#and my dog is snuggling me right now as a write this and it's very cosy and nice so it seemed right to include him in

[beansricejc]

THE CLIENT - John Wick x F!Reader

my masterlist.

synopsis: you go to some extreme measures to make sure you get your rent paid on time.

⚠️ warnings ⚠️: DUB/NON con, s3x work, cursing, sugar daddycore, implied violence, brief descriptions of violence, misleading job descriptions, good & bad name calling, chasing, financial / emotional manipulation, DEAD DOVE: DO NOT EAT! MINORS DNI! 4379 words.

author’s note: I am so sorry about not being active, I’ve been meaning to take this off of the back burner for some time now. If you follow me you probably have noticed that this is based off of a short blurb I uploaded a few months ago. I’ve been avoiding writing because of several anon hate messages I’ve gotten about Fake It, and it put a huge damper on my writing process. but I’m back and I hope you all enjoy!

This economy is shit.

That's the sentence you continue to repeat in your brain. Should you have to work more than your full time accounting job at that stupidly high skyscraper downtown? Absolutely not, but your rent was bumped up by 15%, and a mere 40 hour work week won’t cut it anymore.

“Can you work nights?” The temp agent asks from across his desk. The florescent lights of his office (that is desperately in need of an update) are giving you a headache. The pot of coffee on the table in the corner is starting to burn.

“Yeah. Anytime after 6.” You quickly answer, your leg that’s crossed on top of the other is bouncing. The worker nods his head and clacks his vintage looking keyboard in front of his computer monitor.

The thick silence in this small space might kill you.

The worker’s eyes squint at his screen, before they trail back to you, seeming to give your face and your body a look over.

“Do you have any experience with housekeeping?” The worker asks, which makes your head tilt. Your printed and slightly crumpled resume is right there in front of him. Idiot.

“I mean, not houses, but when I worked retail I would have to clean the store from time to time.” You tell him and raise your eyebrows.

He nods and continues to stare at you. Creep.

“There’s an opening for a private housekeeper gig a bit north. You wouldn’t be tied to an agency, the client would pay you directly.” The man informs you. “Can, can I just do one thing first? Usually our employers, uh, they typically request pictures of their applicants.” The temp agent stammers and grabs his smartphone from his desk drawer. “Let me just…”

You don’t have any time to decline, since the flash is already going off in your direction.

“Uh- I’ve never heard of anything like that.” you question while the man types on his phone.

“Have you been employed through a temp agency before?”

“Well, not exact-“

“Then clearly you’re unfamiliar with how this works.” He interjects before setting the device down. “The pay is very good, although the employer hasn’t told me specifics. 3 nights a week after 6:30. 3 to 4 hour shifts. Does that work?” the worker asks and pushes up his glasses.

You feel a bit dumbfounded, and you have a strange suspicion that this man is gaslighting the hell out of you. But what can you do? You’re about to be 3 weeks late on rent.

“Yeah, that’s fine.” You mumble out.

It wasn’t fine. You hate the fact that instead of being able to snuggle up with your dog and watch reruns of New Girl, you have to pick up a second job.

“Great. I’ll have him give you a call.” was the last thing the man told you before you left the building. Secretly, you hope whoever this ‘employer’ is, they just forget about contacting you.

Hours later, you’re putting groceries into your fridge when your phone starts to vibrate in your pocket. You answer of course.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is this, uh…” a deep male voice on the other line asks, accidentally mispronouncing your first name. Chuckling, you quickly correct him. “My mistake, forgive me. Ah, I heard you’re looking for a job?”

Your eyes bulge and you suddenly straighten up as if the man is having a face to face conversation with you. There was no way he was already calling you! Totally unprepared, you cleared your dry throat.

“Yeah, yep, that’s me.” you answer his question. His voice is so sultry. The man is clearly older than you, and it’s clear that he thinks before he speaks.

“Perfect. Pay is 1200 an hour, and if you swing by around 6:45 tomorrow that would be great. Can I email you my address?” The man offers online. You frown and choke on the water you were sipping.

“Woah, woah, excuse me. You said… 1200 an hour?” You repeat his payment offer.

“Yeah, is that a problem? All in cash.”

You almost have a heart attack.

“Nope, nope no problem at all.”

“Excellent. And, by the way, wear something, comfortable.” He says over the phone. You frown.

“Comfortable?” You question.

“Yeah. Comfortable.” He replies.

In hindsight you should have thought this through. You should have seen this coming, since men are disappointing and so vile. And you even know that you’re an idiot for agreeing.

So you do, and end the call.

6:45 comes faster than you thought it would. Your finger presses the door bell, and as you look around the neighborhood he’s in, the only thing you can think of? This dude is in a completely different tax bracket than you.

As for the comfortable clothing, you opted for some leggings and a long sleeve tee shirt that accidentally accentuates your waist and chest. You didn’t think anything of it. Did you think $1200 an hour was a bit off? Totally. But the guy was probably desperate for someone to clean this enormous house up.

You’re completely wrong.

The large door creaks open, and you come to face a man, middle aged, with long dark hair that seems to be tied in the back. A man bun? Really. You don’t say anything about it. Instead you smile and give the classic:

“Hi! You had a cleaning scheduled for 6:45?”

The words are bubbly and of course higher pitched. Like any customer service job, you’ve trained yourself to fake a smile and a friendly voice.

His rugged features surprise you. The way his jaw clenched and unclenched, his dark beard that grows on his face. The way his thin brown eyes trace over your body as he pressed his lips together. As if you were on display, only for him.

You couldn’t deny that he was handsome. But you’re not here for that. You’re here to work.

Are you?

“Yeah, you’ll do.” The man nods and allows you to enter his domain.

What the fuck did that mean? You don’t allow him to see the way your eyebrows scrunch up at his remark.

His house that reeks of modern contemporary architecture, the bachelor pad vibes were insane in this place. Regardless, the home seemed almost empty, even though it wasn’t. The vast size of it makes it so every little noise is able to bounce off the walls.

“Do you want something to drink?” Your new boss asks. He looks down at you with little to no expression on his handsome features. Despite the lack of emotion, a tinge of determination lingers in his narrowed brown eyes. “Call me John, by the way. Mister Wick will make me feel like a senior citizen.”

