#also my friend who knows how to cook far more than i do said the meringue had good torching and a snazzy crust

[tallymarkbrothers]

sending each of you a blahaj

Prime: It'll be an issue if we run out of space, we only have so much storage and I don't particularly want to fill it with things we didn't ask for...

[justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms]

Locked In

Ah, the classic forced proximity trope (I'm such a sucker for this). This idea was suggested by @blueberrysquire so thank you very much! This one's for you, I hope you like the fic!

Fandom: Tokyo Debunker

Characters: Sho Haizono x gn! Reader

Word Count: 2.1k (2,170 words)

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You and Sho get stuck in a classic forced proximity trope. What will happen when you have no choice but to confront your feelings for each other?

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Sho was going to kill Leo this time.

He really was. Sure, he’d said that before and Leo had talked his way out of it or Sho’s anger had dissipated once the issue was passed. But this time, he was serious.

That grey-haired idiot had pushed him too far this time and Sho was going to kill him.

What had happened to get him to that point? Simple.

The food truck had been a great success. Better than he’d ever imagined it would be. Each day came with more and more customers and, while Sho was happy his cooking was finally getting the recognition it deserved, that also meant more and more trips to and from the storage room to replenish his ingredients.

And then there were your visits. At the end of every day, Sho would experiment with whatever leftover ingredients he had on hand and make up new dishes. And somehow, you’d found out about this routine and started dropping by just as he was closing up for a free feed of whatever he decided to cook up that day.

Not that he minded the company. In fact, far from it. Despite his initial mental refusal, Sho had started developing something of a crush on you ever since your support of his food truck idea. He’d been around Leo so long, all it took was a few kind, encouraging words from you to get his heart racing.

And then, just as he was starting to accept his feelings, the last person he ever wanted to find out, found out.

~

“What, you got a crush on the NPC or something?”

Sho turned his back on where Leo was sitting and concentrated on not burning the chicken he was cooking.

It was the middle of the lunch hour and, as usual, Leo had dropped by to “help out” and “keep Sho company”. Of course, Leo’s version of helping was sitting nearby and gossiping about everyone on campus.

Today, he had been gossiping about you, the Honour Roll, the NPC, who was going around being a goody two shoes and helping all the houses with their unresolved daddy issues. Or mummy issues. Depending on who it was.

Sho had been distracted by his cooking and had made the stupid mistake of defending you.

And that was all the encouragement Leo had needed.

“Oh my god, you do!”

Sho refused to turn around. He could already imagine the look on Leo’s face, smug and vaguely disgusted at the notion of his friend having a crush on someone. And he refused to let Leo see the blush that had spread across his cheeks.

“Really? Honour Roll?” Leo sighed, “You’ve got to improve your taste. But whatever floats your boat, I guess. Could be fun after all.”

At that, Sho turned to face his friend. “No. No, no, no. Don’t you dare. I know that tone. You’re going to keep out of this. I don’t want any dares or bets or gambles. You’re going to keep your pointy nose out of this for once. Okay?”

A slow grin spread across Leo’s face. “You really like them, don’t you?”

Sho felt his face begin to burn again and turned back to the stove. “What is it to you?”

“Nothing, nothing.”

But Sho knew it was never just nothing with Leo.

~

Which brought him to today. The food truck had been exceptionally busy, even by his standards and by the end of the day, he’d had barely any ingredients left over to cook dinner for the two of you. He was just considering another supply run when your voice broke him from his thoughts.

“How was the truck today?”

You were standing in the door, grinning at him and he had to bite back a goofy smile of his own. Sure, he liked you but that was no reason to go blurting his feelings out so obviously.

“Busy. I’m all out of ingredients. No dinner today.”

Sho watched your face fall, then lift as you scrambled to cover your slip up. “Oh, that’s all good. Can’t get a free feed all the time I suppose.”

Sho nodded, letting the moment drag out before he let himself laugh, a smile breaking across his face. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. I was about to go do another trip to pick up some fresh ingredients for dinner. I have to eat too after all.”

The way your face lit up was all worth it and Sho felt his heart race faster.

“C’mon. You can tag along this time. Since I’ve got to get the ingredients, you can pick what we have tonight.” He untucked his tie from where it had been sitting in his chest pocket and walked over to join you at the door.

On the walk across to the storage room Sho let his mind wander as you ranted about your day. Apparently, the latest house you had been assigned to was full of weirdos and you had no idea how you were going to make them all want to work together.

 “And then they decide to just leave. I mean who does that?”

Sho shook his head, smiling at your incredulous tone as he unlocked the storage room door. Leaving the key in the lock, he gestured you through, turning on the light with his outstretched hand. You pushed past him and he tried not to relish the warmth from your body.

“So, what’s on the menu?”

You made a humming noise as you looked over the shelves. Sho followed you into the room so he could better see what ingredients your eyes lingered over.

And then the door slammed shut.

Sho spun on his heel to try but it was far too late to prevent it from closing. He sighed and placed a hand on the door handle. But just as he was about to turn it to open the door a click came from the other side.

Sho felt panic build in him and tried to turn the handle. It didn’t move.

“Yeah, I locked it.”

Sho covered his hands, trying not to yell. Of course Leo was poking his nose into Sho’s business. And of course he would take matters into his own hands in this way.

“Leo. Unlock the door. It’s not funny.” Sho glanced behind him to see how you were holding up. Being locked in a room was never fun, even if there was plenty of food around. You looked more annoyed than concerned and Sho remembered that, even if he’d known Leo longer, you’d still had to put up with your fair share of his nonsense.

Leo made a tutting noise. “Uh uh uh. You and Honour Roll aren’t getting out of there until things get cleared up between you two. I don’t care how it gets resolved. As long as you leave that room with…no secrets.”

Sho turned away from you quickly, hoping you didn’t notice the blush on his face. “Unlock the door.”

“Enjoy!”

“Leo.”

Silence.

“Leo!”

Sho banged on the door with an open palm but there was still no reply. Leo must have walked away. Sho could imagine him going, swinging the key in one hand.

He sighed, resting his head against the door. He was pretty strong, maybe he could break down the door. But no, this room was specially designed to survive the brunt of ghoul strength to prevent theft. He’d left his phone in the kitchen, assuming it would be a quick trip to the storage room and back. And he’d seen you put your bag down inside the kitchen door and he guessed your phone was in there. Unless you were able to think of a plan to get out, you’d both be trapped until Leo took mercy and came back with the keys.

“So. Guess we’re stuck in here huh?”

Sho turned around slowly, almost dreading your expression. But other than lingering annoyance that he hoped was because of Leo, you didn’t look that put out by being forced to spend possibly hours in a locked room with him. Sho decided to take that as a good sign.

“Seems like it. Sorry.”

You shook your head. “Nah, all good. I didn’t have any plans tonight anyway. I don’t mind spending time with you. Despite the circumstances.”

Sho exhaled through his nose and sat down cross legged on the floor. He gestured for you to do the same. “No point in staying standing.”

You nodded your agreement as you lowered yourself to the floor and mirrored his position. “So, what do you want to talk about?”

~

The conversation had been flowing better than Sho could have hoped. Usually, you talked while he cooked and listened so it was a nice change being able to have a proper two way conversation with you. But it had reached a natural lull and you were both staring at the ingredients, trying not to make the situation awkward.

What was Leo anyway? There was no way of telling the time in the storage room but it had to have been a while. Surely he wasn’t going to leave them there overnight?

Then again, this was Leo. Even Sho didn’t know what he was capable of.

“Hey, Leo said something about clearing the air right?”

Oh no.

“Do you know what that was all about?”

No, no no.

“I think things are great between us. Even when we’re locked in a room, it doesn’t get weird.”

He was going to kill Leo.

“Nah, who knows what he was on about. Probably some new trend he saw on TikTok.”

You uncrossed your legs and spun around onto your hands and knees, crawling towards him. “You sure? It’s nothing like ‘you have a crush on me and you’ve been talking about me to Leo and he’s finally had enough so he locked us in this room to get you to confess’?”

Sho��s mouth hung open despite the voice in his brain screaming at him to get it together. You were just hypothesising, you didn’t know how he felt. But you were getting closer and your face was on level with his and the rest of his brain was short circuiting and he wasn’t sure he trusted his voice at the moment.

You paused. “It’s not that is it?” Silence. “Is it?” More silence as Sho looked away feeling his cheeks heating up. “It is.” You leant back, sitting down with a thump. Sho couldn’t bring himself to look at you. “Oh my god. It is that.”

Sho cleared his throat. He opened his mouth to speak but you raised a hand and he dared to glance at your face.

It was flushed and you were avoiding his eyes as carefully as he and just been avoiding yours. “Just…just give me a second.”

Sho nodded and leaned back against the door, bringing a slightly trembling hand to his head to brush back his hair.

“So, you like me?” Your voice was stronger and, despite the flush that was still evident, you were about to meet his eyes.

Sho nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I do. I didn’t expect you to find out this way though.”

You let out a laugh. “I wasn’t expecting to tell you I like you back this way either.”

Sho blinked, letting your words sink in. You liked him back. You. Liked him. You liked him as well. His feelings were mutual.

He felt a smile begin to spread across his face and saw the same grin mirrored on your face. “You like me too?”

You nodded. Sho wasn’t sure which of you moved first but the next thing he knew, you were hugging him and he was hugging you back and everything felt right in the world, even if you two were still locked in the storage room.

You pulled back from the hug, keeping your faces close together. Sho felt a fluttering in his chest as you began to draw closer…and closer…

And then fluorescent light bathed the two of you as the door swung open and Leo shone a torch down on the two of you.

“Well, that took longer than I thought. If it hadn’t wrapped up soon, I was going to have to leave you two there until morning.”

“Were you sitting outside that whole time listening in?” Sho felt you stiffen in his arms as you realised your private conversation may not have been so private after all.

“Well I had to know when to let you two out. Really Sho, after all that and your secret got blurted out before you had the chance to tell her yourself. I’m ashamed.”

Sho gently pushed you away from him and began to rise to his feet. He stretched a hand down to you and help you up as well. Once you were upright, he smiled at you.

“You want to help me kill him?”

Your grin returned, clearly seeing the sparkle in his eyes. “Could be a fun first date.”

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[bengals-barnesbabe]

There’s Something You Should Know

Pair: Dad!Joe Burrow x OC , Dad!Joe Burrow x ExFianćee!Reader

Desc: Joe’s new girlfriend is in for a big surprise when she drops by unexpectedly.

TW: Jealousy, Toxic Gf, talks of divorce, childhood trauma

a/n: just a little idea I had and worked on for 2 weeks :)

Main Masterlist

WC: 4.9k

┊┊┊┊ ➶ 𓆉｡˚ ✧

August weekends are some of Joe’s favorites, not because he goes out with friends or showers his girlfriend with the attention she desires. No, he loves days like this. Days where his living room doesn’t stay clean for more than a few hours, mornings filled with cute giggles and sticky-syrupy little fingers, and nights controlled by a little girl with beautiful hazel brown eyes and a head full of dark tight curls, who picks the same bedtime story every night. These are his favorite moments.

Like now as he picks up the pink and purple lego sets off his living room floor while his little girl is off playing with some other toys in her playroom. From down the hall, he can hear all the make-believe scenarios the stuffies are going through. Currently, Who Dey the tiger and Joey the kangaroo were shopping for skirts but there was only one pink sparkly one left, it was a heavy debacle that Joe couldn't help but chuckle at while putting away the rest of the legos. 

Elliana, or Ellie for short, is the no doubt most important person (albeit little person) in his life. From the day she was born, there was nothing he wouldn’t do for his little girl. Now at 4 years old, the bubbly and charismatic girl is taking in some of his interests, hence the immense collection of Lego sets that decorate his home. Sure this hobby came back to bite him in the rear when he would fall to victim of said legos by stepping on them, but the time they spent together just playing around was worth all the lego injuries in the world. But they also have house slippers now, to protect both of their feet.

Joe moved to tidy up the kitchen after double checking that all legos were in their rightful spots, not that he was actually going to count every single lego. To prepare for his 4 day weekend with Ellie, he made sure to restock on all her favorite meals and snacks but also ingredients to make the Bengals-themed cookies that she hadn’t stop talking about since she saw them on a commercial for a grocery store they don’t even have in Ohio. Joe wasn’t much of a baker, he only began cooking real meals when Ellie started staying over for multiple nights. Give him a box of Kraft Mac N Cheese and some dino nuggets and he’d turn it gourmet for his daughter, but for now that’s as far as he could go. So he called in reinforcements for this mission.

*ding dong*

His saving grace, Ja’Marr Chase. Joe was forever grateful to have a best friend that loved and cared for his daughter like she was his own. Ja’Marr was a great uncle and Ellie thought so too.

“Daddy, daddy! It’s Uncle Marr, he’s here to make cookies!” He smiles as the squeaky voiced girl comes running down the hall. Before she passes the kitchen, he sneakily pulls her into his arms before she could notice him. “Daddy!”

“What did I say about running in the house? I know you’re excited but you might fall and hurt yourself and that would make daddy really sad.” He lightly scolds bending down to her height.

“I’m sorry daddy. No more running.” Ellie cutely nods and places her small hands on his cheeks to lift his faux frown.  A grin quickly returns to his face and he kisses her forehead. 

“That’s my good girl, how about you go wash your hands so you and Uncle Marr can get started?” Her face beams as she wraps her arms around his neck. He returns the hug almost as tightly to take in the warm sense of comfort that having her in his arms brings. His arms could probably wrap around the young girl twice, but the contentment of having her little ones squeezing onto him so tightly is a feelings he never wants to forget. When she finally lets go, she kisses his cheek then skips down the hall in her fluffy pink slippers.

The door bell ringing again brings Joe back to his full height, but his brows furrow when he doesn’t hear his friend do his usual call out. ‘He’s probably on the phone.’ He thinks walking over to front door. He opens the door wide with a smile to greet one of his best friends, but gets replaced with his eyes widening and mouth dropping in shock.

“Hi babe!” 

Joe blinks then narrows the door’s opening to only fit half his body. “What are you doing here?” He asks the woman he’s been seeing for 6 months.

“I thought we could spend some time together. I know you said you’d be busy this weekend, but you’re busy every weekend. But since you’re actually home, we could watch a movie or something.” She smiles trying to peak inside. “Are you going to invite me in?”

Joe can hear the faucet in the first floor bathroom turn off and another car pull into his driveway. He looks behind him and zeroes in on every detail in his house that screams ‘this is my little princess’ castle’ then turns back to his curious girlfriend. “Um, now’s not a great time Kate.”

The short brunette’s jaw clenches and just as she’s about to respond, Ja’Marr walks up behind her. “Wow- so what, Saturdays are for the boys?” She barks. Actually they’re for the girls, little girls.

“Kate-

Loud giggles erupt from behind him. “UNCLE MARR! Daddy he’s right there I see him!” 

His teammate breaks out in a smile and waves to Ellie. “Hey babygirl.” Ja’Marr excuses himself from behind the woman and Joe lets him in the house.

Kate stands in front of him now dumbfounded. “You have a daughter?”

When Joe met Katelyn, he hadn’t had a long term girlfriend in a while, not since you. So he didn’t have to introduce anyone to his daughter. His team already knew her, his friends were great with her and she had a mom and dad who would do anything for her. Joe didn’t even feel like dating after your engagement ended two years ago. He had some hookups here and there, but getting into a relationship was not on his mind. Funnily that’s how this ‘relationship’ started, she was just someone he could call and was cool about it. Then he took her out to dinner to test the waters and half a year later he’s here.

When you broke up, you and Joe agreed not introduce your daughter to anybody without the other’s consent. You both wanted to make sure that she was your priority and her safety always came first. Then Joe implemented the rule to not introduce Elliana to romantic interests until at least 9 months into the relationship, he said it was him being protective but it was also so he didn’t have to see you without anyone else until it was serious. You also didn’t broadcast your daughter to the world like other parents, so not many knew that he did have a daughter unless they watched his every move. 

So long story short, Katelyn did not know.

“We should talk.” He said as she shoved his body to the side and stomped into his home. “I guess I deserve that.” He shook his head and shut the door.

Thankfully, the kitchen and the living room were a decent distance from each other so when she plopped down on the farthest end of the sofa, he could relax knowing Ellie wouldn’t hear any distinct words the woman might start throwing his way. Kate sat facing the blank tv screen, he took the spot in front of her so he could still see some of the movements in the kitchen through a wall cut out.

“Listen Kate.”

“No me first.” She cuts him off with a hand in front of his face. He just nods and allows her to speak. “Why didn’t you tell me? Is she actually yours? Where’s her mother? How come no one knows about her? Why didn’t you fucking tell me? I thought I was your girlfriend, do I mean nothing to you? Who keeps this kind of giant fucking secret? Fucking talk!” She huffs.

“I was letting you go off- whatever. Yes, Elliana is mine. She just looks exactly like her mother” He mumbles the last part, combing his fingers through his hair, a nervous tick he’s had since he was little.

“She’s 4 and I have dual custody over her, so I mostly get her during the weekends. I didn’t tell you because her mother and I have an arrangement and I would have to talk to her about it first. Her mom lives here- well not here here, she lives in the city. You know I don’t like the attention the spotlight gives so it was easy for us to decide to leave her out of it as much as possible. I guess was going to tell you at some point.”

“What do you mean, you guess? I’m your girlfriend! Don’t you think I have the right to know that the guy I’m seeing has a kid?” She crosses her arms red faced.

“Calm down, we haven’t been seeing each other that long. We were never that serious.” 

“Of course not, every time I want to spend time with you there’s a new excuse. Oh you have a game, or practice that evidently takes all fucking day. Maybe you’re hiding me because there’s someone else.”

“I promise the only other girl in my life right now is my daughter. And everything you just said is a valid excuse, I have a job and child that require all my attention.”

“Why can’t she just stay with her mother? Do you have this stupid arrangement so she can come by and give you what you’ve been missing? I bet you’ve been fucking her this whole time.”

Joe scoffs, her words starting to make his blood boil. “Katelyn, what do you not understand about us co-parenting our daughter? I barely have time to spend with you, so what makes you think I have time to cheat? If you have a problem with me being a father, then you should leave.”

“I don’t have a problem with you being a dad, I have a problem with you not talking about your ex. What, was she so special that it hurts to talk about her? Was she the one, Joe? What exactly is your relationship like with her now?”

“I told you, we co parent. There’s nothing going on with me and her mother, that’s all in the past. Can we stop talking about her now, she’s not going to just pop up out of nowhere?” He rolls his eyes. 

“I’m not convinced, you’d only hide her if there was still something between you.” 

“Yea her name is Elliana, the four year old making cookies in my kitchen right now.”

Before Katelyn can come back with another complaint, the doorbell rings, again. Joe sighs and looks out the window to see another very familiar car. Spoke too soon Joe.

He opens the door to see another one of his close teammates and the very woman he was just talking about. 

“Tee, Y/n what are you doing here?” His eyes lazily flicker between the pair and you send him a sheepish smile.

“Oh you know, we were just in the neighborhood.” Tee nods very nonchalantly. You nudge his side with a chuckle.

“I got a 911 call from Ellie, she said there was an emergency.” 

“Really?” He starts to pat down his pockets and realizes his phone is missing. He turns around and spots a smiling little girl with two long braids neatly done with purple bows in her hair. “Ellie…”

“Yes daddy.”

“Did you call mommy with my phone without telling me?” 

“Yep!”

You stop the laugh from bursting out your mouth when he sends you a pointed look. Taking that as a sign to go ‘confront’ your daughter. “Elliana why did you call me saying there was an emergency?

“There is an emergency momma! Uncle Jay is eating all the cookies!” Ja’Marr turns around shocked at his little partner. 

“Ellie, what did I tell you about snitches?”

“Snitches get stitches.” She relays matter factly. Joe shakes his head in confusion because clearly he wasn’t aware she knew about snitches yet. While you chuckle and run in to snatch up your girl.

“Ellie what did I tell you about taking advice from Uncle J?” You ask placing her on the counter.

“You said to tell you when he teaches me something new. He just did momma, see I told you!”

“Wow, Joe see what your friends have done to my sweet little girl.” She giggles wrapping her arms around your neck.

“They’re your friends too. How is it my fault, I had no idea?”

“There’s your answer.” You smirk. “Now Ms. Ellie Dae Burrow, is there any other emergency I need to know about?”

Freeing herself from your grasp she nods her head. “We don’t know how to ice cookies mommy.” Then takes your face in her hands and turns you towards the powdered sugar mess next to her baking buddy.

“Ellie, did you touch the cookies before touching mommy’s face?”

“Um yes?”

“Did you wash your hands after touching the cookies?” The young girl looks at her flour caked hands curiously. 

“No mommy.”

“Remember what I said about touching your toys with dirty hands?” Ellie nods her head. “Well that goes for people too, cause now I’m covered in flour.”

“Oh, sorry mommy. I’ll go wash my hands now.”

You go off to get washed up then Ellie returns to the kitchen to continue helping with the cookies while you join Joe in the living room.

“I hope you guys didn’t have anything planned, Ellie clearly has a mind of her own.” Joe jokes with the couple.

“Not much, we were just going to pick up some lunch and maybe catch a movie.” Tee shrugs.

“That’s what we were going to do, how funny.” Kate perks up with hidden mischief in her eyes. This is when you realize you have no clue where this woman came from nor who she is. 

“Joe?”

“Oh how rude of me. I’m Katelyn, Joe’s girlfriend and I assume you’re his baby mama.” She fake smiles holding her hand out.

The eyes of the men in the room widen at her bold choice of words. You smirk and shake the woman’s hand. “Yep, that’s me. The mother of his only child, you must know how great of a dad he is right? Whenever he has any time off, he’s always picking her up or coming over to see her. Truly father of the decade and she isn’t even 5 yet.”

Tee sits next the father hiding his face in his hands and chuckles. “I bet this isn’t how you wanted this to go.” He whispers to him. Joe just groans in his hands.

“Well, you should have a seat.” Kate invites.

“Oh I will, thank you for the hospitality in the house that my ex fiance asked me my opinion on over a year ago.” You grin and sit on the other side of Tee.

Katelyn’s kind demeanor shifts with a fake smile wide on her cheeks as she sits next to Joe. “So why’d you break up?”

“We are not starting here!” Joe’s eyes go wide and he straightens up. “Ask anything else please.”

“Joseph, your girlfriend wants to know why we’re not married right now. Why don’t you tell her?” You say forgetting how the whole thing happened for a bit. Thankfully those cherished memories come floating back to your mind and you hoped he decided to change the subject to cover your mishap.

“You just met, aren’t you supposed to be doing the making sure she’s safe for Ellie to be around thing?” You let out a muted sigh before replying.

“Oh please, and you haven’t?”

“No.” He mutters.

Your face hardens as you kiss your teth. “You let this woman around my daughter without screening her first? Joseph what the hell?”

He throws his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t think it was going to last this long, I wasn’t thinking about it.”

“Then why is she here?” You question turning your body completely towards him.

“Your guess is as good as mine!”

Katelyn scoffs, “excuse me, I’m sitting right here!”

“Unfortunately we see that too. How long have you been together anyway?” You hope that their explanation has to do with the restrictions you came up with to keep your daughter safe.

“7 mont-

“6 months- They say at the same time.

