#I Have Too Many Backyard Photos Already

[errorlovespi]

What do you take pics of when the only going out you do is to the grocery store?

Photographer struggles.

[xmunsonlovex]

Somewhere I Belong

Summary: You leave home for a new opportunity in Hawkins. You're on your own, and your first day, you meet your metal head neighbor. Will this be the start of something that you've always been longing for, or will you keep it at a distance, as you always do.

Pt.2

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Shy Fem!Reader

wc: 8600+

Warnings: 18+ MDNI. female reader, reader has low self esteem and a lot of insecurities, slight angst, use of pet names (baby, sweetheart, etc) mentions of male masturbation, mentions of oral(f!receiving) reader is inexperienced and a virgin, mutual pinning, idiots in love, eventual smut in later chapter(s), Eddie is little bit of perv, but only for you.

a/n: It's here, guys. A day earlier than I had originally set myself to release it. I had to break it up into multiple parts, which I am currently writing already. I hope to have pt.2 out next week. That'll be the smutty chapter, for those wanting to see these 2 take the next step. Thank you to whoever reads this, I hope you like it. While I've read HUNDREDS of fics from all you lovely loves here on Tumblr, this is my first fic I have ever written. I think I read it over at least 20 times. I'm sure there are still many grammatical errors and things I may have missed. Please let me know if you like it. Please reblog and comment your thoughts 💗

Dividers by: saradika-graphics

You huffed as you placed the last box of your belongings on the carpeted floor. This definitely needs to be replaced, you thought as you looked at it. The move to Hawkins was grueling, between heavy traffic and nasty weather, you were trying to just make it there in one piece. Thankfully you did, and now you stood in the middle of your living room, taking in your new surroundings. It's around 6pm, and it's starting to get dark. You felt lucky to have a nice view of the sunset from your backyard, if you could call it that. It was a small section with enough space for maybe a little garden (you’ve always dreamt of growing your own veggies), and patio chairs. You had found the relatively inexpensive trailer for sale in a community called Forest Hills in Hawkins. Looking at the photos, you knew it needed some repairs. A new paint job too, maybe, but with your new job in the city, you figured you'd make it your own in no time. It was supposed to pay fairly well too, working as an administrative assistant.

You walk over to the kitchen, checking the fridge and stove. All seemed to work fine for now, and with that, you were putting away your kitchen belongings in the cupboards, making note to fix the wobbly door to each cabinet. A box of Mac and Cheese sat on the counter while you boiled some water in a small pot, and then started to cut up some cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, making your favorite salad. You were singing to yourself as you made your food, that you didn't hear the knock on the door. It was soft at first, but quickly became louder after the 4th knock. You grabbed a towel to dry off your wet hands, and walked to your front door, looking through the peephole, but could not make out who was on the other side. You opened the door just a bit, and see a frizzy- haired man, who didn't look much older than you. He sported a denim jacket with lots of heavy metal band patches on it. That definitely caught your eye. 

"Hey Jack-" He turned his head to look at you, then scratched at his cheek. "You're not Jack.." He said. 

"Hi, no. I'm not. I'm guessing he's the one I bought this trailer from though..?" You asked, a small smile on your lips. He was cute, you thought. 

"Makes sense. I haven't seen him in like..2 weeks. I thought maybe he went on vacation then got another car.." he pointed to your shitty car that sat on your driveway, practically falling apart. "You left the trunk open. I um..closed it for you. Don't want any raccoons to get in there.." He chuckled softly, sliding his hands into his pockets. 

You smiled at him, and nodded. Of course you left it open. "Thank you. I was doing a million things at once.." You sighed, and rubbed your forehead. "I just moved in today. I'm Y/N, by the way.." you say, noticing him smile softly when you mentioned your name. "I'm Eddie. I live next door to you.." He nodded towards his trailer and then kicked a rock as he looked down, making sure it went to the side rather than in your home. "Well, nice to meet you, Eddie. I uhm, I'll see you around? I have dinner cooking right now. Don’t want to burn down my new home.”  You said with a chuckle.

 “Yeah. Maybe I can show you around town..whenever you're free." He says quickly. You felt your cheeks heat up as he looked at you. Those big, beautiful brown eyes, they could put you in a trance.  "I'm usually home by 5:30..and I'm off on Sundays." 

“Ok, yeah, I like that idea. I’m off on the weekends, so that works out.” You say.

He felt a giddiness inside him, the thought of making a new friend and even the possibility that the friendship could turn into something more, gave him butterflies. Hope, even. For so long, he was used to being blamed for the events that happened in Hawkins. For so long..he was called a freak and spat at for his taste in music. He wasn't a bad guy, at least he didn't think so. Steve and Robin, and the boys (who were all graduated now) didn't think so. So why was it so hard for him to make other friends? To get a date? He was tired of the meaningless sex that usually transpired at The Hideout, not that it happened often. He wouldn't call himself a ladies man by any means, or someone the girls would seek after. Most times, girls wanted something from it. A little weed. Or maybe the right to brag that they had a quickie with a front man of a rock-band. They never specified which band, though. So when the opportunity arose to show a pretty, new girl around town, he was absolutely going to take the chance to do that. 

"I'll stop by Sunday. I can show you around town, and where to go for all the good food places. Maybe I can take you..to get some groceries, if you need. I don't mind." Eddie offered. 

"Ok, yeah, thank you, Eddie. I uhm...gotta get going though, but I’ll see you Sunday." You try to sound confident, but it comes out a bit shy and timid, instead. He says goodbye, and you watch him jog to his trailer, looking over at you and waving before going inside his home.  You can't help but bite your lower lip, knowing he would be trouble. You weren't exactly looking for a relationship, not romantically anyway. It was embarrassing to think about the fact you had no experience aside from a few pecks on the lips from the 3 dates you had gone on back at home. The dates always ended with a "I had a nice time, but I think we should see other people." You weren't sure if you were maybe too boring for them, or maybe it was your looks? Your self esteem had always been low, even back to when you were in middle school. Kids were relentless and brutal. 

High school was no better. Girls were rude and mocked you for your style, or lack thereof. Boys were cruel too. Laughing when you once tripped over your own feet, nervous around a football player you liked. He looked at you apologetically but it didn't stop the chuckle that left his mouth when your knees and palms slammed on the tile floor. You were 23 now and still remembered it like yesterday. It was the reason you left home. Your mom was sad, she'd definitely miss you but understood the change you needed in your life. She wasn't about to stop you from becoming a better version of yourself. And this was your chance. 

Sunday rolled around way quicker than you anticipated. Between putting away the remainder of your items around the house and doing a deep clean; you were exhausted. But, looking forward to the city tour with your new neighbor. You had woken up earlier than usual to have a shower and a quick breakfast to settle your growling stomach from skipping dinner the night before. After finishing your food, and cleaning up the kitchen, you grabbed your purse and keys, setting them on the small console table by the door as you pace around, growing a little nervous. What if he decided he didn't want to show you around? He probably had better things to do. Your thoughts were promptly silenced as a knock was heard. Giving it a couple of seconds to not seem too eager, you then walked to your door and opened it. Eddie smiled. You could tell he was freshly showered, his hair still a little wet and the smell of soap mixed with some cologne invaded your nostrils. 

"Morning, I have an appointment with Ms. Y/N." He said, with a sheepish smile. You giggled. 

"Good Morning, sir. Yes, I'll be happy to help you with that. Please come in and take a seat. She will be right with you. Could I offer you some water?" You say in your most professional voice. Eddie was in your home now, admiring your decor. It was simple but you. There were some framed photos on the wall; and a light blue couch taking up quite a bit of space in the living room. 

"Huh? Oh yes, thank you ma'am." He said and took a seat on the couch, that intoxicating smile now reaching his eyes. "You're a metal fan." He said, noticing your CD and vinyl collection by the TV stand. "Hmm. Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath...Dio??" He said excitedly, holding the vinyl for Holy Diver. Oh, he's going to have to marry you, now.

"Yeah, I love them. My dad’s a huge fan. Would put the album on when I was younger." You say, smiling at the fond memories, then hand over a glass of cold water to Eddie, who accepts it with a smile. "I fear that you will never get rid of me, now. These are my favorite bands. Not to mention...there is some stuff here that I haven't listened to yet..you have quite the extensive library, sweetheart." He chuckled. The heat that emitted from your cheeks at the nickname was for sure evident, you thought. No way he didn’t see the pink tint on your face. And he did. He proudly gave himself a mental high-five for making you blush. 

"Alright, let's get going. I have loads to show you." Eddie said after drinking the water you so kindly offered him. 

Eddie took you around to all his favorite spots in Hawkins, starting with showing you where your new job was located, then drove back south towards Hawkins again. You learned a lot about him while he drove you around. He was 25, worked as a mechanic at a local auto repair shop, and on some weekends, he'd play with his band, Corroded Coffin, at a bar called The Hideout. You said you'd definitely go see him play and that you were sure he sounded amazing, despite him saying otherwise. That made him blush this time around.  

"So, this is where I went to high school, figured I'd show you since it's on the way to the farmers market you wanted to go to." He tapped on the steering wheel. His hands couldn’t stay still, between either the tapping or him playing air drums to the song that quietly played on his radio.

“Kind of looks like my school...but mine was filled with the most obnoxious and hateful people I'd ever met." You say, your tone a bit softer. "It's the main reason I left home. Everyone I knew...they held this standard of 'I'm better than you.' A lot of people with money. An easy life. Meanwhile, my mom worked her ass off all day and night to keep our mouths fed." You then fell quiet for a bit. "I hated my high school years.." You chuckle faintly and look over at him, who looked back at you while he waited at a red light. "I know all about that.." He nodded. "I wasn't a...popular guy in high school either. I was bullied here and there, but most people left me alone. They didn't want to mess with the one guy who dealt them their weed. Or whatever drug they needed." He said, a little bit of a white lie but you didn't need to know the whole story. With that, he winked at you with a small smirk, and drove to the farmers market. 

"What?! How can you not like cucumbers? They're so tasty! With some salt and ranch. So good." You said, laughing as he made a gagging face while you picked some fresh fruit and placed them in the basket you were holding. "Respectfully darling, they taste so bland. Like crunchy water." 

You scoff and shake your head. "They’re super healthy, though. If you ever come over for lunch or something, I'll make you my special tomato and cucumber salad. It has some dill weed in it. And ranch. You'll love it."

"I take it back. I don't think I can hang out with you anymore. Dill weed? You're killing me here." He joked. The laugh that you let out was now his favorite sound in the world. A genuine laugh at his lame attempt at joking around with you. 

After you paid for the fruits, he gently placed his hand on your lower back, guiding you towards the next stall, which was selling homemade sauces and jams. The older woman on the other side of the table gives Eddie a rather unpleasant look, then notices you. What she can only imagine to be this innocent young woman who is being put under a spell by Eddie the "devil worshipper". This worried her. It took her no time to pull out a pamphlet of their local church, and handed it to you, but you immediately shut that down, and handed it back to her. 

"I appreciate the suggestion, but..I'm not really religious. Thank you. I'd just like to buy-"

"I will not sell my items to devil worshippers like you and Munson, here." Her tone immediately changed to unfriendly and unwelcoming. Eddie felt himself start to get angry, not so much of what she said about him. He was used to that. But because now you'd been given the same treatment as him, and you didn't deserve that. You were sweet. And so beautiful. Welcomed him with a smile rather than spiteful comments and-

“That's OK. I can go spend my money elsewhere. I saw a few stalls that had better prices, actually. And frankly, they also seemed nicer. I can't imagine your jams and sauces taste any good when you have such hate in your heart.” You say. It wasn't meant to be an insult or anything of that nature, you genuinely didn't know why she was being so mean to Eddie. He looked at you, a smile tugging on the corner of his lips. “Come on, I know the one.” Eddie grabbed your hand, leading you to a different part of the market. Near the parking lot. 

“Hi Sammy. Y/N, is this what you're looking for?” He asked you, this vendor was selling lots of different jams. He'd known about him from The Wheelers. Particularly Nancy. “You bring me a new customer? Eddie. How can I ever repay you?” Sammy smiled fondly at him. One of the very few people in town that treated Eddie with some dignity. 

“Yes. I'm new in town. Wanted to check out the local farmers market. See what you guys had.” You smile shyly. Eddie came to the conclusion that you were quite shy by nature. Not that he was observing every small detail of you on purpose. Or maybe..

“Oh, Eddie. She's so sweet! Polar opposites, I see.” He joked and Eddie glared at him, with no real mean intention behind it. “Teasing. Eddie's a great guy. You've made a wonderful friend.” He hyped him up, trying to be a wingman of sorts. 

“I agree.” You simply say, worried you'd start babbling. Wouldn't be the first time, and instead, you offer Eddie a warm smile as you look at him, a look that lingered for a couple seconds longer than usual. “Alrighty lovebirds. What can I get for yah?” Sammy smirked, looking at both you and Eddie, noticing the flustered expressions. Oh, young love. 

“Um, yes. I would like the grape, blackberry and..peach jam, please.” You say, your face is on fire as you stutter your words. Get a hold of yourself. You hadn’t known Eddie for more than a week, and already you were a mess. Stumbling over your words, blushing every time his fingertips brushed your skin or sent a sweet nickname your way. Eddie is definitely going to be the death of you. Sammy hands you the 3 jars of jam, and puts them in a brown paper bag, adding a smaller jar in there with the others. “This one is my famous strawberry jam. My bestseller. This sample is on me. Let me know if you like it.” He says, smiling sweetly as he hands you the bag. You pull out your wallet, and go to grab some money, but Eddie stops you, grabbing his own wallet quicker.  “I got it..” He mumbled with a smile, and before you could put up a fight, he slapped a 20 dollar bill on Sammy’s palm. “I'll see you, Sam.” Eddie says and he guides you two to walk over to his van. 

“Anything else you want to do?” He asked, opening the door for you and watching as you go in, his eyes admiring the round of your ass. He shakes the impure thoughts from his mind, and watches you buckle yourself in.

“We can head home. Maybe I can make you some lunch? At…my place. If-if you want. I don’t want to impose, or anything. I’m sure you’re a busy guy and all-” He chuckles at your rambling, thinking you couldn’t possibly be any cuter than you already were. Oh, he’s in trouble, as well. 

“Let’s go have some lunch. I guess I’ll try this special cucumber and tomato salad you keep trying to sell me on. With the dill weed and ranch.” He smirked, and gently shut the door to his van, then went around and got in the driver side, buckling in. “Ready, madam?” He said, shaking his wild mane side to side. He turned his head towards you, and gave you a goofy smile as he started the van, and then drove out of the parking lot. You softly laughed at his antics, already enamoured with him. “Hey Eddie, can I ask you something?” You cautiously say, not sure whether this would offend him. “Hm.” He replies, turning left to get into the correct lane towards the trailer park. “Do people really think you’re a satanist? I mean..if..you are, I promise I am not bothered by it. I don’t put down anyone’s beliefs. Unless you’re a shitty person. Which I do not believe you are. You’ve been really nice to me.” You say, once again, rambling. “I am. Why do you think the whole town gives me such scared looks? Poor Jeannie, the lady with the jams, was so upset when I sacrificed her chickens and goats. But..I needed them! I wish she’d just understand.”  He sighed, shaking his head and then glanced at you, finding you wide-eyed. “I’m joking, sweetheart.” He let out a soft laugh, and came to a full stop right before their turn. “This town is very stuck on old beliefs. I like metal music, and the media painting it as the devil’s music a few years ago certainly didn’t help my case. I also played dungeons and dragons in high school, still do actually. And this whole place came after me with pitchforks.” He once again left out some important key facts regarding the history of Hawkins. A conversation for another day, perhaps. “Not everyone is horrible, but I’ve kept my circle small for this very reason.” He added.

Once he arrived back at the trailer park, he parked his van at his place after dropping you off at your front door like a gentleman. He said he’d come over in about 20 minutes, saying he had a few calls he had to make. You didn’t ask any questions, and instead focused on getting started on lunch. Your “special” salad, along with some sandwiches, chips and 2 glasses of cold cokes. You hoped he would enjoy it, now second guessing everything you just did. To the paper plates you placed the food on, to the silly Halloween table cloth you had put on your small dining table. It was only March. You thought of earlier as you sat on your couch waiting for him. When he placed his hand on the small of your back. His hand felt like fire on you, over your clothes and yet, you recall the goosebumps traveling all over your body from such a simple and soft touch. You wondered how his hands would feel on other parts. Your shoulders. Massaging out years of tension and stress. Wondered how his hands would feel if he held your cheek in a romantic manner. Or what they would feel like caressing your neck down to your arms, until they were in an area you wanted to feel him the most. You shut your eyes tightly, and lean your head back against the top of the cushion on the couch, letting out a soft sigh.Your insecurities overwhelming you as you sat there alone with your thoughts. 

“Steve, I..I need your guidance here, man.” Eddie panicked over the phone, pacing his small kitchen, playing with the phone cord out of habit. “What are you talking about? You got this. It’s like a damn movie. A cute girl moves in next door. Voluntarily wants to hang out with you. You’re golden!” He tries his best to comfort Eddie in his state of anxiety. “I don’t know. She’s beautiful, absolutely. Is she wanting to hang out, out of pity, though? Because some dumbass called me a freak in front of her? Is she-” Eddie is quickly cut off by Steve. “Yes. She is inviting you over for lunch, after she accepted your offer to show her around town, and laughed at your jokes, because she feels bad that some lonely, old woman called you a freak.” Steve deadpanned. “You really think so?” Eddie sadly sighed. Steve wanted to strangle him over the phone. “Eddie, no! I know your expertise with women isn’t as evolved as mine…but listen when I tell you, she’s into you. To some degree, anyway! Go over, have lunch with her. Be a little flirty. See where it goes. No harm in trying.” Steve smiled. Easy for the Stud of Hawkins to say. 

You hear a knock at your door, one you were now familiar with, pulling you out of your negative thoughts. Something you really had to work on. You’re a little quicker to answer the door this time, and see Eddie standing there with a few flowers he picked from The Wilson’s front yard on the other side of his trailer. They’ll never notice, he’d argue. “Oh wow, those are so pretty..” You say, your attention immediately drawn to the light blue flowers in his hand. He swallows hard. “Just like you.” He smiles softly, and hands them to you, and you graciously take them. He doesn’t miss the crimson blush that spreads over your cheeks to your ears. “Thank you, Eddie. Come in.” You bashfully say, stepping aside to let him in, and then shut your door. “I made us lunch. Um, I hope it’s to your liking.” He watches you walk into the kitchen, grab a small vase and add water to it, then place the flowers he picked out into it. “I’m sure I will love it. Let’s try that salad, huh?” He said and sat down at the table. 

It was close to 6 in the afternoon now, and Eddie was helping you clean up the dining table, his belly full of the delicious food you made. “Sooo…I could tell you liked the salad. Just admit it. Cucumbers are amazing.” You smirk, looking at him. “Whoa. Let’s not get crazy. You’re lucky that I am fond of you.” He throws the paper plates in the trash, with your approval of course. “But yes, it was really good, Y/N.” He smiles, looking back at you. “I wanted to ask you something now.” Eddie says, walking up to you as you stood by the kitchen entryway. You feel your heartbeat start to hammer in your chest at the close proximity. Noticing the faint freckles that paint his upper cheeks. He is so pretty. 

“My band is playing next weekend. At The Hideout. I would…really like for you to be there. We go on stage at 9..Not too late at night. And! You’ll get to meet my friends. Steven and Robin. Possibly Nancy. She doesn’t care for the loud music, so she doesn’t really go to these things.” He said, looking down at his feet, then up at you, trying to read your expression. “What if they don’t like me?” You say, your voice so small, you wanted to curl into yourself and disappear. His features soften, and he places his hand over yours, which was on the kitchen counter. 

“Believe me, they will love you.” He gives your hand a comforting caress, making you a blushing mess for what felt like the 50th time today.

 “I would love to meet them. And to see you perform.” You take in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm your anxiety. He could make out that you were a little hesitant in your response.    

 “Do I make you nervous?” He says suddenly, his eyes boring into yours. You freeze at his question, because it was as if his demeanor changed in a blink of an eye; from gentle to dominating. It was all in the way he looked at you with his dark eyes. 

“N-no. No, not really. I mean, I am just a shy person. I get nervous around new people. As you can tell.” You say. He takes your hand in his, holding it,  and flashes you a warm smile.

“Don’t worry. You’ll fit right in with us. I promise. They don’t bite.” He then leans in, close to your ear, whispering. “Though, I do a little.” Eddie says, and patted your hand, smirking. He learned that he really liked to make you squirm, and see you flustered. Sometimes he would get this burst of confidence that he had to take advantage of. It’s how he got himself more gigs at The Hideout. How he got himself a better paying position as a mechanic at J’s Auto Service. That was a milestone, because he was able to save up enough money to get Wayne his own trailer a few blocks away, in a better neighborhood. He deserved it. 

You open the door for Eddie, smiling as you watch him check the doors hinges, making sure the lock worked well, for your safety, of course. “Well, have a great first day at work. If you need anything, give me a call, ok?” He assures you that giving him a call at work would be the highlight of his day. “And you can call me whenever you want too. You know I’m all alone here.” You giggle, biting your lower lip. The playful flirting that occurred throughout the day really put you in good spirits, giving you a tiny bit of confidence. “I’ll definitely remember that. Sleep well, princess.” Eddie smirks, and walks down your porch, but stops to look over your car. “You’ll need new tires soon. You should bring it into the shop during the week. I’ll take a look at it and do an inspection.” He then waves, giving you no time to answer. 

It’s Friday afternoon, and you had 2 hours left of your shift. Counting the minutes until it was 5:00. You didn’t mind the job, it was practically the same as your office position back at home; filing papers, taking calls and sending out emails all day. While this position gave you a bit more responsibility and tasks, the environment was relaxed and the rest of the staff seemed to be chill. One girl, Veronica, would come over and talk to you on her way back in from her smoke breaks. You remembered Eddie smelled the same. He must smoke often enough.

“Are you doing anything fun this weekend? Not much to do in Hawkins.” Veronica popped her chewing gum, playing with a strand of her long hair as she leaned at the reception desk, looking at you.

“I am, actually! My neighbor asked me to go to The Hideout. To see his band play.”

“Eddie Munson? Ugh. The Hideout is so gross. He always takes all the girls there.” She rolled her eyes, chuckling as she nonchalantly picked her nails, admiring the design painted on them. She’d excitedly showed them to you earlier in the day. Your heart nearly sunk to your ass hearing her say that. Were you just another easy girl to him? No way would you give yourself up that easily to Eddie, or any man for that matter, and you didn’t feel that you gave off that kind of energy. You wondered if his whole shy persona was just a ploy to sleep with you, and call it a day. You were sure you liked Eddie. And you thought he genuinely liked you too. He had been so kind to you throughout the week, you reminded yourself. Everytime you came home, roughly 15 minutes after him, he’d walk over and greet you. Ask about your day. Smile and even hug you goodnight after you two would chat for a bit. It was like clockwork, at this point.

“I don’t think this is a date. Just..him being a friendly neighbor.” You shrug, trying to sound indifferent to the news she just broke to you.

“Y/N, I hate to break it to you, but he most likely thinks it's a date. And will probably end up fucking you in that smelly, tiny bathroom in the back of the bar. He does this every time. Will fuck anything in a mini skirt.” She shrugged. “Just use protection, doll.” She winked at you and walked back to her cubicle, sighing loudly as she sat down. You try to blink away the stinging in your eyes, focusing your attention on your keyboard. You absolutely did not need to cry your first week at work. It would be almost as embarrassing as you falling for your next door neighbor in such a short span of time. 

It’s 5pm and you’re driving home, hoping you arrive before Eddie does. Luck must be on your side because you make it by 5:27, and quickly get out of your car, nearly tripping up the steps to your front door as you rush to pull out your key from your large purse. This stupid, big ass bag. You unlock your door, and shut it behind you, locking it back up. Your breathing is heavy as you let your body fall in disappointment. The sun shines through your kitchen window, illuminating the flowers he had picked out for you. They were still lively and vibrant. You made sure to change the water every couple of days to keep as so. You’re sulking as you decide to go and take a hot shower, to clear your mind. Then you hear his van roll in, music blasting from it. 

Eddie looks at your driveway to see your car parked, in a rather chaotic way. You must’ve been excited that it was Friday. Maybe you were excited to see him and wanted to share how crazy of a day you had. He hoped that was the case, since he was ecstatic to see you. On his way to work earlier today, he stopped by the record store next to the J’s Shop, and saw Alice Cooper’s new album, Hey Stoopid. He recalls you mentioning that you’d been looking for the vinyl, wanting to add it to your collection. He gathered the last few bills he had on him, and bought it for you. He figured he’d make some extra cash anyway at The Hideout before the show, selling to the usuals.

