#also the replies are absolutely worth checking out

[eightyonekilograms]

I turned off reblogs on this post because it was about to breach containment in a way that looked unpleasant, but I did want to provide one bit of followup for those of you fortunate enough to not be following Twitter drama. You'll want to follow this bit though, because it's really funny.

The second bit is, as Matt says, that because a lot of leading figures in tech have gotten so annoyed at their treatment in the press recently, they've conjured up this theory about how journalists attach tons of status and self-worth to their blue check marks. And Matt is saying, no, this really isn't true at all: the fact that journalists all get blue checks by default is more of an implementation quirk of Twitter and nobody really cares. I have no reason to doubt him on this. So what's sort of funny is that apparently Elon got caught up in the same hatejerk as the rest of tech, and thought that "bluechecks" really did put tons of value on their verified status and could be extorted out of money for it. Which is probably a mistake, and one that's going to cost him literally billions.

At the time I thought this might have been a little uncharitable, but it turns out it was completely correct and, if anything, did not go far enough.

Today was the day that "legacy" blue check marks got turned off, and so now only the people paying Twitter $8/month get to have one. And this is absolutely hilarious, because now suddenly the blue check mark is a strong signal that you support Elon Musk and his Twitter machinations. So it went from being something which was free and had maybe slightly positive "eh, sure, I'll take it" valence, to something which (for most former bluechecks anyway) has strongly negative associations and costs money to boot. So they are, overwhelmingly, declining to pay. In fact, Twitter can't even give them away: LeBron James said he wouldn't pay for a check, Elon offered to give him one for free, and James refused, because the association is now so toxic. ell, em, ay, oh.

And this is absolutely infuriating the Elon fan crowd, because they never understood the indented paragraph above, and really did think that people valued the status of their blue check mark, instead of it being a "eh, whatever" thing that was barely worth it when it was free and certainly isn't worth $100/year. So you're getting deranged takes like this:

You can find thousands of these I'm-not-owned corncob posts, along with even more posts in the replies of people going "no thanks", cajoling and begging them to buy a blue check.

Sociologically, it is frickin' fascinating that this symbol just overnight had a complete valence inversion (and also that, despite this flip, the word "bluecheck" still refers to somebody just as insufferable as it did before).

[navybrat817]

Rules and Chaos

Pairing: Tattoo Artist!Bucky Barnes x Baker!Female Reader Summary: Your friends are a bad influence when you and Bucky set up booths for a Fall Festival. Word Count: Over 2.3k Warnings: Implied sex, slight humor, slight fluff, tension, teasing, inner monologue, Bucky Barnes (he's a warning, okay?). Previous Part of AU: Ladies and Gentlemen A/N: Fic #4 for Navy's Trick or Treat Nonsense! Quick visit with Hottie and Sugar and a small mention of Thorn and Rose.❤️ Beta read by the lovely @jobean12-blog (thank you and @whisperlullaby for assuring me this wasn't garbage!), but any and all mistakes are my own. Divider by the talented @firefly-graphics and Bucky edit by the amazing @nixakimbo .Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog for new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

“You did this on purpose. I know you did.”

With a small laugh, you finished setting up the last sign in front of your table. You wanted the stand to look perfect. “What exactly did I do, Tess?”

She pointed to the booth beside yours where Bucky and Hal were also in the middle of getting their things set up. “You somehow got them to put us right next to the boys.”

You stole a glance at the “Sin On Skin” booth beside yours, the sign tastefully saying “S.O.S. Tattoo Parlor”. Bucky winked at you when he caught your gaze out of the corner of your eye. A goofy smile appeared on your face before you cleared your throat and got back to work. “You do realize I had absolutely no control over where they placed us since I didn't organize this event.”

The nearby elementary school had put on a Fall Festival over the last few years and the woman Steve started seeing was a teacher there. She thought it would be fun for the guys to do face paintings and temporary tattoos for the kids. It was Bucky who suggested that your shop sell baked goods, after running it by you first. Not only was it good for exposure for you and Tess while helping to raise money for the students, it was an excuse to spend the day a few feet away from your boyfriend.

How could you say no to that?

The only downside was that the weather for tomorrow called for rain. To be on the safe side, the booths were going to be in the gym so that the families could still enjoy some of the festivities if it stormed. No matter what happened, it would be a fun day for everyone.

“Then he did it and now I have to watch you two make eyes at each other between customers tomorrow,” Tess accused, but there was no malice behind her words. You didn’t argue since there was a good chance that you would check Bucky out and vice versa. “And aren’t you two hanging out tonight after we finish up?”

“Yeah. We’re doing a movie night,” you replied. You hadn’t had a chance to do a lot of fall activities with Bucky yet, but he promised that he’d take you on a hayride tomorrow before the event was over. And the two of you were watching scary movies tonight. A perfect excuse for you to snuggle against him.

Which will probably end with him inside me, so well worth the jump and scares.

“I still think he’s the reason why we’re next to each other,” Tess said, checking over the order you put together. You made sure there was a range of Autumn and Halloween colors and everything was back at the shop ready for you to set out the following morning. “Though I shouldn’t complain. You two are cute together and he makes you happy.”

“We are a cute couple,” Bucky said, winking at you again. “And she makes me happy, too.”

You had to smile as your heart skipped a beat. It still felt a bit like a dream that the handsome tattoo artist was your boyfriend, but he was yours. It was silly to think that the season was brighter because you had him around, but he was like the unexpected warmth you sometimes experienced on a cool day when the sun came out. If you told him that, you knew he’d argue that it was the other way around. That you were the one who brightened everything around you.

Bringing out the best in each other is what good couples do.

“Get back to work, Hottie. We’re almost done,” you teased when he walked around his table. Clad in one of his signature Henley's, maroon to likely go with the fall theme, you found yourself staring at his chest as he stopped in front of you. Your eyes snapped to his lips when he tapped them with his finger.

“Gimme a kiss first, Sugar,” he said, his voice as warm as your cheeks felt. “One little kiss. That's all I'm asking for.”

“Fine,” you agreed, moving in close. “One kiss.”

He cupped your jaw as he leaned in and deeply kissed you, instantly making you melt against him as you kissed him back. You smiled as you tried to pull away after a second, his lips eagerly seeking yours as he went in for seconds. You discovered after your first date that one kiss was never enough for your boyfriend. He claimed your sugary lips drugged his system with desire and the only cure was for him to have another taste, which made him crave you and your kisses more.

I crave him, too.

He wrapped a hand around your hip and dragged you closer as you mewled, a sound of need that you tried to stamp out. Arousal seized you as his tongue licked along your mouth. It wasn’t fair that his kisses brought such a strong reaction out of you, especially when there was nothing you could do to satisfy it. At least, not right this second.

I’m not going to wiggle my hips and rub my pussy against his cock. I will maintain some sort of self-control.

“Hey!” Hal grinned as you tore your lips away from Bucky’s, shivering at the slight growl he let out at being interrupted. The sound made you want him more. “You two can’t fool around here. Not unless you’re teaching Sex Ed.”

“Yeah,” Tess chimed in, handing you her phone so you could take photos. Bucky still had a hand on your hip, only allowing you to twist a bit. The possessive touch also had safety behind it, telling you that you had nothing to fear when he was close by. “Behave, you two. This is a school.”

Your jaw dropped before you snapped a few pictures, making sure to capture the entire booth. You’d have to get more in the morning once the treats were set out. “We are professionals. We would never fool around here.”

And, thankfully, no children were nearby to witness you and Bucky kissing each other since it was after hours. You couldn’t wait to see him interact with the kids though. They would adore him and his gentle giant demeanor. The kids would love all of them. Jake’s sister even planned to stop by so his niece could get a face painting done.

“So, you're saying if he dragged you off to a nearby classroom… Oh, come on. Like you didn’t think about it the second you asked for a kiss,” Hal said, shrugging when Bucky shot him a glare and set out a bottle of orange paint that matched the shade of his hair. You wondered if he’d keep it orange for November or if he’d go for a shade of red. “Or maybe you two will roll in the hay during that hayride you keep talking about.”

Bucky didn’t look at all embarrassed, swearing that the boys were used to hearing him moan on and on about you. It was a nice feeling. “Like she said, we’re professionals and we wouldn’t do that,” he argued, raising an eyebrow. “And did you just say ‘roll in the hay’? You sound like Jensen.”

“I’m a country boy at heart. I know all about rolling in the hay,” he smirked, looking over at you when your boyfriend pulled you closer. “Hey. Don’t classrooms have locks?”

“Hal, stop encouraging them,” Tess hissed as he chuckled. It was too late. They planted the seed and you knew Bucky was thinking about it, too. “Though he does have a point. Just go into one of the rooms and lock the door. No one will notice.”

“And there’s still time before we have to get out of here,” Hal added as he checked his watch. “Make it a quickie.”

“Hold on,” you said, handing the phone back to Tess when you realized you were still holding it. “You two are actually encouraging us to find a classroom to fool around in? The night before the event?”

Not that it wouldn’t be fun and a good stress reliever, but-

“It’s no different than you two in the kitchen,” your friend said, pointing at Bucky as your cheeks got hot. “Yeah, I had that counter cleaned twice.”

Bucky turned his head toward you, humor in his eyes as you played innocent. “You told her about that?” he asked, brushing a kiss to your temple. You had to tell her. It was technically her kitchen, too. “How I ate you out so good you almost cried?” he added low enough for only you to hear.

You trembled at the memory, the mere thought of his skilled tongue and fingers making your toes curl in your boots. Before you could open your mouth to say something in your defense, Hal laughed. “And it’s no different than the two of you messing around in the break room. Thought Andy was gonna buy a new couch to replace it.”

It was Bucky’s turn to feign innocence as you gazed at him, gently tugging on his bun as tried not to smile. “You told him about that?”

Earlier in the week, you waited around for him to close the parlor. The two of you chatted on the couch when you didn’t want to leave right away, which led to a heated makeout session. It wasn’t long before he had you in his lap, bouncing you up and down on his cock as he growled filthy praises. How well you took him, how beautiful you looked riding him. It was a feat that you could walk out before he took you home.

Where he wrecked you all over again.

“Steve told him, so everyone knows. Punk can’t keep a secret to save his life,” Bucky said, glancing around where a few others were starting to wrap up. “Look. Messing around in our shops is one thing. We own them. Messing around here is something else.”

“He’s right. And even if we wanted to mess around, I’m pretty sure the security guard or administrators will catch on if we suddenly take a stroll down the halls,” you said before your brow furrowed. “Wait a second. Where’s Steve?” you asked. You hadn’t seen him since he dropped off the table banner.

Hal looked behind him and shrugged. “Wasn’t he helping Rose grab decorations for one of the other displays?”

“It shouldn’t take that long, should it?” your boyfriend asked.

As if on cue, Steve rushed into the gym and came to a stop a foot away from the booth. His cheeks were pinker than usual and his hair was a bit of a mess. “Sorry. Rose was showing me around. She’ll be back in a minute.”

Bucky nodded slowly. “Thought you two were getting decorations.”

“Well, yeah. We did. She has them,” he said quickly.

“Stevie?”

“Yeah?”

“Check your fly,” Bucky said, nodding to his crotch.

Hal laughed so hard he almost fell over as Steve fixed his pants, you and Tess covering your mouths to not draw more attention as you giggled. “See? If Stevie can have fun in a classroom, so can you.”

The blonde looked slightly offended by the assumption. “We were not in a classroom,” he stated as you all stared in disbelief. It only took a moment for him to smile. “We were in an office. That’s completely different.”

You shared a look with Bucky, practically seeing the lightbulb turn on over his head. “An office?” he repeated.

Steve nodded, pointing to one of the gym doors. “Yeah, the principal's office is that way and the nurse’s office,” he said, smirking when he realized why his best friend was asking. “You’re worse than I am, you know that?”

“Worse than what?” a kind voice rang out, Steve's girlfriend gracefully walking over with a small box in hand. He took it from her hands immediately, like it was too heavy for her.

“Buck was wanting to, um, 'visit' one of the offices,” he replied.

Rose kept a neutral look on her face as she looked at you two. “So he told you,” she said carefully.

The poor guy really can't keep a secret.

“More like his open fly told us,” Hal chuckled, holding up his hands when Steve took a step toward him.

Rose placed a hand on his arm, stopping him in his tracks. “I normally wouldn't encourage this, but since Steve let the cat out of the bag,” she said, smiling when he gave her a lopsided grin. “The teacher's lounge should still be unlocked, but only for a few more minutes and I can't help you if anyone walks in. You're on your own. Got it?”

“Got it,” Bucky chuckled, leaning in close to breathe against your ear. “What do you say, Sugar? Think we can sneak in there? Have a bit of fun before our movie night? Break a few rules?”

The thought had you squeezing your thighs together in anticipation. “Thought you wanted one kiss before you got back to work. Not a quickie.”

“Let’s live dangerously,” he smiled.

Your breath hitched, something in your mind telling you to go along with the crazy idea. It wouldn’t hurt anyone. The two of you would clean up any mess you’d make once you were done. And if Rose, who worked here, had fun with Steve, would it be so wrong for you to do the same?

“You’re a bad influence,” you smiled back as he tugged you by the hand toward the door. “All of you!” you added when Tess laughed and Hal whistled.

But it’s good to be bad now and again, especially with the right partner by my side.

So, did Bucky fuck you against the door, the vending machine, or on a table? Love and thanks for reading! 🧡

Masterlist ⚓ Bucky Barnes Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi

[kinardsevan]

Prompt: bucktommy entertaining each other while stuck in traffic.

“Give me something blue.”

Tommy almost glares at him. “Evan, that Bronco is teal.”

“Absolutely not,” Evan argues back, smirking at his boyfriend. They’re stuck in standstill traffic on the 210, just trying to get back to Tommy’s house after two long shifts, but an accident has them backed up from what should’ve been a ten minute drive to nearly half an hour in unmoving traffic.

“I mean I may or may not have been referring to something inside my pants,” he continues, turning to look out his window. “But since you’re so insistent, I spy with my little eye-“

Tommy hand claps down on his thigh. Evan turns his head back towards his boyfriend in the drivers seat as his face flushes, pink dusting across his features.

“We are in standstill traffic,” Tommy states gruffly. “Do not me make an exhibitionist out of you.”

