding. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Thank you.”

“That’s us.”

The lineup goes uncomfortably fast. You stand beside Sean who is talking to Joel behind you, the two of them deep in conversation about football, a subject you couldn't care less about. You are still too preoccupied with the flight, being surrounded by almost all strangers sailing through the sky. 

You're not a fan of heights. So when you get to the door of the plane you hesitate, willing your foot to move. When it doesn't and the flight attendants shoot you a confused look, you feel yourself start to panic. 

Shawn has gone on ahead to grab your seats and place your carry-on bag in the overhead bin, not noticing that you're not behind him. A large hand flies to the small of your back, a comforting gesture. Joel. He rubs there, soothing you. 

"You'll be okay darlin'," he rumbles in your ear. "Remember, it’s safer than drivin' a car."

“Liar.”

Joel’s deep chuckle makes you grin and you allow Joel to gently prod you onto the plane, shooting the waiting attendants grateful looks for their patience. He takes his seat near the front, watching as you make your way to your seat next to Shawn. As you buckle in a thought occurs to you and you move your voice to a whisper.

"Isn't it gonna be kinda weird with us being there all week with just your dad? I mean, sharing the place and all?" 

"Nah, he made sure the rooms were far apart. Plus, he invited his girlfriend to come along so I doubt we'll see much of him."

Joel is a chronic workaholic, often pulling late nights and working on his phone. You’ve seen him out and about with beautiful women at the events Shawn takes you to but never formally dating them. You always assumed to be a lifelong bachelor. You wouldn't blame him, especially after what he's been through with Shawn's mother. 

"I didn't know he had a girlfriend," you say honestly. "Good for him."

"A couple months now," your boyfriend tells you. "You know my dad, mister private. But he took me to dinner and told me about her so I think he's getting serious." 

"That's really sweet," you say honestly. You want nothing but the best for him. 

All of a sudden the plane starts to jiggle, sending people stumbling down the aisles and others gasping in surprise. You reach over and grab Shawn's hand, trying to regulate your breathing. 

"Not so tight, babe," Shawn complains before gently sliding his hand from under yours. "You scratched me with your nails."

"Sorry," you mumble, eyes closed as the jostling of the plane continues.  

You tighten your seat belt before gripping the seat arms so tightly that your knuckles are white. Sean squeezes your kneecap, murmuring that everything will be okay and that you’re safe. You keep your eyes closed, trying to focus on the soothing sounds of his words.

Eventually the plane enters smooth skies and the seat belt sign is turned off. Despite this you remain keyed up, sitting stiffly as Shawn fades into a nap. 

"Excuse me, Miss?"

You crack open an eye to see a beautiful redheaded flight attendant bending down towards you with a glass of what appears to be whisky in her hand.  She extends it towards you and you take it confused.

"This is from the gentleman in A-1. He says to take this and you'll be relaxed for the rest of the flight." 

You look up a few rows to see Joel giving you a brief wave. You thank the women before raising it towards Joel in a Cheers motion. 

Drink it. Joel mouths. 

Yes, sir. You mouth back complete with a stiff fake salute before tossing back the drink. 

He grins at you before settling back in his seat. 

The drink does the job. 

"Here we are."

The cab drops the three of you in front of the beach resort. When you step out the air is fragrant with the scent of flowers. You wait while Joel checks you all in before he's back, motioning for you both to follow. 

There's the main section of the resort with luxurious hotel rooms. The more secluded section contains a variety of self contained houses that dot the waterfront. Its reserved for people who have unlimited credit card limits and drive cars that cost more than your parents first home.

When you arrive to your unit, your eyes are ready to bug out of your head. It's massive, as far as vacation rentals go. When you all step into the air conditioned unit you have to take a moment to take it all in. 

The beach house is beautiful with floor to ceiling windows, stunning tile floors and tasteful furniture. All of this is topped off with spectacular views of the beach outside your door. 

A plate of sliced pineapple and chilled wine sits on the kitchen table, along with a note that Joel reads when he wanders over. 

"Welcome note," he explains when he sees you looking at it. "I knew the owner back in trade school." 

You and Shawn nod, your boyfriends hand trailing down your back gently. It's much the same as what Joel did back at the airplane, but it feels different. You trail your suitcase behind you hearing the clack of it against the stone floor as you move around the room. 

"Wow." 

It's all you can utter as the three of you tour the rest of the unit. There’s a simple kitchen with an expensive looking coffee machine and a brand new bag of kona coffee waiting to be used.  The living room holds a table and four chairs, a few board games and a list of nearby places to visit along with the wifi code.  The couch is simple, placed in front of a large television that you’re sure you won’t use.

"My bedrooms on the right," Joel tells you both. "Yours it's on the left. We're sharin’ a bathroom, sorry about that. Pretty common in these places." 

Who cares about sharing a bathroom when you're in one of the most beautiful places you've ever been? Even the bathroom is beautiful with its high waterfall shower head and sleek marble. This place must have cost a fortune for the week. 

Joel encourages you both to take a look at your room down the hall and you don't hesitate to take Shawn's hand, dragging him there. Shawn pushes open the door to the bedroom and you can't hold in your shriek. 

"Holy shit! It's gorgeous!" 

The big windows overlook the ocean, the late afternoon beach beckoning to you. The bed is large and plush with white sheets, and framed prints of Oahu sunsets. Its spacious, the bed so large it looks like two giant beds pushed together. The closet is spacious and boats dozens of wood coat hangers.

“Wood, because it’s classy,” you tell Shawn in amusement who is already unpacking his suitcase while you continue to stare in a daze. 

"You like it?"

Joel is standing at the door frame, a shoulder balanced against it, watching you take it all in. He's smiling at you in that gentle, sweet way of his that makes you feel cared for. 

You're suddenly overcome with gratitude and you streak over to him. 

"Thank you, Joel!" You say, throwing your arms around his neck and hugging him. "This is the most beautiful place I've ever been."

Joel laughs along with Shawn at your embrace and enthusiasm, holding you around the middle and hoisting you in his arms. Your face presses into his neck as he squeezes you, and the scent of leather and sandalwood envelops you. 

You've never really hugged Joel before. Maybe a polite side hug during family events, a high-five during baseball games and even once a hard push to his shoulder when he made fun of you for being afraid of a spider that had gotten into the house. 

But you've never had your front pressed to his, never really felt the muscles of his back and arms, seen the tendons in his neck or realized just how big his hands are when they squeeze your waist before lowering you.  

"I guess that means you like it," he says, red-faced. You pull back, embarrassed at your overzealous response. 

Shawn and his dad are very similar in their looks. Except Shawn is clean-shaven while Joel has a beard and Shawn's eyes are hazel like his mom's while Joel's are the darkest brown you've ever seen. You've never really noticed how dark until this very moment. 

You shoot him a cheery thank you again before smiling and skipping over to Shawn announcing that you'll unpack as well. 

"You two enjoy, I gotta make a few calls but then we can head out to dinner."

"Sounds great," Shawn says as he searches for his phone charger. 

Joel closes the door behind him and you turn to your boyfriend. You can't explain it but you feel turned on. The Hawaiian air must be doing something to you because

You crawl towards where he kneels unpacking. You grin, feeling the pulse of desire hitting you below the navel. You kneel beside him, dropping your voice to a husky murmur. 

"Should we break the bed in?" 

An hour later the three of you are sitting at a local eatery. Joel and Shawn are talking with one another while you scan the busy restaurant. 

Couples, families, all laughing and cheerful. And why wouldn't they? This is Paradise after all. But you don't feel anything like it, if anything, you feel like a little black rain cloud. 

Shawn turned down your earlier advances, citing that he was too tired. The problem is for the past three months Shawn has been too tired most of the time. At first he blamed grad school but when you pointed out he still made lots of time for gaming with best friends Brian and Kevin he'd been quick to explain that gaming relaxed him. 

That conversation had gone over about as well as a turd in the punch bowl. You remember being so hurt at what you felt was a slight against you. Weren't you relaxing? Weren't you something that made him happy? 

So yeah, you had hoped that this little vacation might stir some of that old spark back. But maybe you were too eager. You had just arrived at the place after all. Maybe you were being unfair. Still, the rejection stung.

"Thought we could do all the tourist-y shit while we're here," Joel says after you've all placed your orders. "Luau, sunset cruise."

"Snorkelling?" Shawn offers. 

"Hell yes," Joel nods grinning. "ATV tour too."

The Millers like to have fun. They also like to keep busy. It's like second nature to them to be off on adventures or activities. You meanwhile plan on spending lots of time by the pool or the beach, reading and drinking. 

"What about you, darlin'?" Joel asks between sips of whisky. "What're you hopin' to do?"

You know exactly what. The thing you've been dying to do since you were a kid at the aquarium. 

"I wanna swim with the turtles."

Shawn bursts into amused laughter beside you, and if you weren't already irritated with him before, you certainly are now. He grins at you not understanding that you're secretly furious with him. 

"Turtles? Really?"

"What's wrong with turtles?"

"Seems kinda babyish doesn't it?"

"What's babyish about liking animals?" Joel cuts in. "You forgetting about the time we wouldn't let you in the petting zoo and you threw your shoe at me?"

"I was five, dad."

"Yeah well, some things don't change," Joel says with a smirk. "Still throwin' tantrums when you don't get your way."

"Fuck off old man," Shawn says through chuckles. “Don’t forget I’m your only child. I pick which retirement home I’m gonna stick you in when your mind goes.”

“Little bastard,” Joel mutters, trying to hold back a loud laugh.

He settles for tossing a drink umbrella in Shawn’s direction, chuckling when Shawn dodges it easily. You can't help but laugh along with him, your bad mood fading. 

By the time dessert arrives you're all several glasses of wine in reminiscing about Shawn's last attempt at surfing. 

"I've gotten better," he exclaims. “I swear.”

"Yeah well we'll see about that," Joel says paying the check. "Alright team, let's head back and get some shut eye. This old man needs it." 

You roll your eyes at that. Joel isn't even fifty and even if he was he's about the best looking man his age bracket and younger. You've seen the way women stare at him, whispering, blushing when he looks their way. He is not what you’d qualify as old.

The three of you arrive back at the unit to the sound of nighttime creatures croaking and buzzing. 

"Alright I'll meet you two out here tomorrow morning around nine. We can go to the excursion desk and plan the week. Sound good?"

"Sounds good, night Dad."

"Night Joel."

The three of you part ways into the opposite bedrooms. Shawn nuzzles your neck gently kissing there. He always does that when he's been drinking. You smile delightedly at this, eager to get into bed.

When the lights are off and the two of you have slipped off your clothes and under the covers you roll towards him, peppering his face with soft kisses. 

"It's late, babe," he murmurs, kissing you sweetly but with finality. 

"We're on vacation," you remind him, slipping your hand under his boxers.

You feel him slowly start to harden in your grip. You hear his breath hitch and you smile, knowing those sounds so intimately. You tug off your panties and slide onto his lap, preparing to ride him. 

"Fuck me," you whisper, hips grinding against his. "Wanna feel your cock in me."

“Baby, no.”

Shawn pulls you off of him and you tumble into the bed next to him, feeling your cheeks grow hot with humiliation.

"My dad is right across the hall," Shawn hisses. “I don’t want him hearing us.”

Rejection never sits well with you and immediately you feel yourself growing defensive. 

"You're dad is gonna be across the hall the whole week, Shawn,” you whisper angrily. “So what, we're not going to have fuck this entire trip?"

"We'll have sex," Shawn said rolling his eyes. "Just not when my dad is ten feet away sharing a fuckin' bathroom with us."

Bullshit. Another excuse to put off the intimacy that’s been dwindling for months. You push yourself from the bed, tugging on your dress from earlier. Shawn leans up on his elbows, giving you a look of concern.

"Where are you going?"

"A walk."

"I'll c---"

"No," you say sharp as a knife. "I want to go alone." 

You stalk out of the house, eyes glossy with hurt and anger. That's the thing they don't tell you about relationships that have gone on so long -- both partners need to work to keep the fires going. 

You make your way to the beach along the softly lit pathway. Its well after midnight and the resort is quiet; the lights dimmed or off entirely. You take a seat on a nearby rock, listening to the gentle sound of the evening waters lapping by the shore. You're very excited to go swimming tomorrow. To feel the warm sand underneath your feet. 

You can hear noise coming from the far end of the resort. You remember over dinner Joel going through the resort map on his phone, letting you know what amenities they had. He had told you both about the dance club the resort had.

Shawn had immediately laughed, stating that he’d take a pass on it.  Shawn hates dancing. You tried to get him to do dance lessons with you once but he wouldn't even give it a shot. 

Right now it seems all you can do is focus on Sean's flaws. You know that he's a decent man, you know the treats you well, but there are these bugaboos these irritants that can't help frustrate you right now. 

"Fuck it," you murmur to yourself, raising yourself from the sand and brushing it from your sundress. You follow the sound of the music, stopping in front of a door with blinking lights. A man in a blue Hawaiian shirt smiles at you when you approach. 

"Aloha, may I ask your Unit number?"

"Number 4, under Miller."

The man types into his computer before nodding, opening the door for you. You step into the darkness, letting your eyes adjust to the blue lights and colourful dance floor. The speakers are playing typical vacation music with a heavy bass.

Bodies writhe on the dance floor, half naked in revealing dresses or in the men's case, unbuttoned shirts. You order a drink at the bar, taking it with you as you scout the area for a free chair. A hand on your wrist surprises you.

"Joel?"

Joel is seated at one of the small circle tables nursing what appears to be a tumbler of Scotch. He motions for you to take the free chair next to him and you do gratefully falling into it, your arm bumping his. 

"What are you doin' here? Since when does Shawn dance?" He asks over the bass, grinning. He looks a bit tipsy, his neck red. 

"He doesn't, I'm here alone. I needed to blow off some steam," you tell him over the music. 

"Me too," he says loudly back. "Couldn't sleep. Too excited, I guess." 

You nod, looking back at the dance floor wistfully. Everyone looks like they're having such a fun time, their worries and concerns far away from them as they undulate to the rhythm of the music.  Joel takes another sip of his drink, watching you from the corner of his eyes. 

You wish Shawn was here with you, you wish he was spinning you around on the dance floor. You wish it was like those early years where you couldn’t keep your hands off of each other.

"You and Shawn doin' okay?"

Joel's voice cuts into your confusing thoughts. You glance his way.

"Why do you ask?"

"Cuz I'm a dad," Joel. "And I've been married. And I know what tension between two people looks like." 

You sigh heavily, your mind drifting to earlier. You don’t answer Joel because what would you tell him? You can’t tell your boyfriend’s dad that you’re worried his son is growing distant. You can’t tell him that your sex life has been disintegrating for the past several months. Instead you just shrug.

"You two talked about marriage?"

"What? No.”

You and Shawn have been together a long time, but you have no intention of settling down anytime soon. Sean is still doing his masters and you're loving your job at the museum.

"Good. No, not like that," Joel amends when he sees your stricken expression. "I just mean you're both so young."

"You were younger than us when you got married.”

"Yeah and look where that got me," he says with a scoff. 

"Yeah, well, I think it's just been a long time and we're hitting a rough patch. Nothing we can't overcome," you add quickly. "It's just hard sometimes, you know?"

"Yeah," Joel nods. "I know." 

The two of you lapse into silence, watching the twirling, shouting, laughing people swan around you. You shouldn’t be glum, you should be experiencing life!

"You wanna dance?"

His voice is low and husky in your ear. You start, surprised to see Joel inches from your face. You know he's speaking so close to you because it's so loud in here, but it doesn't stop your pulse from ticking at the shock. 