He knocks at your door, practically beaming. He’s so excited to gift you this album, knowing it would make you happy. That’s all he wants and cares about. When you don’t answer after his 4th knock, he tries a few more times. “Hm..” He ponders, and leans to the left, trying to peek into your living room window, but the curtain blocks anyone from seeing inside. “Hey, Y/N?” He calls out. He assumes you're in the bathroom when you don't answer, and decides to possibly try again later. He wouldn’t want to disturb your “you time” in there. You hear him jog back to his trailer, his chain wallet giving him away. You felt bad, but then remember what Veronica said to you earlier in the day. That was why you were avoiding him in the first place. Though, it would be impossible to do this everyday. Well, for now, you're just going to try your best to hide from him. That means, you’ll have to stand him up at The Hideout. You turn on the shower after stripping off your work clothes and stood there for what felt like hours, playing every scenario in your mind. 

Eddie is tapping his foot impatiently on his carpeted floor, his much more worn out than yours. It's close to 8:30p and you still haven't come over. And he's contemplating whether to go over to your house or not. Your lights are not on. He guesses you had a really bad day at work, and instead of bugging you, he leaves you to rest. The album can wait for tomorrow morning.

It’s bright and early, you can hear the birds chirping from your bedroom window. You rub the sleep from your eyes and groan, sitting up on your bed, looking over to look at the time. The clock read 09:47a. You better get up and make most of your Saturday as you do not plan on leaving your 4 walls tomorrow. You stretch as you stand up, and walk over to your fridge, and then jump at the loud knock. “Y/N!” a familiar voice calls out. Fuck. Ok, you need to at least confront him of his true intentions. Whether you were just another girl to him, and nothing more. You close up your robe a little as you drag your feet, letting out a shaky breath as you open the door. 

“Oh, thank god!” He breathes in relief. “ I was worried about you.” He said.

“Right..well. I’m ok. Just trying to rest up.” You said. He notices your tone is a bit more cold.

“Oh. I-I’m sorry. I just wanted to check up on you. I knocked yesterday, but didn’t see you. Did you have a bad day at work?” He said, frowning now. 

“You can say that-”

“Then I have something that will cheer you up! Close your eyes.” He grinned, practically jumping in excitement. You raise your brow, and hesitantly shut your eyes, then feel his warm hands grab yours, pulling them out in front of you. You feel a heavy-ish item now land on your hands and you immediately open your eyes. “Oh shit..” You hold the album, looking at it. It was a special edition one.

“Eddie..how’d you find this?” You say quietly, a smile growing on your face.

“Saw it at the record store. Had to get it for you.” He couldn’t be any prouder. He got you out of whatever slump you were feeling.

“Oh Eddie..I know this had to be expensive. Let me pay you back.” 

He shook those curls you were so crazy about. “Nope. I only request your presence tonight, sweetheart. Steve and Robin are dying to meet you.” He says, crossing his arms. Your gaze travels down to them, admiring the tattoos and oh. He’s caught you staring, that smirk on his face confirms that. “I-I will be there.” You nod, going against everything you said to yourself the night before. “Great! I have some errands to run, but I will see you tonight, darling.” He bows like you are his Queen, and you might as well be at this point. You giggle, and watch him go to this van, wave at you and drive off. Maybe this wasn’t a bad idea after all.

You’re standing in line at The Hideout, waiting to be let in. You assumed that you had to wait like everyone else. There weren't that many people, about 50 all together but judging by the size of the bar, it would be a full house. You dress in a low-cut top, purposely choosing one that showed a decent amount of cleavage. A cardigan rests over your arm, and you opted for black leggings, the ones that made your ass look the best. If Eddie really did intend for this to be a date, you might as well look the best you could, with what you currently had in your closet. You hear your name being called out, and you see Eddie jog over to you. He’s wearing a sleeveless DIO shirt, and leather pants, his combat boots all untied. He looks so good. You’re practically drooling.

“What are you doing here?” He incredulously asks.

“I..you invited me.” You play with your fingers, nails digging into your skin. 

“Babe, I meant in line.” He reaches out, grabbing your hand and pulls you out of the line, where all eyes then fall on you and him. You noticed a few girls eye Eddie, too. Almost like a prey. “You get backstage access, doll.” He whispers as he leanes into you, and smirks. “You’re VIP.” He holds your hand, and takes you to the back of the bar, opening the door that lead you inside. “After you.” He says, eyes falling to your ass. It looked so plump in those pants, so biteable.  

“You look beautiful, by the way.” He says, admiring the subtle make up you had on. It wasn’t much, just some mascara and eyeliner. A little foundation to hide any blemishes and imperfections. “I like this top.” He runs his fingers over the fabric near your collarbone. Your cheeks heat up, as you send him a smile, looking down all shyly. 

“Eddie!” A man calls out, and you look to your left. You assume that is Steve, and a girl walking alongside with him. Robin? 

“Hey, man. Glad you could make it. Guys, this is Y/N. Y/N…this is Steve and Robin. And as I assumed, Nancy did not make it today.”

“Or ever. You know this isn’t her scene. She’s out with Jonathan, anyway.” Steve shrugged and turned his attention towards you. “Nice to meet you. Eddie has talked non stop about you.” He smirks over at Eddie who is internally cussing him out. “Let’s go get some good seats.” Robin smiles at you, and grabs your arm, locking it with hers as she pulls you to the stage floor. 

“Ughhh Steve, why’d you say that? Now she’s going to think I’m obsessed.” Eddie rubs his face, giving him a look.

“Are you not?” Steve smirks, and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. Eddie shook his head and bit his nails, nervously. “I like her, alot.” He admitted to Steve, eyes following you around as Robin decided which area was the best to stand at. He liked how nervous you were around him. You were the sweetest girl he’d ever known. On the opposite end, he also felt like a creep though. All the perverse thoughts he had about you. They’d come to him when he was in bed late at night, a rhythmic movement of his hand over his aching cock as he'd imagine his tongue deep in your wet, throbbing pussy, satisfying his hunger. 

“I gotta get onstage, and set up.” He says to Steve, wanting to avoid any more of Steve’s banter. He nods, then meets up with you and Robin on the stage floor. Your gaze follows Eddie onstage, where he and the rest of the band finish setting up. He winks at you, and tunes his guitar. Most of all the equipment is there, just had to be connected and set up in the proper place.

“You excited to see the show? They’re actually really good! It’s a shame they haven’t been signed by a record label yet.” Robin says. You are caged in, front row, between both Robin and Steve. “Yeah, I’m excited. I just..don’t want to get my hopes up. Feelings hurt and all.” You say softly, seeing all the people from outside being let in.

“What do you mean? Their songs are not really offensive.” Robin says.

“Well, unless you’re someone with sensitive hearing. They’re loud.” Steve snorts.

“No, I mean. I don’t want Eddie to see me as..like the other girls that he brings here?” You say, a little unsure if you are going to get your point across. Their his friends, obviously they’re going to take his side. 

Steve snorts again. “What girls?” 

“All..the girls..?” You say, feeling a bit foolish at that moment. “This chick I work with knows Eddie. Says he brings all his dates here. And uhm, has his way with them. I'm not-it's not that I'm not attracted to him. He's super handsome, but I don't want it to be that type of date. I like him and don’t want it to be a one night stand type of date..” You nervously chew on the inside of your cheek. 

Steve and Robin both start to laugh, a good belly laugh, which makes Eddie look at you three. What are they telling you about him?

“Y/N. He's NOT like that. At all. I don't know who that chick is, but Eddie is lucky if he's able to get a girl to look his way anymore.” Robin said. 

“I mean, he's had girlfriends and dates, sure. But to say he brings all the girls here like he's some ladies man, is comical.” Steve said.  “But don't tell him we said that.” He smirks. “Eddie is a great guy, Y/N. And I'm not just saying that because he's my best friend.” Steve looked up at him. “Shows starting.” He says to you, nudging your shoulder with his as the lights dim, and a loud guitar note plays. The stage area is packed with all the people from outside, and they cheer.  The band seems to have a large following, people singing along to the songs. A lot of older, trucker looking guys and scattered were lots of girls too, older and younger, like yourself. In the middle of the setlist, you see Eddie grab the mic, placing his foot on the amp as he addresses the crowd, thanking them for coming out and supporting the band. He had a little surprise for you, and hoped you listened to Alice Cooper’s previous album, Trash, because he was going to cover one of the songs on there. He figured he’d take the risk and sing Spark in the Dark.  The lyrics were quite suggestive, and maybe tonight, he’d be brave enough to make a first move. 

You immediately recognized the guitar riff to the song, a big smile forming on your face, as you were by now more relaxed and enjoying the show, just like Robin and Steve suggested.

“Ah, welcome to the party.

It’s only me and you

Tell the world to go away, babe

And I’ll tell you what to do

Come over here and kiss me

I wanna pull your hair

Turn out the lights and hold me

I wanna touch you everywhere”

You sing along, all while your face is burning from the blush that spread over your cheeks, and thankful the stage lights are not pointed directly at you. You were certain you’d combust. You also notice a familiar sensation, one that was directly between your thighs. One that needed to be taken care of. Preferably by the front man looking down at you.

“We don’t need nobody, baby

We don’t need champagne

I’ll take you to the deepest

Darkest, hottest lover’s lane

For a little spark in the dark

Just a little spark in the dark.”

You’re staring at each other as he sings the song. You’re singing along, and he’s so good up there. Your favorite rockstar. You notice his hips move a little with every enunciation during the chorus. He grabs the mic stand, placing the mic on it as the guitar rests over his hips, hiding the semi he’s rocking right now thanks to the song’s lyrics and the perfect view he has of your cleavage. 

“I’ll come ‘round midnight

We’ll be crawling on the floor

Burnin’ with a fever

And yellin’ out for more

But don’t you write in your diary, baby

Don’t blab it on the phone

‘Cause if your dad and mom find out, 

They’ll skin me to the bone.

We don’t need instructions, baby

Don’t you be afraid

It takes a little friction, uh-uh

That’s how our love is made 

For a little spark in the dark.”

You want to melt into a puddle once the song is finished, noticing the sweat that glistens his skin, still sporting that sleeveless tank top. He sings a few more covers, and once the show is over, he bows to everyone, then directly tosses you a guitar pick. You’re giddy, as you’re bouncing on your tippy toes, holding it between your fingers.

“Look at the fangirl, now.” Robin smirks, clapping as the band gets off stage. “We get backstage privileges, being long time friends of the band and all.” She laughs, walking to the back of the bar, noticing the crowd had spread out between leaving for the night, and others to sit at the bar. You follow Robin and Steve, until you reach a room that almost looked like a utility room with all the amps.”Hey!” Eddie says, wiping the sweat off with a small towel. He looks directly at you, as if Robin and Steve aren’t even in the room. “That was amazing! And…the cover was really good, too.” You blush and try not to be too obvious as your eyes scan his body. His shirt is all damp from his sweat, shirt stuck to his body. You could make out his toned stomach. 

“I’d give you a thank you hug, but I smell. And I’m all sweaty.” He chuckles, noticing you shifting a little, your thighs pressing together. He gives you a little knowing smirk, and pulls out a cigarette, but Robin is quick to snatch it.

“No smoking. Especially not around your date.” Robin speaks out.

“You’re right. Bad habit, and manners. Sorry. sweetheart.” He cheekily smiles and puts away the pack of cigarettes.

“We gotta get going, but we’ll see you later, Eds. Come on Steve. Remember…we had that thing we had to do..” Robin says, pulling him on his arm. “OH right! That thing. Yes. Alright, you two have a good and eventful night. Nice meeting you, Y/N! We look forward to seeing you again real soon!!” Steve says as both him and Robin go running out. You let out a soft laugh then look over at Eddie, who is looking at you, not once did his sight move away from you.

“Can we..talk?” You say to him. 

Oh fuck, did he do something wrong? Was it the way he was looking at you? Shit. 

“Of course. We can step outside. It’s hot as fuck in here.” He says and you both walk out into the back of the bar, the loud slam of the door shutting making you jump. Eddie is nervous now. He’s sure you’re about to break the news to him that you don’t want anything to do with him. Maybe you found out of his late night activities, but that wouldn’t make any sense. He was sure you partake in those kinds of solo activities. Maybe you believed he was truly a devil worshipper. How can he convince you otherwise?

“I uhm, almost didn’t come tonight.” You start. 

This makes his chest feel heavy. He’d done something, surely. 

“How come?” His voice is small.

“I was stupid. I believed something someone at my job said about you.” Your stare is focused on the littered and dirty floor, not wanting to meet his eyes. You felt ashamed.

“What’d they say about me?” 

“I-I don’t-”

“What’d they say about me, Y/N? I assure you..I’ve heard it all. I’m used to it at this point in my life.” He says, his tone was a bit more irate and cold than what you were used to him being with you. Your eyes took no time in watering, and now Eddie was ready to throw himself off a cliff for making you feel this way.    He really fucked this up already, as he always does. Good job, Munson.

“She said that…you basically slept around. That you take them here on dates, and..and take them to that nasty bathroom for a quick fuck. Eddie, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have believed something like that. I just, I got scared to have my feelings and emotions played with. I didn’t want to be just another girl added to your roster.” You try to keep your composure as you talk to him, your eyes are for sure still watery, but by some miracle, you didn’t stutter. “If I’m being honest, I don’t have much experience with this. Like, yeah. I’ve done a few dates and all, but I've never had a boyfriend or had anyone touch me, or-”

“Sweetheart, it's ok.” Eddie takes a step forward and grabs both your shaky hands, holding them in his, practically engulfing them. “Look at me.” His voice is low, and he places a finger under your chin, tipping your head up. “I promise you, I am not that type of person. People will say a million things about me, and I can guarantee that most of them are just rumors. I certainly do not sleep around. I can't remember the last time I had a legitimate date with someone, let alone fuck someone.” He risked making himself look a loser just to make you feel better. His hand goes up to your cheek, and caresses it, letting out a chuckle. “Baby, there's no one I desire more than you…and I want to kiss you so bad.” He whispers, taking another step forward, his scent invading you. “Give me a chance to prove to you..I'm not like whatever these stupid fucks said about me.” His lips are impossibly close to yours, making your breath hitch at the close proximity. “Kiss me.” His voice is raspy. You embrace each other, your lips pressing together as the kiss deepens slowly. It was the first time you've experienced a true, deep kiss. You were sure he could tell. You opened your mouth, letting his hot tongue in to glide along yours and the quiet whine you let out makes him want to take you right there and then. You were inexperienced, yes, but quickly learned to breathe through your nose and move your mouth with his. Eddie's hand rested on your hips, and the other was around the nape of your neck, pulling you against him even closer, wanting to hear those  whines again. 

“Alright, get a room, you two.” Gareth groaned, hauling the large amp into the van that was a few feet away from you both. You blush heavily as you both simultaneously pull away from each other. “We will continue this at your place? I got to finish helping the guys..” Eddie breathed heavy, a similar rosy shade painted over his cheeks. 

“Yes, I'll leave my door unlocked. You can just come in..” 

“Hm, sweetheart. I don't think that's a good idea. What if the big, bad wolf gets in? And wants to eat yah?” Eddie smirks. 

“I certainly count on it.”

[roccoparondi]

Something Borrowed (Michael Corleone x Reader)

Summary: Michael Corleone is the last person you expect to see at your best friend Connie’s wedding, and the last thing you expect to happen upon seeing him again after so many years is spending the night together. Maybe, it'll turn into something more.

Note: Female reader, but no other descriptors are used. No hate to Kay, she’s my girl, but wedding scene Michael drives me crazy🤭 She’s off living her best life elsewhere in this. Also, it was a lot of fun writing pre-everything Michael. Do not interact if you’re under 18, terf or radfem, or post thinspo/ED content.

Word count: 2.8k

Warnings: Sexually explicit content involving unprotected sex. Light play fighting.

Champagne and giggles overflowed at Connie Corleone’s wedding to Carlo Rizzi. Plenty of red wine was passed around in pitchers for the old guard, of course. For you and the other women conscious of not staining the rainbow of cocktail dresses and flowing gowns that dotted the backyard, you opted for lighter fare in tall flutes that sparkled in the early autumn sun. 

Perhaps you were a bit too enthusiastic about the drink offerings, having already exchanged three empty champagne glasses for ones filled to the brim with glittering gold when the bride engulfed you in a hug. With a delighted laugh, you returned the gesture, kissing her cheek.

“I wanted to say thank you one more time for coming!” Connie exclaimed, her cheeks flushed pink from the excitement of the day. “God, it breaks my heart we couldn’t have gotten you a bridesmaid dress in time, but you look gorgeous.”

“Me? Connie, you look like a princess.”

“I feel like one,” she giggled.

“When you see your gift from me—I’m sorry it’s not more, I haven’t—”

“Stop it!” she scolded. “You came all the way from Europe just to be at my wedding. I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”

You didn’t bother correcting her. Her version of events sounded much nicer than you just got lucky with when the Red Cross put you on a boat home. “Anything for you.”

“I won’t keep you. This is probably the first time you’re eating real food in years. Mama, Sandra, and Theresa made most of it.”

Connie was right. You tried to savor your plate, packed with pasta drowned in homemade sauce, antipasto and crusty bread, and sandwiches that towered with fresh cold cuts. The Corleones knew a thing or two about good food, and had the means to pull the strings for the unfathomable ration books such a feast required.

A familiar yet unexpected voice startled you when your fork pierced a piece of mozzarella. “Is this seat taken?”

“Michael,” you practically gasped, taken aback by his even attending the wedding in the first place, but also how good he looked in his uniform. Cap tucked under his arm, medals and decorations on his chest, the photos you’d seen in the magazine didn’t do him justice. Finding yourself again, you gestured to the empty seat across from you. “Go ahead.”

“I can’t remember the last time I saw you, but you look great,” he said, his gaze fixed on you as he set his plate and glass down. He took you in, the girl he’d grown up seeing around the house and at school, now, without a doubt, a woman.

“You too, Captain,” you said, nodding toward the double bars on his uniform.

He snickered at your little joke, making you feel a bit more at ease in his presence. “I’m surprised you aren’t in the wedding party.”

“Honestly, I wasn’t even sure I was going to make it until a few days ago. I only just got back to New York on Thursday,” you said.

“You volunteered with the Red Cross, didn’t you?”

You nodded. “I was in England, and then France after the liberation.”

“Clubmobile, right?”

“Did Connie tell you?”

He shook his head, smiling the slightest bit. “All the pretty girls worked the Clubmobile.”

A mortifyingly girlish giggle escaped your lips. You quickly brought your glass to your mouth, though the champagne in it was likely the culprit of your embarrassing reaction to Michael’s compliment. Averting your eyes to the dancing guests, you tried to ignore the warmth that spread across your face.

You allowed yourself to look at him again a few moments later, relieved to find he was still sitting in front of you, amused, maybe even endeared, by you.

“You’re such a jerk, Michael,” you mumbled, only because he was your friend’s older brother, and when you were younger and starry-eyed and figuring out what it meant when your heart wouldn’t quite beat right around a boy, it was him who those tender emotions were kindled in secret toward—until you had your first real boyfriend.

He grinned at your remark, and the two of you ate and caught up in between his various family members stopping by the table to say hello. You weren’t sure what to make of his seeing you before any of them—flattered, a bit confused as well, but he laughed at your jokes and moved his seat closer to yours, so you must have been doing something right when he finally asked, “Do you want to dance?”

“I’d love to,” you said.

The chaos from Johnny Fontaine’s unexpected arrival and impromptu performance subsided when Michael led you out to dance. He held you close, the way soldiers had at the dances the Red Cross put on for servicemen, all to boost morale, or, as the war went on, to offer a break from reality. Among the many rules meant to be followed—and typically broken in one way or another in the haze of war—was to keep some emotional distance from the enlisted men, for your sake and their own, but with bodies so close together, tender touches and soft whispers over songs of twilight and moonbeams, it was tough not to be caught up in romance’s alluring snare.

Even then, with the war behind both of you, something about being in Michael’s arms made you truly understand why some girls risked their assignments for a man. There was something in how he looked at you, different from your childhood together, even from a few minutes prior. You felt breathless despite the slow song you swayed along to.

“Did you like Paris?” he asked quietly, throwing you for a loop.

You furrowed your eyebrows. “Paris?”

“You were in France, weren’t you?”

“Not Paris.”

“Where in France were you slinging doughnuts, then?”

“Little villages a few miles out from the front, mostly. More cows than people, but nice enough once the fighting stopped, and it was finally quiet—as quiet as it could get, anyway,” you said. “When Connie wrote you’d been wounded, I couldn’t help but think the worst. Plenty of guys out there—well, that article sure put me at ease. All the girls were jealous when I said I knew you.” You smiled. “I’m glad you’re alright, Michael.”

He glanced at your lips, and for an aching moment you were sure he was going to kiss you, but instead he gave you a smile, one that was real and made your heart flutter nevertheless, but left you disappointed.

“Where are you staying since you’ve been back?” he asked.

He seemed familiar with the hotel you were staying in when you mentioned it, offering to drive you back after the reception ended, and Connie and Carlo left for their honeymoon. 

“It’s only until I can find a boarding hotel that has space,” you said. “I mean, it doesn’t have to be the Barbizon, but I’m not moving back in with my parents.”

“Here’s to that.”

The rest of the day and into the evening, Michael hung around you, unless he was pulled away by members of his family, each instance an annoyance to him. You knew they weren’t exactly supportive of his enlisting, but the situation couldn’t have been that bad, not since he was home, safe and sound at his sister’s wedding.

The Corleones, though endlessly kind to you, always been an odd family, and you learned through your friendship with Connie not to ask too many questions.

But Genco Abbandando was dying, and Vito insisted Michael go with the rest of the Corleone men to pay his respects to the elder. When you offered to take a cab back to your hotel, Michael promised the visit wouldn’t be long, suggesting you wait at the house with his mother until he returned to drive you into the city.

Your foolish desire to spend more time with him led to your waiting in the Corleones’ kitchen for a little over an hour, when you likely would’ve been showered and in bed in your hotel room by the time he arrived back for you, in one hell of a hurry to get you into his car and presumably get away from his family.

“Do you ever think about leaving New York?” he asked when the house was out of view.

You laughed. “Michael, I only just got back.”

“That’s not what I mean. The war—it wasn’t going to be forever, but it let you see what life could be like away from all of this, didn’t it?”

“Of course it did. I’m honestly not sure what I’m going to do with myself now,” you said. “How about you? Are you going back to school? Dartmouth, I mean.”

He nodded. “I start again the spring semester.” At a red light, he glanced over at you. “New England’s nice. Better than French cow country.”

“And do you suppose I could study in the department of pouring coffee and serving doughnuts?”

“You’re smart. I think you have a real future,” he said, the sincerity in his voice startling you. “All of that back there, that’s not for us. It never has been.”

You were silent for a few moments. “I guess you’re right.”

The city lights twinkling in the distance took the place of the stars they blocked out from the sky, growing larger as Michael crossed the bridge into Manhattan, the center of the universe. You’d never tell a soul how you cried just a few days prior upon seeing it again for the first time in years.

Besides his talk of the future, Michael kept the conversation light, and you could’ve sworn he was flirting with you. Working the Clubmobile, you learned quickly how to pick up on it, some men laying it on thick while others were irresistibly smooth. Michael could’ve easily just been teasing you, the way a friend’s older brother would, but when he pulled up to your hotel, either your ego or curiosity prompted you to invite him up for a drink.

You sobered up on the drive into the city, enough to remember you didn’t have any drinks in your room. The two of you would have to go to the hotel bar for that, but then you and Michael wouldn’t be alone, not how you wanted, anyway.

To your relief, he agreed.

With Michael in uniform, few questions would be asked by hotel staff as to why you suddenly had a man with you when you checked in on your own. It would have been easy to lie, claim he was your fiance who had only just gotten back Stateside. But you supposed you and Michael already looked the part, walking arm-in-arm through the lobby without an issue.

Your confidence soared on the elevator ride up to your modest room, which you let Michael into, knowing he wouldn’t judge the state of your accommodations.

“Mind if I make myself comfortable?” You didn’t wait for his answer, pulling your blouse from where it’d been tucked in your skirt. Slipping out of your heels, you sighed softly in relief.

“It’s your place,” he said, setting his coat over the chair in the corner and loosening his tie.

You grabbed his cap from where he set it down and placed it on your head, tilting the brim over your face a bit and posing in front of him with a hand on your hip. “How do I look?”

He sat down on the edge of the bed, giving you a once over, “I swear I saw you pinned up in some guy’s tent looking just like that.”