“Damn, this is awkward. I’m gonna go.” Tee announces. “I’ll text you.” Then he leaves.

“Looks like that didn’t last, maybe that’s why Joe left you. You attract drama everywhere you go.” Joe grimaces at her just wanting her to stop talking.

“Oh no hun, I left him. Not like it’s any of your damn business cause you don’t know me or him that well either. But let me guess, he told you he was busy but you showed up anyway hoping he’d let you in and give you whatever you want. I wouldn’t stress about him not making enough time for you, there’s a lot of worst ways he could be treating you. Just remember that at the end of the day, I’m that little girl’s mom and he’s her dad. I’ll always have a key in the door, when you won’t even get to see the open house.” Then you got up and went to the kitchen. Joe watched in amusement as Katelyn seethed. Then peaked behind him to catch a glimpse of you and your daughter baking together.

“You need to talk to her, she needs to know that I’m your future and she needs to make room.” Joe rolls his eyes.

“She’s right. They’re my past, present and my future. You were just a distraction and now I don’t need you anymore. I’m going to have to ask you need to leave my daughter’s house.” 

She shakes her head. “Joe, we can have our own family. You don’t need them. I can do that for you.”

“Katelyn I want them, not you. It’s time for you to go.” He stands and walks over to the door.

“You’re going to miss me and regret this, but I wont open the door for you. When you want me back I’ll have someone way better than you. Please don’t do this, don’t break up with me.” Rolling his eyes at the quick change in behavior he unlocks the door for her.

“Joey, I thought we were having fun. You don’t want to throw that away do you?” She asks as a final strand of hope glistens in her eyes.

Joe sighs, “it was fun, but I’d rather play with flower shop legos and bake cookies.”

“Fuck you Joe!” She stomps out with expletives shooting from her mouth. 

⍣ ೋ

“Daddy was your friend crying because you hurt her feelings?” Ellie asks with frosting covering her mouth when he arrives in the kitchen. He picks her up and kisses her sugary cheeks.

“No bub, she hurt her own feelings.” 

“Joey hurt my feelings when left to join the circus.” She pouts talking about her stuffie and licking her sticky fingers.

“Are you eating the icing before we can put it on the cookies?” He asks the orange dye covered girl.

“Nyooo.” She chuckles.

“What are we going to do with you?”

“Mommy said we’re all going to the park to feed the ducks.” She smiles. You turn around with wide eyes and an amused smirk, halting your current task of making more orange frosting.

“I did not say that. Ellie Dae why are you telling your father stories?”

“I think she wants to go feed the ducks.” Ja’Marr snorts while eating some of the cookie dough.

“Uncle Marrrr, you can’t eat more cookies! It’s for the ducks.”

“Ellie ducks don’t eat cookies.” Joe chuckles putting her on a part of the counter that’s not covered in sugar.

“Kaia said they do.” Your daughter yawns mentioning your next door neighbor’s teenage daughter that likes to babysit her.

“Well you’re going to have to ask Kaia where she found the cookies made for ducks.” Glancing over at the oven clock you hum realizing its 2pm. Naptime. Looking back over at your ex, you watch him wrap his arms around your daughter as her eyelids struggle to stay open. “Joe.” You whisper. He looks up at you then the time and nods.

“Come on babygirl, let’s go upstairs.” She whines as he lifts her, but still wraps her arms around his neck.

“But daddy, I’m not tired. Cookies.” She yawns laying her head on his chest. He smiles and kisses her head.

“I promise the cookies will be there when you wake up, and maybe we’ll even take some to the ducks.” You can’t help but smile as the pair climb the staircase up to her room. You always knew Joe would be a great father, especially when the you were surprised by the idea of having a baby so young and so early in your relationship. But he only stepped up in ways you couldn't have imagined, watching him become a father felt like one of life’s greatest privileges. It’s one of the things you love loved about him. Joe’s caring nature was unlike any other, in those 4 years together you’d never felt so loved and cherished by anyone like him.

Turning around to go back to your icing duties, you’re faced with a smirking Ja’Marr Chase. “What?”

“You’re ridiculous.” He chuckles setting a timer for the cookies that you now notice are in the oven. 

“I don’t understand.”

“You look at him the same way he looks at you, which is the exact same way when you were engaged. You just need to put the ring back on and plan the damn wedding at this point. I mean he broke up with his fling for you.”

You just shake your head at his nonsense, there was no way you and Joe would ever get back together after how it ended- after how you ended it. “No, I’m with Tee. They just had a mild disagreement, the second Ellie comes home with me he’ll be calling her back over.”

“You’re fucking with me right?” He scoffs. “You and Tee are not together.”

“How would you know?”

“He texted me the minute you got here. The only reason you two were out together was because we’re all still friends. Don’t try and bullshit me. You’ve been trying to make Joe jealous for weeks.”

“I have not, lower your voice. If you think he would ever take me back after the shit I said that night, then you’re delusional. I already fucked up with Joe.”

“But you want him to though.” He tilts his head with a soft smile. “I bet you still have the ring on you.” Your eyes go straight to the floor.

“You didn’t give it back because he wouldn’t take it. You can’t put it away because of who it reminds you of and you won’t sell it because you still care. In fact Ellie said you put it on a necklace and kept it in the smallest pocket of your purse.” When you look up, he’s somehow produced the same ring Joe proposed to you with on that beach date when Ellie was 8 months old.

“She really is a little blabber mouth.” You sniffle taking the chain.

“She’s smart and a thief. She showed it to me after you went to go clean your face. She knows how much it means to you and whether she understands it or not, she wants her mom and dad back together.”

“Oh please, this is the same little girl that wants to feed ducks sugar cookies.”

“All I’m saying is you should think about why you’re still carrying that nice ass ring around and talk to him. Alright I’m gonna head out, you got this right?” You nod and share a friendly hug.

“Remember what I said.” He says as the front door opens then shuts.

You lean over the counter with your hands on your face and let out a groan. There’s no possible way for Joe to ever take you back. You don’t even know why you still carry the ring around, but somehow leaving the house without it makes you feel untethered to reality.

“I doubt the cookies are that bad.” You gasp startled by the man leaning on the entryway to the kitchen.

“Goodness, Joe.” Your right hand covers your eyes while still clutching the gold chain. 

“Wow,” you drop your hand remembering what you were holding. “That’s something I haven’t seen in a while.”

“Yea- um. I was having it cleaned.” You bite the inside of your lip, then replace it with a pout when his face tells you he knows the full story. “Joe-

“Put it on.”

“Listen- wait what?”

You want to believe he’s joking, but the look in his eyes is all seriousness. “I want you to put the ring back on.”

“I can’t, not after the way I ended things. It wouldn’t be right.”

“You can, because I want you to. I need you to put the ring on.”

“Joe there’s something you should know.”

He sighs and takes the chain from you. “I know you and Tee hooked up once, I’m still debating on if I need to sucker punch him for it.” Then unclasps the chain and releases the 7 karat diamond into his hand. “I know that we spent the last 2 years trying to forget everything that went down between us only to remind each other every weekend when Ellie is dropped off.” He begins to fiddle with the ring between his fingers. “I also know that nothing you said that night was true.”

You gulp locking eyes with the man you’ve always wanted to call your husband. “Joe.”

“On April 10th, your mom called you and said ‘never get married’ because she had finalized her divorce with your father after spending 25 years in an unhappy marriage, that without a doubt gave you enough trauma in itself. April 11th, I came home from a night out where I drank way too much and reminded you of a part of your childhood you tried to run away from, which is something I’m extremely sorry for. April 12th, we spent the entire day arguing about the dumbest shit because I couldn’t see the pain you were harboring. Then you said ‘I can’t spend the rest of my life with a man that doesn’t care how he comes home to his family. I won’t let you run me into the mud like he did to her, I want to be happy. I can’t marry you.’ And took your ring off.” You couldn’t stop the tears from falling down your face as he recalls the last night you spent together as a couple. A night you’ve regretted since it happened.

“Joey, don’t let me do this to you. You don’t deserve this, you could do so much better better than a damaged bitch with trust issues.” With one hand he wipes your tears and with the other he takes your left hand. “Joe think about this.”

“I think there’s something you should know.” He repeats your words with a more lighthearted tone, then gets down on one knee. 

‘There’s no way, no way. Nope, he’s not doing this.’ You echo to yourself while shaking your head.

“I spent two years thinking about this. Two years driving back and forth so we could have equal time with our little girl. Two years of wondering if I’d ever have you back in my arms the way I dream of at night. Even spent one in this house thinking about how hollow it feels without you living in it. I bought it for you, so we could raise our family here together. I know this probably won’t top the first one and I don’t have a new ring yet.” He winks causing another wave of tears to fall, this time happy tears. 

“I can’t see myself happier with anyone except this damaged woman in front of me with trust issues. Shit I’m not that happy now, cause every time I look in our little girl’s eyes all I see is her beautiful mother. She’s a constant reminder of the woman I miss more than anything. I thought we could do this co-parenting thing and stay friends so Ellie could have a happy childhood, but I spend more time with you than I do without you. I don’t want to wake up with anyone else in my bed that isn’t the woman right in front of me. And I’m thanking Elliana for bringing you here, because I need you. I want you back more than anything in the world.” 

His voice starts to tremble. “I’d step on a million legos for you, bake and burn a thousand dinners for you, miss hundreds of games for you- fucking anything. Anything you want, it’s yours. Just say yes.” 

You can feel the way your heart breaks for him, just proving how much you don’t deserve him. “I can’t.” 

“Why not?”

You can’t look him in the eye and break him again. You try to suck in the sob but there’s no use.

“I’m pregnant with Tee’s baby.”

.

.

.

SIKE

.

.

.

i'm sorry that was childish, don’t hate me lol here’s the real ending

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ꕥ

“I can’t,” You giggle when his pout deepens. “You haven’t asked the question yet.”

A bright smile breaks out on his face as he sighs in relief. “You need to stop scaring me. Y/n Y/l/n, will you marry me?”

“Yes, yes I’ll marry you, Joey. I'll marry you a hundred times if I have to.” You beam as he slips the ring back in its rightful spot then stands and pulls you into the most passionate kiss. 

After two years, you’re back in the arms you love, felt the most comfortable and cherished in. You feel so lucky to have found a man, a fiance so caring, thoughtful, and understanding. Lucky that every time you pushed him away, he just pulled you in harder. And you can’t wait to finally marry him and give him everything he’s ever wanted. Including a bigger family.

♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡

so any critiques, comments, concerns. i'm open to any and everything🫶🏾 oh and don't forget to reblog for more :)

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Hiking Trip (2) | Yandere Diasomnia

First Chapter

Not long into your night your time with Lilia ended as the tent you were in went up in flames

Cuddling into Lilia’s side for the rest of the night 

by sunrise your tent is no more and everyone was waking up to your unfortunate circumstance

“That’s awful. If you like my sleeping bag is large enough for two, (Y/n). It can be hard for someone not as familiar to sleep in the open.”

“Thanks Silver.”

You help the others pack up and begin on the trail once again

The question of the tent is playing on your mind as a coincidence or…something planned

Sebek made his dislike of you quite clear 

but you didn’t think he’d take it that far

He also seemed to have calmed down staying near Lilia and looking away everytime you two made eye-contact

You brush it off instead attempting talk with Malleus 

“So you’d like to speak with me? How brave. I see why Lilia chose you.”

Despite his weird Chunibyou complex that came up every now and then he was interesting to talk to

Offering his incite when it came to architecture and the like 

He was fun to talk to 

“(Y/n) how do you think of Lilia as a partner? Does he satisfy you?”

“That’s a little–”

“You do not have to answer, your hesitance speaks volumes.”

He seems to have the wrong impression on your relationship with Lilia

Often using this to segue into the various resources and riches his birth family had access to 

Somehow he didn’t make it sound like he was bragging 

but rather trying to sell you something

“I would like to offer my tent and sleeping bag for your convenience. It might be better to make Silver and his father sleep in the same bag. After all I’m sure it’s something they’re familiar with.”

“That’s quite the assumption but I remember hearing from you that you wanted to bond with Father.”

“You might have misheard.”

“Did I?”

“I–am not opposed to providing you shelter.”

“Really Sebek? Looking to make friends with my future fiance?”

The green haired boy was blushing and turning away as he loudly babbled something about getting wood

For the second night you let Malleus take your time with him, saying his only job was making sure Lilia did no such thing as cook

Apparently Sebek would have normally done this, 

shooing Malleus away with a ‘MASTER MALLEUS IS MUCH BETTER THAN COOKING WITH HIS OWN PRECIOUS HANDS.’

But for whatever reason when Malleus mentioned him and you looked his way he rean away to grab more wood

Silver who looked as though he wanted to join rolled his eyes as he pretended to need Lilia’s help with setting up the camp

“You owe me Malleus…Father! Will you show me your expertise in preparing the campsite?”

“I thought I taught you this? Oh well I’ll teach you again! Listen closely whippersnapper.”

With him looking nowhere near the fire you and Malleus could organize the dinner they would be having 

“I’m glad I brought some spices of my own. Here want a try?”

“That is spectacular! Not only are you good company but you are an excellent cook as well.”

“Well thank you!” 

“I only speak the truth. Perhaps I feel regret for not meeting you first.”

You don’t know what to say to this…

Only brushing it off as he invites you on a stroll

Magically surrounded by fireflies he looks ethereal when he asks for your arm

You give it to him

It’s only his heritage which is why he’s so polite 

Which is why he’s so much like a prince charming

Complimenting you and seeking you out 

even as your eyelids grow heavy and yawing more frequent

“Like I said before I believe you will find the best rest in my tent. It is much bigger than the others.”

“Don’t be fooled (Y/n) he sleeps like a wild man. He’ll likely crush you before you can get to sleep.”

“I OFFER MY TENT, IF ONLY TO RELIEVE MASTER MALLEUS OF HIS SPACE HE’S SO GRACIOUS TO GIVE UP.”

“Oi oi you all seem to forget who’s partner they are!”

Hushing them all Lilia encourages them all to retreat to their tents 

Grabbing your hand as he leads away from the campsite

“I’ve been waiting this whole trip to have you to myself.”

“Have you? I was worried you’d forgotten I came at all.”

“Please you’re the highlight of everyone’s trip so far.”

Letting him draw you close under the stars, you trust in your boyfriend to take care of you 

Ending the night with you leaning on his chest, you let your eyes rest as you cuddle into him

Lilia looked happily down at your resting face 

Not needing to look up at the woods behind to know who was watching him

“You can look on as much as you like. In the end it’s me they’ll always return to.”

Something about the way he said that made the one watching that much more determined to defeat him

[zeroreasonstocare]

“Choso, do you have other siblings?” You ask one day while doing your laundry. Yuji wanted to stay at your apartment instead of his next door, so Choso stopped by after work.

“Yeah, have I not told you?”

“No, but it’s honestly not that surprising.”

“How?”

“You just have ‘eldest brother’ vibes. Anyways, I was asking because Yuji has an ‘All About Me’ assignment he needs to fill out.”

“Oh. Those have always been complicated for him. I’ll fill it out.” He frowns as he thinks and you just smile at the sight.

“I helped where I could, but you probably know him better than me.”

Choso watches you casually fold laundry as Yuji eats snacks on the table and his assignment sits nearby.

Q.1: “What does your home look like?”

Easy enough, Yuji lives with Choso. You had filled it out.

Q.2: “Who are your parents/guardians?”

Touchy subject, but again, Choso is his guardian.

Q.3: “What is your favorite color?”

“Hey, Yuji, what’s your favorite color today?” Choso asks.

“Ummm, red!”

Alright, another question answered.

Q.4: “Do you have any pets?”

Apartments don’t allow pets without an extra fee, so no.

You watch Choso continue to fill out the assignment and peer over his shoulder.

“You’ve got nice handwriting.”

“Really? I think it’s pretty bad, I was kind of illiterate for a while, but learned more to help my brothers.”

Q.7: “Who else is in your family?”

Choso lists two brothers, as well as their uncle and Uraume. Yuji looks and doesn’t see your name, so he points at you. You don’t get it and just tilt your head, same with Choso.

“Why are you pointing?”

“Add.”

“Add?”

“To the list.” Yuji points at you again.

“Yuji, it’s family-”

“Yeah, I know, I learned how to read last year, add.”

You feel your heart warm at the thought of Yuji wanting you to be a part of his family and you smile.

“Yuji, you know I’m not related to you…”

“Okay, but the teacher said pets count as family, and friends, and people we care about.”

Your heart warms more and Choso watches your expression, his own little smile forming.

“I take it you want Megumi added to the list?” He grins to the child.

“Yeah!”

Choso writes your name onto the paper, carefully placing each letter as if the pencil wouldn’t be able to erase. He then adds Megumi’s name to the paper and answers the last of the questions, meant for guardians.

Afterwards, you cook dinner for the three of you and Yuji plays in the living room.

“So, who are Kechizu and Eso?” You ask, curious about the idea of his siblings.

“They’re my brothers. Yuji’s the youngest, obviously, but they’re both in college right now. They live pretty far, but Eso said he plans to visit soon.”

“So I’ll meet some more family?”

“Maybe.” He grins. “He might be like our uncle and ask if we’re dating. Apparently I don’t have friends.”

You laugh and make Yuji’s plate. “That’s alright. My parents would have a hay day if they heard about you.”

“Good or bad?”

“No clue. I know my mom would instantly assume dating which would send my dad into a lecture.” You roll your eyes and sit Yuji at the table.

“My mom had a few of her own lectures.”

“Oh, your mom was the lecturer? That sounds worse.” You laugh, and Choso does as well.

Dinner goes by as casually as always and you three watch a movie, Yuji already asleep on your lap before reaching halfway through the movie. You also fall asleep near the end, so Choso wraps his arm around your shoulder. You’re starting to love this little family, Choso is too.

Masterlist

Taglist (ask to join anytime): @samaraxmorgan @cherriee-ee @auor4 @chaotic-ish @meowsannie

@mediokerrv @flooftoof

[obislittleone]

Your Beauty Never Ever Scared Me

Dbf!Joel Miller x College!Reader

A/n: Listen… I don’t have any excuse for ditching my other three active series except for tiktok made me do it… That, and the CLM series by @macfrog has ascended me to a new level of crazy and I just needed an outlet for it somewhere. Another shoutout to @theatrelove3000 who keeps putting up with my dbf joel shenanigans, they are indeed insane.

Warnings: girl this whole concept should be a warning but anyways… age gap, some fluff, light smut, uncomfortable situations with readers father… probably some editing mistakes bc ya girl is tired ok its 2am

Please be kind to this chapter, I actually like it, despite the horrors.

Decided on the song ‘Mary On A Cross‘ by Ghost for this one bc it fits ig.

MASTERLIST

Age gap is approximately 15 years or so, reader is over 21 and joel is about 37

"I think I'd probably only slow'ya down," you chuckled, looking to Sarah who seemed to read the displeasure off your face from your dad's offer. "I'm studyin' to be an archeologist, dad. I don't know nothin' about framin' and all that house buildin'..."

Maybe it had been your dad's idea, but he wasn't the one who planted it into his own head. Joel subtly turned to you and cooly uttered a response.

"You could work on interior stuff with me."

It had been almost three days.

You looked out the window to the front of your house repeatedly to try and remember it clearly. The drive home, the kiss, and how abruptly it ended with a promise to see each other around. You thought about it so often you almost wondered if it happened the way you perceived it, if any details had been skewed in your mind simply because you wanted to keep it there, fresh, untouched. Maybe he thought of it differently... but maybe he didn't.

"Did you bring home the stuff I asked ya?" Your dad came into the kitchen with a smile, embracing you with a side hug and turning to help you unpack the groceries.

"Course' I did, Pa," you handed him the bag with the six-pack of bud and the other one full of snacks.

It was the first Rangers game night, and as per tradition, that meant the company of the next-door neighbors. It had been a while since you'd been around to enjoy it, but now that you were back, there were quite a few more reasons why you were on edge to now participate. It would look weird if you came up with an excuse not to be there, and you knew that. You also knrw that you'd gotten into a rather complicated entanglement with your father's closest friend, and weren't sure what the outcome really was.

Had that driveway light not spooked you both apart, and had that little black stray cat not made an appearance, how far would it have gone? Things were pretty heated, but even still. Would he have said something? Maybe along the lines of 'I've known you since you were sixteen, and this isn't appropriate at all.'

You didn't have time to think about it, you were set to work on helping your dad cook dinner for the soon-arriving neighbors. Dinner and a baseball game, once a relaxing and enjoyable time to bond with your dad, now turned into an anxiety fest where you were convinced you'd have to walk on pins and needles around every topic.

"So," your dad piped up from his silence at the stove, stirring the pot of chili he'd been prepping. "Joel told me he gave you a ride 'few nights back."

You knew it was harmless, and that he wasn't asking for any reason, other than that he was probably curious. You hadn't seen Joel in a while, not since two Christmases ago. Your dad had driven up to Dallas to spend both Thanksgiving and Christmas with you last year, and you didn't come home for summer break given an internship opportunity. You must have seemed different to the man in some way. All grown up.

"Yeah, gave me a ride n' saved me at the bar," you chuckled, trying to seem playful and unsuspicious about the encounter.

He seemed to be confused, his brows furrowed and a funny look on his face.

"Whad'ya mean he saved ya?" he of course was continuing to speak all the while dumping his favorite spices into the pot of chili, looking across here and now to keep engaged.

"Just scared off some weirdo who couldn't take no for an answer," you let a sweet and genuine smile fall across your features, but didn't let it get out of hand. Your relationship with your father was airtight, and he could read you pretty damn well. You weren't going to give anything away, not with what was potentially on the line.

"Glad he was there," he replied with a chuckle, sending you a soft glance. "Never thought you'd have grown up so fast, now I gotta carry a shotgun whenever we go places. Fend off the wild beasts."

His jokes were only so funny now, because in this situation, you knew he wouldn't hesitate to shoot Joel if he found out what had happened. All in the nature of protecting you, but it made you sad to think of the situation that way. Joel wasn't just another weirdo following you around at a bar.

"It's only because I'm so pretty," you did your best to respond lightheartedly, making a quip that would soothe the silence. "And I believe that's yours and Mama's fault, givin' me the genes and what not."

You'd finished chopping a nice garden salad by the time the doorbell rang. You ran upstairs to change your shirt to the Jersey your dad bought you for your birthday, claiming it was good luck for the team. Truth be told, you didn't wanna be downstairs when Joel and Sarah got here.

Sarah was here, too. Her, you could easily handle. You were almost hoping that she would be in a rather talkative mood, that way the attention could be swayed to her inconspicuously. You doubted Joel would even try to talk to you, anyway.

"Lovebug, come on down, Millers are here!" Your dad shouted up, even though he saw you run upstairs right when the doorbell rang to change your shirt.

"I'm comin', hold on," you replied sassily while heading for the staircase.

You got to the bottom and had to take a breath before turning the corner into the entryway. Joel stood there with a sweet smile to you, and you tried your best to hold back the one you wore. It was too bright, too happy to see him. All despite your nerves.

You were quickly embraced by Sarah, whom you paid immediate attention to.

"My lordy, girl," you held up your hand by your shoulder to show the height difference, "last time I saw you, you must've been this tall."

"Dad tells me I'm growing like a weed," she tossed a finger over her shoulder to where he was standing, and you gave him a small glance and a smile.

