#Bert Kitchen

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

Aidan Chambers (editor) - Ghost After Ghost - Puffin - 1982 (cover and illustrations by Bert Kitchen)

[rbolick]

Books On Books Collection - David McLimans

Gone Wild (2016) Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet (2016)David McLimansCasebound, illustrated paper over boards, illustrated doublures, sewn book block. Illustrated, debossed glossy paper dustjacket. H255 x W285 mm. 36 unnumbered pages. Acquired from Gargoyle Books, 25 August 2022.Photos: Books On Books Collection. In the history of children’s books, the alphabet looms large, and among…

[thenordroom]

A deVOL Haberdasher’s Kitchen for the Owner of Bert & May

[oh-meretseger]

part 5 - The Party

attack on titan modern college au // Jean Kirstein x fem!reader

notes: mostly sfw, a little fluff (I’m posting the smut part tomorrow, it was SO unbelievably long I had to cut it😭 I’m unable to write shortly about anything smutty I’m sorry shdnxmdh), mentions of alcohol, drug use

word count: 3,6k

"MARCO!"

"WHAT" Sasha screamed as they froze and both her head and Connie's cake covered face snapped in perfect sync.

"Man, you made it!" Jean took the man in his arms with the happiest grin plastered on his face, Sasha, then Connie quickly joining them as they jumped right onto them. "Connie, your face!"

"Sorry, bro" he stepped back as he tried to wipe chunks of cupcake from his face, but the man's jacket was already smudged with cherry cream, just like Jean's shirt.

"It's okay, I wanted to wash it anyway" the stranger laughed, and you smiled at him as your eyes met. Jean's eyes shot to you as well, and he immediately jumped to pull you closer.

"Y/n, this is Marco, our childhood friend" he motioned towards him, and you accepted Marco's handshake, returning his friendly smile. His expression was warm and kind, freckles on his nose wrinkling as he beamed with joy. "Marco, this is our own little house rat, Y/n"

You gave Jean a death stare as he and Connie giggled like schoolgirls, his body jolting away from you as you poked a finger between his ribs.

"Nice, couldn't tell you were a wild animal at all" Marco deadpanned and you grinned.

"I'm not, I'm fully domesticated"

"You're such a jerk, why are you so rude?" you heard Sasha hiss at Jean thinking you wouldn't hear, but as always, they were unable to bicker without getting loud.

"I'm not rude, you just have a stick up your ass" Jean snarled at her. You shook your head, having zero clue why they were acting like brawling puppies all night.

"I'll show you a stick up your ass, JEANBO" Sasha yelled, and Niccolo sprang to stop her from trying to pull Jean's pants down without a second thought. In a second, they were a bundle of tangled legs and arms on the floor, shouting and kicking at each other.

You saw more sophisticated behavior in middle school.

"The fuck was that?" Connie's eyes widened at a loud BANG coming from the living room, and swiftly left the kitchen to investigate its source.

"Holy shit, it feels like I'm gonna have a seizure" you put your hands over your ears at the massive overstimulation, and Marco let out a heartfelt laugh. He quickly picked up two ciders from the counter Jean and Sasha were beating each other next to, then handed one to you and put a hand on your shoulder to turn you towards the door.

"Let's go outside. We'll check back when they're done killing each other"

A pleasant relief spread in your chest as you left the noise and complete chaos. Loud music became muffled as soon as Marco closed the glass door to the patio behind him, and soft laughs and chatter hit your ear of those who were sitting outside.

"Y/n! Let me help you with that"

You smiled at Armin and handed over the cider for him to, like the gentleman he was, open the bottle for you while you settled down on the wood bench next to him. "Thank you, Armin"

"Good to see you, man!" Marco reached over with a happy grin to shake his hand, then leaned over to shake Bert's as well. Annie greeted him with a small wave - they all looked at Marco with such a warm smile, you could feel how loved by everyone he was. "Annie!"

"Marco, s'been a minute! How's everything?" Armin asked while opening Marco's bottle as well, and you took a sip of the strawberry cider, sweet bubbles sizzling on your tongue as your eyes followed Marco's movements. He grazed his palm as a greeting over Mikasa's shoulder who sat next to Armin - she smiled up at him, but kept half an eye on Eren and Reiner, lounging on a pair of chairs a little further away, seemingly having a heated conversation over something sports related. Marco grinned back at Armin while shaking Reiner's hand, then taking Eren's as he mumbled a "hey, bro", immediately getting back to the vital argument they were having.

"Nothing much, working. I had to come and catch up with you guys though, how's uni life?"

"What the hell are they so pressed over?" you asked Mikasa in a low voice as you motioned towards the two athlete bros, trying not to disturb Armin and Marco's coversation.

"Don't even ask" Mikasa shook her head, her gorgeous black strands of hair moving around her face, shining in the faint light coming through the glass door to the patio. "It's just some statistics, or whatever. But Eren's been irritated all day, so even some stupid numbers can get him worked up, I'm afraid"

You looked over to Eren, lighting a blunt as he was listening to Reiner talk. You often saw his face around campus just like this, grumpy and unmoved by anyone and anything happening around him, but Mikasa knew him like the back of her hand. If she said he was unusually irritated, there was no room for doubt.

The grumpiness on his face seemed to quickly dissolve anyway as Marco and Armin's conversation started to spread across the table, getting Annie, Bert and Mikasa, then shortly after Eren and Reiner involved as they told you where they all knew each other from, what childhood or high school memories they shared, and how the strings of their lives still interweaved from time to time - even though everyone went on to different colleges, jobs and paths of life.

To answer their curious questions, you even talked about how you were completely new not only around this town, but to this whole state, attending this college being a fresh new start for you. And about how you were so happy to have met them here.

The small amount of alcohol and all the funny and endearing stories they shared made you forget about any anxiety you previously had about this party. You really felt like you were at home as you looked around to see their glimmering eyes, and faces glowing with joy as they laughed.

Even Eren seemed to forget about their super important battle of numbers with Reiner when they pulled their chair closer to the table to join memory lane.

"You want a hit?" Eren's hand suddenly appeared in front of you, holding the blunt that was obviously on its last legs. You turned your head to meet his low-lidded green eyes, and Reiner's eyes shot to you at your movement. He flashed his million dollar grin at you, and you bashfully smiled back at him. God, he was handsome.

"No, thanks" you smiled at Eren, amused at how much more relaxed he looked than before. To Mikasa's greatest delight, it seemed.

"Where are your glasses?"

"I've decided not to be short-sighted anymore" you shrugged, and Eren shook his head at your reply as a grin formed on his face.

"Yeah, you shouldn't let some object define you anyway" he played into your joke, and you nodded.

"That's what I'm saying"

"Where's your king of sarcasm by the way, Your Royal Highness?" Eren smirked at you, and you instantly felt yourself blush at the unexpected question. You dropped your eyes to look at your fingers as they started to fidget. You both knew who your king was, but at that moment, you would've done anything to avoid admitting it.

"I saw him playing beer pong inside, they're on a winning streak with Connie" Marco appeared next to you with two bottles in hand, cold and fresh from the refrigerator. You felt your cheeks getting even warmer as you looked up at his happy grin, accepting the bottle he held out to you. He knew.

"Thank you, Marco" you muttered, and quickly reached out to grab the bottle opener. You were more than happy to do something with your hands to hide your sudden nervousness.

"He told me about you, you know" Marco went on in a lower voice as he sat back down next to you, so only you could hear him.

Your heart started to pound faster in your chest. Jean told him about you?

"He did?" you replied hesitantly, not sure what to think. "And what- What did he tell you?"

"Well" Marco smiled back. "He told me about a cute little nerd he often annoys for fun"

"Of course he'd say that" you mumbled, fingers rubbing the bridge of your nose as you tried to hide the blush of your cheeks. Cute..? "I don't know about the cute part though, I'm pretty sure you misunderstood 'loser'"

"You think so?" Marco let out a heartfelt laugh. "I'm pretty sure I heard him right. Jean doesn't really gush over any girl, so him saying 'cute' caught my ear"

Your eyes dropped once again to your fidgeting hands, but you couldn't help a smile curving your lips.

"Could be anyone, a lot of cute girls compete to entertain him around campus on the regular"

"Jesus, you two really are the exact same person" Marco laughed, and you looked up at him flustered and confused at what he meant. "Look, through a difficult investigation, I found out he liked this smart, pretty girl with a bad eyesight, who likes reading her crime novels curling up under her nightlight, blushes easily, and whose bitter jokes he finds hilarious, but would never admit to it. I'm quite sure that can't be anyone"

You felt your stomach flip at the thought of Jean not only knowing you, but paying such attention to particular details about you. You couldn't have described the feeling even if you wanted to - but despite the sudden nausea and nervous fluttering of your heart, you couldn't help your smile growing into a grin at Marco's words.

You felt like you were on cloud nine.

"Are you sure Jean said that?"

"Yep" his bottle momentarily covered Marco's smile as he took another sip, examining your happily flushed cheeks under the dim light. "Why is it so hard to believe? I thought you both liked each other"

A few seconds of silence sat between you as you fought the tension straining your chest from inside. The tension that held you back from admitting your feelings up to this point, not only to someone else but even to yourself.

"I- I do. It's not that" you muttered in a small voice. "We've just been bullying each other for so long now, it's-"

You nervously paused as Marco let out a chuckle.