"Don't really know how.”

"Shit reason. C'mon."

Joel throws back the rest of his drink and drags you onto the dance floor. You laugh as he spins you, both of you almost knocking into an older couple who are taking the dance very seriously. They shoot you both a nasty look and you and Joel have to work hard to muffle your laughter. 

"You're gonna get us kicked out!"

"Nah," Joel shakes his head, spinning you again but closer to him. "I'm too charmin’."

"You think pretty highly of yourself don't you?"

Joel shrugs, laughing as the song ends. Another quick one begins and Joel looks serious. 

"I'm gonna teach you some moves Shawn's mom taught me."

"Okay."

You're surprised, he doesn't really mention Shawn's mother very often. 

You watch as Joel attempts to teach you some simple dance moves. You don't know if it's the stuffy club, the drinks running through your veins or the fact that you're dancing with your boyfriend's dad, but you can't really focus on the steps.

"I give up," you moan after the fifth failed attempt at a two-step. 

"You ain't a quitter," Joel assures you, trying to spin you slowly so you can get your footing. 

You never realized that Joel was such a good dancer. Watching him move his tall body is strangely hypnotizing, mainly because you never expected a man that broad and muscular to move so fluidly. 

"Atta girl," he says proudly when you get some of the footing correct. 

You smirk when you see the women nearby watching him, shooting him smiles. But his focus is on you, teaching you the moves and assuring you: it's alright darlin', we'll get you there just take your time. 

You're having so much fun with him you barely realize that an hour has gone by and you can only tell when you realize the back of your neck is damp with sweat. 

You're about to announce your heading back to the unit when the beat slows and many trickle off the dance floor. It's a slow song, and only the couples remain in the glowing dance floor. 

You go to step off when you feel Joel spin you again, back into his arms. You smile breathlessly up at him, the two of you shiny from perspiration from the dancing and the warm crowded space. 

Joel is looking at you strangely, his eyes luminous in the reflection of the twinkling club lights. When he slides a hand at your lower back and urges your hands around his neck you don't hesitate. You lace your fingers there, shifting from foot to foot.

You feel strange to be dancing with Joel. And not because he makes you feel uncomfortable, it's the opposite, actually. You feel almost too comfortable. Joel’s eyes are trailing over your face, sometimes highlighted by the flash of the DJ’s lights.

“You talked to Shawn about all that’s botherin’ you and this rough patch?” Joel asks out of nowhere.

He looks vulnerable; unlike the Joel you know who is all smiles and jokes.

“Kinda,” you say shyly, looking over his shoulder. “It’s just hard. . . We can both get pretty defensive. Plus, I wonder if I’m maybe being unfair. He’s in school and everything.”

“Uh huh, and you started that museum job didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Pretty demanding job, ain’t it?”

“Yeah.”

Joel gives you a look as he rocks you both from side to side

“Can I say somethin’ you might not wanna hear?”

You nod.

“In my experience, it takes two people to make a relationship. Not one puttin’ in all the effort while the other one has his or her head in the sand.”  

You nod slowly, absorbing his words. The song ends and Joel releases his hands you’re your waist before he announces he has to hit the washroom. You head to the bar for a glass of water and to wait for him. 

"Hi beautiful." 

An Australian man around Joel's age with a moustache is leaning against the bar next to you. His eyes are bleary and red-rimmed, his cheeks ruddy. He’s obviously very drunk. You give a forced smile before going back to wait for your water.

"Can I get you a drink?"

"No thanks," you answer quickly. "Just getting water." 

"How about a dance then?"

"I'm good," you say forcing a polite smile. You’re facing away from him, eyes on the bartender hoping he notices you.  

"C'mon beautiful," the man insists, eyes sliding over your chest in a very obvious way. "I'm a good dancer too. Could give you lots of lessons." 

"She said no."

Joel's voice is there, having clearly come back from the bathroom. You step backwards and before you know it Joel is sliding his arm protectively around you.  You glance up to see Joel's face contorted into a mask of fury. His teeth are bared like some wild animal and he grips you tightly to him. 

"Sorry man," The guy says holding his hands up in surrender towards Joel. "Didn't know she was taken." 

Joel sneers before leading you out of the club. The cool air is a welcome reprieve when you step outside, breathing deeply. 

"That place is nothin' but perverts," Joel growls as the two of you make your way back along the beach in the direction of your unit. 

"Joel,  you were there," you say giggling. "That make you a pervert?"

"Ha ha."

You walk quietly along the shoreline, confused as to how you can feel this good when just an hour ago it felt like everything was falling apart. Maybe it’s the drink in your veins, maybe its Hawaii, or maybe it’s just Joel.

"Watch it--"

Joel takes your hand when you stumble over a rock in the semi darkness. You let him, not dropping it even when your walking evens out. It feels nice to walk hand in hand with him, it feels safe. He doesn't let go of your hand either as you continue along, your shoes making dual footprints in the sand. 

"Thanks for in there," you say. “I hate creepy guys like that.”

"Was nothin'," he says, then he drops your hand after a moment. "Shawn would have done the same."

"No, he wouldn't have." 

It slips out before you can stop yourself. Joel stops in the sand, his concern there in his face. It’s clear that what you’ve said has upset him.

"What?"

"He doesn't like confrontation, you know that," you say with a shrug. "And I like that about him."

"You do?" Joel challenges. "Really?" 

"Sometimes." 

Honestly you’ve never enjoyed the men who start fights for no reason, who act like cavemen when someone looks at their girlfriend. Shawn is too smart for that, too above it to engage with assholes like that. But you have to admit that there was a part of you that found Joel’s actions inside the club to be a bit attractive. Is that the word? Would you really call your boyfriend’s father attractive?

You look at him standing there, his grey t-shirt clinging to his muscles and wide shoulders, the muscular thighs in denim and you think, fuck, yeah he is attractive. You knew he wasn’t ugly, you’d just never looked at him like that. Like he was a man outside of being Shawn’s dad.

"I come from a time when you take care of what's yours." Joel runs a hand through his messy curls. "If you were mine I wouldn't let anyone talk to you the way that man did, let alone touch you." 

If you were mine. 

You can't understand why but you're nipples tighten under your dress at those words. The possessiveness in Joel's voice is so dark and husky. He’s looking off into the dark like he’s really upset.

"If I was yours," you murmur. 

His glazed eyes move from the beach over to your face. You’re standing so close to one another and you can see his chest rising and falling quickly as he breathes. His scotch-coated breath huffs over your cheeks and you swear you’re getting drunker just inhaling it.

You must be, because why else would you be putting your hands on his shoulders. Why else would you be pressing your mouth to his? Why else would you be tracing his plush lips with your tongue and whimpering when he groans into your parted mouth?

And he must be drunk because he doesn’t pull away or hesitate. He dips his head and his hands wrap around your waist, bringing your body against him tightly. His palms slide over your skin, desperate to touch you everywhere as he tilts his head, deepening the kiss. You welcome it, going gooey in his arms, allowing him to take what he wants from you.   

He’s so fucking broad, so strong, so masculine. You gasp into his mouth when he grips your ass with his big hands, pulling your hips against his, circling them as he kisses you. You feel his hardened cock through the layers of fabric, straining against the zipper of his jeans, desperate to bury itself in your slick heat.

To be desired like this feels powerful. It feels like years since Shawn wanted you like this much. It makes you lean more into Joel, desperate to keep the sensation going. His hands are sliding under your dress, up your silken thigh and you tremble.

A splash sounds nearby in the water, a fish or something startling you both and you simultaneously break apart. You both take a step back from one another in the sand, eyes wide. Joel looks completely crazed.

“The fuck—what are we doin’?” Joel whispers, the regret clear in both your faces.

You bring your trembling hands to your warm cheeks and tears immediately spring to your waterline.

What have you just done?

“Oh my fuck, no no, I don’t – I don’t know why-“

You bend at the waist, hands braced on your knees as you start to hyperventilate. Joel is pacing up and down the sand, his silhouette barely seen in the darkness of night. You can see his feet pacing back and forth. . . back and forth . . . He stops when you let out a hiccup, on the verge of throwing up.

“Honey stop,” Joel says, a hand on your back, rubbing gently along your spine. “Calm down. Calm down, its okay.”

“I don’t know why I did that,” you say, tears streaming down your face and dropping into the sand below. “What the fuck is wrong with me?”

“S’not your fault,” Joel says, his voice even and calm. It makes you feel calm. And yet, guilt still bubbles up in your lungs, making a small sob escape.

 “I have to—you need to—I need to tell Shawn. Right now.”

“Hold on,” Joel says roughly, gripping you by the shoulder and urging you to stand. He peers into your face with a grim expression.

“You cannot tell Shawn anythin’.”

“I have to,” you whine.

“It’ll just hurt him,” Joel insists, nodding and hoping you’ll do the same. “It was a mistake. It was nothing, it was just the booze. We just drank too much and we were all hopped up on that asshole inside the club and we weren’t thinkin’.”

“Right,” you agree, relief sliding through every vein you possess as he lays it out for you. “That’s totally what it was. The drinking. We’re drunk.”

“Completely.”

“Okay. Good.”

You’re still shaken up by what just happened, still tipsy from the drinks. Joel runs an anxious hand through his curls, looking utterly wrecked.

“Let’s go back.”

The two of you walk the rest of the way back in silence. You still cannot believe what you did. You kissed your boyfriend’s father. You kissed him and he kissed you back. Fuck, you both must be utterly wasted. Maybe if you’re lucky you’ll both forget it even happened. You would welcome the hangover from hell if it could erase the last fifteen minutes from both your minds for good.

Joel tugs open the sliding glass door, not able to look at you as you both pad towards the opposing doors. You glance over your shoulder to see Joel staring at you as you enter the bedroom where his son sleeps. You give him a sorrowful smile before closing the door.

You crawl under the covers, thankful that Shawn is asleep. You slip off the dress, your hair wild from dancing, your skin sticky with sweat, and your mouth still tasting of scotch. Your cunt flutters at the memory of the noises he made.

You roll onto your side, trying to drift to sleep. Shawn, still half-slumbering snuggles up against your back. His arm slips over your waist and he holds you, as he often holds you back home, gentle and tender and full of love.

“I’m sorry about before, babe,” he murmurs into your hair.

You feel tears burning the back of your eyes. You blink rapidly, closing your eyes and trying to swallow the guilt.

You know that Joel is in his bed right now similarly afflicted, thinking about how he did something so unforgivable and to his own son. Joel is the kindest dad you know; he loves his son more than anything. You know that what you both just did was awful and disgusting.

You also know that there is something deeply wrong with you because as you lay there in Shawn’s arms your pussy floods with memories of his father’s mouth on yours still vivid in your mind.  

do you guys want more of this? or should it be a one-shot? also trying a new aesthetic what do we tthink?

[serafilms]

song 69! loser of the year (simple plan) + dick grayson requested by @celamoon (2023 spotify wrapped event) (this works so perfectly holy shit?? also hi cressie ilysm i’m such a big fan)

you make me wanna shut it all down, throw it all away, ‘cause i’m nothing if i don’t have you

Dick Grayson has no shortage of blessings.

He wakes up every day with a full head of silky hair, skin glowing and a bank account fuller than that house on Full House. He has a great job (that he doesn’t even need. Thanks, Bruce) and great friends, old ladies love him and even his smile has been known to make a few people faint.

He’s a celebrity. His life is great. He’s on top of the world.

So why is he still staring at his phone, waiting for the screen to light up?

Because of you. You, his good friend of three years and silly little crush of one.

Yesterday, his life was perfect. He’d met up with you in the city because you’d promised to help him get his new tux for the next gala. He’d made a few jokes and got to see your smile, and got to meet a few fans on the street. Then, when the two of you were sat in a coffee shop, he looked over at you and his heart stopped.

The sunlight was caught perfectly on your face, lighting up your eyes and bouncing off your hair and god, he was so down bad.

Well, no time like the present, he’d thought.

The conversation lasted about one excruciating minute, before you were throwing a few bills on the table, giving him an apologetic look and walking out the door.

“I’m in love with you,” he’d said.

“I need to think about it,” you’d replied.

His world has slowly been crumbling ever since.

Yeah, his hair and skin are still perfect, his bank account is still loaded and everything else in his life is totally fine, but none of it seems as useful anymore.

His phone buzzes and Dick lunges for it.

Jason: hey

Jason: when r u coming for the gala

Jason: damian’s extra homidical today

He frowns down at the screen. That doesn’t seem good. He shoots back a quick idk and promptly mutes the conversation so he isn’t baited again.

He’s alone with his thoughts for long enough to start thinking about his next move. Dick is starting to think you’ll never give him an answer, and you’re just ghosting him now to avoid rejecting him. Therefore, the obvious solution would be to move far, far away from Gotham. Nightwing will just have to relocate. The Bats will be fine without him.

Maybe Hawaii? No, still too close. Somewhere in Europe, maybe? Or is that too high profile a place for a celebrity? Australia seems nice. The sun would be good for his tan. He could live in a little house by the beach. Learn to surf. A simple life.

Without you, he doesn’t think he has much need for any luxuries. He’d give it all up for you if you wanted, he’d give it all up if he didn’t get you anyway. He’s nothing without you. Money or not, he’s a total loser.

There’s an incessant knocking on his door and he groans.

“Oh, come on, Jason! Did you really need to come to my apartment to drag me out?”

He makes his way to the door and throws it open, preparing to see the face of his annoying younger brother. His scowl drops instantly.

You’re standing there, all dressed up, a bouquet in your hands.

“Hi,” you say, smiling shyly, “I was wondering if you might need a date to the gala.”

Dick grins, grabs you by the waist, and pulls you in for a kiss.

He guesses he won this time.

[chichiichiii347]

In the fan newsletter volume 100, the members were asked to answer to questions from each member and here’s my take on the translation:

Toshiya

Kyo > Toshiya

- Rich or Extremely rich? (referring to food such as ramen broth) Rich

- All humanity is turning into dogs: woof 🐶

- Very hard or very soft noodles? Hard

- Pigmon or Kanegon? (from Ultra Q) Pigmon

- Would you dye your hair blue again? If everyone dye their hair like the old days then I’ll consider it.

Die > Toshiya

- Are you the type who sleeps well at the hotels during tours? depends on which day

- How often do you change your smartphone? 4-5 years

- What do you usually order from Starbucks? Drip coffee

- Which electric appliances are you very particular about? Electric toothbrush

- If you were to drive, which car do you want to drive in? Shelby Cobra

Kaoru > Toshiya

- Any recommendations lately? ask and answer by yourself

- You’re not watching anime recently? I watch it sometimes

- Which is the most delicious ramen shop? If it’s hard to say here then tell me next time: I’ll tell you secretly

- What would you say if Die send you a picture with his hair completely shaved off? maybe he can’t deal with the intense heat..?

- How do you want our next song (album) to turn out? I want it to come with a different kind of excitement

Shinya > Toshiya

- Which country do you like aside from Japan? the US, Hawaii

- Which manga did you like the most as a kid in elementary school? Musashi no Ken

- Are you becoming farsighted? My vision is getting worse so it could be that…

- Do you want to live in Nagano in the future? I'm thinking about it lately

- Are you planning to keep your black hair forever? Silver hair

Kaoru

Kyo > Kaoru

- Jumping up and down (びょんびょん) or chuckle (むひむひ)? (I think he’s referring to fans’ reaction) chuckle

- Which one is better, Light salt or Cheese Karl snack? Curry

- Aren’t you gonna grow your hair long? It’s troublesome

- Aren’t you going to dress up as a pirate? I’m not doing anything this Halloween, so I won’t do that

Kaoru > Kaoru

- Gonna do “it”? Give “it” to me

Die > Kaoru

- What make Hanshin so strong this year, let me hear your opinion: pineapple candy

- If a Hanshin member was to throw an MVP, who would that be? Kinami Seiya

- If you could scout one player from an 11-members team (other than Hanshin), who would that be? Yamamoto Yoshinobu

- If Hanshin finally got “it” after 18 years, what do you think is going to happen at the Dotonbori river? become the prey of Idiots, onlookers and youtubers.