You just laugh. He already knows your name. Of course he does, why didn’t you expect otherwise? That temp agency definitely gave it to him.

“John it is.” You test out the name on your tongue; the simplicity of it is so right for him.

But something doesn’t sit right with you. It’s as if your body is subconsciously ringing all of the woman alarms that you should listen to.

Oh but you could use the cash! It’s the uneasy pit in your gut that churns and twists, attempting to pry yourself out of the situation.

Of course you ignore it.

“Right. So. There’s this particular spot I need help cleaning.” John’s hand guided you by the small of your back, you didn’t even notice how close he was standing to you. As if John were nothing but a ghost in the wind.

He leads you right in the living room, where a large crimson stain has set itself into the oak flooring. Your eyes widen, instinctively backing away, forgetting that John was directly behind you. Your shorter body runs into his, and he sets his strong hands on your shoulders.

Oh my god. A serial killer hired you. Or at least a murderer. The sheer size of the blood stain definitely was a fatal amount to lose. It’s as if someone had taken a liter of blood and dumped it onto his expensive flooring.

“I’m sure you can understand why this is such a lucrative deal, right?” John’s voice rumbled into your right ear. Chills trickle down your spine, caused simply from his touch and his murmur. But this is bad. You need to leave. You can’t just clean up murder messes for a living!

“I, I don’t know if I can-“

“Oh I know you can. Say, are you a good multi-tasker?” John asked, his grip on your shoulders becoming a bit tighter. It feels possessive almost. You should have listened to your woman warnings your body gave you.

Your canine teeth dig into your soft tongue.

“I mean, yeah.” You squeak out to answer the man who’s paying you. A throaty laugh leaves his mouth.

“Oh, good to hear.”

The scent of his cologne enters your nose. Tobacco, ginger, cocoa even. It’s intoxicating, the way his smell lingers in the air; and how it’ll imprint itself onto your own clothes and skin. You can’t let this man’s Dior Sauvage distract you from getting the fuck out of this house.

“Listen, I don’t-“

“2156, 45rd Avenue. Apartment 5. Right?” John suddenly asks. Those chills that ran down your spine seem to be more sinister than you initially realized. You turn around and glare up at him.

“How do you know that?” You immediately question him with a brash voice.

John lets out a deep chuckle, his handsome smile is so stupid. You don’t want to be attracted to him.

“You should take the job. I could buy your building, your rent could go down significantly.” John smirked down at your trembling form. “But, I’ll need you to be good at more than just cleaning.” His voice grumbles into your ear. His hot breath sticks to your neck. His voice is deep and almost off putting, in a good way. God the way he speaks. The way he looks you over with those pretty brown eyes.

Your mouth lets out a gasp as you suddenly feel his large hand reach around and grab one of your breasts. His unwanted touch feels like fire against your clothing. Your body tries to squirm.

“Shh, dear, let me touch you. I like it more if there’s less of a reaction.” John whispered, you feel his erection grow as he presses his groin into your ass.

“Woah, WOAH!” You yell, shoving him away. Surprisingly he backs away, with his hands in the air. There’s a smirk that plays on his rugged face, as he bites his tongue and lets his eyes devour your body.

“Really? You want to refuse me? Do you know who I am, little girl?” John chuckled, taking a few steps forward.

“You know what? I think I’m good on the job, you’re a fucking weirdo.” Is all you have to say to that. His rugged face has the meanest scowl you have ever seen in your life.

The tension in the air is so uncomfortable, and you want to punch yourself for not listening to your gut. The churning. The accelerated heart rate.

This was all wrong, that creepy temp agent had set you up with some gig that was clearly not legitimate in the slightest, of course it was too good to be true. Men only want one thing, and you don’t know how you didn’t manage to connect the dots.

You grimace at the thought of what he just did to you as your legs sprint towards the door.

“Not so fast, little one.” John growls, it seems he’s got you pinned against his entryway door. Your face is pressed against the wood, and you cry out in pain from the abrupt slam of your body.

“What if I bought your apartment building, and raised your rent? That’s why you have this job, right? That’s why a pretty thing like you waltzed into that temp agency and expected some help. God, I’m glad that agent sent me a picture. Do you know how much I came looking at your confused face?” John huffs out, biting his lip and moaning at the thought. His brown eyes roll to the back of his head for a split second as he recalls the orgasm he had, just thinking about you.

When he was hunched over in his shower, canines digging cuts into his bottom lip and drawing blood as John fucked into his balled up fist. When he whimpered your name like a pathetic needy bitch, the noise bouncing off of the bathroom walls to remind him of what a sick piece of shit he is. The mere idea of him taking advantage of a woman in a predicament like this made his balls ache in excitement. His toes would curl on the wet bathtub floor just imagining you being his good little fuck toy.

The ragged tone in his breath and voice make John sound desperate, deprived even.

“God I want you to swallow my cum so bad, I bet you’d look like a good girl, taking me in your mouth, huh? You wanna swallow daddy’s load?”

You elbow him right in the chest, but fall to the wooden floor while you do so. Too bad you’ve always been a clumsy bitch.

You groan as the pain shoots up your spine. And you panic. This absolute dilf of a man was a freak! And by the looks of all of that blood on his floor, a monster. A serial killer maybe! What the fuck was the point of listening to all of those podcasts if you didn’t take the god damn hints John had shown several times?!

John doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around your waist, lifting you up as you kick, scream, struggle, he even gives your left asscheek a swift smack just for fun. You let out a yelp.

“Here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to go into the other room, and I’m going to buy your building. All I have to do is make a call. And you, cutie, get to make a decision.” John chuckled. “You leave, and I’ll have a group of men take out all of your shit from your place; and replace your doorknobs. Or,” John grabs your waist, your hand swats him away as you give him a glare. John sighs and gives you a smile, ruffling your hair with his large hand. “Or you let me have my way with you; while you clean up my little mess. And you won’t have to worry about paying a thing ever again.” John whispers. The man takes a step back, biting his lip at the sight of you being scared of him, before leaving and going into the other room.