"Us daughters do have a tendency to grow up," you laughed, slinging an arm around Sarah and pulling her along to the kitchen as your dad and Joel did the same behind you.

Why had you been so anxious? Joel is happy to see you. He makes causal conversation with your dad, but he catches your eye every chance he gets. His expression doesn't change, except for the tug of his lips in a smile that's barely there. Joel doesn't smile too often, except apparently when you and Sarah are around.

It doesn't take long for everyone to get situated with their food at the table, playful banter between Joel and your father filling the air as you made less rambunctious chatter with Sarah.

She's doing pretty well since last you saw her. She was always a bright girl, but as she grew it became more apparent that she would probably excel further than anyone in her graduating class. You were sitting across from a future valedictorian, you were sure.

You'd tried to ask her about her out of school interests before your dad interrupted with a question.

"How about you, lovebug?" He watched your eyes flick over to him with a turn of your head. He added context, given you hadn't been listening to them earlier. "Are you gonna look for a summer job?"

You really should, if you're being honest. There's not much work in your aspiring profession located here, but you weren't as lucrative as you used to be, given your educational expenses.

"I've thought about it," you tilted your head back and forth, and your dad seemed to need more from your answer. "I need to earn some cash before I get back to Dallas, but I'm not really sure where to apply."

Sarah seemed to know where this was going before you did. She'd been around the last time your dad was begging Joel to find some help for the contracting team they worked with. But surely your dad doesn't expect you to build houses, does he? Your dream job is to dig holes in the ground, not fill them in and put homes on top.

"We got some spaces to fill, you should come work with us 'few months. The pay's good and you don't have to stay on long, probably just till the end of July."

You gave him a look, and he instantly knew you weren't interested, but you figured you'd try and justify your reasoning. It was an argument either way.

"I think I'd probably only slow'ya down," you chuckled, looking to Sarah who seemed to read the displeasure off your face from your dad's offer. "I'm studyin' to be an archeologist, dad. I don't know nothin' about framin' and all that house buildin'..."

Maybe it had been your dad's idea, but he wasn't the one who planted it into his own head. Joel subtly turned to you and cooly uttered a response.

"You could work on interior stuff with me."

Did he just-?

"S'not much more fun than what your dad's been doin,' but at least it's out of the sun, and easier to learn."

You were almost dumbfounded. Your dad offering you a job that potentially could give you heat stroke with your lack of experience seemed like the worst idea in the world... but working on interior projects? With Joel of all people? Well, that didn't sound so bad.

You didn't want your dad to catch on, of course. Being so protestant of his suggestion, but then falling right into it as soon as Joel was the one to offer would be a dead giveaway to some sort of favoritism to his best buddy. It simply wouldn't look right.

"What kinda interior stuff?"

He smirked. The motherfucker was smirking. He knew you'd changed your mind, but couldn't exactly just come out with it. He understood, but it was still slightly amusing to him.

"Flooring, cabinets, countertops... 's things like that," he explained, knowing you really didn't care what all it entailed. He was still happy to play along. "S'not as fun as archeology, but it pays alright."

You nodded, acting as though you were turning the thoughts over in your head.

"Well, if you're sure I won't mess it up, I'd be happy to try it out," was your final response. You figured it left some leeway in case your father became suspicious, but gave a good enough answer to end the conversation on.

"That's my girl," your dad clapped a hand on your shoulder in excitement. Truth be told he would very much enjoy your presence on a work site. "I'll go ahead and call Eddie in the morning, let 'im know I found someone to replace Charlie for interiors."

It was said more to Joel, you figured, because you didn't really know who either of those people were. He'd nodded to your dad, taking a sip of his beer and then looking back to you. You smiled sweetly, nobody catching it but the one it was meant for.

"Game's gonna start soon," Joel spoke aloud, drawing everyone's eye to the clock over the stove.

Sarah cleared her throat before jumping in on the conversation.

"About that," she looked to her dad with the same puppy dog eyes she used to use against you. He was just as poor at saying no to her when she pulled those bad boys out. "Sammy texted me to ask if it's okay to stay over at her place tonight?"

Joel sighed. He knew that no matter the attempts he made for her to like baseball, it wasn't her thing. It was summer vacation, and he had no reason to say no, so he didn't.

"Is she coming to pick you up?" He began, fishing his keys out of his pocket to drive her if need be. The girl lived five minutes away, he'd be back only a few minutes after the game started, but he didn't really want to leave.

"I can ask her," she pulled her phone back out of her jeans, opened her screen, and checked her messages.

"No need, I can take you," your voice rang out, standing from the table and taking your bowl to the sink. It was a genuine offer, but it was also to get out of the house and process what just happened with the job situation.

Joel was the first one to stand up with you.

"You don't have to-"

"It's fine," you cut him off, leaving no room for discussion. It was lucky he liked you, otherwise, Joel Miller might have put up quite the argument for such a small dilemma. As was his way, of course. He huffed, but accepted he had been overruled.

"Thanks, then." It was mumbled, but there was gratitude in it.

"We gotta hop over to ours real quick and grab my stuff," Sarah told you, waiting for you to return from the kitchen before beginning to head out through the front door. You'd grabbed your keys off where they hung on the wall before going behind her.

"I'll be back soon," you called over your shoulder into the house, and got a chirped 'alright' reply from your dad.

You walked out passed your driveway, seeing the light flicker on as you both went passed the censor on the ground.

"Y'know, I didn't think you'd have caved so fast on that job thing." She had piped up once you were almost to her porch. You found it only slightly funny that she chose the exact topic which had been swirling in your mind since it happened.

"Not sure I really wanna do it, but your dad made it sound better than every time my dad's talked about it, guess he just convinced me," you chuckled, playing it off in a way that she absolutely was about to use against you.

"That's another thing," she turned to you as she backed into the house through the door, only turning once she was inside. "Since when are you friends with my dad?"

She said it in a joking tone, but having known a few things she didn't about interactions that occurred between you and her father, you felt constricted to answer seriously. Probably with a lie if need be.

"I've always gotten along with your dad," you gave her a confused look, accompanied after by a playful smile.

She grabbed her backpack and opened it, checking to make sure she'd taken all the school stuff out before starting to shove things in, her charger, headphones, etc.

"Yeah but... you're just all young and cool and stuff," she shrugged, turning around to walk towards the staircase. "My dad is all old and boring and only talks about baseball."

"Thirty-seven isn't old, babe. My dad is two years from fifty, and I don't even think he's old, yet. Boring? Maybe..." you reasoned, hearing her laugh before she sprinted up the stairs, giving you time to think of some answers before she asked any more questions. Had she really caught onto you that fast? You didn't think you'd acted noticeably. If Sarah was able to see it, then maybe your dad did, too. You needed to be more careful, in that case.

Sarah returned a few minutes later, her backpack now stuffed and her pillow under her arm. You nodded out the door and headed back to your driveway to open the door for her, seeing as though her hands were full.

-

The drive after Sarah had been dropped off felt so much longer. Maybe it was just your thoughts, or maybe you consciously drove slower to avoid getting home too quickly. Your dad was waiting, but above that, Joel was there, too. Probably sitting back on the leather couch, relaxing with his feet kicked out on the floor. He usually leaned onto the armrest with his elbow, and held his face against the hand it supported. You'd noticed it years ago. He only ever spoke up when your dad did, usually in reply to him.

He was content simply watching the game in the presence of a friend. It was endearing.

When you pulled into the driveway, you had come up with an excuse to not remain downstairs for the duration of the game. It was too risky, and you weren't apparently as good with self-control as you'd thought you were.

You went inside and hung up your keys on the hook, immediately passing the living room on the way to the stairs.

"Hey, lovebug, you missed the top of the first," your dad called. He knew you liked baseball, so if you were to lie and say you didn't want to watch, he'd know something was up.

"Y'know, pa, I think I'm just gonna watch it upstairs, I forgot I still got some stuff to unpack," you peaked your head into the room to respond, and saw that Joel, just as you had pictured, was sitting in his most usual position on the couch, feet out on the floor, arm up with a hand holding the side of his face.

"Can't you do it later?" Your dad pleaded, but you knew, seeing as how your father occupied the recliner, you would have no where else to sit but on the floor or next to Joel. You didn't trust yourself with that.

"I could, but I might fall asleep if I wait too long."

He sighed, throwing an arm in your direction and shooing you away. He wasn't annoyed, but he'd admit he missed watching these games with you. It had been like a tradition, but if Sarah wasn't here either, he wasn't gonna make you stick around.

"Sure you don't wanna stick around? We could use your lucky jersey down here," Joel piped up, lifting his face from his hand and giving you a pair of soft eyes. That was exactly the reason you would not be staying. He didn't even realize how much he affected you, but you'd make sure he did at some point. Maybe you could just tease him a little.

"You're right, it would be a shame to take the lucky jersey with me."

You walked behind your dad's chair, out of his sight, and tauntingly stripped the jersey over your head, revealing the tight black tank top beneath it, just like that night at the bar. Joel's jaw clenched and his eyes turned darker, even under the bright light of the flatscreen in the living room. You never took your eyes away from his as you slung him the jersey.

"Hey pa, can I get you anything from the kitchen before I go upstairs?" You leaned over the back of his recliner, looking at him upside down. He chuckled and shook his head, trying to move your hair from obstructing his vision.

"We're all good, lovebug," he spoke in addition to his physical response, his laughter dying down as you stood back up. "Come on down if you change your mind."

"I'll probably be down later," you spewed a half-lie. You weren't sure if you would be or not, especially if Joel was still lurking in the living room.

You gave those brown eyes one last look before heading straight upstairs.

You grabbed your remote and flicked on the TV. It was already on the right channel, so you tossed the remote aside onto your bed and flopped back into it. You didn’t actually have anything left to unpack, but they would never have known.

Your phone buzzed beside you, and you lifted the screen to your face to see a text from an unsaved number:

Missin you down here…

You’d never put Joel in your contacts, because in highschool, your friends thought it was weird to even text or call him regularly, but you had his number for years, always just as a backup. You’d known it by heart, now, and nearly had it memorized back then, too, for the times you needed his help.

I’d come back if there was an open seat.

A bit sassy of a response, maybe, but you were hoping he’d understand the hidden meaning behind it… Although, Joel didn’t usually pick up on those things very easily.

Open seat right next to me

Yeah, that’s why I’m up here…

You huffed, realizing it wouldn’t be that easy. The three little dots indicating his next response was on the way slightly nerved you. Maybe he took the last text you sent the wrong way. You didn’t mean it to sound badly.

What’s that supposed to mean?

Means that I can’t keep my hands to myself.

You quickly rectified the situation, although you might have gone too far. He was taking far too long to answer, now. The little dots that before nerved you would now be your saving grace if it meant he would just fucking respond, already. You dropped the phone on your chest, raising up and down in a scattered rhythm while you wiped your hands over your face. Your phone vibrated over your shirt and you immediately opened it.

I can’t either. Stay up there.

You breathed out a sigh of relief. He was thinking the same things you were, and likely was under more stress for it, given he sat right across from your dad, responding to his comments about the game here and there. Your dad had no idea what was happening right under his nose.

Wasn’t thinking about leavin.

This little back and forth went on, the majority of the game, in fact. It was more-so about the plays then on, because you didn’t have anyone to talk to up here.

Joel thought it a bit funny, your dad would say something oddly specific about one of the players, and then you’d text him right after saying the exact same thing. You’d been a product of watching baseball with your old man for just about ever.

“I’m thinking about gettin’ some tickets over the summer for a game or two. They’re always cheaper in them group packages, you n’ Sarah should come along,” your dad was barely paying any attention to the words he spoke, but they came flowing out anyway, clear and cool. “Could be fun.”

Joel knew that there was only so much group interaction he could handle with you, and you with him. It stands to why you’re upstairs, an he’s down here, fist wrapped tightly around your lucky jersey. All out of your father’s sight, of course.

“It could be. Don’t think Sarah’s much for baseball anymore, though.”

He’d hoped that your dad would drop it. Halfway through his third beer, he hoped the man was a little more than tipsy, and maybe didn’t even mean the words he was saying.

“Doesn’t mean you can’t still tag along,” your dad was definitely still sober enough to keep it up, although the way he spoke became slower. Maybe he was getting sleepy.

“I’ll think about it.”

His response was followed by a hum, then a lull of silence that endured the rest of the game. He sat all the while and thought about his predicament a bit more.

He couldn’t stop thinking about you. It was insane… like you’d leeched yourself to the inner workings of his mind and he wouldn’t be able to pull you off without hurting himself, too. You were just upstairs, and had been texting him. You were within his vicinity, and yet… so unreachable.

He’d wished for you to be down here, or for him to be up there with you. Obviously, that wouldn’t go too well with the man sitting next to him, but he’d be asleep soon. If he could just touch you again, just kiss you one more time, maybe his cravings would be satisfied and he could go about his days… but what would happen if he kept feeling the addictive urge to do more? What if he was never satiated enough to quit you?

The game was called, and you’d texted him a small ‘victory’ at seeing the Rangers had won.

It was wrong, and the presence of his friend beside him was a constant reminder that you were his kid, and he would have a final say. Even though you were an adult, he understood this was completely taboo, and you should be off with guys your own age... but he’s made up his mind about the thoughts spinning in his head.

He didn’t respond, though. Your dad stood up out of his chair, his arms stretching outwards with a loud yawn as he took a few steps forwards, clapping his hand down on Joel’s shoulder.

“I hate to kick you out…” your father joked, a low and tired chuckle under his words.

“It’s alright, I got some stuff to sort out anyway.”

They started making their way towards the door when light but fast footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs.

Joel turned quickly, a smile on his lips and in his eyes when he saw you trying to catch your breath after sprinting down here.

“Leavin’ already?”

They both laughed heartily. As if Joel hadn’t been here almost three hours, most of which you spent upstairs. Your heart was beating far too fast for your liking, but there didn’t seem to be a way to stop it. Now that you were present again, in the room with him, you didn’t know what else to do.

“Your dad’s half asleep as it is, if I stay any longer I’ll send ‘im into hibernation,” Joel’s response made you giggle softly, although you withheld most of the laughter, because in all honestly, it wasn’t that funny, and you needed to learn to control yourself.

“He’ll be over next week, we’ll talk about gettin’ you into that job.”

You nodded, turning back to Joel as your dad opened the front door. What were you supposed to do? You couldn’t hug him, could you? That’s too much… maybe just wave, or maybe-

He held his hand out… for you to shake it. A hand-shake. Yeah, sure, fine.

You shook it, but he pulled you in half way, tapping your back once and then letting go.

He just bro hugged you. This man just-

He turned and did the same to your dad, giving you one last glimpse as he stepped out the door. Your dad closed it behind him and you were almost clean out of words to say. That had to have been the strangest interaction you’ve had.

“I’m beat, love-bug. I’m gonna head to bed,” he slung an arm around your neck and kissed the top of your head before turning and going down the hall to the stairs. “Don’t be up too late.”

“I won’t, just got a few things to do.”

You waited approximately ten more seconds before running to the garage door, going as quickly and as quietly as you could through to your front yard. Joel was still on his porch when you got out there, but was about to go inside.

You ran out to the sidewalk in font of his house and called out to him, all the while still barefoot.

“Hey Miller,” you crossed your arms, watching him turn around and lean in one direction. “Did you just bro-hug me? Or did I imagine that?”

He stepped closer to the edge of the porch, leaning against one of the wooden beams closest to him.

You slowly walked up to him, tilting your head to side as you observed his stance. he looked rather good. Hair tousled, body adorning a black t-shirt and some dark jeans. He was a sight, even in the dark light of the neighborhood.

“I reckon I oughta’ try again?”

"Seems like the fair thing to do."

“You’re takin’ your sweet time, baby,” he irked, grabbing gently under your elbow and pulling you up onto to porch once you were close enough.

You smiled to him, and wrapped your arms round his neck, over his broad shoulders. He pulled you close, tucking a head into your shoulder. The anxiousness you felt before fell apart, the rapid beating of your heart slowed, because you were comfortable. You felt immense peace in his arms like you’ve never felt before.

He backed away too soon, but still kept you relatively close to him.

“Was that better?”

“Yeah, I’d say so.”

There was a moment of silence, of contemplation, but it wasn’t stiff, and it wasn’t awkward. It was just there, a nice and pleasant quiet, and you standing still with Joel Miller on his porch.

“You wanna come inside a while?”

Sarah wasn’t home, and wouldn’t be till morning. Your dad was probably passed out in bed by now, leaving the opportunity completely open. You had nothing to lose, no risk to be had.

“Yeah, I think I will.”

He didn’t let you go, he just walked you both backwards until he was able to reach the door, reaching with one hand to open it before stepping slightly to the side to allow you entrance first.

“Ever the gentlemen,” you smiled, walking inside before he followed you in.

“Gotta make up for all that nonsense earlier,” he closed the door, taking your hand and walking to the kitchen. He pulled out a stool at his counter and let your hand fall to your side as he made his way to the fridge.

He pulled out two beers and uncapped them with the tool hanging on the side of his fridge. You think you remember your dad buying it for his birthday one year. You can remember sitting in this exact seat many times before, actually. Never alone, though. Never just you and Joel, and nobody else near.

He slid you one beer an you smiled at him in thanks, taking a sip.

“Last time you had one of these, I didn’t know if you liked it or not,” he gestured to his own bottle, drinking some and setting it down on the counter.

“I don’t know, I think it’s growing on me.”

He looked straight to you, leaning both hands on the edge of the counter. You leaned forward, mimicking his more stern face of features before he said anything else.

“I didn’t wanna say so with your dad around, but you look awful pretty tonight,” he spoke the compliment smoothly, but he had to drop his head after he said it. Seemed that giving you compliments alone in the night was something of a struggle for him, since he was blushing still even when he looked back to you.

“I seem to be feelin’ a lot prettier as of late whenever I’m around you. Think you’re just good for my self esteem,” you paused, leaning back onto the stool to take a drink of your beer. “That, or it's just nice to be complimented by a handsome guy like yourself.”

He didn’t seem to believe you. His scoff was loud and heard immediately after your compliment returned to him.

“You think I’m handsome?”

He’d always thought he was average. Maybe even slightly below. As he got older, that notion grew until he felt that maybe he was beyond trying for a woman on behalf of his looks. Perhaps there were women from time to time that would agree to a date, but there were none since Sarah’s mom who actually stuck around, not until you… but you were different as far as relationships go, because technically, you shouldn’t even be considering one with him.

“Absolutely, I do. Why wouldn’t I?” You were curious, because he was clearly attractive. Maybe you’d spent too much time around the more traditionally preferred young men in dallas, but something about Joel intrigued you that never did with anyone else. Maybe it was the forbidden aspect of what you two were doing, but before that, it was something else. He was rough and rugged, and good looking in a mature way that the boys your age couldn’t mimic if they tried. Those dark brown eyes with little crows feet at the edges every time he smiled were a dead give away to his age, but it was so appealing somehow.

“Don’t know. Guess I’m just old,” he spoke, trying to hide the insecurities that phrasing brought about. He was too old for you, he shouldn’t be sitting here with you you alone and calling you pretty, and yet…

“Maybe that’s a good thing. Too many boys my age are still very immature these days.” And it was very much true. Too young, too immature, and too stupid to see what’s in front of them and really appreciate it. Older men have a tendency to take care of the things they have, because they know that with time they can lose them.

“That so?”

“Mhm.”

“They don’t even realize what their missin’ out on, do they?”

You shook your head in reply. Nope. Not a single one of the younger guys you’ve dated has treated you with the care you know he could. He’s always treated you with care, before… why would that change now?

“They probably figure there’s a million girls linin’ up after me that they can take a shot at,” you raised your eyebrows and drank some more. Maybe it was just a thought of some past experiences, but this beer was tasting better and better to you.

“I pity them,” he said nonchalantly, without really thinking about it.

“Who, the girls? I mean, I kinda feel bad, but other times, I think we all know what we’re getting ourselves into n’ we just try to ignore the red flags.”

It was meant as a joke, but he was being genuinely serious.

“No, the guys. I pity ‘em.”

“Oh, do you?”

“I do,” he nodded, thinking of the right words to say. “They lost you, didn’t they? Biggest mistake of their lives and they didn’t even know. Pity ‘em just for that.”

You didn’t know what to say. You figured the wide smile you wore was doing a fine enough job, but he wasn’t looking like he had anything else to voice yet.

“You think I’m somethin’ special, Joel Miller?”

He set his bottle down on the counter and walked around it to stand right in front of your barstool. He took both your hands and pulled them to his chest, just holding them there and looking to you with the sweetest expression you’ve ever seen from him. He’s so different than what you remember in your earlier years. He used to be so stoic and serious. Sometimes even a little grumpy. Guess time changes things.

“I wouldn’t be gettin’ myself into sum’ this crazy if I thought anything else,” he mumbled it almost, but he definitely meant it. His words rang true in every aspect of the implications they made. This was crazy, it was very unlikely in the first place, but even still, it was happening. Neither of you backed down, neither of you said no.

“If it helps, I happen to think you’re pretty damn special, too.”

He didn’t respond, just leaned closer towards you, nudging his nose against yours, before letting your lips meet in a kiss. it washed rushed and hazy like the last time. It wasn’t forceful or fast or anything of that sort. It was gentle, and it was meaningful. All the years he’d known you, but never like this. You knew this attraction was new, but it was still real. You wondered how many women pined after him over the years, only for you to now gage his attention when clearly no one else did. The man’s been single since Sarah’s mom left, and otherwise, you didn’t know him to be much of a ‘dating around’ kinda guy. Standing here with him, now, you felt such excitement in knowing he’d pursue you, the off limits woman, over anyone else. It was a true victory, or at least you thought so, sitting on a stool in his kitchen while he kissed you softly, his thumbs going over the backs of your hands that still lingered in his.

When the kiss broke, you inhaled deeply, the scent of him so close to you, surrounding you. He was like a warm blanket you just pulled out of the dryer. He was comforting, and soft, and his skin was currently hot to the touch. You could only hope that you had something to do with that.

“Baby,” he breathed, hands letting go of yours and finding a new home at your waist. You left your hands on his chest, feeling his heart rate fluctuating. “Gotta know something before this goes any further…”

You hummed in response, still trying to even your breath intake. He backed away a few inches to be able to look you in the eyes correctly. He’d spent enough time with you in the past to know if you were telling the truth, and he was going to use it just this once to his advantage.

“What we’re doin’, you sure you’re okay with it?” He knew better than to jump into this without clarification. “Don’t want you feelin’ pressured if you’re not.”

“I want this,” you spoke softly, just loud enough that he could hear. “Promise.”

You had thought you’d been the instigator to this, if memory serves you correctly. Even still, you know now that whatever happens, he won’t take it somewhere you don’t want it to go. This show of good faith was something you could put trust in him over. He’s a good one, you always knew that.

And again his lips were on yours, differently this time. It was a bit more hasty and fervent like the first time, but there was still something different from then that you couldn’t quite decipher.

You absent-mindedly opened your legs and he instantly came between them, letting your bodies become flush with one another. His hands ran up and down your sides, every once and a while dipping to your hips and somewhere below on your thighs.

There was a heat between them that you didn’t realize was there until he came so close to touching it. He never actually did, though, and you were both endeared by and upset about it. He was the one making that heat spread, he can’t just leave it there… but he’s testing his limits, and you think it’s respectful that he is.