* I don’t watch baseball so I’m not so sure about this whole conversation, but I know Die is a huge GIANTS fan while Kaoru is at Hanshin’s side, and people in Osaka often jump into the Dotonbori river when celebrating something big (new year, winning the olympic games..) so Die is talking as if the Hanshin would surely win the game (or winning over the GIANTS? idk..)

- If the GIANTS were to change the manager, who would that be? I think Abe Shinnosuke…? but the atmosphere would be…

Toshiya > Kaoru:

- We will die at some point in life, would you rather (1) be remembered by everyone in the world or (2) always be remembered by one particular person until they die? 1

- If you have a chance to time-travel for once, which timeline would you choose (1) before you were born, (2) after you’ve passed away? 2

- If there is one drug that brings super power, would you choose the one that (1) make you look young like your 20-year-old self or (2) keep the same appearance, but have the strength of a 20-year-old? 2

- Which member is most likely to runaway from terrors? Kyo

- Who is the most manly member? Toshiya

Shinya > Kaoru

- Which country do you like aside from Japan?Hawaii

- Which manga did you like the most as a kid in elementary school? Toriyama Akira

- Are you becoming farsighted? Yes, I am

- Who is your favourite Hanshin player? Kakefu Masayuki

- Which LINE stamp do you use the most? Kaoru chan

Kyo

Kaoru > Kyo

- Any recommendations lately? Fish from Fukushima

- Are you building plastic models? I’m building them intensely

- What would you say if Shinya send you a picture of him and Tom Hanks? from Deep State?

- Have you seen Mad Heidi? I haven’t seen it, but I’ve watched MEN

- How do you want our next song (album) to turn out? Isn’t Ramen Jiro (without the broth) the best thing ever?

Toshiya > Kyo

- We will die at some point in life, would you rather (1) be remembered by everyone in the world or (2) always be remembered by one particular person until they die? must be 2, right?

- If you have a chance to time-travel for once, which timeline would you choose (1) before you were born, (2) after you’ve passed away? maybe 2, to the future

- If there is one drug that brings super power, would you choose the one that (1) make you look young like your 20-year-old self or (2) keep the same appearance, but have the strength of a 20-year-old? 2, the inner strength (health)

- Who is the most affectionate member? Must be me

- Who is the best at telling lies? Must be Shinya

Die > Kyo

- Any scary experience at the hotels while touring? a fan peeping through a peephole and put their ear to the wall (in Osaka)

- Favourite game console? Mega Drive

- The most intimidating movie character in your opinion? Norman Bates

- How many pair of sneakers do you have? about 50?

- FOOD (don’t know why he’s using english here lol) that touched your soul lately? Blowfish dish from the restaurant that senpai took me to

Shinya > Kyo

- Which country do you like aside from Japan? None. Aren’t you Shinya!

- Which manga did you like the most as a kid in elementary school? Jojo. Aren’t you Shinya!

- Are you becoming farsighted? Dunno. Aren’t you Shinya!

- Have you gotten more tatoos? I’ll get more when I’ve become a skin-head. Aren’t you Shinya!

- Will you give up smoking? No. Aren’t you Shinya!

Die

Kyo > Die

- How many times do you go to the beach each year? when I think about it, I guess I haven’t went to the beach for years

- What is your choice of drink on a cruiser, beer or wine? I get drunk immediately after having wine so I think it’s better to go with beer

- The whole world is destroyed: If everything and everyone dissapear all at once then I’m not scared

- Won’t you dye your hair red again? or would you dye it blue? Frankly, during the pandemic when I could not see anyone, I’ve made a mistake and dyed my hair blue. It didn’t suit me at all, to the point that it gets creepy. So I cover it with red dye right on the next day.

- What’s your favourite colour other than red? BLACK&WHITE (he used english here)

Kaoru > Die

- Any recommendations lately? Prison’s book of rules

- Favourite type of meat for Yakiniku (grilled meat)? high-quality outside skirt steak, thick-sliced beef tongue, beef organs

- After Hara Tatsunori, who’s going to be the GIANTS next manager? I wanna see Abe Shinnosuke as the manager already

- What would you say if Kyo send you a picture of him standing on top of the mountain that he’s just climbed? The Zoom meeting has already started

- How do you want our next song (album) to turn out? raw (fresh) sound

Toshiya > Die

- We will die at some point in life, would you rather (1) be remembered by everyone in the world or (2) always be remembered by one particular person until they die? I’ve spent my whole life with this band so maybe 1

- If you have a chance to time-travel for once, which timeline would you choose (1) before you were born, (2) after you’ve passed away? If I can not return to this life time then I’d want to see what the future is like

- If there is one drug that brings super power, would you choose the one that (1) make you look young like your 20-year-old self or (2) keep the same appearance, but have the strength of a 20-year-old? 2-I’ll work on my appearance somehow…

- Who’s a foodie among the members? Our interests may vary but isn’t everyone a foodie?

- Which members hold the most secrets? All of us are secretive but I think “that person” definitely stood out.

Shinya > Die

- Which country do you like aside from Japan? The humidity right now makes me really want to feel the air of Los Angeles

- Which manga did you like the most as a kid in elementary school? Captain Tsubasa

- Are you becoming farsighted? I’d say my vision has gotton worse from 2007-when I got lasik surgery

- Favourite GIANTS player? It’s hard to choose one, but I’d say Kuwasa Masumi, he lived near my house back in Osaka, and used to be my hero when I was in PL Academy

- Your luggages always seem heavy, which item is the heaviest of them all? Dyson airwrap styler, hair dryer, hair iron, hair oil, hair cream, hair treatment spray… most of the items that added weight to my luggage are hair related

Shinya

Kyo > Shinya

- You’re already dead. No, I’m not dead

- If you can become another person, would you choose to be Yoshiki san or Gackt san? please choose one. I’ll choose Yoshiki san because I’m a drummer

- Aren’t you going to build a room in your balcony? I don’t have a balcony in the first place

- Would you try the punch perm hair style? I really want you to try it? or eipper. you only have two choices, punch perm or eipper? If only these two choices then eipper…

- You’re already dead. No. I’m not dead.

Die > Shinya

- Would you wear anything other colour aside from white at the liveshows? Please answer with something different from “No”. Maybe there’s no other options in the future?

- Would you change your hair style? Please answer with something different from “No”. Maybe there’s no other options in the future?

- Would you change your phone to the iphone 15? Please answer with something different from “No”. I’ll skip for once next time

- Favourite Apple’s product that you’ve owned? please also explain why. I’d say the Macbook Pro that I’m currently using. Without it, nothing will work out

- If you didn’t become a Youtuber then who would you be? Maybe a drummer

Kaoru > Shinya

- Any recommendations lately? What kind??

- What kind of game should I, Tooru and Fujieda play? Who’s “I”??

- If you have the Rock f Solo sheet for Kurenai (ロックfソロシート), please give it to me. I only have DIR’s records

- What would you say if Toshiya send you a picture of him DJ-ing in the club? You’re spinning the Kurenai Solo Sheet! Yay

- How do you want our next song (album) to turn out? Ah! the person who ask this question… must be Kaoru kun? Am I right? 😏😏😏

Toshiya > Shinya

- We will die at some point in life, would you rather (1) be remembered by everyone in the world or (2) always be remembered by one particular person until they die? Maybe everyone in the world

- If you have a chance to time-travel for once, which timeline would you choose (1) before you were born, (2) after you’ve passed away? Absolutely the future, I want to see the future world

- If there is one drug that brings super power, would you choose the one that (1) make you look young like your 20-year-old self or (2) keep the same appearance, but have the strength of a 20-year-old? Inner strength

- Who the most domestic member? Die san

- Most ambitious member? Kyo san

——————

And that’s it. They haven’t change one bit 😂

[yvtro]

once again grieving how dc killed everything unique and interesting about kon's story. it was such an interesting concept to introduce a character who is basically a child celeb. such a novel piece of reconstruction of the genre within its universe.

kon was exploited by everyone in his vicinity. and i'm not even talking just about him being used as a weapon. i'm talking about his fame. i'm talking about capitalism.

for people who have never picked up 90's superboy series: there’s rex and roxy, rex as his ‘manager’ who sells superboy merch, organises meetings with media, plans a SUPERBOY WORLD TOUR. roxy is rex’s daughter and she sticks mostly for that reason too. there’s tana, his girlfriend, a whole fucking adult, who’s a journalist, probably the only one who reports on most of his adventures. then there’s dubbilex, who is sent to hawaii by cadmus as a ‘chaperone’. there’s makoa, a local officer, who of course at first despises him, but eventually starts working with him too (because he admits that they need him, not because he suddenly has any respect to the boy). 

not a single person who makes friends with him or becomes his caretaker because of who he is as a person.

in one of the early issues, his manager strikes a deal for a superboy cartoon. at the time, kon is infected with the clone plague. everyone is so into the show and discussing if it's a good production or not, that no one notices that there’s something wrong with him till he collapses in front of them all.

couple of issues later, a superboy impersonator is killed. kon blames himself for it. rex talks about how they can capitalise on it by producing a comics titled ‘a death of superboy’. 

not even mentioning a whole plotline about rex selling out kon to some guy because he was in debt and how the kid almost got killed in the process.

when kon gets sent to school (as a freshman in high school btw) he still doesn’t even have a name, going exclusively by ‘superboy’ and he has a really hard time making friends because his first instinct is to impress his classmates with his power.

oh, since we’re talking about high school, I should mention that tana was reporting on-live his first day at school. speaking of tana, she also calls him almost exclusively “kid” (criminal) and in issue #0 she overhears her co-workers talking about how it’s not ethical to be in a relationship with a boy who’s not even 16 yet, but she quickly brushes it off as them being “jealous”. 

anyway, my point is: there are a lot of stories about how young superheroes become overly confident and snobby because of the media attention. there’s not a lot of stories about them being literally groomed and exploited in every way possible very much like children celebrities are. 

I don’t know how much of it kesel actually intended to be read this way, because ultimately, most of it is played off as a joke, and tana is not the only adult woman who’s interested in kon (look: knockout calling him a ‘jailbait’ and their whole relationship), but there’s so much potential in this story. kon doesn’t seem to realise how wrong everything going on around him is, as he knows nothing else. hell, he doesn’t even have a name till around issue #60 and he doesn’t mind it. he still wears a cadmus earring with his experiment number without a second thought. 

there’s still a lot of stories to be written about it, but dc is too busy with producing copaganda i guess. and the fanon is sleeping on it too.

[isfjmel-phleg]

As I've addressed before, very little of Kon's original costume was anything he actually chose. Then around 2001 his look got redesigned to reflect changing trends; the in-universe reason was his having a crisis over his image and turning to a girl who is heavily steeped in what's currently in to give him a makeover. So he doesn't necessarily choose that look either.

And I could make some points about how he's a complicated blend of insistent individuality and acceptance of roles assigned to him by other people, but instead I'm going to point out the one time he did choose his costume--a very short-lived one from his time without powers after the Sins of Youth arc.

(Superboy 1994 #1, #83)

So these are both of Kon's costumes from pre-2003, and they're both highly trendy and quite flashy, which is the image that he's typically associated with (aside from the later version of the character, which I'm not addressing here). As someone who was created in a lab to be a celebrity, he's very appearance-conscious, and looking "cool" is a major part of his public persona. In whatever form that must take according to current standards.

But, as I noted above, very little of this is on his own terms. Cadmus designed the too-many-belts suit. The leather jacket was a gift of sorts. He goes through several fashionable costumes in #83 before the girl who's giving him the makeover approves. She even gives him a different haircut. He doesn't seem to have an active say in any of this. (And he loses the shades and whatever those things are on his ears almost immediately afterward.)

He does presumably have a say in his civilian wardrobe, which he doesn't use very often, and I've noted before that it's actually, surprisingly, quite low-key. He dresses like an average teenage boy of that time, with a marked preference for blue, red, and yellow. I know this isn't the direction fanon likes to take, and some have argued that these clothes are just another attempt to fit in and not really reflective of his actual preferences, but...I think the evidence suggests otherwise. He could have chosen to, say, go full punk while at school in Hawaii. It would have been in keeping with his public image. His costume's flashy, so why not make flashiness his signature look at all times?

But he doesn't do that. He chooses ordinary clothes. Even when he's with his YJ friends on the way to a concert--a suitable occasion for out-of-the-ordinary self-expression.

And when he loses his powers and has to hand over his original suit to a doctor for testing, he develops a new costume that better functions with the adjustments he's having to make, and it looks like this:

(Superboy 1994 #76)

He retains the sunglasses and earring, which were originally his choices. The leather jacket is gone, buried with Tana by his request. The new costume is bright and colorful but a fairly basic design--a shirt and pants, more similar structurally to his civilian clothing. Practicality is emphasized; he has only one belt now--a very functional utility belt (and extra pouches on his boots) for the gadgetry he is now having to rely on, and the short sleeves allow for easy wear of the wrist guard that contains his flight ring and controls his shield. He maintains all the Superman colors, but the more prominent use of black sets him apart from his Kryptonian colleagues. The look is less a 90s-ified version of Clark's and more distinctively Kon's own. It has a civilian-like style while still being clearly a superhero's uniform.

And this apparently is his preference when given the choice for a costume. It didn't last long--only several issues of his solo and YJ--since once his powers were back he reverted to the original look. But for a little while he got to be a relatively normal person of his own making. The flashy trendiness is a part that he plays out of obligation, but the evidence suggests that, unconventional haircut and accessories notwithstanding, he's relatively more down-to-earth in his personal tastes than he's given credit for, which says a lot about his character.