Evan gives the hint of a smirk, but then nods. He reaches for Tommy’s phone on the center console as his boyfriend loosens his grip on his leg, though he doesn’t let go. He scrolls through the music for a beat before returning it to the dash, still just as bored.

After a time, he glances back at Tommy, and the older man looks back at him, feeling eyes on him.

“What’s going on in that pretty little head,” Tommy asks, stroking his thumb over Evan’s thigh.

“Just thinking about my favorite things about you,” Evan rasps, wrapping his hand around Tommy’s middle fingers on his leg.

Tommy flushes at the statement, a small smile pulling at his cheeks.

“Like what,” he asks timidly, curious.

“Like your hands,” Evan says as he looks down at the one he’s holding on his leg. “And how big they are. I’m not exactly small, but you make me feel like…” he pauses, trying to find the right words. “Like I’m worth protecting.”

“Evan,” Tommy lilts, his head dropping back against his headrest.

“Don’t read more into that,” Evan continues. “A-and also how, no matter what’s going on with everyone else, you always check in with me first. It’s been a long time, since someone took the time to ask.”

“That’s a basic right that you deserve,” Tommy reminds him, his thumb still moving absentmindedly on his leg. “You done?”

Evan shakes his head, smile still on his face.

“I love how tender you are with me in bed,” he admits quietly. “Even when I just want to be thrown around. You always make sure I’m taken care of, not just physically.”

Tommy’s hand clenches on his thigh again, but lets up after a few seconds.

“God damn, kid,” he mutters hoarsely. “You’re gonna kill me.”

Evan leans across the cab and kisses his jaw. Tommy leans into it, turning his head after a few seconds and kissing him as he lifts their intertwined hands, still manages to curl his fingers under Evan’s chin, keeping him close.

“My turn?” He asks when Evan finally pulls away, settles back in his seat and pulling Tommy’s hand along with him.

“If you must.”

Tommy squeezes his leg again, though this time in a show of reassurance as Evan leans back against his headrest.

“I also love your hands,” Tommy tells him. “Although for far different reasons.”

Evan blushes again, his gaze dropping to the floor.

“In all seriousness, the way you create things blows my mind,” Tommy tells him. “Food, crafts, the things you build. It’s fascinating to watch.”

Evan nods at the words. Tommy is never stingy with praise over anything he makes, whether it’s food, something for their living spaces, or something he went down a hyperfixation on.

“And your brain,” Tommy adds. “Your need to understand everything and seek out knowledge, and the way that has correlated to our obsession with Jeopardy.”

Evan smirks at that, adds. “I still miss Alex.”

Tommy nods. “And your willingness to completely throw yourself in. Doing in a few weeks what took me years.”

“Wanted you more,” Evan murmurs at him.

“That’s not lost on me,” Tommy replies. “God, Evan, your willingness to love people regardless and in spite of. Damn near unconditionally. I do feel protective of you, and maybe a little selfishly so, because when you give, you give your entire heart. I was jealous of that when I first realized it,” he exclaims. “Until I realized you were giving it to me.”

Evan gulps at Tommy’s words, the depth of love that he’s speaking to in the moment. It’s not that he doesn’t know it; he’s more than aware of how deep their connection is, feels it twenty-four seven. Still, hearing it out loud floods him with the kind of emotion he doesn’t know how to put into words.

“That’s my absolute favorite thing about you,” Tommy finishes. Evan just stares at him, eyes clear and filled with passion and adoration.

“I love you.” He states it simply, no intonation in his voice. It’s not the first time; they’ve been saying it for a while now. But it means more than that this time; like he’s not just saying the words, telling Tommy he loves him as he is. Like this time, he’s telling him he’s in love with him, and every tiny piece of what makes their relationship quintessentially them.

“I love you too,” Tommy says back, same tone, same intentions. Evan starts to lean across the cab again, but a horn honks behind them, causing them both to look up. Traffic has started to inch forward. Evan drops back into the passenger seat and Tommy chuckles softly, pulling Evan’s hand to his lips as they start moving again.

[n0ahsebastians]

hello loves!! this is my first post on here EVER!!! that's kinda crazy HAHA this came from a special place in my heart, the first noah fic i've ever written (it's also posted on my ao3 account teehee) but i finally decided to post them on here. i hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think! i'll post more if y'all like this one :D

18+ content; PLEASE DO NO READ IF YOU ARE UNDER 18!!

warnings: smut (not too much but enough), lots of fluff and lots of love.

sugar on the blood cells, carbon on the brain (title from 'aqua regia' by sleep token)

They arrived late back home. The plane ride felt excruciatingly long and he was so glad to be on solid ground again. The tour was long, long but one of the best they’d done in a long time. One of their favorites, he thinks, as he’s grabbing his luggage from the carousel. The airport’s quiet; an almost ominous humming sounds from the escalators moving up and down and the lights above them. The few people that are flying late are sleeping in the chairs near gates or waiting for their rides to arrive out front. The guys and crew assist in hauling the equipment out to the bus, pulling suitcases of clothes and instruments and whatever else they can grab in the meantime. It’s freezing outside, colder than the weather they just left hours ago. Goddamn East Coast winters.

He can’t wait to get home, to the comfort of his own space again. To his kitchen, his couch, his bed, her. 

He keeps looking at the last text she sent him before he boarded the plane, see you so soon, be safe. i love you ❤️ 

She was asleep hours ago; time differences are a bitch but he replied to her anyways  just landed. on our way home. love you baby 😚

He can’t stop smiling at the message, knowing he would see her again in mere minutes. The thought of holding her again, kissing her, lying next to her for the first time in 3 months, was enough to make this whole tour worth it. 

Years ago when they first met, it was nothing more than a few words here and there between them. He dropped out of high school, she continued her studies. He started a band, she became an event manager. They stayed in touch here and there over the years but nothing was ever serious. They didn’t want to complicate things within their lives, disrupt the process or the flow.

But then the calls became more frequent. The texts became flirty, they were telling each other about their days and making sure to check in on one another. She called him when she was having rough days and he did the same. He was always willing to make the time to talk to her, to calm her down, get her breathing under control again. He was her lifeline you could say, in more ways than one. 

Then there was that time they Facetimed and she told him she missed him. How she missed seeing him everyday. How she missed coming home to him and even the little things like holding his hand and watching movies together. They’d only officially been together three months, but there was something there. Something so much more than just phone calls and long distance texts. It was something real.

It started innocently. Until it wasn’t so much.

“How much do you miss me?”

She could see a gleam in his eye, one she hadn’t seen before but she liked it. A lot.

“So much.” Her voice was soft, her t-shirt was riding up over her thigh; he could see the soft skin of her hip in the glow of the lamp from their bedroom; she was only wearing underwear and all he wanted was to put his mouth there. Fucking hell.

“I fucking miss you so much.” 

His words made her stomach flutter and she hummed softly. She watched as he shifted on the hotel bed, adjusting the laptop to have a better view of her. 

“Can we…do something?” He sounded so nervous, he didn’t know why he was nervous but he was. Maybe because this woman was absolutely sexy and he wanted her so bad. Wanted everything with her. He didn’t know it then but he’d always wanted her.

“Yeah.” 

“I wanna see you,” he said lowly, running his hand through his hair, “all of you.”

She gulped, trying to process his words. They had never done this, any of this. They hadn’t even taken that step yet. It excited her that he wanted this with her. That closeness, that intimacy. Finally.

“Noah…I-“

“Do you trust me?”

She took a deep breath, smiling softly at him. She did. She always had.

“Yes.”

“I got you. Trust me, baby.”

She loved hearing him call her that. It slipped off his tongue so effortlessly. His tongue. She started thinking about the way it would feel on her body then, how he’d kiss her, mouth at her to bring her to the edge. It suddenly made her squeeze her thighs together. Noah noticed, smiling at her from the laptop screen.

“What’re you thinking about right now?” He situated the laptop screen so she could see the length of his body now, his sweats clinging to his long legs and his bare chest in view, tattoos on full display. 

“You. I’m…thinking about you.”

“What about me?”

She was embarrassed. How was she supposed to tell him she was thinking about his tongue inside of her, how she wanted to feel his lips on her skin and his fingers tracing the skin of her hips, her thighs, his teeth nipping at her stomach and everywhere he could, when they hadn’t even made it to that point yet?

“Tell me.” His voice was low, sexy. It made her entire body ignite.

“Your…tongue.” There it was. She felt her cheeks heat at her own words. She couldn’t believe this was happening right now. 

“Fuck. Tell me more.”

“Noah…”

“Baby, there’s no one else here. Just you and me,” he assured her. She took a deep breath and tried to relax herself, tried to think of something that wouldn’t make her want to bail out of this. There was no way she could now; she told him she wanted his tongue on her. She was in too deep now.

“Honey, look at me.” His voice was soft, caring. He was sweet, so sweet, and she adored that about him. He knew she was just as nervous as him, just as vulnerable. This was a big step for them. For her even. She hadn’t been intimate with anyone in years. There had been no one after high school. Until Noah.

When she was finally able to look at him again, he was smiling sweetly. God she wished he was here with her. Wished she could touch him and hold him and kiss him. Lay next to him, inhaling his body wash and hints of cologne that still lingered on his skin.

“Just trust me, okay?” he says finally. She closes her eyes and nods again, keeping eye contact with him as she begins to remove her shirt. He stops her though.

“No, leave that on. Take off your underwear.”

Fuck. Fuck.

She bit her lip, lying back against the headboard. She hooked her fingers into the thin material, slowly sliding it down her legs. His eyes nearly rolled back in his head as she tossed them onto the floor. She folded her legs over one another, pulling her t-shirt down a bit so her lower half was hidden from the camera. 

“Fuck, I wish I could touch you right now. Kiss you.”

She decided to finally play along. She was feeling braver now that she wasn’t wearing any underwear.

“Where would you touch me?” She ran her fingertips over the sheets, looking up at the camera just as she heard him softly whimper. 

“Between your legs. Fuck, you’d be so warm and wet. You’re wet now aren’t you?”

She was. She could feel the heat between her legs and she needed something. Needed a release. 

“Can you touch yourself for me?”

“Mhm.”

She hesitated before slowly parting her legs, making sure he could see her. She heard him gasp when she touched her fingers to herself, laid her head back against the pillows. She started slowly, listening to his breathing become more and more ragged. This was so out of her element, but she was loving the reaction she was getting out of him.

“Fuck, you look so good. I wish I was there with you.”

“Mmm…Noah…”

“What do you need, baby?”

“Talk to me more.” She started moving her fingers faster, not too fast though. She didn’t want to come yet. 

“Does it feel good, you touching yourself?”

She nodded. 

“Tell me how it feels.”

“Mm…s’good…” She moaned, making the fabric of his sweats tighten. Fucking hell.

“What was that you were saying about my tongue? You want me to taste you, don’t you?” 

She whimpered, her legs tensing at his words. Yeah, that’s all she was thinking about. His tongue inside of her. It was making her brain short circuit. 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. I wanna taste you so bad, you have no idea.” He practically growled as he continued watching her fingers move in and out of herself. It was the fucking dirtiest, but hottest thing he’d seen, probably ever. And it was driving him crazy.

“Fuck, look at you right now. You look incredible.”

That made her sigh softly, a smile forming across her lips and her brow creasing as she continued to touch herself. She needed him to keep talking though, the silence was not helping her.

“Keep going.”

He groaned, palming himself through his sweats. She sounded heavenly, like nothing he’d

ever heard before. Everything about her was unreal. 

“Spread your legs more. So I can see you come.”

She did, forgetting for a moment that he wasn’t in the room with her and was thousands of miles away in a hotel, watching her through a laptop screen. She tried to bite her lip to keep quiet but he didn’t want that. He needed her to make more noises. 

“I wanna hear you. Don’t be shy anymore.”

“Fuck, it…feels so good.” Her moans were the sexiest thing he’d ever heard. He could

feel his sweats tightening some more and he wanted to touch himself so fucking badly. So he did. 

“Yeah? You wanna come?”

“Fuck, please,” she whined, her fingers moving faster.

“You’re so sexy like this, Jesus fuck.” He wished he could see the way she looked when she was coming. The moans and whimpers leaving her mouth as she fucked her fingers in and out of herself was the hottest thing he’d ever seen or heard. 

“Noah…I’m…”

“I know, baby. Come for me.” 

That was it. She gasped, her release hitting her harder than she wanted it to. She came on her fingers, her legs shaking and her toes curling. Watching her fall apart from his words was enough for him to finish himself and he wasn’t far behind her. 

She pulled her t-shirt back down over her legs, lying sideways on the bed again so she could see him. Her cheeks were flushed, so were his. She smiled lazily at him and he did the same. 

“Think I need to shower now,” he said, making her giggle. She didn’t even know he was touching himself until she saw him wipe his hand on a towel hanging from the chair next to the dresser. It made her legs squeeze together all over again.

“I wish you were here,” she said, her fingers reaching up to the screen. He smiled at her again.

“I know, me too.” He mirrored her actions, placing his fingers against hers.

“Umm…that was…”

“Hot.”

She giggled again and he wanted to kiss her so badly. He wished he was home with her

now. 

“Yeah. Maybe we could…try it for real. You know…when you…come home.”

He smiled again, his lips curving up in the widest grin, making his eyes crinkle in  

the corners. 

“I am absolutely not taking my hands off of you when I get home.”

And she knew he meant it.

He’s home now and all he can think about is lying down. He’s exhausted and feels like a 200-pound weight has just attached itself to his shoulders. He tells Matt and Jolly they can unload the truck in the morning after they all sleep. It’s almost 2am and he just needs to lie down. That’s all he’s thinking about. And her. 

The three of them enter the house after the rest of the group heads out, saying they’ll see each other in the morning for breakfast and some much needed relaxation outside of a busy tour schedule. 

He unlocks the door, tossing his bag in the corner by the couch, not even bothering to bring it the fifteen extra steps into his bedroom. He doesn’t care, he’ll take care of it later. 

Jolly and Matt go their separate ways as well, hugs and goodnights are traded before Noah makes his way to his room finally. He quietly opens the door so as to not wake her. She’s fast asleep when he squeezes into the room, shutting the door softly and locking it. He doesn’t really need to lock it but it’s been three fucking months since he’s been home and he wants to just spend as much time with her as possible in the confines of their bedroom. 