You laughed, taking the cap off and flinging it aside. “Oh, I don’t even know why I invited you up here!” Your laughter faded as something in your stomach turned sour, the situation feeling achingly too good to be true. Alone in a hotel room with Michael, the two of you entirely capable of making your own mistakes on the off chance he wanted you too. “Or why you even agreed to come up.”

“I didn’t come up here to drink.”

“No, you did it to be nice, because we’ve known each other for so long…” You sighed, sitting next to him. “I always figured you thought of me as your kid sister’s annoying little friend or something.”

He shook his head, saying your name softly in either protest or reassurance. His hand cupped your face as he turned it toward him, his thumb rubbing soft circles in your cheek. “Not for a long time. Especially not tonight.”

You kissed him, hands gripping his shoulders, closing your eyes as you melted in his embrace. Your skin feverish at his touch, you shuddered when his hand slipped up your untucked blouse until his fingertips reached your bra.

To say you hadn’t fantasized about Michael would have been an unconvincing lie to anyone who dared ask, but even in your wildest dreams, it was never quite like this, so bold and irreverent in the face of the tradition the two of you had just spent the day celebrating.

“I came up here because you’re beautiful,” he confessed against your lips, “because you’re the only familiar face I saw at my sister’s wedding that didn’t make me wish I were somewhere else.”

Silencing him with another kiss, your fingers raked through his soft black hair as your body pressed flush against his, unsure if you could withstand hearing more of his tender words without falling to pieces. You couldn’t, not so early in the night, but his desire grew difficult to ignore when he pulled you onto his lap. The pressure against your pussy made you moan, and with a hasty desperation, you shimmied out of your panties as he unbuckled his belt, freeing his hard cock within a few moments.

You slipped a hand between the two of you, pumping his length, feeling the way it twitched at your touch and gasping when Michael’s hips bucked. His teeth grazed your bottom lip, a whisper of an intent to devour you.

“I need you, sweetheart,” he groaned. “Need to feel you.”

Lifting your hips, you whimpered upon feeling his head brush your clit as you positioned yourself, slowly lowering as he filled you, cock throbbing against your walls that clenched around him. He assuaged the pain of taking all of him with a gentle kiss and soft praises, urging you to take your time, that you had all night together.

All night. The promise he would stay, at least until the morning, sent a teasing wave of pleasure through you. Gripping his shoulders, you tried to keep a steady pace as you rode him, wanted to show him that staying would be worth his while. He’d been right in the car, you wouldn’t be a virginal, wedding white bride. The both of you had seen and experienced too much to be considered innocent any longer, but it was something you shared, that no one else from that day would have understood.

Your thighs ached as you neared your climax, desperately chasing it despite the exhaustion that was creeping up on you. Crying out in frustration, you buried your face in the crook of Michael’s neck.

“I’m close,” you whined. “Michael, I—”

“I’ve got you,” he assured you, his hands making their home on your hips. 

Your eyes fluttered shut as you let him guide your body, his thrusts doing most of the work while you rocked against him, seeking the friction against your clit that would bring you to release. It caught in your throat, a broken groan from your lips to his ears as you came, clenching around him, pleasure rolling through you, rattling your body like thunder. You barely caught your breath when he came, shuddering against you, practically cradling you against him as he filled you.

With a whimper, you lifted yourself off of him and rolled back onto the bed. Placing your hand on your chest, you felt your rapidly beating heart beneath your fingertips, focusing on it as it slowed the following minute or so and ignoring the stickiness between your legs, the evidence you slept with your best friend’s older brother. 

Michael leaned over, brushing back the hair that stuck to your face. “What are your plans tomorrow?”

“Looking through the classifieds for a job,” you said honestly.

“Wanna put it off for a day?”

“With what money, Michael?”

“I’ll give you a line of credit.”

You grabbed one of the pillows from behind you, throwing it at him with a laugh. “Jerk!”

He grinned, pushing it aside to grab for one of your arms. You put up a weak fight, your breathless laughter giving away his almost certain win.

Having pinned you down beneath him, he pressed you for an answer. “So?” He kissed you. “What do you say, sweetheart?”

You rolled your eyes, smiling despite yourself. “I guess I can clear my schedule for a dashing war hero like you.”

“Dashing, I like the sound of that,” he murmured, bringing his lips to yours again, softly, with a tenderness that promised more for tomorrow, and even the day after, if you’d have him. 

You smiled. “Me too.”

[writersdiscouragment-blog]

"You're an idiot."

"Hello to you too, Ryan." Oliver grumbled while making a pot of coffee. It was still early, barely 7 and he hardly gotten any sleep. The plan was to sleep in since call time wasn't till the next day, but Oliver wasn't used to sleeping past 6 during weekdays.

"I saw your interview. Bro, you need to be careful. You and Lou already have fans thinking you're a couple for real."

Oliver rolled his eyes. It was a fair warning, although he was used to fans thinking he and Ryan were a couple. In comparison, the tweets about him and Lou were a drop in the ocean.

"Considering I still have psychotic fans dm-ing me about cheating on you even before the interview, I don't think there's much I can do right or wrong at this point." Oliver pointed out, he busied himself by letting Jade and Bear out to the backyard.

He heard Ryan let out a gruff sigh, "Look, I know you're doing this social media block or whatever, but now they're scouting out our location while we're out filming. I just don't want you to get harassed or whatever by some fans who thinks that buddie is real and decides to make it your problem. It's bad enough they think you talk to them through your photos."

Oliver grimaced at that, he knew fame came with cons- he was just having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that so many people thought they had an actual relationship with him.

Half of them didn't know he was even British.

"I appreciate the warning, I'm sure Lou does as well but i dont think its gonna make any difference. We both seen how some people take it too far. Im off twitter for that reason." Oliver made his usual cup of coffee and got started on the second cup, poking his head in his fridge to see if he had what was needed to make banana pancakes.

"Yeah, but not Lou. He's still getting hounded so just ease up on the heart eyes, he gets enough death threats as it is. I doubt he needs to deal with fans thinking he's in a relationship with you, the guy is still single. Don't hurt his chances now."

Oliver honestly couldn't figure out if Ryan was joking or not, but he figured it didn't hurt to be a smart ass while having such a dumb conversation. "Are you saying he could do better than me? Ryan, I'm hurt."

He could almost imagine Ryan rolling his eyes at him. "Way better, Oli."

"You dick." Oliver heard foot steps coming his way. "Look, Ryan, I appreciate the warning. I'll try to calm down the heart eyes okay?"

"Thank you. That's all I ask, you and Lou don't need that drama if the show keeps Buck and Tommy together."

"Agreed." Oliver didn't jolt at the warm hands and arms wrapping along his middle under his shirt. "Talk soon, man?"

"Yeah, later."

Oliver disconnected the call and turned around to see a very tired Lou, his hair sticking up in curly tuft and a good amount of stubble over his jaw.

"Morning." Oliver could already feel his face heat up as Lou pulled him closer to kiss.

"I thought the plan was to sleep past 8 am for once." Lou complained petulantly. He nuzzled his face unto the crook of Oliver's neck, his words causing Oliver to let out a huff of a laugh, "We should be in bed, you should be spooning me right now."

Oliver carded his fingers through Lou's hair, "I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep, figured I could just make us breakfast instead."

That didn't seem to appease Lou at all, the older man continued to hug Oliver as Oliver tried to make pancakes for them. "Who was that? On the phone?" Lou asked sleepily.

"Ry." Oliver petted Lou's head again before grabbing a bowl and bananas. "He wanted to give me a heads up, or a warning I guess?"

That had Lou wake up a bit. "A warning? About the show or something else?"

Oliver sighed, "Both? I guess. Apparently I keep blushing when I talk about you to the point where some people are asking if we're a couple." Oliver couldn't help but laugh as he felt Lou smile into his neck.

"Imagine that. Us?" Lou feigned disgust, his nose scrunching up that Oliver couldn't help but find adorable. "Good heavens no."

"Shut up." Oliver swatted his arm, "He just doesn't want either of us to go through what he and I went through."

Lou let out a soft hum, watching Oliver intently. "I know we agreed to keep things between us, did you want us to be more discreet?" Truth be told, Lou was under the impression he was doing a good job at distancing himself from Oliver but not the show or Tevan. He had seen what Oliver had gone through and didn't want to add to it.

"No...I mean." Oliver took a deep breath in and out. "I don't know to be honest?" He admitted, he relaxed and leaned into Lou. "I didn't realize I was being that obvious when talking about you." He felt himself flush again as Lou kissed his neck and then cheek.

"I'm not complaining. I like the fact that I have that affect on you." Lou mumbled into Oliver's neck. "It's selfish, but I like that people can tell that I make you happy. I can make you smile that Lou smile."

Oliver let out an annoyed groan, "I do not have a Lou smile." He had given up on making the pancakes, enjoying just being swayed and kissed by his boyfriend.

"Fine." Lou conceded without any fuss. He kissed Oliver on the lips, they were meant to be short quick pecks but Oliver turned in Lous hold so that he could chest to chest with Lou, grabbing his hips as he deepened the kiss.

Oliver wasn't sure who pulled away first, but his grip on Lou's hips tightened. "Okay," he sighed, kissing Lou again who just hummed and waited for Oliver to continue, "Maybe I do have a Lou smile. Is that so bad?"

Lou smiled into the next kiss, enjoying how Oliver seemed to just give into the kiss and his holds "No, I don't think it is."

Besides, Lou thought Oliver's "Lou smile" went along with his "Looking at Oliver eyes" well.

[jibitzlesscrocs]

the twins first birthday for the next kids for a day?

matt sturniolo x reader

warning : none

kid for the day pt. 9

in which it’s the twins birthday

You woke to the sound of distant giggling and footsteps racing down the hall.

It was Riley.

“IT’S BIRTHDAY TIME!” she screamed from somewhere near the kitchen, barefoot and wrapped in her unicorn blanket like a cape.

Matt groaned beside you, still half-asleep. “She’s more excited than the twins, and they’re the ones turning one.”

You laughed softly and sat up, stretching as sunlight peeked through the blinds. “We made it through a year,” you murmured.

Matt rolled over to face you, his eyes still heavy but smiling. “We made it through a year with two babies. That deserves a national holiday.”

Then came the second sound—your phone buzzing nonstop. Group texts from your mom, your siblings, Matt’s mom, and his brothers. Pictures of balloons in trunks, cake carriers buckled into car seats, and voice memos asking things like:

“Do babies like watermelon?”

“Do you have enough ice?”

“Does Jackson still hate that squeaky giraffe or is it safe to bring it?”

You blinked at the screen. “Brace yourself. They’re coming.”

Matt smirked and sat up. “How bad can it be?”

**

The twins were already babbling when you got to their nursery. Gabriela was standing, gripping the crib rail, hair sticking out at all angles. Jackson was on his back, legs kicking wildly, one sock already gone.

“Happy birthday, sweet peas,” you cooed, scooping Gabriela into your arms. “Today, you’re officially one. One whole year of sunshine, drool, and chaos.”

Jackson let out a squeal like he understood and demanded to be picked up too.

By the time you’d changed them into their cupcake pajamas and carried them downstairs, the front door burst open.

“Where are my birthday angels!?” came Matt’s mom, arms full of gift bags, tears already in her eyes. Behind her, Matt’s brothers, Chris and Nick, were arguing about who had the better wrapping job.

“I used actual ribbon,” Chris pointed out.

“Yeah? I used eco-friendly ribbon,” Nick retorted.

“Boys,” Matt muttered, sweeping Jackson up into his arms. “Let’s not fistfight before breakfast.”

Then your mom arrived with a tupperware tower of samosas, your siblings holding a tray of mango cupcakes, your dad offering an awkward but enthusiastic “Happy… Birthday… Team!” like he was giving a work presentation.

Riley dashed around the living room in full party-planner mode, taping her hand-painted signs everywhere. “Can someone get me more tape?! And don’t let Gabi touch the glitter glue—it’s not edible, even though it looks delicious.”

Matt leaned against the kitchen counter with Jackson on his hip, watching the chaos unfold. “This is what love looks like,” he said, voice half-laugh, half-awe.

**

Breakfast was barely controlled mayhem. You set out a tray of bear-shaped pancakes, but Gabriela smushed hers instantly, covering her tray and half her face in syrup. Jackson flung a blueberry halfway across the room, where it landed squarely in Chris’s pepsi.

“Yo—sniper baby!” Chris cheered.

You tried to take a photo of the mess, but your camera roll was immediately hijacked by Riley’s selfies with every guest. One even had your dad mid-bite, eyes wide.

Mid-morning brought the first meltdown—Riley got overwhelmed when Gabriela spit up on her handmade “Birthday Princess” sash.

“I worked so hard on that,” she sniffled, crumpling into your lap.

You cupped her cheeks gently. “I know, sweetie. And guess what? Gabi probably drooled on it because she loved it.”

Matt handed Riley a new sash, made quickly with marker and tape: “Super Sister: Round 2.”

“And this one’s drool-proof,” he added, earning a giggle from her through her tears.

**

By noon, the backyard had been transformed. Picnic blankets on the grass. Streamers in the trees. A soft play area with plush blocks and pop-up tents. Balloons floated everywhere. You lost track of how many people asked, “Can I hold one of them?” or “Which one is the one with the tooth coming in?”

The twins loved the attention. Gabriela soaked up every cuddle, clapping and babbling to each new face. Jackson played it cool until your sibling gave him a taste of their mango cupcake—then he lit up, frosting smeared across his nose like war paint.

Cake time was the peak of chaos.

You and Matt placed the smash cakes in front of them—Gabriela’s was strawberry with buttercream swirls, Jackson’s was lemon-vanilla.

Everyone sang—off-key and way too loud, of course.

Riley took it very seriously, waving her hands like a conductor. “Sloooower, people! This is their moment!”

Gabriela immediately face-dived into hers. Jackson hesitated, then cautiously poked his cake—before squealing and clapping when frosting hit his fingers.

Nick was filming on his phone. “This is going on your wedding slideshows, you know that, right?”

Matt looked over at you, frosting on his chin from stealing a bite. “We made good ones.”

“You say that like they’re cookies,” you laughed, wiping Jackson’s hands.

“Cookies with lungs and opinions,” Matt replied, pressing a kiss to your temple.

**

As golden hour hit, the twins were in fresh clothes—matching little rompers with tiny embroidered “One” patches—and everyone started to wind down. You all sat on blankets in the backyard, surrounded by toys and crumpled gift wrap. Gabriela dozed against Matt’s chest, Jackson lay stretched out across your legs, Riley leaned sleepily into your shoulder. humming a lullaby she made up on the spot.

Your mom brought out warm milk in sippy cups.

Your dad handed Matt a baby book he’d secretly worked on for months. “Memories matter,” he said softly, eyes glassy.

Chris accidentally knocked over a bubble machine, sending a stream of bubbles into Nick’s face.

“BRO,” Nick sputtered, wiping his eyes.

“I’m making memories,” Chris grinned.

Matt just laughed, brushing his thumb gently along Gabriela’s hairline. “This is my favorite day.”

You kissed Jackson’s sleepy forehead. “Mine too.”

**

As the sky turned lavender, everyone slowly filtered out. There were long hugs at the door, sleepy promises to visit again soon, and a final round of kisses from grandparents who refused to leave without one more snuggle.

Later, in bed, with all three kids tucked safely between you and Matt—Gabriela curled into your ribs, Jackson nestled under Matt’s arm, and Riley hugging her stuffed bunny in the middle—you whispered, “One year down.”

Matt turned to you, his voice quiet. “Forever to go.”

And then he kissed you. Just like he did when you brought them home a year ago.

Right there, tangled in love and frosting memories and gentle snores, your heart was the fullest it had ever been.

taglist: @courta13 , @sunkissedsturniolos , @ivysturnss , @imsoborediwannadie , @emeraldsturns , @beabadoobeelvur , @moth-feeet , @lezleeferguson-120 , @theowensturniolo , @leahfaith , @nickysturnss , @mattspillowprincess , @mqttsbunnyies , @passionfruitchris , @emely9274 , @riggysworld

MAI’S STORE

-

[trippinsorrows]

without you + four

authors note: damn. it's been a minute. wanted to at least update this story for ya'll before christmas. i'll try my best to not make the next update take as long.

warnings: none

song inspo: be without you by mary j. blige

one + two + three

words: 5k

“Ooooh, this some nice white people shit.”

“Alexis!”

Leave it to this girl to always say some out of pocket shit at the wrong time. You offer an apologetic gaze to the workers who cast her an almost strange look at her outburst before elbowing your best friend. “Bitch, would you shut the fuck up.”

She sucks her teeth, offering an excuse versus an explanation. “What I say?” She gestures around the backyard that’s just about fully decorated. “You know black people. We usually got that one nice centerpiece of them big ass balloons and a Sam’s or Costco sheet cake for baby showers. That’s about it.” Rolling your eyes, she just has to add on. “It’s like when we have a funeral, and they done put Grandma Rose in them ghetto ass clouds talking about some sunrise to sunset.”

At that, you have to laugh. “Okay, you not wrong there.”

“I’m never wrong. Duh.”

“Whatever.” You take in once more just the opulent display that Alexis and Kaylah have been working on over the past few weeks. Initially, they wanted to find a venue to rent, but considering this baby shower will only include close friends and family, a venue seemed like too  much. Not to mention that Joe has been adamant about trying to keep this pregnancy as private as possible. Not necessarily from a place of wanting to hide it. No, if that was the case, he wouldn’t have shared some of the maternity pictures you took not even two weeks ago to his Instagram.

Or even some faceless photos of Callie. 

But, that’s something he can control. A sharing he has autonomy over and full say in. Paparazzi crashing your baby shower is not, thus the two of you deciding that the shower should just take place at your home.

And given the massive size of not only the actual house but your backyard, it’s a great decision. 

“It’s all looking so nice.” Kaylah’s voice enters the conversation as she walks over, clipboard in hand and a smile on her face. “How you doing, mama bear?”

Rolling your eyes, you answer honestly, “feeling big and pregnant.”

“Well….”

“Shut up, Lex,” you mutter, rubbing your belly. “These babies have definitely been kicking my ass with this back and breast pain.”

Granted, being five months pregnant with triplets, it’s an expected sort of discomfort. It’s helped immensely to have a fiancé that’s home and attentive and always willing to do whatever he needs or rather, whatever you need. He’s taken over Callie duties on the evenings where you just feel tired. He cooks most nights, partially because he knows your feet hurt and are swollen usually. But also, that little traitorous little girl of yours has made it clear she prefers daddy’s food over mommy’s food. He’s even gone as far as calling your mom and asking for tips on how to do Callie’s hair, as your ever growing belly has made that a little bit more difficult.

Put simply, he continues to be the perfect man. You couldn’t have asked for a better partner in life. 

Kaylah moves closer, hand on your stomach. She, along with other close family and friends, never need to ask. It’s just the strangers who you don’t know that need to stay six feet away at all times. “I can’t believe we’re only four months away from meeting them.”

Alexis shakes her head. “Earth, Wind, and Fire truly have no idea what kind of big ass, loving, chaotic family they’re about to be born into.”

Blowing out a breath, you scold her, “girl, how many times I gotta tell you to stop calling them that?”

“Would you prefer Thing 1, 2, and 3?” No answer is all the answer she needs. “That’s what I thought.” And, of course, she has to just sneak on in there another attempt. “If you would just tell me the sexes—”

“Ain’t happening.” You shut that shit down real fast. “Joe and I already made it clear. We’re not revealing that until the shower.” A special thing kept between yourself, your fiancé, and the child you already share, as Callie was present for your last checkup appointment where you were able to find out the sexes. 

“Bitch, the shower is literally tomorrow.”

“And you, along with everyone else, will find out tomorrow then.” Alexis is visibly, playfully annoyed, as Kaylah only laughs. 

“I understand. We’re just excited. That’s all.”

And, you get it. The farther along you get in your pregnancy, the more excitement you feel at getting to meet your babies. All the shopping, the setting up of the nurseries (you and Joe decided on two rooms), even the deciding of the names. Even more, it’s been so special to have a partner in all of this. You might not have gotten that with Callie, but you’re damn sure getting it now, and it feels good.

—------

“I don’t know if I should take her to Disney by myself.”

Joe’s seemingly random statement takes you by surprise. Turning to him with a frown, you ask, “what?”

He sighs, also angling his body to you while his focus remains on your belly. “You’re so far along in your pregnancy. Anything could happen.”

“But, it won’t,” you stress, reaching up to palm his cheek. “Joe, I’ll be fine. My mom will be here with me. Both Kaylah and Alexis are less than 15 minutes away. I won’t be alone.” Because that seems to be what he’s thinking. “I want you guys to go. She’s really looking forward to it, and not just because the kid lives and breathes Disney.” Largely thanks to yourself and your mom. “Plus, that’s what she wants for her birthday.”

“Or a puppy.”

“I swear to God, if you or your mini me bring up that damn puppy one more time.”

He chuckles and moves to kiss your temple. “Just don’t want to not be here if you need me…”

“I’ll always need you in one way or another, Joe.” The God’s honest truth. “But, our daughter needs you more, and I want her to get in as much one-one-time with you before the babies arrive and she suddenly has to share you with three siblings.”

He eyes you, recognizing the unspoken concern in your statement. “You still think she’s going to get jealous?”

“I know she is,” you answer, matter-of-factly. “She’s a little kid. A mama and daddy’s girl. It’s natural. We’ll just have to make sure we reassure and look out for any signs.” Though you know not everything can be caught, and kids are sometimes good at hiding what they don’t want their parents to see. Granted, Callie has always been pretty open with you, so you hope that doesn’t change. 

As the two of you move back to folding clothes, you find yourself changing the subject, “also, not related, but before my baby brain kicks in, I was thinking, what if I applied for a job at her school?”

It’s something you thought about when you and Joe toured the private school that Ellie attends, a nice, expensive but safe option considering sending Callie to public school in the fall doesn't seem like the best or smartest move.

Working at your daughter’s school is also just something that would make you feel a little better. A new school. A new educational milestone. You wanna support her and be there for her as much as you can.

However, the less than thrilled look on Joe’s face definitely takes you by surprise. 

“You’re gonna work?”

It’s such a simple but silly question that makes you scoff quietly, “of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

He shrugs, grabbing another item to fold. A part of you is wondering if you’re even going to have room for the gifts you’ll receive at the baby shower tomorrow. You two have already gotten so many things, clothes especially. “Maybe because we’re about to have three newborns.” 

Rolling your eyes, you calmly counter, “No shit. I’m not thinking of going back right away. Maybe next fall. They’ll be one. Callie will be starting first grade, so it would be nice to be working at the place where she, and they, eventually, will be at.”

When he doesn’t say anything, you’re inclined to prompt a follow up when he finally breaks his silence. “I don’t know how that’s supposed to work.”

Frowning, you ask, “what do you mean?”

Joe sighs, an edge in his voice. “You seriously want to go back to work when we’ll have three one year-olds?” And before you can respond, he continues. “Who’s going to stay with them, Y/N? You’ll be working. I’ll be on the road—”

“It’s not like we’ll be working 24/7, Joe. And we’ve got a huge support system here. Your family. Kaylah. Alexis. It’s not like we’re alo—”

“You don't need to be working.”

Silence.

It’s a good minute before you speak again. “Excuse me?”

He blows out a breath, running a hand through his hair that’s down and hanging. “I want you to stay home with the kids full time—”

“Joe.” Cutting him off isn’t the best thing, but your emotion is starting to get the best of you. “You know me. You know damn well that I’m not the stay at home wife type. I’ve worked consistently since I was sixteen years-old, and I’m not about to stop just because you want me to.”

You love what you do. Teaching might be a stressful career, but it’s always been more rewarding than anything. And truth be told, you can’t imagine a life for yourself where you’re not doing it in some capacity.

Joe’s voice is even, his expression stern. “It’s not about me, Y/N. It’s about what’s best for the kids.”

“And if what was truly best for them is for me to be here full time, then I would do that, but it’s not necessary—”

“And that’s where I disagree with you,” he pushes back, angled completely toward you, arms crossed. He shrugs. “I think it is.”

Partially taken back by his stance on this, it still doesn’t prevent you from standing your ground. “Well then, I guess we’re not on the same page here then.”

“Not at all.”

It’s a strange thing, being on such opposite ends of the spectrum. Joe has always matched you so well, and unfortunately, that can include the level of stubbornness. He is never one to back down, but neither are you. 

So where does that leave you two?

“Mommy.”

Callie’s quiet voice breaks the intense impasse. Clearing your throat, you turn to her and force a small smile. “What’s up, sis?”

She moves her hands behind her back, teetering up and down on the heels of her feet. “Will you color with me?”

An easy answer if it will get you out of this room that’s suddenly filled with an uncomfortable amount of tension. 