[mamawasatesttube]

When/how do you think Kon started like exploring his gender? Did having to change his look to fit in at smallville have smth to do with it?

you just walked into my askbox and went "i'm gonna activate tumblr user mamawasatesttube's trap card!" i hope you know this.

so YES, firstly. i do believe changing his look to fit in with everyone in smallville had something to do with it, BUT. it's not just a case of "oh small town = conservatism, homophobia, transphobia, etc". it has more to do with him having a civilian persona for the first time in his lifie, and not knowing how to do that. through all of his time in sb94, he's never really fit in with "normal people" - he was always held apart from his classmates in hawaii, then he simply never interacted with regular people while living at cadmus, and finally when he lived in metropolis in the suicide slum it was. well. not good.

so moving to smallville and having a secret identity to protect - not just his own but superman's secret identity - is a lot of pressure to perform a role he's never played before. it's not even so much about small town attitudes so much as it is just the contrast of what he's used to and the concept of "normalcy". superboy, the clone of superman who's a hero and a celebrity, has never had to worry about being normal and not drawing too much attention. conner kent, on the other hand, has to worry about that very much.

he takes out his earring. he cuts off the longer parts of his hair and lets the shaved part grow back in. he grows keenly self-conscious of being a "geek" and making too many references to this or that media. for the first time, he starts paying consistent attention to what other people think of him and how they talk about him. it's not the same as his identity crisis before, when he just was worried about being "cool" and got a makeover about it; this is about something bigger than him, something so much more important than just his reputation. he has to keep this secret. it's not freedom, at first; it's a burden he's trying to learn to carry.

that's part of why he resents smallville at first. it's a whole new set of rules and restrictions and boxes he needs to fit into. and he's used to rules and restrictions and fitting into boxes, but these ones are nothing like the ones he knew before, and the stakes feel so much higher. he misses his "freedom" from before, so he hates "conner kent" and what smallville represents.

at this point, he doesn't really know that his gender and sexuality are involved in this repression. he just knows the way he dressed before and the way he acted before get attention in a way he doesn't want now, and he assumes any feelings of ickiness and missing anything are just tied to his whole resentment of smallville. it doesn't click for a long time. he just straight up doesn't clock that he has any gender-related feelings outside the norm, and he doesn't register any of his attraction to guys as attraction. he's deeply in his "overinvested straight ally" phase (think of his interactions with hero cruz - defending him from sparx and telling her homophobia is Not Cool!!).

and then he dies.

to establish a core part of my feelings about smallville... as someone who grew up queer in small town america, i am Deeply critical of everyone who dismisses rural areas as entirely conservative, intolerant, and bigoted. these people definitely do exist in rural areas, sure, but they are by no means the only ones (and they also very much exist in urban areas, too). to that end, i don't think smallville is just a ~homophobic little town~ where kon is miserable in the closet because of external pressure.

i do think kon does languish miserably in the closet for a time. but it's a lot of internal pressure and identity issues at play, not just the worry of homophobia. he spends a lot of time introspecting after his resurrection, learning to love his life with ma; it's during this time that i think he starts to actually realize his feelings about himself are queer feelings.

one of my personal favorite headcanons is that the first person he ever admits any of this to (first that he thinks he's into guys, bc that's the first one that he actually puts together) is hero cruz. hero is definitely the friend who's been out the longest, and very possibly (though ofc this can depend on personal hcs!) his only friend who's out at this time, given that he and cassie Just broke up.

now a major reason he struggles in the closet here is the idea that being queer as conner kent would mean deviating from the "normal" as conner kent. and conner kent is supposed to be a very normal guy, to fit in and fade into the background, to not draw attention. and that's his major hangup. it's easier to consider if superboy could come out than for conner kent to come out, because superboy has never been normal. he's always been set apart. but conner kent? conner kent has a vital secret to keep. he doesn't want anyone looking at him.

he finds it harder to accept queerness as a civilian than as a hero bc as a hero he's already "weird" and "alien" (literally), right. he can be loud and proud and obnoxious there and it doesnt matter! but conner kent is supposed to be ~normal~ and not like kon-el. conner kent is keenly aware of everything that makes him not fit in, and for a long time those things bring him uncertainty and shame because he is still struggling to try and figure out how even being a civilian works, let alone living a civilian life that's """abnormal""". it takes him a hot minute to work through this.

and then senior year, there's rumors going through smallville high because this one guy wanted to bring his boyfriend to prom but the school prom committee head teacher wouldn't sell a couple's ticket to two boys who are known to be dating despite selling them to plenty of girls who say they're just going as friends, and now a bunch of students are protesting by getting same sex couple's tickets and insisting on going actually as couples, and of course kon has to join in on that, he will always stand up against injustice even as a civilian...

...and one thing leads to another, and conner kent finds himself making out with simon valentine in the back corner of the dance hall, and they crown him prom king despite it (or maybe because of it!) and he's stunned because he didn't know he was popular (because he's kind, and loved, and funny, and good) and he's still popular despite clearly being into men now, and it's not a bad thing in everyone else's eyes, and oh? that was allowed all along?

and it's freeing.

that's the first step to exploring gender. first he has to let himself admit to being queer at all, and admit to being okay with it rather than needing to repress it forever, and it's kon. of course that only happens once he can use "helping someone else" as the reason.

NOW back up a large step. there's a second component to all this i haven't dug into yet, and it's about fashion.

more to the point, it's about ttk. one of my Favorite hcs is that he practices it via fibercrafts, even before his death but especially after. first crochet, then knitting, then bobbin lace, slowly increasing the number of moving parts he's working with; he ends up making a lot of lace.

ma uses some of his little lace scraps as bookmarks. he makes a bunch of doilies and then table runners. it's genuinely great ttk practice, but really, they have a lot of lace. so kon starts learning to sew, so he can start making lace-embellished tablecloths and then some simple circle skirts and things for ma. they sell some of them at local farmers'/crafters' markets.

and kon starts wearing some of it himself. at first he's really self-conscious, but... it's something he made, and he's proud of it, and it does look really good, so. fuck it. he and ma can go to do groceries wearing matching skirts, right? (circle skirts are easier to sew than pants, okay. pants have so much more going on. he's still teaching himself, okay!!!)

it takes him a LONG minute to realize that maybe some of the "oh, i do look good in this!" feelings might, in fact, be gender euphoria. as in, he doesn't realize it until after he starts unpacking his sexuality feelings and going ohhhh. conner kent is actually allowed to be queer and that's okay. only then does he realize that uhm... maybe conner kent is, like, extra queer. like, turn up the dial and add more spice.

with time, support and encouragement from friends and family, and some exploration, he gains more confidence in exploring presentation and actually thinking about gender. he doesn't really care that much about pronouns, but he Does hate being confined to traditional masculinity - he does enjoy being masc sometimes, but he hates the idea of having to fit in it as a box. he's much happier getting to flit around from masc to femme to all sorts of places in between. he finds it freeing.

okay i have rambled so much. this is more or less my idea for how the overall arc of kon exploring queerness goes, but im sure ive forgotten bits and pieces and will remember them within like 5 minutes of hitting post. but here we are here it is ive been typing on and off for like an hour now so im cutting myself off. there it is. my kon gender and sexuality thesis.

oh one other thing. also he loves to be young justice's babygirl. okay im done now

[redfurrycat]

🤠⭐🎭🐓Actors & Celebrities Fic Recs🐓🎭⭐🤠

Check the Top Gun Masterlist post for the latest updated version. 💕

Ao3 Authors: Boobooblue, Crowstakeflight, Drh0rrible, Levivi, Lizbeth_e, Nixie_DeAngel, Orphan_account, ReformedTsundere, Renai_chan, SunMonTue, Trinipedia.

Musicians, Singers & Dancers {🤠🐓} > Music & Dancing within the Top Gun Verse {🤠🐓}

firefighter? I hardly know her! by levivi

baby you take my breath away {T}

In other words, Jake’s used to being a magnet for bad luck. It doesn’t surprise him in the slightest that the one time he takes the elevator instead of the stairs, it breaks down with only him inside. It doesn’t mean he’s not still pissed as fuck about it.

I take your breath away? {M}

“That’s one way to put it,” Rooster says and grins at him. Jake gives a small smile back before turning back to the ducks. “Those are cute.” Not as cute as you, Rooster’s about to say before he bites his tongue. He’s a hopeless flirt, ask anyone, but that’s almost too corny. “Yup. Fluffy.”

You gave me time to find out what my heart was lookin' for by trinipedia {E}

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw is a personal trainer, among other things. He specializes in preparing young actors for their next action role, but when he's given the task of turning dancer/actor Jake "Hangman" Seresin into a believable boxer, he has his work cut out for him.

Sereshaw Celebrity AU by orphan_account

a little goes a long way {G}

‘Rumours that the co-workers could be developing a romance have been circulating since Jake starred in Bradley’s hit movie; House of the Rising Sun.' - Or, the public are convinced Jake and Bradley are dating.

in plain sight {T}

A collection of oneshots set in the "a little goes a long way" AU.

(take me) home for the holidays by boobooblue {T}

Jake Seresin moved to New York ten years ago to pursue his dreams. Now disillusioned, out of work, and alone at Christmas time, he suddenly gets the chance to go back to the small town where he grew up for the holidays. Will the Christmas-loving town of Potters Pine, Pennsylvania, and a blast from the past help him recover the spark that's been gone from his life?

We're Crashing Like Waves by Renai_chan {M}

Jake is a movie star looking to get some surfing lessons and Bradley is a surfer living a quiet life in Hawaii. Like the land and the sea, they come together on the edges of O‘ahu.

young savage things by drh0rrible {E}

After a year working as Jake Seresin's PA, there were three things Bradley was absolutely positive about. First, Bradley was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him-and he didn't know how potent that part might be-that thirsted for Jake's blood. And third, Bradley was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Wildest Dreams by lizbeth_e {E}

Jake knew Bradley Bradshaw was someone who would equal trouble, he just didn't care. Not when the handsome A-list actor seemed to be just as intrigued with Jake, as Jake was with him.

All's Fair by crowstakeflight {G}

It’s not often that Jake and Bradley get to work together, when they are lucky they will both be filming locally, but there are a great number of times that at least one of them has to film in another city, state, or even country. They were ecstatic when they realized they were going to be working on the same film. For a period of time, no more long days without seeing one another and only getting away with a few texts or a short call.

Anti-Camera Shy by ReformedTsundere {M}

"Look," Jake says, sighing as he pulls his arm across his chest to stretch out the taxed muscle of his shoulder. His words falter when a shadow appears in the doorway of his gym room, a body leaning casually against the frame, familiar and amused eyes watching him with a quirked brow. It kicks up something hot in Jake's belly. He can't stop himself from smirking, forcing himself to refocus on the phone before someone realizes he's distracted and starts asking questions he doesn't want to answer. "He's gonna have his opinions all he wants, the wrong ones, mind you, but I'm not gonna let him ruffle my feathers because he thinks street tacos beat out Gumbo Shack."

More than movie magic... by SunMonTue {E}

Jake is a Hollywood actor and Bradley is a stunt coordinator. Jake's about to make a few self-discoveries.

Actor Jake Universe by Nixie_DeAngel

On Your Wings, I'll Dream {T}

“Are you gonna go over and say something or just keep staring at him like a creeper?” Or, how Bradley and Jake meet.

My Beloved, My Secret {T}

Jake frowns, looking up from his book to see Bradley holding up a bound stack of papers. Blinking, he nods for him to come closer, so that he can get a better look and as he does, he lets his face twist into a grimace. “Ugh. A script Penny sent over for me to look at. She thinks it’d be a good role for me to take. Especially after the whole,” he trails off, rolling his eyes at Bradley. Or, Bradley and Jake discuss a project of Jakes.

To Pillage, To Plunder {T}

“Wait, so you’d be some sort of a tentacle monster in this, if you go ahead and agree to join the project?” Bradley asked, face scrunched up in confusion as he looked up at Jake. Or, Jake and Bradley talk about another project Jake might take on.

Guide Me Please {T}

Jake knows just how to distract Bradley when he needs too.

My Angel, My Love {G}

Letting his head drop back down against the pillows, he let out a small, needy whine as he glared up at the ceiling. Or, sometimes Bradley wants to whine about his and Jake's relationship.

[deke-rivers-1957]

Do Not Disturb (Elvis x F!Reader)

I never would've imagined that when I met Elvis Presley before one of his first concerts that I could be minutes away from marrying him. I remember our entire history together like it was yesterday.

He was such a shy boy and I was such a shy girl. We'd go on milkshake and movie dates together. I would help Mrs. Gladys in the kitchen for Sunday dinner back when they lived in the house on Audubon Drive. It was always a good time.

And of course, how could I forget his wonderful proposal. It was during his concert in Hawaii. I remember how he invited me and my parents all the way to Honolulu. He even paid our travel fare and everything. It was the final song of his set and he looked right at me.

"Ah'd like ta thank everyone for comin out to see me. Ah especially wanna shout out mah lovely girlfriend out in the audience. For mah final song tonight, Ah'm dedicatin this to her. It's called Love Me."

And that's when I broke down and cried. Love Me was my favorite song and he's singing it just for me. It isn't as if he hasn't sung that song before, but it was because he saved this song for last that I knew. He was proposing to me.

"Thank you. Thank you very much."

As soon as I could, I rushed right over to see him. Once he opened the door, I flung myself into his arms.

"Yes! Of course I'll marry you!"

Many tears were shed that night. Even Mr. Vernon and daddy looked misty eyed. Momma couldn't have been any happier to hear the news. Even when we got the news about Elvis' draft notice, I stood right by his side. We planned our wedding to be just before he had to report for duty.

So now here I am walking arm and arm with daddy down the aisle. Elvis looks absolutely stunned to see me in my dress. Before he can speak, the preacher speaks up.

"We are gathered here today to celebration the union of this young couple in Holy Matrimony."

Everything fades away until we get to the I do's.

"I now pronounce you, man and wife. You may now kiss the bride!"

Everyone applauds and cheers as we kiss. Elvis even picks me up and carries me to the limo. This is the best day of our lives.

"We're married."

Elvis has a shaky sigh and I know he was just as nervous as I was. Even throughout the reception, I could tell he was boiling over with nerves. It wasn't until late into the night that it all comes out.

"Honey. Ah need you."

I feel a little shiver roll through my body. Elvis said that right in my ear in such a husky voice, I can't help it. I'm still a little nervous, so I have to ask knowing full well what he'll answer.

"Need me to do what?"

Elvis' breathing gets very ragged.

"Get the Do Not Disturb sign an take off the dress."

And just like that I do as he says. As I get the sign, I see him taking off his shirt and unbuttoning his pants. I struggle to get my dress off before he takes me into his arms.

"God. Ah need ya so bad. Ah can't take it."

"I know."

He looks down at me and flips me onto my back.

"Ah'm gonna take good care a you. You ain't ever gonna think bout another man while Ah'm gone. Just me."

He says all this right in my ear as he touches me. I can feel his fingers curl.

"It's ok honey. Ah'm gonna make ya feel real good before we make our marriage fully bindin."

Elvis of course makes good on his promise. I feel completely at his mercy as he pleasures me. And yet I trust him to the absolute fullest. He knows just how and where to touch me that makes me feel full of need.

"Elvis."

"Hmm?"

"I need you."

I feel him chuckle against me before I can feel his tongue. Momma would be furious if she saw us like this but I don't care.

"Ohhh!"

I don't remember what happened after that. I just know that it feels very good. Nothing feels real anymore to the point where I could swear Elvis is moving right through me. Not just through me but moving in and out of me like I'm nothing but air.

"Oh God!"

Everything goes black. I feel a heavy weight land by me. I don't even to think about curling up against my new husband. I'm not worried about what will happen when he leaves. For now, we're here. We're married. And the best part? I can't even care that we had no protection.

An: Thank you @cattcb for the request! I hope I have enough balance between fluff and smut in this story.

[bradshawssugarbaby]

It's a Marshmallow World - Harrison Knott x Reader

A/N: My entry for @lewmagoo's Christmas Celebration, I wanted to keep it cute and fluffy and I figured since the movie is filmed in Hawaii, I'm making it that Harrison is from there too.

pairing: Harrison Knott x gn!reader

warnings/content: none, winter/Christmas-themed fluff, probably inaccuracies about Hawaii and snow (I'm Canadian but I tried researching???)

word count: 1.5k

“Ugh, I hate this song.”

You rolled your eyes as you heard the opening bars of John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” playing from the wireless speaker sitting on the kitchen island. You pressed skip on your phone, shaking your head at each song after’s opening notes before finally settling on one. Harrison leaned forward on the island’s countertop and raised an eyebrow at you as he spoke.

“You’re not serious, are you? This is a classic one. Next you’re gonna tell me you hate It’s A Wonderful Life too, aren’t you?” He said teasingly, his deep blue eyes meeting yours with a questioning stare, eyebrows cocked slightly in mock disbelief.

“Of course you like It’s A Wonderful Life.” You retorted, rolling your eyes once again at your boyfriend’s taste in all things…well, old.