He doesn’t want to cross any lines… as if this entire entanglement has not already done that. This situation in every sense of the definition, has crossed the line. Him hugging you that tightly on his porch, him inviting you in after dark when it’s only you and him alone, having a beer with some very personal conversation, and now making out with you in his kitchen. They all crossed the line of what should happen between a man and his best friend’s daughter.

“Tell me to stop,” he mumbled against your mouth, almost as if reading your mind. His hand on your thigh drifted between your legs, just barely caressing the heated pool sitting there, waiting for him. It was still very reserved, and you had to buck against his hand for more friction, but at least it was something.

The taste of him somehow made it worse, the feeling growing inside you without an end in sight. The arousal was evident, but you weren’t sure he would be able to do anything about it, yet. You could tell it was weighing on his mind, what was okay for him to do, and what wasn’t. You would beg him if you had to, you just needed more.

He had an idea, one that could allow both of you to explore this dynamic easier, and one that could potentially keep him from overstepping like he was afraid to.

He removed his hands only for a minute, bringing yours up and over his shoulders before he settled his back down below your ass.

“Hold on,” he told you, lifting you from the seat and walking until he got to the living room. From there, he let the space guide him until the back of his knees hit the edge of the couch. He sat almost abruptly, and when you relaxed your weight onto him, you felt the stirring between his legs as well. You moaned into his mouth at the mere size and feeling of it, beginning to slowly grind down onto him. He encouraged your movements, and used his hands to guide your hips as you went, back and forth, getting into a rhythm.

“That’s it, baby,” he praised, tearing himself away for a moment to expel his breath from his lungs at the new feeling. Your head fell against his, and suddenly it was the movement of your lower half taking you over.

He let his hands move over your body a bit more freely, now, but still careful not to make any harsh movements, or grab in places he felt he shouldn’t linger too long. He knew you wanted this, but something inside him questioned how comfortable you really felt… that was until you started doing the same, roaming his body with your delicate touch, making him feel like the most important man in the world. You could have sworn you marked the exact moment he snapped, rolling his hips upwards into yours shamelessly. It was so deliciously addicting, the feeling of his body pleasing yours, and vice versa. His rough and sturdy hands, though still gentle, ravished any part of you available to him.

The air between you was hot and thick, and you could swear that by breathing it in, you were drawing even more arousal into your body.

The motions kept going until there was a quickening of pace brought on by you both simultaneously. You couldn’t mark a distinction of when it increased, you just knew that the speed you were going wasn’t where you started. All you could think of was that your spend was fast approaching, and you wondered if his was, too.

“Gettin’ close,” you murmured, barely able to get the words out for the moans that slipped passed your lips. “M’gonna…”

He heard you, and understood. Truth be told, he’d started getting hard since that moment on the porch, so this was just nothing but sweet relief to him. He kept on, trying to meet you at your finish.

“Let go , baby.”

You had no qualms about being told twice when it came to him. You gave it up easily, the muscles in your body contracting when you felt the wash of utter ease through every inch of you. He tensed beneath you, but relaxed with a groan of relief right after, and you could feel his length twitch in his jeans.

You just dry-humped Joel Miller on his couch. Like a horny teenager. What the fuck.

The dawn of realization was cut short by his hand softly coercing the back of your neck, bring your lips back for him to claim as he did earlier. Soft, and gentle, no rush, no heat. Just that feeling between you both that started this mess.… and it was indeed a mess.

“You wanna stay over?”

-

Tags (open):

@justanothersadperson93 @moonchild-warrior @hopplessilse @brittmd115 @michilandcof @untamedheart81 @just-someone-broken @joelalorian @xybil @yvonneeeee

If i tagged you wrong, or you want to be taken off at any time, just lmk!!

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - The unexpected rise of cooking crush & seme bjs

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Jan 2024 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 9 of 12 - I love this show so damn much. This may be my KinnPorsche. It’s just so endlessly entertaining in a perfectly unhinged way. I love that they looped Tharn’s dad back into the murder investigations.

You know kinksters have invented necklaces that can’t come off… right? Just saying.

Meanwhile, would it still be BL if our seme didn’t wake up from drowning and instantly go chase snake?

No. No it would not. 

Remember the one hard and fast rule of BL? When a seme gives a BJ it’s penance. Phaya is apologizing to Tharn for leaving him behind.

Heh. Hard and fast. I kill me. 

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 10 of 14 - How is this absurd creature managing to rise in the ranks? Pavel turned in some stellar grief and ALANJEFF have my whole heart. I make Ikea puns in the... Trash watch happening here.

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 7 of 12 - The make-out montage was absolutely charming and very much American rom com style - interesting (and rare) to see in a BL (not to mention from OffGun. How far we have come since Puppy Honey?)

Meanwhile, another wonderful grandma in a BL!

Next week we do an actual harken back to Puppy Honey, so obviously I’m now enjoying this whole show way more than before. I think it helped that I watched it earlier in the week, when it wasn’t competing with any other BLs. 

Last Twilight (Fri YT) ep 11 of 12 - Not gonna lie, I knew from you all that this was gonna be a rough ep. But I very clearly remember the penultimate Bad Buddy ep so I now have slightly more trust than others in GMMTV on this matter. 

That said, this was a crap episode.

You can’t set Mork’s truth and character motivation reveal up like that and then have his lover choose to dismiss him in a way that diminishes not just both character's growth AND all of Mork's actions towards Day, but also our faith in every other character. It was a shitty narrative thing to do to us, and it was a shitty thing to do to Mork. And that doesn’t even take into account the forgiveness allotted by the story to Day’s unrepentant excuse for a mother.  The doom should have been handled differently. The mom shoudl have leaned in even more evil and actively lied to split them apart.

I don't know if they can redeem this misstep in the final episode. But I'm interested to see them try. That said, this plot seem to be true to the book. 

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 8 of 12 - A major trigger has landed. But also it’s clear who’s fault that incident was... and it’s not Him’s. So Blue's so-called-friend really is unhinged. This episode was a little bit more engaging than last week, but it’s only because stuff actually happened. I’m still not sure I enjoyed it. 

Twins the series (Fri GaGa) ep 12fin - Despite the fact that I’ve been annoyed by the show the last couple of episodes, I’m still sad for it to end. It was a good reveal and First had the right response. Also a very sports way to end it. Sprite is a v clingy bf. 

In brief?

A messy very Thai pulp sports romance that actually managed to involve sports in an identical twins trading-places plot. Basically Not Me meets HIStory 2 Crossing the Line (although vastly inferior to either) with an endearing main character and a good lead pair (poor things), both soapy and earnest without too much camp. It tried so hard but the plot, side couples, and extraneous characters let us down. Passable if not great. 7/10 

Time the series (Thai Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - Eh. Whatever. 

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) ep 22 of 24 - skipped this installment

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - Funny how quickly he retracted that confession and everyone called him out for doing it too soon (including me from a narrative beats perspective). It was a cute screw up - I see what your meta-arse is doing there, Japan. Also our Tokyo-boy’s serious reserved earnestness is extra adorable in the surrounded by Osaka enthusiasm context. His accidental flirting is that much more heart wrenching for our poor baby seme.  And they ended this ep with honorific negotiations!! Be still my heart. I’m really adoring this show.

Your hyung romance super fan is back in the game! 

Meanwhile the Osaka accent is beyond adorable. 

Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 6 of 8 - Japan what are you doing? I do love the not-sorta-ex from the past. 

VIP Only (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 10fin - I loved all the young people in the hawker center supporting the campaign against the terrible mother. They make a good domestically sappy couple. But that is Taiwan's specialty.

In brief?

A sweet if aimless story about a writer and a chef finding love via noodles, fake dating, and family challenges. If it had a tighter script and a shorter run, more like a KBL this might’ve been quite special. But it didn’t and it lost me too many times. 6/10

I don’t like to be disappointed by Taiwan. 

It's done: I Need to Catch up

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have any spare time. 2024 is crazy busy for me so far.

The Servant and the Young Master - from Vietnam so I assume it's on YouTube. I never even noticed. Anyone?

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - Is TRUST Entertainment bringing us the first ever Burmeses BL? I don't know if it's really the first, but @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will give it a watch through.

It's Airing But...

[INTERNATIONAL] Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - yeah Japan put the smack down on our boys. Sadness. You can use a VPN if you like. Read all about it here.

Beside You (Thai YouTube) - a 3 sp short that's supposed to have started but I can't find it.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… probubly not. I won't be watching this. I disliked Season one and actively hated the follow ups. No thank you.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.

The Whisperer (Sun ????) 10 eps - Ends next week. Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). I don't think even the perfect single dimple can motivate me to watch. Word is... it's terrible.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 10 eps - Giving me Luminous Solution vibes. I'm waiting to binge if safe.

Dead Friend Forever (Thai Sat iQIYI) - horror, meh, tell me if it's worth my time?

In Case You Missed it

All my year-end round ups:

TOP 10 BL Trends of 2023

Top 10 BL Secondary Pairs of 2023

2023 BLs Best Trope Execution Awards! TOP 10

All the BLs Announced for 2023 that didn't happen

BL 2023's Best:

Back Hugs Thailand & Elsewhere

Cute Bits of Domesticity

Boys Feeding Boys

BOOP!

Best Cuddles

Heads in Laps

Touching Head Touches

Thailand Put His Head on Your Shoulder

Put Your Head on My Shoulder (not Thailand)

BEST KISSES (not Thailand)

BEST KISSES FROM THAILAND

Next Week Looks Like This

1/23 Happy Ending is a new high school set Strongberry 20 min short staring the actor who played Milk on Choco Milk Shake, so... YES PLEASE. I'm not sure where it will air but we all have our fingers crossed for Gaga or YT. Or both.

1/24 Love For Love's Sake (Korea Gaga & iQIYI)- based on the Manhwa ‘Love Supremacy Zone’ by Hwacha. A young man is dropped into a game based off a novel he loves. His mission is to make another player, YeoWoon happy. But then the game starts unfolding completely different from the novel.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Viva la BL grandma superiority! (Cooking Crush)

Cooking Crush casually givign us some lovely lesbians (as indeed did The Sign). GL makes for a lovely acessory BL, carry on.

Now GMMTV, give us the REVERSE.

I love this dork SO MUCH. (Pit Babe)

I love that Cherry Magic is doing this scene over. One of my favs from the original.

Yai is BEST BOY. MVP and most likely the winner for 2024's Namgoong award.

(Last week)

[jeonscatalyst]

Hey May, welcome back we missed you so much and I'm so happy you are back.

What are your thoughts about AYS so far? Loving it?

Hey anon, thank you so much and I missed y’all too so much.

I actually have alot of thoughts about AYS so far and I might be making a more detailed post later but if there is any particular thing you would like to get my thoughts on, you can shoot me an ask.

I think AYS so far has been amazing. The first two episodes gave a more calm and domestic vibe as we just got to watch Jimin and Jungkook go about normal daily activities as well as doing a few fun stuff like going camping, kayaking, yacht rides, motobike rides etc but I never thought i’d see the day where Jimin and Jungkook would head out to walmart to get a sponge to do dishes lol.

I think Episodes 1 and 2 gave us a closer look at what I always imagined Jimin and Jungkook’s off days would look like. By off days, I mean days where they weren’t working. I had mentioned before that one of the biggest things that convinced me about the possibility of Jikook being more than friends was how real they are. It’s the good, the bad and the ugly and the way their story so far with all it’s ups and downs makes perfect sense in the context of things.

While watching them, I couldn’t help but smile at how domestic and comfy they looked doing such simple everyday chores and activities. Getting out of bed, Jungkook immediately going to lay by Jimin’s side and just bask in his presence and company right before they start their day. It was also so refreshing to see how Jimin and Jungkook don’t necessarily need to be doing or saying alot to actually just enjoy being by each other’s side. I had mentioned this before in one of my post from my previous account. They have such an interesting dynamic and I would be lying if I said I don’t get fascinated at times.

I didn’t love the fact that Jimin was sick most of the time though but I thought it was so cute how Jungkook took care of him and how he also tried to make light of the situation by making jokes about it. Jungkook’s ability to tease Jimin in any and every situation is very telling of how comfortable he feels with Jimin. He doesn’t always have to try being the nicest or trying not to laugh in certain situations. The more you know someone and the more comfortable you are with someone, you show them more of the authentic you. You laugh when you find something funny without being too worried of how you might come off because you know that, that person knows YOU. It’s the same way your best friend would laugh at you after you fall before they think of helping you up while a friend or an acquaintance would help you and subdue the laughter for fear of upsetting you because they might not know how you would take it, while a bestfriend knows that sometimes that fun is better than feeling sorry for yourself. While some other people have shown concern about how Jk chose to handle certain things by claiming that he wasn’t careful enough, I think that is very on brand for Jikook and anyone who knows them, and has paid close attention to them all these years knows that.

Jk would scold Yoongi for teasing Jimin about saying “Sorry” at the UN and ask him to make Jimin feel better instead of teasing him, but will later tease Jimin about the same thing to make him laugh. It’s like he hates it when other people tease him but knows that he can because Jimin knows and he feels that his teasing makes things better for Jimin or atleast makes him laugh. I mean on rookie king, Jk told us that he teases Jimin alot because he like him so much and Jk had also admitted that he likes the reaction he gets when he teases Jimin. Need I say more? I honestly love how realistic Jikook feel.

I also noticed that Jimin really has a problem not helping when he sees someone else doing something even for him. At the camping site, Jungkook was in charge of cooking and all but Jimin just couldn’t sit still even though he had a stomach bug and went to go help in slicing the onions. In episode two, after they got back from walmart, Jimin again just couldn’t let Jk make the carbonara without helping in some way. He lingered around for a bit and then went to start cooking the kebab. Let’s not even talk about how he immediately jumped up to help the pregnant waitress at the first place they stopped to eat. He is the sweetest human alive.

Jungkook is not so different. I have always mentioned that Jungkook is the most sensitive and one of the most thoughtful people ever and it is kinda sad that many people misunderstand him because of his looks. The way he always thinks about the staff is so wholesome. The way he felt bad about the staff not having anything to eat and made sure he gave them something to eat was so beautiful.

As I said earlier, I have alot to say about AYS but will do that later. So generally, I think the first two episodes were absolutely amazing and just gave us a glimpse of domestic Jikook (we ofcourse should expect that things should be a little different when they are not being filmed) and it was just as I had imagined.

Episode 3 felt like a completely different show. While the first two episodes were more domestic and calm, episodes 3 felt more like run bts to me. I guess this was because of all the games they played and that fact that it just lacked that homely feel that episode 1 and 2 had but episode 3 was probably the most interesting to so many people for so many reasons.

There was a third member, there were more upbeat activities than just sailing on a yacht, cooking at home, cuddling in bed or going shopping. I also think Tae being around helped Jikook relax more. In the first two episodes, they seemed relaxed around each other but there was still this tense air that I could sense, you know that tense, awkward energy that Jikook always have around them when they are too aware of the cameras? Yes that one but with Tae in the mix, they had a buffer of sorts and someone else they could interact with to make things more “normal”. I think it was beautiful seeing Vminkook together just living. Jimin wasn’t feeling his best at the beginning but it seems like things got better before the day was over and I think with episodes 1,2 and 3 we could really see how different Jikook’s dynamic is when they are alone Vs when they are with another member (we ofcourse cannot get the full picture with them being filmed and everything but atleast we got an idea).

PS: Tae was an absolute ray of sunshine. I noticed that he seems to be back to his fun, chaotic, quirky and slightly weird self and I love that. I had missed that Tae so much.

Let me know if there anything else in particular you would like me to talk about.

[aylacavebear]

Soulmates? Yeah, right, pft. - Ch. 10

When you turn sixteen, and your soulmate's name doesn’t appear anywhere on your body that you can find, you figure you had to be the only person on the planet who didn’t have one. Most of the town shuns you, so you stick close to family. Your Aunt Ellen raised you after your parents died in a car crash when you were two, but what happens when the Winchesters return to town and buried secrets begin to come to light?

Pairing: Mechanic Dean Winchester x OC Reader/You

Word Count: 2490

Warnings: Fluff, Dean being a sweetheart, Dealing with emotional stuff.

A/N: This is my non-Supernatural fic I'm attempting. Please let me know what you think, as I always love hearing from my readers.

----------------------------------------- Chapter 10

Over the next two weeks, not much really happened. There were times when the cameras alerted you to movement, but you never saw anything on them. That was frustrating, even after rewatching them a dozen or more times. Not even an animal was in the frames, anywhere. Dean had even watched them, and if he had seen anything or thought of anything, he’d kept it to himself.

You also hadn’t heard anything from anyone about what was going on in the outside world. It felt like being in a sort of limbo, playing the waiting game. Dean had started sleeping next to you in your bed as the nightmares began coming more often. It was only when he held you that they stayed away. They always involved the same people and the bunker being found.

The mark on your collarbone burned often, and when it was really bad, Dean always put cream on it. There was a gentleness in his touch that always seemed to calm you. The new feelings around him were odd but welcoming, and you wished his name would show up on your collarbone already, if he really was your soulmate.

You had also pushed many of your thoughts and questions to the back of your mind. There were far too many, and you had no way of getting the answers you needed. None of the pieces made enough sense to you to act on anything, so you kept things to only friendship with Dean. Hoping had only brought you pain in the past. You chose to enjoy just having a best friend and that you weren’t alone in the bunker, as that would have driven you stir-crazy.

There were times Dean would disappear to a different room than you and be gone for far longer than needed just to use the bathroom. You hadn’t said anything but made a mental note of how often it was, and it was becoming more frequent. When he’d return to whatever room you two were in at the time, he’d always have a small smile, but there was something in his eyes that told you he was hiding something.

You weren’t entirely sure what day it even was when you woke up that morning and crawled out of bed. Dean was already awake and in the kitchen. You found him there cooking yet another odd concoction with what non-perishables were available in the pantry. Yawning, you made your way to the coffee pot and poured a cup.

“Morning, Sweetheart,” he smiled, looking over at you briefly.

“Morning,” you yawned out, taking a seat at the kitchen table, still not awake.

“Hungry?” he asked.

“I guess,” you mumbled, sipping the warm coffee and enjoying the flavor. Dean always made the best-tasting coffee, and you couldn’t figure out how he managed to do that every damn time.

Dean plated up an interesting breakfast. You couldn’t even really tell what it was as you stared at the plate he had set in front of you. It smelled good, at least.

“I swear, it won’t kill you if you eat it. I had to get creative,” he chuckled, seeing the skepticism on your face. 

You gave him a wary glance before taking a bite of the odd-looking concoction on the plate in front of you but were pleasantly surprised with its taste. You weren’t sure if you could compare it to anything you’d eaten before, but at the same time, it tasted familiar. Dean smirked as he watched you realize what he had made tasted far better than how it looked.

“Honestly, it’s not bad,” you finally told him after a couple of bites.

“Glad you like it,” he managed through his laughter.

“I’m looking forward to tasting how you cook normal food,” you teased him with a small smile.

“This is normal food,” he chuckled, taking another bite.

You just rolled your eyes, playfully though, finding him adorable. The two of you ate mostly in silence, only talking about what you’d fill the day with. You’d watched all the movies in the place and had played almost all the simple word games either of you could come up with. As you washed the dishes, you mentioned wanting to look around again. 

Dean groaned from the table, “We’ve been over this place like a dozen times already.”

“I know. I just want to look,” you replied, more focused on your thoughts and the dishes than the conversation.

He made another annoyed grumble that you couldn’t quite make out before he headed out to the living room. A few moments later, you heard the sound of one of the westerns beginning to play. You weren’t all that into those particular movies and wondered if perhaps your father may have been. 

There were times, like today, when the bunker felt almost confining. You missed the sun and watching it set. To see the colors change as it dipped beyond the horizon. Then there were the stars at night and even the moon. They felt like distant memories as you walked into the monitor room. The box of files still sat there on the table. You’d looked through it multiple times but didn’t understand the legal jargon in half of it. With a heavy sigh, you sat down and pulled the papers out again, flipping through them in hopes that something would stand out. You’d put the letters from your parents there as well. As you reread the last one, you frowned, wishing you knew what was going on in the outside world. 

One of the camera recordings began flashing, drawing your attention to it. You changed seats and sat in front of the monitor, closely watching the camera. Still, it was like nothing was there.

I wonder if this place is haunted.

The thought almost made you chuckle. You knew that wasn’t the case, or the cameras would have alerted you far before this set of incidents. They typically didn’t flash during the day, and today, you saw something. It didn’t seem like much to you as you tilted your head and watched the tiny rock barely come into view on the far side of the screen. Hell, you would have missed it if it had happened at night.

“Dean!” you hollered, staring at the monitor.

He showed up behind you far faster than you thought he would, “What? What’s wrong?” he asked, almost sounding out of breath for a moment.

“A rock set this one off,” you told him, still fairly dumbfounded at the oddness of it.

“A rock?” he asked, but he didn’t sound confused, he sounded concerned.

You pulled up the recording and showed it to him on the screen, where it had barely come into view on the far side of what the camera could pick up. “See. There,” you told him, pointing to the rock again on another replay.

“Sweetheart, move,” he told you, and his tone began to worry you, but you got up so he could sit down.

“It’s just a rock,” you said, crossing your arms.

Dean didn’t say anything in return. He began pulling up old videos, and you sighed. Instead of standing there and watching him, you cleaned up the papers on the table and put them neatly back in their box. You glanced at Dean one more time before heading out to the living room, now fairly bored, again. 

You and Dean had moved the furniture around a few different times, just trying to make the place feel different, but it was beginning to feel stifling. The things you missed played through your mind again as you tried to remember what the sun felt like on your skin or the breeze of a cool fall day blowing through your hair.

The two of you had gone over every inch of the place and hadn’t found any more secret rooms, but for some reason, you felt like you were still missing something. You weren’t even sure where to look at this point. Knowing you had to distract yourself from your thoughts, you sighed and began looking over the bookshelf again. 

In movies, they always use bookshelves to hide secret rooms. Is that too obvious? Would my parents do that sort of thing? 

Again, you slid your fingers over the shelves and along the books. Nothing stood out or felt different. It just felt like a regular wooden shelf painted white to match the off-white walls. It was the one piece of furniture that neither you nor Dean could move though. You even checked along the sides of it where it met the wall.

The surface was smooth under your fingers as you slowly trailed them down the side of the bookcase. There was literally nothing there, just shelf and wall. Frustrated, you grabbed a chair from the kitchen and set it in front of the bookshelf. Last time, Dean had been the one to check the top of it and along the wall. You were barely tall enough once on the chair to see the top of the bookshelf. It was a little dusty, so you tried to wipe it away with your hand. Even after you got most of the dust off of it, you still didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. It just looked like a shelf to you. With a sigh, you ran your index finger along the back where it attached to the wall. You may not have felt anything, but you heard something click, and the shelf popped half an inch away from the wall.

You nearly fell off the chair, startled due to standing on your tiptoes. Holding your chest as your heart began to calm down, you slipped off the chair, moving out of the way. Dean still hadn’t come out of the monitor room, so you slipped your fingers inside the small opening and pulled the shelf away from the wall. It was another staircase that led down.

Makes sense. The house above is two stories, why wouldn’t this one have another floor?