She stirs gently as he makes his way around the bedroom, opening drawers to grab fresh boxers and a clean t-shirt. A routine he hasn’t been used to in months. She’s wearing one of his shirts, he sees now, the way it hugs the curves of her body so fucking well, it makes his chest tighten and his stomach flip.

It’s been two years now. Two years since they decided to try this thing out. Besides his friends and the band and all the other things he worked endless hours to make his own, she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. She was everything to him, she was his lifeline. 

He changes into his clean clothes, tossing his traveling wear into the hamper by the bathroom. He rubs his hands over his face, trying to function for a few more minutes to brush his teeth. Turning the water on wakes her up and he swears under his breath as he attempts to crack the door to keep the light out of her eyes. It’s too late though, she’s up now. 

He rinses his mouth out, turning off the water just as the door opens to reveal his very sleepy but incredibly beautiful girlfriend. She smiles lazily at him, reaching up to embrace him in a hug. He laughs gently as he reaches down to wrap his arms under her thighs and hitch them around his waist. The feel of her skin against his after all this time, the warmth of her breath, the goosebumps that raise on her legs as he runs his thumbs over the skin. This. This is all worth it.

“Hi baby,” he kisses her forehead, her cheek, holding her tightly against him. 

“Hi bub,” she says into the skin of his neck. He hears her sniffle and she pulls her face away to rest their foreheads together. He kisses her for the first time in three months, forceful but full of love and everything they missed while they were separated from one another. 

“I missed you so fucking much,” he says against her lips. She presses her hands into his face, holding his jaw and rubbing her thumbs over the smile lines in his cheeks. He feels tears running down her cheeks and he wipes them away with his thumb.

“I missed you so bad.”

“You smell so good,” he says, pulling away from their kiss to press his nose into her neck. She giggles, wrapping her fingers in his hair which he’s cut a bit more since the last time they saw each other.

“You cut your hair.”

“Not much. Just a little bit off the back.” He runs his hand through it, keeping one underneath her legs which are still wrapped around him.

“It looks good,” she smiles, placing another kiss to his lips. She feels him smile against it, turning off the bathroom light and walking them to their bed. He lays her down against the sheets, lifting her shirt to press kisses to her stomach. She giggles again, her fingers in his hair as he continues down her body.

“Noah, it’s 2am,” she says, with no indication that she wants him to stop. He hums, taking one of her hands from his hair and intertwining their fingers. The gesture makes her stomach flutter, she loves when he does that.

“You’re not convincing me of anything.” He kisses her hip, tugging at the material of her underwear to expose more skin. She looks down to watch him, his tongue running the length of her hip bone and she bites her lip.

“You need sleep, bub.” A sigh leaves her lips as he tugs down her underwear. His fingertips against the skin of her thighs raises more goosebumps and she lifts her legs to kick them off. He laughs gently. 

“I know,” another kiss to her hip, “fucking exhausted”, open mouthed kiss to her pelvic bone, “but I just want to be with you for a little bit.” He looks up at her through his eyelashes and she really can’t resist this man no matter how hard she tries. He has her in too deep. He’s drawing circles in the skin of her thigh, she traces her finger over the tattoo on his throat, her favorite, and feels his pulse quicken at her touch. He kisses her wrist, her thumb running over his bottom lip. Touches that they’re trying to memorize again.

“Yeah, okay.”

He raises an eyebrow at her. “‘Yeah okay what?’”

“Yeah, okay. Put your mouth on me then.”

He smiles at her. “There she is.” He presses a kiss to the inside of her thigh before bringing her legs to rest over his shoulders. Her fingers find their home in his hair again, tugging gently as he presses his tongue to the skin of her thigh. 

“Fuck, I missed you,” he whispers, moving closer to where she’s needed him the last three months. His breath is warm, icy from his toothpaste. The combination against her center sets her whole body on fire. 

“I missed–unhh!” 

“Sshh, ssh ssh you’re so loud,” he laughs gently against her, the vibration making her gasp softer this time. His hand flies up to cover her mouth. 

“Sorry, shit.” 

He laughs against her thigh. “Be quiet for me.”

She closes her eyes, letting his lips make their way back to her center. He blows against her before pressing his tongue into her, a groan leaving his lips as she presses her heels into his shoulder blades. It feels so good, not just the sex but this. Him. Being with him again. Her hands in his hair, his hands on her legs, everywhere on her skin. He was her home. They both needed this.

“You taste so fucking good,” he growls against her, bringing her back from her thoughts. She moans again, her hips lifting to meet his mouth, his tongue moving against her in the most sensual way, she feels like she might explode from this entire moment. 

“Love…you…” she manages to say between heedy breaths and tugs of his hair.

“Fucking love you.”

“Noah…baby, I–gonna…”

“I know, baby, doing so good for me. Come for me,” he breathed against her. She absolutely hated when he said things like that, it made her come too fast. She wanted to sit on his face, fuck his mouth forever. Besides making love, this was their favorite. 

“Stop…saying that…”

“What, that you’re being so good for me?” He tongued at her again, her legs shaking against his head. She gasped as she came against his mouth, her heels pressing farther into his shoulder blades if that was at all possible. She tugged at his hair again as he coaxed her down from her first orgasm in almost three months (there were several Facetime calls but they weren’t always alone to have phone sex and the release was everything she needed).

He hummed against her before pressing several kisses to the inside of her thighs. She nearly smacked him for getting her off so quickly.

“Fuck off,” she laughed, sitting up to pull him from between her legs. “Get up here and kiss me.”

He did. He smiled against her lips, his tongue pressing into her mouth. She could taste herself on him and she didn’t exactly hate it. He breathed into her mouth, laying back against the headboard and bringing her with him. She laughed gently, reaching down to lift her shirt over her head. Noah’s eyes widened, staring at her naked body in front of him again for the first time in three fucking months. The longest three months of his life. 

“Are you gonna take your clothes off, fool?”

Fuck he loved this woman so much. He leaned forward to bite down gently on her bottom lip, a gentle moan leaving her.

“I can’t when you’re sitting on me, you ass.”

“You started this,” she jabbed at his chest then reached down to drag her fingers along the waistband of his boxers. She started tracing his tattoos again, the letters and the scriptures he had, all his anime characters across his sternum and thighs. She was distracted, he was distracting. His body and his hands and his lips and everything about him. He lifted her chin to look at him. 

“Hi,” she said, smiling. He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her nose. 

“Hi. You went away again.” 

“Yeah, sorry. Just…missed this.” She traced the ink on his chest again, placing a kiss to

the skin there. 

“Me too.” 

She pressed a kiss to his chin, then up to his lips. His hands came to rest on her bare waist, slowly dragging her center across his clothed one. She moaned into his mouth, digging her fingers into his chest. 

“And I missed your mouth but I wanna make love to you before we go to sleep.” 

She hummed, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him forward so he was on top of her again. He kissed her neck, down her arms, across her breasts, her nipples. He swiped his tongue across the nub, earning a low moan from her again. He trailed his lips down to her stomach, open mouthed kisses pressed against her thighs and hips. 

When he reached her ankles, he lifted her leg so he could press one last kiss to her tattoo there, earning another giggle from the beautiful woman beneath him. 

“I love you.”

She smiled up at him as he stood from the bed to remove his boxers. She could feel her body heating up again as he came to rest over her, lifting one of her arms above her head and intertwining their fingers. He spread her legs gently, pressing his fingers against her to open her up again. 

“I love you,” she moaned at the sensation of his fingers and the head of his cock beginning to brush against her. She closed her eyes, her lips falling open as he pressed their foreheads together and rolled his hips forward gently to meet hers. It felt like the whole room went still, their fingers squeezing one anothers above her head and his other hand on her thigh, dragging it up to wrap around his waist. 

“Fuck, I missed this, you feel…so fucking good.” Noah began to move slowly, careful to not hurt her or go too fast. He wanted this to last as long as possible.

“Oh my…Noah…”

“Fuck, baby…can you come for me again?”

“Mhm.” 

She was close again, he could feel it in the way her thighs were starting to shake again and the way she was whimpering into his mouth. Her fingers gripped his shoulder, digging into his skin as he rocked against her gently.

“Fuck, I can’t believe I went this long without you,” he breathes out, a low chuckle coming from her lips. 

“I missed you…so much.”

“Fuck…I missed you.”

“Noah..unhh…”

That sound. That fucking sound. He was absolutely gone for this woman. She was everything to him.

“Come for me, baby. I…I got you.”

Her eyes squeezed shut, she tensed around him and gripped the skin of his shoulder again. The feel of her coming around him was enough for him to lose his fucking mind; he wasn’t far behind her, groaning into the skin of her neck and gripping her hip with the hand that wasn’t holding onto hers still. His hips stilled, rocking against her one last time before releasing a deep breath against her neck. Her fingers petted through his hair, against the nape of his neck, across his back, his shoulders. He could feel her heartbeat starting to slow again, a thin sheen of sweat was settling over their bodies and he didn’t want to move, wanted to stay like this with her forever. 

“I’m glad you’re home,” she finally said as he was lying on top of her. He chuckled, placing a kiss to her cheek. He tried to get up but she pulled him back down on top of her. He smiled at her.

“I’m glad I’m home too.”

“Did you guys have fun though?” Her lips were swollen and her cheeks were flushed, her collarbones glistening and a red mark was forming in the corner of her mouth from where he’d bit down on her lip. Goddamn she was so beautiful. 

“Yeah we did. Always do.”

“I’m proud of you bub,” she whispered, running her fingers over his cheek, pushing his hair back off his forehead. He smiled lazily down at her, pressing his lips to hers gently. She hummed, parting her lips to let his tongue press against hers again.

“I love you so much,” he says, rubbing their noses together. Another hum from her.

“I love you.”

[bairdthereader]

Heartstopper Elders: Mr. Ajayi

No adult in Heartstopper steps into the gap as well as Nathan Ajayi.

Charlie

I don't think it's coincidence that Mr. Ajayi is the first adult we see interacting with Charlie on a meaningful, personal level. In the comics Mr. Ajayi is not introduced until he chaperones the Paris trip, but in the show Alice has made him a keeper of Charlie's past, a rare empathetic witness to his trauma, and the only adult to whom Charlie feels comfortable opening up. We learn almost as much about Charlie from his interactions with Mr. Ajayi as we do from his conversations with friends; in some ways, more.

When he asks Charlie if everything is okay because it's been a while since Charlie has hidden at lunchtime, Charlie replies he isn't hiding, he's eating (though he clearly is not). There's a moment where Mr. Ajayi has a small smile on his face, but his eyes are sad. He knows Charlie is deflecting; he knows Charlie is worried about something, he knows he's not eating. He also knows there's a chance he might not get a straight answer out of Charlie if he pushes too hard. So he starts by checking in on the bullying, which is a problem he and Charlie have dealt with together in the past, effectively reminding Charlie of the preexisting trust between them.

Reminded of the depth of Mr. Ajayi's caring and support, Charlie ventures to talk a bit about the new problem, which we all know is Ben. Joe's performance here is amazing--the hesitancy, the almost stream of consciousness verbal working out of his perception of the situation in real time, the intense frustration of not understanding why Ben behaves the way he does. As Charlie talks, Mr. Ajayi's expression is one of dismayed understanding. There is a high likelihood that he or someone he is close to has experienced a similar situation, and he can recognize what's happening in Charlie's "relationship" better than Charlie can at this point (though Charlie definitely figures it out in the end).

Mr. Ajayi knows from past experiences with Charlie that he often keeps his problems to himself. His repeated suggestion that Charlie talk, both to Ben and to his friends, is Mr. Ajayi's attempt to counteract what he sees as one of Charlie's more harmful self-defense mechanisms--silence. This is a bit of foreshadowing, since it takes many hard conversations throughout the entirety of season 2 for Charlie to really talk to Nick about some of his problems.

It's also telling that when Mr. Ajayi asks Charlie why he hasn't talked to his friends about Ben, his answer is "they wouldn't get it . . . because they're not gay." You can see Mr. Ajayi's visible frustration with this statement because not only is it Charlie's excuse to avoid sharing this important part of his life with his friends, but it also fails to give his friends the chance to prove that they could understand. Mr. Ajayi doesn't push, though, which is one of his strong suits. He knows Charlie needs to figure some of this out on his own ("I can't solve your problems for you").

Of course, we all know and love this scene in S1E8 where Mr. Ajayi encourages Charlie not to hide. He knows instantly exactly why Charlie is there, and he knows that this time Charlie doesn't need protection, he needs a push, he needs real talk. So that's what Mr. Ajayi does. At first, Charlie avoids eye contact, denying it when Nathan points out that Charlie is returning to harmful and isolating behaviors, but Mr. Ajayi knows this is the moment to double down and really get under Charlie's armor. He pursues eye contact with Charlie, making sure he's listening.

Nathan tells Charlie that hiding can be safer and easier, but not always worth the loneliness that results. It's an absolutely beautiful moment because Mr. Ajayi is not only acknowledging Charlie's fears, but his strengths as well. Charlie has so many moments of bravery, has overcome so much, and Mr. Ajayi knows this better than almost anyone else. He knows that Charlie doesn't really want to hide, and he's telling Charlie to turn back to that part of himself that he knows is strong enough to keep going.

On the surface, it seems that Mr. Ajayi is telling Charlie not to let bullies make him disappear, but he says anyone. That includes Nick, who Charlie is trying so hard to protect that he's hurting himself in the process; Tao, who at this point is blaming Charlie for some of his own internal struggles (we all do this sometimes, so Tao is not horrible, just human); as well as Charlie himself, as he has a tendency to apologize for and regret his own existence. This is where Charlie returns Nathan's eye contact, really absorbing what he has to say. The fact that Charlie takes this advice and forges ahead shows that Mr. Ajayi's words carry a lot of weight with Charlie and that he has deployed them in a way that Charlie can accept, two things that are only possible where there is trust, respect, and a strong bond.

Though we don't see as many one-on-one interactions between Mr. Ajayi and Charlie in S2, Nathan's presence on the Paris trip is especially important at a few critical points. When we see his reaction to Imogen's very public breakup with Ben, we're seeing him not only feel teacherly concern for this antagonistic moment between the couple, but he's also putting some pieces together about Charlie. Mr. Ajayi is, at this point I think, the only person aside from Nick who now knows (or at least suspects) that the "secret boyfriend" was Ben. He’s getting a more complete picture of what’s been happening with Charlie and the deeply negative effects of that relationship, especially now that Imogen is exposing what kind of person Ben is to people who may not have seen that side of him before.