Harrison was an old soul when it came to just about anything relating to pop culture. He was the only person you knew who actually preferred cassette tapes and vinyl records, even CDs to streaming his music. He was one of the only people you knew who still had access to a VCR and a tape deck. He still created mixtapes over playlists and you’d almost always find him sitting on the couch watching some old movie you, and everyone else in your age group, had probably never heard of. It was part of his charm and allure for you - you loved that he was into the most niche interests, that he was always introducing you to new things, giving you a newfound appreciation for media you’d otherwise never truly encounter on your own. Before Harrison, you didn’t even know there were several channels on television dedicated to just playing classic films on a 24/7 basis, or that recording a song to a cassette tape from CD was a whole process, crafting the perfect mix was either a carefully throughout event, or a completely spontaneous act, recording whatever felt right. It was never anything inbetween - curating a collection of songs that worked together to tell a story was a work of art in itself, one that Harrison had mastered somehow. 

“Please, everyone likes It’s A Wonderful Life.” He scoffed.

“Not everyone, Harrison. Pretty sure you’re the only person under 50 who loves it.”

“Listen, it’s a great movie. We could sit and argue all day long about it, but it’s a classic for a reason, baby. Jimmy Stewart is unmatched. Meet Me in St. Louis is another great one, my mom always loves that one.” 

“I’m surprised you haven’t mentioned White Christmas yet.” 

“About that. I like it, don’t get me wrong. But I’ve never actually experienced a white Christmas, so the movie’s magic is sort of…lost on me,” Harrison frowned, shrugging his shoulders.

This was his first Christmas since moving across the US from his hometown in Hawaii to Washington, D.C. for medical school, and you knew better than anyone else that he was dying to see snow for Christmas. In fact, he was about the only person in the city who was sad when the weather forecast had predicted that Christmas morning would be uncharacteristically mild and sunny. Normally, he wouldn’t care what the weather was, but this time, being so far from home and not being able to get back for the holidays this year, he longed for the snow and winter sports he’d been promised when he had looked into the weather in D.C. before moving there. He sighed as he looked out the window each day as Christmas drew closer, with not a snowflake in sight. 

Harrison turned his attention back to washing up the dishes from tonight’s dinner. You padded along the hardwood flooring to the living room, looking out the window as you bit your lip absentmindedly, watching the sky for any sign of snowfall to appear. You furrowed your brow at the clear night sky, stars twinkling brightly as they dotted the darkness outside. You closed the curtain, smiling softly to yourself as you nodded your head once. You had an idea - a pretty farfetched one, but, one that would surely make Harrison feel a little less disappointed about not seeing his first white Christmas this year. 

You disappeared upstairs, searching the house for the tote of spare holiday decorations you had stashed away, unsure of where to place its contents earlier when you were in your decorating frenzy a few weeks ago. Rummaging through the plastic storage bin, you pulled out a large piece of white felt, intended as a base for your mom’s handmedown Christmas village that you’d set out every year as a child. She’d gifted it to you, and although you loved it, your small apartment didn’t have the space to display it. However, the extra fabric and faux snow and ice that came with it, you now knew exactly what to do with. 

Taking a pair of scissors, you began crafting and cutting the felt into snowflakes, thanking your lucky stars for your education degree and chosen career path of becoming a kindergarten teacher, allowing you to get creative at lightning speeds when required. Each piece of felt that hit the floor beneath your feet would come in handy, adding to your false winter wonderland that you were creating. After a few minutes, you’d created a few large snowflakes and a decently sized pile of scrap pieces small enough to sprinkle along the floor to mimic freshly fallen snowflakes in your living room. 

As Harrison was distracted with dishes and tidying the kitchen up, you got to work, hanging your felt snowflakes from some ribbon you’d found, leftover from Christmas wrapping, the strings dangling from the door frame, hanging down to look like falling snow. You sprinkled your pieces of felt along the floor, creating what would appear to anyone else, as a complete mess, but to you? To you, it was the white Christmas that Harrison had always hoped for, or at least, the best alternative you could create for it. 

Once satisfied with your makeshift snowfall, you set your speaker up in the living room, setting up a winter-themed playlist on your phone. You practically skipped your way out to the living room, calling Harrison’s name in a cheerful, sing-song lilt as he finished cleaning the kitchen counter.

“Harrison! Come with me for a sec, ok?”

Harrison raised an eyebrow at you, his toned biceps flexing as he folded his arms across his chest, his caramel brown sweater tightening on the curve of his muscles as he did so. Harrison reluctantly closed his eyes and took your hand, following you into the living room. As he opened his eyes, he went silent for a moment, before bursting into a laugh, shaking his head as he smiled and looked around.

“What is this?” 

“Your white Christmas that you wanted. I can’t make it snow, but I can pretend to at least, I figured it’s something better than green, muddy, mild weather outside.”

Harrison remained speechless for a minute before laughing again in disbelief.

“You’re something else, babe, but I appreciate it.”

As Harrison wrapped his arms around you tightly, he nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck, kissing your skin gently as he hummed softly.

“I love it, thank you.”

“I know it’s not much, but, I know how badly you wanted to have snow for Christmas too.”

Harrison continued to press his lips against your neck, leaving feather-soft,  gentle kisses to you, showering you with affection in thanks for your consideration towards his feelings. You knew a makeshift mess of felt and some kindergarten-level snowflakes weren’t going to make everything better, but, you made him smile, and that was all that mattered to you. 

As Dean Martin’s voice crooned out the beginning of It’s a Marshmallow World on your playlist, your eyes darted to the window once again. You couldn’t help but laugh half-heartedly as you shook your head, giving Harrison a playful swat on the arm to get his attention. His lips peeled away from your neck just long enough for him to gaze out the window, his eyes widening as he made his way closer to the glass to get a better view on what was happening outside. Large, white, fluffy specks were falling from the sky, beginning to coat the ground below in patches of white. 

“It’s actually snowing!” Harrison said with a childlike excitement to his voice, shaking his head as his sapphire blue eyes remained wide and full of wonder as he watched the snow falling, essentially, for the first snowfall he’d ever witnessed. 

You joined Harrison’s side at the window, unable to do anything but smile at his sheer excitement at the weather finally granting his wish two days before Christmas morning. You knew there was always the chance it could be gone and melted by tomorrow, but you didn’t want to burst Harrison’s bubble. Not tonight.

Tonight, you couldn’t help but fall in love with him even more as he watched the snow land on the ground, covering everything in a blanket of white as Dean Martin continued to sing in the background.

“In winter it’s a marshmallow world…”

[rubberduckyrye]

Okay I THINK I got what I want Angie's new backstory to be. I unfortunately don't have any way to verify if the information is correct, as researching is really not my forte, and there aren't any like, guides I can find about.

This ofc doesn't contain any spoilers for Twins AU, so if any of my followers happen to know more about Native Hawaiian culture and religion, feel free to correct me!

Under the cut it goes!

Final notes for Angie's backstory:

When Angie was a baby, she got very sick and have an extremely high fever. Her mother then named her "Pupuka" (Means literally "Ugly") as a superstitious way to ward off the illness. Angie claims that this event is when the Atua first made contact with her and saved her, and mentions that while her name was changed back to Angie, that the Atua still call her Pupuka. Angie refers to her mother as "mama" since her mother died when she was young, but she hides how much she misses her by saying that she does not fear death as the Atua promised her and her family happiness after death.

Angie references the climate change in Hawaii being "the Atuas' wrath" or "the wrath of the atua" for littering the state with unexploded bombs/missiles, and the US military using certain parts of the islands for "Target practice" as well as tourists producing a lot of plastic waste.

Angie greatly dislikes the police, as they tend to disrupt her attempts to gather her followers and partake in loud feasts and celebrations, including for her birthday. She's been arrested multiple times for this.

Angie claims she is often "possessed" by the Atua, namely: Rongo-mā-Tāne – god of agriculture and peace, Tāne Mahuta – creator of all living things such as animals, birds and trees, and Tangaroa – god of the sea. She claims all of them are shy and all of them are great at art, and that she is just a vessle for them to express themselves.

EDIT: I forgot to mention the whole name thing--apparently it is tradition that, if a name is considered harmful towards a child, that their name is to be changed--even to a really "ugly" name that often makes westerners extremely uncomfortable.

Also Angie is probably super chill about queer people fun fact.

[foodandfolklore]

The Origin of the Sweet Potato

This Weekend is Thanksgiving for my American friends. Or was it Thursday....Regardless, happy Thanksgiving! I'm Canadian, so I already celebrated in October. Our harvest season tends to end earlier than our US counterparts if anyone was wondering why we celebrate early.

I've already tried digging around for turkey themed lore while celebrating my own thanksgiving. Most stories are more modern since turkey is a newer food, though so is Thanksgiving comparatively. So I thought I'd look at foods beloved for the season. I know sweet potatoes are a popular ingredient for many casseroles or pies.

So what is a sweet potato? A lot of people think sweet potato is just another word for Yam. And it can be confusing as some people will use the terms interchangeably. But they are two different foods with different tastes. A yam is a proper tuber with a thicker skin and high starch. A sweet potato is actually a root and can come in many colours. Most yams you buy in North America are imported where as sweet potatoes are home grown.

Sweet potatoes come from North and Central America, and were especially important to the natives of Hawaii. The nutrient dense crop helped keep it's people healthy in times of hardship. There were many different kinds of sweet potato the Hawaiian people could rotate with too, as they understood the importance of crop diversity.

The Sweetness of the Sweet Potato allows us to Invoke energy of Love, Lust, Beauty and Passion. But it also helps us with Stability, Health and Healing. We can also use the Sweet Potato to help Better Connect with a Younger Generation as the sweet potato's orange colour can you adapt and the sweetness of the food will make them more receptive to your attempts. The sweet potato has made it's way around the world, including Asia. I found a story from India that explains the existence of sweet potatoes and how the came to be. Though unlike Pumpkins, we know they came to Indian through the North Atlantic Trade sometime between 1500-1700

How Sweet Potatoes came to exist

Once long ago there lived an old woman who lived alone after the death of her husband. All their children had moved out after marriage. They were all poor and did not have much to share with their mother.

The old woman was also struggling to earn a living. She earned a couple of pennies by selling banana and areca palm(puwak).

One day the mother decided to visit her daughter who lived with her family in a nearby village. She walked all the way with the help of her walking stick. She arrived at her daughter’s home.

Meanwhile the daughter was cooking some rice for her kids. She was also very poor and lived admist many hardships. And when her mother arrived at her home at noon she was not happy about it at all. She invited her mother inside while thinking “If I offer my mother some rice there will not be enough rice for my kids. They haven’t had anything for breakfast either”.So instead of inviting her mother to have some lunch she said “O mother we have been having such a hard time. We couldn’t afford any rice and we haven’t cooked anything today. But if you visit my sister who lives nearby you shall definitely have a good meal”.

The mother replied “O dear then could you please fetch me some water. I wish for all your troubles to go away. May the triple jem bless you”. She drank the water and walked away in the scorching sun.

After her mother left the daughter called her children to have lunch. She went to the rice pot and took off the lid. To her horror she saw that the rice had turned into blood. The entire pot of rice was now a pot of red blood.

“O dear god! Look what happened! This happened because of my wrong doing towards my mother. I should have given her at least a bit of rice. O dear lord please forgive me! I have committed a terrible crime!”. She was very upset and heartbroken. She sat there for hours in grief.

Alast she took the pot and dumped the blood behind her house. She shouted “batha le!”(“the rice is blood”) as the blood flowed across her backyard.

After a few months a red coloured vine started to grow from where she had dumped the blood. This vine was completely red, even its leaves were red. And in a short time this vine grew all across the village it thrived in the surrounding environment. Cattle, goats, rabbits and a lot of other creatures started eating it. The villagers tried to eliminate the vines but they failed it grew everywhere. It bore large red coloured yams.

After sometime the daughter got even poorer to the point that she couldn’t even afford food to feed her kids. Her children were crying in hunger. And finally she decided to eat the red yams which grew in her backyard. She thought “I cannot bear this any longer I will boil it and eat it. Doesn’t matter even if we die at least we would have our stomachs full.” She dug out a few yams and bolied it. She fed it to her children and ate some herself.

The yams were sweet and tasty. They didn’t die. They felt strong and lively. Thereafter they started eating these yams everyday. She told her fellow villagers about the yams and taught them to consume the yams too. She called it “bathale ala”.

Later this bathale ala was grown in many villages and it spread far and wide throughout the country.The people called it “bathale ala” too and afterwards it changed into “bathala”. And as time passed by new varieties of “bathala ala” were created such as “sudupata bathala”(white coloured sweet potatoes), “kahapata bathala”(yellow coloured), “seeni bathala”(sugar like sweet potato) etc. And it remains to this day as a favourite of many.

And that was how “bathala” or sweet potato was created according to Sinhala folklore.

[rhysdarbinizedarby]

Rhys Darby: Patience key to marriage on warm Waikiki nights

Bikers and bit of snorkelling rekindle spirit of ageing love birds.

The wife and I recently celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in Hawaii. I was already booked to do a show there so the timing was perfect. We decided to leave the kids behind with friends and go it alone, like two ageing love birds rekindling the spirit that connected us all those years ago.

Of course once we got there most of our conversations revolved around the kids. We tried to take our minds off them by sipping copious amounts of cocktails but that just made us miss them more. In the end there was only one thing for it, we had to set off on some island adventure ...

We hired scooters and took off down the main street of Waikiki. Unfortunately my scooter had an acceleration problem and Rosie slipped away leaving me stuck at the lights. Seconds later no less than 20 loud motorbikes pulled up beside me. They all had matching jackets so this led me to believe it was a fully-fledged biker gang. Either that or a massive coincidence. I was now in the middle of them and I looked pretty pathetic on my nifty fifty. I felt like I'd been engulfed, much like the US space capsule in the opening sequence of You Only Live Twice (that's a James Bond film). Anyway, as they were all staring at me I decided to make light conversation.

"Are you guys all in a gang ... or is this just a massive coincidence?"

"We're the Pacific Knights," said one of them while pointing with his thumb to the patch on the back of his jacket that I really couldn't see. I couldn't hear him well either over the loud rumbling and revving of the machines.

"What's that?" I replied.

"Pacific Knights," he came back with.

"Which nights exactly?" says I, "I'm keen to be involved but I'm only here for a limited time. When do you get together?"

"We're the Pacific Knights," was the response, this time from one of the other bikers.

"Yeah, but which nights? Is it Tuesdays and Thursdays? I bet it is. Look, I'm busy on Thursday guys ... The wife and I have planned a snorkelling trip."

Rhys Darby meet the 'Pacific Knights' at Waikiki Beach

Suddenly the lights changed and all the bikes took off. I slowly departed myself, not overly convinced but quietly hoping I'd been inducted into the gang.

Later that afternoon I caught up with Rosie, my wife of 10 years. We had a fantastic time snorkelling at Hanauma Bay. There at shallow depths were dozens of beautiful fish. We entered their world with an underwater camera. Between us we used up all 30 shots on the film. Yes that's right, it was a camera with a film. Weird, eh? It was a cheap one we picked up at a gas station. I look forward to one day getting that film developed. It mightn't be for another 10 years. Who knows ... but hey, that's the key to a successful marriage folks ... Patience. I think my wife has a lot of it.