“Callie, mommy and I need a few min—”

“Of course, I’ll color with you, baby.” Again, you fully recognize that cutting him off is rude and not the best way to handle this. A petty way, certainly. But, he also knows that when you get pissed off, it’s best to just give you some space.

Even if it’s not the best thing overall.

Not even bothering to look back at him, you walk over and take Callie’s hand, escorting you both out the room with another word.

Left alone with his thoughts, still irked at the conversation as a whole, Joe quickly and easily realizes telling you what he wanted you to do wasn’t the right approach.

He knows he has good reasons for his preferred plan regarding the whole work thing, but he also knows you, or should know you well enough, to know that trying to tell you what to do has never and will never end well.

It’s just he definitely wasn’t expecting your approach and outlook on this job thing, even if it makes sense for your character and what he knows about you. There was just this part of him that was thinking you’d maybe take a couple years off before returning to teaching. Wait until the kids are a little older. That makes most sense to him, and he’s sure if he maybe responded better and was cleared on his reasoning, you’d have been a bit more receptive.

Maybe not have walked out.

Joe’s phone dinging in his pocket prompts him to pull it out.

Megan: Hey there! Just wanted to follow up and let you know the housing and travel arrangements are all finalized.

Megan: Though I’m curious, you requested a house instead of an apartment? 

Megan: That’s a lot of room for just one man. 😉

Joe does find the added emoji a little strange, maybe unprofessional by some standards, but it’s the least of his worries right now.

Joe: Thank you for the update. My fiancée and daughter will be coming to visit when I have to stay for a few days for filming. Need the room for them.

And, it’s not set to happen very often, his management working with the film execs for a schedule that’s pretty flexible and allows him to be back home the same day for most of the filming. It’s just those few instances where he has to stay overnight, a couple days even, that he and you decided would be the times where you and Callie would stay with him.

Megan: Oh.

For some reason, Megan's response rubs him the wrong way, which is strange because up until this point, he’s had no issues with the young woman. She’s been professional, helpful, and informative. 

Megan: I think it’s so cool how family oriented you are. So freaking sweet.

Joe truly has no idea how to respond to that, because it’s not inherently wrong. If anything, it’s just a compliment, but there’s something about it…

Megan: Anyways, won’t keep ya! Hope you have a great rest of your evening, babe! ❤️

It’s that message, however, that crosses the line, prompting him to reply and remind her of his boundaries.

And her place.

Joe: As you said, I’m very family oriented, so I’d prefer if you didn’t call me that. The emoji is also inappropriate and makes me uncomfortable.

Someone never uncomfortable with setting a boundary, he feels nothing when he sees the typing bubble appear and reappear several times before her response slides in.

Megan: I am SO SO sorry. I’m so used to working with women, so my dialogue is sometimes women coded. Again, my apologies. Have a great evening, Joe.

It’s a response that he appreciates and doesn’t feel the need to respond to. He said what he needed to stay. She apologized and made it right. It’s all water under the bridge.

Joe goes to lock his phone and put it away when a thought crosses his mind. 

You have his passcode, are free to go through his phone, not something that you’ve ever done but something he doesn’t care about regardless. However, if you were to go through it for some reason, seeing this exchange could most definitely make you feel some type of way. 

And, it’s not that he feels guilty, Joe knows he handled it appropriately and accurately. But, he doesn’t want you getting upset, doesn’t need you experiencing any kind of unnecessary stress.

Something he’s already inadvertently contributed to by not handing your argument a few minutes ago correctly. 

None of that is good for you, and especially not for the babies, and when it comes to this pregnancy, he's not taking any risks.

Especially not with you as far along as you are.

Joe ultimately decides to delete the last three texts, letting the conversation stop at the “family oriented” comment from Megan.

Again, he doesn’t need a situation that’s not even a real situation being an issue.

It’s just better this way.

—------

You’re touching up your makeup, about to apply another coat of mascara to add the finishing touches to the complete look for the baby shower when you take a moment to appreciate your appearance. The white dress is beautiful against your melanin, and your mom did the damn thing with your hair. Ultimately deciding to wear your hair natural, mama opted to put it up in a beautiful, fancy updo that perfectly frames and highlights your beat face. 

The final product is something stunning and perfect, the ideal look you wanted and were aiming for on this big, special day. 

A knock on the bathroom door prompts you to lift your gaze to the mirror where you’re met with the lingering stare of your handsome fiancé.

Taking in his outfit, a white, short sleeved button up shirt, khaki shorts, topped off with white and gold Nike Freeks, a small smile falls on your face. It’s the perfect look for him. So Joe.

He walks in and closes the door behind him, coming to stand behind you. Your eyes shut as he holds you, hand on your bump, head in the crook of your neck.

“You look beautiful,” he compliments with a kiss pressed against your moisturized skin. 

“Thank you, baby,” you murmur, reaching up and caressing the back of his head. “I’m sorry….”

“Naw, I’m sorry,” he interrupts in an equal voice, carefully turning you around as looks down with an apologetic countenance. “It wasn’t right for me to try to tell you what to do.”

“Maybe, but I wasn’t exactly trying to be receptive.” Sleeping on it helped you arrive at that realization that with all of the glaring, embarrassing clarity. “I think I’m so used to doing things my way that I forgot it isn’t just about me and what I want, it’s about us and what works for my family.”

“I don’t want to take away from your autonomy, Y/N.”

“I know that, Leati.” Hand moving to palm his face, you remind, “but these babies mean we’re all going to have to adjust one way or another. I might have to take some time off from working full time.”

Because as much as you love what you do, Joe was right in that your kids might need you to be home more. Full time, even. And while it would definitely feel a little off going into a school year and not having a classroom to call yours, taking care of your children and making sure they’re straight would more than fill that void.

“And, I’m going to see about making my part time schedule permanent,” he shares, moving his hand to your hip, giving a gentle squeeze when you open your mouth to protest. “It’s what I want, babe. I told you before, I don’t want to miss anything else.” He leans forward and kisses your forehead, suggesting, “maybe you could do something part time?”

“Maybe.” You shrug, reassuring, “regardless, we’ll figure it out and do what’s best not for you or for me but for our family.”

Because that’s what most important. Doing what’s best not for one but for all of you.

“We will,” he agrees, brushing his lips against yours, “I don’t ever want to go to bed not on good terms again, you understand me?”

Your thighs shouldn’t clench together the way they do at his commanding tone. It’s a serious thing that you agree with, but it’s the combination of his hard body against yours, his cologne invading your senses, and his minty breath against your face that has you pushing back….something.

“Yes, daddy.” A cheeky, double entendre that has his eyes narrowing. 

There's something so innocent yet downright filthy as he promises in a darkened voice, “you know Imma fuck the shit out of you when all is said and done today, right?”

Fuck.

More fluttering, even if it’s something you already know. Because it’s been three days, and that’s far too long to go without your favorite pastime. 

Hand moving over his crotch, you palm his dick through his pants. “Good, cause mama needs her fill.” Licking your lips, you add, “if we had time, I’d suck your dick right now.”

Because five months pregnant or not, so long as you can find a way to have this man inside of you, that’s exactly what you gon’ do. You both love sex too much to go too long without it. And, you both know the window in which you can realistically be sexually active during this pregnancy is waning, so you’ve gotta make the most of the time you do have.

Joe’s glare is light and teasing. “You such a nasty lil’ thing, you know that?”

Smiling and moving your arms around his neck, you cheekily remind him, “but that’s part of why you love me, ain’t it? Because I match your freak. Because mama loves when daddy puts her in her place. Ties, whips and bondage included….”

“Fuck, Y/N, you tryna make me hard?” A rhetorical but also serious question as he drops his hand to your backside, taking a handful of your supple ass in his big hands. “Want daddy to fuck his pussy with all them people down there and outside waiting for u—”

Several hard knocks on the door followed by a familiar voice. “Mommy! Daddy!” A smile breaks on your face as he closes his eyes, clearly trying to settle himself. “Grandma says it’s time!”

Laughing quietly, you call out, “okay, baby. We’ll be out in a few minutes.”

And, of course, your forever inquisitive child has to ask, “what are you guys doing?”

Joe chuckles and slaps your ass before moving to open the door, a grinning Callie smiling even harder as she looks up at her favorite person. “Daddy!”

Reaching for him, Joe doesn’t hesitate to lean over and pick her up. Your smile grows at the sight of Callie dressed in her adorable white and gold dress, your mom also styling her curls into two big pom poms. 

She looks so much like Joe in this moment.

Callie gasps and compliments, “mommy! You look so pretty!”

“Thank you, Callie Bear.” You move over and kiss her cheek, deciding your current look is good enough. 

It’s time to celebrate your growing family.

—------

The Baby Shower is something out of a dream. 

Beautifully decorated, whites, blues, and pinks spread across your backyard, the aesthetic is very Pinterest aligned and everything you could have imagined for a day meant to celebrate the three lives you’ve created. 

Guests including several members of Joe’s family like his mom and sisters, Jon and Josh and their families. Alexis, too, of course. Jadah was invited but unable to make it due to work obligations. Regardless, it’s a wonderful outcome, being surrounded by all the people you love the most here to be with you during this great time in your lives. 

It’s a lot of laughter, a ton of great food, a tremendous amount of gifts, and an abundance of love that's felt from the moment you, Joe, and Callie walk out to the sound of Baby by Ashanti playing. Continues as there’s a damn near mass chorus that’s formed when When I See You by Fantasia comes on.

And the classic dances such as the Wobble and Electric Slide to Candy by Cameo that you most definitely get your big and pregnant ass to partake in.

But, one of your favorite parts has to be the photo station, several photos taken of yourself and Joe, various shots of his hands placed protectively over your stomach. Callie joins you for a couple photos as well, though it’s not missed upon you when she makes a face after one of Joe’s sisters jokingly makes a comment to her about “not being the only kiddo in the house anymore.”

It’s something you’ll certainly circle back around to at the end of the party, and it’s a time that’s nearing as the three of you start to kick off the moment everyone has been waiting for.

Joe’s deep voice travels across the spacious yard as he keeps an arm around you, Callie holds onto his shirt and stands on the other side of him. “We just want to thank all of you for taking time out to be here with us today.” 

“You already know we weren’t about to miss this,” Trinity shouts.

Jon laughs and adds, “hell no. Can’t remember the last time we had a set of triplets join the family.”

“That’s cause it don’t happen a lot in general,” Alexis chimes, sipping on her Henny. “But Big Di—”

“Like Joe said,” you cut her off, already knowing where that was going. “We’re so happy and blessed to have you all in our lives, and it means the world to us that our children, the babies and Callie, have so many people who love them just as much as we do.” 

Because knowing these amazing, wonderful people love your kids, even the ones that haven’t even arrived yet, as much as you and Joe do, truly is the best thing ever.

“But, we all know what ya’ll really wanna know,” Joe chuckles. “You wanna know the genders.” 

A round of agreement prompts laughter with someone shouting out “hell yeah!” and Josh saying something about “winning the bet.” 

As one of the workers brings over the three sets of balloons and pins, you and Joe make sure Callie has the right one before you take over. “Alright, is everyone ready?”

“Girl, would you hurry up? The new season of Baddies drops tonight!”

“Alexis, shut the hell up,” you laugh, shaking your head before turning to Joe. With a head nod, volume increased, you start with an excited tone, “the first baby is…..” And a small second of intentional delay before you pop the balloon, revealing blue confetti. 

More rounds of applause and cheers as Joe proudly announces, “a boy.”

“I knew it!”

“The Tribal Chief got a tribal heir!”

“Whew, sis, start them kegel exercises now!”

When the celebration dies down, Joe and Callie focus on you for your turn. You lift up the balloon as he kicks off this time, “the second baby is….” Another intentional delay followed by a pop, revealing more blue confetti.

Eyes watering, you share loudly and proudly, “another boy!”

The pure excitement on everyone's face, including your mom who has silent tears streaming down her face, has you blotting at your eyes. This moment couldn’t be anymore perfect.

Joe moves to pick up Callie, kissing her cheek, asking, “you ready, Callie Bear?” She nods with excitement, you and Joe speaking in synchronization as you stand close to him with your hand on his stomach, “and the third baby is…..” Callie counts to three, closes her eyes, and pops the balloon.

And as pink confetti blends with the blue, she shouts with all the happiness, “a baby girl!”

The crowd of family and friends is the loudest during the last and final reaction, deepening your happiness, mimicking that of which was felt when Dr. Young revealed the sexes to you at your last appointment.

Two boys and one girl is literally perfect. 

Your little family truly is truly going to be complete.

“And,” you cut through the cheers, one glance at your fiancé and daughter before you continue. “We have another surprise for ya’ll.”

“Don’t tell me there’s a fourth!”

Rolling your eyes at Jon, you cut right to it, “we’ve decided to share the names we’ve picked out.”

Gasps and excitement go around, Joe once again being the one to start off. “The firstborn boy will be named Iosefa Anoa’i.” 

Iosefa.

The Samoan variation of the name Joseph.

Gaze on Joe, it fills your heart with so much love to see and hear the pride in his voice and on his face. Having one of your sons named after him is the least you can do for this man. 

It’s what he deserves.

Clearing your throat, you provide the second name. “The second baby boy will be named Isaiah Anoa’i.” A strong, Biblical name. A name given in honor of your mom who has always loved said name. A moving gesture she clearly recognizes given the way she places both hands over her heart, mouthing ‘thank you.’

You mouth, 'I love you, too' back as both yourself and Joe redirect your focus to Callie for her big moment.

She giggles when Joe tickles her stomach before yelling, “and my baby sister will be named Moana Anoa’i!”

Deciding on names was such an intimate, thoughtful, moving process, and while they may not be as alike or even common as most triplet names, they mean something to you, Joe, and even Callie, who both yourself and your husband decided to let name her sister. 

Callie is your firstborn, special to both of you in ways that you can’t describe, so giving her that only felt right.

And as you re-enter the group of friends and family who have gathered here for this special occasion, you can’t help but imagine what that’s going to be like when it happens again. On a different day. For a different reason. A year or so away, when you stand before them and God and take the man who completes you as your better half.

A beautiful day indeed, even if it’s more for show and aesthetic anyway. 

Because unbeknownst to most of the guests, outside of Callie, your mom, and Joe’s mom, you have an appointment at the courthouse tomorrow morning at 10am sharp.

Because after tomorrow, not only will you and Joe Anoa’i share children.

You’ll share last names.

Because tomorrow is your wedding day. 

You’ll officially be Mrs. Y/N Anoa’i.

[lovemaybankk]

white mustang - part 2: jj maybank x pogue!reader

pairing: jj maybank x pogue!reader

read part 1 here!

read part 3 (18+) here!

inspired by lana del rey's song, "white mustang" ♡

summary: when you're restarting life in the obx, you meet jj maybank who quickly befriends you and desperately needs you as a tutor in a class you share. you gradually discover he has deeper intentions.

word count: 2,126 words

author's note: thank you so much for reading my series!! i sincerely hope you enjoy :) also this is not proofread

p.s. next chapter includes smut!!

warning: mentions of drugs and drinking, kissing

you again came to a halting stop right in front of your porch. jj again got off the bike first to hold you steady as you came off and carried all of your belongings to the door. before he could take another step, he abruptly stopped when he heard your gentle voice.

"wait jj, could we move the bike to the back please?" he could hear the anxiety in your voice, worried that your grandparents would come back home any second and recognize the bike of jj maybank.

already, you knew you weren't supposed to have him inside the house. and admittedly, you were worried what would happen to not only you, but jj, if your grandparents were to suddenly catch you two.

jj immediately gently put your belongings by the door, where you began to stand waiting, and he went to move his bike into the backyard but also close to the gate for easy access. he came back around and grabbed your belongings again as you used your house keys to open the door.

he patiently wait as you opened and before you were about to let him go before you, he immediately put his hand up and gestured to the door, he excitingly exclaimed "ladies first!" you could feel your heart about to burst internally from how much of a gentleman he had been in the past few months and calmly stepped inside right before he did.

"this is you?" jj looked at you with curiosity while pointing to the one of the many photo frames in the hallway.

"how'd you know?" you asked back to him and turned your head to the side.

"well how could i not notice your hair here? your nose? and your eyes?" he nonchalantly said as he proceeded to stroll down the hallway to look at more photos without noticing how you were struck by his attention to detail, especially to you.

you caught up to where he was in the hallway and turned to the photo he was looking at. it was a photo of you and your grandparents back in elementary school. you were sitting right between your grandma and grandpa on the same couch inches away from you two currently with the most beaming smile.

for each of the nearly fifteen total photos that were stacked on the hallway wall, jj looked intricately at each and every one of them, asking questions and listening attentively to your responses.

you both were in your bedroom and sitting side by side at your small desk. while you were trying to demonstrate to him how to solve a set of problems, he was too caught up in glancing around your bedroom, paying particular attention to your soft bed and the aromatics from your nightstand candles.

"jj, are you paying attention?"

he quickly turned his head back to the paper when you caught him and nervously started scratching his nape of his neck up into his blonde strands.

"of course, i am!"

"here, try it." you handed him the same pencil you were using and felt yourself about to burst into laughter from seeing how nervously he grabbed it and hovered it over the paper in front of you two.

after only ten seconds of thinking about the problem in front of him, he dropped the pencil and said firmly, "ok, i was not paying attention."

you began to laugh and picked the pencil back up and noticed he started laughing in sync with you, "i already know you weren't."

"there's stuff on my mind right now."

"like what?" as you asked this, you turned your head with a confused expression while looking deep into his cerulean eyes.

as he was maintaining strong eye contact with you, he took a deep inhale and exhaled out of his mouth before he quickly said, "there's gonna be a party in the sand tonight. drinks and everything."

"sounds fun, are you going with john b?"

"of course, and hopefully pope and our friend, kie. you should come, we can go together...?"

as you began thinking, he started to bite his lip in anticipation and playing around with his jean shorts as he continued to look at you, awaiting your response. before you could respond, a rolled up joint of weed from jj's pockets fell beneath your desk and onto your hardwood floor.

"jj, why do you have that right now??"

"i have it all the time actually..."

as he bent over to pick up his joint, his face came directly back up meeting in front of yours. your faces were only inches away from each other as you looked intensely in each other's eyes. you could feel his subtle breathing and hear the very faint sounds of his chest-beating synchronically.

at this moment, you felt your heart beating out of your chest faster than it ever had before and strong emotions surging through your body. until you saw jj's eyes gradually close in front of you as he leaned in to your face did you feel more relaxed. you closed your eyes as well and felt yourself naturally leaning into him. before you felt any contact from his face, you both abruptly stopped from your positions as the loud noise of the front door opened and both of you could hear the faint sound of shoes on the floor.

you immediately opened your eyes and jumped back in your chair to quietly exclaim, "jj! go in my closet!"

jj's speechless self immediately stood up for you, gently pushing his chair back into your desk and opening your closet door, and you could hear the faint sound of him fumbling around your clothes.

you heard a loud series of knocks on your bedroom door and a muffled, "y/n, are you home?"

you nervously opened the door and said back to your grandparents, "yes! i'm just studying right now." and you turned your attention to your desk behind you with paperwork and folders scattered, directing their attention to it as well.

before they could say anything to you, you added a hesitant, "also...could i maybe go out later?"

"why not?" they both automatically agreed with no prior thought, given that for months, you have always been home besides the occasional errand runs.

you jumped in excitement and hugged them both in return, verbally expressing your gratitude too, "thank you so much guys! i promise to be back at a reasonable time."

given that your family only wanted you to enjoy yourself tonight, especially after what you had been through back at home, they trusted you and only pulled out their phones to make sure their location sharing with you was properly on.

after shortly discussing with them about what they had been doing and their plans for the rest of the night, you close your door again and you place your ear against the door, patiently waiting until they're downstairs for you to get the man out of your closet.

you gently walk back to your closet door to see jj standing silently yet rummaging through your racks of clothes.

you giggled at the sight and asked "do you want to try that top on?"

"absolutely not! i was only looking at it because i recognized it."

"how so?"

"it's the top you wore when we first met in class."

you again felt the same surge of emotions in your body and the warmth spread from to your face, where there was now visible blush on your cheeks. you then remembered what could've happened if you had both heard the sound maybe only opened a few seconds later. you decided to change the topic quickly before anything continued from earlier.

"did you hear? i can go out to that party tonight! but i need time to get ready and you need to for sure, go."

"alright with me, how about i come back in an hour?"

"perfect."

"also y/n....how am i gonna get out?"

you stepped out of the warm shower, the steam curling around you as you dried off and proceeded to get ready. you put on a pair of denim shorts and a white tube top with a small design that subtly highlighted your tan lines, you admired in the mirror how effortlessly the outfit came together. you layered on your gold jewelry, each piece catching the light and giving your look the perfect finishing touch.

you styled your hair in loose waves, letting it fall effortlessly over your shoulders, and kept your makeup light for the sand—voluminous mascara, a swipe of powdered blush, and a glossy tinted lip to enhance your skin's sun-kissed glow.

you checked the time and saw you had about fifteen minutes until you and jj agreed he would be there. right as you were about to grab a drink in your kitchen, you heard a loud engine rev and instantly recognized it being from jj's bike.

you quickly grabbed your essentials and hurried down the stairs to the foyer, your excitement barely contained. slipping on your sandals, you called out a quick goodbye to your grandparents before stepping outside. as you glanced back up, jj was standing casually on the steps of your porch, his hands tucked into his pockets and a familiar grin spreading across his face.

"be careful rev'ing your engine! they might hear you from inside!"

"i doubt it, i'm already relieved they did not hear the bang in their backyard when you made me jump out of your window."

you got onto his bike again and this time, you were able to appreciate the nightfall of north carolina and the breeze from your swift ride nicely contrasted with the warmth of the air.

when you arrived at the beach, you met three of jj's friends: john b, pope, and kiara. they were all super welcoming and funny to be around, and made you feel like you were apart of them.

after the sun fully set, the group and what seemed like every teenager on the outer banks settled into the sand, and the atmosphere shifted to a more fun and relaxed vibe.

jj pulled out a couple of cold beers, passing one to you with a grin. for the first time in your whole life, you took a sip, feeling the coolness settle in, and leaned back, letting the sound of the waves and the laughter around you fill the space as the rest of what they called themselves "pogues" shared memories.

until everyone had to go because jj decided to shoot his gun into the air to defend john b from those who lived on figure eight, topper and his "kook" friends. of course, this meant you and jj had to head back too.

whether it was john b’s hunt for the royal merchant, which had pulled in his friends, and partially you now, or the ongoing tension between the kooks and the pogues in the outer banks—you still felt a sense of safety when riding with jj back home. there was something about him, something effortless in the way he made you feel at ease, like no matter the chaos around you, you could always find calm with him.

it was another warm weekday afternoon and jj was back in your bedroom, sitting side by side with you. it had been nearly an hour, and the entire time you both were actually studying as compared to last time.

this time, you and him were studying the same subject as you tried to last time and you were even using your trinkets around your desk to help demonstrate.

"so do you see how when you use this to represent the variables, it makes it easier to follow the steps?"

your attention remained on the textbook in front of you, accompanied by the small trinkets you used to illustrate the concept in an easier way to him. yet the room was filled with silence, broken only by the sound of his steady breathing.

you reluctantly turned your head to him, your heart beginning to beat heavier out of your chest as you caught his gaze focused intently on you. his eyes held a mix of quiet admiration and unspoken longing, a vulnerability that made you stay still, staring back at him with the same deep focus he had on you.

for a moment, the air between you two was heavy with anticipation. then, almost hesitantly, he leaned in closer, his movements slow as if giving you the chance to pull away. when you stayed exactly where you were, as if you were waiting for this moment since the last, his lips met yours in a kiss that was soft, tender, and filled with every unspoken word he hadn’t yet dared to say.

[lavender-noire]

301 Random Events

After hits such as 100 Random Events & 101 MORE Random Events, I'm back again with 100 more random events for those of you looking to spice up your gameplay.

That's right, you'll need a d301 to use the entirety of the list. Fortunately, you can generate one right here.

I was going to just post the new 100 I wrote, but I realized it's easiest for everyone to just compile everything in one post. All 301 items are under the cut.

Feel free to share any photos/stories with me of things that happen as a result of playing with these event sets! I'm having a lot more fun in my game playing with them and I hope you are too.

Happy Simming!

1. Date Night! At least one sim in the household is heading out on a date this evening. Don't wait up!

2. Barbecue: start up a grill whether it's at home or at the local park and eat with family and friends.

3. Pool party! Pack up the essentials and visit the pool with family and friends. If it's in your backyard, invite some people over!

4. Homesick: call a relative and have them over for a meal.

5. Slumber Party! A teen sim in the household is inviting a friend over to stay the night. Make sure there's enough room.