Likewise, when Charlie passes out at the Louvre and tells a very concerned Mr. Ajayi that he just hasn't eaten enough that day, Nathan has to be connecting the dots with all the times Charlie came to his room at lunchtime but didn't actually eat, or ate very little, and coming to the realization that there’s a deeper and more problematic cause for this pattern.

Though we don't see any onscreen discussions between Charlie and Mr. Ajayi about these revelations, we know that Nathan is in tune enough with Charlie to understand that bigger currents are moving in Charlie's life than show on the surface, and I imagine this will come into play in some way in S3. There is at least one adult in Charlie's life who has some understanding of what might really be going on with him, and who better than Nathan Ajayi.

Honorable mention goes to the way Mr. Ajayi quietly supports the Narlie relationship:

Elle

We have to assume that Mr. Ajayi certainly played a similar, possibly even more protective, role in Elle's life. When she's at Truham for sports day, despite calling the school a hellhole she hoped she'd never be back in, she's clearly comfortable in Mr. Ajayi's art room. She says she spent "every" lunchtime in his art room working on her landscape piece, so we know Mr. Ajayi allowed Elle to not only complete her coursework but also seek refuge.

Elle also used the art room as the setting for her piece for Lambert, showing that not only are her friends her safe place, but so is the actual physical space of Mr. Ajayi's classroom. This room, and this teacher, were a place where she could be her true self and heal from the wounds inflicted by the cruelty of other students and teachers. And, so importantly, Mr. Ajayi's room with its intrinsic safety allowed Charlie and Elle to relax and let down their guards, fostering an environment where this core friend group was able to grow even more tight-knit.

I dearly wish Mr. Ajayi had been there to see the reveal and celebration of Elle's piece, which was in large part possible because of him. Mr. Ajayi makes himself and his space into a sanctuary for the students who need him, and what is more heroic than that?

[Side Note: Nathan stands in the gap for Youssef too, without a doubt. That's it's own post.]

Bonus: Mr. Ajayi's sarcasm is perfection.

[lyneira]

♡ How to gain the cephalopod's adoration ♡

-> things you can do to make da boss swoon over you

azul x reader (fluff!)

Check out malleus' ver. / leona's ver. here!

Be thoughtful and kind, do little things for him!

Is it busy at the Mostro Lounge? Offer to help out! Are you eating Azul’s favorite food, fried chicken? Save some for him! Found any interesting coins? Hand them over to him to examine and keep! Do him little favors and give him small things that you know he’ll like. Show him that he’s been on your mind because it's about to boggle his own. This boy will be so confused at your actions because he sees the idea of giving without expecting anything back as unusual, sketchy, even. After all, many of his interactions with people have been transactional, especially with the use of his contracts. So he will ask you directly for your motives, and you’d give him an answer that would further flabbergast him: “Why not?” (which would make this guy "aaAAA MOU YADA!!" himself away from you lmaooo 💀)

One thing is for sure– he'll never forget anything you'd given him or had done for him. He wouldn’t forget a single detail because he's planning to return the favor. It wouldn’t sit right with him if he didn’t do so. And so he would pay you back by helping you study, giving you free meals at the lounge, and offering other things that would help you, all without even having to make you sign a contract.

The extent to which he does all this will also surprise you that even you will have to ask him, why? What would he gain from this? And he’ll respond that it was to simply pay you back.

Tut tut.

Keep your gaze on him because he’s not done yet. Not until you’ve seen him avert his eyes from yours, the redness in his cheeks growing brighter, and he'll softly reply,

“...Your time. I would get to spend more time with you, y/n.”

And in time, he’d eventually like to gain your heart as well, teehee ♡

(But after he says that, he'll be an absolute mess, so try not to tease him too much about it please! Dude is already so insecure about himself, don't give him another reason to be 😭 If you give him a peck on the cheek though, he might not be able to survive that either ;) )

Remind him of home by hosting a feast for him on his birthday!

In his Birthday Vignette, it’s clear to see that Azul loves his family. During those times he can’t come home for break or especially during his birthday (since it’s still wintertime), find a way to set up a feast for him like he used to when he was younger. Bring Jade and Floyd into the plan if you have to! (If you’re trying to set up the feast in the Mostro Lounge without Azul noticing, then you’ll really have to include them) Your thoughtfulness will warm his heart.

Sing with him!

Don’t be shy now. He has a thing for singing voices, so you’ve got to let him hear yours! Have him hop on the piano, chirp a few notes, and sing along with him (Or at least try to!) Have some jam sessions together, singing through both of your favorite songs, and maybe have Jade and Floyd hop in with their instruments too. (Y’all can basically be a band LOL) He’d find it so endearing! spending a good time with his favorite ppl :)

Collect coins with him!

I've already briefly mentioned this in the first bullet point but let me elaborate a bit. Whatever interesting-looking coins you have laying around or that you find outside, bring it to him. Some of them might not be worth much, but he'd enjoy examining them and figuring out its origins. If you manage to find a rare coin, the joy that will bloom on his face will be priceless (no pun intended heh) and it'd be a different type of happiness than the composed type he'd usually show. We want to see more of that!

Compliment the Mostro Lounge!

The Mostro Lounge is Azul's baby. Take notice of the things he's doing with it and how he's trying to improve it. He invests so much into his business and he will have just as much appreciation for you if you notice all these details he puts into it. Whether it's the color he chose for the tablecloths or the brand of dishware he serves with, let him know you're aware of it! It'll show that you care about what he deeply cherishes, and so will he cherish you too.

Though some parts of his childhood were rough, remind him of the best parts and have him focus on that instead. Make him feel comfortable enough that he can allow himself to truly open up to you instead of holing up in his octopus-pot 🐙

a/n: I know that description is funky but you can't tell me azul and the leech bros aren't basically the fish mafia of NRC and therefore he's *with a Brooklyn accent* da boss.

I also wanted to mention for that first bullet point, there was another thing that I was thinking of writing instead. Ok so when Azul asks you about your motives fo being so kind to him and if you were to say, "To make you happy" or smth like that, he'd probably say, "You want my happiness? Then let me have your time. It's a fair deal, no? ;) " but I scrapped that idea bc I don't think he'd be so smooth around his crush ngl LOL 😂

Anyway, Idia is probably gonna be next! Then maybe Vil or Jade, hmm

© 2023 lyneira. PLEASE DO NOT COPY, PLAGIARIZE, TRANSLATE, OR REPOST MY WORKS ONTO OTHER PLATFORMS

[cloudwhisper23]

I have been very late with the latest chapter of Back in the Nightmare, but in my defense, @pixlokita drew an art, and I just absolutely needed to write fanfic regarding the art, and color it. Luckily, this is still in relation to Back in the Nightmare. It's just further along. Hope y'all enjoy! (fic below the cut)

Evan could tell Cassidy was feeling down after Charlie’s birthday party. How could he not? She’d clung so close to him before, and after Michael brought her out of the rain with his skin paler than a sheet of paper, she’d seemed almost distant.

She still listened when he spoke, but she no longer offered any opinions. Cassidy just seemed… off. There had to be something he could do to cheer her up, right?

Evan wanted to go to Fredbear’s for once because of the whole thing. Charlie said it was a great place to make friends and hang out, and with the atmosphere at home lately, it would be best if he could avoid hanging out there. Elizabeth bickered with her group on their project every night, and it always put their father in a bad mood.

Cassidy plus his father never seemed to end well, as both of them were perfectly polite to each other in a vicious way. Cassidy probably had been right about his father not wanting him to have friends after all, it seemed. Maybe that was why Mike used to scare them off?

Shaking the thought away, Evan fiddled with the strap of his backpack uncomfortably. Mike was grounded, and Lizzie was going to Susie’s house, which meant Evan was also supposed to be going home. Father didn’t like them staying unsupervised, after all.

But Evan wanted to do something nice for Cassidy. She had to run home right after school, not elaborating on why, but it did give him a perfect chance to get her a gift.

He still hesitated though. If his father found out he hadn’t gone straight home… Well, he just had to avoid getting caught then. Evan checked that Fredbear was still hidden at the bottom of his backpack, and then set off for the diner.

The prize corner always had a wide variety of things to win, but Evan had no idea where to even start on a gift for Cassidy. Yet again, he found himself hesitating.

“You have your eyes set on anything in particular?” Evan startled at the boy who’d appeared next to him. Gabe Simmons. Someone who didn’t usually talk to him.

“Uh, well, not for me. I want to get a gift for a friend.”

“Cassidy.” Gabe shot him an amused look as he pointedly looked away. “It’s not a secret that she’s one of your only friends, dude.”

“If she’s one of my only friends, why are you talking to me?”

“I’m bored. And Charlie won’t be here until later.” Gabe shrugged. “Do you have any idea what she likes?”

“Well…” Evan trailed off. What did Cassidy like? She’d seemed interested enough in his Fredbear plushie, once he’d been forcibly given it back. She’d wanted a favor regarding her hair, desperate enough to ask Michael of all people to fix it. Something like that, maybe? “I was thinking about that hair clip.”

He pointed to the row of animatronic themed hair pins and clips. “She likes Fredbear well enough.”

“That’s hardly worth the effort,” Gabe replied, wrinkling his nose. “You could get that easy.”

“I’d rather get her something she actually likes than something she wouldn’t like that’s worth more,” Evan replied quietly.

Gabe regarded him curiously. “I think I misjudged you in the past, Afton. You’re not as bad of a guy as I was expecting.”

“Thanks?”

Gabe wandered off without another word.

Weird. Still, Evan needed to get the clip fast if he wanted to get home before he got caught.

He did not succeed. Despite the fact that Evan hadn’t spotted his father once at the diner, and he’d beaten him home, somehow he still found out that Evan hadn’t come straight home.

Evan gritted his teeth as he faced his punishment, determined not to scream. Still, the ruler stung against his bare arm, and Evan knew he was going to be wearing long-sleeved shirts for at least a week or two after this.

“Behave,” his father said sternly, gesturing for Evan to leave and close the door on the way out.

“Yes Father,” Evan answered quietly before going to his room.

Tomorrow is another day.

The hair clip burned in Evan’s pocket as he looked around before school the following morning. He wanted to surprise her with it, but he never usually had luck finding her before school. Today was no different. His mouth twisted downward, but Evan did not feel tears welling up. This was expected, after all.

The morning was chilly for once, and Evan felt a bit relieved that he’d been forced to wear longer sleeves today. The wind stirred the trees at the front of the school as Evan waited for the bell to ring.

He went through his classes in somewhat of a daze, not really paying much attention to anything. It struck him briefly that he didn’t really have any classes with Cassidy. None in the morning anyway.

His arm ached as he went from class to class, despite how carefully he was trying to carry his things without jarring it. Evan carried on the only way he knew how: by thinking about anything else.

Today’s distraction topic was, unsurprisingly, Cassidy. The way she normally hung on his every word with a faint smile, the way she checked in with him constantly and gave people a hard time if they tried to mess with him. It gave him a warm feeling to think about her, grateful that she’d decided to be friends with him, even if he still suspected he was some kind of pity project.

Lizzie liked to tease him about having a crush on her, but the thought didn’t bother him so much. If he had a crush, then he had a crush. And if considering the thought that he had a crush on Cassidy made his cheeks burn, then so be it. He wouldn’t be the first boy in the world to have a crush on a girl.

Thankfully, Evan only had to wait until lunch to talk to Cassidy. She seemed just as distracted as before, and it made Evan’s heart ache. Still, he forced a smile to his face and greeted her brightly.

She smiled back, a weaker smile than his own and poked at her food with disinterest. Cassidy hardly looked at him.

“Cass, are you feeling okay?” he blurted out. He hadn’t asked before, thinking that she probably hadn’t wanted to talk about it, but after remembering how she used to smile and talk to him, he couldn’t help himself.

She looked startled by the question, dropping her fork back onto the tray. “I-“

“You’ve just seemed so occupied lately, and I know I should mind my business and wait for you to be ready to say something, but I’m worried about you.”

“Oh…” Cassidy’s eyebrows creased at that, and it was the first time she’d seemed to actually absorb his words since Charlie’s party. “I guess I… Well…” Cassidy struggled to gather her thoughts. “I’ve been having nightmares. I didn’t want to say anything because I don’t think they’re as big of a deal as yours, and I didn’t want to devalue your problems.”

“Cassidy, we’re friends. Just because I have constant problems doesn’t mean you can’t talk about yours at all. Besides, I’ve been doing better since Mikey started letting me sleep in his room again.” Evan put his hand on her arm reassuringly. “I’m here to listen, if you need to share.”

Cassidy smiled weakly. “Thanks, Ev. It’s probably stupid, but when I was at that party, I thought I heard something outside, and I went to go see. When I tried to get back in, the door was locked. And then…” Cassidy trailed off, her left hand twitching before resting on top of Evan’s. “Well, this car started coming up the alley way, and I just felt so scared, scared like I’ve never felt in my life, and I ran away from it, but it felt like the car was chasing me. So I’ve been having different dreams where I do get caught by the car, and sometimes I die, sometimes I watch other people die, and… yeah…” Cassidy squeezed his hand tightly.

Evan’s eyebrows scrunched tightly. “Have you told anyone besides me?”

“No,” Cassidy admitted. “But I don’t want to worry anyone.”

“Maybe at least tell your brother? I’m sure he’d want to know if you’re struggling to sleep or focus, Cass.”

Cassidy shrugged. “It won’t change anything. Travis would just worry. And he’s not tiny like you and your brother. If I tried to sleep in my brother’s bed with him, I would fall off the bed and hurt myself.”

“I’m not that small!” Evan protested, but he saw Cassidy’s point. Weirdly enough, it presented the perfect opportunity for him. “But, I may have an idea for you.”

“Yeah? Is it to get a ratty old Fredbear plush and carry it everywhere?” Cassidy asked skeptically. “Because I don’t think that works for everyone.”