Source: NZ Herald

[ptrckjcne]

⇨ When the Sky Falls Down

pairing: steve mcgarrett x danny "danno" williams word count: 8.5k timeline: canon divergent / sometime towards the end of season eight, start of season nine title: inspired by / picked from and translated from the song "når hele himmelen faller ned" by anne grete preus

❝Everything happens a little slower here on Earth as the whole sky falls down.❞

short description: steve, danny, grace and charlie travel to new jersey, and visits the williams family.

read on archive of our own! || written as part of "year of the otp"

keep in mind this is not beta read, written at all times of day and contains stupid amount of fluff!

Steve was used to the snow. Naturally he was – the man was a fucking Navy SEAL, he had probably spent three years of his life living in a snow cave he had dug out himself in Alaska during his training. Alright, maybe that was taking it a bit too far – but still, the point comes across nonetheless. You see, the ever-so-versatile Steve McGarrett didn’t even flinch when Danny said they’d be heading to the mainland during the worst snow season in New Jersey. Hadn’t he known better, Danny would probably say Steve looked a little excited about the fact, and Danny wasn’t going to lie; he was more than just a little excited about watching Steve and Charlie spend hours in the snow. Just the idea of bringing Steve to New Jersey had Danny excited, a new kind of excited that he hadn’t felt before. 

He had been in Hawaii for Thanksgiving, working on the perfect dinner for the team with Steve, though it had all been disrupted when a call with a bomb threat came in, and they had instead spent the evening tending to cuts and bruises, mending each other’s hurt with whisky and kisses instead of a team dinner and celebrations. Christmas had, for some reason, been split between him and Rachel; he had the kids for the first few days, while Rachel had taken them to England for New Years. Steve – God bless him – had noticed that Danny was uneasy with the thought of only having a few days with the children over the holiday, and had put in his absolute best effort to make Christmas the best holiday ever. In hindsight, Danny had come to realise it was the best holiday ever, but that had nothing to do with the eccentric reindeer-costume that had been forced onto Eddie, or the way Steve had somehow managed to cram together an entire holiday into the span of three days. It had been the best holiday because Danny had his people with him; Steve, Grace and Charlie (and Eddie – he could never forget Eddie).

Now, however, as he was sprawled across their bed – their shared bed – he found himself simply watching as Steve packed, fascinated with the way he brought an op-like precision into everything he did. Eddie was slumbering at the foot of the bed, his head resting heavily against Danny’s ankle, seeming to be aware of how his human family were preparing themselves for a vacation he wouldn’t be going with them on. “Are you going to make running commentary, or are you just going to stare?” Steve chuckled, voice laced with amusement as he turned, shoving one final item of clothing into his bag. 

“I’m just curious to see whether you’ve packed for a Jersey winter, or if you’ve packed for – you know,” he gestured vaguely around, making it clear to himself that he meant the stupidly warm Hawaiian winter. “Your favoured winter, where you could wear shorts every day.”

Steve grinned widely, fingertips brushing against Danny’s calf as he gave Eddie’s head a couple of pats. “I’ve been to the mainland during winter before, you know. Seems you keep forgetting the years I spent in the Navy.” He turned towards the doorway as Charlie appeared, clad in his superhero pyjamas with a wide grin on his lips. “Hey, buddy, are you ready for bed? Did you pack your backpack with the things you want to bring for our trip?” Steve’s voice grew softer as he spoke with the young boy, who in return climbed onto the bed to have better reach as he clung to Steve like a koala.

“I packed my coolest action figures, so I can show grandpa.” Charlie nodded against Steve’s chest, furrowing his brow at the rumbling in the larger body as Steve responded with a chuckle. 

“Alright, well, we should get you to sleep then. Me or Danno?” Steve raised an eyebrow, as if the answer wasn’t clear enough to him with how Charlie had done his best to wrap himself around Steve, though the poking at Steve’s ribs caused the wide grin to return. “Roger that. How about you say good night to Danno, and meet me in your room?”

It caused Danny’s heart to skip a beat, the way he said it. Not long after they had admitted their feelings for one another, somehow hastily over yet another this could be the end of the world situation, Steve had made it clear that he wouldn’t want it any other way. His old room had been redecorated to meet Charlie’s standards, an odd combination of race cars, superheroes and cowboys, and Mary’s old room had been turned into a room suited for Grace, making sure she always had a place to stay whenever she decided to make her way back to Hawaii – back home – from college. In many ways, it had been the simplest yet most perfect admission from Steve that he didn’t just want Danny, he wanted it all – he wanted school mornings, homework, little league games, pancake mornings and all the messes that came with living with a child. Steve, who had never been foreign to the idea of having children, but had struggled to find the needed balance between his work and personal life, and when he in turn had been diagnosed with radiation poisoning (and, he hadn’t specifically told Danny, but the detective was well aware that if the radiation itself hadn’t made him completely infertile, there was a high chance he would never be able to have children of his own), it had seemed like the perfect time for him to commit, fully and wholly, to Danny and his children. 

Danny was pulled out of his thoughts as Charlie flopped against the mattress next to him, giggling like a mad-man as he snuggled closer. “Can you promise me that when Steve comes to wake you up in the morning, you will get up right away?” Danny huffed, arms wrapped tightly around Charlie, which made it difficult for him to jump up and salute his father with a Yessir, yes!, something he had picked up from the Navy SEAL, without a doubt. “Sleep tight, buddy, I love you.”

“Love you too, Danno.” Charlie replied, words muffled against the fabric covering Danny’s chest, before squirming his way out of the warm embrace. He could hear Steve’s chuckles from the room down the hall, followed by the low sound of his voice as he started telling a bedtime story, and based on the sound-effects – it could very well be a (hopefully) children’s appropriate version of some case they had worked (not that Danny hadn’t done the same; his mild and children’s friendly Christmas-story, which portrayed Steve as the hero who saved the holidays, had become a favourite of Charlie’s).

It wasn’t until Eddie started moving, stretching with a wide, whiny yawn, that Danny too decided he should get moving, following the dog downstairs to let him out back. Grace was on the couch, watching some ridiculous reality programme, the kind of show that Danny would never in a million years allow himself to be caught watching, yet he sunk into the couch next to his teenage daughter once Eddie was back inside.

“If you’re going to sit here, I’m not giving you a run-down of what’s happened.” Grace rolled her eyes, patting Eddie as he pressed his snout against her thigh, before wandering off to his preferred spot by Steve’s desk, curling as best he could against the rug.

“That’s fine.” Danny shrugged, kicking his feet up on the coffee table, eyebrows furrowing as he tried to wrap his head around the overly dramatic argument that was unfurling on the screen in front of him. However, as Grace yawned, he let his attempt of understanding go, and turned towards her instead. “You know, we’ll be getting up quite early tomorrow, probably wouldn’t be a bad idea if you headed to bed now. If you’ve packed everything you need for a few days in Jersey, that is.” Danny chuckled, knowing his daughter had his not-so-fortunate skills when it came to packing, and he was already dreading the time he would spend in the bedroom as he packed, Steve hovering over him and commenting on whatever he thought needed a comment.

“I think I’ll take you up on that offer, if it means I’ll escape you and your thoughts.” Grace grinned wickedly, pressing a kiss to her father’s cheek with a muffled good night, and vanishing upstairs.

Steve appeared shortly after, leaning against the railing of the staircase, a chuckle escaping his lips. “See, I’d come over and join you, but I know for a fact that you haven’t packed, and I’m not about to have you grumpy-packing at four am.” Taking the last few steps down, he ensured the front door was locked, and headed to the kitchen to refill Eddie’s bowl of water for the night, before returning to the living room. “Let’s go get you packed and ready, and then I’m going to turn in for the night. If I’m to deal with you and Grace at that hour in the morning, God knows I’m in need of a good night’s sleep.” He rolled his eyes, calling Eddie after him as he turned back to the stairs, Danny turning off the TV and the lights as he followed suit. 

Danny was convinced, by the end of his packing, that he had not at all packed everything he needed, but at the same time, he was convinced Steve hadn’t packed what he needed to survive the Jersey snow, so maybe he didn’t stress too much about having to possibly go to the mall during their stay. Zipping his bag closed, he was about to head for the shower when Steve wrapped a strong arm around him, tugging him to the bed instead. “Steve, I should really-,”

“Save the shower for when we wake up, please.” Steve murmured sleepily against the side of his head, his stubbled chin giving Danny’s cheek a bristly nuzzle as they settled underneath the sheets of the bed. “You’ll wake up more if you shower in the morning.” He tried once more to squirm out of Steve’s embrace, but unlike the hold he had kept on Charlie earlier, Steve was adamant about keeping the detective right there, in bed. “Turn your brain off, Daniel, and sleep, please.” Steve huffed, pressing his lips to Danny’s ear, and by some miracle, Danny fell asleep. 

As predicted, he was grumpy when the alarm clock rang at 3 am, their (correction: Steve’s) clock being set an hour before the kids’, so the Navy SEAL had the time to go for his morning swim, a jog with Eddie, and to take a shower before he tended to Charlie and Grace. The thing was, even though Steve pressed gentle kisses to his head, attempting to soothe him back to sleep, Danny wasn’t able to, and found himself ambling down to the kitchen, where he made coffee – one for himself, perfectly balanced between the far-too-strong coffee and milk, and one for Steve, with the spoonful of grass-fed butter that he for some reason had to have a cup of in the morning. 

Charlie was, like predicted, awake and happy long before anyone had the chance to wake him, and Grace was a lot more like her father; tired and grumpy. However, even ten minutes before Danny had planned, they were bunched together in the car, on their way to drop Eddie off at Tani’s (Danny had to remind Steve that they needed to return the favour in some grand gesture as they returned from Jersey, after all she had voluntarily gotten up early to greet them and make sure Eddie settled in at her place before work). The next few hours were more of a haze, sleepily making their way through security, making sure all four of them ate breakfast, and the flight itself was spent huddling together and sleeping (for Danny and Steve), watching a movie (for Charlie, who had wrapped himself in a blanket on Steve’s lap, watching a cartoon on the in-seat screen, until he fell asleep during the last hour of the flight), and texting friends (for Grace).

The first thing they noticed as they reached Newark, was the chillier temperature, and Danny’s shivering told him he had gotten a lot more used to the Hawaiian warmth than he would like to admit. He was hanging back and for some reason just watching as Steve loaded their luggage into the rental car, before helping a sleepy Charlie into the vehicle, he felt like the luckiest man alive. Grace was leaning against his side, head against his shoulder as they watched Steve, and for some odd reason, it all felt like a full circle kind of moment. He wasn’t sure he would even be here right now, at the Newark Airport, with his two children and Steve, about to get into a rental car as they would be heading to Danny’s family. 

Almost as if she knew something was going on inside his head, Grace turned slightly, poking and prodding at Danny’s ribs, her jabs a lot harder than they would have to be back in Hawaii, as they now had to push through his down jacket. “Just marry him already, will you?” She groaned, timing it almost perfectly to the moment when Steve turned, leaning slightly back against the car with that ridiculous and goofy grin spread on his lips (the grin that Danny absolutely loved, and had come to realise was a grin reserved for him and the kids only). “He’s been used as a pillow by Charlie, and has been carrying around halfway sleeping and drooling Charlie since we got off the plane. Do you really need an eccentric kind of proposal or whatever after that?”

She didn’t give him the chance to answer, though, pushing away from him as she headed for the car. Chuckling, Danny gathered his energy and followed her, though instead of getting into the car, he wrapped himself around Steve’s torso, fingers in the belt loops of his jeans and head against his chest as he hummed contentedly. The smooth surface of the Navy SEAL’s down jacket was cold to touch, and in a weird way it jolted Danny’s energy levels a little, waking him up in time to notice that Steve was pressing the car keys into his hands. “Wait, you don’t want to-,”

“This is your home-turf, Danny.” Steve grinned, patting gently against Danny’s hands, which were now wrapped around the cold metal of the keys. “If you wish for me to give off the gentleman impression for your parents, however, we can pull over and swap places as we near their house.”

“If we’re going to do that, we might as well also put you in a jacket where the shoulder isn’t stained with Charlie’s drool.” Danny rolled his eyes, not failing to notice how the grin on Steve’s lips widened even more. Lowering his head slightly, Steve pressed a kiss to the corner of Danny’s mouth, warm breath ghosting over his lips, before moving himself out from his spot between Danny and the car. There was undoubtedly something odd about seeing Steve, the man who claimed to get motion sickness whenever he didn’t sit behind the wheel himself, get into the passenger seat – but maybe it was just Steve’s way of telling Danny that he trusted him with his heart, body and soul (and health). 

He was about to open the door to the driver’s seat when his phone buzzed, presumably with another text message from his mother, and quite like the last 47 messages he had received from her, this was laced with worry about how to make sure the house was properly prepared to greet Steve. At this point he was sure that if he told them Steve needed a full home gym to work out, they would have torn out everything in the basement and made just that for him. This one, however, was from Bridget, telling him that she hoped they were prepared for snow, because they sure as hell had chosen to visit New Jersey right around the time for the craziest snow fall of the year.

With fingers going numb from the cold, he ducked into the car, delighted to see that Steve had managed to wake Charlie, well aware it would be hopeless to put the boy down to sleep when it was bedtime if his nap continued long into the afternoon. However, Danny was surprised to see that, in order to keep Charlie awake, Steve had willingly given up his phone, sheepishly grinning at Danny as he realised the device had several of Charlie’s favoured games downloaded, making him just a little too well prepared for moments like this. “I know you kids were hoping to get a few things done over our days here, but I want you all to be aware that the forecast says it’s going to snow – a lot.” Danny turned, glancing between his kids, though seeing none of them were paying attention – Charlie in the middle of a very important round of what appeared to be Angry Birds, and Grace had her headphones tucked neatly over her ears, scrolling mindlessly on her phone. “Alright, lively audience we have in the back here.”

Steve chuckled, shifting slightly in his seat. “They’re tired, Danny. So are you, so am I. We’ve been awake since far too early, and we still have a few more hours until it’s reasonable for us to succumb to our tiredness.” He shrugged slightly, reaching across to place a hand on Danny’s thigh, giving it a light squeeze, just like he would do whenever he was behind the steering wheel. “Now, I don’t know if this whole place holds something of a meaningful memory for you, but I’m sure there are other parts of Jersey you’d rather show me than the airport, right?”

His tone was teasing, and his touch was warm, and alright, Danny found himself agreeing, because the neighbourhood where he grew up was a whole lot nicer than the Newark Airport, and with the rate of his mother’s preparations, he should probably make sure they got to the comfort of Danny’s childhood home. The drive seemed longer than Danny could remember, and it could be because he had Steve in the passenger seat, the Navy SEAL being completely quiet, though Danny could tell he had entered the same type of focus he did when they were on a stakeout, possibly to make sure he didn’t fall asleep. Danny found his hand, still resting against his thigh, and tangled their fingers together, giving the larger hand a gentle squeeze. 

Steve grinned at that, and though it wasn’t the most practical considering Danny was driving (he was grateful that Steve had rented a car with automatic transmission), their hands remained linked until Danny pulled onto the street where his parents were residing. Even then, it wasn’t he who pulled away from the touch, as much as it was Steve, who turned slightly in his seat to make sure the kids in the back were awake, Charlie returning the mobile device to his hand with a muffled statement that he should probably charge it. “You’ve really done it now, babe – letting him know you’ve got those games on there.”

“I don’t mind.” Steve shrugged, pocketing his phone as Danny pulled into the driveway, parking the rental car behind his dad’s sedan.

There was a thin layer of snow on the ground, maybe a warning sign of what was to come, though Danny only revelled in the sound of snow, gravel and ice crunching underneath his boots as he got out of the car. Based on Steve’s expression, it wasn’t a sound he had heard in a very long time, an expression that in turn had Danny stifling a laugh. “If this amuses you, I should only hope we get a proper snowfall tomorrow. Charlie won’t let you be inside for one second, I know that much.” He grinned, moving around the car to retrieve their luggage from the trunk as Grace made her way to the front door, and Steve got Charlie out of the car. 