You groan, tears brim your eyes as you contemplate your choices. Seeing the vast wealth displayed by just his household furnishings, you figured he wasn’t bluffing. The sting from holding back the cry hurts like a bitch, realizing you have no choice in the matter.

“God dammit.” You mumble, grabbing the cleaning supplies. You can’t help but wonder how the hell this much blood got on this asshole’s floor anyhow. Maybe you didn’t want to know. Either way, baking soda would do the trick here; with some water and dishwasher fluid.

So you get to work, scrubbing and finishing away the blood stain from the wooden floor. It wasn’t nearly as easy as it sounded.

Your stomach churned as you hear him approaching, his Oxford shoes clicking on the ground.

“Oh, good girl.” John snickered from above, you looked up at him with an icy stare, only to see something you certainly didn’t expect.

John and his hand, expertly stroking his hard cock to the sight of you cleaning.

John’s a good size. Bigger than average. Not something straight out of some unrealistic porn video online. The 7 inch long and slightly girthy dick in his grasp twitched, while it dripped precum from the pink shaded tip.

You start to feel something stir in you. This is wrong. You know it’s wrong. But fuck. His lip bite, the way he stroked himself to the sight of you, it’s not like he was ugly or anything. Quite the opposite.

He’s everything every woman dreams about in a man. Dark, brooding, with chiselled features and a symmetrical face. His olive skinned forehead is slick with sweat, definitely from being all hot and bothered at the sight of lil’ ol’ you.

Realistically, there could be worse out there to have fuck you.

“No no, little one. Keep cleaning,” John takes in a sharp breath. “Don’t mind me. Just pretend that this is normal, don’t be distracted. This will be your new normal. You’ll do various tasks around my house, and you let me touch you however I want.”

Now despite what your brain is telling you, the churning in your stomach drifts into butterflies. This isn’t right. In fact, it’s fucking vile. But why is your breath caught in your throat? Why does your head feel like it’s spinning?

You’re too much in your head at the moment, and you don’t notice the sound of a switchblade opening. With one quick motion, you can feel your leggings slice open. Before you have time to gasp, next comes your thong, he’s cutting the fabric and peeling it from your body.

John pressed the soaked cloth to his large nose, taking in a deep breath to get a whiff of your essence. Chills run down his spine as he grows even harder, your pure femininity smells absolutely divine to him.

“Oh you’re so wet for me, you like this, don’t you? You bad fucking girl,” he laughs. Your yelp escaped your dry lips as one of his long fingers swiped your moist entrance, pushing one in to test the waters. Your soft grunt of surprise and disdain covers your pleasure as you continue to try to clean up this stupid blood stain on the wooden floor.

You have to wonder, what the fuck happened here? Your mind goes haywire, imagining the man behind you potentially taking a life in the very spot that you’re in. How did he do it? A gunshot wound? Cutting someone’s throat? Torture? Tying them up by their feet to hang upside down, only to stab their jugular and letting gravity do its job? And why exactly are you thinking of it while John adds another finger, pumping the long calloused digits into your soaking cunt.

You catch yourself backing up against him, moaning a bit as you bite your lip to punish yourself for it. You’re not supposed to like this! What the fuck are you doing?

A suit jacket is tossed aside out of the corner of your eye, as a deep throaty chuckle echoes from the walls of his large house.

“Oh? So I’m right. You do like it.” John chuckles, pulling his fingers out. You let out a whine, almost angry that he would stop fingering you all of a sudden. John slaps your folds with the tip of his cock just for fun.

Your whine is replaced with a sharp squeal, his large hands grip the roots of your messy hair, pulling your head back as his fat tip eases into your pussy. The burn of your head and the burn of his dick throws you in a loop, especially at the sight of John.

John. This perverted, sick and despicable example of a human being, who’s eyes look so soft as he inches in and out of you. There’s a wicked smirk on his face when your eyes shoot to his lips, nothing that the cut up remains of your thong are in his mouth.

And you’re not sure if it’s hot or nasty. The obscene view of him damn near chewing on your underwear has you… well, fucked up. But it’s the way he begins to snap his hips against your ass that makes you forget about it. The other hand whacks your right asscheek, earning another yelp from you.

“You’re a fucking pig!” you sputter out, trying your best to show absolutely revulsion to the way he’s fucking you.

John can see through you like a piece of cling wrap.

You’re not making any progress in cleaning the blood stain, as he thrusts harder into you. You mew loudly while he takes his hand in your hair and instead presses your pretty little face into the floor. Your cheeks and nose throb as scratches embed themselves into your skin, as if you hardly notice. The way John’s cock feels as he has his way with your fluttering cunt is too good to even put into words. You have to remind yourself to breathe while he speaks to you.

“Fuck, you take me so well, princess. I didn’t take you for a good little slut, who’s my slut?”

Gritting your teeth, his tip brushed your cervix, and that will certainly give you an aching feeling tomorrow. You don’t want to admit anything to this monster. But his fist tightens at the roots of your hair, sending pain down your scalp right as his other hand reaches your clit and draws quick circles on it.

“I asked you something, sweetheart. Now fucking answer me.”

“I’m your slut! I’m your slut!” You repeat out, shame fills your belly as you give in to John’s desires, and he giggles in return.

“What an obedient girl you are.” John praises, his thrusts become slower, more passionate even, as if he’s rewarding you for answering him. Somehow, the slower and more sensual movement of his dick feels even better, especially with John incorporating those finger movements on your clit.

“Stop fuckin’ cleanin’, you’re doing a shit job anyway.” John grunts, swatting the brush out of your tiny hands and flipping your body over like a ragdoll. I mean, he’s not wrong, he just doesn’t have to be a dick about it.

“You think you can take me? You’ve been doin’ a good job so far. Better than cleaning, you got a talent for letting me fuck you like this.” John’s words are almost garbled and incoherent but you’re too afraid to shake your head. Before you can even respond, he shoves your cut up panties into your mouth, covering your lips with those calloused large hands, much to your dismay.

You muffle loudly, an attempted “What the fuck?!”, but he only snickered before pumping his cock back into your cunt, lifting your legs so your ankles could have resembled earmuffs on him. Your eyes roll back. He’s so fucking deep, John’s hand moved from your mouth to your throat, restricting your oxygen intake by squeezing as he fucks into you. Using you as his little play thing. Your sticky sweat coated flesh smacks against another, sending the sound throughout the house, along with your softened moans and whimpers.