“That implies that I do it because I want to,” Evan muttered to himself, but he shook his head at Cassidy, digging into his pocket. “No, I was thinking something a bit more your style.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, something like this.” Evan pulled the hairclip from his pocket. “I went to Fredbear’s yesterday and won it at the prize counter. Think of it as a way for me to defend you from your nightmares.”

Cassidy blinked at him, her mouth opening like she wanted to speak. Then she closed her mouth and blinked again. It took Evan a moment to realize she was speechless. And about to cry?

“It’s, um. If you don’t want it, it’s no big deal-“

“No, that’s very sweet actually,” Cassidy interrupted him, pulling her arm from under his hand. “Can you help me put it in? On the right side?”

“Oh, sure.” Evan fumbled with the hairclip, and Cassidy laughed lightly as he got to his feet to put the clip in her hair. “Like that?”

“A little further up,” Cassidy guided his hands, and Evan was sure his face was on fire. “Right there.”

Evan sighed in relief as he retracted his hands. His sleeve had slipped a little ways down his arm, and he quickly pulled it back down. Not fast enough, apparently, as Cassidy frowned.

Her eyes fixed on his sleeve, and she reached out to grab his elbow. Evan let her push his sleeve back to reveal the raw, bruised skin. “What happened here? Did-“

“I got in trouble.” Evan bit his lip and glanced away. “Mike is grounded, and if I’m not supervised, then-“

“Your dad did this?” Cassidy’s voice seemed tight, but Evan squeezed his eyes shut instead of looking at her expression.

“Yeah. But it’s better to face smaller fears than big ones, right?” Evan replied weakly.

Cassidy fell silent again. Her grip tightened on his elbow, and she let out a quiet sigh. “You’re unbelievable.”

“In a good way, though. Right?” Evan finally turned back to Cassidy. She seemed on the verge of tears as she looked at him.

The faintest smile came across her face. “Of course. Of course, Evie.”

She dragged him into a tight hug, and Evan hugged her back, unable to make himself care about how things looked to the rest of the room.

Everything was going to be just fine.

[snickerdoodlles]

headcanons behind fic: brother texting habits referenced in long & short

Chay holds up his phone sheepishly. “Also, your brother texted me. We’re invited to dinner.” Kim’s smile drops. He doesn’t need to ask which brother. “Did he type that out, or just send an emoji with a question mark?”

ngl, had i realized how much i'd expand this series, this is actually a scene i'd cut or at least heavily rework. it's the weakest scene of the story and its execution has only felt more clunky as time passes. hindsight! that said, i don't regret the scene either because the headcanons behind the premise of that scene are very near and dear to my heart, namely the texting rituals of Khun, Kinn, and Kim :D

the boys have a system to their texting. it's not anything as concrete as a code, that'd be far too dangerous and anxiety inducing. their system, naturally, revolves primarily around giving hints to Korn's mood without outright saying anything:

firstly, all brother invites to things go through Khun, because Khun's invites will only ever be invites and Kim's 'no's will only ever be 'no's.

anytime Korn demands Khun or Kinn (usually Kinn) drag Kim to a family thing for him go through Kinn, and 'Kinn's requests are always phrased as a question Kim can refuse. Kim once tells Kinn he'll show up if Kinn orders him to (because he doesn't actually want to get Kinn into trouble if Korn's being esp insistent), and Kinn smiles and tells him "thank you" and never ever once orders Kim join them, because Kim asked not to be involved in the family business and Kinn will take on any burden to keep Kim free of it.

Kinn passes along how insistent Korn's being through the overall tone and vibe of his messages, usually indicated by how much of it he types out. requests Kim join official functions sound like a formal invitation printed on a card, requests Kim indulge Korn playing family are much closer to Kinn's standard texting style;

because, and this is a silly headcanon i will have forever, Kinn fucking loves emojis. you know his whole "this could've been an email" vibe when he shoots that guy in the head ep1? same vibes except much cuter. Kinn thinks emojis are adorable and efficiency perfected. why send "thank you" when the 👍 emoji is right there? a picture's worth a thousand words and 🫂 is a thousand warm ones. he could send "wanna check out that new coffee shop by the studio next tuesday for brunch? their menu is 60% sprinkles so i'm sure you'll love it" but ☕🧋🎙️❔👑2️⃣🗓️🕦🍬👉💕💕‼️ is so much quicker. the only reason why Kinn's texts aren't 87% cute stickers is because he hasn't yet realized they come preprogrammed in his phone.

("do you think he speaks in hieroglyphics because he's secretly ancient?" Kim asks one day.

"how old does it make you to understand him then?" Khun snarks back.)

((Kim leaves Khun on read for a week.))

some bonus thoughts: Khun's a spam texter of the highest order. every one text is sent across 3.5 texts minimum. Kinn only ever sends one (1) text. if Kinn's replying to multiple messages in one go, he separates his responses in indv bullet points (if he's feeling petty towards Khun, he responds to every one of Khun's messages individually).

(Kinn's multiple messages to Chay in long & short are absolutely because he's watching Kim's live. for all Kim's snooping, he has somehow missed that Kinn has every alert and then some set for Wik news and while he can't make every live, he plans his breaks around them and even moved a meeting once.)

also, while Kinn pretends he's threatening/blackmailing with these baby Kim pics, this is 100% him taking advantage of the situation to gush about cute baby brother with a fellow Kim AppreciatorTM. Kinn has the cutest little brother, and he's gotta keep up with news of baby brother's current shenanigans somehow 😤👏 Khun is guilty of similar crimes ofc.

(Kim suffers older brothers so much.)

[meownotgood]

family life / hayakawa aki

raising a family with your husband, aki.

pairing: hayakawa aki x gn!reader

genre: headcanons / fluff / domestic

note: this post is sfw, but this account contains nsfw content. please do not follow if you are a minor.

❥ Aki, would you ever consider starting a family with me? — When Aki first heard you ask him this, the two of you sat quietly at the dinner table, his face promptly flushed a warm shade of red. He hesitated for a moment, tapping his silverware idly against the table. You stare up at him expectantly, and with a deep breath, then a trip and stumble over his own words, Aki replies, I- I'd... Yeah. I'd consider it, yes, definitely. I would love to.

❥ Honestly, he's already considered the idea numerous times, he just never assumed it would actually end up coming to fruition. From the day he married you, and from the moment you took his last name, he thought he'd love to settle down with you, to raise a family and grow old alongside you. But, he assumed it was just wishful thinking, just a pleasant dream to fantasize of from time to time; how would someone like him ever be lucky enough to live that kind of life? 

❥ Well, it seems like he is that lucky, and when it comes to raising a family with his beloved, with you, he couldn't be any happier. 

❥ Aki would be lying if he tried to say he wasn't nervous — Actually, he tries his hardest to make you believe that he isn't, but you can see through him better than he thinks you can. In reality, he's terrified. He has no idea how he's supposed to raise a child, hell, he was hardly raised himself. What if he screws this up? What if he was never cut out for this, to be a father? 

❥ Thankfully, you're there to reassure him, to let him know that you're a team. The both of you can do this, together, and even if you mess up, everything will work out in the end. You know it will. And when he knows that you're there to help him, Aki feels a whole lot better. 

❥ Aki spends his free time reading parenting books to make sure he's prepared. He checked out every single one he could get his hands on at the library. During your late night conversations, he tells you some of the useful things he learned from them, too. You're not sure if they're all that necessary, but you can't help but admire his enthusiasm. 

❥ He quits smoking. Aki has been wanting to quit forever, honestly, but this was the final push he needed to never smoke another cigarette again.

❥ When it comes time, Aki helps you decorate your spare bedroom to perfection. You paint the walls together, Aki reaching up to get the spots you can't reach. You smear some paint on this focused face when he isn't paying attention. The both of you get distracted, until your faces, hands, and clothes end up covered in more paint than what you were able to get on the walls. Aki tugs you in by the waist, placing a deep, tender kiss on your lips, before softly whispering, I'm so excited, sweetheart. We're gonna make the best parents, I know it. 

❥ You and Aki pick out everything you need — A crib, blankets, stuffed animals, pacifiers. In the time since you've been married, you've become familiar with Aki's softer side, how his stoic act is just a facade. Nowhere else is it displayed more than here, when he helps you choose the absolute cutest items. Hey, sweetheart, which do you think they'll like more, the duckie or the kitty? 

❥ He spends hours putting together the crib, powering through the complicated set of instructions. He's so proud when he shows you how he finally managed to put it together, and when you fling your arms around him and tell him, It looks perfect, I love you, he's certain the struggle was worth it. 

❥ Aki also spends hours baby-proofing the entire house, to a degree so meticulous that you can't help but giggle. He hunts down every single outlet in the house and gives it a safety cover, he puts locks on each doorknob (even the cabinets), and he tests all the furniture in the house to make sure nothing will fall. You find his carefulness to be sweet, but after he's spent hours rearranging and stressing, you wrap your arms around his shoulders, place a quick kiss on his cheek, and tell him it's alright to take a break for now. 

❥ And when the day finally comes, when the two of you finally bring your baby home, Aki is sure he hasn't cried more than this in his entire life. His eyes are red and puffy, his cheeks tear-stained; he sticks to you like glue, adamantly refusing to leave you or his son's side, not even for a single second. 

❥ He's so damn happy, he can't even believe this is happening. Aki stares at your son like he holds the world in his itty bitty hands, like if Aki stops looking for even a moment, he'll wake up to discover this was all just a dream. Just one of his many fantasies that he replays in his head as he falls asleep holding you close. But, no, it's real, and it won't change, no matter how much he worries that it will. When Aki remembers this, he feels a huge wave of solace, and a steady, love-sick ache settled in his heart.

❥ You haven't stopped holding your baby since you've left, so when you're finally home and able to lower him into his crib, Aki is immediately wrapping his arms around you, pulling you into a tight hug. His tears soak your shoulder, his hands ball up your shirt, his little sniffles and sobs muffled as he buries his face into the crook of your neck. I'm so happy. I'm so, so happy for us. Aki pulls apart from you then, and his hand trembles when he brings it to your cheek. I think this is the best day of my life. 

❥ Things are a little rough at first, as the two of you struggle to get a handle on things. Truth is, despite the numerous parenting books and hours spent preparing, neither of you have any idea what you're doing. For the first week, Aki thinks he got a full five hours of sleep in total, or no, maybe four hours? He was so exhausted he could hardly remember. 

❥ The baby won't eat, then he won't sleep, then he cries and cries and neither of you have a clue why — Aki begins to think maybe he really isn't cut out for this. When the two of you lay in bed, the baby finally quieting for what feels like the first time in ages, Aki holds you close to himself. His voice is shaky and weak when he tells you how he's worried, how he's so scared because he has no idea what to do, and no-one to tell him. Do you think I'm doing something wrong? I really… I really don't wanna mess this up. I'm sorry. 

❥ He feels the stress melt from his shoulders when you rub his back with your palms, muttering sweet words of reassurance into his ear. Just the sound of your voice, the way you promise him that you'll be here with him every step of the way, I know the two of us can do this, Aki, it'll be okay — He didn't realize how tired he was until now, so it isn't long before your peaceful words lull him to sleep. 

❥ As things go on, everything gets easier and easier. Aki starts to get the hang of it, becoming more and more comfortable, learning techniques for every situation. He's figured out how to handle things on his own, so you can head to work while he stays home. You were a little nervous for him at first, but when you came home from work to see Aki sleeping peacefully with the baby in his arms, you felt all of your worries wash away. 

❥ There was one time, though, not too long after you took your baby home, where he happened to fall ill. The doctors told you it was nothing to worry about, that this is rather normal, and he should get better soon, but that didn't stop Aki from worrying his head off, nor from sleeping beside the crib every single night. 

❥ Your heart feels warm to see your husband fretting so much over your baby boy, but all of his worrying built up a bit of a bad habit. Your child started requiring that Aki sleep beside his crib every night if he's ever going to get any rest. 

❥ Aki keeps his hand stuck in between the bars, so your son can wrap his small hands around Aki's thumb. Allowing him to fall asleep like this seems to be the only way to get him to sleep soundly all night, so Aki props up a chair and makes himself comfortable. You can't remember how many times you came into the spare bedroom and wrapped a blanket around your sleeping husband's shoulders before your son was finally able to break the habit. 

❥ The two of you debated profusely over what your kid's first words would end up being, until one day, when you came home from work; Aki didn't even give you a chance to kick off your shoes, swiftly grabbing your hand and leading you into the hallway. He drags you to the spare bedroom, and with a warm grin tugging at his cheeks, he says, Look, sweetheart. Look at what I taught him to do. 

❥ Aki goes on to show you how he taught your kid to say his name — Your son reaches up, gesturing grabby hands at Aki before babbling his name, Aki!, until Aki finally picks him up. You give your husband a playful shove, pretending to be annoyed that it was his name your son ended up saying first, but honestly, the way he says it is so cute that you don't have the heart to be at all disappointed. 

❥ Although… Aki's teachings did end up causing one repercussion. Now, your son thinks Aki is synonymous with getting what he wants, so he tends to say it whenever and where-ever. Even when Aki isn't present, your son is gurgling his name, saying it when you give him his favorite toy, or crying it when he wants you to hold him. It's a little endearing, sure, but it takes longer than you expected for him to finally learn your name. 

❥ Aki has no problem taking care of your son by himself if you've had a long day and need to relax. He greets you with a kiss at the door, gently pulling your coat from your arms, massaging the tension from your shoulders beneath his hands. Long day, baby? I know, I ran you a hot bath, it should be ready in a few minutes. I'll take care of making dinner tonight, you just relax. 

❥ As your child grows, Aki mellows out, seeming to ditch any semblance of his old, stern persona in favor of a much sweeter one. You notice how he's a lot calmer, a lot more relaxed. However, even if he's a lot gentler now, he still speaks to his son a lot softer than he speaks to everyone else, his voice taking on a particular comforting tone, no matter the situation. Hm, you said you broke something? Oh, don't cry, it's alright. It was an accident, I'm not mad at you. We can clean it up together, okay? 

❥ Your son's particular sort of endearment with his father is probably because Aki tends to spoil him to high heaven, buying him anything and everything he could ever want, making him whatever his little heart desires for dinner, and taking him to wherever he says he wants to go. You don't even know what excursions they're taking at this point, you just come home from work to Aki and your son playing with manta ray stuffed animals, and Aki has to explain, Oh, we went to the aquarium today, sweetheart. I think rays are his favorite animal now, he seems to really like them.