With one arm supporting Charlie, who clung to Steve like his life depended on it (he had taken to doing that with Steve, and it didn’t seem like either one of them minded – Danny knew he certainly didn’t mind), Steve cheekily snuck an arm around Danny’s torso, covering his move as he picked a bag from the trunk and placed a kiss to his cheek. “Maybe I don’t mind being outside with Charlie all day, have you thought about that?”

No, he hadn’t – but then again, Danny shouldn’t be surprised about the thought either. Steve, though being an adult, nearing his 42nd birthday, was a lot like a child, and without psychoanalysing him, Danny was well aware that the answer for it all laid somewhere between his mother not being the most present, before she faked her death and his father had shipped him off to the mainland. Catching his breath, he found himself hanging back for a second as he watched Steve approach Clara and Eddie at the porch, easing Charlie into his grandma’s arms as the Navy SEAL himself was greeted with a hug and kiss on the cheek from Clara, and a firm handshake accompanied with a slap on the back from Eddie.

“Danny, will you be joining us today, or do you have other plans?” Clara called, arms wrapped tightly around the growing boy in her embrace, Eddie well into leading Steve inside, probably already chattering away about something only Steve could keep up with. 

“Take my son inside, will you? I’d prefer it if he didn’t get pneumonia because you keep him out here.” Danny rolled his eyes as he reached the porch, though his expression mellowed as Clara tugged him closer, and had him wrap his arms around them both, a move that caused Charlie to squirm. “I’ve missed you, ma.” 

“I’ve missed you too, Danny.” Clara hummed into their hug, pushing her son in front as they all headed inside. Grace had vanished, presumably to set up shop in a room that had previously belonged to one of Danny’s sisters. Steve had reached the living room, already engaged in listening to one of Eddie’s long monologues about the gratitude he had for men like Steve, who had served the country. “I was thinking maybe we could have lasagna for dinner, if you would want to help me?”

“Of course.” Danny chuckled, looking down at Charlie’s bag which stood at his feet. “Where do you want us?”

“I’ve got your old room for you, Matt’s old room for Charlie. I think Gracie ended up staying in Bridget’s old room, but that means Stella’s room is free if you, you know…” Clara trailed off, nodding slightly in the direction of Steve, and Danny couldn’t help but grin widely – it was sweet really, that she had made sure there was a way out of sharing a bed with Steve if Danny didn’t want to. Not that they would need to use that way out, of course. “I didn’t want to assume anything.”

“It’s alright, ma. We’ll share my old room.” Danny was still grinning as he toed off his shoes and shrugged off his jacket, not failing to pick up on his mother’s about damn time, before approaching his dad. “Dad, please give him time to breathe, yeah?” He rolled his eyes slightly at Eddie’s wide grin, though returned the hug when the older Williams-man wrapped his arms tightly around his shoulders. “He didn’t fly for ten hours so that you could be his biggest fanboy.” 

Steve grinned sheepishly, lifting a hand to scratch at the back of his neck. “It’s alright, Danny-,” he shrugged slightly, though his grin softened as Charlie came running, backpack in hand as he wanted to show his grandpa the latest additions to his group of action figures. It didn’t take a lot more for Eddie to almost seem as if he had forgotten Steve and his years of service, instead turning to the couch with his grandson. In turn, Steve turned fully to Danny, the smile still having the corners of his mouth turned upwards. “Besides, he was just promising me that he’d get around to telling me all the stories of how your former colleagues in the Jersey police had their fun with you while you were the boot of the squad.” 

Once again, Danny rolled his eyes, shifting his grip on Charlie’s bag, only then realising Steve was carrying both of theirs. “Might as well just take you down to the precinct, and you can get the stories from those responsible for it.” He brushed past Steve, though didn’t get far before he turned, making sure the Navy SEAL was following him – and was caught by surprise as Steve bumped into him, huffing out a sharp breath of air at the contact.

“You shouldn’t just abruptly stop walking.” 

Rolling his eyes (again), Danny continued walking, leading Steve down the hallway he had lots of fond childhood memories from – playing tag with Matt on summer days, where the whole house and the backyard was used as their personal running track, Bridget and Stella making creative obstacles as Danny would impress them with his skills of driving a remote controlled car (at least he thought they were impressed, but then again, with pre-teen girls he could never be a 100% sure). Steve stopped in his tracks at the door frame to Danny’s room, a goofy grin spreading on his lips as he placed his index finger to the height measurement that was last added, and that coincidentally also happened to be the very same height Danny still stood at. “You stopped growing at sixteen?”

“Shut up.” Danny huffed, furrowing his brows as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m sure you did too.”

“No, I shot up nearly four inches the summer after I turned nineteen.” Steve shrugged casually, stepping after Danny into the bedroom. It wasn’t anything of an impressive size, but it was cosy, and it soothed a part of Danny’s soul he hadn’t realised was acting up or being stressed. “Nice touch with the baseball-themed pillow cases.” The Navy SEAL stifled a chuckle as Danny’s cheeks flushed pink. “I won’t make fun of it, Danny, I promise, it’s just … I didn’t really have all of these things, you know? We’ve already established how different our childhoods were from each other.” 

Danny sighed a little, dropping Charlie’s bag to the floor, before wrapping himself around Steve’s torso – only this time, neither one of them had thick jackets to restrict their body heats from mixing. “If it becomes too overwhelming, or you need an out, you let me know. I have plenty of places we could go, and I’m sure my parents wouldn’t mind looking out for the kids if you need a breather.”

“I’ll be fine.” Steve chuckled, bags dropped to the floor as his arms came around Danny, holding him close to his body. “Besides, with the snowfall I heard was coming, I don’t think it’s wise of us to go anywhere else – other than out in the snow with Charlie, that is.” 

He had half expected Danny to squirm in his embrace, wanting to head back down to his kids and his parents, but he remained firmly wrapped around Steve’s torso, relishing in the possibility of hugging without disturbances. However, as he did shimmy his way out of Steve’s embrace, with a large yawn, it was with a promise of a calm night in, and a chance of turning into bed early. While Danny made his way to the kitchen, adamant to kick his mother out of the room as he took full responsibility for dinner, Steve found himself back in the Williams’ living room, where Grace was on the phone with her niece (Steve assumed), and Charlie was still eagerly explaining the stories behind all of his action figures, some older ones, presumably ones that had belonged to Danny and Matt when they were kids, had been added to the mix as well.

“Who made the first move?” Clara asked after quite a while, having come to sit in the recliner after Danny successfully chased her out of the kitchen, her head tilted slightly as she studied Steve with that same look Danny got on his face whenever he would look at him. “If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

“I, uh-,” Steve cleared his throat a little, eyebrows furrowing as he tried to think – because which one of them had made the first move? His trail of thoughts were cut off, however, as Charlie came crashing down on him, having long ago perfected the puppy eyes as he now was well aware of the games downloaded to Steve’s phone. “Buddy, not now, eh? It needs to be charged, and you’ve got your grandparents right here.” He ruffled the boy’s hair, half expecting him to return to his grandfather’s side, though was pleasantly surprised when Charlie settled in his lap with a couple of action figures in his hands. “I don’t quite remember, I think, who made the first move. After all these years, and everything we’ve been through, I think we just both kind of fell into it.” 

Clara didn’t respond right away, her eyes filling with admiration as she took in the sight of Steve and Charlie, her husband seeming to agree with her unspoken words as he quietly tidied together the toys on the couch. “He loves you.” She spoke after a while, nodding at Charlie, who was far too distracted with the mid-air explosions that apparently were happening right there in the living room. “Well, I think both the boys do, as well as Grace, but from what Danny’s told me, and from what I’ve seen in the short time since you arrived, he’s only like that with you.” 

In those few seconds it had taken her to say those words, Steve’s throat had seemed to close up, and he found himself saved by the bell - or Danny - as the detective emerged, shoo-ing everyone to the table to get ready for dinner, requesting for Steve to help him gather the food from the kitchen. It was a nice, simple dinner, done just like Danny had done it time and time again in their kitchen back in Hawaii; a simple lasagna with garlic bread and a salad, and just like when they ate it back home, it was the kids’ (and Steve’s, though don’t tell that to Danny, he would never stop gloating) favourite dish. It was an easy kind of setting, the kind of setting Steve hadn’t experienced a lot with his own family as a kid – the kind of setting that eased the weight of Clara’s words. He figured it must be something about the setting, or maybe the house (or maybe it was the New Jersey air?), but he found Clara to be a lot less in his face than she had been when she came to visit Danny in Hawaii. 

The rest of the evening was spent the same way; Steve helped Danny clear the table, enveloping himself around the shorter detective while they did the dishes, before they joined the rest of the family in the living room. This time it was Grace who chatted away, eagerly telling her grandparents about her quest to find the perfect college, and if Danny thought no one caught his grimace at the thought of his daughter growing up, he would have to think again. Charlie had managed to come down from his post-dinner-energy-high, and found himself crashing in Steve’s lap again, sock-clad feet kicked up in Danny’s lap – to at least have some sort of contact with his father as well.

“We should come visit you all in Hawaii soon.” Eddie suggested, immediately having his wife’s eager nodding as a support of his words. “I mean, I haven’t been in a few years, and from what I recall, it’s a wonderful place all year round. Besides, Danny’s mentioned you have a pretty Merc in your garage, Steve?”

Steve flashed a crooked grin. “Yessir. It was my dad’s originally. We would work on it together when I was a kid, and after he passed, I took it upon myself to get her back on the road. It’s been with mixed success, but she’s more or less up and running now.”

“No need to call me sir, Steve.” Eddie chuckled. “You’re family, that means I’m Eddie to you.”

At this, Charlie lit up. “Eddie as in our dog?” 

Steve grinned, picking up on the soft chuckle that passed Danny’s lips from beside him. “Almost, buddy.” Danny placed a palm against Charlie’s leg. “Maybe we have to figure out a new nickname-solution there if grandma and grandpa comes to visit?” He suggested further, the eager nodding from his son telling him he had already started the search for a nickname suited for the golden-coloured Labrador back on Oahu.

“So, you have a dog now and everything?” Clara raised her eyebrows, seemingly surprised at the admission of their canine friend. “I thought I could quite vividly remember that you wouldn’t be interested in getting another pet unless you were married, Danny.”

Danny stilled at his mother’s comment, a comment that had also whipped Grace’s attention into action, the teenager staring wide-eyed at her father from the recliner next to Clara. “Actually, Eddie and I were kind of a package deal.” Steve cleared his throat, pressing his elbow gently against Danny’s arm, a weak attempt at grounding him, soothing his nerves. “I was supposed to be a temporary home for Eddie, but he and I have a special bond, and I couldn’t let him leave. So, Danny brought his two kids walking on two legs into the relationship, and I guess you could say I brought my four-legged kid.” If Clara didn’t seem convinced, she had done a good job at schooling her expression, but at his side, Danny had resumed breathing normally, and that was a lot more important to Steve than having to explain any further on why he ended up adopting a dog who had previously worked with the Marines and the DEA. 

They sat a while longer, conversation easing into something everyone could participate in, until Charlie started stifling yawns against Steve’s shirt, the Navy SEAL chuckling as he shifted the way his arms were wrapped around him. “Maybe we should get you ready for bed, huh? You’ve got to rest up if all this snow is coming, I’m gonna need you to teach me how to build a snowman.” 

“We should let you all turn in for the night.” Eddie was quick to speak, sending his son a short, acknowledging nod as Danny looked at him. “You’ve been travelling since early morning, and as Steve pointed out, there’s going to be quite the snowfall tomorrow. Can’t have anyone falling asleep out there, can we?”

A string of hugs and good nights were shared, Clara and Eddie taking it upon themselves to turn off lights and make sure everything was closed and locked correctly. Upon reaching the row of bedrooms, Danny carefully picked Charlie out of Steve’s arms, mumbling something about him being able to walk fine (which only caused Steve to grin widely in response), before the three of them bunched together in one bathroom to brush teeth and get ready, and if any of them were jealous of Grace who had the bathroom belonging to Stella and Bridget’s old rooms all to herself, well, neither one of them said anything.

Danny took it upon himself to tell Charlie a bedtime story that night, meanwhile Steve paid a visit to Grace, who seemed comfortably at home in her aunt’s room. Pressing a kiss to her head, followed by a mumbled sleep tight, he reunited with Danny in the hallway. “Charlie didn’t want your stories?”

“Never got around to asking, he fell asleep before I was one third into the story I started telling him.” Danny shrugged slightly, a step or two in front of Steve as they moved back to the detective’s old bedroom, quietly changing to their pyjamas, which more or less consisted of Steve’s t-shirts (Danny found he was a lot more comfortable sleeping in Steve’s larger, more loose fitting t-shirts, than his own rather tight ones) and plaid pyjamas pants. “You know, it’s a good thing you’re a snuggler when we sleep, because I had forgotten that this bed was smaller than a double.” 

Steve scoffed, though allowed for Danny to settle against him under the covers of the bed, a contented hum escaping the detective. “You know, the one thing that really benefits me by enjoying cuddles is the fact that I can definitely turn you over and use you as a shield if Charlie decides to do a cannon-ball onto the bed in the morning.” His tone was warm, teasing even, as he wrapped his arms tighter around Danny, the detective sleepily mumbling a response of something against Steve’s shoulder. “Alright, good night, Danno.” 

They slept soundly most of the night, only waking once to the sound of a plough truck clearing the roads of snow outside, having them mumble incoherent sentences about having to spend some time outside with Charlie, before falling asleep again – and then they didn’t wake until Charlie had, in fact, climbed into their bed, sprawling across them with a goofy grin on his lips. “Good morning.” He giggled, before climbing fully onto Danny’s body, allowing Steve’s eyes a moment to adjust to the brightness of the winter sky that was pushing through the curtains. Danny, on the other hand, simply groaned into his pillow, an arm around Charlie’s chest as he tucked the boy into the tight space between himself and Steve, much to the squirming boy’s delight. “No, let me go, Danno, I want to eat breakfast and go outside.” Danny, still with his eyes closed and face halfway buried into the pillow, loosened his grip on Charlie, who immediately squirmed out of the embrace and turned to Steve. “Will you come with me?”

“Yeah, buddy, come on.” Steve chuckled, waiting until Charlie was halfway into the living room before he quickly changed from his pyjamas, and left the bedroom. “Good morning, Clara.” He smiled as he entered the kitchen, having already figured from the smell that she had started making a classic Williams’ tradition, with pancakes for breakfast. Charlie had been lifted to sit on the counter, in a safe distance from the stove, with a glass of orange juice.”

“Good morning, Steve.” She almost chirped happily as a response, though didn’t take her eyes off the fluffy-looking pancake she was cooking. “I hope you’ve slept well, and that the snow plough didn’t wake you too badly. They aren’t always so considerate of the time they decide to make their way through this neighbourhood when the snow’s falling like it is now.” Clara sighed, flipping the pancake before she turned towards the Navy SEAL. “I’ve set out cups for coffee, both for you and for Danny.”

Steve smiled widely, reaching over to ruffle Charlie’s hair, being caught by surprise as Clara wrapped an arm around his torso, pulling him in for a halfway hug. “Thank you, Clara.” He hummed, sneaking an arm around her shoulders to give her a light squeeze, before turning back to the coffee boiler, pouring himself and Danny a cup each of the slightly burnt coffee, made with some local blend (if the bag of coffee ground neatly positioned near the coffee boiler was anything to go by). “I’ll just bring this to Danny. I’ll be back to help with whatever you need soon.”