“Your cunt belongs to me. Got it, bitch?” John asks, these things he is saying to you are fucking terrible, but you can’t help but be excited when they come out. You nod and bite down on what used to be your thong as he continued to rub your wet nub and fuck you hard. Your sharp fingernails dub themselves into his bare thighs, which will definitely leave marks later.

John hisses, but continues plowing into you nonetheless.

“Cum for me. Do it before I change my mind.” John ordered. Say less.

He didn’t have to ask you twice. While your eyes cross, your pussy pulses around his dick, as you become undone under him. Your walls flutter and you whimper loudly, your climax unraveling and finally giving you that oh so satisfying release. John grunts over you.

“That’s it, cum for me, who’s making you cum?” He asks.

“You are! Shit- you are, John,” you mumble into your underwear as your cock drunk state leaves you unable to adjust your body.

John laughs at your undoing, pulling your thong out of your teeth and slipping out of your cunt. It doesn’t take long for him to use his immense strength to lift you up onto your knees, as he gives his slick cock a few jerks with his hand.

“Open.”

In a state of euphoria, you don’t question the man who just gave you a mind blowing orgasm. Your lips part, and he bites his lip as the tip of his dick reached the back of your throat. Your eyes widen as he moans, fingers gripping into your hair once more as he fucks into your mouth a bit more. It doesn’t take long before he climaxed, spurts of cum that you’re forced to take and swallow, like the naive little thing you are.

The things a girl will do to make sure rent is paid in full.

The next few days are certainly something. There are scratches on your face and some light bruising here and there on your body from your, ahem, shift, with John the other night. A male coworker even asked if you had a sprained ankle or something from the way you were walking into the office the next morning.

How embarrassing.

And now you find yourself, checking your mail and getting your rent bill in for the upcoming month. You roll your eyes, tearing the envelope open as your little dog jumps up on your leg, excited that you have arrived home. You aimlessly scratch his head, setting the invoice on your kitchen counter before feeding your pet a scoop of food, and grabbing the checkbook.

It’s almost like it slipped your mind that John had actually acquired your apartment building.

John does many things, but he doesn’t bluff.

Your eyes scan the piece of paper as it hits you like a brick.

Thank you for your business. Please send your payment of: $0.00 by March 1st, 2024.

What the fuck?

The stack of a few thousand dollars stares at you from your desk, and you swallow the lump in your throat. Your mouth dries up when the words in scribbled writing at the bottom read:

See you next week, pretty girl.

xoxo, J.

[writingonleaves]

understated, overwhelming (life is always best when you're around) - nico hischier

pairing: nico hischier x self insert gender neutral reader

warnings: swearing, fluff, nothing much else!

title: "float" by HARBOUR

word count: 3.6k

author's note: hi hi hi!! tried something out of my comfort zone with a self insert reader. also tried my absolute best with a gender neutral reader but if i made a glaring mistake somewhere, please call me out! this is my entry for @callsign-denmark 's Luck of The Puck Fic Exchange written for @selfindulgentpoorlywritten !! andi, i'm so sorry this is a bit late but hope you enjoy this little piece as much as i enjoyed writing it (:

~*~*~

You consider yourself a pretty nice person. 

You try to do your day job well, even if your supervisor drives you nuts from time to time. You call your mom every week, even if she thinks it should be more. You always help your elderly neighbor with their groceries if you happen to be outside at the same time. You foster dogs, mainly because your family has been doing it since you were young. 

But right now, as music is booming through the walls that is most definitely not the music you have softly playing on your speaker, you’re not feeling very nice. It had been a tiring day at work and all you want to do is snuggle up in your bed with a book. Whatever rap music is playing through the walls from your neighbor isn’t helping. 

You’re debating about whether you should say something. Firstly, you’re 90% sure it’s coming from the apartment across from you whose inhabitant you actually have seen the least. It’s not like you’re stalking your neighbors, but after living here for over two years now, you’re familiar with the faces. The only thing you know about the person who lives in 1708 is that there are two of them and that they look related. But that’s not even a sure fact.

All you know is right now, they’re getting on your last nerve. 

You scratch behind Boba’s ears, the Jack Russell Terrier you’re currently fostering, and pat his head before you decide that you have to go say something. You gain some courage before opening your front door. 

Turns out, you don’t even have to knock on your neighbors’ door. More accurately, it’s already open as a guy around your age, maybe a bit younger, says goodbye to the guy you’re almost positive lives there. Both the guys’ eyes slide to you and you fight the urge to shrink. 

“Hi,” the guy with his hand on the doorknob says, not unkindly. “Can I help you?”

You blink, “Hi. Listen, I really don’t want to be a bitch, but could you turn your music down? It’s a weeknight and I have to work in the morning.”

To his credit, his eyes widen apologetically. “Shit, yeah, of course. Sorry. I didn’t realize it was so loud. We’re about to wrap up anyways.” You wave him off as he sticks his hand out. “I don’t know if we’ve met. I’m Jack.”

You offer your name with a tight-lipped smile before shifting your eyes towards the other guy, floppy hair almost covering the amused glint in his eyes. He’s been leaning against the wall this whole time and he’s really fucking cute. “And you are?”

“Nico,” he nods with a shake of your hand. “I’m also sorry about the noise on behalf of Jack, even though I don’t live here.”

“It’s fine,” you hear Boba’s paws trotting on the hardwood floor and you stick your foot out to prevent him from running out. “Well, it’s nice to meet you both.”

Jack’s eyes trail down to Boba, who's looking at the two new voices with curious eyes. “And who’s this?”

You hold in a sigh, picking up Boba in your arms so he doesn’t start running down the hallway. “This is Boba. You can pet him if you’d like. He loves people.” Jack needs no further invitation and reaches to scratch behind his ears. Nico is a bit more hesitant, but the grin threatening to spill out of his lips has you softening. 

After more pets, Jack apologizes again and you bid them goodnight, ushering Boba back inside and turning off your lights. You hear no music, thank goodness, as you climb into bed.