❥ Aki always makes sure to carry around plenty of packages of candy and sticks of gum in his pocket to keep your son satisfied. His car is filled with coloring books, stickers, toys, and pretty much anything your son could ever ask for or need. 

❥ Although Aki is prepared for every situation, he's a worrier at heart, so he still tends to stress about anything related to your son — Is he gonna be okay to sleepover at his friend's house? I told him to call me if he needs me and I'll come pick him up right away. He has my number, he won't forget it, right? — You frequently have to remind Aki that it's okay, your son is capable of handling himself, so there's no need for him to fret so much. Just relax. 

❥ When you and Aki realize you haven't been able to get much time alone, you'll hire a babysitter, so that the two of you can go out and spend a nice date night together. And if your son ever happens to go to a friend's house, you can bet that you and Aki are going to make good use of the time you're able to spend home alone (well, if the two of you end up spending all that time just napping or doing chores, that's fine, too). 

❥ At first, Aki is extra worried when it comes time for your son's first day at school, but when he comes home with a huge smile on his face, excited to tell you and Aki about all the fun he had, Aki seems to loosen up rather quickly. 

❥ Aki makes packed lunches for your son every day, and puts his backpack on his shoulders before he walks out the door. When he comes home, Aki is seated beside him at the dinner table, helping him with his homework. Your son is always telling you about how his classmates are all jealous of his fancy lunches, how he always brags to them about how amazing of a dad Aki is. You laugh, ruffling his hair, before leaning down to say, You better make sure you tell your dad that. 

❥ Aki thinks he's always gonna love when his son calls him dad — He never imagined he'd get the opportunity to be a father, and to such an amazing son, at that. You and Aki are the most doting parents, bragging about how much you love your son to the point where other people might even find it annoying. Aki hardly cares, he feels so happy and unbelievably lucky, and he wants anyone and everyone to know it. 

❥ Whenever your kid brings home an art project from school, or a worksheet he did, Aki saves it. He saves literally everything to the point where your attic is overflowing from every sketch and every project your son has ever completed. And when your son draws a messy stick figure drawing of you, Aki, and him, Aki keeps it stuck to the fridge forever. 

❥ Mornings spent with your husband quickly become your favorite part of every day. You wake up to a soft kiss on the forehead, to Aki's arms wrapped snugly around you, and to him whispering into your ear, Good morning, love. Did you sleep well? 

❥ The two of you enjoy your time alone early in the morning, before your son has woken up for school. Aki brews you both some coffee, sipping it out of his "World's Best Dad mug" that your son bought him for his birthday. He makes sure to sneak in as many kisses to your lips as he can before it's finally time to fully start the morning. I'm gonna go wake him up, you can go back to bed if you'd like. I'll join you in just a bit, I promise. 

❥ Your nights together are a close contender for second favorite, though. You get some time to talk to Aki about your day, or just reminisce on things, like the way two nostalgic lovers always do. Aki absently runs his fingers through your hair, his voice heavy and tired as he teeters on the edge of falling asleep. I still remember when he couldn't even walk, and now he's running miles for his sports team every day. Mmm, it's been so long… Can you believe it, sweetheart?… Oh, are you asleep already? 

❥ Sometimes though, your son will tiptoe to you and Aki's shared bedroom, asking if he can sleep with you since he had a bad dream, and those nights, those nights are the best. Cuddled up with your whole family, enveloped in warmth and comfort — You can't help but savor this moment, and Aki can't help but wish it would never end.

❥ Aki takes holidays extremely seriously, always trying to make sure each one is the best it can be. He bakes homemade cakes for every birthday, decorating the top with frosting and numbered candles. He stays up until 2am wrapping presents from "Santa", but getting to eat the cookies you baked as a family the night before, and seeing the excited look on your son's face when he comes to the present-filled living room on Christmas morning makes it all worth it. 

❥ When your son has his baseball games, Aki is always screaming the loudest, cheering for him until his throat aches every time he hits a home run, before turning to you with an excited smile. Did you see that? He's doing so good, wow. I'm… I'm so proud. 

❥ And when he has his piano recitals, you and Aki are dressing up fancy, stopping at the store to buy a bouquet of flowers, and making sure you get seats in the very front row. You're sure at the end, you heard Aki clapping the loudest, too. 

❥ Aki feels fortunate to call you his family, and even if he worries sometimes, or even if he struggles, he's certain this life is how everything was meant to be. Everything flies by so fast, until days turn into months turn into years, and every day, Aki still thinks he's going to wake up from some sort of dream. Well, if this is a dream, it's certainly the best one he's ever had, and he hopes from the bottom of his heart to never awake from it.

❥ When you, Aki, and your son visit his families gravestone together, Aki has a bit of a somber expression on his face, his brows furrowed, as if he's lost in thought; you ask him if he's alright, and your son chimes in, saying something about how he seems like he's sad. Aki simply shakes his head, turning to you both with a faint, but warm smile. His cheeks are red from the cold, and wisps of icy breath are expelled from his mouth when he deeply sighs. I'm alright. I'm so, so grateful for you both, you know. You two are the only family I could ever need. 

[leiflitter]

More

Hello from Blighty thoughts about Saltburn

As a continuation from my reply to @armands-eyefuckery because BRAIN

Aight gang let's have a lil sit down because there is a big ol angle to the film that I think is getting missed by a lot of folks who aren't from the UK because it's a very uh...

British Thing.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT OLIVER IS FROM THE NORTH.

Cut because Length.

Now look. I am not going to go into Thatcher and Her Crimes, but it's worth a google. I do bring it up in You're Almost Home because...

Lots of people are saying Oliver is upper middle class, and honestly? That doesn't track for me. At all. Yes, his parents have a detached house in a nice suburb and they went on holidays, but there's a lot of Very British Context to them that I really want to point out. Also remember, it's 2006/2007. That is also important.

First of all- Oliver's parents probably never went to University.

Really listen to them. How gullible they are- they believe that Oliver can study at Oxford, and be on the rowing team, and be in plays, and be top scholar. He's always been so clever. If Oliver was anything near upper middle class, his parents would be educated professionals. Oliver probably has dockworkers not even three generations back- his dad has management vibes, but he probably worked his way up in the 70s when all you needed was a good attitude and not to be an obvious murderer.

Secondly- let's talk about the house.

As someone from Down South who has also lived Up North, Oliver's Parent's house would not have been as expensive as people think. Let's assume they bought it in the 1980s- we ALL know that house prices are through the roof NOW, but even today there is a huge gap between house prices in the south and the north. 200k down South might get you a one bedroom flat, if you're lucky. 200k in Prescot can get you a 4-bed, semi-detached HOUSE. Check rightmove.

It is also important that the house is relatively new-looking, because over here Upper Middle Class people aren't really into new build houses- if Oliver was upper middle class, he'd be living in something Victorian or Edwardian. Probably somewhere with a good link to London, especially in 2007. It also means that Oliver's parents may not have even bought it outright- my parents got on the housing ladder via a shared ownership scheme. Oliver's parents aren't rich.

Now, the holidays. Mykonos. Another fun Brit thing is the package holiday. Here's a pretty interesting article about them;

Two adults and three kids could absolutely have gone to Mykonos every year in the late 80s/90s for far less than you'd expect, especially if they paid in installments each month.

I also mentioned about Ollie being from Merseyside specifically, but again. CONTEXT. Although Oliver isn't Liverpudlian (it's important, he's from NEAR Liverpool but not Liverpool itself) the North of England as a whole has routinely been fucked over by those in power. The government AND the royals and the very wealthy. It's still ongoing today- again, another fun source.

Remember when Mr Eats-Crunchies-Sideways called him a Bootlicker? That's fucking IMPORTANT. To many folks he IS a bootlicker. He is highly unlikely to have been raised to grovel at the feet of those with hereditary titles and wealth, and honestly he doesn't. I've written before about how Oliver Denies Felix Things and how that dynamic is important. Oliver likely hasn't been raised with any real deference to The Rich (except Princess Diana).

It also effects Oliver's response to Felix, because goddamn it THATCHER again- it is HIGHLY likely that Oliver has lived through a lot of homophobia. Internalised a lot of it. Felix's parents do not give a shit, but that was not the norm. Again, tried to hit on it in YAH, because times have changed since the 90s/2000s and people change with them, but no fuckin wonder Oliver never responded to Felix chirpsing him like a maniac. He's fucking REPRESSED when he's in Oxford, pals. It also makes sense with that weird Tumblr Dom shit he pulls; he's still fuckin weird about it, he's just being In Charge so he doesn't need to be vulnerable in any way. He is only vulnerable for Felix, and even then he can't SHOW felix that, that would be gay.

Leiflitter over'n'out

[imaginingbleach]

Hello :3 I have a request: can you do Kyouraku and Ukitake (I love 'em both hehehe) as dads, please? Thank you very much :3

:sob sob sob sob:

i'm sorry this took literally years to reply

here's hoping it was 1/1000000 worth the wait

Wrote this with GN reader in mind, so...

Whether reader decided to adopt or (if able) give birth is up to you.

Shunsui Kyoraku

Not that he's against them, he just never imagined he would end up with children.

No matter how he gained his child, he just didn't think he would end up in this situation.

He absolutely adores them and would lay his life on the line for them, though.

He's definitely the fun dad, unfortunately. You would need to be the one to scold both of them...

Though, you might be able to get Nanao to help a little bit.

You don't dare ask her for help when she's off duty, though she usually doesn't mind scolding her captain :)

He will happily participate in bring your kid to work day, but might forget to tell you--

Luckily Nanao or Jushiro informed you before you had the chance to go into a panic.

There's also not even a dedicated day for "bring your child to work", he just decided to do it.

You're going to end up with gray hair long before he does with how much stress he puts you through.

You love him, though, and know he would burn the world down to keep you and your child(ren) safe.

He likes using them as an excuse on why he can't do paperwork--

"but Nanao, I can't work on private documents in front of a child/children!"

"Then you shouldn't have brought them! 😡"

"They wanted to see their godmother! (Or any special title she may have) 😚"

She would blush for a moment, stutter, then continue scolding him.

Hates sending his family away during dangerous times, but he does it to keep them safe.

Spoils them when they return with whatever he can offer.

Jushiro Ukitake

When the idea was first brought up, he was a bit apprehensive.

He was worried about the future and leaving you as a single parent...

You would have to convince him that he was allowed to enjoy things in the here and now.

He was surprisingly composed when he first met them, but he was definitely crying.

He would hold them close and welcome them to the family happily, voice cracking a bit.

He tries to spend as much time with them as possible, since he is constantly thinking of the future...

Between being a captain and his illness, he knows all too well how suddenly someone can leave your life.

He cannot shirk his duties, but he's always making sure you and your child feel loved.

His favorite thing is when you bring them with you to check in on him.

He feels bad when he's down and out, but he always manages to put on a smile.

He has a wall dedicated to every single get well card and art that's brought to him.

He'll sometimes just stare up at it and remember when he got it.

He dedicates one day out of the month to spend time with you and your child.

From morning until night.

He has to reschedule fairly often due to suddenly getting sick or work, but he does manage.

It's never the same day of the month, but he relishes in the big smile he gets from his child.

He's so thankful they're so understanding of his illness.

It makes him strive harder to do what he can in the time he has with them.

[turtleblogatlast]

hey!!! this is less of an ask and more of a fic rec tbh 😭 but have you read 'I May be Invisible, but I Still Look Good" by Dandy over on Ao3???? It's after the movie AND Leo-centric and like he gets cursed so his spirit is ripped out of his body. It's like 125k words of wonderful storytelling

OH- but for an actual question, do you have and fic recs?? or any AU's you think people should go check out?

I tried answering this before and it erased my reply orz

ANYWAY YES I HAVE read this and I absolutely love it with every fiber of my being.❤️ 100% one of my top fics to read in this fandom that I even go back to for a reread more than once. The characters are perfectly done and the set up for the story is believable with a fantastic payoff, highly highly highly recommend to anyone who hasn’t read it yet.❤️

As for recs, I’ve always been terrible at giving recs since my memory is very bad especially for ones I haven’t read in a while.😭 Off the top of my head I can recommend (note these are practically entirely Leo-centric since he’s my special guy you understand (the others aren’t forgotten at all though!!!) - and most of these are very very well known so you’ve likely already read them…):

[Note many of these are unfinished and may remain that way - please no one harass the writers for more, let them write at their own pace if they choose to write at all]

- The Neon Void by sugarpastels is absolutely incredible, the dramatic irony of it all as we follow Leo in the state he’s in and see just how broken all the Hamatos are by his “death” is just 👌👌👌 The fact that this places with one of my favorite tropes aka “Leo being in the Prison Dimension longer than canon” is just so good. Genuinely a thoroughly gripping tale that I highly recommend. It’s not complete yet (a lot of this list isn’t) but what is there is so amazing please read (though you most likely have read it already haha)

- little kid with a big death wish and firefight by remrose are another two you’ve likely seen but by god are they worth the read. Firefight isn’t done yet but it and death wish are so amazingly well written and really go into how trauma affects people differently and how ties with family can be tested in traumatic situations. Hard subjects definitely but very maturely done. (Also I misread firefight as firelight for way too long before I realized it-)

- Power Up and Times Five by pickedcarrotsandradish are both unfinished but I can’t care because what we were given is so good that I’m fine with them as they are. Both deal with Leo’s insecurities and bad feelings about himself and, very importantly, the fics go into how these insecurities establish a base for Leo’s very real flaws and how those flaws push him to act the way he does. Very interesting and compelling stuff here!! Power Up especially does really cool things for the boys’ mystic power ups, especially Leo’s, and I loved reading about the ins and outs of what they could do.

- Race Against Life, Death, and the EPF by Cass_Phoenix is just so engaging to read??? Like I love the entire set up for it - it’s feels so fresh and like you’re in Leo’s desperate situation yourself. I was so excited whenever a new chapter came out because the atmosphere was so well done.