"It's hard to believe he'd look at me like that" you looked into Marco's joyful brown eyes. He truly found you and Jean floundering around entertaining.

"I know Jean. Believe me when I say he's actually smitten with you" he replied, making your fluttering heart almost jump out of your chest. "He's not gonna admit that though. You two like suffering in silence, as I can see"

You let out a quiet chuckle. As you looked at Marco's genuine, caring smile, you felt like this was the right moment to finally be truthful, that you were ready to open up. But before an honest answer could leave your mouth, the glass door to the patio flew open, and Sasha bursted out of the living room with Niccolo by her side.

"Guys, you won't believe what I just found in Connie's kitchen"

"It's nice to finally see you, too, Sasha" Mikasa replied to Sasha's choice of entry while Niccolo shook hands with the guys, already familiar to all of their faces.

Inside the house, the party reached its loudest, most chaotic peak. Loud banging of the music and shouting of the guests filled the basement, the kitchen and the living room. Guests being random faces of people not even Connie knew - the product of having your front door open to anyone without an invitation. But Connie couldn't care less.

Girls surrounded them in the back room, giggling as Connie threw the winner shot, jumping with a victorious yell as he hit the final cup. His audience was cheerful and tipsy, and that was all Connie needed to have an amazing and carefree time.

"I'll look for Marco" Jean waved his hand towards the living room, but Connie stopped him with a palm slapping on his shoulder.

"You can't leave me, we're on a winning streak!"

"You'll be fine, Connie" Jean patted Connie's hand gripping him, smirking over to all the bystander girls watching with gleaming eyes, waiting on their chance to join the team of the king of beer pong himself. "I'll be with Marco if you need me"

"But I need you NOW" Connie squealed, and Jean turned his back to him with a chuckle, shaking his head as he left the room.

Jean pushed himself through the sea of bodies moving and dancing in the living room, careful to dodge the plastic cups full of alcoholic beverages that all the drunken hands flung around in the air. Getting use of his height, his hazel eyes panned the room as he towered over most of the dancers, but beside a few familiar faces, he found none of the ones he was looking for. Not a sign of Armin and the guys, Sasha and Niccolo, Marco, or you...

He faced towards the stairs to the basement, but swiftly changed his direction when he saw a bunch of people occupying the steps. Knowing you and Marco, he was positive he wouldn't find you in an area so loud and crowded.

"Hey, Jean!" a shout exceeding the deafening music hit his ears and his eyes quickly followed its direction, Sasha's waving hand catching his eye. She pushed people standing in her way without a second thought, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Where are you guys?" Jean yelled as they reached each other in the crowd, and Sasha motioned towards the door to the patio.

"Y/n is out there with Marco" she replied, and Jean's heart jumped with a nervous beat as Sasha mentioned your name. "The others want to talk to you too, go!"

Sasha tapped his shoulder, encouraging him to step outside, then she continued her brutal way to the kitchen, elbowing and kicking anyone who was unfortunate enough to be in her way. Jean shook his head as he laughed to himself, then turned his head towards the patio.

With Marco?

What did Sasha mean you were outside with Marco? With Marco, like you two were only in the presence of each other, outside of the whole group?

Jean couldn't help a small little string of jealousy twist in his chest as he thought about you, and the first glimpse he caught of you tonight. How his heart was beating in his throat as you caught his eye, and how a mix of electric sparks and warmth spread in his body as he looked at yours.

The tight dress hugged your body just right, you tried to hide it under the oversized jacket, but the beautiful curve of your waist, your hips still showed underneath as you moved. He felt the blood rush right out of his brain, straight to his groin, as his eyes ran over the soft skin of your thighs showing where your pretty little dress was slit. He just realized tonight - he's never seen your knees, the curve of your calves, those delicate ankles... Jean immediately imagined them on his shoulders, and had to force himself to quickly shake off the thought. He's not a horny high schooler, for fuck's sake... The fluttering of his heart would've diverted his mind anyway as he gazed at your gorgeous face, your silky, soft strands of hair framing it as they fell to your shoulders. Beautiful, big doe eyes looked at Bert and Reiner as you talked to them, light glistening on your sweet lips as you spoke.

Fuck.

This was the second time he felt jealous today. What even got to him? Jean wasn't sure, but he quickly shook off these thoughts as he realized he had no reason to feel this way. He knew Marco, Marco knew about you, and you... Jean was pretty sure he knew where you two standed.

Waking from his momentary daydream, he pushed his way through the crowd of people to reach the glass door, then opened it to step out on the dimly lighted patio. Jean felt a sense of relief as a cool breeze moved the strands of his combed back hair and tickled his face. A similar tingling started to form in his chest as among the others, you caught his eye - sitting at the table, laughing wholeheartedly with that breathtaking smile of yours, as Marco put a blanket over your shoulders to protect you from the chilly night air.

Jean couldn't help clenching his jaw.

"Jean, where've you been? Want one?" Reiner called out to him with a grin as he grabbed a can of beer from the table. Jean caught the can flying towards him in the air, and threw it right back to Reiner with that same momentum.

"Nah, but thanks, Reiner"

As Reiner drew everyone's attention to Jean, all cheerful faces turned to him, eyes beaming with joy at the sight of him. You noticed that, and you heard the happiness in all of their voices as they greeted him, even though they'd already met earlier.

You looked at him. The Jean standing in front if you was so different from the arrogant prick you saw in him a few months ago - in this moment, it made perfect sense why he was so loved by every one of his friends.

"Jean, finally! C'mere" Marco waved for him to come closer, and your eyes nervously dropped to your lap as Jean's eyes panned over to you and Marco.

He looked exceptionally fine in the dark button-up shirt he wore tonight. Rolled up sleeves letting those damn perfect forearms be seen, collar hugging those damn beautiful muscles of his neck that simply screamed to be kissed. The dark trousers and the belt hugging his hips looked so mouth-watering, it made you want to rip them off when you put your arms around his waist earlier. Not even talking about how your stomach kept doing backflips as you looked at his pretty face. Stubble making his jawline look even sharper, his beautiful eyes under frowned eyebrows looking at Marco as Jean talked to him, the straight line of his nose driving your eyes right to his inviting lips, glistening a bit as his tongue ran over them before he bit down on his lower lip... His eyes burning right into yours as you suddenly became aware that you were staring.

He caught you.

"I'll be right back" you jumped to your feet, pushing the blanket off to the bench as you left the table. You had to be alone for a minute. This evening was becoming too intense.

"Where are you going?" Sasha asked worried as she put her arm in front of you, stopping you in the doorway, and you looked at her with a reassuring smile.

"Just to the restroom. Do you know where it is?"

"Sure, it's at the end of the hallway next to the stairs" Sasha's thumb showed the way, pointing back above her shoulder. "But I think you should use the one in the master bedroom upstairs. It's closed for all these randos, but you can go in, Connie wouldn't mind"

After getting the directions from Sasha to find the key, you pushed your way through the brutal crowd in the living room, making your way up the stairs between shouting, drinking strangers, even a drunkenly kissing couple. You fished out the key to the master bedroom from a plant pot, just like Sasha said, then easily unlocked the door, quickly closing it back behind yourself.

You pressed your back to the door with a sigh of relief. Silence, finally.

"What are you acting so grumpy for?" Marco laughed as Jean sank down to the bench beside him, right where you just stood up from.

"M'not grumpy, the hell are you talking about?" Jean frowned at Marco and accepted the empty glass he passed to him.

"You wouldn't be if you heard what we talked about" Marco smiled while grabbing a bottle of whisky, pouring some in the glass he just handed to Jean. That just made Jean's frown deepen even more with confusion.

"Why, what'd you talk about?" he asked as he slowly raised the glass to his lips, a wondering shimmer in his hazel eyes.

"You" Marco's finger poked into Jean's chest, and he just looked at Marco's entertained grin completely confused.

"Me?"

"You, man" Marco nodded. He was absolutely amused at the curious hesitance showing on Jean's face.

"And what... What did she say?"

"Well, Sasha almost blew it, but she did tell me eventually..."

You stood in front of the mirror above the sink, and examined your face while you washed your hands. You felt like you looked different. You felt different. Even though huge parties like this made you feel severly overwhelmed, you still felt an immense joy about how great it felt to be with people you grew to like so much, people you could call your friends.

And Jean...

It felt like a hundred little butterflies woke up in your stomach as you thought of Jean, and you smiled at your reflection. Maybe you were a little tipsy, but the usual embarrassment you felt when you thought of the dirty little memories you shared, was nowhere to be found. A knot of excitement started to form in its place instead.

You wanted to talk to him again. You had to hear him, touch him, feel him.

You burst into the bedroom, hurrying straight to the door, then just when you placed your hand on the doorknob, a sudden voice made you nearly jump out of your own skin.

"Where's the rush, smarty-pants?"

[three-seperate-johns]

Walrus versus fairy

Phryne was curled around a warm cup of tea, surveying the people gathered at her kitchen table with satisfaction and affection when Cec and Bert burst in. 

“Alright,” snapped Bert, “We’ve been at loggerheads about this since sparrow’s fart, so we’re bringing it to you lot for review.” 

Jack and Mac had both been buried in the morning paper. Mac cocked an eyebrow at the cabbies over the top of her page, and Jack sighed and let his paper fall onto the table. “Wonderful,” he muttered. 

Dot didn’t even look up from her embroidery. 