A few weeks later you’re waiting for the elevator after a walk with Gretchen, a golden retriever who drives you nuts, when Nico runs in just as it closes. You don’t expect him to remember you, but he does, saying your name softly paired with a nod. 

He gestures towards Gretchen, who’s nipping about at your feet. “That’s not Boba, is it?”

“No, it’s not,” you say. “This is Gretchen. Boba got adopted last week.” He opens his mouth but you beat him to it. “I foster dogs. None of them are mine. Just, you know, giving them a home when they need it before they find their permanent home.”

“That’s very sweet of you.”

You shrug, because it’s not that big of a deal. To you, at least. “My family did it growing up, still does. So it’s a part of me now, I guess.” You switch the topic. “What are you up to on this sunny Saturday?”

“I, uh, working, I guess.”

You raise an eyebrow. “What do you do?”

Nico clears his throat and now you’re intrigued. “I play hockey. Professionally. That’s how I know Jack, actually. And his roommate, who’s also his brother. We’re all teammates.”

You squint a bit, eyes scanning over Nico’s face before nodding slowly. “That somehow makes sense. That would explain the weird hours.”

“You keep track of Jack’s in and outs?”

“Considering I didn’t even know his name until the night we all met, no,” you snort as you both step into the elevator. “I just hear their door open and close at weird times. So, working today?"

“Yeah. We have a game tonight.”

“Gotcha.” You press the button for ‘17,’ not expecting Nico to lean over and press ‘21’ himself. 

He must see your confusion. “I also live in this building,” he explains. 

You blink. “How long?”

“A little over a year now, but as you figured out, it’s weird hours.”

A beautiful man like him has been living in the same building as you for that long and you haven’t ever run into him? 

You nod, watching the handsome man bend down and coo at Gretchen, who licks his hand, that traitor. You did notice the first time you met him that he was really cute, but you were also really tired and cranky because of the noise. But here in the daylight, with a black beanie tossed over his hair and kindness in his eyes? 

You need to get out of this elevator fast before you say something stupid. 

Luckily, the pinging sound lets you know you’ve arrived on your floor. You give the leash a gentle hug before trying to give Nico a genuine smile. “Good luck at your game tonight.”

You rush out before there's even a chance for him to reply, Gretchen trotting along happily beside you. 

*****

Something that sounds an awful lot like a smoke alarm going off greets you as you’re walking down the hallway to your place after work. It’s coming from Jack’s apartment, causing you to snort. You decide to knock on the door to make sure everything is alright. 

It’s not Jack or his brother you have yet to meet yet who opens the door, but Nico. Over his shoulder, you see someone who looks a lot like Jack fanning a pillow. You do hear Jack cursing and you can’t help but chuckle. 

“Hi.”

“Hi,” you say, amused. “You don’t live here.”

“Ouch.” He teases back. “That’s no way to treat a neighbor.”

“I think it’s quite nice of me to check up on my neighbor when I hear their smoke alarm going off, actually,” you shoot back. The playfulness in your voice surprises even you, but there’s something about the brown-haired man that makes you immediately comfortable. You feel like you’ve known him for years, even though you really don’t know anything about him. And you don’t count the things you had found when you searched “jack nico new jersey hockey” after you ran into Nico in the elevator.

(Finding out that you live across from one of the seemingly most skilled players in the NHL and that you also met the captain, another highly-skilled player, was a moment that had your head spinning. You had to shut down your laptop and play with Boba afterwards to get yourself togetherr)

The alarm stops beeping and Jack’s head pokes up behind Nico’s shoulder. “Hi neighbor!”

You can’t help but laugh at his boyishness. “Hey Jack.”

“Everything alright?”

“I think I should be asking you that question. I’m just coming back from work and I heard the alarm.”

Jack grimaced, casting a look back into his apartment. “Yeah, I don’t think dinner will be salvageable but that’s alright.”

“No it’s not,” the guy you presume is Jack’s brother grumbles. 

Jack whacks him across the stomach. “Shut up. This is Luke, my younger brother.”

You nod with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Luke.” An idea pops in your mind. “I was gonna try a new lasagna recipe today. Do you three wanna come over in a bit?”

“You don’t need to do that,” Nico assures. 

But you wave him away. “I never proportion my shit right anyways, so you’d actually all be doing me a favor. It shouldn’t take too long either.”

“Nico’s right,” Jack says. “That’s a really nice offer, but-”

“I won’t set off the smoke alarm,” you sing playfully. That seems to do it, as they laugh. They still seem hesitant, so you compromise. “How about this? Got any vegetable dishes up your sleeve?”

Jack brightens up. “I was gonna make a greek salad as a side before we almost burnt down the apartment.”

You beam. “Perfect. You guys can go make that while I get started on the lasagna.”

Before you can turn on your heel, Nico pipes up. “I can help you with the lasagna, if you want?” He casts a look at Jack and Luke. “I don’t wanna be around in case they somehow mess up the salad.”

The brothers start protesting as you laugh, slightly nervous at the prospect of spending some decent alone time with Nico. “Sure. It’ll probably go a bit faster with a set of extra hands.”

With that, Jack and Luke head back to their place while you fiddle with the key to yours, feeling Nico’s presence behind you. You push open the door and kick off your shoes as he does the same. He surveys your apartment as you hang up your coat. You pat yourself on the back for actually cleaning it yesterday rather than flopping in bed like you had initially wanted to. 

As you start gathering ingredients, you let Nico explore, his eyes darting around your living space. You wonder what he thinks about the pictures you have on your wall of your family and friends, half expecting him to ask about them. But he keeps quiet as you turn on the stove, meandering over and waiting for instructions. 

He’s a good sous chef, all things considered. Not that lasagna is particularly a hard recipe, but there’s something quite intimate about cooking with someone you barely know. Though, as you’re cooking, you tell Nico about your job, your background, how you didn’t necessarily think you’d end up in Jersey but that you’re happy to be here anyways. In turn, he tells you about his family, Switzerland and hockey, though you can tell he purposefully glazes over the latter. Judging from the basic research you’ve done — and whatever praises your hockey-loving cousin drawled on about over the phone yesterday — you immediately conclude that Nico is humble, always turning the conversation back to you. 