The air that drifted from the staircase felt cooler than the floor you were on, and it piqued your curiosity. You glanced toward the hallway before slipping inside, then down the steps. It wasn’t as narrow as the other staircase, but it was dark. I should have looked for a light switch.

Making it to the bottom, you moved your hand along the wall and smiled when you found the light switch there. A light above the stairs came on, causing you to look at it. Then you cursed under your breath for looking at the bright bulb. There was an open doorway to the right of the stairs, so again, felt along the inside of it for a light switch. You really didn’t feel like fumbling around in the dark.

As your fingers flicked it upward, your jaw nearly dropped. The room was huge. In the center was a pool table, and along the walls were more bookcases, only these held games and books of all sorts. 

Wish I’d found this a month ago.

You chuckled to yourself as you looked around, even peeking into the other room that was there. When you did, your jaw hit the floor. It was a walk-in freezer almost the size of the pantry on the other floor. You licked your lips when you saw all sorts of different meats packed neatly away on the shelves. Dean’s gonna love this.

As you were reading over some of the book titles, you barely heard your name being called from upstairs, which pulled your gaze to the open doorway. Knowing you shouldn’t make him worry, you headed back upstairs, making it past the bookshelf just as he came into the living room.

He looked at you, fairly confused, “What’d you find?”

“You’re gonna love it,” you told him excitedly, completely forgetting the rock thing on the monitor from earlier.

You grabbed Dean’s hand and led him downstairs. He looked just as surprised as you were, but when he saw the walk-in freezer, he smiled from ear to ear.

“Oh, we’re having steak tonight,” he stated after licking his lips. Dean picked out a couple of steaks and then went back into what you had deemed the game room. “Might have to test out that pool table later,” he added as he glanced over at it.

“Do you even know how to play pool?” you asked him mildly curiously.

“Sweetheart, yes, I know how to play pool,” he chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.

The enjoyment was short-lived as a small red light lit up near the doorway, and the two of you looked at each other before running back upstairs. You’d even forgotten to turn off the lights down there. Dean still had the steaks in hand as you reached the monitor room, but again, there was nothing noticeable on the screen. 

He sighed and set the steaks on the table, then stood behind you, “They’re trying to figure out where the cameras are and how far they can see,” he explained in a worried tone.

You looked up at him, still a bit confused, “What do you mean?”

“Your birthday is less than a month away. Sam’s at least got your case in the system, and the first court date is next week, but that’s just to hear it out. Vaught’s men are trying to find you before your birthday and before things get too far in the courts,” Dean explained as he leaned against the table, crossing his arms.

Looking back at the monitor you saw it flash red again. The rocks they were using were almost impossible to spot. “But, they can’t find us here, can they?” you asked quietly, hoping you didn’t sound as worried as you felt.

“So far, I don’t think they can. Jodi even called in some outside help to keep an eye on the house, but these guys are good. At least your parents hid the cameras well. We won’t have to worry unless these people find them and take them out,” Dean replied, keeping an even tone.

It was something you couldn’t understand with him, how he seemed to keep what he was feeling out of his words. He also seemed to keep his expression just as plain. There were little things he did, but they were so subtle they were easy to miss.

“Why does it feel like there's something you’re not telling me?” you asked carefully.

He sighed, still watching the monitor, “Sam found a loophole in the paperwork. If he can’t get a judge to take on your case and have the paperwork in a judge's hands before your birthday, Cole has the legal right to marry you, and no one can stop it. He could even make the case last for years in the system, and you’d have to stay married to him.”

No… ----------------------------------------- Chapter 11

Story Master List Main Master List

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@chriszgirl92 @angzls @xolivvies-cornerxo @certainsaladstarfish @onlyangel-444

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@megs-gadom

If I missed tagging, please let me know. I had a lot of requests for tags for this one. If you'd like to be tagged, drop me a comment.

[moochalove]

Bestest of Friends!(NSFW)

(pervert!Ayato x gullible!fem!reader)

Unfortunately I couldn’t form a single thought for part 3 of my Kazuha x Reader x Scara fic (i’m still cooking it up though so dw pookies☝️)

Iwhipped up this fic in a couple of hours…. I wanted to do more but it’s already so long!!

Anyways😋 ik i said gullible!reader but if you’re also perverted this can be seen as a reader who doesn’t stop his advances!

Not proofread!!

Word count: idk i should really check though! 🗣️

Being a friend of the Yashiro commissioner was something you hadn’t ever imagined. The Kamisato family was pristine, cunning, witty, and decisive. Their looks? You can’t even form the right words to describe them… Both of them are like porcelain dolls dressed in the finest silk clothing in all the land (although still below Her Excellency)

Sure, you were also pretty, but when you stand next to your good buddy Ayato, you just look like his helper… There have been times when you’ve been mistaken as his personal helper. Luckily Thoma was there to sort things out.

Ayato had approached you first. You had been smelling the flowers outside Komore tea house. The way you leaned over to smell the native bloom, with a delightful smile you pulled away from the flowers and accidentally bumped into the taller man’s chest.

Before you realized who it was you quickly apologized and tried running off. You did your best to avoid any social interaction, it always seemed like it caused more harm than good. (At least as the end result)

Something about you immediately grabbed Ayato’s attention, could it have been your silky/thick/bouncy/curly hair locks? The way your skin looked so soft (despite any texture it may have) oh, how he wished to caress it gently. He doesn’t even know your name and he’s already so far in love with you.

His purple-hued eyes watch your figure run further away, he should run after you but he’s still trying to process your enchanting body that has put him under a spell. It would be a shame if he were to let you go right now, sure, he can find you with the snap of his fingers, but he wants your official meeting to be something you’ll remember.

If only you knew that you had a practical prince running through the streets of Inazuma, knowing that would make drop to the ground out of shock, maybe even fear? Surely if someone so important were looking for you it’d mean you’ve done something wrong? The only thing Ayato would accuse you of being guilty of is being so pretty. (You guys have been in each other’s presence for about 45 seconds)

When he finally finds you you’re sitting on a bench, trembling and fidgeting with your hands. Perhaps you realized who he was and now you’re going through the motions of it all.

You immediately notice him and shoot up then offering up your seat. Oh how nice you were, your kindness knows no bounds, and surely goes the same for your love! Instead, he lets out a simple yet endearing laugh, “You offer me a seat despite it being rightfully yours, why so?” You’re fumbling with your outfit, avoiding eye contact, surely if you stay quiet he’ll leave you alone.

“Conversations usually involve two people, you know? Ah, perhaps it’s because of my status you’re hesitant to speak with me.”

Letting out a squeak you motion your hands in the hair before deciding to finally speak up. “I-I’m sorry. I just want sure if you were talking to me..”

Even the way he sits down is elegant and simple, “Who else would I be talking to? It seems you aren’t the most attentive person, hmmm I’ll make note of that..” He motions for you to sit next to him.

“I’m sorry I’m just not the most talkative person…” “Of course, anyone could notice that from a mile away.” he’s so blatant even he realizes he’s being insensitive by the way you curl in on yourself. “My apologies, I didn’t mean to be so rude. Let’s start over, I am Kamisato Ayato, although, like many Inazumans, I’m sure you already knew that.”

“I am L/n, L/n Y/n, It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kamisato.” It would be an understatement to say you were nervous but you were nervous! What if you came off as rude or impolite? You’re not well-versed in all formalities.

His eyes never leave your e/c irises, the way his eyes devoured you should’ve set off a few alarms in your mind but they all seem to be mute.

“No need for the formalities, Y/n. I was actually hoping to converse with your normally, you know, like friends! I do hope you would be okay with becoming friends, hm?”

Every time someone had reached out to be your friend it always ended up with you crying alone. You’re not sure why people picked on you but you also couldn’t bear to fathom the idea of being alone forever. People are just misunderstood! If no one understands them then they’ll be all alone! That’s why you feel the need to accept anyone in your heart with open arms. No one should hurt like you have, so you just need to keep looking on the bright side of things! Eventually, it will get better, right?

Ayato isn’t dumb, he’s got a sharp-keen eye and he’s already picked up a few things about you! Isn’t that so romantic? He’s already making a list in his head about flowers that would surely embrace your sense of smell. Flowers that would adorn your h/c locks. Ah, that’s beside the point…The point is, you’re very gullible! And there’s nothing he loves more than an exploitable person. Especially one as cute/handsome as you!

The way he laces his voice with a subtle hint of yearning, the way he tilts his head innocently, even the way he quirks his eyebrow with a gentle smile plastered on his face… Were all calculated in his fucked up mind! Even if it’s all for show, he knows you’ve already made up your mind.

You’re quick to agree so, eyes sparkling with joy, admiration, and yearning. Compared to his cheap fraudulent smile; yours is genuine, an adoring yet pathetic smile.

He leans in for a hug but you back away, “Ah, my apologies. I hadn’t considered if you enjoyed physical contact. Please, forgive me.” Oh, he knew what he was doing. The way he feigned innocence in his voice made you feel guilty. At that time you weren’t too open to physical contact but had you considered how he was doing? Being in such a high position must be on another plane of stress. Before he fully pulled away from you, you leaned in and wrapped your arms under his. It was a little awkward at first for you but he seemed to melt into you and embrace you affectionately.

You guys would meet up every week at the Komore tea house, talking about your lives and discussing plans about things you wanted to do currently and in the future. Ayato would have never guessed someone like you would want to leave your homeland for another nation. The way you talked about the nation of wind so joyfully, or how you thought about wanting to potentially open your own shop in Liyue, maybe even embrace the life of a scholar once again in Sumeru, the idea of learning the arts which Fontaine had to offer didn’t sound too bad either, although the world is a dangerous place so why not train in Nathan for a couple of years, ah, but the idea of falling in love in the snow-filled capital of Snezhnaya also seem to captivate your blissfully troubled mind.

Ayato did not like those ideas one bit. He would rather drop dead or be publicly humiliated if it meant for you to stay by his side for eternity. The way you showed signs of maturity angered him just a little. He wanted you to stay “young” and innocent like a little toy doll he could control, yet here you were, getting help from professionals, forming healthy relationships and habits, you even had someone to call your lover, he can’t be bothered to remember their name right now but he knows for sure you deserve someone better (he’s referring to himself.)

His hugs have gotten tighter, and the way he wraps his toned arms around your waist doesn’t seem to drive a reaction out of you, or at least a voiced reaction.

He wants to go further.

The way his hand possessively tangles itself onto yours, interlocking his slim fingers to yours, comparing hand sizes, and the way he cups his face with your hand while placing a kiss onto the side of it does seem to get a reaction out of you. “Um… You good, Ayato?” “Of course my dear, ah, my apologies Y/n if I’ve offended you. I just assumed I was allowed to do this since we are friends.” He says all while smiling into your palm.

“Haha, of course, it just caught me off guard is all!” you’re no better, the way you cup his face with your other hand before rubbing his face like a dog. “Although, Dear, I would advise against you telling anyone about this. It’s something that stays between good friends, understand?” All too entranced by how soft and smooth his skin is you agree.

Over the span of a couple of weeks, the touches have gotten worse, he’s touching places that only lovers should touch. When he comes in for hugs he’s groping the plump of your ass and feeling up and down your hips. Or when he leans in from behind to hug you, he’s wrapping his arms around you possessively and gently nipping at your neck. At first, you seemed a little concerned but your good buddy Ayato reminds you that it’s what friends do! Just don’t go around doing it to your other friends because you can only do this with very special friends. (Such as himself)

It was all part of his plan to break and rebuild you the way he likes. Breaking you was all too easy, all it took was for him to truthfully admit how much he adores his sister and his butler/friend Thoma. You broke down into a sobbing mess admitting how you longed for a relationship like that, longing for someone to treat you nicely, that aching pain in your heart you wished would go away. And it did when he hugged you and whispered positive affirmations into your ear, when he wiped your tears and snot away with his silk robes that definitely cost more than you, it relit your shrunken burnt out heart, it was now burning brightly again, with nothing but admiration for the prince who swept you off your feet and brought you to safety. Or at least that’s how you saw it.

Rebuilding you was currently in the works, he needed you to be whipped and ready to accept whatever passed through his throat as the truth and nothing more. Even if you’ve matured a little that doesn’t mean he can break through your now rough and tough exterior, the inside still raw and soft; gullible. The thought that you might shun him and realize his toxic behavior was more stress-inducing than all his work combined. He didn’t want you to throw him away! Only he was allowed to do that. If you were to get boring he could throw you away and leave you broken just as he found you, and he would be okay with it. But he loved you too much to even dwell on the thought even more than he has.

It was supposed to be a fun dinner party with everyone, and you’re lover too, but when he saw you adorning an apron with some excessive whipped cream your lover had booped on your face he couldn’t control himself. His mind plagued him with perverted thoughts, immediately he stated that you both had some things to catch up on and that the others should set the kotatsu with the proper cutlery.

As per usual, he greets you with a hug. The only difference is that it’s from behind and he’s trying his best to be the romantic man he is at heart and is currently helping you whip the thick cream that would complement the cake you had prepared. His hand is much stronger than yours, making it easy to stir and flip the cream, his other hand is mounted on yours against the side of the bowl. Nothing is said…

You can feel something hard poking into your rear but you ignore it, maybe it was his belt.

Ayato’s breathing is starting to labor, he’s bucking his hips ever so slightly against you. You turn around to say something but he simply leans in to kiss you. His hands have long abandoned stirring, instead holding your wrists with a single hand while the other fondles/caresses your chest. He’s guiding you to the island in the center of the kitchen before he’s bending you over. Bulge rubbing between your clothed sex was an amazing experience, the bundle of nerves was being stimulated pleasantly, and your hole was squeezing tightly against nothing. Based on the wet spot forming on your bottoms he can tell you’re bound to come undone soon. Hands wrapped around your throat with slight pressure applied has you turned on even more, everything feels hot and heavy down there, and you can hear a subtle slick noise coming from below, ah how embarrassing! You’re even more pathetic when he abruptly stops, whimpering and grinding your ass against him, trying to create even more friction, “W-why’d you stop?” His grip tightens before he whispers in your ear, “They’re near, let’s pretend to have a nice normal conversation, after all, it’s been a while since we’ve last caught up, hm?” he releases his grip from your throat, hands moving around your hips before he’s rutting against your sex again at a faster speed.

“So, Y/n, how has life been treating you? I hear you’ve made some new friends!” the longer you don’t respond he’s gripping bruises into your hips, “A-ah- I’ve been well! It’s true I’ve been- oh my- I’ve been making new friends! I wish I could’ve invited them today but-“you're covering your mouth with your hands, eyes rolling up from the pleasure as the fat on your chest bounces with every thrust. “B-but I know how jealous you get when I’m not paying- paying attention to you! Haahh.. So maybe next time y-yeah?” the ‘yeah’ was a little high-pitched but nobody would really notice unless they were right there at the door. “Oh yes, you know how possessive I can be,” emphasizing the word he can tell you’re about ready to reach your peak, his pants have long since dropped and his thick length is poking through his boxers, rubbing up against your wet folds and clit he can feel through those annoying pants of yours. He wished to rip them off then and there but he surely didn’t want to embarrass you by having you walk the walk of shame to the bathroom with ripped pants and a dripping wet cunt in front of everyone.

So he opted to give you your present early, it would have been so satisfying to gift you a beautiful silk kimono (in your favorite color) in front of your lover. Oh, how he wanted you to embrace him tightly in front of everyone exclaiming ‘thank you’ over and over again, something that he would definitely savor for his private time.

“I actually got you something, Dear!“ You’re not sure how he was able to easily flip you over and have your back pressed against the island but you’re too busy taking shallow breaths to even say anything. Stretching his limbs over you to reach for a plain-looking box, he pulls said kimono out and unfolds it from its once neatly folded state. “Isn’t it beautiful? I had it tailored to your body so it should fit like a glove. I won’t stress you the details but it’s worth a lot so please, cherish it.” once he finishes speaking his tip is rubbing circles into your hot clit, he’s smacking it with his fat pink tip, chasing his own high while he fists the thick base of his cock. Your high hits you hard and you squeal ‘thank you’ over and over again with the occasional ‘it’s so so pretty’ and ‘I’ll cherish it forever’ You’re loud enough for everyone to hear and that thought alone has him cumming onto your clothed cunt. Since he’s feeling so happy about it all he hasn’t stopped rubbing against you, which causes you to be overstimulated and for him to rip another orgasm from you. “C-cumming-“ is all he can muster up as he leans into you. His cock spasms as he pumps it, his cum spills onto your wet overstimulated cunt.

It takes him a moment to regain his composure as he slowly pulls away and clean himself up. Tears threaten to spill from your eyes but he’s kissing them away whispering, “Let’s get you changed, you’re going to look stunning for them all.” All you can do is hum okay in response as he starts to undress you. Pulling something else out of the box it’s a beautiful lingerie set, in fact, the one you’ve been thinking about buying for a while now… Not dwelling too much on the thought you kiss the mole beneath his soft lips in reciprocation. Ayato isn’t too vocal but when you kiss him there he can’t help but whine as he leans back into you, “Dear, I wouldn’t recommend doing that, or at least not until we’re in my quarters~” you stifle a giggle, “Okay, okay, just help me get dressed!”

When you slide the door open everyone is shocked and amazed at how stunning you look. You no longer look like a personal helper! Maybe not an equivalent to the siblings yet, but you’re getting there! Your lover is quite enthralled with your look but is also as bitter because they were planning on buying you that. Ayato notices their expression and huffs his chest pridefully.

The dinner goes well and everyone is happily content with all the food and desserts! Occasionally Ayato will glance at you or place his hand on your thigh but nobody knows.

After all, it’s what friends do! Right?

[moments-on-film]

Moments on Film: Carmy IS The Bear - Opening Scene Analysis

Hello friends. I hope your year is going well. If we have interacted or you’ve read my work before, hello again! If you’re new to my blog, welcome!

This is the final part I’ve been building to in a 3 part character analysis series I have written about the character of Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto from The Bear. In the first part, I analyzed how 🔗Carmy doesn’t know who he is yet because he’s never had the safety and freedom to discover who he really is by connecting with his true passion, art. In part two, I analyzed 🔗Carmy’s true purpose and how I believe his destiny is to set everyone up for success, leave the kitchen behind and step into his light.

I have rewatched The Bear multiple times, but nothing ever captures the wonder, intrigue, and immediate empathy I felt for Carmy after that fascinating opening scene in the pilot episode. I have been thinking about it since I first watched it and it has stayed with me.

Since the first time I saw it, I have always believed Christopher Storer wrote the opening scene of The Bear to provide a portal into the entire arc for Carmy’s character. Let me explain.

Think about what Carmy is doing in the opening scene. He’s approaching a bear trapped in a cage. He speaks to it softly and gently, shushes it, empathises with it, coaxes it out and unlocks the cage. Look at the words used in the script:

Trapped, locked away

Whimpers, cries from inside

Emerges

A mass of dirty, matted hair

Mouth bleeding and ill

Shivers

“Shhh…..shhhh…it’s okay…”

Sad, abused eyes

There was a cute animal in there once

“Come on….go….”

“I know.”

Why is The Bear so personified in the script? Why is Carmy talking to it like it’s a person? Carmy looks into its “sad, abused eyes”, and tells it,

“I know.”

In my opinion, in the pilot episode, Carmy encountering the Bear is more than a dream, it’s a premonition because….it is Carmy talking to his future self.

Think about everything we have seen him go through so far and read the scene below:

I think Chris Storer has given us the arc of Carmy’s character in the form of a fevered dream Carmy has while watching over a slow cooking pot of gravy while he sleeps on the metal counter.

Carmy is the bear in the cage. S1 set the trap, by the end of S2, Carmy has fallen deep into it, and I think in future seasons, Carmy will suffer greatly, then will make great attenpts to heal, get in touch with what he really wants and will set himself free.

The fact that the opening scene in the series takes place on the State Street Bridge is an indication that Carmy saving himself—letting himself out of the cage—will save his own life. This is the same Bridge where his brother Michael, trapped in the same cage he is caught in now, separately, but somehow together, saw no way out and took his own life. The symbolism is striking. The Bridge is the connection between the two realms, and the difference between life and death.

I also think that the words used to describe the bear mean that things will get so much worse for Carmy before they get better. Season 1 ended with Carmy committed to opening The Bear. Season 2 ends with Carmy caught in the walk in freezer of the restaurant, a literal bear trap of his own making where he is buried alive by his unprocessed trauma, and inability to thrive in the very place he was supposed to lead, and crippling pressure to turn a profit to pay off his debts. This is because in my opinion, the restaurant, his cage, is not his natural habitat. This is why everything in it always seems like such a struggle and so painful, forced and joyless.

I’m worried to see how things will get worse for Carmy than they already are. In the script, the bear is described as tapped, locked away, crying, whimpering from the inside, a mass of dirty matted hair, mouth bleeding and ill, shivering with sad, abused eyes.

From the moment I saw the drawing on the wall in the pilot episode, I said, wow, look at the bars, it’s a cage. Of course, I didn’t know until 2x6 that Carmy himself drew the sketch himself, as a Christmas gift for Michael, who was trapped in a horrible cage of his own at the time, which makes it all the more telling and poignant. There’s a reason why Carmy drew the sketch this way, even if it was subconscious, with the same bear trapped in a cage, which we see again in his dream.

Photo credit: moments-on-film (me)

At the end of season 2, Carmy is trapped, pacing the cage of the walk-in freezer.

I’ve been so worried about Carmy as a character since the first episode because it is so clear that he’s sick and badly needs help that he’s not getting. He has undiagnosed PTSD, and inner trauma that manifests physically in the form of nightmares, trouble breathing and terrible panic attacks that ravage his body. This has been so visceral to me throughout S1 and S2 that I wrote an analysis post about 🔗Carmy’s Vital Signs, and how they are dangerously visible on screen through Jeremy Allen White’s exceptional acting. The Bear in the pilot script is described as whimpering, crying and ill. If I am correct, this is where Carmy is headed before it can all turn around.

One other little clue that Carmy is metaphorically the bear from the opening scene, is the physical look of Carmy’s hair. From the pilot episode, Carmy’s hair has bothered me. He’s a 3 Star chef, trained with the best, and worked under the abusive chef in New York who must have had him and his hygiene under a microscope. It never made sense to me that his hair at times looked dirty and unkempt while his shirts were immaculately clean, pressed, and white. Below is a quote from an article where Jeremy Allen White talks about his hair as Carmy:

"I also wanted Carmy to always look just a little dirty. There’s a sink on set — everything was functional — and before most takes, I would get water in my hands and run it through my hair to get it looking kind of greasy.”

This always stuck out to me. He’s playing not just any chef, but, in the words of Sydney, “the most excellent CDC at the most excellent restaurant in the United States of America.” A chef who clearly cares about cleanliness, who gets on his hands and knees to scrub the floor more than once with just his hands and a washcloth. Why would he want him to look dirty? But thinking of it now, if he too knows the arc of Carmy, which he has said Chris Storer has shared with him, then he understands that where we are headed is to witness him as the bear is described, emerging from the cage, “a mass of dirty, matted hair.” The slightly dirty hair is a physical clue into the journey he is on as a character.

I think in future seasons we are going to see a great deal of guilt and therefore self flagellation from Carmy to over correct his mistakes from S2 that is going to further impact his mental and physical health. As I mentioned in a prior post, just like his tattoo, he is constantly dancing on the knife’s edge, and literally putting himself in life threatening danger.