“I’m intrigued,” Phryne told them, placing her tea carefully on the table. “Please, go on.” 

“Well, you gotta imagine that it’s a nice weekend morning like this, right?” Cec said earnestly, Bert folded his arms and scowled behind him. “And you go over to open it. What would you be more surprised to see, a -” 

“A fairy,” Bert cut in, “or a fucking walrus.” 

Phryne and Mac shared a perplexed glance, before Phryne shrugged and declared her answer. “The walrus, I suppose.” 

Mac nodded. “Walrus.” 

“It’s the Walrus for me, too,” Dot said. 

Jack had been reaching for his own tea, but he froze with his hand outstretched towards the cup. “What?” he said weakly, glancing around at all of them. 

“See,” said Bert to Cec with a smirk, “you’re full of shit.” 

Cec groaned. “How?” he demanded. “How can a walrus be more surprising than a fairy?” 

Phryne tilted her head to the side, considering this. “Well,” she said, “how on earth would a walrus get here?” 

“How would a fairy get here,” Jack asked slowly, letting his outstretched hand drop loosely onto the table, “when there’s no such thing as fairies?” 

Mac shrugged. “But if fairies were real, I would almost expect them to show up at Wardlow first.” 

Jack made a pained sound. “But they’re not real.” 

Read the rest on ao3

[squadmuse]

ONE DAY IN OCTOBER - Part III

A MATT CASEY X HALSTEAD!OFC FIC (Charlotte Halstead Casey)

A/N: III is here, and I hope you enjoy it. It’s building up and getting good! Please R&R. Tagging @writercole because you’re amazing 💕

The view from the twenty-fifth floor was astounding; it seemed to stretch as far as Charlotte could see from where she stood in the stairwell.

Chicago was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities in the United States, if not the world, with magnificent buildings reaching high into the heavens and the serene tranquillity of Lake Michigan that ran alongside.

Charlotte knew she was lucky to call it home.

It was part of her—a part of her heart and her soul.

When Charlotte had finally pulled herself away from the breathtaking view, she made her way to Ronnie’s apartment.

It had been a while since she had visited him; usually, she’d come up looking for her dad when she came to visit with Matt since her dad had moved in.

The hallway on this floor was the same as the floor her dad lived on, and the soft carpet sunk slightly with each step she took towards Ronnie’s apartment at the far end to her right side.

Raising her hand to knock, Charlotte did so with a sharp tap twice. She did not want to alarm or annoy her father’s friend. When the door opened, Ronnie’s aged face appeared, and both he and Charlotte grinned pleasantly at each other.

“Charlotte, what do I owe for this surprise?” asked Ronnie as he rolled back into his wheelchair to let her into his home.

Charlotte shrugged her shoulders.

“I was just visiting my dad for lunch when I decided that we would come see you for lunch,” she replied, closing the door for her father’s friend before following him to his kitchen.

“Pat is watching the White Sox game?” asked Ronnie as he carefully pulled out a chair for Charlotte to sit in. His apartment and the furniture had been adapted for him, which Charlotte found quite lovely to allow the veteran to keep his independence.

“What do you think?” laughed Charlotte as she sat down opposite Ronnie and pulled out the lunch she had brought for them and her dad to eat.

Ronnie chuckled, shaking his head. “I thought I was bad about the Bears, but I’ve never seen anyone so obsessed with the White Sox like your old man.”

“He’d take that as a compliment,” said Charlotte with a giggle. It was true, even though she had never met anyone so passionate about the team, and she saw patients every day from all over Chicago.

As her dad had not arrived, Charlotte and Ronnie had decided to eat their lunch. Both of them were hungry.

Charlotte had only eaten some toast this morning, as it had gotten busy when she had decided to have breakfast. She was pregnant and needed to eat for her baby to get all the needed nutrients.

After she and Ronnie had finished eating, she made quick work of washing up the dishes for Ronnie and didn’t bother with the dishwasher. Charlotte enjoyed doing these sorts of chores.

Ronnie had kept her company, however, and the pair fell into an easy conversation. He had served in the United States Army back during the Gulf War and had ended up being paralysed after a bullet hit him in the spine. He had a few tales to tell despite that horrific injury that changed his whole life.

Ronnie was quite happy to have some company; usually, it was only her father, Bert, or some other guy from their poker group that he saw. Charlotte didn’t know how he had carried on, as after becoming paralysed, Ronnie had lost his wife to cancer and then his only son in Afghanistan.

She had struggled a lot for a long time after her mother had died, and whenever Matt got hurt on the job or even when Jay got shot, it brought up the trauma.

There was a sort of heartbreaking awe that she had for Ronnie and how he seemed to be so optimistic, so full of life, and so happy.

A lot of people could learn quite a lot from Ronnie Strauss, which she knew.

After watching a movie on Netflix, Charlotte could feel herself slowly nodding off on Ronnie’s couch.

It was very comfortable.

Her dad still hadn’t appeared, and she had guessed that he had fallen asleep in his armchair yet again. Pat Halstead loved falling asleep in armchairs.

She had nearly fallen asleep when she felt something soft fall on her body, and Charlotte opened one of her green eyes to see Ronnie carefully placing a knitted blanket on top of her.

“Ronnie, you didn’t have to do that,” she yawned, turning slightly so she faced him better. As her pregnancy progressed, her sleeping positions decreased.

Ronnie shook his head. “It's okay; I could see you needed a nap,” he said, a kind smile on his face. “My Lulu needed tons of naps when she was pregnant with our son, Dennis.”

“You’re right about that,” said Charlotte as she yawned again. “I think my night shift didn’t help me, however.”

Ronnie’s eyes widened with shock at her comment."Gosh, girl, go nap away!” he exclaimed with a chortle. “No wonder you’re shattered!”

Charlotte giggled and took the veteran’s advice, snuggled into the soft blanket, and closed her green eyes.

Something odd woke Charlotte from her slumber, and as her eyesight adjusted to her surroundings, it took a while for her to realise why.

At first, it didn’t seem like anything was wrong. Ronnie had fallen asleep too, the TV softly playing as he must’ve turned down the volume to wake her.

Nothing was out of place until she smelt that same scent that had wafted up to her in the stairwell earlier, and now it was unmistakable.

It was smoke, and Charlotte was sure that somewhere in the building was on fire.

Fuck.

[its-in-the-woods]

Coyote Head - Part 4 - Dinner with Family

master list

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Pairing: Cooper Howard x Lucy Maclean 

Alternative Universe where I make things up cause I can

Synopsis: Sit down at a family dinner, and sleeping in are good for Lucy for now

MINOR GET OUT. Rating/Warning:  Animal/people death, blOod/G0re, nightmares, Alternative Universe, Slow Burn, Death, Aging, Family Feuding, Eventually: Older Man/Younger Woman, Horror themes, long form fic,

Note: that I will not be spoiling any of the reading. So you have been warned. I will keep my tags relevant without spoiling what is happening in the story.

The gravel crunches under the tires as they all pull in, kids in the back jumping over seats as Lucy and Cooper open the doors. Old trucks parked in the drive, besides Margie’s new SUV. One thing about Harris: he always made sure Margie had exactly what she wanted.

The sprawling log home stands proudly among a mix of pine, poplar, and spruce trees. The home had been built from the trees on the property, a red tin roof on top. Big wrap-around porch that had equally as large windows on each side. The place was a carefully crafted piece of art that the Maclean’s had built many years ago. Long before the land was farmed, logged, and changed to what it currently was. The Maclean was an old family, and many of the log homes in the area were built by the family. It made Lucy miss the log home she had grown up in. 

Inside the home, a smell of fresh bread, and chatter of laughter echoed in the living room. Margie standing in the kitchen popping bread onto metal racks. Two large dishes of lasagna sat out, a big caesar salad in the middle. Lucy’s second cousins Tracy and Bert were over with their spouses Reg and Stephanie respectively. Their six kids hang out in the big living room with Cooper’s two. Some elaborate game of cards was going on, what the rules were was anyone’s guess. Seeing the kids laugh and giggle at their made-up game made Lucy’s heart swell. She had never thought of herself as a Mom, life and whatnot;  but something about being around the littles always made her wonder about the ‘what if’s’. 

“How can I help, Aunty,” Lucy asked as Cooper went and started putting plates out on the dining table. She watched the man move, he was both graceful and room-filling. 

“Well don’t touch any of the cooking, 'cause we want it to be edible,” Margie jokes, Lucy smiles. She’d never been much of a cook. Lucy, Norm, and their Grandparents had lived off many frozen meals during planting and harvesting. Shirley could cook fine, but her cooking took time and a whole lot of cutting. In the winter it was stew, roast squash, baked potatoes, and local corn. Lucy had never had much time to learn to cook. 

“Well now that I am round more, maybe you can teach me a few things,” Lucy smiles at her Aunt helping her to place each dish on the big dining table. 

“Better make sure I got the ‘tinguisher on hand, maybe a few extra blankets,” Margie jokes some more, winking at Lucy. She meant no harm, Lucy had burnt just as much food as she had undercooked it in her time.  