6. Order In: Nobody wants to cook every night. Order dinner to the house.

7. Neighborly: bake or cook a dish, invite a neighbor over, and gift it to them.

8. The Urge: Someone is fixing to get laid tonight. Make it happen.

9. Out on the Town: Have a meal out at a restaurant for everyone in household.

10. Game Night: Either purchase a game or head out to a local spot to play a game as a household.

11. Family Dinner: No friends, no partners, only family at the dinner table. If living without family members, call and have them over.

12. Green Thumb: Start a garden.

13. Friendly: Make a new friend.

14. Girls' Night! Plan an outing with only girls.

15. Boys' Night! Plan an outing with only boys.

16. Beach Day: Take the Household to the beach for the day.

17. Playing Hooky: Skip work or school.

18. Entrepreneurial: Start a business. If you own one already, head in and get to work.

19. All Nighter: Someone can't sleep tonight.

20. The Kiss: Have someone on the lot share a kiss with someone before the day is over.

21. Children's Day: Celebrate the children in this Sim's life. Give them a gift, play with them, and take them out someplace fun!

22. Gardening Day: Dedicate some time to maintaining the greenery on the lot.

23. Feeling Generous: Donate 10% of the family funds to a sim they know.

24. Feeling VERY Generous: Donate 20% of the family funds to a sim they know.

25. Feng Shui: Redecorate one room in the house.

26. Shopping Spree: Purchase five new outfits.

27. Make Over: Change your sim's personal look.

28. Self-Care: Head to the spa for some rest and relaxation.

29. Getaway: Book a vacation.

30. Ornery: Pick a fight with everyone you interact with today.

31. All Work and No Play: Time to buckle down. This sim can only do actions that contribute to higher performance at work or school.

32. All Play and No Work: No homework, no work, no worries! Absolutely no work or skill building today.

33. Roomie: Welcome someone new into the household.

34. Gym Rat: Today's focus is health! Head to the gym, dive into the pool, go for a jog -- it's time to get fit.

35. Spring Cleaning: This house is a mess. Today's focus is making it sparkling clean.

36. Tinker Tom: Fix everything broken in the household.

37. A Little Sit Down: Meet with the local therapist today.

38. Guess Who's Coming To Dinner: Invite the person this Sim's been seeing to meet the family.

39. Headmaster: Invite the Headmaster over for dinner.

40. Garden Club: Call up the Garden Club and see how your garden measures up.

41. Seven Year Itch: Strike up an affair with the sim you're most attracted to besides your partner.

42. Face Your Fears: Fulfil as many fears as possible for the day.

43. You Can't Fire Me!: Quit your job.

44. Family Reunion: Throw a Family Reunion.

45. Sports Party: Throw a Sports Party.

46. Barfly: Visit at least three bars tonight.

47. Gone Fishing: Go fishing for the day.

48. Van Gogh: Start a new painting

49. Hemingway: Start a new novel.

50. Catfish: Make a friend online.

51. Common Grounds: Meet someone for coffee.

52. Feeling EXTRAORDINARILY GENEROUS: Donate 50% of household funds to a sim you know.

53. New Digs: Move out.

54. Roller Rink: Head out skating.

55. Park It: Purchase a new car.

56. Clubbing: Head out to the club.

57. Blind Date: Call the matchmaker and book a blind date.

58. Take a Hike: Get back to nature and visit a local park.

59. Bookworm: Visit the local library.

60. Old Friends: Invite over or meet up with an old friend.

61. Break Up: Things just aren't working out. Break up with your partner.

62. Scholarly: Any students on the lot, focus on building those grades and skills for scholarships.

63. Make Me Holey: Get a new piercing.

64. Ink: Get a new tattoo

65. Take Me to Church: Go visit the religious hub of your choosing.

66. Talk to the Dead: Visit the cemetery.

67. Play Date: have a parent and their child over for a visit.

68. Stargazer: Use a telescope to glimpse the stars.

69. Dinner Party: Invite some folks over for dinner.

70. Home Cook: Build those cooking skills today! Only home cooked meals.

71. Top Chef: Enter a cooking competition.

72. Tiny Dancer: Enter a dancing competition.

73. Scout's Honor: Form/host a scout troop.

74. Like Mama Used to Make: Make a meal for a family member and gift it to them.

75. New Member of the Family: Adopt a pet.

76. Man's Best Friend: Take your pet to the local park. Maybe meet someone new!

77. Strays: Befriend a stray animal.

78. Logical: Spend the day building those logic points.

79. Charmer: Build those charisma skills today!

80. How to Win Friends and...: Influence everyone you interact with to do something for you today.

81. PTA Meeting: meet with the local parents to discuss goings on in the community.

82. Boys in the Band: Perform music live!

83. Movie Night: Invite over your loved ones, make some snacks, and take in a movie together.

84. Small Business: It's a work day at the small business today! If you don't have one, patronize a small business.

85. Upgrade: Purchase a newer, nicer version of something you need in the house.

86. Plant Parent: Purchase some new plants.

87. Big Spender: Spend $1,000.

88. Hot For: Teach or encourage someone in a skill, hobby, or trait.

89. Exhibitionist: Woohoo in public!

90. Night Cap: Invite a sim to sleep over.

91. Bigger Spender: Spend $5,000 on something.

92. Biggest Spender: Spend $10,000 on something.

93. Gig Economy: Pick up a shift as a DJ, barista, or bartender.

94. Busker: Play music for tips on a community lot.

95. Old Flame: Meet up with an ex for old time's sake.

96. I'm Surrounded By Idiots: Pick only one sim to play in the household today. Everyone else is on free will. You may choose another tomorrow.

97. Shutterbug: Snap three photos and have them printed to hang in the house.

98. Market Day: Head to the grocery store and pick up essentials.

99. Butt Dial: Call up someone random from your contacts list.

100. Booty Call: Invite over the sim you're most attracted to in the neighborhood and try to seal the deal.

101. Messi: Meet up with some friends or family to play soccer.

102. LeBron: Meet up with some friends or family to play basketball.

103. Farm to Table: Only eat food that you grew or caught today. It can be produce from the garden or a fish from the lake or pond, but you have to have made it or procured it yourself.

104. Flat Broke: Absolutely no bills can be paid this rotation.

105. Dingo's Breakfast: Also known as a sip of water and a look around. No groceries can be purchased this rotation.

106. Piano Lessons: At least one sim in the household must play piano for two hours today.

107. Guitar Lessons: At least one sim in the household must play guitar for two hours today.

108. Drum Lessons: At least one sim in the household must play the drums for two hours today.

109. Chess Club: At least one sim in the household must play chess for two hours today.

110. Michaelangelo: Visit the local museum today.

111. Finding Nemo: Visit the local aquarium today.

112. Queen's Gambit: Challenge someone to a game of chess at the local park, library, or community center.

113. Closing Time: Visit a bar or bars until 3am.

114. Tight Five: Perform stand up comedy to an audience today.

115. Pugnacious: Argue and fight with the sim you have the lowest relationship with.

116. A Little Help From My Friends: Call up your three closest friends and influence them to help you clean up the house and cook a meal.

117. Feline Friend: Adopt a cat or kitten.

118. Canine Companion: Adopt a dog or puppy.

119. Harvey Birdman: Adopt a parrot.

120. Busted Pipes: Your Sims can only shower on community lots today.

121. Speed Dating: Head out to a community lot and chat up every person of your preferred gender.

122. Mother's Day: Take your mother or nearest female relative out to a community lot.

123. Father's Day: Take your father or nearest male relative out to community lot.

124. Grandparents' Day: Take your grandparent, grandparents, or oldest living relative out to a community lot.

125. Parents Just Don't Understand: Meet with your sims' siblings on a community lot.

126. Family Affair: Plan an outing with only family members.

127. Schvitz: Head to the sauna for some rest and relaxation.

128. The Grind: Treat a coworker or fellow student to an outing.

129. Shopaholic: Buy ten items of clothing.

130. Babysitter: Invite over a neighbor or relative and have them watch the kids for the night while you go out.

131. Backed Up: Your sim can only use the restroom on community lots today.

132. Empty Fridge: Your sim can only eat on community lots today.

133. In the Dog House: One sim MUST sleep on the couch tonight.

134. Between Two Ferns: Add three new plants to an existing room in the house.

135. Warhol: Add three new paintings to the household decor.

136. A Fresh Coat of Paint: Change the color of the home's exterior. If living in an apartment, repaint one room.

137. Accent Wall: Create an accent wall in one room of the house.

138. Catering: Throw a party with a buffet table.

139. Open Bar: Throw a party with a hired bartender.

140. Like a Fish: Purchase a bar for the household. (The nectar table counts).

141. Rager: Purchase a keg and a bubble blower and throw a party.

142. Bonfire Party: Purchase a bonfire and throw a party to watch it burn.

143. Sculpture: Purchase two items from the sculpture section and tie it into your decor.

144. Wing Man: Go on an outing with your closest friend and another friend of their preferred gender. Help them get to know each other.

145. Strike Out: Ask all the top five people you're most attracted to on a date. You can stop when someone says yes.

146. Put Yourself Out There: Flirt with the sim you're most attracted to.

147. One Night Stand: Woohoo with someone you have fewer than 20 LTR points with. (ACR required)

148. Like Swayze in Ghost: Purchase a pottery making table and make good use of it.

149. Toy Story: Purchase a toy making bench and make good use of it.

150. Roses Are Red: Purchase a flower arranging bench and make good use of it.

151. Engineer: Purchase a robotics table and make good use of it.

152. The Devil Wears Prada: Purchase a sewing table and make good use of it.

153. Ansel Adams: Take five photos of five different models.

154. Like One of Your French Girls: Begin painting someone else's portrait.

155. Leg Day: Head to the gym and stay there for at least two hours (yes, you have to use the equipment).

156. Dine and Dash: Eat at a restaurant and skip out on the bill.

157. Once More With Feeling: Ask the person you last went on a date with for another.

158. Jogging Group: Go jogging with at least one other sim who does not live in the household with you.

159. Hiking Group: Go hiking with at least one other sim that does not live in the household with you.

160. Yoga Class: Do yoga at a community lot with at least one other sim.

161. Street Fighter: Play games at the local arcade.

162. Hustler: Play pool at a community lot.

163. Ante Up: Gamble at a cards table on a community lot.

164. Too Close to Home: Stay up all night playing a video game.

165. Violin Lessons: A sim in the household must play violin today for at least two hours.

166. Don't Stop Believin': Sing a duet in karaoke on a community lot.

167. Ballet Lessons: A sim in the household must practice on a ballet barre for at least two hours.

168. Fade Into You: Slow dance with a date tonight.

169. Touch Grass: Absolutely no screen time today. Your sim can only entertain themselves by engaging with nature (ie, watching clouds, catching butterflies or fireflies, swimming, hiking, bird watching, hunting bugs, etc.).

170. Pigskin: Toss a football outside with a friend or family member today.

171. Play Catch: Play catch with a child or teen in your life.

172. Slackers: Start a game of kicky bag on a community lot and rope in as many people as you can to play with you.

173. Crapshoot: Take the very first job that pops up in the job search today.

174. Jalopy: Purchase a junk car and restore it piece by piece, however long it takes.

175. Paint the Town Red: Visit three community lots today.

176. Friend of a Friend: Introduce one friend to someone else in your life over dinner or on an outing.

177. Thomas The Tank Engine: Purchase the model train table.

178. Through the Grapevine: Gossip with everyone you interact with today.

179. Random Acts of Kindness: Purchase coffee for a stranger today.

180. Fireside: Purchase a campfire and have enough sims over to enjoy it together tonight.

181. Under the Stars: Buy a tent and sleep out under the stars tonight.

182. Midlife Crisis: Choose a new aspiration using a d6.

183. Deep Tissue: Get a massage.

184. Hot Tub Time Machine: Spend at least three hours in a hot tub today.

185. Bling: Purchase new jewelry.

186. Drakkar Noir: Purchase cologne and wear it.

187. Love Potion #9: Purchase a love potion from the matchmaker, take it, and flex its effects on a community lot.

188. Friend for Dinner: Invite one sim to enjoy dinner with your household. It can be at home or on a community lot.

189. X Marks the Spot: Your sim is convinced somehow that they live on a pile of buried treasure. Spend their free time digging in the yard today.

190. Block Party: Throw a party and invite only neighbors.

191. Prank King: Prank everyone you interact with today.

192. Hired Help: Hire a staff member to help around the house. This can be a butler, maid, gardener, or nanny.

193. Yes Man: Participate in every chance card and invitation for an outing or date today. You MUST live with the results.

194. Support System: Give 1d10 $1,000 to your closest friend and/or relative living outside of the household or as much as you can afford of the amount you rolled.

195. Meal Planning: Cook five meals and store them as leftovers for the coming week.

196. Couch Potato: Only watch TV or movies and play video games today. No cooking meals, no working, and no going out.

197. Cosmetologist: Purchase a salon chair and make good use of it.

198. Mom And Pop: Any community lot you visit today must be owned by another sim. Support your local businesses!

199. Interior Decorator: Spend 1d10 $1,000 redecorating the house. If you can't afford the amount you rolled, spend as much as you can.

200. Someone Else Can Clean Up: Throw a party on a community lot.

201. Double Date: Plan an outing for you, your partner, and another couple.

202. Toxic: Argue five times with your significant other today.

203. Great Boss: Give at least one employee a raise to ridiculously overpaid status. If you do not own a business, gift $1,000 to a coworker.

204. Orchard City: Purchase a fruit bearing tree.

205. Passersby: Greet three people who walk by your sims' residence today.

206. Lonely: Greet every sim who walks by your sims' residence today.

207. Where I Go, They Go: Bring your pet on an outing with you.

208. Despite All My Rage: Buy a womrat in a cage.

209. You're So Vain: Every time your sim visits the restroom, have them gussy up or check themselves out in a mirror.

210. Unwashed Masses: Do not shower or bathe at all today.

211. Friends with Benefits: Flirt with your sim's closest friend of their preferred gender.

212. Enemies Closer: Flirt with the sim of your preferred gender with whom you have the lowest relationship.

213. So Last Season: Buy two outfits for the current season.

214. They Totally Have a Crush on You: Influence a sim to flirt with another.

215. Marble Counters: Spend 1d6 $1,000 renovating the kitchen.

216. Brand New Bidet: Spend 1d6 $1,000 renovating a bathroom or bathrooms.

217. Where the Magic Happens: Spend 1d6 $1,000 renovating a bedroom.

218. Leather Couch: Spend 1d6 $1,000 renovating the living room.

219. Throw Rug: Add one rug to your sims' living space to tie things all together.

220. Walk-In Closet: Build a walk in closet somewhere in the house.

221. Merry Christmas, Everyone: Purchase a gift for each member of the household, buy a Christmas tree, bake Santa cookies, and celebrate the holidays together with a nice, formal dinner.

222. Happy Hanukah: Purchase a menorah and gifts for each member of the household. Cook a kosher dinner and celebrate the holidays together.

223. New Years Eve: Purchase a bottle of bubbly to share and throw a party tonight. Make sure to kiss someone at midnight!

224. Winter Solstice: Make snow angels, build a snowman, have a snowball fight, go ice skating, and warm up with a hot drink. Celebrate the winter festivities with loved ones today.

225. Brings May Flowers: Place at least four flowers on the lot -- they can be potted.

226. Lovers' Day: Purchase a gift for your special someone(s) and gift it to them during a date. Fulfil all wants possible to make it a dream date.

227. Self-Sabotage: Ask a sim on a date and make it a terrible time.

228. City Greens: Pay a visit to your local community garden, botanical garden, arboretum or other community lot with a ton of greenery to appreciate nature.

229. Double Dip: Ask a sim on a date at the same time you're hosting a party. Try to score well on both!

230. Yellow Polka Dot Bikini: Buy new swimwear and find a place to flaunt it.

231. Make a Splash: Throw a party that centers the pool and/or hot tub. If you don't have either on your property, head to a community lot and host the party there.

232. Summer Solstice: Sunbathe, barbecue, set off fireworks, go swimming, catch fireflies, and visit the beach in celebration of summertime.

233. The Cut: If your sim has long hair, cut it short. If they have short hair, choose a longer style instead.

234. Wash and Set: Dye your sim's hair a new color.

235. Skyrockets in Flight: Set off fireworks tonight.

236. Back to School: Purchase one new outfit for each child, teen, or young adult member of the household. If you do not have any sims in these life states, give a gift to a sim you know in these life states.

237. Midnight Diner: Head out to eat all by your lonesome at a diner or other small restaurant at midnight.

238. In Memoriam: Take the household to visit the grave of a passed loved one. Make sure to dress in black.

239. Labor Day: Call out of work, order food to the house, and enjoy a day of rest for all the Sims that work in the household. If running a business, give your employees the day off.

240. What a Sim Wants: Fulfil as many wants as you possibly can today.

241. Sweet Tooth: Bake a dessert and be sure to have people over to share it with.

242. Harvest Day: Invite over your loved ones to enjoy a festive dinner. Turkey is the traditional choice, but you can cook anything that makes the most sense for the household.

243. Bowling League: Go on an outing to the bowling alley.

244. Whoops: Try for Baby if applicable with the next sim you woohoo.

245. Island Escape: Vacation to Twikki Island.

246. Eastern Excursion: Vacation to Takemizu Village.

247. Woodland Wonderland: Vacation to Three Lakes.

248. Game on the Go: Purchase a portable gaming station.

249. MP3: Purchase a portable music player.

250. New Phone Who Dis: Purchase a cell phone.

251. The Reel: Hop in a photo booth with a friend, family member, or lover, and hang the resulting photos somewhere in the house.

252. Shopping Montage: Go clothes shopping with a sim of your choice and try on clothes.

253. Open Mic: Recite poetry or sing on a community lot.

254. Legacy: Throw a party and invite family members to see how many generations you can fit under one roof.

255. Nearsighted: Accessorize with glasses. If your sim already wears glasses, have them take them off.

256. Biographer: Update/add at least one sentence to the bios of each sim in the house.

257. Shy Pooper: This household can only use the toilet at home.

258. Fast Car: Build a garage. It can be separate or adjoining.

259. Fully Staffed: Hire playable sims to fill all roles at your business. If you don't have a business, make all eligible Sims in the household (including pets!) get a job.

260. Expensive Taste: Spend 1d10 $1,000 purely on decor for your house.

261. Feels Like The First Time: Ask out a sim out on a first date.

262. Casanova: Woohoo two different Sims in one day.

263. Lothario: Woohoo three different Sims in one day.

264. Communal Knowledge: All skills gained today must be earned outside the home on community lots.

265. Special Interest: Talk about your hobby with every sim you interact with today.

266. Take the Night Off: Send one parent out for the day while the other stays home to care for the children and/or pets.

267. Industrious: Purchase a lemonade stand and try to make $500.

268. Bear Den: Use 1d6 $1,000 to construct a home office/den. If living in an apartment, create a section of the living space to serve this purpose.

269. Locked Out: All time not spent at work/school MUST be on a community lot for the day.

270. Cash or Credit?: Spend $1,000 on retail therapy. This can be food, clothes, cologne, jewelry, drinks, groceries, souvenirs, or any combination of the above.

271. Retail Therapy: Spend $3,000 on retail therapy. This can be food, clothes, cologne, jewelry, drinks, groceries, souvenirs, or any combination of the above.

272. Spending Problem: Spend $5,000 on retail therapy. This can be food, clothes, cologne, jewelry, drinks, groceries, souvenirs, or any combination of the above.

273. April Fools: Joke, prank, and torment every sim you interact with today.

274. Touchy Feely: Hug every sim you interact with today.

275. High Alert: Install a burglar alarm and fire alarms in all relevant areas in the house.

276. Gauntlet: initiate a water balloon or snowball fight with friends and family.

277. Like an Adam Sandler Movie: Plan a vacation including a guest from another household.

278. Popular: Make three new friends for the household today. Rekindled friendships count.

279. High Risk: Try for Baby if applicable three times today.

280. Risky Business: Send parents/guardians out for the night and throw a house party in their absence.

281. Landscaper: Spend 1d6 $1,000 landscaping the yard. If living in an apartment, spend this amount on a patio space or on indoor plants.

282. Handy: Tinker with every tinkerable object in the house.

283. Contemporaries: Plan an outing with Sims only in your same age group. If this age group is children, bring just one teen or adult chaperone.

284. Good Hang: Plan an outing with a casual group and score high.

285. Early Risers: Send all Sims in the household to bed no later than 9pm and have them all wake up by 5am.

286. Birder: Go bird watching at a public park.

287. Brunch: Go out to eat with friends between the hours of 9am and 2pm. Bonus points if you gossip.

288. Sweater Weather: Do a weather appropriate activity today. If it's sunny, have a water balloon fight. If it's rainy, go puddle jumping. If it's snowing, have a snowball fight. If it's storming, stay indoors and watch a movie.

289. Don't Try This At Home: Have your sim gain a cooking skill point by watching the Yummy Channel. Emboldened by their new skill, have them cook the most difficult recipe they know.

290. Stag Party: Throw a party for a friend or relative who is engaged to be married.

291. Baby Shower: Throw a party for a friend or relative who is expecting a child. Don't forget a gift!

292. Arborist: Plant at least two trees on your property.

293. Jacuzzi: Purchase a hot tub.

294. Let's Go Swimming: Build a swimming pool.

295. Picky Eater: Eat grilled cheese for every meal today.

296. Cram Session: Earn three skill points today.

297. Intensive Study: Earn five skill points today.

298. Astronomer: Purchase the most expensive telescope and use it to study the stars.

299. No Uniforms: Select new outfits for everyone in the household.

300. I Wanna Dance With Somebody: Dance with a stranger on a community lot.

301. Grindset: Earn $1,000 today by any means necessary.

[buttonbuckfarm]

spiel about doing specialty livestock projects in the time of “I will probably never see a USDA grant in my lifetime”

I love baby season, obviously. It’s exciting and fun, but it’s also stressful and and harrowing, especially when it comes to the turkeys.

Turkey poults have awful survival rates. I don’t think there’s any domestic poultry with as bad of a hatchling survival rate as turkeys. They struggle to learn how to eat and drink - you need other birds to show them, or to put shiny things in their food and water, or to syringe feed them manually till they figure it out. Sometimes you can do all those things and it still won’t be enough. Their immune systems are much more delicate than other birds, too.

I should be hatching out some really rare varieties this year - “we don’t have a documented, identified, searchable photo of this variety” rare (which is nuts, because I’m a guy doing this in my leased backyard with two dollars and my fingers crossed). But first we have to get my turkeys laying enough eggs (they keep going broody on empty nests…), collect the eggs before predators/scavengers get them, successfully incubate the eggs, and successfully raise the chicks (and then make sure the adults survive). It’s an Olympic level challenge to get from point A to point B here. A better brooder, a better incubator, an ICU incubator, better fencing, and more secure land would all make a world of difference here - but I will never make money off these birds (I probably won’t ever break even!), and there already wasn’t many options for support and funding of small farm projects as niche as rare heritage turkey varieties, and now there may be no federal farm funding in my lifetime. Even the Livestock Conservancy - an organization that is deeply important and that I respect a lot! - doesn’t recognize the birds that I’m breeding and conserving!

I’ve talked to people about grants, about land succession, about all sorts of things in hopes of better resources and access, but at the end of the day, I chose something so rare and niche that no one really knows about it or cares to support it. I’m still going to do it, because it’s important to me. I love these birds. I want to preserve them, make them more accessible, and encourage choosing animals with better welfare over industry standard “meat birds.” And even though I cry over turkeys a lot, and I didn’t sleep well last night because my current ICU poult kept screaming and waking me up, and my finances are going to be in the toilet forever because I decided to do this instead of, like, tech or trade school, I love it.

Turkeys are awesome. Every uncharismatic animal, every bug, every plant, every biological system or process has someone or some people who love it and see the value in it even when no one else does. You might not give a leech or a bug smaller than a grain of rice or a pest species more than a passing thought, but maybe you should take a second to appreciate what someone out there does about those things. Everything on this planet is so special. I hope every species always has at least a tiny handful of people studying, protecting, and defending it, even if the human made systems fully reject those passions as useless.

[heyjudeb]

Lake Secrets - Jude Bellingham

Chapter 1: Green is my Favorite Color

Summary: Grace Alexander Arnold, an architecture student, looks forward to a quiet summer at her brother Trent's lake villa. Her plans change when Trent's best friend, Jude Bellingham, arrives with his family. As Grace and Jude spend more time together, a secret romance begins to grow. Amidst the peaceful lake and family gatherings, will their hidden feelings last, or will they fade away with the summer? Word Count: 1.8k

Warnings: fluff, slowburn,

Note: This story will start of slow, emotional and angst parts will come in the next chapters, let me know if you like it

“Mom, this room is perfect,” I remarked, turning to see her unpacking her suitcase on the bed. “The view of the lake is incredible.”