I also have predicted in prior posts that Carmy is going to push himself so hard that he has a major health incident that might finally force Claire (if she’s still around) to actually take note of how sick he actually is. I’m not sure if she’s going to be prominently featured in S3, but I would not be surprised if a health emergency forces Carmy into her life somehow. It never made sense to me that her (then) boyfriend is sick, she’s an ER Doctor, and doesn’t seem to really notice or care.

As I mentioned in my last post, Carmy’s True Purpose, I ultimately believe that Carmy needs to get out of the kitchen and into a life where he can be happy and healthy, and connected to his true life’s purpose. I do not believe that this means Carmy will abandon his found family, or that he will do anything to betray Sydney. I believe she’s his shining star and he will do anything and everything in his power to make sure she gets hers. I also believe they will be in each other’s lives forever because they are truly soulmates. This isn’t about anyone else, though, I think this is about Carmy coming to terms with decades of abuse, unspoken thoughts and feelings, buried passions, his precarious health situation, which is in fact, eating him alive, and letting go of his long held mantra to 🔗 “just keep going”, before it kills him.

Perhaps there’s a way to marry art with the restaurant. That doesn’t solely mean he is only drawing. Maybe what Carmy really should be doing is creating, planning and designing menus, traveling the world to discover new flavors and finding inspiration that can help the restaurant, and provide him with much needed creatively, peace and, yes, joy. Maybe the restaurant will become seasonal and he and Sydney can spend the off time traversing the globe and creating menus together. Maybe down the line he can get out of the commercial kitchen, and he and Sydney’s can revamp her catering company and they can create together is a different environment. I must believe we are headed for somewhere healing, positive and beautiful, despite the valley of despair that ended S2.

The character of Carmy honestly breaks my heart. In him I see someone who so desperately needs a breakthrough and help on so many levels. He so badly needs to discover who he is and what actually makes him happy before it’s too late. I think Carmy is subconsciously very connected to this. His dream, which started the series, continues to haunt me.

One great thing about Carmy’s life are the people who now surround him. In my opinion, he needs to be very careful about how he treats them moving forward. He has people who genuinely love him and who I believe have his best interest at heart. If he pushes himself to the brink and then decides to leave the kitchen for the sake of his health, I believe everyone would ultimately understand. However, no one can take the reins of his life and fix it for him. Only he has that power and create his own reversal of fortune.

If I am correct, for his character to follow the arc of the opening dream scene, all Carmy ultimately has to do is unlock the cage and set himself free.

How he will arrive at that point is the journey of The Bear.

©️moments-on-film 2024

[navybrat817]

Dusk to Dawn

Pairing: Ranch Hand!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader Summary: Bucky reflects on how far gone he is for you when he picks you up during a night out. Word Count: 1.56k Warnings: F/lirting, feels (it's me), dr/inking, pet name, implied s/mut, ranch hand!Bucky (he’s a warning, okay?) Graphic talent and thanks: Banner - @sgt-seabass , Divider - @firefly-graphics, Header - yours truly A/N: @rookthorne, this Sunbeam is for you. Also @sebastianstanbingo square: "I'm going to f-ucking ruin you."❤️ Not beta read and written on my phone, so any and all mistakes are my own! Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog for new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

Bucky put the truck in park once he arrived at the bar. It was a nice night, the air still warm enough that he had his window down on the drive over. He had to work a little later than usual and would’ve felt guilty missing dinner, but you had already made plans to go out with the girls. You still had a meal wrapped up and waiting for him once he finished out his day. Steve and the other boys were jealous of your home cooked meals and for good reason.

Always taking care of me, Sunbeam.

Now he had to take care of you.

The familiar sound of chatter and live country music greeted Bucky as he walked through the door. It was a slower night, but still crowded enough that he had to dodge a few people. Like many in the town, the two of you were regulars there and it was rare for you to be there without him. He tipped his hat when he made eye contact with Scott behind the bar, who nodded toward your usual table along the far wall.

"Bucky!" he heard you shout before he looked your way. "You're heeeeeeere!"

He wondered just how many drinks you had. Enough that you were feeling good, but not enough to get sick. You could hold your own.

"Now we can get the party started," he smirked.

What followed was a beautiful laugh as you stood up from your chair and he couldn't stop himself from staring. Your smile was like watching the sunrise and he felt lucky he was worthy enough to see it another day. You chose to wear one of his favorite sundresses and paired it with the perfect pair of boots, giving him a chance to appreciate your perfect body. He unconsciously licked his lips as he sauntered toward you and noticed you did the same.

"Seeeeeee, what did I tell you?" you asked the group at the table when he stopped a foot away from you. "I said I’d bag the hottest guy here tonight.”

"We know. We all know," Darcy playfully rolled her eyes at the other girls. "Bucky's hot and he has a big dick and you love him. Blah, blah, blah."

“I thought ladies didn't kiss and tell," Bucky smirked when you invaded his space.

"Oh, I stopped being a lady the moment you had your wicked way with me," you smiled sweetly. "You ruined me. Congratu-fucking-lations."

"Is that right?" he asked, knowing he'd never forget that night.

He'd also never forget to treat you like a lady.

He inhaled the sweet liquor on your breath when you framed his face and leaned in close. You didn’t quite kiss him, but you did smile when your lips ghosted against his. He yearned for more.

“It is right ‘cause I’m right. You’re hot and you do have a big dick you know it. You ruined me, mister,” you said, moving a hand to poke his firm chest. “And you're soooooooooooo cute. How’re you hot and cute? Explain.”

The laugh Bucky let out was enough to make your friends laugh along with him. You could be a sweet or feisty drunk depending on the mood. The last time you got feisty was when some out-of-towner tried to hit on him. You made sure to let her, and everyone else in the bar, know he was a taken man.

As if he could want anyone else when he had his Sunbeam.

“Just the way I'm made,” he smiled, placing his hands on your hips and lightly swaying you to the music. “Like I'm made to love you.”

You didn’t say “aww” along with your friends, but your gaze softened a bit more. He didn’t believe the bullshit that a man had to be silent or embarrassed about loving anyone. He loved you and he was going to say it as often as he could.

“Is that why you’re here tonight?” you asked, a dreamy smile on your face as you plucked his hat from his head and placed it on yours. The smile you gave him was one of his favorites. “'Cause you love me?

"Yeah, I am,” he smiled back, one reserved just for you. It was one of your favorites. “You called, so I came running."

Where you go, I go.

"Then it’s a good thing I'm ready to go home with you, handsome. But I'm warning you, I’m not planning on sleeping. Gonna keep me up from dusk to dawn," you said happily before a thoughtful look crossed your face. "Or is it dawn to dusk? Doesn't matter. You're fucking me. That's what matters."

"You know I gotta get up early tomorrow," he reminded you as he tried not to laugh.

He worked hard to keep the place running and so did you. The tasks wouldn't do themselves, but the enticing thought of your legs wrapped around him as he indulged in your wet heat was worth dragging a little tomorrow. He'd catch up on sleep later.

"Not the only thing that needs to get up," you said, smirking when the realization crossed his face. "Ohhhhhh. You picked up what I put down."

"Now you're just teasing me," he said.

You yanked him closer by his belt buckle. "Teasing you would be telling you I'm not wearing anything under this dress."

He groaned quietly, suddenly jealous of the chair you occupied before he showed up. "You want me to fuck you before we get home?"

He took pride in seeing a tremor wrack your frame. "You better, Bucky Barnes, otherwise I'm fucking myself."

Hot, but not tonight.

"Where?" he smirked.

"My pussy. That's where," you said without skipping a beat.

A random guy nearby drinking his beer might've heard the exchange since he began to cough. The two of you certainly had a way with words. He didn't care if the entire bar heard it.

"Oh, I'm fucking your pussy," he promised. It was a feat he didn't start to twitch in his jeans. "I meant where are we doing this."

You hummed as you contemplated. "Bathroom or truck bed."

The image of your pussy soaked and waiting for him to fill it took over his thoughts more and more. He wondered how much shit he'd get if he dragged you off to the bathroom. It wouldn't be the first time. Throwing inhibitions out the window was something he grew used to with you.

But the truck bed might be better. He could also least lay you down. Not the most romantic gesture, but also not the worst place two of you had fooled around.

The fun part would be deciding if it would be done in the parking lot or if he'd pull over on the way home.

"Truck it is," he announced as he pulled you away. "Say g'night, ladies."

"Yeah. Please, leave," Darcy teased.

You looked over your shoulder as the rest of your friends said their goodbyes. "G'night, ladies! I'm going home with that hottest guy in town. Don't come looking for me."

And I got the most beautiful, amazing girl in town.

"Take care of her!" Darcy yelled.

"He will! I'm his Sunbeam," you said proudly before you went out into the night air and leaned into him with a giggle. "Hey."

"Hey," he smiled back, keeping you against him.

"Did you hear me? I'm your Sunbeam," you whispered before you giggled. "I'm your girl! You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know that," he chuckled at your happiness.

What you didn't know was that he had a ring ready for you so he could make it official. It wasn't fancy or flashy, but it was bright and beautiful. Like the sun.

Like you.

"Forever your girl?"

"Forever my girl," he replied, his voice thick when he put a hand to the back of your neck. "You'll always be mine, Sunbeam."

Butterflies fluttering from a kiss isn't just something that happened with girls. Because the second he put his lips against yours, he felt like he'd float away if you didn't keep him on the ground. Even with your tipsy gaze when he pulled away, there was so much love in your eyes. It was brighter than all the stars above you. It was unconditional.

And he wanted to treat you like he was still trying to win you so he'd never lose you.

"Promise?" you asked so softly he almost missed it.

"Even if the sun stopped rising tomorrow, you'd still be mine and I'd be yours."

You were it for him.

"Good," you sighed in relief before you began to drag him to the truck. "Now get inside me," you ordered.

"Oh, I will," he promised, watching your hips sway.

You didn't stumble once as you found the truck, You were an impressive woman. And he was so far gone for you.

I'm going to fucking ruin you.

He heard your sharp inhale from the words he didn't realize he said out loud. "Told you, Bucky. You already ruined me, but you can do it again," you said, tapping the top of your head. "And I'm keeping your hat on."

"Yes, ma'am," he chuckled, knowing those two words would send more shivers up and down your spine.

And he'd do a lot more than that before the sun came up.

Do we want more of them, lovelies? Love and thanks for reading. ❤️

Masterlist ⚓ Bucky Barnes Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi

[viesanterieures]

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒆

Robert Fischer (Inception) x female Reader

summary: The reader works as an artist who has never had a breakthrough until she decides to paint Robert.

warnings: this is a kinda cute and funny story so… no warnings :)

word count: 2500+

Masterlist

The air was warm as Robert turned into the familiar driveway. It was late October in Sydney, summer was just around the corner and the driveway was full of flowers and other plants. Today was Sunday, one of the few days he had to himself and his friends. During the week, he worked from early morning until late at night, as befits the future CEO of a multi-million dollar empire. Before he had even rung the bell, the door opened and a woman with shoulder-length brown hair pulled him into her arms. "Robert, how nice of you to come. We haven't seen each other in at least two months."

He laughed a little and patted his best friend on the shoulder. "I've had a lot on my mind, I'm sorry, Rebecca." Robert had known her since they were children. They had gone to kindergarten together and Rebecca was two years younger than him. All the friendships of his childhood, youth and university days had not lasted because many people thought he was arrogant, but Rebecca had always been there for him. As a child, as a teenager, as a student, at his wedding... and also at his divorce three years ago.

"How is your father, Robbie?" she wanted to know. Suddenly the smile on his face faded. "It doesn't look so good. He'll probably have to go back into hospital next month for a surgery." Rebecca looked at him compassionately and nodded silently as she took his jacket. "I'm so sorry."

I'm glad I can at least visit you," he quickly changed the subject.

"I'm glad too, Robbie," she said with a bright smile again.

"YN is also here, I hope you don't mind."

"No Becca, that‘s cool," Robert said, following her into the living room.

YN was Rebecca's younger sister and Robert quite liked her. She was one of those people who believed in destiny, the supernatural, spiritual things and tarot cards, which Robert didn't think much of. But she had always been very warm and kind to him and Robert was sure that there wasn't a single bad bone in this woman's body. She was just the way she was. As far as Robert knew, she worked full time in a perfumery and in her free time as an artist, but she remained rather unsuccessful. Her face immediately lit up when she saw him and gave him a friendly wave. She was wearing a pink dress, her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, gold earrings and red lipstick. She was really pretty.

"Robert, how nice to see you! I brought some cupcakes, would you like one? They're homemade." She held out a bowl of pink muffins with strawberries and sprinkles to him. Robert gratefully took one and sat down on the couch next to the two women.

"It‘s really good," Robert praised YN's baking skills after taking a bite.

"Thank you, Robert. I baked them at 3 o'clock in the night because I couldn't sleep... It was another full moon. And my moon calender says that I should concentrate more on housework now, especially cooking and baking“.

He tried to hide his surprised expression and took another bite. Rebecca didn't seem confused by the explanation, she knew her sister well enough. Finally, YN slowly bent down towards them. "And do you know what my horoscope said?" Robert and Rebecca shook their heads.

"That I'm going to have my breakthrough this month," she finally said excitedly.

"You mean with your art?" Rebecca wanted to know.

"Yes! I'm going to have a huge success. But I don't know what motif to choose." YN picked at her dress thoughtfully. "A portrait or a landscape... I'm not sure. I need a subject to practise on first. Just to get back into it. I haven't painted for months.

"You've painted me so many times," Rebecca said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "How about you painting Robert?"

YN's face lit up at the words. "That's a wonderful idea! Robert, you have such a beautiful face... Like an angel!"

Robert almost choked on his cupcake. "Please what?"

"Oh come on Robbie, she just wants to practise," Rebecca interjected.

Sighing, he looked into YN's bright eyes and shrugged. "Yes, why not..."

YN cheered immediately and hugged Robert happily. "But I can't sit still for like eight hours," Robert replied quickly.

"You don't have to do that," YN said. "You can come with me to my studio, I'll draw the outlines and a sketch, then I'll take a photo of you to paint the details later. If you like and have the time, we can start right away. It would mean so much to me, Robert, really!" He smiled and nodded again. He just couldn't look away from YN's eyes.

***

"Nice studio," Robert said, breaking the awkward silence. He looked around curiously. YN's studio was a bright room with large windows letting in the daylight. There were easels full of canvases and tubes of paint everywhere and the smell of fresh paint was in the air.

"Robert, I told you not to move," laughed YN, who sat behind a canvas. The two had left for YN's that afternoon. Now the sun was already setting outside and Robert felt as if he had been sitting on the floor in front of her for ages.

"I'll be done with the outlines in a minute."

"Good, because my butt is already hurting," Robert grumbled.

A short moment later, YN put the brush down, clapped her hands and grabbed a camera lying on a chair next to her. "Well, I'm done for today. Let's take the photo quickly."

Robert moved back into position and looked a little tiredly at the camera. A few seconds after YN had taken the picture, he collapsed. "My God, this is more exhausting than I thought."

YN laughed. "I believe you. I've been a model too."

"Can I have a look?" Robert asked curiously, sitting up with a groan.

"Sure, come here." YN turned the canvas a little.

"Oh, this is definitely... Art." If Robert was honest, he couldn't really make out much on the canvas. It looked more like a wild doodle of a man who, with a lot of imagination, could look like him. And for this he had been sitting in an uncomfortable position on the cold floor for almost two hours?

"I'll start working on the details tomorrow. I'll let you know when it's ready."

Robert forced a friendly smile, YN pulled him into a tight hug to say goodbye and he left the house, a little disappointed.

Days and weeks passed without Robert hearing a word from YN. He didn't know how far she'd got with the painting, or if she'd even thrown it away. But then, one Saturday evening, she finally called him to say that she had finished the painting and that he could come and see it tomorrow. Of course Robert couldn't resist the opportunity, as he was actually quite curious to see how the painting would look now, although he had little hope that it would be any better than the last time.

He finally arrived at YN's door at 10am the next morning. She immediately greeted him friendly and offered him a cup of tea, which Robert gratefully accepted.

"Nice of you to come," she said and excitedly pulled him by the sleeve into her studio. "Close your eyes."

Robert did as she asked, although he was a little confused by her instructions. YN carefully led him to the easel in the middle of the room.

"And open your eyes."

Robert looked curiously at the painting in front of him, but then his jaw dropped and he couldn't get a word out.

"I've thrown away the old painting and made a new one. Isn't it gorgeous?"

He couldn't believe his eyes. The painting was insanely beautiful. It must have taken an eternity to work out all the details. He'd never seen so much care in YN's work, who usually painted in a rather chaotic way. Every single strand of Robert's dark hair was painted perfectly and precisely, and you could almost count every single eyelash. But most striking of all were the eyes, which stood out almost ghostly from the rest of the rather dark picture.

"It's so beautiful," he marvelled, running his finger carefully over the dry canvas. "But why am I wearing a sheer white shirt? I wore a normal black shirt that day. And my eyes look almost inhuman."

"Artistic freedom," YN quickly replied. "I wanted you to look a bit ethereal in the painting."

Robert nodded slowly with a raised eyebrow, then smiled again. "It‘s still so beautiful."

"You can have it if you want," YN offered.

He shook his head immediately. "No, no, keep it. It must have been so time-consuming that I don't want to take it away from you. I'm sure it's better off in your studio than in my house. But... promise me you won't sell it, okay?"

She nodded quickly and looked Robert straight in the eye. "No, I won't. I've made another artwork that I'm going to submit to the art competition."

Robert looked at her, confused. "To what?"

"Oh, I haven't told you yet. The art museum is running a competition this month. If I win, my painting will be on display there, isn't that great? Mrs Buchanan from the museum is coming to see the painting tomorrow. She's a good friend of my aunt's."

"That's great. Then I'll be rooting for you to win!"

Eventhough Robert had recently doubted YN's talent, he'd wished her all the best, especially now that he'd seen the beautiful portrait.

"And here it is," she joyfully pulled a cloth from a easel beside her.

"Oh, um... what is it exactly?" Robert asked, a little embarrassed as he couldn't make out more than a few patches of dark green on a grey background.

"The painting is called 'The Fog Forest'. The theme of the competition is 'Between reality and fiction: a journey into imagination'," explained YN. "The green stands for the trees of the forest and the grey is the fog and shadows, where you can easily get lost and dream.

"Oh, um, very nice." Robert forced a smile. "I'm sure Mrs Buchanan will recognise it immediately, also the deeper meaning, unlike me. You know I don't know much about art."

"I know that, Robert. But it's so kind of you to support me," she said softly, taking his hand and squeezing it gently.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go now, I have another appointment. Busy schedule as a future CEO... you know," he replied quickly, then looked at her pretty face and felt his heart beating in his chest.

***

"Becc, when I tell you! I've never seen such a beautiful painting." It was just after half past seven the next evening and Robert was glad to be off work. He stood in his kitchen, his phone wedged between his shoulder and ear as he chopped vegetables into small cubes.

"Are you sure, Robert? I've known YN long enough and she's never painted anything else than a few dots and lines," Rebecca's voice came over the loudspeaker. Robert thoughtfully placed the pieces of vegetable in a pot.

"I've seen it with my own eyes. Maybe she was possessed by the ghost of Leonardo Davinci that night or something." At this moment Robert's doorbell rang. "I have to hang up, Becc, I'm sorry. I'll call you tomorrow again." Confused, Robert wiped his hands on a towel and hurried to the front door. Who the hell was that? As he opened the front door, he saw a familiar face but also an unfamiliar one. In front of him stood YN, as always in one of her summer dresses and her big earrings, and next to her a tall, slim older lady with a tight bun and a blazer, looking at him curiously.

"Hey YN... what are you doing here? And who are you?" Robert wanted to know, frowning in confusion.

"Oh, it's him! I recognise him," the unknown lady said excitedly as she looked at him more closely.

YN tapped nervously with one foot and took a deep breath. "Robert, this is Mrs Buchanan from the art museum, she wants to have you."

"Wait, what? She wants to have me?" Robert laughed confused.

"Not you. The painting of you." The lady quickly clarified. "It's really gorgeous. What a work of art. It perfectly reflects our theme for this month. Between reality and fiction... Almost like a modern version of the Dorian Gray's portrait," she enthused.

Robert's jaw dropped and he looked at YN, stunned. "But... but you submitted a completely different painting to the competition. The one with the forest."

"Oh, please, sir, you couldn't even see any trees, forest or anything in the picture," she replied sharply, and Robert didn't miss YN's sad face. "I saw this masterpiece in the corner of her studio and asked her if she wanted to submit this instead of that… Fog-Forest... thing."

"This is not possible, I‘m sorry," Robert replied firmly.

"Why not?" Mrs Buchanan asked.

"I am a serious businessman, madam, about to take over a company worth millions. What would my employees and clients think of me if they saw the painting of me as an…an…ethereal creature? I have to maintain a certain respectability." Robert bit his lower lip as soon as he said these words. He realised that this was YN's last chance and that she might have to give up her dream of becoming a painter.

"It's okay, Robert“, YN said quietly. "I understand." Forcing a smile, she turned around together with Mrs Buchanan.

For Robert, the world seemed to stand still at that moment. He didn't want YN's dream to be shattered like his own. He had always aspired to become a professional musician and study music, but his father had always stopped him because he wanted him to take over the company one day. Even though Robert didn't even think he was the right person for this huge job.

"Wait, YN." The echo of his voice sounded down the driveway, the two women, who were about to get back into the car, immediately turned around.

"Let‘s do this, YN."

****

"A glass of champagne, sir?" asked an elegantly dressed lady next to him, balancing a small tray in front of her.

"No, thank you, madam. I don't drink alcohol at the moment," Robert declined her offer in a friendly voice.

"And for our winner? On the house, of course," she asked YN, who was standing next to him. She gratefully accepted a glass. The exhibition was in full swing. Many different artists were exhibiting that day, but no artwork attracted as many glances as YN's. Rebecca joined them and patted her sister on the shoulder. "I looked at it again, it really is amazing. How did you do it?"

"I don't even know it myself. It's as if my hands painted it themselves," YN replied, taking a sip from her glass.

"That supports Robert's Davinci theory," Rebecca chuckled.

YN looked at her, confused. "What?"

"Nothing," Rebecca replied quickly, pointing to the glass in her sister's hand. "Hey, where did you get the champagne?" she wanted to know.

"From that lady over there," YN replied with a grin and immediately Rebecca was gone in the crowd.

"I'm so sorry," Robert said quietly. "For what?" she wanted to know in surprise.

"For underestimating you... You and your art... You‘re such a wonderful, strong and unique woman."

YN bit her lip and Robert felt that she was about to cry. "Thank you, Robert." They remained silent as they watched the visitors pass by the artworks.

"So my horoscope was right after all," YN told Robert. "I really had my breakthrough. Do you believe in them now?" she wanted to know.

"Maybe," Robert replied thoughtfully.

"Do you know what else he said besides success?", she asked him.

Robert shook his head and smiled curiously.

"That I will also find love this month," she said quietly, putting her glass down on a small table beside her. "Maybe it was the love I felt for you when I painted that picture that made it so beautiful. Maybe that was the reason for all the success.“

Robert looked into her eyes and gently stroked her soft hair. Finally, he slowly pulled her into his arms and their lips touched immediately.