Lucy chuckled, grabbing glasses and a few pitchers of juice. The place was set up, some budded willows graced the center of the table. Getting the kids to sit was another matter, but the promise of haskap pie and ice cream had them in their places. Harris said grace as was a custom, Lucy noticed that Cooper, who had sat beside her, didn’t repeat the words. She didn’t have much thoughts on religion, Grandpa Tim had always read the bible before bed, usually sitting at his dining table flipping through the rice paper thin pages, while he jotted down notes in a big notebook. You’d never see him at church. Nor would you see him preaching to anyone. He never even really talked about it with her either. She couldn’t remember Grandma Shirley mentioning it either. On bad days she would sit with a rosary, light a candle or two. Lucy had never really thought it odd till now. Their whole family had always gone to church, but not them. 

The wooden house was full of loud voices, laughter, and the click of knives and forks. It was the most lively Lucy had felt in a long time. Even despite the little to no sleep she had gotten.  Cooper was telling stories of wrangling cattle and bison in the south. Harris was talking about fighting fires in the north, running machinery right into blazes to save houses. The large meal of lasagne and fresh bread was mostly picked over. Some vanilla ice cream and fresh pie are being served now. Tracy was bugging Margie about getting the recipe from her. Her Mom teased about how it was nothing but store-bought. Everyone at the table knew that was a whole load of scabbie potatoes.

“So what did you all see along the forest line,” Harris asked, wringing his hand, as coffee and tea were placed on the table. 

Cooper and Lucy had scooted down the table to sit closer to Harris. Lucy’s cousin doing the same so that all the adults were more huddled for any story. 

“Ahh well we saw a few things out there,” Cooper says, voice strained, looking back at Lucy for input. 

Lucy put her spoon down a little louder than she intended, the adults turning to look at her. She felt like a bird caught in a cage, trying to find its way out. 

“Sorry,” Lucy said, “We only got about half of the place looked at before we came.” Lucy wondered how she could explain what they had seen. “There was a stump stripped of all its barks and -” She looked to make sure the kids couldn’t hear,” There was a fresh coyote head sitting on top of it.”

Silence fell at the last words, the others exchanging looks. Lucy’s stomach-turning, the image of the poor critter’s head on a slab was not a favorite. Her mind wandering back to the shadows she had seen less than twenty-four hours ago. Was it all connected somehow? 

“We didn’t get close to it. So we kept walking to where the ATV trails are and, umm, we saw some tracks or maybe an animal digging” Lucy looks over at Cooper, hoping he could maybe explain what they had seen a bit better than she did. 

Cooper digs his phone out, “Yeah these,” He flips open his camera and pulls up the photos. The phone is passed around to each person. Uncle Harris pulls out his reading glasses zooming in on the picture. 

“How big are these tracks?” Harris asks, looking up over his glasses. Concern filling everyone in the room as they looked back at the two. 

Cooper looks at the man, furrowing his brow as he thinks, “Maybe a foot and a bit? Maybe less”

Lucy nods, “Center is probably twice the size of my fist, and at least as long as my forearm and hand. Maybe a little wider where the three points are.”

Stephanie looks it over, her eyebrows raised. “Can you send me this Cooper? I know a few folks in fish and wildlife that can take a look. Maybe come out and look at the head?”

“Yeah, I can send the photos,” Cooper replies, turning his phone off and putting it in front of him. 

“If y’all want to come over that’s fine, the place is a little bit of a mess.” Lucy sighed, fiddling with her fingers, “But, if you think you might have an idea what it is, I am all ears.”

Stephanie looked over at Bert, who had gone to pick up a very sleepy-looking toddler, “What do you think honey?”

Bert smiles, clearly not having heard much of what has been said, “I am sure we can figure something out, maybe we should talk to–” He ponders for a moment, looking for the name, “ Betty, right?”

“Yes, Betty would know. She’s been around her longer than the dirt,” Stephanie grins back at Bert grabbing the little one out of his arms. “Unfortunately I think we got to get our kiddlets back home. Lisa here is exhausted, and Thomas has school in the morning.” 

Margie is up out of her chair, “Let me grab a pie for tomorrow,”

Tracy has come back from putting on some cartoons for the kids, some ridiculous jingle now covering up their conversation. Reg rubs her back as she sits down, 

Bert comes out of the living room with another sleeping child, an older boy who has drool and snot running down his face. “Lucy, make sure to get our numbers from Harris. So we can keep in touch.” 

Lucy nods, “Yeah that’s a great idea, I will keep you updated if anything pops up.” 

Bert and Stephanie wave goodbye as they make their way to the front door with a large bag of various foods from Margie. Margie coming back into the kitchen, she goes into a cabinet and pulls out a bottle of whisky along with several glasses.

Tracey clears her throat, “Do you think it could have been a person? Maybe? Trying to scare you off the land or some such thing?”

Sighing Lucy happily accepts the glass of whisky from her Aunt, “Besides those tracks, and the coyote head. Everything is pointing that way.” 

“Maybe there is a reason Uncle Tim didn’t want the forest around his land messed with,” Tracy added her hand covering Reg’s hand, as she looks at Lucy, an unreadable expression on her face. 

Harris coughing at the head of the table, everyone turning to look at him.“I doubt Lucy would mess with anything Tim had.”

“Nope, haven’t really ventured into the forest much at all. But that might have to change. Make sure no one has been coming onto the land without my knowledge.” Lucy spoke, it was always in the back of her mind that someone could be hiding in the woods without her knowledge. The place was mostly fenced, but would only stop honest people. 

“Do you think someone is camping on the land?” Tracy asks, looking at her relatives. Taking her glass from Margie and sipping on it. 

“Don’t know about that, didn’t see any signs of anyone walking around.” Lucy sighs, looking over at Coop when his thigh touches her. She pushes back against it, letting a small amount of comfort in.”Know that Henry was not happy about me getting the land. None of them were happy actually.”

“Henry has the money. Probably hiring someone to scare you off,” Margie added, her brows knitted together, as she brought some tea to her lips. 

“Well he can do what he likes, not much is gonna stop me stayin’ there,” Lucy says, her fingers rubbing over the rim of the glass. If someone had asked her that question several hours ago, she may have had a different answer; but right now, in the safety of her Uncle’s home, she felt confident she could say. 

“Besides you got us, we'll make sure that no one will mess with ya,” Cooper adds, rubbing one hand over her shoulder. Lucy really wishes he would keep his hand on her.  

Lucy nods her head, it was reassuring to know that she had all of them on her side. The table going silent for a moment as they sip their drinks. The sun was nearly down, bathing the room in a soft golden light. Lucy trying her best not to let her mind run over the whole day again. She could feel her own exhaustion tugging at her mind. 

Reg let out a yawn, Tracy rubbing his arm. “We should probably get our own rugrats, go to school, and all that.”

Tracy nodded, “Have Sunday dinner this weekend? You both should come over too,” She nods to Cooper and Lucy. 

Lucy, put her cup down, nodding her head, “Yeah, I would like that, be nice to have regular get-togethers.” 

“That would be wonderful,” Reg says, scooping one of his kids up. “Maybe once things have calmed down we can come by. The kids always loved Uncle Tim’s farm.”

“Uncle Tim’s dead,” Reg's son spoke from behind his leg. The little guy peering up at Lucy. The kid had silver blue eyes, and nearly white-blonde hair, standing just below his Dad’s hips in height. His eyes were wide as he blinked a few times, tears forming. 

Cooper ducks down beside him, “Hey, Kiddo. It’s okay.” The little man let out a muffled sob as Cooper scoops him up, the little kid hanging off the adult. 

“Oh sweet Freddy. Got all the big emotions and nowhere to put him.” Tracey coes, before offering to take him out of Cooper’s arms. “Time for sleep.”

Lucy felt her stomach turn as she watches the family of six walk towards the front door. It was hard to see the little guy upset over the loss. It made her uncomfortable not knowing how to help him.  Little Freddy was still crying against his Mom’s hair, the three older girls filing behind. They all had brown hair, and brown eyes, all looking to be a few years apart. The older two could have almost been twins. Hugs were traded and promises of Sunday dinner were planned before the clan took off into the night. 

Coop comes over, covering his two kiddos with a blanket and turning down the cartoon jingling away. He came back, his hand running over Lucy’s shoulder before sitting down. 

“Probably should be going soon too,” Cooper sighs, having another sip of his drink, “Make sure Mom and Dad are okay.”

“How are your folks doing?” Margie asks, adding a bit more to his glass and Lucy’s. 

“Dad’s rough, Mom-” Cooper shifts in his seat, looking down at his glass, the dark look crossing his face again. “She’s doing the best she can considering. Doctor says maybe a year or two.”

Harris rubs at his eyes a little, Lucy watching him compose himself before speaking, “Whatever you need, you let us know." His voice shook a bit as he spoke, "I know your family is tight, but we all need to look after each other. We are all family here, okay?”

Cooper nods a tight smile on his face, “Thank you, Sir. I really appreciate it. We can use all the help we can get.”

Lucy reaches over and squeezes his hand, “ Like you said we are just a phone call away.”

***

Waking up soaked in sweat was the last thing that Lucy wanted to do. She was bolt upright in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room, with the fading nightmare of headless corpses hanging from trees dancing in her vision. Deep ragging breaths echoed in the small space, and the familiar sound of frogs and crickets echoed outside the open window.   

“You are in your Aunt and Uncle's house,” Lucy breathed out, closing her eyes and taking a sharp inhale. “It was just a dream, there is nothing coming to get you.”