She smiled, a hint of satisfaction in her eyes. ��I’m glad you like it, Jude. We’ll be spending quite some time here.”

I nodded, shifting my gaze to the peaceful lake outside my bedroom window. It seemed like I had lucked out with the best room in the villa.

When Trent suggested we spend a few summer days here with our families together, I hesitated. We’d never planned trips like this before. But I could use a break, and Mom seemed to like the idea.

“Honey, they’re waiting for us outside for the barbecue. They’ve already started,” Mom interrupted my thoughts. “I better go help Diane with the setting.”

“Okay, Mom. I’ll be down in a bit. Just need to get changed.” She placed the last bag on my bed and left the room.

The fresh air and the natural surroundings were already having their effect on me. I truly needed this break. After quickly changing my clothes, I headed out of the room. The corridor stretched long and narrow, each step echoing with a soft creak. The villa must be huge, with everyone having their own room. Trent, Jobe, my parents, and Trent’s sister all shared this floor with our bedrooms. Family photos adorned the walls on both sides, with many capturing Trent as a baby. I found myself pausing at Grace’s photos too. In every one, she wore a wide smile.

Among Trent’s family, she was the one I knew least. I’d seen her a few times at the stadium, cheering for her brother, but that was about it. Perhaps it was best to keep it that way, I thought, feeling strangely drawn to her. Those green eyes in the photos didn’t help shake the impression of her beauty. But she was Trent’s sister—nothing more.

I stepped out into the villa's backyard, facing the calm lake where everyone was chatting or busy with something. Our dads were at the barbecue, grilling meat.

"There you are, mate. What took you so long?" Trent handed me a beer and gestured to the spot next to him on the couch.

"Had to change quickly," I replied, sitting down beside him.

Across from us, Grace and her mom were deeply focused on a sketchbook she held proudly. Flipping through its pages, she eagerly showed her something, and she smiled, patting her shoulder after each page. “These are amazing, sweetheart. You’re doing a great job.” “Come on, Grace. She’s our mom, of course she’s going to say good stuff. Let me be the judge of that,” Trent teased his sister, who shot him an annoyed look before handing him the sketchbook.

As Trent scrutinized the pages with all the seriousness he could muster, Grace turned her gaze towards me. A light smile crossed her face as she waved. “Hey, Jude. How are you doing?”

Gosh, she’s beautiful. She seemed a bit nervous as she looked at me. I recalled Trent mentioning that his sister was shy and preferred her comfort zone with people she knew well, rather than joining large gatherings like this one. She hardly knew any of my family members that well. “Hey, Grace.” I smiled at her, noticing her shoulders relax slightly in response. “I'm doing well. By the way, I love this place. You guys must have so many memories here. I could tell from the photos in the hallway.”

“Yeah, this house has been around since I was 5, so I've spent part of every summer here for over a decade,” she replied softly, her voice kind. Her green eyes and blonde hair added to her angelic presence.

“Hmm, I think I’ve seen this building before. Are you sure these are your original ideas, sis?” Trent teased, stroking his chin playfully and raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, they are!” She retorted quickly, snatching the sketchbook back from him. Trent burst out laughing and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “I’m kidding. These look amazing, sweetheart.” .....

Everyone seemed too full to move after the feast we devoured. Trent’s family was clearly excited to host us, ensuring every dish was served to perfection. My family looked like they were having a blast; Jobe and Trent were constantly cracking up together, seated next to each other at the table, leaving me next to Grace.

I kept telling myself it was just her stunning looks that drew me in. After all, I barely knew her. Was that a problem? If things were to develop between us, it could jeopardize my friendship with Trent. I decided to use this time to relax, enjoy myself with the Arnolds, and leave it at that.

“Let’s play a game, guys,” Trent announced, rising with his wine glass in hand. “I’ll get the cards. Who’s in?”

Jobe immediately agreed, and I nodded in his direction. Grace hesitantly said yes.

“You boys and Grace can play at the other table over there,” Diane suggested, getting up to clear the plates. “I’ll handle this and bring some fruit.” My mom joined her, refusing to let her do all the chores just because we were guests.

“Have you played Uno before, Jude?” Grace asked as we made our way to the table.

“Yeah! I always keep a pack of cards with me when I travel with the team.”

“So, you’re good at it?!” She sounded defeated already, causing me to chuckle softly. “I can never seem to win.”

“We’ll see how bad you are,” I teased, winking at her. She responded with a playful eye roll. “I’ll give you some tricks on how to win.”

As the cards were dealt, Grace kept echoing my advice on how to improve her game. It was endearing to see her across from me, legs crossed in oversized pajamas and a black t-shirt. We played a couple of rounds, and she consistently came close to winning, but Jobe and I managed to steal every victory. Trent, being the sore loser he was, demanded another game after each loss.

“Come on, Trent. They’re too good at this. Just accept defeat, bro,” Grace urged, looking frustrated at the impending loss.

“Fine, this will be the last one, I promise. I can't have this guy remind me of this moment at every chance he gets” Trent relented, pointing at me. I laughed at his outburst and shrugged my shoulders.

I signaled to Jobe to let one of them win this time. Grace seemed intensely focused, her stack of cards dwindling as she neared victory.

“And… UNO!” She exclaimed, clutching her last card to her chest and wiggling her toes with excitement. I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. 

Knowing she had a red card, I strategically didn’t change the color when my turn came, I wanted to let her win.

“I won! I won!” Grace jumped from her seat and threw her arms around my shoulders. “Thank you for the tips, Jude.”

“Alright, alright! Let’s call it a night. I’m beat,” Trent grumbled, tossing his cards on the table and standing up. Such a sore loser.

Grace released me as she realized what she’d done. “Sorry, I got carried away.” ....

I jumped into bed, feeling tired from the day's activities. The bed was soft, and the sheets smelled of lavender. All the lights were out, the only illumination coming from the backyard porch light and the moon over the lake, casting a serene glow. The view was like something out of a painting.

My eyelids grew heavy, and I was ready to give in to sleep. Trent and I had planned a morning run by the lakeside to stay active during the vacation.

A soft, almost inaudible knock disturbed my drowsiness. Thinking it might be my mom, I quickly got up and opened the door with half-closed eyes.

There stood Grace.

"Hey," she said, already regretting her decision to knock. "I'm so sorry, I thought maybe you were still awake."

I placed a hand on her forearm to reassure her. "Hey, don't worry. I was awake anyway. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," she smiled, her voice quiet. "The thing is, I use one of the drawers for storage in this room." She looked at me, making sure I was okay with her entering. "I need to get something from there. Is that okay?"

"Of course! Anything you need." I quickly stepped aside, motioning for her to come in.

Grace walked in quietly, moving toward the drawer. The soft moonlight highlighted her features, making her look almost ethereal. I expected her to take something essential, like clothes or skincare products. Instead, she took a vintage looking book and handled it with care.

"Got it," she whispered, turning to me with a grateful smile, holind it behind her back quickly. "Thank you, Jude."

"No problem," I replied, trying to ignore how my heart seemed to beat a little faster in her presence. "What book is that?" I really wanted to strike out a conversation with her. She seems like the type of person who would read a lot.

"Well, it's a poem book" she said softly, holding it close to her chest. "It's Bukowski's 'Love is a Dog From Hell' book".

"That's nice," I said, approaching her slowly. She looked even more beautiful under the illuminating light. Being shorter, she had to look up at me, and I could see her eyes even more clearly. "Do you enjoy reading?"

"Yeah," she replied, feeling comfortable to continue after my question. "Especially when I can't sleep. I basically memorized this book a long time ago, but I still like it."

A part of me wanted to tell her how captivating her eyes were, but another part urged me to stay silent. After a brief pause, she seemed to decide it was time to leave.

"I'll just go now," she said, walking slowly toward the door. She turned to face me before leaving. "Thank you again. Have a good night, Jude."

"Good night, Grace," I replied, watching her as she left, feeling a mix of emotions I couldn't quite place. After she left, I crashed onto the bed, determined to fall asleep this time. Our brief interaction brought me a sense of comfort and excitement, the thought of getting to know her more easing my mind. I slowly drifted off to sleep, her captivating eyes lingering in my thoughts.

Gosh, her eyes are beautiful. Suddenly, green became my favorite color. .......... Coming up next: Chapter 2: You Can Trust Me Warnings: fluff, slowburn, emotional moment, anxiety I would appreciate a comment letting me know if you like it or not. It will motivate me to continue writing. Thank you :)

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.190 New season

Today, I took the family back to Gilbert Gardens to see our house, officially, for the first time. Last night, after Dub went home, I showed Sophia pictures of the inside to confirm with her my choice. As suspected, she agreed wholeheartedly. When we walked in, the familiar scene greeted us with a warm invitation. After scrolling through the pictures over the last few days, being inside was so magical. It felt like home. Sophia was especially taken with all the red accents in the living room. I think it's hilarious how she says she doesn't have a favorite color, but it's so obvious that she does.

We've had many signs that this was to be our home even before we bought it, and the inside confirms it even more. First, with Sophia's favorite color, and now my mother's. The kitchen is green, and throughout my life, it seems like most of our intimate moments happened in kitchens. I'm not a big fan of the color, but it felt like fate.

The eat-in kitchen is such a large room, as I said previously. It's totally gonna end up being the family room. Me and Sophia already hang together while we're cooking anyway, so with the computer and toys for Desi in the mix, I don't see how we'll ever leave this room. Sophia is the only one who watches TV, and she really only does that when she's alone, so I don't see the living room getting much use.

It's interesting how a home's layout makes all the difference. This house is roughly the same size as our current one, but it feels so much more spacious. I especially love having different places to hang out. Upstairs, there's a nice loft-like area that I'm sure Desi and her cousins will take over when they're older. I wish we could have had a spot like that in our current house. Tummy time would have been so much more comfortable than squeezing into a narrow hallway.

All the bedrooms and the hall bath open to this space. Our bedroom is super tiny, so the wardrobe sits just outside the door. It'll be tough to leave behind our large bedroom, but we've lived the tiny room life before and will do it again happily. At least we finally got our own bathroom this time. We might have to change the color scheme, though, because the bedroom is the one place I don't want to be thinking about Mama.

I love Desi's room. It has such a sweet yet calm vibe, just like her. It's a shame she'll probably never sleep in it as is. I hope I can find a similar set in a child size to maintain the vibe.

When the cousins come over, two of them can stay in the spare room, and the other can camp out in the loft with a sleeping bag.

There's a nice size porch, and a fenced in side yard just like we have at our current house. But the pièces de résistance is the backyard. I'm glad to see all the stuff I ordered arrived, but I kicked myself for not thinking it through. I was too excited about giving the kids the best backyard ever and never once considered they're all aging up the day after tomorrow. Hopefully, there's a good return policy because that stuff was not cheap.

Once we finished touring the house and getting a feel for it, my next move was to leave and go back home, naturally. Sophia reminded me that this is our home and we could stay as long as we want unless I had something better to do. I most certainly did not, so we parked upstairs and sat on the floor with Desi.

"Do you like this house, Des?" I ask.

"Yeah!"

"Do you want to live here?"

"I go live in the dollie house!"

I swear we have the most adorable kid on earth. And I will fight anyone who disagrees, heh. Given how she behaved at Dub's rental, I knew I wouldn't have to convince her moving here was a good thing, but I had to be sure she understood this time we were definitely staying.

"We should pack up our photos and stuff tonight and move in tomorrow," Sophia said.

"Why tomorrow?"

"Why not? It's not like we're taking much. Plus, I'd like to be settled before her birthday."

Sometimes, I don't understand my brain. Like, I'll have something in my head to do, but for whatever reason, it doesn't occur to me to do it right away. I honestly can't tell you when I thought we'd move in, but it definitely was not tomorrow. Thank goodness my wife has better foresight than me.

"Are you excited about your birthday, Desi baby?" I ask.

"Birdaaaay!"

She's excited because we're excited, but I don't think she knows what birthdays are all about yet, so I try to explain.

"It's gonna be so fun! All your cousins will be here, and we're gonna eat cake, and then you'll be a BIG girl. Are you excited?"

"I cited!"

"What excites you most about being a big girl?" Sophia asks.

"I cited about TREE HOUSE, an I pway with Koopa an Wosie, an I cited about pway with you, Daddy!"

"Awww, I'm excited about playing with you, too. Are you excited about school?"

"What's school?"

"School is a place where you go every day to learn important stuff and get super smart. There'll be lots of other kids there, and you can make friends. And there's a thing called recess where they let you go outside and run around for a little while. It'll be fun."

I do not doubt that little speech was more for convincing myself because the thought of her being away for that long every day makes me incredibly anxious, and I miss her already. How is my baby girl school-age already?? I should have asked Dub how he dealt with this transition.

"Does that sound like fun, sweet potato?" Sophia asks.

"Yeah! I gon' have THIS MANY fwens!"

"Woooow that's a lot of friends," Sophia said.

I left them talking to go to the bathroom, and then I called Less to give her the plan. When I returned, I found my entire family in the kitchen, looking happy and comfortable, as if we'd been living here the entire time. I sensed that relief—that era of chill I'd been longing for—settling into the foundation of the house. If I would have known all we needed was a change of venue, I would have bought this house long time ago. But everything happens in its time for a reason. Whatever this new season will bring, I'm ready for it.

[rougepancake]

The Summoning (chapter three)

Ft. Leon x F! Gym Leader! Reader

series m.list

SUMMARY: Before you read this and think “what the fuck pancake this makes no sense.” YES IT DOES!! YOU’RE DOOMED BY THE NARRATIVE JUST GIVE IT SOME TIME TO HIT PLEASEEEE

Exhibition matches were both your favorite and least favorite thing about running the gym in Ballonlea. Tons of challengers faced you, but not many advanced further. Both you and Raihan were put there to filter out the challengers. In truth, only the most committed trainers made it to face the champion.

Your gym was designed to be challenging, from the trial to the actual battle, trainers were kept on their toes. Everything was set up to make those who entered question themselves. It was not for the faint of heart, which was why you disliked your matches so. There had been many times where you had defeated a child, only for them to wallow in their misery. The older ones could handle defeat, thankfully, which made things a little easier for you.

When you got up in the morning, you found that Leon had already left. He was considerate enough to make the bed and tidy up the room some, so that was a plus. You were thankful, really. With Leon out of your house, you had nothing to worry about. Now you’d be able to fully dedicate yourself to the gym today. Allister would be there to watch, as well as the rest of the town.

Due to where you were stationed, your matches were rarely sold out. Many people disliked the idea of having to go through the Glimwood Tangle just to get to Ballonlea, so they opted to stream instead. Your matches were the most streamed out of the gym leaders. Raihan was a very close second, but because he was in Hammerlocke, his live audience was much bigger than his virtual. Same for Leon.

“I’ve reserved you and Mimikyu a seat for the matches today,” you spoke as you brushed through your hair. It wasn’t styling the way you wanted, and it was starting to piss you off. “If there are any complications, don’t be afraid to go and speak to one of the staff members.” You knew no one would give him problems. In fact, the people of Ballonlea loved him. You just knew how anxious he could get.

Once you finished up with your hair, you went on to do your makeup. You finished that up in no time and moved to finish layering your outfit properly. You looked yourself over in the mirror before heading out and grabbing something to eat. Allister had already headed out, no doubt playing with Mimikyu by the backyard.

You felt your Rotom phone ring, causing you to startle. “Hello?” You double checked to see who was calling you.

“Hullo. It’s Piers. I saw that you donated a bunch to Spikemuth’s charity fund,” he paused, his tone awkward. “I just wanted t’ say thanks. If you ever need anything, Spikemuth is in your corner.”

Before you could even respond, he had hung up. It was true that you had made quite the hefty contribution to the fund, mainly because you felt for them. You were rather fond of the city, so naturally you felt inclined to donate. You did that with Turffield and Postwick too. Small towns like them deserved the proper funding, and you were more than willing to help.

Your phone began to ring again, and you thought it was Piers calling you back. Gordie’s contact photo stared at you as you held your phone in your hands. Gordie didn’t call unless it was something important.

“Hey, I’m sorry to call you before your matches, but I thought you should hear this. Sonia and a few of the meteorologists in Wyndon recorded data on yesterday’s storm. They were able to deduce that the Pokémon are acting oddly because of the unique weather pattern. According to them, storms that intense haven’t touched the region in about three thousand years,” he gave you a second to process everything. “Something bad is coming, and I think that kiddo was seeing the ultimate future of the region.”

“I see… I’ll send it what I recorded yesterday. Other than that, I don’t think I can aid them any further,” you paused, looking at the entrance to the gym. “Thanks Gordie, I owe you one.” You heard him chuckle before hanging up. The news he gave you was… something, no doubt. You pushed yourself past your fans, aiming for the locker room. Your Pokémon were more than ready to battle, but you weren’t. Three thousand years? How did they even come to those conclusions? And what was happening three thousand years ago that so greatly affected the region.

A sigh passed through your lips as you heard your Gengar break free from its Pokéball. It was antsy, so you decided to take it onto the field with you. According to your schedule, you had a lot of challengers lined up for today. The chances of them beating you were slim, but you’d encourage them nonetheless. That was your job after all. Challengers of all ages were welcomed by your gym, and you supported them attempting your challenge multiple times. Most didn’t, but the determined ones would, and those ones would usually make it past you and move on to Raihan.

You patiently sat inside the locker room, watching the camera footage of the gym to see your first challenger enter the trial. Poor thing couldn’t have been no older than twelve, and looked scared out of her mind by the thought of the ghost type gym. She was going to be in for a scare, unfortunately, since your trial was an ever changing maze. It was a labyrinth, designed to be complicated and confusing. The challengers always had the option to call for help if they got lost, but you could see the determination in this one’s eyes. She was scared, but she was smart. Any puzzle that was thrown at her, she knocked out of the park. The trainers you assigned for today’s matches stood no chance against her.

She knew her stuff, seeing as her team was filled with dark type Pokémon.

Before you knew it, she had made it to the field. She was confident, you could see it in her eyes. You met her gracefully on the field, introducing yourself with a small smile. The two of you went to your respective sides of the field and called out your first Pokémon. Hers was a petite Umbreon, while yours was a massive Trevenant. You watched her confidence waver as you made your first move.

Allister watched you battle from the seat that you had reserved for him. He had always enjoyed watching you battle. It seemed like every time he saw you fight, he learned something new. He’d then apply it to his own battle style and go from there. This time, however, he just wanted to watch you. He admired you more than anything, and refused to listen to anyone but you. You were his whole world.

The commentator announced your victory to the stadium and the crowd roared. The little girl hung her head in defeat, holding back tears on the field. It broke your heart. Carefully, you walked towards her, placing your hand on her shoulder and looking into her eyes.

“Come back and challenge me tomorrow. This is only a temporary setback, I promise,” you whispered sincerely, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. She nodded and left, leaving you to stand on the field alone. You gave your spectators a wave before heading back to the locker room.

Gengar broke free of its confines once again, floating around the room mischievously. The sight made you smile a little. What a troublesome thing it was.

The door to the locker room was thrown open, causing you to startle. You rose to your feet to meet the staff member that was standing in the doorway. He was incredibly out of breath, and could hardly get a word out. You caught on to his message and quickly canceled your next match, running out of the gym at full speed with your Gengar following after you. According to him, there was trouble on the main path of the Glimwood Tangle. You could feel a disturbance in the air as soon as you left the gym.

The sky was a weird purple color, and it only got darker the further you went into the forest. It didn’t take you long to figure out what was going on, as you were now faced with the sight of a Dynamaxed Aromatisse. No one appeared to be in area, which meant that you were going to be doing this alone. The fairy type Pokémon roared loudly, sending powerful vibrations through the air. Your Gengar looked at you in anticipation, and you recalled it. You Dynamaxed your Gengar, quickly taking out the Aromatisse. You captured it and fell to the ground, holding the ball in your hands.

“What the fuck…” you whispered. Your body was shaking. The sight of the Pokéball in your hands only meant one thing, and you feared that thought. You shook your head and rose to your feet, storing the ball away in your pocket. As if reading your mind, Gengar handed you your Rotom phone with a grin. With shaky hands, you called the first person you could think of— Leon. Why Leon? Fuck why not. He was the only one you could think of that could help you. Not even that, you just needed to tell someone.

“Y/n? Is everything alright?” His voice came through the receiver.

“Allister’s premonition… it’s coming true sooner than I thought…” Silence followed your statement. You had sent your head staff member a message to let Allister fill in for the rest of your matches. He didn’t think he was, but you knew that he was more than ready to take over. “Leon?” You questioned, double checking to make sure that the call had gone through. Thunder rolled in the distance. Another storm was on its way.

“I need you to…” he stopped himself, “I need you to meet me at Wyndon Station. I’ll book you a room at the Rose of the Rondelands. Please get here as soon as you can.” He didn’t elaborate further, but you could hear the urgency in his voice. Panic spread through you as you stared at the blank screen of your phone. How long were you going to be away? Was Allister going to be okay on his own? You quickly sent a text to one of the leaders within the community, asking them to keep an eye on the child, before running out of the Glimwood Tangle and summoning your Runerigus.

This Pokémon knew teleport, by some unique chance. You had gotten it studied when you found that in its move set, but no one had been able to explain it to you. You weren’t too fond of using the move. It was known to be dangerous for humans to teleport with a Pokémon, but you were making an allowance today.

Runerigus used the move, and you appeared outside of the Wyndon Station. People were everywhere, and when they noticed you, they crowed you, begging for autographs and league cards. It overwhelmed you greatly, so much so that you were beginning to feel dizzy. Thankfully, Leon appeared, forcing the crowd to dissipate. He extended his hand to you and led you to the hotel. No words were exchanged between the two of you as you walked. This only caused the tension between you to grow.

Once he had you inside the suite he had booked for you, he collapsed onto the couch, exhaustion in his golden eyes. He gestured for you to join him, but you were frozen in place.

“I fought a wild Dynamaxed Aromatisse, Leon,” you took the ball it was in out of your pocket, holding it up for him to see. “I fought it in the Glimwood Tangle. On the main path.” The ball was set aggressively onto the nearest surface. You stormed towards him, stopping just before you got to the couch. “I know I said I wasn’t going to make you speak up, but I think now would be a damn good time to.” Rain had begun to fall outside. The wind howled and whipped against the window as you spoke. “Damn it all! How many have you seen? How many have you caught and turned in to the Chairman? Hm?”

Leon let out an exasperated sigh, hanging his head at your words. “About ten now…” he frowned.

“Are you serious?” You could feel yourself getting weak in the knees. “What does the Chairman have to say about all of this?”

“He… he keeps telling me that it’s under control…” he sighed again, finally meeting your gaze. “It’s not safe for you to get involved.”

“It’s too late now. If it’s happening in my town, then I’m involved simply by association. And don’t think that I won’t help Stow-on-Side.” You got closer to him with each word you spoke. “You’re not giving me the full story here, and it’s pissing me off.”

“I could you but it wouldn’t make sense…” Leon shook his head and held it. “You wouldn’t be safe it you knew.” The tone of his voice was very telling, as was his body language. If it weren’t for your current state, you would have felt bad for him. “The Chairman… he’d only involve you, and I don’t want that…”

You watched him closely, your confusion turning into anger. “Fine. I’ll do my own research then. But you’re not going anywhere. You may be Rose’s loyal lapdog, but you’re now my acquaintance. You’re guilty by association, and that makes you just as stuck with me as I am you.” You scoffed, finally sitting down beside him on the couch. He flinched slightly before looking at you. “How long am I staying here?”

“I don’t know…” he trailed off, “I’m not trying to keep you from going anywhere, really… it’s just… I’d feel so much better if I knew you were safe. Out of all of my friends, you’re the one I’m worried about the most. You can still keep up with your gym, of course, but you’d be staying here in Wyndon.” His words made you frown. “Ballonlea will be protected, I promise. I just need you to work with me behind the scenes… if we can tackle this together then maybe…” His golden eyes searched your own, pleading with you to just listen to him. “I…”

“Allister will be protected?” He nodded. “Alright,” you crossed your arms and leaned back, “I’m all yours. But as soon as I catch word of bad things happening in Ballonlea, I’m ditching this project and protecting my village.”

“Thank you, y/n,” he offered you a small smile, but you didn’t return it. You felt nauseated. It was all so sudden, and you were having a hard time wrapping your head around what was going on. He couldn’t tell you, but he wanted to look out for you. It bothered you greatly.