- A Mixed Bag by GreatlyBlessed is SHOCKINGLY not Leo-centric for once haha. It’s not completed, but again, like the others above it is so good that I recommend it anyway. This story is actually a crossover between four sets of TMNT (‘87, ‘03, ‘12, and Rise) and the dynamics set up in it are SO fun I love it. Team 2 is my fave because you have literally all my faves on that team how could I not?? I also highly appreciate that everyone gets a chance to shine and that there’s no bashing at all, they’re all just very much in character and it’s refreshing to read ❤️❤️❤️

There’s a LOAD more that I could recommend I’m sure but I don’t remember them off the top of my head at the moment.😭 If I remember I’ll come back and add them in!

(Forgot about AU’s- honestly there’s some that I see and catch up on when I see them but there’s just so many that it’s a bit difficult to keep track of sometimes! I’d have to go around and fully look through many before having a solid answer haha! The ones I do see are always so well done though, I may come back and add them here if I remember 😅)

[kinardsevan]

30 day fluff prompt challenge: (welcome to) day four

"messing around in IKEA"

“Look, I just wanted the meatballs, we don’t actually have to stay.” 

Evan turns on his heel towards Tommy as they pass through a bedroom setup into a kitchen display.

“Last I checked, you said the walls are still pretty bare,” he replies. “And we still need to find an option for the kitchen cabinets.” 

Tommy chuckles at him, shakes his head. He’d been secretly putting this trip off for over two weeks because he knew that his husband would want to look at everything. As it was, between the two of them and their interest in building things with their hands, it was fairly unlikely that being in IKEA would do much more than just give them ideas on the build-out they were going to ultimately do themselves in their new house. 

“Babe,” Evan drawls, practically frothing at the mouth as he comes to stand in front of a cooktop. “It’s induction.” 

Tommy leans over, looking at the price tag attached to the appliance. “It’s also thirteen hundred dollars.” 

Evan glances over his shoulder at him, a smirk playing on his lips. “I could make that up in a month’s worth of cooking for our friends.” 

Tommy chuckles again, eyeing up the appliance a bit more. One thing he’s already planned to have extra spending money for is the cooking appliances for their kitchen. He’d never hold his husband back from being his best chef, especially when Tommy gets to reap the benefits. 

“So are we going to look at cabinets or not,” Tommy asks him after a beat. He draws his gaze away from the induction cooktop, expecting Evan to still be in front of him, only to find him standing in the next room over. It’s a bedroom set-up with a nursery tucked off to the side, and the way Evan is running his fingers over the side of the crib makes something in Tommy cause his heart to skip a beat. 

They’ve had a rough go of it lately. They’d had an easy time getting a surrogate—Kameron and Connor had been down to help without so much as a second thought, especially given how often they reminded Evan that they were grateful for their son. However, after trying to go the easy route of at-home insemination, they’d swung for IVF, which hadn’t been cheap for them either. 

They’d also been through three miscarriages. Two had taken place in the early weeks, one before there was even a measureable heartbeat. But the last one had been during the fourth month. They’d already started picking names, and Maddie had been starting the plans for a baby shower. Getting that phone call from Kameron had absolutely wrecked them. After that, Kameron had politely asked them if she could bow out, and neither of them held it against her for needing to. Those losses had been trauma for all four of them—Connor included. 

Initially, Tommy dismissed it to himself as bad DNA. Both he and Evan had contributed to the cause but made it clear to their doctor that they weren’t interested in knowing who the biological father was. He had assumed after the first loss that maybe it was his fault, given that Evan and Kameron had already produced a healthy pregnancy and a live birth. But then the second one happened, and he felt inclined to ask, at which point their doctor had confirmed that both men’s donations had each been given a shot, that it wasn’t either of them causing the issue, just a bad roll of the dice. And then the third pregnancy happened, and things were going well, and Tommy was pretty sure that the baby was probably biologically Evan’s, but he didn’t care because they finally had a baby with a heartbeat outside of the first trimester. 

At least, they had. 

He sighs and pushes their cart forward, across the space into the nursery area that Evan is standing in. 

“Where’s your head at,” he asks, sliding a hand around his husband’s waist, staring down into the empty crib. There’s a teddy bear tucked in the corner. 

“Baby kicks,” Evan replies, running his fingers over the enamel paint. 

Tommy gives a small smile, turning his head and kissing his husband’s birthmark. 

“I hope she has one right here, just like you,” he murmurs. Evan sighs, leaning into the gesture. 

“She’s not even mine biologically,” Evan replies when he pulls away, looks up at Tommy. 

Tommy raises an eyebrow at him for just a tick. “Only because genetic material shouldn’t be mixed between siblings.” 

Evan rolls his eyes and looks back down at the crib, a smile still playing on his features. 

“She’ll still be a Buckley,” he comments. “That’s all I care about.” 

“Mmm. Which means she could still have that birthmark.” 

After Kameron, Evan had been rudderless. They’d talked about adoption, had started the process for foster care and were meeting with some private agencies, but they both knew that even that was going to be a years-long process. Truth be told, Tommy wasn’t entirely sure what convinced him to think that calling Maddie was a good idea, but he’d been willing to do anything to help the situation after seeing the way his husband suffered in silence for months on end. 

At the time, he’d felt bad, mostly because he hadn’t asked Chimney if he’d be okay with the idea first. But Maddie had said yes without a second thought. Granted, there had been a brief period when, after he’d told Evan about Maddie agreeing to try, that Evan had mentioned the option for his sister to provide the other half of the baby’s DNA, given that they’d burned all their embryos with Kameron. That question had been a little out of left field for both Maddie and Chimney. For about thirty-six hours, Tommy had been convinced Maddie would end the entire conversation, not hold any interest at that point in helping. 

But then, by some miracle, she’d said yes. To all of it. 

That had been nearly six months ago. 

“Alright,” Tommy murmurs after a beat. “We still have a few weeks before the shower and we don’t have the time or money to put together an entire nursery right now when we need to make sure the rest of the house is in order in the next three months.” 

Evan lets out another sigh, this one far more contented. 

“Fine,” he murmurs. “But I want some of that chocolate cake they have in the restaurant. Plus, I promised Maddie I’d bring her the strawberry shortcake.” 

Tommy laughs, letting Evan pull him out of the room. 

“You Buckleys and your sugar intake,” he comments. “Here’s hoping Lucy gets my metabolism.” 

Evan turns on his heel, narrows his eyes at his husband. 

“Here’s hoping she doesn’t have your sass.” 

[roosterforme]

Is It Working For You? Part 11 | Rooster x Reader

Just in case you need to start at the beginning or visit an earlier chapter, check out my Masterlist!

Summary: The weekend is over, back to reality. But you want to keep sneaking around to be with Bradley.

Warnings: 18+ only, smut, angst, fluff, some swears, adult banter

Length: 3600 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

After having literally the perfect weekend, Monday was a bit of a reality check for Bradley. Several times throughout the day, he imagined being cuddled up with you or buried deep inside you, and it was the only thing helping him not kill Maverick. Mav wanted everyone to be perfect, he seemed to think the best way was his way. But Bradley wasn't like him. 

And while he hated thinking about his dad in context with Maverick, he didn't think Nick Bradshaw would have wanted his son to compromise who he was. He knew his dad and Maverick had been best friends, but Mav was the one who decided to break his relationship with Bradley. Trying to work together now was not the easiest thing. 

It was all a fine balancing act, one that Bradley still hadn't completely figured out yet. He knew he was a great pilot, that was never the question. But he also didn't always need to fly like Hangman or Maverick to be doing the right thing. This was going to be a very dangerous mission. This assignment called for something different, a little more finesse, and he desperately wanted to fly it. He desperately wanted to prove himself. Maybe even to Maverick.

Once Bradley was up in his fighter jet, things felt a little easier. His mind was a little clearer. When it came to you, he just needed to be honest. With himself and with you. Because he still wanted you as badly as ever, in every conceivable way. He wanted to have sex with you in your shower, and he wanted you to lovingly wash his hair. He wanted to take you for a long, romantic drive in his Bronco, and he wanted to finger you while he did so. He wanted to hear your voice and get your opinions. Make you smile and be there when you cried. And he didn't think this feeling was going to fade, like it always had with everyone else before you.

Oh, he was in way over his head. This was all terribly new to him. But you'd dated more than he had. What if your response to him was just how you were with other guys too? What if he wasn't special? Was it worth the heartbreak to indulge himself in being around you now for you to just write him off later?

Absolutely. His heart had never been happier. As soon as you were apart, he couldn't wait to see you again. 

Was he still afraid? Hell yes. For the first time ever, he was afraid to lose this feeling. 

"Wow Rooster, you look positively radiant today. Did you get laid?" Phoenix casually asked him while they were ordering lunch in the cafeteria. 

"Could you lower the volume, Nat? God, you're obnoxious," Bradley replied.

"I'm just saying, you have a look about you. And, you flew great this morning. Really on your A-game."

Bradley sighed in exasperation, but a smile still made its way to his lips. "Nat, I'm not even joking, she's everything."

And then you were there, across the room, sitting down next to Cam at one of the tables. You caught his eye and quirked your brow, nodding to the empty seat across the table. 

"She's sitting over there, so that's where I'm going," Bradley told Phoenix as he stalked toward you. 

"I'm coming too, this should be entertaining!" she replied. 

Your eyes followed Bradley's every movement until he was sitting across from you, and Phoenix slid into the seat across from Cam.

"Hi Phoenix. Oh hey, Rooster, how was your weekend?" you innocently asked him. 

God, he had been in your bed with his mouth on your pussy just a few hours ago. This conversation was going to be fun. He could feel your boot rubbing against the side of his calf and you bit your lip. 

"Oh, it was pretty good."

"Yeah? Do anything fun?" you asked with a tilt of your head.

"Yes, I did. Several times, actually," Bradley told you with a nod. 

Cam choked on his rice, and Phoenix looked like Christmas had come early. 

"Oh, really? Sounds just like my weekend."

"Yeah? That's funny. Hey, I remember seeing you in the Hard Deck on Saturday night," he replied casually.

"Yes, and outside the bar as well," you added. Bradley reached his long arm down and caught your ankle under the table. Your eyes went wide. "You were the guy with the really helpful hands, right?" you asked, eyes narrowing as he squeezed your ankle through the thick leather. 

"I better have been the only guy with those," he warned, his tone low.

Your face absolutely lit up, and Cam stood, excusing himself with an amused backward glance. 

"Yes, well I really appreciate the help you gave me," you managed while trying to finish your lunch. Bradley set your foot back down on the floor, and Phoenix cleared her throat loudly.

"Well, that was...enlightening. You know, Lieutenant Y/L/N, I was just telling Rooster here that he looks like a million bucks today. Almost like he's in lo-"

Bradley kicked Phoenix's chair a few inches and she smirked at him. "He looks great all the time," you said from across the table, drawing all eyes back to you. "Very handsome."

Bradley could feel himself blushing. He wanted to bask in your words and your presence for the rest of the day, but his lunch break was almost over. And he figured he needed to make another move, the sooner the better. 

"Don't you need to go somewhere else?" he asked Phoenix, nudging her chair even further away from the table with his foot. "I'm pretty sure you told me you needed to go somewhere else."

"Oh yes, I do," she replied in a saccharine sweet voice. She roughly planted her hand in Bradley's hair and messed it all up before she walked away.

You giggled behind the last bite of your sandwich as Bradley tried to tame his wavy hair back into submission. "She's the fucking worst."

"I mean, she stole my backpack for you, so how mad can you actually be?" you asked him with a smirk.

Bradley licked his lips and smiled. "I really need to get back out there, but is there any chance you'd want to come to the barracks later? It's not as nice as your place, but I can make you a really delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And, I have an extra long twin bed," he waggled his eyebrows making you laugh. Then he dropped his voice lower before adding, "You slept on me most of last night anyway, so we could probably both fit... you know, if you wanted to stay over?"

"Yes."

--------------------------------------

You tore through your work all afternoon, delegating a good portion of it to Cam to help you finish up. You were feeling so greedy. You wanted more time with Bradley. Whatever time you were allowed would not be enough for you. You tried to focus on anything other than the fact that the mission deadline was looming in front of you both. 

As soon as you locked up your computer and checked in with Commander Bickel, you were rushing out to your car.

Bradley had texted you directions on where to park in the barracks lot, and you were supposed to let him know when you got there. He was going to have to sneak you in, so nobody else saw you together. 

Bradley Rooster Bradshaw <3 <3 <3: get here as soon as you can, i miss you

That was enough to have you speeding home and taking the world's fastest shower. You threw on an old sundress, skipped the underwear completely, and packed your backpack for the night. You called Bradley as you were turning into the parking lot and pulling into a visitor's spot. 

Within a minute, he was walking purposefully toward your car with his visitor parking pass in hand. He looked so good, your jaw slowly dropped open. His hair was perfect, and he had his aviators on. His black tee was hugging his chest and biceps in an indecent way. And those fucking jeans, they were always just the tiniest bit too tight and left nothing to the imagination. 

But that smile on his face was just for you. 

"Hi," you said breathlessly as you climbed out of your car. He didn't respond with words, just wrapped his hand around your waist and kissed you hard. He tossed his parking pass onto your dashboard then brought his other hand up to your face. You pulled him close by his belt loops. He smelled heavenly. 

"I can't stop thinking about you teasing me at lunch. Made flying this afternoon a little uncomfortable."

You laughed as his mouth found your bare shoulder. "I'm not sorry."

"I know you aren't. God, I can't get enough of you. Let's get you inside," Bradley said, taking your backpack and your hand, and swiping his pass to get into a side door.

He removed his sunglasses and looked around before pulling you inside with him, and then he briskly walked you down a corridor to his room, his hand at the small of your back. As you approached his room, you could hear someone coming from the other direction. Bradley unlocked his door and shoved you inside along with your bag, just as he greeted someone else. You pressed your ear to the door; it sounded like he was talking to Fanboy. 

"Yeah man, see you later," Bradley said as he pulled the door open. "That was close," he whispered as he locked the door behind him. 

You were instantly on him. "Sneaking around is kind of fun though, right?" you whispered in his ear before kissing his earlobe.

Bradley took your chin in his hand and made you look at his face. "It's fine for now, Sweetheart. For now."

You shuddered at his tone. You wanted to dispute whether or not he was allowed to have an opinion about that just yet, but he was already kissing you, guiding you further into his tiny room. Just a few steps in and you were bumping into a desk. Bradley's hands were on your dress, guiding it up your legs, caressing every inch of newly exposed skin. You moaned as his hands connected with your hips drawing teasing circles.