Flipping a layer off the bed Lucy felt around for her phone, it was four-thirty in the morning. In a few more hours the sun would be up, and the world would have light again. She grabbed a sip of water, turning off her phone, and trying to get comfortable. As her eyes closed the visions of the bodies danced into her mind again, like some kind of horror dance party. Groaning, she rolled over, willing the images out of her mind. 

“Happy thoughts, Lucy. We cannot lose any more sleep over this,” Lucy murmured, trying to come up with something more soothing. An image of Cooper staring at her, popping into Lucy’s head. Her eyes shot open, her face going pink. "How old are you, Lucy." 

She thought about it for a moment, was it really the worst thing that she could think of? Yes, the man was older than her, had kids, and had lost his wife. Lucy cringed at the last thought, she rubbed her forehead. What was she doing, lying here thinking about a man she barely knew? Who had flown to her aid, and stood beside her despite the dead animal head in her backyard. 

Rubbing her eyes Lucy debates getting up or letting her half-asleep ass dream about someone who wasn’t interested in her. Remembering how he had leaned his knee against her, rubbed her shoulder, and let her hold his hand as he talked about his father. 

“Ugh, stop. No more death. At least for this instant,” Lucy mumbles quietly into the empty room, trying not to let her thoughts spiral out of control. 

Closing her eyes she decides to indulge herself a little, after the mess she had gone through what was a little fantasy. Letting herself think about them walking through a not haunted forest, maybe holding hands, going camping with the kids. She didn't hold back the smile as she let herself drift, after all, it was only a dream.

***

A knock on the door awoke Lucy out of a dead sleep, she blinked at the light shining around the window. Her fuzzy brain trying to put two and two together, remembering where she was. How she’d gotten there and why someone would be waking her up. 

“Lucy, sorry to wake you,” Aunt Margie calls, her voice just loud enough to hear through the wooden door. 

Grabbing her phone she realized it was past ten in the morning. She cussed, upset that she hadn't set an alarm last night. Normally she would have been up at the latest eight, groaning as she sat up, swinging herself onto the edge of the bed. 

“I will be out in a few Aunt Margie!” Lucy calls out, grabbing her clothes. Once again shaking her head at forgetting something fresh. Oh well, she'd have to change at home, and a good shower too. The thought of hot water spurred her on, as she groaned, body stiff from the long sleep. Setting the bed, she grabs her phone and races out the door. Margie stands at the counter, a fresh pot of coffee in hand.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” The woman smiles at her, handing her a cup of hot coffee. Before going over to the stove.  “I got coffee and put on a couple eggs for you.”

“You are too kind to me, Aunt Margie,” Lucy replies, eagerly grabbing the hot cup of coffee. “I am so sorry that I slept in. Usually, my alarm goes off automatically.”

Her Aunt waves a hand, scooping eggs and toast onto a plate for her. “Nonsense, I am so glad you were able to sleep in.” She hands Lucy the plate. Going around the counter with her cup of coffee to sit at the makeshift bar. “I have a feeling you haven’t been sleeping well.”

Lucy sat down using her toast to break the egg yolk and dip it in. “Oh boy, that would be an understatement. I don't really know why, but, I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night.”

Margie sat down beside her, eating her own toast with jam. “Nightmares?”

Lucy nods as she works on swallowing her food, “Yes, actually, how’d you know?”

Margie hums for a moment taking a sip of her tea, looking out towards the tree line outside. “Oh you know, new house, moving back from the city. Can take a little getting used to is all.”

Something twinging in Lucy, as she watches her Aunt. She sips on more of her coffee, trying to will the feeling away, why would her Aunt not be honest with her? 

“Yeah, I am sure that’s it,” Lucy says with a fake smile, as she finishes up her food. “I should probably be on my way-” The realization that she didn’t have a vehicle hitting her. “Oh, I didn’t bring my own car.”

“Oh, Cooper said he’d come by and pick you up,” Margie says, somehow the tension is leaving between the two of them. 

Lucy blinks a few times, wondering if she could possibly walk back home. “Oh, he didn’t need to do that.”

“I think he was looking forward to it if I am honest Lucy.” Margie winks at her, “The man has been alone, with his kids and dying Father for six years. I am sure he enjoys getting to spend some time with another adult that isn't family.”

Trying to choke down some more coffee to hide her face, it is most certainly bright pink. “Yeah, I don’t mind the company.”

Margie gives Lucy a knowing look, raised eyebrows and all. She goes to speak when a knock on the door stops her. She squeezes Lucy’s shoulder as she goes to get it. Lucy sitting a little straighter in her chair as she hears Cooper’s voice. 

“Hey,” Cooper says, he almost looks nervous, fiddling with his hat in his hand. “Was wondering, if you’d be okay if we went to check on the cows this morning before I bring yah home of course.” 

Lucy smiles back, she can’t help herself. Getting him all flustered was going to be a new favorite pastime of hers. “Yah, pretty sure I owe you on that one.”

Part 5

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

** If you enjoyed the fic let me know! Likes, reblogs and comments are always appreciated.

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** Most of my fics will be updated once a weekish possibly more often depending on how much writing I can get done! Want to keep the quality and make sure I am putting out my best work.

[madphantom]

We have this big plastic box to store empty bottles in in the kitchen and to shorten "big plastic box to store empty bottles in" down I've started to call it Bert, which confuses my mum to no end. So one time I walk in and I'm like "mum, have you seen the Bert?" and she's like "who the fuck is Bert, your boyfriend?".

Now I tried to tell that story to a friend and snarkily say "do I look like I'd date a Bert?" and was promptly put back in my place when said friend point blank went "Maddie you have written 200 pages of poetry about a guy called Robert."

[yourlocalegotisticalqueerishere]

The end of ALOTO episode 5 is so brilliant. Max in the kitchen with Bert humming along looks so at peace and it's just this quiet portrayal of queer family that I find so delightful. Gracie being a reassuring presence and the way Bert mentions Toni to reassure Max, and his humming reminding her of her mother. It's just brilliant

[harleybeaumont]

Never Have I Ever

Chapter 21 - Let's Just Forget the World

Book- TRR

Series- Never Have I Ever

Pairings- Bertrand x MC 

Chapter Synopsis- Bertrand has a surprise for Riley.

Chapter Warnings- language, drinking, innuendo -but mostly this is a fluffy chapter

Rating - Mature

Word Count- 1,830

A/N - once again, sorry it's been a while since I've posted a chapter. I included a snippet of what happened in chapter 20 to refresh your memory.

A/N 2- submitting for @choicesprompts flufftober event

Song Inspiration - this song is absolutely perfect for this chapter and gives me all the feels. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol.

_____________________________________________________________

When they arrived back at the estate, it was already dinner time. Riley quickly popped into Max’s bedroom to check on him, and found him sound asleep in bed.

“I’m starving.” Riley sighed as she made her way toward the kitchen, taking a seat beside Bertrand at the bar.

“What would you like to eat? The chef has left for the night, but I can call and have something delivered for you.”

“Anything.. But you pick! I am mentally drained and honestly don’t think I could make another decision tonight if my life depended on it.”

Bertrand opened his mouth to protest, but paused as an idea hit him. “I know just the thing,” he smiled shyly and pulled out his phone.

He was going to have to step way out of his comfort zone for this. 

Chapter 21- Let’s Just Forget the World

After half an hour of bustling around the estate, Bertrand was finally ready to let Riley into his room to show her what he had been working on. He paused outside of the closed bedroom door nervously, starting to have second thoughts. “Why don’t we just go out and pick up dinner instead?”

“Nuh-uh. I have got to see what you’ve been up to. Now let me in.. before I make you,” she smirked teasingly, tracing her fingers down the front of his chest.

Bertrand sucked in a sharp breath and a shiver ran down his spine at her touch. There was no way he could say no to her. He had already accepted that fact. “Alright,” he grinned, reluctantly stepping aside.

He slowly swung the door open and Riley gasped, throwing her hand over her mouth. “Bert..” Her eyes began welling up with tears as she stepped toward the sitting area of his bedroom which had been converted into a blanket fort, with pizza, wine, and pillows on the floor. Fairy lights, which she was pretty sure he got from Max, were laid across the top of the blankets, casting a warm glow around the room. 

Bertrand watched her face with a mixture of hope and apprehension. He had never done anything so ridiculous or sentimental for anyone before and it was terrifying. “I.. I just thought that-”

Riley immediately engulfed him in a hug, squeezing tightly and burying her face in his chest. She sniffled and when she pulled back she was grinning ear to ear. “You did this?”

“I.. Yes.”

“You, Bertrand Beaumont, made a blanket fort.. for us?”

He felt his cheeks heat up and he opened his mouth, not sure what to say. “If you don’t like it, we can go to a nice restaurant or something!”

“This is the best thing anyone has ever done for me!” She wrapped her arms around him again, squeezing tightly. “I’m so touched that you would share such a special family tradition with me. Thank you.” 

He grinned, shocked that she recalled the story he told her about he and Maxwell doing this with their mother when they were young. “You remember?”

“Of course I do! I remember everything you say, Bert.” She laughed at his skeptical smile, “I mean, most things. I’m sorry I can’t remember things like King Leopold’s favorite goldendoodle’s middle name.. but when it comes to you, I remember everything.”

He chuckled as his cheeks pinkened, “You’re just flattering me.”

“I’m not, but I accept your flattery.”

The two sat beside one another under the blanket canopy and Bertrand poured them a glass of wine while Riley placed a slice of pizza on each of their plates. She was absolutely radiating excitement and Bertrand couldn’t tear his eyes away from her.