It’s quite lovely, even if unexpected. The lasagna is almost done by the time Jack and Luke knock on your door. 

For a few brief moments, you panic, wondering why you thought this was a good idea. What do you have in common with three pro-hockey players? But that panic quickly dissipates, Luke seeing the tiny Ohio State magnet on your fridge (your uncle’s, not yours) and immediately lightheartedly trash talking you as Jack and Nico take over setting up the table and plates. 

You close your front door that night with three new numbers in your phone and an unofficial promise from you to catch a game in person sometime. 

*****

You love Gretchen, you really do, but damn, she’s a lot of work. 

You’re lucky that your job has flexible hours, because Gretchen’s barking would probably drive your neighbors insane if she was left alone in your apartment all day. She’s starting to drive you insane. 

Somehow, she was well behaved at the outdoor market you went to today, so you give her a few treats to nibble on as you go back downstairs to grab everything else. As you’re shutting the door of your car, a bag slips out of your grasp and everything spills out, causing you to groan. 

“You alright there?”

You look up from where you’re bending down to grab your things to see Nico briskly walking over from his car, an amused look on his face. You chuckle a bit. “Yeah. This bag decided just to crap out on me. Luckily, there’s nothing really breakable in there.”

He picks up some bath bombs and a loofah in minor confusion. The furrow in his eyebrows is kinda adorable. “What’s this for?”

“One of my coworkers is about to get married so all of us pitched in to get some spa products. I volunteered to put it together to make a gift basket of sorts.”

He hums, swinging the now-filled bag over his shoulder and walking alongside you as you head into the building. “That’s really nice of you. And a good idea for a gift too.”

“Yeah. To be fair, the spa stuff wasn’t necessarily my idea. I just had time to buy them today and I have a knack for making pretty baskets.”

“I should take some notes,” Nico says. “I have a couple friends back in Switzerland getting married soon and need to get them gifts.”

“You wanna come up and help me put it together?”

Nico visibility hesitates as you two wait for the elevator. “I don’t want to intrude in your plans.”

“I have no plans,” you deadpan. “It’s a Sunday. I’m surprised I even got myself to go to the market today.”

He laughs. “Well, in that case…” he presses the button for your floor, but not his. “Any dogs you got in your home right now?”

“Still Gretchen,” you say. “She’s being extra bitchy today though, so sorry in advance for all the barking.” You guys walk into your apartment, and Gretchen barks once before perching her head, begging for pets. Nico gives them to her and she curls up against him. You snort. “Oh, I see how it is, Gretch. You see a cute boy and suddenly you’re well behaved?”

Nico looks up from where he’s crouched to pet Gretchen. “You think I’m cute?” Oh. Shit. You just glare at him as he smirks, nodding at your bags. “What else are you putting in the basket?”

“A bunch of soaps, a really fluffy bathrobe one of our other coworkers found on Amazon, some candles, these facemasks I ordered from Korea…all the good stuff.”

He watches as you take out the empty basket, some wrapping paper, and a few colorful ribbons. You honestly don’t consider yourself very crafty, but after doing a few gift boxes like this in your life, this is something that you pride yourself in doing decently well. 

“Can you reach into the drawer across from the sink and hand me the scissors, please?” You ask. Nico abides, sliding the scissors across the counter. 

“I think the same, by the way.”

You blink, measuring out the length of the ribbons correctly. “Hm?”

“I think you’re cute too.”

It takes all your control to cut the ribbon carefully before looking up at him. You see him swallow, confident with a hint of hesitation. You look down and try to steady your hands. “Well, depending on how good you are at cutting wrapping paper, I might have to keep you around.”

“Helping you out with dinner that night wasn’t enough?”

“The real test is seeing if you know how to wrap gifts.”

“I don’t.”

You can’t help but snort. “Figures.”

“So, what?” You look up to see Nico giving you a look that makes your stomach flip. He tilts his head to the side, trying to find something in your face. You’re not sure what. “You’re gonna kick me out?”

One side of your lips quirk up as Gretchen barks. “I guess I’ll keep you around.”

*****

You and Nico become fast friends. To be honest, it’s not like you see each other all the time, with your normal work schedule and his abnormal one. But more often than not, when Nico asks if you’re around, you usually are. It starts with more homecooked dinners, which turns into trying new restaurants because it’s more reasonable to go with someone else so you can order more at a time, which turns into you seeing some new event happening or shop opening up and thumbing over to your text thread with him asking him if he wants to join. Nine times out of ten, unless he’s on a road trip, he’s free. 

Sometimes Jack and Luke join. Most times they don’t. You’re not offended. Jack and Luke are a bit younger and have their own friends. They remind you of your younger cousins.

The thing is, you just enjoy Nico’s company. You learn about his goals, his insecurities, the things that bring him joy. He’s kind, considerate and so incredibly interesting. You feel so comfortable around him, whether you’re yapping away about childhood stories or in silence walking around the streets of Newark. 

When you finally take up your neighbors’ offer to go to a Devils game after many nagging texts for the Hughes brothers, Nico knocks on your door within minutes, unexpectedly pulling you into a tight hug. You’re taken aback, but his dimpled smile is worth it. 

You take one of your closest friends and have a wonderful time. You’re not much of a hockey fan, but your friend is, happy to talk you through icings and delayed penalties and offsides. Your eyes track 43 and 86 as your friend raves about the “Hughes skating.” But most of the time, you’re eyeing the one with the 13 and the C, who takes a deep breath before every face off. 

For your first game, it’s a fun one, a nail biter that ends in a 4-2 win against the Minnesota Wild. You shoot Jack, Luke and Nico all a text congratulating them on a good game.

It’s when you’re in bed that night do you really thumb through their replies, Nico’s simple heart emoji making you fall asleep with a smile. 

*****

Besides being a nice person, you also consider yourself to have a decent memory. 

Until there’s a knock on your door that has you confused. You put down your tea, petting Moose, the dalmatian you’ve been looking after recently, as you walk to the door. 

Nico looks so cozy, a black Kith sweatshirt with a beanie over his hair. He blinks at you. You blink back. 

“Hi.”

“Hi,” you say, amused even if a bit confused. “What’s up? Did we have plans tonight?”