Then Bradley broke the kiss and looked down at you with a raised eyebrow. "You're not wearing anything under this dress?" He felt around your ass and hips a bit frantically, his breathing picking up pace.

"No, I thought it would save us some time," you whimpered as he reached around and cupped the front of you in his large, warm palm.

He stared at you, licked his lips and then finally blinked. "You came here with a bare pussy to see me? Walked through the barracks like this?" His voice was so low and so raspy, you had to stop breathing to listen. 

"You invited me," you replied, sucking in a breath and pressing yourself harder against his hand. 

"You are the fucking hottest thing," he growled in your ear. "And I'm gonna fuck you so good."

Your legs were already shaking as he gently, sweetly turned you around to face his desk and placed your hands on the edge of it. He leaned his chest against your back and bent you all the way at the waist, kissing your cheek. "Don't move." Then he let go of you completely before pulling your dress up, exposing you to him. He let his rough fingers drift across your skin, stroking you softly everywhere.

"Bradley, are you gonna fuck me?" you asked impatiently, trying to grind back into his body.

"Eventually," he replied as he knelt down behind you, and started lapping at your wetness with his tongue.

"Oh my God, that is not your penis!" you screeched, and Bradley let out a huff of laughter.

"No, it's not," he said, rubbing your clit with his calloused fingers. "Is this okay with you?"

"Yes, as long as you want to," you whispered, gripping the edge of the desk for dear life, your breathing already ragged.

"Oh yeah, I'm good." He ate your pussy from behind, eliciting some wild noises from you. Briefly you wondered how thick these cinder block walls were; there was a good chance everyone was going to know Rooster was getting lucky in here at 6:08 pm on a Monday. 

"Roooo," you whined as his tongue slid down to circle your clit, his nose bumping against your entrance. "Don't stop. I'm about to come." And then Bradley went just a little harder for you, and that's all you needed. 

As you gasped for air, your fingers loosened on the desk, but Bradley stood and caged you in with his imposing body. You heard him unzip his jeans and groan behind you as he leaned next to your ear. "I already can't stop thinking about you. And then you show up here, like this? Fuck, I'll never get you out of my system." 

Maybe you didn't want him to.

Then he slid inside you, filling you up in one beautiful motion. Bradley was true to his word. He fucked you so good. He set a blistering pace, pounding hard and bottoming out with each thrust. But his hands, his gorgeous hands were demanding yet soft on your back, ass and hips. 

Suddenly he pushed himself in and stayed there while you whined and whimpered. He pressed incrementally further into you as he reached around and toyed lazily with your clit. You were so full, and the pressure he was putting on you was unrelenting. 

"Good girl," he whispered, his voice ragged. You could feel yourself building to another orgasm. "I'll take care of you." He pulled himself out slowly, and you could feel everything. Back in and out again, slow and steady now. You rocked back against him already coming when you heard him cry out in that raspy fucking voice. 

-------------------------------------

Bradley pulled you to him and held you tightly, your arms wrapping around his waist. You were completely wrecked after two orgasms; you could barely string a sentence together. Knowing that he was the one who could do this to you made it impossible to keep a grin off his face. 

"You okay, Sweetheart?"

"Mmhmm, very good," you mumbled into his shirt. He'd needed you so badly, there hadn't even been time to get undressed. "But you made a mess," you managed to say as you took a small step away from him. Bradley watched you walk carefully into his tiny bathroom as his cum dripped down your legs, and you shut the door behind you. His grin grew bigger before he groaned in frustration. 

He needed to sit down and collect his thoughts. He zipped himself back into his jeans and sat in his desk chair. Maybe he shouldn't have done that? If he wanted something with you besides casual hookups behind everyone's back, that was not the best card he could have played just now.

He had told you days ago he wanted you to take him seriously, but he just couldn't keep his dick out of you. You came here without underwear on, for God's sake, what was he supposed to do?

You re-emerged from the bathroom, all cleaned up, and walked over to him, taking a seat on his lap. "You promised me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich," you whispered next to his ear, and Bradley shuddered. 

Okay, so you didn't seem to think he was a complete pig for jumping on you as soon as you got here. And making a sandwich for you would be nice too, because the other thing you brought out in Bradley was his sweet side. Being around you always made him feel good.

"You're right, I did," he replied, peppering kisses across your cheeks and nose. "Grape or strawberry jelly? Rectangles or triangles?" 

He set you on the edge of his bed. You looked perfect there, your face still a little flushed, your eyes still a little dreamy. Then Bradley made you a sandwich to your exact specifications and handed it to you. "You want a drink too? I have water and beer in the mini fridge."

You accepted one bottle of each from him and laughed. "Why are you living in the barracks anyway?" you asked. "I know approximately how much money you make, Roo. You could afford to rent a pretty nice place, even in Coronado."

He loved that you just called him Roo again. "Too unpredictable," he said between bites of his own sandwich. "I have no idea where I'll end up next month, let alone next year. I would hate to settle somewhere then get a long deployment and have to pay rent for no reason. Plus, if I had a roommate, that could potentially screw them over as well. It's something I tend to overthink about, so I've just been playing it safe."

---------------------------------------

Your heart dropped out of your chest. You hadn't thought too much about the future, at least not past the current mission. You had gotten so used to seeing Bradley almost every day, that the thought of him being anywhere else seemed unfathomable. 

"Plus it's literally dirt cheap," he added. "I want to buy a house at some point, and hopefully after another promotion, I can get a more permanent station. I am so used to being sent all over the place, it would be really nice to eventually unload my storage unit somewhere and stay there for a bit. San Diego would be nice... I'd actually be fucking thrilled to drive all my shit here from Virginia Beach." His eyes were searching your face, seemingly trying to gauge your thoughts on the matter.

"So you don't really have a home? Just a storage unit? Is this why you've only had two girlfriends?"

Bradley shrugged as he finished the last bite of his sandwich. "Maybe that's part of it, but I never really saw the point in spending time with someone and stringing them along when I knew it wasn't going to go anywhere. I... I haven't really had lasting feelings for anyone before. I never really thought I would." He wiped his mouth with his napkin, fidgeting a bit in his seat before adding, "Until now." He met your eyes, and your stomach had butterflies. 

"Now?" Your voice was barely a whisper, but you had to know what he meant by that.

He nodded and stood, sitting down next to you on the bed. "I already told you, Sweetheart. I like everything about you."

You didn't know what to say, because you didn't know what you even wanted. All you were sure about was spending as much time with Bradley now as you could both manage. "Do you want to cuddle?" you asked him, and he wrapped you up in his arms and tipped you both back against the pillows.

If your response disappointed him, he wasn't showing it. You snuggled in against his body and let yourself relax. He felt so good, and you wanted him to talk more. "Were you born in Virginia?"

"Mmhmm," he hummed, his fingers finding your hair and tangling in. 

"Were you still living there when your mom died?"

Bradley was quiet for a moment, and you felt like maybe you should have asked about something else. "Yeah. Both of my parents were from Virginia as well," he finally told you. He readjusted himself a bit, and you turned your head to look up at his face as he talked. "Some of my mom's family is still there. And my dad's cousins live in Vegas. That's all I got left. I try to keep in touch with all of them. They're all pretty great about making sure I get included in emails and texts, sending me birthday cards, and invitations to parties and holidays. That sort of thing." He closed his eyes and pulled you tighter against him.

Your heart broke all over again for him. It was getting dark outside now, and the only light coming in through the blinds was from the street lamps. You took a deep breath. You didn't want to pry, but you asked anyway. "And who do you call when you have something exciting to share? Who did you call when you got your last promotion?" His fingers were working gently against your scalp, calming you, making you feel like it would be okay to ask him anything.

Bradley laughed, his chest bouncing beneath you. "Nat got promoted the same time I did. She was there, so I didn't have to call anyone."

You swallowed hard. Bradley somehow came out on the other side of all of this loneliness and grief as a genuinely kind person. "And who will you call after you get your next promotion? After you buy a house?"

Bradley's other hand came up to rub his chin as his gaze wandered away from your face. "I guess that depends, Sweetheart. Are you gonna be there?" His eyes nervously settled on your face again. 

You wanted to say yes, but you just couldn't let yourself. You were too scared. Instead you scooted up a little further until your lips gently touched his. You kissed him for a long time, each press of your lips, each nibble and gasp saying what you didn't know how to. Hours had passed, or maybe just minutes, when Bradley mumbled, "You don't need to answer me right now, Y/N. But please keep the question in your mind."

-------------------------

Guys, YOU ROCK! 400 followers! Thank you! This chapter was a cocktail of smut, angst and fluff, and I hope you enjoyed it.

Part 12

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@apparently-sunshine

@chaoticassidy

@missmirandafe

@thedroneranger

@changlingkhat

@callsign-echo

@sugarcoated-lame

@callsign-jupiter

@avada-kedavra-bitch-187

@marantha

@averyhotchner

@katiebby04

@andycanbeemotional

@abaker74

@heli991113

@k-k0129

@eunoia-sys

[the-oblivious-writer]

Pretty Girl |5|

Tara Carpenter x Fem!Reader

Chapter Five: A Soggy Picnic

Summary: Your first date with Tara doesn't go as planned

Warning(s): Swearing

Notes: Last part of Pretty Girl! I appreciate all the support I've got on this series, you all are awesome

Previous Part

You knocked on Tara’s door, feeling a bit nervous– oh who were you kidding? You were extremely nervous. You’ve been wanting to take her out on a date for a while now and you were finally doing it. You would never forgive yourself if you somehow messed it all up.

The door opens to reveal Tara in a skirt and top, she looked absolutely stunning. You couldn’t pull your eyes from her. You shake your head slightly, trying to snap out of your trance. “You look amazing..” Tara’s face lit up and she smiled at you, “Thanks, Y/N. You don’t look too bad yourself.” She was also struggling to pull her eyes away. 

“Oh! These are for you,” you revealed the flowers that you were hiding behind your back and handed them to her. Tara happily took them, “These are lovely.” She briefly smelled them before noticing every single flower you had chosen to give her were her favorites. 

“Shall we?” You held out your arm for her to take, which she did. “We shall.”

—

It was raining. Of course it was. You had planned a picnic date, laying everything out on a blanket. Just when you and Tara start to get comfortable it starts down pouring. Luckily you brought an umbrella just encase but it still sucked. Within three minutes, most of the food was already unsalvageable.

“It’s fine, Y/N, really” Tara tried to reassure you but it was no use. “I should’ve picked an inside date, like the movies or something. I checked my Weather app like twenty times and not once did it say it was raining.”

You held the umbrella above Tara, not wanting her to get soaked on top of ruining your date. “I don’t mind getting a little wet,” she said before taking the umbrella from your hand and dropping it on the blanket.

“Wait, you’re gonna get it all soak–”

“And? I already told you I don't mind.–” she pulled you down by your collar until your faces were just centimeters away “—Besides, I’m here with you and that’s all I care about.” Her lips brushed against yours as she said this. Your eyes flickered down to her lips as she did the same to yours, you both leaned in until finally your lips touched.

Tara’s eyes closed shut as she enjoyed the kiss. You both melted into the kiss, your hands moving to her hips and her hands cupping your face. Both of you felt content and relieved, having waited what felt like forever. But if either of you were sure of anything, the wait was worth it.

You and Tara pull away from each other, your hands still on her hips and her hands still cupping your face.

“You’re a good kisser...” She said as she played with your collar. The both of you were still lost in each other's eyes, mesmerized by each other. “You’re not too bad yourself.” You replied with a smile, Tara mirroring it.

You had almost forgotten it was raining until the downpour picked up. “Shit, we should probably–”

“Yeah” you both gathered all your belongings and made it to your car, absolutely drenched. You shook your head in an attempt to get some of the water out of your hair. Tara did the same before taking off her jacket. “Damn, it’s pouring out there” Tara commented as she looked out of the window.

“Maybe a picnic date wasn’t my brightest idea” you said, still scolding yourself for your decision. Tara turned to you, looking you up and down before saying,“Believe or not this isn’t one of my worser dates. It was actually nice.”

“You’re just saying that cause I salvaged your favorite snacks.” You joked and Tara playfully rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, Y/L/N.”

“But seriously, I want a redo.” You stated as you pointed your finger at her. What you didn’t expect was for Tara to grab the hand you rest on your thigh and hold it. But you weren’t complaining. “You’ll get your redo. And that’s a promise.” Tara leaned in and kissed your cheek.

“Now” — she gave your hand a light squeeze — “let’s go back, I’m in the mood for a movie night.” 

“Sounds good to me,” still holding her hand you started the car. Somewhere along the drive her hand made its way to your thigh, you chose not to say anything. Enjoying the warmth of her touch as you drove.

When you both got back to her place, nobody else was there so you didn’t have to worry about any interruptions. You and Tara changed into dry clothes and put on a movie to watch. You wrapped your arm around her as she laid her head on your shoulder.

With both your feelings finally out in the open, you two had nothing to hide from each other. It gave you a satisfied feeling that you no longer had to worry about your feelings being unreciprocated.

You were falling for her and she was falling for you. Although it was a scary feeling, at least you were falling together.

-----------

A/N: Once again, thank you sm for all the support! More work is to come, I'm working on a new series that I'm actually super excited about

[m-artsoul]

17/07/23

big apple steve? i only know strawberry steven.

reply to be added to the tag list

NOTE: i've never watched Worth It so except for some random Feed videos, my first introduction to Steven was through Watcher. i find him absolutely hilarious in Too Many Spirits (he's the real star of that show frfr) and his cooking endeavours are so sweet! the Dish Granted episode with Keith is my favourite as of now considering how much work he put into it and how impressed Keith was at the end. i also really enjoyed watching the Steven Eats Through Korea for 24 Hours Straight video. he tends to invite a lot of people to feature in his videos which really enriches the watching experience for me. the different points of views and expertise add onto the narrative making it so the production always feels like a passion project, not just empty product.

@loveuniseposts 's Steven Lim Appreciation Week 2023 post gave me an excuse to finally draw Steven. i, of course, chose his strawberry hair look because it's absolutely adorable. if you want to also participate in this initiative, please check out the link in the replies for more info!

tag list: @zebra-all-the-time ; @demigodemery ; @shaniacsboogara ; @mothman-kinnie ; @a-hundred-jewels