“What?” She grinned in his direction before taking a sip from her glass.

Bertrand shook his head, chuckling. “Nothing.”

“Are you laughing at me?!”

“I am not. I’m just..I just feel..”

He looked away shyly and she took his hand. “Feel what?”

He met her eyes. “Happy.”

Her heart swelled and she rubbed her thumb across the back of his knuckles. “Me too.”

Bertrand looked up at the blanket draped over their heads, grinning thoughtfully. “This is the silliest thing I have ever done in my entire life, but I cannot imagine anything else I’d rather be doing right now.” 

Riley laced her fingers with his and squeezed. “Me too.”

Once they were full of pizza and wine, they lay on their backs in companionable silence. Riley turned to face him. “So what should we do now?”

“Are you ready for bed?” He yawned, “I’m afraid I had a bit too much wine and my eyelids are getting heavy.”

“No way! I have a tipsy Bertrand Beaumont in a blanket fort.. We have to do something fun.”

“Oh?” His mouth went dry as he pictured what type of fun she had in mind.

“Let’s play a game!”

“Oh.” He realized that he sounded way too disappointed, and tried to correct that. “Alright, what did you have in mind?”

She leaned closer and grinned. “What about, never have I ever?”

He gulped, “I uh.. I believe we’ve played that one before.”

Riley rolled onto her back, a light-hearted laugh escaping her. Her eyes traced the intricate pattern and stitching of the quilt that rested over the chair backs, forming the ceiling of their blanket fort. She couldn’t hold back a smile as she continued to gaze straight up, too overcome with emotion to even glance at the man beside her. She could feel his eyes on her and hear his steady breathing, and she closed her eyes, inhaling the familiar scent of his cologne.. Subtle notes of bergamot and sandalwood and the natural pheromones on his skin that both comforted her and drove her wild. 

Her heart was bursting from the unbelievable feeling of normalcy, contentment, and utter joy she felt just laying beside him.  

“Never have I ever.. Done anything like this before.”

“Like what?” Bertrand asked.

“Blanket forts! Camping on the bedroom floor.. None of that.”

Bertrand smiled, “I suppose you got me there. For once, there’s something I’ve done that you haven't.”

Riley laughed, and Bertrand sat up slightly and took a sip of his wine. He lay back down, thinking for a moment before grinning. “Never have I ever.. received a gift on Valentine’s day.”

Riley’s mouth dropped open. “Never? Not even from a little secret admirer in school or anything? I find that hard to believe.”

“Nope. Go ahead and drink,” he nodded to her glass of wine. “I’m certain you have received loads of Valentine’s gifts.”

Riley took a sip of her wine and shook her head. “I��ve had a few. Not for a while, but..”

“So what were your best and worst Valentine's gifts?”

“Oof, that’s a tough one,” she groaned with a smile. “The worst was probably from a boyfriend I had in highschool. He gave me a bouquet of fake daisies that were missing half of the flowers from the stems. And inside the middle was a jewelry box. But when I opened it, there was just a condom inside.”

Bertrand made a face. “Wow. That is.. quite a presumptuous gesture.”

“One that got him nowhere,” she rolled her eyes. “The best Valentine’s gift was probably when I was in elementary school. This cute little boy with curly hair, Jordan McCall.. He gave me a plastic ring he had won at the arcade and a bunch of wildflowers he picked from his yard.” She turned toward Bertrand with a smile. “It’s the thoughtful things that mean the most, you know? Something that you put your heart into.”

Bertrand smiled at her for a long moment, but feeling like he had been staring too long, he cleared his throat and looked away. “Um, it’s your turn.”

Riley tapped a finger against her lips in thought. “Ok. Never have I ever.. had sex with my brother’s best friend.”

Bertrand’s mouth dropped open and his face flushed bright red. “Riley!”

She couldn’t stop her laughter and handed him his glass. “Drink up!”

He took a sip, unable to meet her eyes while a small smile pulled at his lips. “That was a cheap shot.”

“I came to win!” Riley nudged him and grinned, “Besides, I can’t help it. I love making you blush.”

“I'm glad that my humiliation amuses you.”

She rolled onto her side to face him and put a hand on his arm. “It’s cute. It totally gives me butterflies.”

Bertrand blushed deeper and looked away as butterflies of his own swarmed his insides. He tried to change the subject. “So, I suppose we’re tied.”

“Not for long,” Riley smiled cheekily. “You’re going down, Beaumont.”

“Oh really?”

“Really! Hit me with your best shot.”

Bertrand thought for a moment before a confident smirk alit his face.  “I definitely have you now Ms. Brooks. Get ready to take a drink. Never have I ever.. had sex with someone because I felt bad for them.”

Riley met his eyes with confusion and she shook her head. “Never.”

Bertrand arched an eyebrow skeptically. “What do you mean? What about.. You know..” He gestured at himself.

Riley’s heart sank. Had he thought this the entire time? “No, Bertrand. That’s not why I- no, never.”

His mind was racing as he asked, “Then.. why?”

Riley chewed the inside of her cheek, trying not to cross the line they had been tiptoeing toward for the last couple months. Screw it. “Bert, I had sex with you because I wanted to. I wanted you.”

His jaw dropped and he was nearly rendered speechless. “You- really?” Like, you really actually wanted to- not as a lesson, but like- really?”

Now it was Riley's turn to blush for once. She hugged her knees to her chest and smiled shyly. “Yes.”

Bertrand stared straight ahead, mind reeling. The silence between them stretched, neither knowing what to say now. 

Riley took a deep breath and reached out, grasping his hand. She looked directly into his eyes as she spoke. “Never have I ever.. told someone that I was in love with them.”

Bertrand released a breath, his eyes searching her face for a few moments. He was certain his heartbeat was loud enough for the entire duchy to hear.

Bertrand rested his hand against her cheek, swiping his thumb gently across her bottom lip. His eyes were full of a deep longing and affection she had never seen from anyone before. 

“Riley..” he breathed out softly and pressed his lips against hers, cradling her face with his hands. The kiss was tender, yet passionate and nothing like anything they had ever shared before. He lay her back against the soft pillows and blankets on the floor, relishing in the fact that it was really Riley kissing him. Her perfect, soft, gorgeous lips were actually against his. She had wanted to kiss him as much as he wanted to kiss her, and as unbelievable as that was, it was amazing and perfect. Bertrand was so overcome with emotion, he thought he might burst. 

They broke apart after a few moments, and Riley leaned forward giving him one more soft kiss before snuggling up to his side and resting her head on his shoulder. Bertrand wrapped his arm around her, resting his hand against her lower back and tracing soft circles with his fingers. The minutes stretched on as the two lay together on his bedroom floor. 

“Riley.. I.. really need to tell you something.” Bertrand murmured softly. When she didn’t respond, he raised his head slightly to look at her. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was slow and steady. She was sound asleep in his arms and everything was right with the world. Heart in his throat, he kissed her head and whispered. “I love you.”

[matchalovertrait]

It was business as usual at Postres de Alegría. Some people may find it mundane, but Noemí would describe it more as peaceful. Before opening, she cleaned, baked, and set up the baked goods in the displays. Angela, their employee, came in when the store opened and cleaned the kitchen.

Noemí took this time to interact with the customers. Besides baking and bringing people joy with her pastries, her other favorite part of this career is building connections with people. She loves hearing about their lives and sharing laughs with them. It is always such a delight when regulars come and chat like they're lifelong friends. In fact, it looked like one just came in now! Well, they weren't exactly friends yet, but Noemí was sure she could get him to talk more one of these days.

The customer busted through the doors when Noemí began to wave and welcome him, but he cut her off. "Hello, everyone! As you may have heard, Alto's Bakery is opening very soon," the man proclaimed. Okay... maybe he was not just a customer?

Noemí and the rest of the people in the bakery stared at this strange man in silence. Nobody reads the newspaper anymore, so they were a little clueless. "I'm sorry, sir?" Noemi inquired. "Why are you announcing this in my bakery?"

"I'm Alfonso Alto and I welcome each and every one of you to my all-authentic Italian bakery, which is set to open very soon." After Alfonso said this, the customers gasped and started whispering amongst themselves. "Alfonso Alto?" "Brother of Nick and Bert?" "Wow, it's really him.." "I thought he moved permanently to Isla Paradiso." "Yes, it really is me! By the way, make sure to come to the grand opening. The first 50 people to come get 50% off on their entire order," Alfonso added. "As my family name suggests, the quality of our pastries is high, but don't worry! Our prices are low." Noemí tried not to let out the biggest groan. Was that supposed to be a slogan? That's way too wordy.

Now there was a lot of chatter coming from everywhere in the bakery. Many people seemed interested. "Will Alto's Bakery have cannolis?" someone asked. It seemed like Alfonso was making a mental note before he answered. Maybe cannolis were not even part of the menu before the customer asked that? "Of course! We will also have blueberry cheesecake, churros, tres leches cake, and more." Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Now he's just naming popular items from Postres de Alegría. "Sir, please. Let's talk outside," Noemí told him. She tried to remain civil in front of the customers.

Once they were outside, she spoke her mind. "Are you okay in the head? You must be in love with Teodor if you're this obsessed with him."

"No, but I am in love with his ideas. The resort didn't exactly go as planned, so I came to analyze his business practices in person. Then, I saw what a great business he has here. I'm switching industries."