“No, well, not pre-planned.” Nico bends down to pet Moose, who he met yesterday when you guys went to a new coffee shop. “You busy?”

“And what if I was?”

“You’d cancel for me anyways,” he teases. 

And the thing is, he’s right. You sigh playfully. “Fine. Gimme a few minutes to get dressed.”

Nico grabs the leash off the hook. “Moose is coming too.”

“Oh?”

He flicks his hand. “Go get dressed.”

“Bossy,” you comment, before walking to your bedroom. 

It turns out your plans are a newly opened dog park that you’ve heard about but haven’t gotten the chance to check out. Moose is immediately excited, and your heart does something funny when you see Nico calm him down so he doesn’t run anyone over. Nico told you he hadn't grown up with dogs, but you wouldn’t know with how gentle he is with every dog you’ve fostered during your friendship thus far. 

After playing with Moose for a bit, he collapses on the grass, allowing you and Nico to sit and also relax. 

“You look happy.”

You turn to Nico with a smile. “I am.”

“Good. All I want is for you to be happy.”

You swallow and take a deep breath. “Nico.”

“What?”

“You can’t just say things like that.”

“Why not?”

“Because,” you whisper. You swear the space between you both has decreased. 

“Because what?”

You huff. “Are you really gonna make me say it?”

“Yes.”

You roll your eyes fondly, staring down at the grass for a few seconds before looking into his eyes again. “You can’t say things like that because then you’ll make me believe that I have a chance to be with you. To be more than friends.”

“And why is that so hard to believe?”

What?

“What?” You ask. 

“Is it such a hard thing to believe?” Nico asks gently. His cologne is filling your senses now and you’re so overwhelmed. “The chance to be with you would be an honor.”

“Nico.”

“What?”

“You’re fucking with me.”

He chuckles, “I’m not.” He leans in to place a chaste kiss on your cheek and you kinda wanna die. “So, what do you say? Wanna give it a shot?”

“Are you sure?”

“Never been sure of anything more in my life.” His confidence is back and it makes you wanna kiss him silly. 

You take his hand and squeeze it in yours. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay, yeah. Let’s give it a shot. On one condition though.”

“Anything.”

“You’re helping me with all these dogs. I still don’t know how you got Gretchen to like you. She barely liked me.”

Nico laughs loudly. It makes you grin. “What can I say? I must be special.”

You bite your lip. Yeah. He really is. 

You watch as Moose suddenly has energy again and trots between you two, licking Nico’s face. He scrunches his nose in delight and you feel like the sun is suddenly shining brighter. 

[loveharlow]

SEVEN - 004

PAIRING ‧₊˚ JJ Maybank x Fem!Reader

SYNOPSIS‧₊˚[2.9k] based on 1x04.

WARNING(S)‧₊˚ swearing, mild violence, detainment

NOW PLAYING‧₊˚

A/N‧₊˚ The shortest and most boooooring chapter to date but it's for a reason :(. And to make up for it (and the late post). I'll post chapter 5 much earlier than intended (AND THAT'S THE MIDSUMMERS CHAPTER WOOO).

˗ˏˋ series masterlist ˎˊ˗

AND WITHIN MINUTES ALL THAT HOPE DIED. There was no gold. Just a shipwreck. The drone passed over the entire thing three times and nothing. The metal detector didn’t make a single sound.

“Just pull the damn thing up.” John B said, frustrated. “Somebody beat us to it.” 

“Or it was never there.” JJ muttered, steering the boat back in the direction you’d come.

WAKING UP TO MARLEY LICKING YOUR FACE WASN’T AN UNCOMMON OCCURRENCE, you assumed it’d just felt so unfamiliar because of the fact that you hadn’t slept in your own bed the last few days since this whole gold rush started. You groaned, lightly pushing the dog away from you with your palm.

“I’m awake, Marls…” You groaned out sleepily, rolling off of your bed with a grunt as you hit the floor, your side still sore from the events of yesterday. The pain was mostly gone, all that remained being a tenderness and slight redness surrounding the area.

Rolling onto your back and sitting up, you pet the chipper animal as she snuggled up under you. “Jesus, your morning breath is worse than mine.” You said, face twisting. Reaching for your phone as you scratched the top of her head, you saw that it was close to noon, you sighed, getting up and walking downstairs to get your day started.

You were surprised to find your mother shifting through documents on the kitchen island when you got there, slowing in your steps. “Hey, mom…” You said, eyeing the woman as you opened the fridge to pull out the milk. She merely glanced up at you, before averting her eyes back down to the documents in front of her.

“Morning.” She muttered. You faced away from her, hearing the pen she was writing with hit the counter as you walked to the side and grabbed the cereal from the pantry. “Did you hear about Topper’s boat?”

You bit your lip, completely forgetting about that. Realizing you hadn't responded and stood frozen in place, you cleared your throat and continued making your breakfast. “No, what happened?” You asked, faking obliviousness and pouring the cereal into a bowl, now facing her again. She had the papers in her hands, reading glasses sitting low atop her nose as her eyes scanned the pages as she spoke.

“He and Mrs.Thornton found it sunken this morning. What a waste of money. I hear it was brand-new.”

“Yeah, well, it’s Topper.” You remembered, pouring the milk over the colorful pellets of food. “Him and his friends aren’t exactly known for being careful.” You muttered with disdain. 

“Speaking of caution,” The woman began, clasping her hands in front of her. “I had an interesting meeting with Sheriff Peterkin and Shoupe. They said John B was being chased through town by some dangerous men earlier in the week and he apparently ran from his social worker when she went to pick him up this morning. Do you know what’s going on with him?”

“I don’t know, Mom, maybe the fact that his dad went missing and DCS has been trying to drop him into the system ever since?”

All she could do was sigh. “John B’s father is gone. It’s been almost a year. He needs to accept that and move on.”

“...He needs to just accept the fact that his dad is gone? Do you hear yourself, right now?”