- 𝑡𝘩𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔

[hughiecampbelle]

Nausea (Billy Butcher Oneshot)

Character/s: Butcher

Word Count: 1,349

A/N: This is a re-upload bc the first time I posted it I got self-conscious and deleted it lol. It's just not my best writing, but I feel like I have to get it out. Just me writing about my issues again! I still have no idea what's going on, but all the same diagnoses come back from the first time (uc/crohn's/celiac/gastroparesis) and it's so infuriating. My doctors don't know what's wrong and my family, who I love, just think it's nerves. I don't think my very graphic symptoms are nerves 😅 I have so many remedies by my bed, it looks crazy. I haven't slept well in a few days bc of the pain, but I'm also so afraid of not being believed again, it's a vicious loop. Okay I swear I'm done complaining! Thank you for putting up with me!!! 💜💜💜💜💜💜

He knows when it’s happening. There is no great show or performance. There is no crying or whimpering. No one else would even notice, but he knows the signs. Albeit too late, but he does. You’re quieter, withdrawn, hand over mouth, hoping this will stop the nausea. Deep, even breaths: breathing through it. When that is not enough, when that stops working, you slip quietly out of the room and into the bathroom. He tries not to notice how long you’re gone. Mere minutes. It feels so much longer. Someone snatches his attention from you and suddenly, you’re back. You reappear as if you were never gone. You offer a smile, a joke or two, a sense of normalcy, but beneath you’re stomach is churning, clenching, radiating pain through your middle. You only let him tell a few people, who you’re sure told everyone else. Still, none react besides him. He doesn’t say anything, to do so would draw attention. That’s the last thing you want. Instead, he moves towards you, casually, standing beside you. Close. You can feel his jacket on your arm. Worn and scratchy. Familiar. He looks at you and you offer him a small, insignificant nod. That’s as far as he’ll get to asking if you’re okay. That’s as far as you’ll let him when you’re working. 

Its been happening on and off for years. Off, for a long time. You thought it was over. Gone. Dead. It’s come back, though, an uninvited guest. This sudden pain, this distress, this mystery no one is curious enough to solve. When they looked, they found nothing. Said you were fine. You were embarrassed, hurt, questioning if it was all in your head. Eventually, you moved on. Things got better. You believed them. And now it’s back. A fullness, nausea, pain, weight loss. You can’t be in the apartment while he’s cooking. The smell repulses you. The taste, too. You can’t eat, afraid you’ll be sick. Again. He urges you, please, something more than your morning coffee, but you cannot handle it. Everything you try you end up spitting out: everything is gluey, everything is profoundly unappetizing. Hiding in the bathroom away from the scent or leaving altogether, it’s put a rift between you. Meals that were safe turned poisonous. Entire food groups cut off unwillingly. It’s been days. Your stomach growls, but that is a trick. You try to ignore it, hide it, knowing what he will insist. He watches you. You can feel it. You don’t say anything. It’s easier this way, not to fight, not to argue. This is a hill you will not die on. He does what he can, pouring your coffee, grateful you at least have that. So far, it doesn’t cause problems and it keeps you full. That’s all you can ask for. 

He wants you to get looked at, checked out. You refuse. You were so sick, so scared, and they told you nothing was wrong. You were constantly doubting if this was even real, then and now. If they didn’t find anything, if they didn’t have the answers, you’re not sure what you’ll do. You can’t be doubted again. You can’t be looked at and deemed dramatic. You knew the pain was real. Why did you have to prove it? Why did you have to show them when they refused to believe you? So, you keep it to yourself, far from friends and family. They congratulated the weight you lost. Said you looked good. Remind them you were petrified to eat. You were smaller and that’s what mattered. It’s worse at night. Lying beside him, you push from him, untangling his arms from around you. A trash bin by your head, waiting for it to pass. If things are bad, really bad, you’ll lock yourself in, on the floor, praying for it to go away. He wakes up to an empty bed night after night. The pain wakes you up. You have nausea patches, and losanges, and a heating pad he is constantly rewarming. If you lay very still, perhaps you can trick it. Play dead. Hours you’ll spend curled in a ball, wondering what it was that you ate that set it off, that made it so angry. Was it the time? The combination? You were down to drinks with minerals and vitamins, hydrating agents to keep you going. Baby food. Liquid diet. You missed food. You missed having an appetite. You missed cooking. But it wasn’t worth it afterwards. Immediately or hours, the nausea, the pain, the discomfort invites itself back into your life. 

Butcher isn't a natural worrier. There isn't a lot that scares him. But this? This leaves him petrified. There is something wrong and no one will listen. You try to shrug it off. It was so much worse all those years ago. It was excruciating. This, if anything, is a walk in the park in comparison. Uncomfortable sure, but that's all. It's not Vought or Homelander, that he can protect you from. That he can stop. Your body working against itself? That he can do nothing about. It isn't fair. It isn't right. And yet, there is nothing to be done. The tests they did were inconclusive. Why risk it again? Why waste your time? You assure him soon it will be gone, a few days, maybe a few weeks. Last time it was six months. You swallow that time like a prison sentence. Six months. You could do it again, if you had to. You could manage. Maybe by then they’d take you seriously. He wanted to yell and scream, at them. Order them around, insist they help, but would that even help? More tests, more waiting. By the time it would be your turn, it would have gone into remission. Loved ones would hypothesize, becoming doctors themselves. Their favorite diagnosis? Nerves. You weren’t anxious, or nervous, or worried. You were wasting away. You were spending your nights trying not to throw up and your days doing anything to prevent discomfort. Even certain clothes, too close, too constricting, were off the table. You couldn’t stand the way they looked at you, everyone but Butcher, wondering if it was physical or mental. He heard you, he saw you, he knew this was all too real. Why couldn’t others? 

You're more tired, exhausted as soon as the sun starts setting. You lose a lot of hours at night, in the early mornings, praying to anyone who will listen that you’ll wake up tomorrow and it will be gone. That you will be fine again. That it really was all in your head. Falling asleep in the car. He tries to avoid bumps in the roads, potholes, not wanting to wake you. Your attention straining: it's always there, in the back of your mind, at the back of your throat. It sits deep in the pit of your stomach and it mocks you. When you finally do complain, just a little, when it's too much, he knows it's really getting bad. He's helpless all over again. The people he's loved, the people he's lost, he can't risk it. Not again. Not with you. There’s little can do, though. There’s little anyone can do. This is not someone he can kill, this is not an organization he can take down. This is chronic, spontaneous, vengeful. It has no rhyme or reason. You let the mask slip every so often. You’re scared. Scared of what they’ll find, scared of what they won’t. He reassures you, whatever it is, you’ll figure it out together. You trust him, you love him, but you can’t do that to him. You can’t be a burden. You body is your own to take care of. So, you throw up in the bathroom, and wear your patches, and make your jokes. You tell him it’s a three, always a three, on a scale from one to ten. You can’t let him worry, he’s got enough on his plate. Yours will remain empty until, hopefully soon, it goes away just as it has appeared.

[vulpisnocturna]

Itachi x reader where she's Sasuke's best friend but Itachi and Yn likes each other and Sasuke also likes yn. It's kind of like a love triangle

Y/n is living the life once again. I might have taken it a step too far, but what can I say, it is what Y/n wanted so badly lmao

Warnings: no-massacre au, y/n is one lucky gal, fingering, jealousy, possessiveness, dom Itachi, Itachi cockblocks Sasuke AND takes his crush

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

You’d been friends with Sasuke for many years. You two had grown together, gone on missions together, shared meals and fights and loss together. He was your best friend, the person that knew you as well as you did, the person you knew would always be there to support you. 

And yet, things had gotten complicated about a year prior. Sasuke had started acting weirdly, being more distant. Whenever you went to his house, he’d lash out at his brother and then he would be really jealous. Sasuke didn’t know you had had a crush on Itachi for the longest time, but it made you uncomfortable anyway. He was twenty-six, six years older than you and Sasuke, and he was to die for. Where Sasuke was pretty, Itachi was breathtaking. And even though Sasuke could be cool sometimes, Itachi had an enigmatic air about him that made shivers run down your spine every time you saw him. And the little smirks he gave you sometimes, as if he knew what was going on in your mind… it was too much. 

That day, you and Sasuke had planned to see each other. You had trained for a few hours together, and because it was late and you were already at the Uchiha training grounds, he offered to let you stay the night at his. It wouldn’t be the first time it happened, and he had said his parents were on a mission anyway. You asked about Itachi, and Sasuke begrudgingly admitted he would be home, though his expression grew cold straightaway. You regretted even bringing Itachi up. But every time you’d slept at Sasuke’s house, Itachi seemed to appear out of nowhere, brushing past you in the corridor and trapping you against the counter as he leaned to get something from the cupboard. If you didn’t know he loved Sasuke so much, you’d think he was doing it on purpose, just to show that he could. And you were ashamed to admit how worked up you got every time he did it.

‘It’s okay, little one. Just getting some tea’ he would say, though his eyes would gleam with wicked shrewdness. 

You groaned softly, staring at Sasuke, who was glaring at thin air.

‘Come on, Sasuke. Let’s go’ you said, smiling slightly at him. He hesitantly smiled back, heading towards the street. 

‘I- I’ll make dinner’ he said, fidgeting with his haori. You smiled, elbowing him in the side playfully.

‘You know you can’t cook, Sasuke. Just let Itachi handle it, okay? We can relax in the meantime’ you said. Sasuke’s eyes narrowed slightly.

‘Relax?’ he repeated, scanning your face. You nodded.

‘You know, I’ll be able to take a shower, and we can talk and stuff’ you said, smiling. Sasuke nodded absentmindedly.

When you two got to his house, Itachi was already in the kitchen, cooking some food. It smelled amazing, and your mouth watered.

‘Are you with someone, Sasuke?’ he asked from the kitchen, and Sasuke groaned, kicking off his shoes. 

‘Just my friend’ the way his tone dropped around the “my” part unnerved you. Itachi, however, did not seem bothered. As you walked by the kitchen, he turned around, eyeing you lazily.

‘Welcome back. As Sasuke’s friend, please, stay for supper’ he said, and somehow, the way he said Sasuke’s was mocking, taunting. You swallowed, eyeing him. He was as beautiful as ever, wearing a plain navy blue t-shirt and comfortable black trousers. You averted your eyes, only to bump into Sasuke, who put an arm around your shoulders.

‘We are going to my room’ he said, his jaw tight. Itachi smiled slightly.

‘Of course. It’s going to be ready in about ten minutes. Please, feel free to have a shower if you want. Don’t take too long though’ he said, the epitome of politeness, and yet, there was something more to his tone. Some kind of wicked taunt. 

‘I’d like a shower. Thank you, Itachi’ you said, offering a small smile to Sasuke as you went off towards the bathroom. 

You barely managed to dry your hair after your shower when Itachi called you both to dinner. It was awkward, sitting down with the both of them. Itachi asked you about missions and made conversation in that easy way he always had about him, and Sasuke kept sulking, stabbing his food with his chopsticks.

‘Sasuke, are you ready for the mission tomorrow?’ Itachi asked, smiling at his brother. Sasuke lifted his eyes, nodding.

‘Yeah. It’s nothing much’ he only said, glancing at you. 

‘Sasuke has gotten a lot better, don’t you think, Itachi?’ you said, trying to lift the general mood. Sasuke looked at you, his lips slightly parted, and Itachi smiled.

‘You have, Sasuke. You are a very capable shinobi’ he said genuinely. Sasuke sucked in his lips, looking conflicted.

Itachi left you both to talk in Sasuke’s room as he washed the dishes, and Sasuke seemed cross.

‘What’s up?’

‘What’s up? What’s up is that you like him! You like my brother’ he said, his eyes hard. You swallowed, your heart thumping in your chest as you looked away. 

‘That’s- not true’ you stuttered, your cheeks warm.

‘Yeah, right’ he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. Your brow furrowed, your own gaze hardening.

‘And what is it to you anyway?’ you crossed your arms, standing up. Sasuke gritted his teeth.

‘Like I care- you could just be less obvious’ he spat. For a moment, his tone made you think he might be snapping out of being hurt, but his words got the better of you, making you angry.

‘Goodnight, Sasuke. Guess I’ll see you in the morning’ you spat back, walking out and closing the door behind you. Part of you wanted him to stop you, the other part just wanted to be left alone. Why wasn’t being best friends enough? Why was he so pissed off that maybe you had a little crush on Itachi? Everyone did. You weren’t the first, and you would not be the last one. 

You went to the guest room, closing the door and sitting cross-legged on the bed. For a while, you just sulked, brooding over Sasuke’s words and getting angrier and angrier. 

After an hour, though, you decided to go and get a cup of tea. Maybe it would calm you down. You couldn’t believe he would say that to you, with Itachi in the house nonetheless. Did he want to humiliate you? Was that it?

‘Careful, little one’ 

You startled, looking up just before you bumped into Itachi in the kitchen. The light was off, but the moonlight offered some light. You could make out most of his features, but you’d been so lost in your own thoughts you hadn’t noticed him. 

‘Trouble in paradise, mh?’ he asked, dipping his head to look you in the eye. You swallowed, looking up at him. Had he heard? Your stomach was in a knot.

‘What’s this I hear? You like me, little one?’ he murmured against your ear, hot breath fanning your cheek. Your heart was hammering in your throat, and you shifted on your feet.

‘He was just- being a dick’ you managed to let out, and Itachi clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, his eyes glinting in the moonlight.

‘It’s a pity Sasuke likes you so much. I almost feel guilty about doing this’ he said before he cupped your face, tangling his fingers in your hair as he kissed you. Your brain shut off completely, your knees weak as your stomach dropped. It didn’t take you long to melt in his arms, and you kissed him back, flinging your arms around his neck, touching his hair, which felt even softer than you could have imagined. 

He nipped at your bottom lip, drawing a whimper from you, only to lick it, soothing it with his tongue. You parted your lips for him, and his hands roamed your body, gripping the small of your back and pulling you against him.

‘Or maybe I don’t. You taste too sweet to give up on making you mine’ he said, one of his hands settling on your ass. You blushed, biting your lower lip, tasting mint toothpaste and something entirely his that made you want to go beyond just kissing.

‘You could sleep with me, little one’ he said, turning you around and starting to kiss your neck, making you stifle a moan when he sucked on the curve of your shoulder, just underneath your t-shirt.

‘I’ve wanted to do this for the longest time’ he said, lifting your t-shirt to splay his hands and slender fingers on your stomach. 

‘Itachi- I want you’ you said, drunk on his touch. It was much better than what you had imagined as you touched yourself. So maddening. 

‘Let me give you a little taste of what I’m going to do to you’ he said, drawing you  more in the shadows, your back against his torso as his hand cupped you between your legs. You moaned in a low voice, rolling your hips against him, gasping softly when you felt his erection against your ass.

He snaked a hand under your  trousers and underwear, his middle finger drawing circles  on your clit, making you whine for him.

‘You are so wet for me, little one. And so tight’ he said as he slipped two fingers inside you and scissored them, making you grip onto him.

His palm rubbed your clit, and his fingers curled inside you. You were finding it almost impossible to keep your moans low enough, but when you heard Sasuke’s bedroom door open, you startled, your eyes wide. Itachi did not let you go, though. He pulled you more into the shadows of the kitchen, covering your mouth with his hand and speeding up his ministrations.

‘Shh, little one. Wouldn’t want Sasuke to hear what you sound like when you cum. I want to keep that all to myself’ he breathed in your ear, his talented fingers pressing again and again against your g-spot, drawing you closer and closer to your orgasm. The bathroom door closed, judging by the distance of the sound, and Itachi pushed two fingers in your mouth. You sucked them desperately, rocking your hips against his fingers, the knot in your stomach increasing painfully to near torment. 

‘That’s my good girl. My little brother wouldn’t know how to get you this desperate’ he whispered against your neck, licking your throat. You clamped around his slender fingers, sucking his fingers more to muffle your moans. The bathroom door opened again, and Itachi chose that moment to make you cum. You saw white, your legs wobbling, but his strong arms held you still through it before he removed his fingers from you. You stared at him with hazy eyes as he brought his fingers to his mouth, sucking them clean.

Sasuke’s door closed, and he smirked, picking you up effortlessly. You hooked your legs around his slim hips, clinging to his shoulders.

‘Come on, darling. I’m far from finished with you’

[sxddekarios]

taste

aka, gale's practiced tongue. my first smut, which ended up being way longer than i expected. all for my wizard though. this is in the epilogue, pts 1 and 2 are posted but not necessary if you wanna skip to the smut :)

6.5k words

a03 link with tags

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Tav tried to focus on the friends around her while she fought against worries about Wyll and Karlach, who were in Avernus for gods know how long. After Astarion ran away from the group once his immunity to the sun disappeared, they managed to track him down and get him to join them at a cabin off the coast. The night cover there was enough to keep the vampire safe, and enough to bring the comfort that Tav and Gale longed for. Meanwhile, Shadowheart and Lae’zel had some closer indoor proximity to strengthen their budding bond. Halsin and Jaheria were also settled with the group for the week before returning to Last Light.

Gale lived up to his promise of being the perfect gentleman throughout their adventure, so Tav was hopeful it would stay like this now that they’re in the clear. Tonight, he had already cooked the group dinner and let Tav take her shower first. Now Tav could hear the water turn off, and she tried to make herself look more focused on the book in her lap than she was.

She loved reading just as much as Gale, but being in a comfy bed for the first time in months, and knowing that her gorgeous partner was about to come out a wet, glistening beauty from the shower, her trouble was understandable. She loved the way Gale’s wet hair framed his face, with soft strands coming undone from his half up-do.

Their bathroom door creaked open as Gale entered their bedroom. His eyes immediately went to Tav reading in bed, the sight warming his heart.

Her eyes immediately went to his bare chest that was on full display with some droplets of water slowly making their way down to the light dusting of hair between his hip bones. He had a towel hung low on his waist. From the orb on his chest to the smooth happy trail Tav saw, she feared she was drooling.

“Sorry,” Gale started, “I forgot to bring pants in there. I’ll just …” He trailed off as he noticed that Tav’s gaze hadn’t left his body. Smirking, he walked over to the bed and leaned down to kiss her forehead. That finally worked at getting her gaze to his eyes.

Gale smiled down at the beautiful woman before him. “How’s your book?” He asked.

Tav stared a moment longer before she remembered how to form words. “It’s … it’s good!”

“Good,” Gale replied with a small laugh. He ruffled her hair before walking over to the wardrobe to grab some trousers. Once he found a suitable pair — soft cerulean blue flannel that Tav said would look adorable on him — he headed back to the bathroom to get dressed.

Tav mourned the loss of a barely-covered Gale. At least now she’d be a bit less embarrassing in her conspicuous ogling of him. She so rarely saw him without a top on, but with a towel so low? And still wet from the shower? Gods, she needed to get it together before he came back in.

Once Gale returned in trousers and a dark grey sweatshirt, he walked back over to Tav and examined her book. “Looks like you’re on the same page as before, dear.”

She glared up at him for stating the obvious. “Well, dear, someone distracted me,” she said pointedly.

“Oh, really? Who would dare to do such a thing?” Gale kept up with his mock astonishment, “I think we shall have to punish them for that indiscretion.”

“And how would you like to be punished?” Tav asked him without skipping a beat. She applauded herself for her composure.

Gale slowly smiled, a rosy tint spreading across his cheeks. “I didn’t realize I was the one who distracted you. I’m sorry, sweetheart. Did I make too much noise coming in?”

Tav rolled her eyes at his teasing. “No, you were just wearing far less clothing than I expected. Technically, you weren’t wearing any clothing.”

“Again, my apologies. I certainly didn’t forget my trousers on purpose,” Gale replied. She couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not, but she didn’t care. He was adorable, and he was here. They had safety, comfort, and privacy. Finally.

Tav scooted over on the bed so Gale could sit next to her. Once he settled in, she moved to his lap and embraced him. She snuggled into his warm chest, basking in the soft scent of patchouli and amber. “I missed you,” she whispered.

Gale held her tightly as he stroked his thumb in a small circle on her back. “While I was in the shower?” He asked playfully.

She made an “mhm” sound into his shoulder, which went straight to his cock. He tried to redirect her attention by combing his fingers through her hair before she felt anything under her. She miraculously never seemed to notice it when they slept together at camp, or maybe she just never said anything. Still, he thought to himself, she must’ve blushed orsomething*.*

“I missed you too, sweetheart,” Gale says as he leans back onto the headboard, supporting Tav against his chest. “You know, we can always bathe together and avoid this whole issue of being without each other.” He made the suggestion lightly — it was something he’d enjoy, but he knew that Tav wasn’t comfortable being naked around anyone. She may never be comfortable, but he hoped his words and actions could help alleviate her insecurities.

Tav laughed softly at the idea. “You wish.” She smiled into his chest and snuggled in closer. One of her hands wrapped around his neck found its way into his still-damp hair, causing Gale to let out a soft moan.

Fuck, Tav thought. So much for regaining my cool. She instinctively squirmed a bit in his lap, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

After a few moments of playing with his hair in silence, Tav pulled away to look at Gale. She moved her left hand to his waist over his sweater, and her right hand went to cup his face. “Gale…” she sighed, her longing evident.

Gale took in her deep gaze, full of emotion, and felt his heart surge. “Yes, my love?”

Tav stroked her thumb across his cheek. “I love you.”

Gale turned his head slightly to press a kiss to her thumb. “I love you too.”

Their lips met softly, the couple getting comfortable in each other’s embrace. Tav moved her lips against his, indicating that she wanted more. He had learned shortly after they reached Baldur’s Gate that she loathed kissing with tongue, but he found a way to lightly bite and suck at her bottom lip that turned her into a whimpering mess.

Gale nipped at her lip, causing her to shift her hips against him. At this rate, she was definitely going to feel his arousal. He ran his fingers through her hair, while using his other hand to rake his nails up and down her back.

Tav kept whimpering and wriggling her hips as they made out, reveling in the moans she could get out of Gale. One hand remained tangled in his hair, while she brought the other down to slip up under his sweater.

She marveled at the feeling of his taut stomach beneath her fingers. She slowly guided her hand down, running across the happy trail she’d yearned after for so long. She always found this fascination odd, as all other body hair freaked her out. But Gale wasn’t complaining.

Gale tried to keep his bottom half still as Tav touched him. He wanted her to explore of her own volition. Still, he kissed her with passion, letting her know that he was very much enjoying this.

Tav continued to run her hand across his muscles, driving them both wild. She let out a short gasp of surprise when her grinding caused her to discover Gale’s erection. Or at least, what she thought was his erection. Maybe it’s just his leg, she told herself. She’d never been good at discerning these things.

Sensing her pause, Gale pulled away from her soft lips. He figured she had finally felt him, and he didn’t want her to be uncomfortable. “Tav,” he breathed. “You can feel how hard I am, can’t you?”

Tav bit her lip and nodded in response.

“Okay. I’m sorry, sweetheart, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. I need you to know that this doesn’t mean we have to do anything, okay? It just means I’m feeling good. You make me feel good,” Gale reassured her.

“I’m not uncomfortable, I was just a little confused,” she laughed. “I couldn’t totally tell. It’ll probably take me a while to be able to be certain when it’s that or … just your leg, or something. Every part of you is warm and hard, you know?”