"It's not just his business," Noemí's voice broke. "It's mine too."

"Look, it's nothing personal. I'm just following the money," Alfonso sat flatly. Suddenly, Noemí heard another man's voice.

"Alfonso, you should be ashamed of yourself. I hoped you would have changed after 16 years. Now, leave. You already made your point." Teodor came a bit too late, which please Alfonso. He got to ruin their morale without any interruption and still got to see the look on Teodor's face.

"You're right, I had my fun here. I'll be on my way out," Alfonso said before he left. He looked over his shoulder and smirked.

Part 2/4

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[castiels-pussy]

top five spn moments where I really don't even know what they were going for honestly

5. handprint anna sex scene. WHAT does it mean. i have after lots of very creative thinking found that maybe anna has feelings for can and fucked dean to make him jealous but they GOTTA know that is not how it comes across even a little bit

5. i thought you’d gotten over trying to label me. its low on the list because it was written by ben edlund and we really do even know what he was going for honestly. 

4. s8 boner scene. need i say more.

3. my bloody valentine morgue scene. the whole reason i made this list. normal on the outside EXCEPT dean is staring at cas with huge moon eyes the whole way through. well what was that for.

2. 4x02 kitchen scene. in light of jensen ackles' recent comments one finds oneself going back and asking. well what was all this then

1. there are two things i know for certain. one: bert and ernie are gay. two: you are not gonna die a virgin  WJHAT WAS THE REASONNNNNNNNNNN! THAT WAS IN THE SCRIPT! SOMEONE (jeremy carver) WROTE THAT. PEOPLE EDITED IT AND READ IT OVER. THE ACTORS PRODUCERS AND OTHER WRITERS INVOLVED. and no one was like hey does it not seem incredibly obvious that dean is about to fuck cas here? in supernatural season five episode three? can no one tell that dean is extremely blatantly propositioning castiel angel of the lord? for sex? on the cw show supernatural?

[gemini-sensei]

Hawk x Chubby!older!Larusso!reader, Sam introduces her to them all and reader and hawk hit it off, even tho reader is older she’s still really shy, and Sams catches them making iut in a corner in the halls at school?

What the Hell is Going on Here? | Hawk Moskowitz x Chubby!LaRusso!Reader

Fem!Shy!Reader ○ Read is 1 year older ○ y/n used ○ Fluff Blurb ○ Slightly Suggestive

Pls send more of these Hawk x LaRusso!Reader, I'm literally obsessed with this dynamic. There's so much that can be done with it, honestly. Please please please.

Their paths had never crossed for a multitude of reasons; they were in separate grades, taking completely different classes, didn't hang out with the same groups of people, but mostly it was because she was quiet and kept to herself. Her friends spoke for her when meeting new people, she didn't raise her hand in class let alone do anything like take up a position on a sports team or in student government. She wasn't a prominent student that demanded attention simply because she hated it.

Hawk didn't even know Sam had a sister until he and the other students of the dojo were invited over to her house for a "team bonding" movie night. When he showed up with Bert, Chris and Mitch, she was helping Sam put out snacks. He didn't know her name, but soon he would.

Y/N LaRusso.

She originally wasn't going to stay for the movie, but Sam talked her into it after introducing her to everyone. She gave a shy wave and hugged herself in attempt to appear smaller. She was shapely, with beautiful curves and a nice ass packed into her jeans. She was gorgeous and Hawk was immediately taken by her. He thought she was stunning, simple as that.

He didn't say much to her that night, but what he did say made her giggle. He threw popcorn at her because the movie was boring, she was far more interesting. She eventually threw a piece or two back, but before they knew it the movie was over and no one wanted to watch another one.

The rest of the evening was filled with socializing, which wasn't Y/N's thing. She crept to the back of the scene, let herself escape to the kitchen. No one noticed but him, so he followed.

"How come I've never seen you around?" he asked, startling her.

She jumped, the ice in her cup rattling and he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him. He gave a small apology and she accepted it, then answered his question.

"I'm not really around, I guess," she said nervously. She looked down, thinking he didn't get her humor like most people. But he smiled, amused, and she missed it. "I mean, I go to school but I, uh, I don't do much."

"You don't do karate," he said, but it was more of an observation than anything else.

She looked up. "Not as a sport, no."

"What for then?"

"Exercise, meditation, mostly to relax."

He hummed, further intrigued by her. "Well, maybe you and I can spar sometime, not sport-wise."

She giggled and said she didn't know about that, then all too soon it was time for him to go. And on the drive home, which was a little longer than usual because he was dropping people off at their homes, he only thought of her. He thought about how she hide herself away, how she blended into the crowd, how she tried to disappear, but it was too late for that now.

He'd seen her, he knew she existed, and there was no going back now.

○●○

A few weeks later, Sam was walking down the school hallway with Miguel, a bright smile on her face. They were talking about their history reports and the topics they'd chosen for them. It was as exciting as it sounded, but they'd at least tried to pick interesting subjects to do their reports on. Whether that panned out well for them was yet to be seen.

As they were making plans to go to the library together after school, they were suddenly distracted by an obscene moan. They stopped talking, frozen in place as they looked at each other, silently asking if they'd heard what they thought they'd heard. When they heard it again, they knew their ears weren't playing tricks on them.

Too curious for their own good, they continued forward with a new goal. When they peeked into an alcove leading to some classrooms, Sam saw something she wished she could unsee.

Hawk was trying to eat her sister's face, at least that was what it looked like upon first glance.

In actuality, they were furious making out, tongues twisting together and lips mashing against each other in some kind of harmony. His hands were holding her ass, squeezing the meaty flesh tight and pressing her body against his. Her own hands were holding onto him, too, one on his shoulder and the other placed on the back of his neck. She was pinned to the wall, save for her lower back as it gently bowed to press her front against him.

She was letting out soft moans into his mouth, even whimpering. He was the loud one, groaning as if he didn't have a care in the world as to who might find them. They probably thought the halls were empty, but they didn't account for students who had a free period like Sam and Miguel.

His hand slid down to her thigh, gripping it and making her gasp. Then he started guiding it up onto his hip, which allowed him to slot himself between her legs. He groaned again once they were closer and his hips rocked into hers.

That was Sam's breaking point.

"Oh my god!" she let out, causing the two to pull away from each other's lips.

Y/N's already heated cheeks became hotter, burning her up as she stood caught in the act by her own younger sister. She didn't pull herself out of Hawk's grasp, but rather leaned into it and tried to hide her face in his hoodie. He licked his lips, trying to hide his smirk as he wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her into him as if they could possibly get closer. He knew she was embarrassed, and he didn't want her to be, but he let her hide and he held her in order to comfort her.

"What the hell is going on here?" Sam asked, her voice raising a pitch as her confusion and frustration mixed.

Beside her, Miguel stood shocked. His eyebrows shot up as he looked at the two, his best friend and Sam's sister. Anyone would say they seemed like an unlikely pair, his charisma and outgoing nature a hard contrast to her meek and shy personality.

However, Miguel's face softened from its sharp shock as he realized Hawk had an advantage other extroverts didn't: his former life as a nerdy introvert. As it clicked into place for him, Miguel understood a little more, whereas Sam was a little lost.

"Well?"

Hawk let his smug grin show. "Y/N and I are dating, if you couldn't figure it out for yourself."

Sam scoffed, looking between the apparent couple. "Since when?"

Y/N lifted her head, but wouldn't look directly at her sister. "Since... since a couple weeks ago?"

It came out as a question in hopes Sam wouldn't be too upset with her. She smiled nervously, looking up at her sister's still dumbstruck expression with hopeful eyes.

Sam continued to stare, blinking a few times to see if she'd wake up from a bizarre dream. However, she remained in her spot, feet stuck to the school's linoleum floor. Then she let out an exasperated breath. "Does Dad know about this?"

Y/N shook her head and Sam slapped her palm to her own.

"Oh my god."

[mochminnie]

Okie Dokie (Norm MacLean)

Pairing: Norm MacLean x Cassandra "Cassie" Lang (Original Character/Reader)

Trope: Rivals to Lovers

Ideas for writing for Norm

Character: Cassandra ‘Cassie’

Affirmation: Vault 33 

Occupation/Hobbies: Nurse and teaches Sex Ed Class

Volunteer: Kitchen Duty, Cleaning Duty, Food Delivery,

Computers and Information Maintenance

Book Club w/ Lucy and Sometimes hosts

Sewing/Crocheting/Embroidery Club, Young Pipefitter's Association with Lucy and Steph, Gymnastics club, Dance Club, Intermediate Phys. Ed., and Riflery, Enjoys watching and reading with Lucy, Secretly plays Pip boy games

Friends: Lucy, Steph, Chet, Norm (Rivals, Love Interest? Frenemies)

Personality: Good Hearted Caring and Kind, Creative, Sassy, Fun and as cheerful as Steph and Lucy, Stubborn, Competitive, Teasing, Willing to fight what is right and is a head strong fighter, Had a feeling Vault 32 is suspicious and somethings not right and not adding up, Investigator, Speaks her mind, Wanted to go into the surface with Lucy and curious what’s it like up there. But isn’t as naive as Lucy. Doesn’t believe in the death penalty and that the Raiders should go back to the surface and they could possibly plot killing them again. She's patient but shows the most anger and frustration towards Norman.