“Prepare yourself to go outside quite soon after breakfast.” Clara spoke up before he had even had the chance to leave the kitchen, ceramic of the cup warm against his hand as he turned to look at her, evidently curious about what she meant. “Charlie’s been telling me of how he wants to go outside as soon as possible after breakfast, but he’s also adamant of not bringing my husband out. Apparently you’re the only star shining in his sky.”

Steve had half expected her words to come laced with something annoyed, something hurt even, as they were there, with them, Charlie’s grandparents – yet the young boy wanted to include Steve in his every move - but it was nothing of the sort. Maybe it was Danny’s way of making sure Steve didn’t get too overwhelmed by the visit, by the sudden exposure to a family that was a lot closer than the one Steve had grown up with. Chuckling lightly as he saw Charlie’s grin, from where the boy was looking at him over Clara’s shoulder, Steve found himself nodding. “Alright, well, it’s a good thing I brought warm clothes then.” 

He handed Danny’s coffee to him with a stubbled kiss to the temple, quickly changing into something he knew from Navy-experience would keep him warm during an outing in the snow. Danny, on the other hand, decided to hang back when Steve made his way back to the kitchen, quickly being ushered out and ordered to sit down by the dining room table with Charlie, where the two of them, alongside Grace and Danny, who at some point had figured it was time for him to drag himself out of bed, the coffee cup still glued to his hands, were served impressive stacks of fluffy-looking pancakes. 

“Try not to eat like an animal, please, Steven.” Danny rolled his eyes, though his tone was teasing as he reached out to kick his shin underneath the table. The comment, unheard by Clara (who was in the kitchen again, refilling her own cup of coffee before joining them) and Eddie (who was out ploughing snow in the house’s driveway), only made Steve grin, as Charlie looked between them, a curious look spread on his face. “Don’t worry, Charlie, I’ll tell you later why we call Steve an animal.”

Though still looking between them, the five year old seemed content with the answer, turning back to his mission of devouring his pancakes – and it had Steve wondering if maybe it was Charlie who was the animal when all came down to it. Yet, neither one of them commented on it, instead turning to their own food. Grace kept the conversation going with Clara once she returned to the table, their chatter consisting mostly of things that caused Danny to panic on a good day (college applications, boyfriends, plans for university, if she was ever going to move back to New Jersey), yet in this setting, his legs tangled with Steve’s underneath the table, gaze locked on Charlie who was happily munching away on his syrup drowned pancakes, and with Grace right there at his side, it didn’t even seem as if he noticed her words.

Not surprisingly, Steve and Charlie were the ones who finished their breakfast first, gratefully thanking Clara for the food, before getting ready to head outside. Danny simply chuckled, lifting the coffee cup to his lips as his mother turned to look at him, a cheeky smile spreading on her lips. “You’ve got yourself a third kid there.”

“Tell me about it.” Danny rolled his eyes, sipping his coffee. “They’ve both got a lot of joy in each other’s company, though. I know there was a time where Rachel absolutely hated the idea of Steve being such a big part of Charlie’s life, but now … well, if she still has something against it, she’s doing a good job at keeping her mouth shut.”

“If she sees how happy her son is, she’ll know to keep her thoughts to herself.” Clara simply shrugged, sipping her own coffee. Grace, with her blessed sixth sense (or whatever it was), excused herself from the table with a kiss to her grandmother’s cheek, and hurried off to the room she had been sleeping in. “The way he is with you, with the kids, it’s unlike anything I ever saw from your ex-wife. The way Charlie turns to him? I hope you treasure that, Danny. If anything, I hope it helps you realise that you have nothing to worry about in a relationship with him.” She smiled, trailing off as Charlie poked his head into the dining room, a large and toothy grin flashed in their direction as he announced they would be going outside to make snowmen. “You should teach Steve the secret Williams’ snowman trick, Charlie.” Clara winked at her grandson, receiving an eager nod in response, before he hurried back to the hall, the sound of his and Steve’s laughter mixing as it grew fainter, vanishing behind the sound of the front door shutting. “I hope you see as clearly as the rest of us that he’s not just in it for you, he’s in it for the whole package. You, the kids, the family – he wants it all.”

“Yeah, we’ve talked about it, the whole thing.” Danny leaned back against the hard, wooden chair, not failing to notice the cracking sound of the chair’s back. “Sometime after we admitted it all, and I’d been staying at the house and Charlie had been situated in the room that’s now his, and Steve just kind of blurted it out over a beer on the lanai.” 

“Romantic.” Clara chuckled. 

“I don’t know, I still think he was way beyond tipsy at the point of the admission, but somehow he didn’t back down from his words the following morning, when he had gotten up early with Charlie and I found them watching cartoons in the living room.” Danny smiled, once again lifting his cup to his lips, sighing slightly into the sip of coffee. “You know, the idea of bringing him here for this visit, it was all Charlie and Gracie?”

Clara hummed, the amusement evident on her face. “I’m not surprised. They’re crazy about him, both of them.” She glanced in the direction of the hall as the front door opened, the sound of someone shuffling inside catching their attention. “Not that you need to worry, he’s crazy about them too, and I’d say he’s crazy about you.”

Eddie made his presence known with a chuckle, his cheeks flushed red from the cold, accompanied with a wide smile and a slight sniffle. “Are you talking about the two who’re having the time of their lives out there? With the rate they’re going at, either one of you should head out with something warm to drink for them, and probably dry mittens for Charlie.” 

Danny smiled a little as he leaned forward again, swallowing the last mouthful of his coffee, before getting up. “I’ll head out and make sure they’re alright. Maybe you would like to make your hot chocolate, mom?” He flashed a grin in Clara’s direction, a smile that turned almost giddy when she nodded (it wasn’t like living in Hawaii gave him a lot of chances to drink hot chocolate, when the rest of the island was already ridiculously hot as it was). He stopped by Grace on his way to find a sweater, chuckling to himself at the sight of his daughter sprawled on the bed, happily chatting away with her cousins as they planned what to do when the rest of the Williams-family would drop by. Danny hoped Steve wouldn’t feel overwhelmed at the thought of the family gathering – not that they were all unfamiliar faces. He had met Bridget before, albeit briefly, and the two had seemed to hit it off, and while he hadn’t met Stella, Danny was quite certain she would like Steve – and the other way around.

The air was sharp as Danny stepped out to the porch, the remains of snow that had fallen off shoe soles and been brushed off jackets and pants giving the darkened deck a bright and decorative pattern. Steve had seemed to tap into a Navy-like behaviour, chirping out “yessir!” whenever Charlie asked him to do something, whether it be fetching a new snowball or digging up gravel to make sure they had what they needed to make the snowman’s face. Above them, snowflakes were still falling at a rapid speed from the sky, the small white spots a stark contrast to Steve’s dark hair (because of course he wasn’t wearing a hat). 

“Danno, are you going to come help us?” Charlie cheered as he spotted his father on the porch. However, at the sight of his father’s shake of the head, the five year old huffed, before turning back to the pile of snow he was actively digging in, seemingly unbothered by the cold. What he hadn’t expected, though, was for his father to hover over the pile when he looked back up, a wide grin on his lips and the dry mittens in his hands. 

“Grandpa told me you might have some cold hands out here?” Danny raised an eyebrow slightly, stifling a chuckle at the sight of his son’s goofy grin, and Danny wasn’t going to lie – he wasn’t very impressed when Charlie tugged his mittens off, wrists red from where the snow had been layering against his skin underneath the sleeve of his jacket, hands freezing cold from having dug around in the snow. “Okay, let’s get these on, and if you can allow your hands to warm up just a little without being underneath the snow, you can get a cup of hot chocolate, yeah?”

“Okay, Danno.” Charlie grinned, carefully tucked the sleeve of his jacket over the hem of the mittens, before running off to sit at the steps of the porch while he waited for Clara to appear.

Steve, on the other hand, wrapped himself around Danny in a matter both of them had come to realise they enjoyed, stubble scraping against his ear, and a freezing cold nose pressing against his temple. “You were right, you know, there is something special about a Jersey winter.” He chuckled, the feeling of his rumble against Danny’s back sending some sort of warmth through his body. “Besides, the snowfall … it’s nice.” Steve added, extending a gloved hand to catch some of the snowflakes. “Maybe we should bring Charlie to Mauna Kea at some point. It’s not Jersey, but it’s the best Hawaii’s got when it comes to snow. He’s already a stellar surfer, he’d be an amazing snowboarder as well.” 

Danny simply chuckled, turning them to face the porch as Clara emerged in the doorway, bringing hot chocolate for them all, Charlie already fully engaged in telling his grandmother all about the snowman they were currently building. “I’d prefer for him to be a little older than five before we take him to a volcanic mountain.” He rolled his eyes, though a grin was still tugging on the corners of his lips as Steve nuzzled closer again, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of Danny’s head. Reaching down, he snuck a hand into one of Steve’s gloved ones, and squirmed out of the tight embrace before he tugged Steve along. “Come on, let’s get you warmed up with a hot chocolate.”

[luthiest]

milestones !!

there are 4k of us on here now and like?? that's so many, i don't even know what to say except thank u and im happy ur here??? :’))) i’m doing my first of these ask list things as a kind of celebratory interactive activity, so choose a question and answer it urself too, if u feel comfortable !!

from @questionslisting

Name

Age

City that you live in

What do most people not know about you?

What do most people know you for?

Hobbies

What are your passions?

What do you search for in a significant other?

What are you most proud of?

When was the last time you had a significant conversation with someone you love?

Have you ever collected anything? What was it?

 List 10 things off of your bucket list.

What was the last thing you learned?

How many relationships have you been in?

Turn ons

Turn offs

Favorite food

Favorite drink

What is the best birthday gift you have ever received?

Are you optimistic or pessimistic?

Do you sleep during class?

What is the most expensive thing you own?

What is the cheapest yet most useful thing you own?

How many times a day on average do you check your phone?

Text or call?

Opinion on long distance?

What is your definition of success?

Favorite song?

Favorite artist?

Celebrity crush/crushes?

When was the last time you read for fun?

Favorite flower?

What is the best gift you could receive right now?

Any guilty pleasures?

What is one thing you would like to change about yourself?

What do you search for in a friend?

How many times have you said "I love you" in the past month?

Where did you last go other than your room/home?

Why do bad things happen to good people?

In your opinion, what hurts more? Being left out or being stabbed in the eye?

How many green shirts do you own?

Do you like anime?

What do you invest the most time in?

What was the name of the last book you read?

What's the difference between loving and liking someone?

Where are you most productive?

List 3 things you enjoy doing with friends.

List 3 things you enjoy doing alone.

Do you believe world peace will ever exist?

Do you have any allergies?

When was the last time you cussed at someone?

What was the last promise you made?

What was your last dream about?

If you won a trip to Hawaii and you could take 5 people with you, who would those 5 people be?

How many countries have you visited?

What is your favorite medium of art? (Music, dance, painting, etc.)

When was the last time somebody complimented you?

If you switched bodies with someone, how would you recognize yourself?

Do you consider yourself mature?

How many days in your life do you think you have wasted on tumblr?

What is your favorite quote?

If you started a new religion and you had to create 3 rules or commandments for your new followers to live by, what would those 3 rules be?

What is your greatest accomplishment?

Do you believe in the death penalty?

What are your goals for life?

What do you think your soulmate is doing right now?

If you could live anywhere, where would you live? The place can be in an imaginary, fantasy, or the real world.

What were you like in 2013?

Do you have a job?

Tell us a story about your childhood best friend.

If you could change one thing about society, what would it be?

How many all-nighters have you pulled before?

Is tumblr your favorite website? If not, then what is your favorite website?

What is the craziest thing you would do for a million dollars?

Does money equal happiness?

How many times have you experienced true happiness in your lifetime?

How many times have you experienced true sadness in your lifetime?

What is the funniest joke you have ever been told?

When was the last time you looked at the news?

If you could say one thing to the world, what would you say?

What is your favorite animal?

If you could earn a million dollars by pretending to be dead for 3 years, would you do it?

What is one thing that everyone is bad at?

What time do you normally sleep? How many hours of sleep do you usually get?

Does age necessarily equal maturity?

What is your favorite clothing store?

In the winter- beanies or gloves?

Would you rather have wings or a fish tail?

If you had the power to erase one person from the world so that nobody remembered him or her except you, would you do it?

What do you fear the most?

How many digits of pi can you recite?

If you could travel back to one year and relive it again, which year would it be?

Describe yourself in one word.

Describe your last victory.

What is the weirdest thing you have ever seen?

What is something you will never forget?

Would you rather forget all of the past or remember everything in vivid detail?

Have you ever broken a bone before?

Is it harder to love or to hate somebody?

Coffee or tea?

What are some little things that you do that have changed your life in a positive way?

How many hours have you spend on tumblr today?

[thelensofyashunews]

Old Dominion Celebrates The Fans As They Release Odies But Goodies

Like everything about Old Dominion, it’s not always the most obvious thing that matters. Sure, they’ve had nine #1s, won 6 and 7 Vocal Group of the Year honors at the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music Awards and spent the last couple years headlining major arenas and iconic festivals. Yes, their songs have been recorded by Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Sam Hunt, Dierks Bentley and Blake Shelton, among many, and their own songs often light up days that need to go a little better.

Old Dominion, a collective of songwriter/musicians who started playing gigs for the fun of it, has always been a band who played for the people. With a mission of making every show the “Best Night Ever” for the people in the house, Matthew Ramsey, Brad Tursi, Trevor Rosen, Geoff Sprung and Whit Sellers listened to the people who love their music, took it in and realized: as much as the songs on the radio are obvious, there are so many songs that cut just as deep.

“When we’re onstage, people bring these signs… Pieces of lyrics, or titles that when I’m up there looking, I can’t believe they know,” marvels Ramsey. “It’s that thing where we believe in every song we record because they all mean something to us, but when you realize someone else has taken that song buried on an album and made it their own, it just stops you in your tracks.”

“As we’ve been spending this summer out at a lot of the festivals, I think every one of us has been amazed at the songs that come up in conversations backstage, running into people who love the band. The more we talked about it internally, the more we thought: ‘Let’s make the ultimate mix tape for the original fans and for the hardcore believers!’ Because we still remember when making a mix tape was the ultimate way to talk to your friends.”

Adding in “Coming Home,” the brisk midtempo about getting back to where you belong, Odies gathers up “Written in the Sand,” “Song for Another Time,” “Break Up with Him,” “Hotel Key,” “Snapback” and deep cuts including “Nowhere Fast,” “Hawaii,” “Some Horses” and “Still Writing Songs About You” to create a fuller picture. And after many requests, Old Dominion recorded Johnny Lee’s all-genre #1 “Lookin’ For Love,” which they performed on the 2020 CMA Awards telecast to honor the movie “Urban Cowboy.”

And to kick-off this ultimate love letter to their fans, the band has unveiled Odies, a new Old Dominion fan community which fans can join now. Old Dominion will also close out Good Morning America’s Summer Concert Series Sept. 6. Known for their euphoric live shows, they are the perfect artist to shut down summer for ABC’s award-winning morning show.

“We love playing ‘Good Morning America,’ and Robin Roberts, Lara Spencer and their whole team. To us, they feel like the same kind of family we are, and that’s a big piece of what Odies but Goodies is all about,” says Ramsey. “Joy, Fun, Life, and just getting through it no matter how you feel, and also feeling better because you can listen or tune into people who help you feel better. “