Gale let out a deep laugh at her reasoning. “Alright. As long as you’re still feeling good, I’m good. If it bothers you or anything, we can always put a pillow there,” he offered earnestly. Astarion would scoff at his decency, but Gale was serious about making sure his love was completely comfortable.

“Hmm…” Tav pretended to think. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather feel you.” She shifted her hips forward to drive the message home. Gale sharply sucked in his breath, looking at her like she was going to be the death of him.

She’d never felt more powerful in her life. She could kill a hag, massacre a trio of evil gods, and defeat the Absolute, and yet it was the sounds Gale made that made her feel like a queen.

“Tav,” he moaned her name. She grinned in response.

Gale smiled and shook his head as he noticed her pure delight in unravelling him. He brought a hand to her waist, slipping it under the back of her sweater. “Is this okay?” He checked in with her softly.

“Yes,” she responded, sounding like she was biting back a moan. He ran his hand up her bare back, feeling goosebumps quickly form at the contact. Gale used this hand to gently guide her back to his chest so they could resume their kissing.

Eventually, when Tav pulled back for air, she noticed that it was dark outside. “Gods, how long have we been at this?”

Gale chuckled when he noticed too, realizing that it had to be an hour at the least. They were having too much fun exploring each others bodies. While keeping their clothes on, of course. He was pleasantly surprised by the amount of intimacy the act held.

”Apparently long enough that the stars grew tired of it,” he replied. “Although I couldn’t ever grow tired of this.”

Tav smiled back at him and said, “Me neither.” She stared at him with dark eyes full of adoration before letting out a dramatic sigh.

“What’s the matter?” Gale asked her.

She thought for a moment before responding. “Nothing, I just … I’m …” She leaned her head into his chest, pressing against him. He wrapped his arms around her.

Now covered by the safety of Gale’s embrace (and having her face hidden away), Tav continued. “I want more.”

Gale breathed deeply as he felt his heart rate begin to rise. “What do you want?” He asked softly, eager to give her whatever it was.

“I … I don’t know.” Tav did actually know, but she wasn’t just going to say it. She’d always had trouble verbalizing her feelings. It just felt wrong, like she was expecting too much, being a burden.

“Hm, would you like me to give you some ideas then?” Gale asked her. He knew if she said yes, he could finally get that delicious response out of her that he’d been craving since the last time they touched on this topic.

He grinned when he felt Tav nod against his chest. “Well, I could give you a massage. Or I could show you my practiced tongue,” his smirk was obvious in his tone. He knew that would easily send her over the edge.

Gale’s feeling was confirmed when Tav froze in his arms, followed by a soft, frustrated whimper. He went on, “There’s something else I wanted to show you, actually. Can you look at me?”

Tav pulled herself back to look into his adoring eyes. She was extremely flushed after his suggestion, and she had no idea what he was going to do now.

He motioned for her to hold her palm out to him. When she obliged, he traced his index finger over her palm. Tav couldn’t suppress a little moan of delight — he knew how sensitive her palms were. Gale smirked in response, telling her to keep his eyes on him.

Suddenly, Tav felt a buzzing sensation against her palm. “Holy shit,” she said as she realized what Gale was doing. “Fuck.”

She couldn’t form any more words — she was in shock that Gale created a reverberation spell, didn’t tell her about it until she said she wanted to do more, and now her pleasure was actually within reach.

“Does that feel good, sweetheart?”

She moaned in response. “Yes.”

Gale spoke softly, “Good.” He continued running his finger over her palm, watching her eyes fill with desire he’d never seen before. He felt pride and protectiveness wash over him, knowing this was the first time she’d ever felt like this. And here he was, getting to witness it. Getting to cause it.

“Do you still want more?”

Tav moaned another affirmative response.

This was Gale’s chance. “Can I go down on you?”

The earnest desire in his voice melted Tav’s heart. “Yes,” she said for the first time in her life, “please.”

Gale couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have this effect on her. How lucky he was to fill this desire for her. He smiled warmly at her.

”Okay,” he started to pace himself. “I know you have trouble verbalizing feelings, so there’s a few ways we can do this. I’ll ask before I do anything new. You can tell me to stop, you can use the Weave to draw our minds together so I know what you’re thinking, or you can give me a little tap. Any of those, and I’ll stop what I’m doing. I’ll also stop if you hesitate while answering a question. I’ll keep checking in you, unless you shove me back down so I can’t.” Gods, how he wanted that. “Does that sound good to you?”

Tav couldn’t believe how thoughtful and sweet he was. How he wanted to actually do this for her. “That sounds perfect, Gale.”

He smiled before leaning in to press a kiss to her lips, her nose, both of her cheeks, her forehead, and her neck. “Lie back,” he instructed her softly.

She followed his command, relaxing into the throne of pillows Gale arranged for her. She kept her knees up until Gale began to crawl on top of her.

He asked, “How’s this?”

“Good,” she replied. “You can come down.”

He slowly lowered himself until his body was pressing against hers. “Still good?”

She nodded, then raised her head up to kiss him. He met her lips in earnest, teasing her with his tongue. When he got to the nibbling that went straight to her clit, she hooked a leg around him. Gale moaned into her mouth as she pulled him into her, shamelessly rubbing her hips against him.

He had never seen her so comfortable with her pleasure, and it filled his heart with a surge of warmth. And his cock, if he was being honest. He began slowly grinding his hips against Tav, eliciting the most enticing whimper she’d let out yet.

“Fuck,” Gale said, “You feel so good. You sound so good.”

Tav giggled underneath him. “You,” she said between kisses, “too.”

Gale reached a hand down to caress the leg that wasn’t wrapped around him. “Can I take these off?” He motioned to her pants. “You can keep your sweater on, of course, if you like.”

Always centering her comfort. Tav nodded at him, and he sat back on his heels to help. She lifted her hips up and started to pull her pants down from her waist so he could take over at her thighs.

He reached for the fabric, then slowly pulled it off her as she shimmied out. He admired her bare legs as much as he could in the near-darkness, before he remembered to light a damn candle.

With a flick of his wrist and a muttered incantation, Gale lit the candles on either nightstand to give them some warm ambiance. Tav grinned at his adorable response. He really was her prince charming.

“Now, back to business.” Gale said seriously. He caressed her leg, marveling at how soft her skin was. He used one arm to brace himself as he leaned back over her. His other hand traveled up to her knee, and he looked at her for guidance.

“Higher, please,” Tav whispered. He obliged, running his fingertips up her bare thigh. She tilted her head back into the pillow, watching him savor it.

Gale moved his hand to her inner thigh, gently raking his nails against her smooth skin. “Fuck,” Tav let out. “’S good.”

Gale chuckled at her eloquence. “Good, my love. That’s all I want you to feel.”

He carried on playing with her thighs, alternating between hands, until she sighed again. He looked down at her with raised eyebrows, “Yes, my dear?”

She pouted in response, sticking out the bottom lip that he loved to tease. “More. Please?”

He smiled at her again. “Of course. What would you like?”

There goes that adorable pout again, he thought.

Tav spent a few moments cursing the gall Gale had to make her use her words. “I thought you wanted to show me your practiced tongue,” she finally settled on, praying she wouldn’t actually have to ask for it.

“Hm, I did say that. However, I’d like to hear you say it. I know it’s hard, and you can be as indirect as you’d like. I just want to know that’s what you want,” Gale responded. He hated to make her ask for it, but since it was the first time, he needed all the confirmation he could get.

Tav stared up at him for a few moments, preparing herself. Finally, she whispered, “I want you to use your mouth on me.”

Gale felt his cock twitch at her words, pre-cum leaking from the tip. He groaned, “As you wish, my lady,” before moving down to her legs once again. He settled at the end of the bed so he could work his way back up her beautiful legs.

He pressed soft kisses to her calves, flicked his tongue out on the side of her knee, and spent minutes kissing her thighs while she squirmed. He took a break to meet her eyes and ask, “Is this alright?”

“Mhm-hm,” she nodded. “You can - you can be a little rougher here. As in, you can bite my thighs a bit. I think I’d like that.”

The vulnerability Tav had just shared made Gale feel all sorts of warmth towards her. He smiled, nodded, and told her to tap his shoulder or his head if it was ever too much, or not enjoyable.

He started by gently sucking at her inner thigh. Then he used his teeth to nip at her skin like he did with her lips, and he felt her hips buck in response. Cock throbbing, he raised his eyes to meet hers as he continued sucking and biting on different spots, higher and higher, until he got closer to her warm center.

Moving his hand to the hem of her sweater, he asked, “May I?” Tav raised her eyebrow, making him realize that she thought he was referring to removing her top. “I mean, may I, touch your … center?” He cursed himself for not being able to find a better word that didn’t sound vulgar. “I won’t push your sweater up, just lift it enough so I can reach my destination. If you’d like, that is.”

Tav smiled softly at the man between her thighs. “I like. I mean, you may,” she giggled.

Gale chuckled and pressed a kiss to her inner thigh before carefully lifting up her hem and leaving it right where her underwear ….

Would be, if she were wearing any. He sweared at this unexpected full access to her.

Tav interrupted his thoughts with another innocent giggle. “Sorry, I forgot I wasn’t wearing underwear.”

Gale did not think she sounded sorry, but he was elated with this turn of events. He was lost in her scent, wanting so badly to taste her.

Gale returned his gaze up to Tav. “You’re beautiful. You’re perfect, my love.” He’s never meant anything more in his life.

Tav’s heart raced at the praise, and she smiled in return. “Thank you,” she said softly. She had never been called beautiful before.

He pressed another kiss to her thigh before focusing his attention where they both wanted it. His hands were on either side of him, thumbs drawing small circles in the crease between her inner thighs and her core. He took his time reaching her center, savoring the heady scent that had him harder than he’d ever been.

Gale kissed around her entrance before dipping his tongue into the mix. He noticed Tav’s silence and looked up at her.

“It’s okay,” she told him. “It just doesn’t feel like much yet.”

“You’re okay with me continuing this until we find something that feels like much?” Gale asked her, ready to stop at any moment if she didn’t want to continue.

Tav nodded. “Yes, please.”

He nodded, then returned to his mission. He alternated between kissing and licking in small spots around he vulva. Tav finally laced her hands in his hair and sighed in frustration.

Gale raised an eyebrow at her, enjoying teasing her.

“Please,” Tav begged. Please, please, please get to my clit, she thought.

“Please what?” He feigned innocence.

“You know what, mister practiced tongue.” Gods, he exasperated her.

Gale let out a laugh before obliging their desires. He pressed a soft kiss to her clit, causing her to shift her hips and tug lightly at his hair. He considered teasing her about this some more, but he knew she’d be rather unhappy if he took his mouth off of her at this moment. He would be, too. This first taste of her was more than he had dreamed of.

His kisses grew more open mouthed until he licked at her clit, tracing soft circles around her nub. Tav whimpered his name when he gently sucked on her clit and stroked his tongue over it at the same time.

She hooked a leg around his shoulder, resting her foot on his back. “Fuck,” she moaned. Then she opened her eyes again and looked at the devastatingly beautiful sight in front of her. Gale, with his hair a mess from her hands, eyes shining with love and lust, and mouth worshiping her clit.

And here she was, putting the weight of her whole leg on his back. “Is this okay? Am I hurting you?”

Gale didn’t want to pause his delectable feast, but he had to in order to answer her question. “This is perfect. You’re not hurting me, you’re wonderful. Is anything hurting for you?” He asked, remembering her pain. He knew she still had chronic pain without penetration, and it could be worsened by tightening pelvic muscles when she’s aroused. He’d have to keep an eye on that. Or a finger.

“No, it’s good. So good,” Tav replied.

Green light given, Gale returned to his ministrations. He traded tracing circles for a vertical motion, causing Tav to moan and tighten her leg around him. So that’s what she liked, he thought.

He licked and sucked at her clit until she was writhing beneath him, grinding against his face with every flick of his tongue. He was in heaven.

Gale slowly moved a finger closer to his jaw while continuing to lavish her. Again, he didn’t want to pause, but he needed to ask her something. Reluctantly, he pulled his mouth off of her.

Tav pouted at the loss of contact. Gale asked her, “Do you mind if I try something with my finger? Not going in anywhere, just going around your sensitive spots as I use my tongue on your clit.”

Anything to get you back there, she thought. She didn’t really know what sensitive spots he was referring to, but she didn’t care enough to further extend the loss of contact between her clit and his mouth. “Go ahead. I’ll give your hair a little tug if I want you to stop.”

Gale pressed a kiss to her clitoris, causing Tav to throw her head back. “Thank you, my love.”

He focused more on sucking at her nub, loving the sweet taste that filled his mouth. Plums, he thought. Of course she tastes like fucking plums.

He wanted her dripping down his chin. He brought his thumb to her labia as he swiped his tongue side to side on her clit, then his thumb went lower still.

My ass, Tav realized. The sensitive spot he meant was my ass. She thought it was odd, but it felt nice, so she didn’t stop him. As long as it stayed outside, it was surprisingly pleasant.

Gale traced soft lines with his thumb, bringing his other hand up to his hair. He untangled one of Tav’s hands so he could hold it, and she squeezed it so hard that he worried he hurt her.

“Are you in pain?” He paused to check in on her, eyes full of concern.

“No, no, it’s good. I just … Can you … can you do the thing?” Tav’s voice was full of uncertainty and embarrassment.

Gale was here to take care of her, though. He always would be. “It would be my pleasure,” he told her. He moved the hand that had been exploring her body up to the top of her pelvis so he could gently pull the hood of her clit back as he licked under it.

Tav squirmed against Gale, and then he did it. He did the thing.

Tav gasped as his tongue began vibrating against her clit. She had never, ever felt anything like this before. “Gale,” she moaned breathlessly, “that feels amazing.”

His cock twitched at her praise. He reveled in knowing that he made her feel this good. His tongue began moving in small circles again, before going up and down her clit. Tav squeezed his hand, nails digging into his scalp, as he pleasured her.

She imagined him speaking to her, telling her she’s a good girl, telling her to relax and let his tongue please her. Telling her how good she tasted. Maybe, she thought, next time he could conjure a mirror image to do that. The thought brought her more pleasure as she shivered.

Tav felt a tap on her thigh, bringing her out of her fantasy. Gale was looking up at her, want evident in his eyes. She thought she saw him shifting into the mattress, almost as if going down on her was so pleasurable for him that he needed to grind into something to release some pressure. Fuck, that was another fantasy of hers that may come to fruition.

He began tracing letters on her thigh as they gazed at each other. She noticed they were upside down so they’d face her. She felt him spell out M-O-R-E?

Tav nodded, trusting him to not be talking about penetration. She felt something in her chest shift at this realization that she could trust him with this.

Gale’s tongue suddenly got stronger, causing Tav to writhe in pleasure. He licked lines across her clit and sucked at it. Tav seemed a bit less of a mess when he did that, so he brought his tongue back to the bottom of her clit and tapped against it as he sucked. That got her going.

She was whimpering and grinding against him, lost in the pleasure she so whole-heartedly deserved. Gale silently thanked himself for remembering to cast a silencing spell on their room once they got to the cabin. Just in case.

Tav was back in her fantasy imagining Gale’s deep voice praising her as he fucked her with his tongue. It really was a shame that he couldn’t do both without another spell, but there was no way she was going to stop him now to ask for it. She’d lived 23 years without having an orgasm, and she was not going to delay it when it was finally within reach.

Suddenly Gale’s voice sounded a lot more real in her head. That’s it, he said. You’re doing so good. Tav’s eyes widened as she looked at Gale, realizing he was onto her fantasy and connecting their thoughts through the Weave. Just when she thought he couldn’t be more perfect.

Fuck, she thought, please don’t stop.

Gale’s rutting against the mattress was getting more and more frenzied as he licked at Tav’s clit, feeling the wetness against his beard as he praised her telepathically. He knew how much she loved his voice, and he knew how much she loved his praise. So of course when she went off in her own little world, he got the idea that this might elevate her pleasure, as well as giving her more comfort in such a vulnerable state.

At this rate, he was going to cum in his pants.

That’s really fucking hot, Tav thought.

Gale mentally cursed at himself when he realized he projected that thought into Tav’s head. Well, at least she was into it.He decided to lean into it and tell her more about how amazing this was for him, embarrassed as it made him feel.

I have never tasted anything so delectable in my life. I could eat you out for hours. You feel amazing with your legs wrapped around me, holding my hand, tugging at my hair. You’re doing so good for me, and you’re making my cock so hard. You have no idea how hard I’m trying not to cum in my pants at the taste of you, and the gorgeous little sounds you’re making. I love you, Tavlin.

She was getting so close to a plateau she had never reached before, but somehow she knew this must be it. Next time, we’re so using a mage hand to stroke your cock while you do this. I want to see you cum.

With that thought, Gale’s tongue lapping at her clit as she ground against it, and feeling the pleasure that Gale felt from tasting her and hearing her words, Tav felt her muscles seize as she rolled her head back and moaned in pleasure. Her back arched off the bed, her legs shook, all the while Gale kept his tongue buzzing on her with hard licks.

Gale felt his cock spurting warm cum in the confines of his trousers as he witnessed Tav’s first orgasm. Liquid splashed into his mouth, running down his face in generous, heady rivulets.

Did I just make her squirt? he thought.

As Tav came down from her orgasm, Gale slowed the movements of his tongue and stopped the vibration. He could feel her muscles contracting, and he pressed two fingers against her wet entrance to keep those muscles from tightening so much that they hurt her. Tav still had her eyes closed in bliss.

Gale took the moment to selfishly lap at her entrance, tasting her cum. And her squirt, because there was no other explanation for what soaked his beard and part of the mattress under her. He felt more cum leak from his cock at the thought. He didn’t even realize he was still hard, but it wasn’t surprising considering what just happened. The taste of plums from before was amplified, along with something else. Something lighter but more sensual, like a faint trace of cherry.

Tav’s grip finally loosened in Gale’s hair and on his hand, so he looked up to meet her eyes. She looked so beautiful, an ethereal wreck after cumming so hard on his face.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she began to notice how wet Gale’s face was.

“Sweetheart,” he started, sensing that she was going to be embarrassed. “You were amazing. You taste amazing. And I want you to know that I thoroughly enjoyed that, all of that, and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about, okay? It’s extremely arousing, especially as someone who gets off on pleasuring you. That was just another show of how good you felt, and fuck, it even made me cum again.”

Surprise took over Tav’s face. “You came? Twice?”

Gale blushed. “Yes. I … I’m still fighting embarrassment over that, but I know you like it,” he admitted.

Tav smiled for the first time after her orgasm, showing that she felt some comfort in their shared situation. “I do. A lot. And you’re not … grossed out? Or mad? At me? I mean, this is a mess.”

“It’s a mess I will happily clean up. With my tongue, in regards to you, and nothing a quick spell and sheet change won’t fix, in regards to the bed,” Gale assured her. He raised up onto his arms and started making his way back over Tav, wincing at the sticky feeling in his trousers. She giggled at that.

He rolled his eyes at her and scoffed at her delight. “You’re lucky you’re adorable.” He went in for a kiss, but Tav turned her head sharply and scrunched up her face.

“What’s wrong?” Tav felt guilty hearing the concern in Gale’s voice.

She told him, “Nothing, you just smell like me. I’m not a fan.” She kept her head to the side, trying hard not to breathe in her own scent. She had no idea how Gale could be into that, or if he just said it to be nice.

“Okay, clearly you actually don’t have a refined palate. I can assure you that nothing is sweeter to me.” Gale said, surprised that she was so disgusted by it. He leaned back onto his heels and did a cleansing spell on his face — namely his mouth and beard — so he could kiss his partner in peace. He was sad that he couldn’t savor her taste, but maybe he could look forward to tasting her again. And again, for the rest of their lives.

“Is this better?” Gale asked as he moved back over Tav slowly. She finally turned her head back to look at him, noticing that he looked considerably more dry.

“Mhm,” she hummed, waiting for him to come down and kiss her. Their lips met, and she was relieved that it was back to tasting like peppermint. She melted into his kiss, pressing her body up against his.

Tav pulled away to ask, “Did you do that charm on your pants too?”

“No,” Gale laughed, “That’s a good idea though.” He paused to perform the incantation again, glad that he felt dry and comfortable down there. He’d change his trousers later, but he wasn’t leaving Tav’s side right now. “How are you feeling?”

“Good, really good. Relaxed. Thank you,” she held his gaze as she said it.

“Of course, my love. I wanted that just as much as, if not more than, you.”

Tav grinned. “And you’re okay with … ending it there?” She was much less sure about this.

“I promise, sweetheart, I’m more than okay with that,” Gale pressed another kiss to her lips, then her flushed cheeks, then her nose, then her temple. “I love you just the way that you are, and I love being with you like this. You’re an amazing partner. You make me happier than I’ve ever been, and I want to be with you for the rest of our lives.”

This is it. “In fact,” Gale continued, “I’ve been thinking about returning to Waterdeep. I’d like you to return with me as a member of the Dekarios clan. If you want that too.” He had been waiting to be in the clear with the orb to ask this, and now that it was safe … he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Gale!” Tav exclaimed, eyes wide with shock. “Are you asking me to marry you?” Tears brimmed in her eyes at the implication.

Gale smiled at her. “Yes, I am. I would do it on one knee, but I don’t think it’d be fair to make you stand right now. You might be a bit shaky on your legs.” He smirked as arousal coursed through him at the memory that his mouth brought her that pleasure.

She raised an eyebrow at him, going for teasing despite the tears beginning to escape her eyes. “Do you have a ring?”

“Not yet,” Gale admitted. “There’s a jeweler I want to go to in Waterdeep. And I wanted to leave it open for you to pick out, if you’d like.”

“Okay,” Tav grinned at him. “Yes. I’ll marry you. On one condition — you’re going to do another official proposal with a ring somewhere nice. Not in a bed.”

Gale felt elated. “Deal,” he agreed. He kissed her slowly, passionately, tasting the salt of her tears of joy. He pulled away to pepper little kisses all over her face, causing her to giggle and press a hand to his chest so she could reach up and kiss his nose.

“I love you.”

The pair fell into joyous laughter at that — they both said it at the same time.

Once their laughing finally subsided, Tav made sure to tell him her plans before she forgot. “Next time, I want to see your cock. Just by the way, in case I get to embarrassed to say it later.” Her face was flaming at the admission now, but it was easier to say after what they just shared.

Gale felt his cock stirring again as his face heated, instantly aroused at her words. He swallowed and looked at her, making sure she wasn’t just teasing him. He’d be fine if she was, but he didn’t want to overstep if it was a joke. “Okay,” he said, trying to sound in control and mature, “we can do that.”

“Good,” Tav smiled at him. Then she wrinkled her nose. “Do you smell burning?”

He sniffed at the air. He smelt nothing besides the earlier evidence of her arousal and pleasure, but he knew her nose was supernatural.

“Guys!” They heard Astarion’s voice from the hall. “Can you come out here?”

“I think we broke the stove,” Shadowheart added helpfully.

Gale and Tav sighed in unison. It seems the end of their adventure was not the end of this group’s chaos. Tav swore she could hear humor in Astarion’s voice, like he knew what they were doing, and he wanted to tease them about it.

“Coming,” Gale called grumpily. For the third time this evening.