“So what now? Are we working together?” You tilted your head as you spoke, searching his face for answers. He continued to smile, not answering you. “I just don’t get it. With everything Gordie told me earlier, and with the sight of the Dynamaxed Pokémon in the wild, what are we supposed to do?” You could feel your eyes watering at the thought. “How in the bloody hell are we supposed to change the weather?”

A gentle hand rested upon your knee and you frowned. “Let me tell you a story,” he began slowly, his smile unwavering. His voice was as soft and as sweet as his gaze, allowing you to ease up as you sat next to him. His thumb circled around your kneecap, and his eyes searched yours for a brief moment before he spoke. “Its going to be a little complicated, but I’ll do my best to retell it…”

“Three thousand years ago, a mysterious Pokémon descended unto the region. It fed off of Galar’s energy to survive, which caused a red light to shine up to the heavens like a beacon. This led to what we now call the Darkest Day. This mysterious phenomenon took the form of a black storm and caused the wild Pokémon of the region to Dynamax. They went mad in the process, and nearly destroyed the region. Things only ended when the Pokémon was defeated by the Galarian kings of legend.

”This Pokémon is known as Eternatus. The Chairman… the Chairman is striving to cause a second Darkest Day to avoid a shortage of Dynamax energy. That’s all I can tell you, because that’s all I know. He’s well aware of the crisis happening right now, and he truly believes that doing this will solve our problems— but—“ he cut himself off, frowning. “I fear that if he awakens Eternatus, things will only get worse.”

“Eternatus…” you mumbled to yourself, looking down at the floor in thought. “How come I’m only hearing about this now?”

“Well the tale of the two kings is told throughout the region, it’s just the rest that’s been locked away, like Eternatus.” He took his hand off of your knee and turned to look out the window. “You know, I gave Hop and a close friend of his endorsements to compete in the gym challenge early this morning…” the statement came out of nowhere, tearing you from your confused stupor. “If things go south in the region, at least I know he got to follow his one true dream,” he smiled sadly, his eyes fixated on the rain.

“Oh Leon…” you frowned and sighed.

“He’s already set out, and should be getting to Turffield soon,” he turned to look at you, determination shining in his eyes. It reminded you of yourself when you were younger. “Let’s save the region, for his and Allister’s sake!”

Ah, so he hasn’t changed since he himself had been competing in the gym challenge. His determination was admirable, however, you felt a twinge of sadness at the thought. So determined, yet so hopeless. How has he made it this far?

“You know, I have some acquaintances that would be more than happy to aid us,” you suggested, thinking of Piers and the town of Spikemuth. “Does Raihan have any idea about any of this?”

“He doesn’t, despite Eternatus being kept underneath his gym in Hammerlocke. I wanted to tell him, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy by the Chairman. The only reason I told you anything is because you were just so close to figuring it all out,” he sighed and ran a heavy hand through his thick purple hair. It was then that you noticed that he didn’t have his signature hat. Maybe he had left it at your house.

“This whole situation is just so complicated to me…” you sighed softly, shaking your head. Your Rotom phone began to ring suddenly, startling both you and Leon. You expected to see Allister’s name appear, but the sight caused your heart to sink in fear.

Chairman Rose had taken it upon himself to call you.

“Hello?” You answered the call, standing up and walking off to the side of the room. The phone was pressed to your ear, the sound of his breath echoing into your head. It made you cringe, but you didn’t dare hang up.

“Y/n!” He sounded glad that you decided to pick up. “I’m so happy you answered! Are you in the Wyndon area? I was hoping the two of us could talk about what happened at the meeting yesterday! You’re not busy, are you?” The joy in his tone was fake, grating on your ears like nails on a chalkboard.

“Of course. I’m in the middle of having lunch with a colleague, but I’ll be over in no time,” you hung up and gave Leon a look of frustrated confusion. “He said he wanted to talk about what happened yesterday,” as you spoke, you began collecting some of your things. The Aromatisse that you caught earlier was sitting where you had left it, and you snatched it up without another word. You shoved it into your bag and looked back at the champion. “You can stay here if you’d like. I’m sure you’ll want to hear about how it went.”

“Yeah…” he stood up and walked over to you, awkwardly looking into your eyes. “Just be safe, please.”

“No problem.”

꧁ ༺ ─── ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ─── ༻ ꧂

Rose Tower was a sight that you weren’t too fond of. You had always found the building to be slightly atrocious, especially when it towered over the rest of Wyndon. It had exactly one thousand floors, each dedicated to some form of nonsensical research, no doubt. You thought of it as a display of wealth and power. Clearly he was loaded, so why wouldn’t it be?

His head assistant, who you now know to be Oleana, met you at the entrance, staring at you solemnly. The rain had yet to cease, and it seemed to create a barrier between the two of you. You subconsciously clutched the handle of your umbrella as you neared her. Without saying a word, she opened up the door and led you inside. There was a spot for your umbrella, so you set it to the side before following after her.

You had been inside the tower many times, but you had never been past the first floor. Today, Oleana had taken you to the large elevator, trapping you inside with her. She looked to be in her thirties, and looked very full of herself. Every now and then you’d catch her glancing at you. She was plotting something.

“I don’t understand why the Chairman would summon you of all people,” the blonde finally spoke up, looking at you with unmasked disgust. She seemed jealous, almost, and you found that to be rather amusing. You said nothing as the elevator continued its trip up to the top of the tower. The higher up you went, the more you began to feel dizzy.

A few more minutes of tense silence passed before the elevator came to a stop and Oleana led the way for you once more. The top of the tower was wide and open, with nothing but two chairs and a small table set up by the edge. The woman leading you huffed and turned around, leaving you in the large room with the Chairman, who was looking down at the city of Wyndon.

He turned around, gesturing with a smile for you to join him. The closer you got, the more you realized that he wasn’t all too intimidating. You had known the Chairman for quite some time now, so you blamed your fear on your adrenaline and moved on. He seemed to be gentle and tired, but you could tell something was off.

“When I became the chairman of the Galar region, I vowed that every decision I made would be with the greater good in mind.” You now stood beside him, gazing down at the city of Wyndon in slight awe. “I’ve been the chairman for many years now, as I’m sure you know, and I’ve had to make many tough decisions that would affect the future of the region. Dealing with these storms has been one of my toughest decisions yet,” he turned to face you, still smiling. He led you over to the table and pulled out your seat for you. Once he was seated in front of you, he continued to speak. “Your plan for handling this situation was a very good one indeed, however, I cannot simply make such a rash decision based on the dream of a child.”

“Chairman, Allister’s premonitions are an enigma. I’ve never met anyone else who has been able to see the things that he does,” you explained, maintaining eye contact with him. “I refuse to dismiss his premonitions just because the concept is a little strange.” He watched you intently, still smiling. “That boy saw the destruction of the region at the hands of Dynamaxed Pokémon, and I fear that it’s playing out sooner rather than later.”

“You think so?” Rose questioned, his hands folded neatly on the table. The rain fell against the window roof harshly, and the sky was still dark, despite it being midday.

“I know so.” It was then that you pulled out the Aromatisse you caught this morning. “This Pokémon was on a rampage today in the Glimwood Tangle just outside of Ballonlea. I stopped my exhibition matches to handle it. It Dynamaxed on its own in the wild. My people could have been hurt. Travelers trying to see my matches could have been killed.” You set the ball on the table and stared at him, searching for some form of physical reaction. “If my plan were to be executed, then maybe we could get this under control. Until then, the routes between cities are far too dangerous for the public to travel through.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “I believe that Dynamaxing is the future of Galar. To see wild Pokémon doing it is a miracle, is it not?” He chuckled, shaking his head. “I believe…” Rose turned his head to look outside, “I believe that means that Galar’s energy is so abundant that even the Pokémon have taken advantage of it. It’s wonderful. The region is thriving.” His soft smile had turned into a grin. You felt like your argument wasn’t getting through to him.

“Rose! This is dangerous! Innocent lives are at stake here! What will you do when the entire region is wiped out by your so called ’miracle’?” You slammed your hands onto the table, practically pleading with him to listen to you. Slowly, he turned to meet your gaze once more. His expression was off putting in the worst way, making you wish that you had declined his offer.

“Galar will be fine, y/n,” he said gently. His hands were folded neatly in his lap, and he sounded confident in his words. Unfortunately, you couldn’t seem to make any sense of it. “I refuse to let anything bad happen to our home. Though I must say— everything that I’m doing now is for our future generations. Trust in me, as you have many times before.”

A defeated sigh left your lips, and you hung your head. There was no point in arguing with him. “I have to go,” you mumbled, raising from your seat slowly. You refused to meet his green gaze. In your eyes, he was a villain. He meant well, really, but he was being rash.

“Thank you for joining me. I hope you have a safe trip back to Ballonlea,” Rose waved kindly before turning to look out of the large window. The rain was persistent still, relentless in its assault on the region. He sighed and thought about his interaction with you. It pained him to see you so set in your ways when he was doing wonders for the future of Galar. You reminded him of himself when he was a young trainer. He was calm and collected, but also brash and impatient. That side of him was the main reason that he and his brother didn’t get along. Rose frowned at the thought, looking down at his hands.

He missed his brother.

It took you three knocks before Leon opened the door. He looked exhausted, his hair pulled into a— very messy— ponytail. Books were littered around the common area of the suite he booked, with many opened to specific pages. His notes were also placed around the room here and there, making you rather curious as to what he had been up to.

“I was only gone for an hour and a half,” you said as you walked into the room, your eyes briefly scanning across the books you passed. “How were you able to get all of this done in such a short period of time?” You spun around to face him, awe painting your expression.

“Every book I’ve read has no mention of Eternatus, but rather the two kings, and their two Pokémon companions,” he stumbled forward, picking up one of the books and handing it to you. “I studied the history various monuments dedicated to the kings, and found nothing on them until I recalled the museum in Hammerlocke. It hints at the two Pokémon that aided the kings in their battle.” Leon stretched with a groan before handing you a sheet of paper. “The Sword and the Shield Pokémon. They haven’t been spotted since that day all those years ago,” he led you to the coffee table, showing you even more of his notes. “But— Hop and his friend Gloria ran into a Pokémon that matches the description of them in the Slumbering Weald.”

As you reviewed his notes, you couldn’t help but admire his intelligence. His thoughts, albeit messy, were pointed in the right direction. With this kind of thinking, the two of you were bound to come up with a solution in no time. Carefully, you set the papers down, giving him a reassuring nod.

“Why do you think that is? Could it be that they deem your brother and his friend to be special? Or maybe…” you trailed off, looking past him and out the window. “Maybe they can sense what’s coming. They could be trying to reach out to them for help.”

“Hop is in fact very special…” he mumbled, holding his head in his hand as he thought. “If that were the case, don’t you think that they would have reached out sooner?” He paused to collect his thoughts, changing the topic slightly. “Why is it that Eternatus has not once been mentioned… all I could find was the history of the Darkest Day.”

You gasped sharply, sitting upright and looking into Leon’s eyes. “There’s an altar hidden away in the depths of the Glimwood Tangle. Opal showed it to me when she began mentoring me years ago,” you paused, “I haven’t visited it in quite some time, but from what I remember, it’s dedicated to something beyond the Ancient Kings.” Your brows furrowed as you thought, and a frustrated sigh escaped you when you came up with nothing.

“I say we investigate that tomorrow,” Leon pondered before standing up. He rose his hands high over his head and sighed. The fitted shirt he was wearing rose slightly, and you found yourself taking a glance at the little skin it revealed. The champion turned to give you a sheepish smile, nervously scratching his neck. “You wouldn’t mind if I roomed with you tonight, would you?”

“Of course not. As long as you don’t snore, then I don’t mind,” you joined him in standing up, stretching with a soft yawn. The two of you bookmarked the pages of the several books he had found and put them away. Once everything was taken care of, you directed your attention to the weather. It seemed to have calmed some, yet the sky remained dark. Checking your phone, you saw that it was only about five in the afternoon, which meant that you had many hours ahead of you before nightfall came along.

“I was planning on showering and heading to bed a little early. I feel incredibly exhausted,” you admitted with a sigh. “You’re welcome to take one yourself. As for where you’ll sleep… I do believe that there’s a door that connects the bathroom to another bedroom. You can stay there if you’d like.”

“Don’t mind if I do. My body is practically screaming with how sore it is,” he grinned and patted your shoulder before heading off to the room. When you heard him close the door, you walked past into your own bedroom and began getting undressed. Your shower was warm and comforting, easing the slight tension that was beginning to build in your shoulders. Once you changed into the sleepware the hotel provided, you turned off your lamp, closed your curtains, and plopped down onto the bed.

It didn’t take sleep long to find you, thankfully, and you were allowed to properly rest for the first time in days. However, your gratitude was short lived. Your dreams were filled with sights of the Darkest Day and the Sword and Shield Pokémon. You saw the two kings defending themselves against what you assumed was Eternatus, and you saw them lose. Lose? They won in the original story, so why couldn’t they achieve victory once more? Images of Eternatus continued to flash across your mind, only causing you to toss and turn in your sleep. The sight of it was nightmare fuel on its own, but the fact that you were seeing it in your dreams was much more fear inducing. You had never seen it before, so why were you picturing it so clearly now?

Unless… unless it was reaching out to you.

You gasped and quickly sat upright in your bed, drenched in a cold sweat. Why would such a dangerous thing contact you of all beings? Your hands shook as you ran them through your hair. For a moment, you considered waking Leon to discuss your dream, but you chose to keep it to yourself until you were sure that it was real.

Sudden noise from the other room caught you off guard, causing you to jump slightly. Leon. Of course he snored like an Ursaring.

[toasttt11]

approved, again

April 18, 2024

Lucia bit her lip nervously as they got closer to John’s parents house having been driving for a little under three hours now.

John rubbed her thigh with his hand that has been settled on her thigh for most of the drive, “What’s wrong?” John softly asked.

“Will they like me?” Lucia looked nervous, she knows she has met John’s family before but she only his teammate not his partner, it’s more important now and what if they don’t like her.

“Luce.” John gently squeezed her thigh, “They love you and my mom was so exicted when i told her i asked you out.” John reassured her, John knew his family all absolutely adore Lucia and they were all more exicted to see Lucia today than John.

“Okay.” Lucia nodded letting out a slow breath, she was still nervous but she knew John would not lie to her.

John squeezed her thigh once more as he pulled into his parent’s driveway and they both got out of the car leaving their bags in the car.

The front door opened and Jen came rushing out, “Lucia!” Jen beamed walking right to her hopefully further daughter-in-law, “We are so glad you could join Johnny.” Jen pulled Lucia into a gently hug.

Lucia let out a small sigh of relief as she hugged John’s mom back, “Thanks for having me Mrs. Marino.” Lucia smiled as they pulled apart.

“Darling how many times have i told you just to call me Jen.” Jen playfully reprimanded her.

“A lot, Jen.” Lucia laughed.

John smiled loving seeing the two together and eventually his mom turned around and pulled her youngest son into a tight hug.

John and Lucia followed Jen into her house and saw John’s dad, Paul, walking into the house from the backyard.

“Lucia.” Paul smiled and walked over giving her gentle hug, “How have you been?” Paul asked once they pulled apart, he immediately liked Lucia when he met her during the season and enjoys their talks together.

“I’m good exicted about some time off.” Lucia anwsered honestly to John’s father.

“Hello to you too Dad.” John playfully sassed after a few minutes of his dad completely ignoring him as he talked to Lucia. John truthfully did not mind whatsoever as he just loved how well Lucia fits in his family.

“Hi.” Paul sassed back to his son and fondly rolled his eyes pulling his son into a hug.

Paul, John’s older twin walked into the house having just arrived and saw John’s car in the front driveway.

“Johnny!” Paul beamed meeting halfway and pulling his twin into a tight hug.

“Hi Pauly.” John held onto to his twin tightly.

“Lucia!” Paul smiled even bigger as pulled away from hugging his twin and pulled Lucia into a tight big swaying them back and forth.

Paul and Lucia became friends right away and are always sending each other memes and funny videos backs and forth.

John has never had a girlfriend fit into his family the way Lucia does but also never had anyone become friends with Paul as easily as Lucia and Paul became friends.

Lucia and John spent the whole day with his family just spending time catching up and laughing. Lucia absolutely loved getting to see all of John’s baby photos and hearing about so many stories of him growing up.

Lucia really enjoys spending time with the Marino’s and she has never felt uncomfortable around any of them, something that is rare.

Lucia threw her head back laughing at a comment Paul made as they all sat around their table outside eating dinner together.

John smiled softly watching his girlfriend and twin laugh together, his arm was draped around Lucia’s chair and leaned closer pressing a soft kiss to the side of her head as she giggled.

Lucia turned her head still laughing but slowing down and sent him a soft smile that he enjoys receiving every time.

Jen and Paul shared a knowing smile as they watched their son and his girlfriend and they already knew Lucia was the only for their son but seeing them being together only made them think that more.

[gunilslaugh]

Just So You Know

Kim Jungsu

Summary: Your confession to Jungsu left you broken hearted, but seeing you move on made Jungsu broken hearted. (non-idol au)

WC:~1.7k 

Warning: angst

Key: B/n - brother’s name

photo not mine credits to owner.

“I like you Jungsu.” It was a bitter-sweet confession. 

“Y/n-” Jungsu began. 

“I know you don’t like me back. I know that I’m just b/n’s little sister to you and that’s ok.” You offered a smile. “I just wanted to tell you,” you finished. Jungsu was at a loss for words. He can’t say that he is surprised by your feelings. He had a bit of an inkling that you might’ve been harboring feelings for him. Now he has gotten confirmation of that, but he’s not sure what to do with it. You’re right he doesn’t like you back. He cares about you, just not in the way you care about him. 

“Did I make you uncomfortable?” you asked fretfully. Your questions makes Jungsu realize that he has been silent this whole time. 

“No you didn’t,” he assured you. “It's, I’m sorry.” He officially rejects you. It hurts more than you thought it would. You knew going into it that he didn’t like you back, yet his rejection still hurts like a jab to your heart. Still you offer him another smile and even a laugh. 

“I said it’s ok, Jungsu.” Now you’re the one reassuring him. “I already knew. I just felt like confessing anyway. I wanted to get my feelings off my chest. I never expected anything from you, so you don’t have to be sorry,” you tell him. 

You had spent many years pining after Jungsu. All those years you knew that you never had a chance. That you would always be nothing more than b/n’s sister. Even with that knowledge you couldn’t stop your heart from wanting him. From daydreaming about what a relationship with him could be like. As time passed your feelings for him grew deeper and heavier. They eventually got so heavy that you couldn’t bear the weight of them anymore. You had to tell him, even if you already knew the outcome. Sure there was the hopeful part of you that fantasized about him telling you that you were mistaken and that he liked you too. That would have to stay as just another one of your daydreams about him. One of the last ones you're hoping. Another factor in you confessing to Jungsu was that you thought it was time for you to get over him. You spent enough years dreaming about a relationship that would never happen, so you thought it was time you got some closure and moved on.

“I’ll get going then. You can go back to hanging out with b/n.” You turned around to head back inside of your house. 

“Wait a sec,” Jungsu said. 

“Yeah?” you turned back to Jungsu. 

“Goodnight,” he tells you, giving you a small smile. The smile is another apology. You look up at the night sky shining above you both from your backyard patio. Then you shift your eyes back over to Jungsu. 

“Goodnight,” you say back to him. Giving him a matching smile, but your smile is consoling. 

However, you can’t keep wearing your smile. It disappears as soon as you’re back inside your house. Your tears fall as soon as you shut your bedroom door. It was time for you to cry over your unrequited love. To mourn for the years your heart spent yearning for him. It was time for you to cry for your cute little daydreams that filled your head. To have a moment for all the times you spent doing your homework in the kitchen just to be able to catch a glimpse of Jungsu when he came over. Let some tears fall for the way your heart would flutter when Jungsu hugged you. It was time for you to let it all go. Let all your feelings for Jungsu out, so that you could make peace with them and move on. 

At first it was hard. You couldn’t help but feel slightly awkward seeing Jungsu after you confessed to him. You tried your best to act normal, but it was clear that things were different now. They were different for a couple of reasons. One being that your heart hurts. It didn’t pick up upon seeing him. Instead it ached. Number two being that Jungsu was being gentler towards you, as if he was trying to make up for not returning your feelings. It was sweet of him, but it was a sweetness you didn’t need. The distance between the two of you also increased. You pulled away from him as much as you could without it being too noticeable. You weren’t conveniently in the kitchen anymore when Jungsu was over, you just stayed in your room.  You made other plans, so you wouldn’t linger around Jungsu. Your brother did notice these slight changes in your routine, but he didn’t really question it. He figured you were growing up. You found friends that you wanted to hang with more. 

Or maybe you found someone you wanted to hangout more with. Your brother was surprised when you brought over a new “guy friend”. 

“A boy?” He raised his brow at you when you walked through the door with your new friend. 

“Yes, this is my friend Hunter,” you introduced. 

“And how did you meet this friend?” he questioned. 

“He’s a friend of y/f/n. We met when I went over to y/f/n’s for a movie night last month,” you explained. Your brother nods and eyes you suspiciously. 

“Well, have fun then. Not too much though,” he points at you, which causes you to laugh. 

Jungsu was also surprised when he saw you laughing in the kitchen with Hunter. You stopped laughing when you saw Jungsu standing in the doorway, looking a bit awkward. 

“Oh, Hunter, this is my brother’s friend Jungsu.” Your brother’s friend. The words repeat themselves in Jungsu’s head. They don’t sit right with him. “Jungsu, this is Hunter,” you say. 

“Her soon-to-be boyfriend,” Hunter states flirtily, making you laugh. 

“Be quiet,” you chuckle, smacking Hunter in the shoulder. 

“You’re not saying no though,” Hunter points out. Jungsu feels a tug in his heart. His stomach suddenly doesn’t want the chips he originally came into the kitchen to grab.

“Well I’ll just grab a water and leave you two alone then,” Jungsu said. His hand feels clammy as he grabs the cool water from the fridge. His stomach felt queasy as he walked out of the kitchen and back to your brother’s room. Hunter clearly liked you and you didn’t look like you minded it. It looked like you had some feelings for him too. It made Jungsu disheartened. He can hear the way you laughed with Hunter ringing in his ears over and over. You used to laugh with him like that. He used to make you laugh like that. Could he ever make you laugh like that again? Jungsu finds that he doesn’t want that answer to be no. 

“Hunter likes you,” Jungsu stated. The two of you are back out on your back patio undering the glowing moon. It feels oddly reminiscent of the night you confessed to him.

“Yeah he does,” you smiled. “He took an interest in me on the day we first met and started to pursue me, but I wasn’t really looking for a relationship then,” you told. Jungus knows that he is the reason for that. It makes his heart weigh heavy. “He was respectful about it. Said he’d wait until I was ready, but he wouldn’t be going anywhere in the meantime.” Jungsu can see the genuine happiness on your face, yet it hurts him. He doesn’t like you being happy because of another guy. 

“Are you ready now?” Read as are you over him? Jungsu fears he might regret asking that question. 

“You know what? I think I am,” you nodded. “Hunter makes me really happy.” you placed a hand over your heart. He healed what Jungsu broke. Your heart may be healed, but Jungsu feels his break. He definitely regrets asking. He regrets realizing that he did care about you the way you cared, or used to care about him, only after you started to care for someone else. He was too late. 

“Then be with him.” Jungsu offers you a smile. It was the same smile you offered him when you told him it was ok that he didn’t like you back. Fake reassurance, that's what those smiles were, but you both played them off so well. 

“I will,” you tell him. Your words land a jab into Jungsu’s heart. He lost you. 

“I’ll head back inside now,” Jungsu announces. He turns to head back inside the house. 

“Wait a minute,” you said. 

“Yeah?” Jungsu turned back to you. 

“Goodnight,” you smiled at him. This smile wasn’t consoling though. It did still bring comfort to Jungsu though. Your smile always did. Because it warmed his heart to see you happy. 

I like you, the words sit on the tip of Jungsu’s tongue. However, he can’t say them. That wouldn’t be fair to you. He already made you go through the pain of unrequited love. He doesn’t want to hurt you again. His eyes gravitate to the stars above in the night sky then they fall back to you.

“Goodnight,” he gives you a matching smile. This one is also apologetic, but for a different reason. He feels sorry that he didn’t figure out his feelings for you sooner. His smile falls right when he enters back inside the house. His tears silently fall from his eyes when he closes the door to your brother’s room. Thankfully your brother is out cold. He lets his tears fall for his unrequited love. He feels the ache of his yearning heart. He creates a cute little daydream in his head. The same daydream you created of where he tells you that you were mistaken and he liked you too back when you confessed to him. He’ll live in that daydream for a while to distract himself. Then when the time comes he’ll move on from it. Just like the way you moved on from him.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5 Years Later

“Remember when you confessed to me back then?” Jungsu asked you. 