Physical Appearance: Simple Makeup Simple curled Lashes, Blush, Lip Gloss, Brown Eyes, Long Black Hair, Curtain Bangs and strands Voluminous Curls and likes to change the hair style, Curvous/chubby figure, Height short around the same height as Norm. Wearing the Blue and Yellow Vault Jumpsuit. 

Norm and Cassie being the smartest in class. Which causes them to have a rivalry and Norm getting angry and frustrated since Cassie is good at almost everything. But it is mostly one sided in Norm’s side which comes to Cassie thinking. Norm doesn’t like her due to his coldness and endless amounts of teasing and anger towards Cassie. They bicker. 

Norm lacks enthusiasm and what do the vault 33 council members Reg McPhee, Woody Thomas, Betty Pearson, and Hank MacLean do? They always pair them together as punishment as a way for Norm and Cassie to get along. 

Hank and Lucy tease Norm how he could have a possible crush on Cassie. Chet always being clueless and Stephanie knew there was some sort of sexual tension between them.

Idea 1: Steph and Cassie gushing over Montey and making comments Cassie, "Wow he is a looker isn't he wow. He's so Handsome!" Steph, "Lucky." And Norm made a face like Bert. Norm was Confused more Jealous. And he proceeds to tease that he isn't much of a good guy and could have red flags. Norm, "Like I said he could have a tumor!"

Idea 2: Cassie Showing off to Steph and Lucy the corset, skirt, dresses she made were vault colors Blue and Yellow. And Norm said wearing it everyday would be against the rules.

He gets turned on by the thought of Cassie wearing the corset and skirt that he gets an erection.

Idea 3: Cassie and Norm being the smart ones, the investigators figuring everything about the history behind the vault. To make sure they both don’t get caught. Cassie kisses Norm as a distraction. 

Idea 4: Cassie was this close to join Lucy up on the surface to help save their dad. But Norm stopped her. “Norm what the hell was that for? I was this close. this close to go with Lucy. What, you don’t want me to help save your dad? Is this your way to come back at me?”

“You care about me?  Bullshit! When did you ever care about me? You care about me more than your sister?” 

Idea 5: They are bickering than they kiss from sexual frustration. And do the deed together.

Author’s Note: this will be posted on Wattpad & A03 @mochminnie

What do you guys think about Cassie and Norm? Do you like the title ahaha I love Lucy’s Catchphrase “Okey Dokey😄”

[redpiperfox]

I must say, our groundskeeper (Sir Bert the groundhog) is doing a much finer job than his forefathers. He has timed rounds around the estate, very thorough checking all to the land and ensuring everything is in order.

Very respectable too.

My sister and I called out to pay our respects at the kitchen window while doing dishes, and we mentioned under our breath that he's cuter than previous generations, and his face *immediately* shot up and gave us a warning look.

So dignified, that Sir Bert!

[pencey-pea]

would we read an almost famous inspired rayrard fanfic or am i just being autistic

(more info under the cut)

quick disclaimer uh no i didnt make bert evil like the 12 year olds on wattpad do, and tw for drugs, alcohol, and slurs but this is tumblr what did u expect

Summary

Its 1978, and Ray Toro is an aspiring rock journalist, someone who is absolutely in love with music, but is decidedly uncool. He's an awkward teenager, and doesn’t know his way around the scene. But since his idol, legendary writer Reagan Campbell, gave him an assignment, he hasn’t lost faith.

It’s 1978, and Gerard Way is the it-boy of the rock scene, and he isn’t even in a band. He just lounges around and looks pretty, loves the music, and pretends like he doesn’t care that everyone pretends they haven’t slept with him, even though they definitely have. He’s the epitome of cool, the definition of carefree. He’s been around since he was 16, but to be fair, that was only two years ago.

When Ray is assigned to report on the up and coming band Stillwater, will he be able to write his article, or will he be distracted by the eccentric “band-aid” and the drama of the scene?

Prolouge

The blank page sat on the cluttered desk, with hastily taken notes falling off the edge and drifting to the floor. Textbooks and jam-packed notebooks with post-it notes sticking out had been moved to the floor as well. Not enough room on the desk. Records and magazines and cut out articles surrounded him, making little skyscrapers of paper and vinyl. In the middle of it all was a typewriter, slightly shimmering under the hot desk lamp and untouched by the boy in front of it, who was chewing on his cuticles as he stared down the blank page like a formidable foe. In the back, “The Prettiest Star” by David Bowie played softly, skipping slightly at some points

He knew that it wasn’t really that big of a deal. He realized— as he ran a hand through his long tawny curls—that he was probably gonna write this one little assignment and then be told that his writing wasn't good enough or special enough, and he would go back to becoming a lawyer or whatever his mom wanted him to do. He knew that Reagan probably just gave him this assignment to get him off his back, to get the crazed fan with wild dreams of becoming a journalist far away from him. But still. If he did this right, he could possibly get published in Cream magazine. Or maybe just get a little closer to it. He thought a little too hard and but down on his cuticle, making it prick with a little droplet of blood.

“Shit,” He cursed as he unfolded himself from the pretzel-like position he was in and speed walked his way into the kitchen. He stretched to reach the top of one of the cabinets, grabbed the first-aid kit, and wrapped a band-aid around his finger. Just as he was putting away the kit, his mother walked in.

“Sweetie! Why did you have the First-aid out?” She asked, concern lacing her tone. Before he could answer she grabbed his hand and examined his finger, eyebrows furrowing. “I told you, you’ve gotta stop chewing on your fingers like that!” She sighed, dropping his hand and turning to the stove. “What made you hurt yourself like that anyways? You only do that when you’re nervous.” He shrugged.

“The journalism piece i was given,” He mumbled.

“What? You know I don't like mumbling, Ray,” His mother scolded, pouring something into the pot on the stove.

“It’s just that journalism piece I was told to finish. The one about Black Sabbath? 700 words due on Tuesday, and I haven't even started writing.” Ray lamented, pinching his nose bridge as he talked. All he got in reply was a petty and tight-lipped “hm.”

“Well, honey, just remember that writing articles about rock bands is a very hit and miss economy. Don’t bank on making it,” His mom pointed out, clearly trying to discourage her son. Ray tried to calm himself, taking a slow breath in.

“I know.” He said shortly, fists clenched a bit. He stormed back to his room. Back to the blank page.

—

Everything was a bit hazy as he stumbled around the room. Someone shoved another bottle into his hand and he happily chugged it down as he tried to remember if that was his 7th or 8th beer that day. Somehow a giant pink feather boa had made its way around his shoulders, and he strutted around as best as he could, given the fact that he couldn’t really walk straight.

He felt all eyes on him, the skinny young boy with a girlish stare and a tiny waist and long black hair, who nobody cared to ask the age of. The fag. The unspoken beauty, the ultimate edition trading card of the rock scene with a little voice of sweet bells. The one they were all too afraid to admit to sleeping with. He smiled as he spotted Bert, who he made his way over to.

“Hey Gee, are you enjoying the party?” He asked, tired eyes and faraway voice high off of something. Acid, Gee guessed.

“Yeah! I think it’s the best one ever since I joined you guys!” He yelled over the loud music, giggling and shooing away a girl next to Bert and taking her place. He instantly felt at home by his side, settling into the garish green velvet couch that gave way beneath his small figure. Bert didn’t talk to him, instead focusing on a group of girls, but he did let him sit next to him like a little accessory. Gee didn’t mind, he knew that Bert had to kinda pretend like he didn’t care, like he wasn’t sleeping with the fag. Gee was greeted by groupies and roadies and singers and guitarists and tech guys, some who offered drugs or alcohol, or simply just a friendly face. He responded to them, bubbly as ever, even though the slight vertigo had started to settle in.

A bag of white powder was suddenly thrown onto the coffee table in front of the two, like a fresh carcass dropped right in front of starving hyenas. Gee was never one for cocaine, he didn't like the sensation of it going up his nose, and the nosebleeds were far from desirable. But Bert held up the bag, so Gee held up his arm, and they both did two lines. Gee felt funny afterwards, and said so to Bert, or maybe just the room.

“Just give it a moment, darlin’, it’ll settle,” He reassured him, patting Gee’s thigh discreetly as he leaned over to grab a half finished beer. Gee did just that, but when he tried to stand, he couldn’t.

“Bert… I don't think I can stand,” He slurred, leaning back against the couch. Bert looked down at his watch and glanced around.

“That’s alright, I'll take you back to your room. You think you’ll remember this tomorrow?” How sweet, Gee thought, he’s checking to see how wasted i am. He cares.

Gee thought for a bit, and then slowly started to shake his head. “Mmmm… Probably… Not.” He decided, smiling and giggling, eyes red. Bert smiled back.

“Jeez. I’ll make sure you get back safe, don’t worry,” Bert assured, hooking his arm under Gee’s and hoisting him up. Gee thought he might’ve heard him and Bert say goodbye to people, but his mind was too fuzzy to decode things like words. Once they got out of the suite, Bert picked Gee up bridal style, and took him to his room, as promised. He stumbled through the door, immediately heading for the bathroom. Bert followed after him and held his hair back, rubbing his back and shushing him sweetly.

The last thing Gee remembered was hurling his guts out, his nose bleeding, then Bert’s eyes.

“God you’re hot when you’re wasted like this,”

idk if i want to go through with this idea, so feedback and rb’s are greatly appreciated!!!!