“Of course I do? How could I forget my first heartbreak?” you laughed. 

“You were my first heartbreak too,” Jungsu informs.

“Huh?” You tilted your head confused. 

“I realized that I liked you too back then. Only after you moved on with Hunter.” He pointed to the shiny ring on your finger. 

“Jungsu,” you started. 

“I just wanted to tell you. I wanted to get it off my chest. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable either it’s…”

“Just so I know?” you asked. 

“Yeah, just so you know,” Jungsu says. It was a bitter-sweet confession.

Taglist: @purplelady85 @odesonnets @gingerjunhan @chewednails @ezlynkisses @mon2sunjinsuver @mxlly143

[nosnet]

Wine and Song

by K. D. Lalonde

Time Period: June 22, 2008

Perspective: Bridger / Saint / Hugo

Rating: PG-13

Content Warnings: Suggestive Themes, Foul Language, Romance

Word Count: 19,332

Comments: From strangers tasked to kill one another, to rivals, to bandmates, to lovers, to significant others, and now, to spouses. A backyard wedding with minimal guests, officiated by the last member of Psychic Assault.

Saint and AMP were leaning against a tree in Saint’s back yard, smoking. Saint wore a black on black dress shirt, tie, and slacks, something formal but not too dramatic. AMP’s suit was something Middle Eastern, a gray sherwani jacket with buttons all the way down and a short, gold collar. Something more muted than their usual attire, but they were to officiate, so for once they didn’t want to draw attention from the typically stealthy couple. The decorations were just so - seats for the few invited guests, large enough canopy to encompass the space - mostly to appease Bridger’s concern for prying eyes. Guests were mingling - Hugo Strahan, Gangrel Primogen, Oliver Grayson, Brujah Primogen and Saint’s Sire, and Tarheel Nell herself, Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt, Asheville’s Toreador Prince. It took a lot of doing for Bridger to be comfortable with this many people. Originally it was just going to be AMP to officiate. But they couldn’t not tell their dad, and it wouldn’t have been fair to not let Saint do the same. And then of course Vanderbilt and her damned intuition for social gatherings, she inquired, and in exchange for her invitation, she was to keep anyone else from sticking their noses in this particular business.

AMP had a guitar around their back on a strap, and once they were done with their ciggy, they patted Saint on the shoulder. “Big moment - you ready?”

“I mean, yeah, of course I am, I’m just surprised the damn cat is actually comfortable with all of this. You sure it’s not too much for them? They haven’t, I don’t know, run up a tree somewhere? Planning on fighting me instead of marrying me? Something?”

“No, it’s gonna be fine, though, I’ll give you a minute before I even start the music.”

“Why?” Saint asked with no small amount of concern.

“You’ll see.” AMP smiled at Saint, gave them a light hug, then headed over to Prince Vanderbilt, Hugo and Oliver.

I’ll see? AMP! YOU REALIZE THAT’S NOT REASSURING! Saint had a nervous chuckle. Hell, I’m even Thinking like how Bridger Talks. Yeah, this has needed to happen for a long, long time. People look happy to be here, in our wooded back yard. Not unassisted by the Special Reserve Blood Wine Vanderbilt so graciously donated. Fuck, I just need my Bridger to be okay when they see all this. I’m so nervous for them.

The back door opened, and in a white tuxedo jacket, with black lapels and tie, black half mask, and black slacks, Bridger exited the house. Their expression was unreadable. Their usual resting scowl mostly obfuscated their nerves and slight discomfort they were getting over. Their eyes darted to the decorations and the people, and then to Saint, and their reservations melted away. Saint however, blurred over to them with Celerity. "Bridger, what the fuck, I didn't realize we were dressing up! You look…"

"I know, I look ridiculous, but you own a suit, you look good in a suit, I didn't want to look like a bum next to you if you wanted... I don't know, something normal like photos. People do that, right?"

"Yes people do that, lemme go change and I guess we can do this for real. But for the record, you don’t look ridiculous, you look beautiful.” Saint had a huge smile, and fought back tears.

Bridger blushed, their eyebrows furrowed and they balled one of their hands into a fist. Before striking, they loosened it and rested it on Saint’s side. “Hey! Not in front of them. Come on. Say I look good and end it there. This is already a lot, but I’m comfortable enough without you saying absurd shit like that.”

"I’ll be right back, everyone.” Saint shouted, AMP shot them a knowing look, Hugo and Oliver nodded. They went back inside to match Bridger’s level of dress. Cornelia got up and approached Bridger.

“I told you they would love this.”

“Yeah yeah, you know clothes. They called me… beautiful. Ugh, we have got to get this show on the road so I can get out of this outfit though.”

“Not until ton-”

“Nope, not going there, chill… ma’am, already too familiar.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s… fine. You’ve seen this sort of thing before. I’ve never been to a wedding. I know this is a substandard amount of guests, but do you think my da- uh, Hugo could walk me down, and then, Oliver could-”

“Of course dear. Also did you say yes to photographs? I didn’t want to snap any if you weren’t comfortable with it.”

“I mean, the way I see it - people take pictures when Psychic Assault plays at The Orange Peel. Ultimately this is a performance. Just, please don’t go sharing those around, okay?”

“I swear this will stay between the six of us. I wouldn’t want to betray your need for privacy.”

“Thank you. For all of this. The suit, the wine, the photos, but also this setup, taking me in, putting your faith in a stranger who didn’t deserve it.”

“Shush, enough of that, not today. I’m gonna go send Hugo and Oliver over, Oliver will head inside to meet Saint, AMP will start up the music, Hugo will walk you down, then Oliver will walk Saint down, you will meet in the middle with AMP, Oliver and Hugo will take their seats, and then AMP will begin.”

“Why did I even call the shots back at Pigeon Forge? You’re a brilliant strategist, ma’am.” Bridger chuckled. Cornelia laughed as well.

“Joking? That is a good sign. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you joke before.”

“This domestication thing really is working on me. That’s what Saint says at least.”

Vanderbilt gave them a soft hug, then resumed her spot with the other three Kindred. She relayed the strategy, then Hugo and Oliver got up and approached Bridger. Oliver gave them a jab on the shoulder. “Break a leg.” he whispered encouragingly. Bridger’s brow looked more confused, but they were still smiling. Weird ass Brit.

“Hey kid, how ya holdin’ up?” Hugo asked.

“Ya know what? I’m doing pretty fucking good, ya mutt, how bout you?”

“Yeah, I’m happy, happy to see ya’ll like this, happy it came together so smoothly, happy you didn’t actually fight that Brujah to the death.”

“I mean, we still scuffle sometimes, but, yeah, I suppose it was the right call. Or rather, that you convinced me to be a little less… dramatic. I just didn’t know how to express how I felt.”

“You were kind of raised like shit, but I got you.”

“No kidding. Hey, this part is supposed to be for… parents, traditionally, but since I never met my mom, and my father is in hell…”

“Of course kid.”

AMP started strumming his guitar to a formal sounding wedding-adjacent song. Hugo extended his arm, and Bridger took it in theirs. They walked together slowly down the makeshift aisle, and Vanderbilt snapped constant photos. In one particular photo, unbeknownst to anybody but the two of them, Hugo’s and AMP’s eyes met before looking away quickly. Something was abuzz in the air other than the two in focus. Once they arrived at AMP, the three of them smiled widely. Holy shit, it’s happening. Bridger was verging on overwhelmed with emotions. AMP slowed their strumming for a moment before returning to the rhythm to lead Saint in.

Bridger leaned their head towards Hugo, and whispered “Thanks, Dad.” Their first time calling him as such. Sure they had referred to him as such, but never directly. It felt weird, but today felt weird, like it was okay to try new things. Hugo gave Bridger a side hug, and also fought a tear. The music resumed.

Now Saint appeared from the house, their suit crisp from being recently pressed. They had Oliver’s arm in theirs, and they began their journey towards Bridger.

“Well, they haven’t run away, that’s a good sign.” Saint whispered to Oliver.

“What do you think they said to the Old Goat? He looks positively on the verge of tears.”

“I wonder. Hey, thanks Pops.”

“No problem Kiddo. You know, the moment I saw you two making eyes in the Biltmore, I knew it would go this way.”

“Uh, no the fuck you didn’t.” Saint chuckled.

“Well, okay, I knew they were interested in you in a way that went beyond revenge or however they phrased it. A rematch. That was it.”

“Ah man, I’d wanna say that that was an entirely different Bridger than we see dressed to the nines ahead of us, but really they’re the same ol’ grumpy Gangrel under all that. They just had more time to cook and focus on those emotions.”

“We’re almost there, maybe talk less unless you want to embarrass the poor Bobcat, turn this thing into a proper brawl after all.”

“Heh, you’re right.”

Saint arrived at their destination, and gave Oliver a hug. They took a deep breath, and then released him. They then turned to look at Bridger. The white tux was stunning, they hadn’t seen this Gangrel in much beyond their dusty parka, and athletic pants, outside of a gag t-shirt they had gotten them that Bridger ended up wearing to every Psychic Assault show. Then of course, they’d seen them in less than that as well. From their nights in denial that this was anything more than transactional, to when Bridger finally admitted their feelings after Saint had worked so hard at expressing themselves, making their feelings blatant for months. Now Bridger was here, wearing a suit for them, ready to marry them, in front of their trusted confidants. The music was fading out, so the audible camera snaps became slightly more apparent. Bridger smiled a truly innocent smile of awe beneath their mask, looking into Saint’s eyes. From this, Saint’s eyes reddened in the corners, tears that were on the verge of breaking the levee. Bridger reached up with a pocket handkerchief to keep the red from ruining suits and photos. They gently wiped at Saint’s face. “Thanks, Bridge.” Saint mouthed.

AMP began the proceedings.

"Dearly immortally bestowed, we are gathered here this evening to join together this Brujah and this Gangrel in eternal matrimony. The all mighty Troile’s and the wise Ennoia’s lineages are to be combined forthwith into one bloodline within these two participants, Saint and Bridger.”

They looked away from the small crowd, most specifically Hugo, and eyed the couple before them. "My best friends. I'm so very proud of you two."

They continued with the apparent script. “You have chosen to come together in this union because of your love and commitment to each other. We are honored to stand as witnesses to the power of these Kindreds’ connection. ‘Love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once given, never forgotten, never let it disappear.’ John Lennon. ‘In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.’ Paul McCartney. ‘It's all love - how much you can get from each other, and that is determined by how much you're giving to each other.’ George Harrison. ‘I’m Ringo’. Ringo Starr.” Bridger rolled their eyes, Saint chuckled softly.

“Bridger, Saint, if you will join hands, and follow my lead.” AMP demanded.

They held each other, and Saint detected a slight shiver in Bridger, but their eyes met again and it calmed the Finicky Cat. Just a little bit longer, babe, you’re doing great. Saint thinks.

“Bridger, do you take Saint to be your spouse, from this day forward, pledging your love, unlife, and loyalty, in every season until your end of days?”

“I do.” Their voice was raspy as ever, but loud, not shy, and full of confidence. Saint saw the fire ignite in their eyes. Do it coward, say it back, you won’t say it as hard as I did. Bridger thought, smirking as if they had just dunked on their spouse-to-be.

“Saint, do you take Bridger to be your spouse, from this day forward, pledging your love, unlife, and loyalty, in every season until your end of days?”

“Damn right I do.” Saint said, their tone smug and proud. Bridger’s eyebrows raised in surprise. Oh you motherfucker, it’s on.

“Now, Saint, if you will please place a ring on your Bridger’s finger and repeat after me.” Saint removed a simple ring from their pocket, something that could easily be concealed, a black tungsten carbide ring with a thin sapphire inlay. They took Bridger’s hand, and slid the ring onto their ring finger. Bridger stared at its reflective surface, then back into Saint’s matching blue eyes, and fought back a hard blush.

“With this ring” “With this ring”, “I marry you in the name of love, loyalty, and commitment.” “I marry you in the name of love, loyalty, and commitment.” “To have and to hold, from this night forward,” “To have and to hold, from this night forward,” “for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in torpor and in health,” “for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in torpor and in health,” “to love and to cherish, till the tempest doth take me, and I sleep no more.” “to love and to cherish, till the tempest doth take me, and I sleep no more.”

“Now Bridger, if you will please place a ring on your Saint’s finger and repeat the same.” Bridger retrieved a similar ring, except with a significant pallet swap. A little showier, but then again Saint had a penchant for talking to people and was less bothered by questions. A white gold ring with an emerald inlay. They placed it on Saint’s ring finger, and slid it down the length. Recognizing this motion made Saint go beat red, and they turned their head away from the small crowd for a second.

“Hey, Finicky Cat, It’s okay, nobody thinks this is weird. I promise.” Saint whispered comfortingly.

“Thank you.” Bridger whispered back.

“If you are ready, Bridger.” AMP asked, after giving their friend a moment to recollect themselves. Bridger nodded.

“I’m ready. Thank you AMP, I needed that.”

“With this ring” “With this ring”, “I marry you in the name of love, loyalty, and commitment.” “I marry you in the name of love, loyalty, and commitment.” “To have and to hold, from this night forward,” “To have and to... hold, from this night forward,” “for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in torpor and in health,” “for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in torpor and in health,” “to love and to cherish, till the tempest doth take me, and I sleep no more.” “to love and to cherish, till the tempest doth take me, and I sleep no more.”

“By the power vested in me by the Camarilla, and under order of Prince Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt of Asheville, North Carolina, I now pronounce you married spouses, Saint and Bridger Parks. You may kiss.”

Saint went to motion not to say that last part, thinking it would embarrass Bridger a great deal, but Bridger, having seen this as a competition more recently, unlooped their left ear’s mask loop with their right hand’s thumb, then placed their palm on Saint’s face. Their left hand held Saint’s waist. Saint’s eyes went wide in surprise, but it was too late - Bridger closed, and kissed them. Their hands went over Bridger’s shoulders. The audience was shielded by cloth at first, and now a suited arm, and although AMP caught the beginning of this, Saint’s arm now protected them on that side as well. There was cheering, and AMP had returned to their guitar with another song, but Bridger and Saint didn’t hear any of it, they were in their own little world for the time being.

“I love you so much, my Saint.“

“I love you too.”

The next few moments were a blur, but one thing was for sure, AMP provided cover for Bridger as they re-concealed their face. Afterwards there were photos, some with timers that had all six of them in the shot. Then the dads dipped out for their own smoke break and conversation.

"Well shit, you Old Goat, I suppose I owe you fifteen quid.”

"Keep it. I’m happy for them, really I am, but it’s only now kind of dawning on me that this can be a thing.”

“Whaddya mean? The gay thing?”

“No, not ‘the gay thing’. They’re Coworkers, Oliver, members of the Prince’s Court. Sure, Nell has been lenient with their blurred situationship with their ‘do they hate each other or are they dating on the downlow’ thing, but, they’re married now.”

“Why wouldn’t that be okay? Wait, oh shit, our old third. You still-”

 “Shut it. I don’t know what this is, but I’d always assumed that wasn’t okay. Nell gave me that vibe once or twice when AMP and I were-”

“Did you ever actually ask her?”

“Well, no, not specifically. But also you-”

“I just wanted you two to focus on the task at hand. I couldn’t have cared less what you got up to, just not on the job.”

Hugo ashed his cigarette, and put his fingers on the bridge of his nose. In his memories, Hugo’s attention was on an exchange he had with the Prince decades ago, when he was asked about his budding relationship with Asheville’s Seneschal, and when he answered he felt dismissed. In reality, Nell was neck deep in paperwork, and was only attempting to let him know that if they were a thing that he should be careful, and that she should be kept informed. He was now realizing this in real time. “Well shit.”

“Well put. I’m going to let you stew on this for a bit, your secret is safe with me I guess? I’ll support you with whatever you wanna do, but Hugo, you Neanderthal, you two aren’t even coworkers anymore. What’s the damn hold up?”

“God damn it.”

“There there you brute, let it all out.”

“I- thanks Oliver, Fuckin’ hell. I feel like I missed my shot.”

“Eternity is a long time you Old Goat, and you’re both still around, and in the same area. They haven’t shied away from you in all this time, even after whatever that was before.”

“You’re right. You’re right. Okay, when the time is right. Let’s drop it for now.”

“Say no more, they probably think we’re talking about them.”

“In a way, all three of them really are a unit. So we sort of were.”

“Fair point.”

Back with the other four, AMP and Nell were doing their best to not make things weird for the newly married Gangrel, meanwhile Saint was absolutely living in this moment.

“Just realized we never tossed a bouquet.”

“No bouquet to toss. Also, who else is even trying to get married here? Ma’am, is there any sort of prospective-”

“Now who’s getting too familiar?” Tarheel Nell smirked and Bridger sunk into their tuxedo. “But no, I have everything I need. I did enough of that in the twenties. Spouses didn’t seem to stick and they only led me to getting Embraced.”

Bridger and Saint’s brows arched. Bridger turned to AMP. “And you aren’t really the relationship type.”

Nell chuckled. Bridger read this as her making slight fun of their Malkavian best friend, but Saint, and more so AMP and Nell, reflected on a pre-Bridger Asheville. Times in which Seneschal AMP and Sheriff Hugo spent a lot of time together, barely avoiding prying eyes of the other members of Nell’s council. Riding the adrenaline highs of battle with sweet and intense sidebars away from Oliver.

“Yeah, I suppose not.” AMP responded plainly, which received a light scowl from Vanderbilt. Now it was Saint who was averting their knowing eyes. “Perhaps Oliver.”

“Oh? You know something we don’t, bud?”

“No, he just seems the least entangled.”

“I don’t imagine this speculative business is your cup of tea, Bridger.” Nell interrupted.

“Correct.”

“Besides, tonight is about you two, and those two are coming back to the table.”

Once all was said and done, after kind words were exchanged, and toasts were made, after a small dinner for six close friends, and after the evening finally grew ever closer towards the morning, Bridger and Saint looked into each others eyes and knew that the time and energy they had reserved for anyone except each other had come to an end. They joined each other, hand in hand, bid everyone a good rest of their evening and retreated into the comfort of their home, mere steps away.

[iamvegorott]

Magicians Don't Need Superheros Pt6

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Marvin still had some doubts about agreeing to go to this ‘House’ with Jackie, but with how exhausted he was, it was the best option at that moment. All he wanted to do was lay down in a bed and sleep. A brief coma sounded so wonderful right now. 

“I thought you said we were going to a house,” Marvin commented as he and Jackie stepped up to a building that had at least three floors, maybe more since there was a chance for a basement, and it sat in the middle of a field that looked like a small backyard compared to the apparent home. 

“It is, it’s just like, a really big one to fit everything.” Jackie weakly laughed as he opened the door, stepped back, and gestured for Marvin to go in first. There was a pause as Marvin just stared at the open doorway, wanting to go in but his legs were stiff. “There’s no boobytraps or anything.” 

“Yeah…” Marvin tried to make himself take a step, but still nothing. 

“Are you okay?” Jackie asked. 

“Um…yeah?” Marvin knew that as soon as he went into the house, there was likely no going back. He’d accept being this ‘Ego’ and that everything he thought was real wasn’t anymore. Would it be too bad if he turned around and took off? Being in denial wasn’t too horrible, was it? But…after everything Jackie’s done. He’s owed him to at least go in. 

So why couldn’t he move?

“I can walk in with you?” Jackie offered, holding out his other hand to Marvin and giving him a smile that he hoped would make his confidence contagious. 

“That might help,” Marvin confessed, placing his hand in Jackie’s. He hoped he wasn’t shaking nor had a sweaty palm. Either would make him want to throw up. 

Being anxious about things was so annoying. 

“We have a gym, well, workout center is what the others call it, but a gym in the basement, and the library is on the second floor.” Jackie started rambling as he walked into the House with Marvin and for once Marvin was thankful for it. “There’s a lot of comics and manga in the library cause me and Chase read a lot of those. There’s like medical books as well, and some mysteries and a good handful of horror. More books have probably appeared since you did so we’ll have to check out what’s new in there.” 

Marvin let Jackie’s voice be background noise that he was still listening to as he looked around. It really did just look like someone’s home. It was a home to a large family with how many pieces of furniture the room had and all of the photos hanging up on the wall. Apparently, he already had a room in this place. If going off the sizing of everything so far, it was likely plenty of space for him. And the library sounded nice. If it did adjust to whoever moved in, he might be able to find magic books and allow him to process the world's magic and get back to the full level of his abilities. 

“You must be Marvin.” Marvin hummed when he heard his name, seeing two other men walking into the room with him and Jackie. Just like in the pictures, the two look similar to Jackie and after a few blinks, they became unique. 

“Hello.” Marvin greeted, trying to not make it too obvious that he was looking them over in an attempt to get a read on them. 

One had a cap on his head, a T-shirt, and jeans. He had a short beard that looked pretty well-kept. A relaxed stance but still had a bit of an air of authority, almost like a parental figure would. The other had glasses, a turtleneck, slacks, and just a bit of scruff on his face. He seemed stiffer, more serious, and had that same authority feeling. Maybe the two worked together a lot, using their differences to cover all the bases. With how large of a home this was, there had to be more than just these three. 

“I’m Chase and this is Henrik.” The one with the hat greeted with a big grin while the other had a polite smile and held a hand out. 

“It is good to finally meet you.” The one with the turtleneck, Henrik, said. 

“I’m guessing Jackie gave you the story after every meeting?” Marvin asked with a soft laugh, awkwardly shaking Henrik’s hand. 

“For the most part. We are sure he left some details out.” Henrik chuckled. 

“He gets distracted,” Chase said, his grin turning into a teasing one to Jackie. 

“Like you’re any better.” Jackie huffed. 

“Are there any more of you-um-us?” Marvin felt so weird saying that. That was going to have his tongue feel heavy for a while still. 

“Yeah!” Chase perked up. “JJ’s in the kitchen finishing up some dessert and Ant-where’d he go?” He turned around. “He was literally right behind us.” 

“He said he was excited to meet the, as he put it, ‘newbie’, why would he hide?” Henrik looked as well. 

“Your son doesn’t make sense.” Chase scoffed as he stepped away into the other room.

“My son? When did I become a father? I claim no ownership of him.” Henrik sounded offended as he left with Chase. 

“If I’m getting called mom, then you’re dad.” 

“I am not suited to have custody of any of them.” 

“I have several questions,” Marvin said as he looked at Jackie. 

“It’s…a lot.” Jackie rubbed the back of his neck. “And that’s just us, wait till you meet the others.” 

“I’m running away.” Marvin barely took a step before Jackie was in front of him, holding both of his shoulders. 

“It’s not that bad. It just takes time to learn all of the-um-the like quirks and stuff. You don’t have to worry about even meeting the others for a bit, they know to give you time to settle in, but Hen will want to examine you.” Jackie let Marvin go and kind of gestured at his body with his hands. 

“Examine me?” Marvin did not like having no context to that phrase.

“He’s a doctor,” Jackie said quickly when Marvin had a concerned look on his face. “He likes getting a baseline for everyone since sickness works really weirdly with us. Some of us can get the flu, some can’t, sometimes we’ll show symptoms for something and then it’s gone the next day and a bunch of super weird stuff like that. Like, some of us heal beyond fast, like a paper cut is gone in five minutes.” 

“Are you one of those kind of healers?” 

“Kind of? Like, I mean I heal pretty quick, few of us heal faster than me, but my body can take a lot of damage before it’s a problem.” Jackie slapped at his chest with a proud chuckle. 

“Need to be durable to be a hero.” 

“You get it!” 

“Sorry about that.” Henrik returned to the room. “It is hard to keep a single thought in this house.” 

“I’ve been here for a minute and I’m already dizzy.” Marvin sighed. 

“Sad to say that never goes away.” Henrik chuckled. “Now, if you are willing, I would like to take you to the infirmary for an examination. Nothing too invasive. Height, weight, basic health questions for me to note down and begin your record with us.” 

“Is there anything you don’t have in this house?” Marvin’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

“A pool,” Jackie answered. “We go to the Manor for that.”

“The Manor?”

“That’s where the Ipliers live.”

“They live in a-nope. Nope, I’m good. I can only handle so much at once.” Marvin rubbed at his temples with both hands. 

“Shall we?” Henrik started walking, showing that he was expecting Marvin to follow. 

“I could still run,” Marvin said out loud.

“I can steal one of JJ’s desserts for you to eat while you talk with Hen,” Jackie said. 

“What kind of dessert?” Marvin noticed that Jackie was using this conversion as a way to get him moving and he just let it happen. Sometimes embracing ignorance helped with the chaos.  

“Probably chocolate cookies, he’s known for those.” 

“Could you steal two of them for me?” 

“Yes, I can!”