“Listen, I don’t have the energy to argue with you, right now. If you see him or know where he is, it’d be very much appreciated if you could tell Shoupe or Peterkin so they can alert his social worker-”

You scoffed, looking your mother in her eyes. “I'm not doing that. You're crazy if you think I'm going to help you and your cop friends put one of my best friends into foster care-”

“Excuse me?” Your mother was baffled at your tone. But it seemed like everytime you came home recently, on the rare occasion that you did, she always had questions. Scratch questions, accusations. And in your mind, either she knew something or she just wanted reasons to be on your ass. “I don't know what's gotten into you recently. If your father could see you now-”

“No, mom,” You cut her off shortly. “If only he could see you.” You spat, making your way back up the stairs, bowl of cereal in hand, slamming the door behind you.

“AREN’T YOU GLAD I MADE YOU COME?” Kie asked cheerfully, carrying a cooler full of snacks and drinks while you laid out a blanket on top of the grass, JJ and Pope unfolding lawn chairs to sit in. Kie had rounded you all up to see a movie in the park with her. You’d already informed them of the reason for John B’s absence, seeing as this isn’t his first marathon from DCS. If he got away successfully, per usual, you all would be seeing him by tomorrow.

“My couch was pretty comfy, I’ll be honest.” JJ replied. While Kiara was preoccupied, Pope whispered to JJ, but you could still hear them.

“We are in enemy territory. Way out of the green zone, man.” He was visibly anxious, eyes fleeting all across the crowd of people that littered the lawn. 

“Dude, tranquilo, okay?” JJ tried to calm him.

“We are in the middle of Kooklandia.” He hissed. “This is the last place I wanted to be.” He ranted, the two boys not even noticing when Kiara got up to go get drinks.

“Shut up. Both of you.” You reprimanded, sternly. “God, you have the worst poker faces I’ve ever seen.”

“They could be lurking in the bushes right now, we don’t know.” Pope tried to make you understand.

“Dude, just chill out.” JJ said. Just then, Kie had come back, four cans of soda in her arms that she distributed evenly amongst the group of you.

“Just saw Rafe,” The name alone sends a small wave of chills down your spine. “He said to ‘tell your girl that we know what she and your boy did’. What does that mean?” Her eyes fleeted towards you for the most part. 

“Where is he?” You questioned without hesitation.

“Right there,” She motioned behind her, prompting you to whip your head around to where Topper, Rafe, and Kelce stood menacingly by a tree, sipping on beers. Even from that distance, you could tell he was staring dead at you. It brought back so many unwanted feelings and memories, so badly it made your head hurt.

“Great, the whole death squad.” Pope’s voice cracked. 

“Hey,” Kiara’s voice called from beside you, just loud enough for only you to hear. You turned back to face her. “What’s going on? Is he still bothering you? Is it about what happened-”

“No, it’s not.” You were quick to cut her off in case the guys were listening. “It’s not about that.” You said sternly, tuning back into JJ and Pope’s conversation.

“If they corner me, I’m comin’ out swingin. I’m on edge right now.” JJ spoke seriously. “If that doesn’t work, I got this right here.” He assured, holding up his backpack that looked mostly empty but oddly heavy.

“JJ, please tell me you did not bring a gun here. JJ, there are kids!” Kie started, being oddly loud for not wanting people to know that JJ may or may not have brought a gun.

“I didn’t bring the gun, Kiara. Everything’s fine.” He tried to calm her. 

“That’s really convincing.” She said, voice full of sarcasm. “...What happened? What did you guys do?” She asked, eyes going back and forth between the three of you that remained quiet. “Founding principle, no secrets among pogues. What is Rafe talking about?”

“Kie,” Pope started, voice low. “It might go down tonight.” 

YOU ALL WERE A GOOD WAY INTO THE MOVIE AT THIS POINT, the sun had gone down and the air had cooled. The only sounds filling your ears were the movie playing and crickets in the trees. You were sitting in between JJ’s legs, using the base of his lawn chair as a backrest to ease the pain on your side from trying to keep yourself up. You’d heard him and Pope whispering but paid no mind until the blonde was tapping your shoulder, signaling that he was getting up.

“Where are you guys going?” You questioned, looking up at him and adjusting the chair from where it had slipped behind you once he got up.

“We gotta wring it out.”

“Together?” Kie asked.

“It’s bro code. Bro’s who piss together…” He struggled to find a rhyme with the made-up honor code. “...stick together. We’ll be right back.” You watched as the pair of boys crouched, creeping through the crowd and over to a tree next to the projector screen. You questioned why they didn’t head to the actual bathrooms but quickly got your answer with a quick glance back, seeing Rafe and his goons blocking it.

“Now, do you want to tell me what’s going on?” Kie whispered.

You sighed, curling in on yourself slightly. “Trust me, it’s better if you don’t know.” The girl scoffed and shook her head. 

“Do the guys know? About what happened?”

“No. Why would they?”

“Do you ever plan on telling them?” You rolled your eyes, starting to get frustrated. 

“No, Kie, I don’t. I’d like to forget it ever happened, if that’s okay with you.” You snapped, silence falling over the two of you as the movie continued to play.

You assumed maybe a handful of minutes had gone by before you noticed the guys hadn’t come back yet and one weary glance behind you told you all you needed to know — Rafe, Kelce, and Topper were gone, too.

You immediately shook Kie’s arm, startling the poor girl.

“What? What is it?”

“We need to go. Now.” Was all you said before you got up, taking JJ’s bag with you as you and Kie swiftly walked in the direction the guys had gone earlier so as to not alarm any movie viewers. Coming around the back of the projector screen, you were met with a brutal scene in front of you — Kelce held JJ by his arms as Rafe delivered blow after blow to his face while Topper beat up Pope.

“Let go of him! Fascist asshole!” Kie yelled as she whacked Topper in the back over and over. You made a b-line for Rafe, throwing JJ’s bag down and jumping onto the boy’s back, wounding your arms around his neck, allowing JJ an open opportunity to push Kelce off of him.

“Leave him alone, Rafe!” You screeched.

“You don’t wanna do this, sunshine!” He yelled back, throwing you off of his back and onto the grass. Just like yesterday, you were on your back as he stared down at you, breathing heavily. “I’m being nice. Only ‘cause you’re my favorite.” He smirked, huffing with blood in the corner of his lip before turning back to JJ. 

You rolled on your side in the grass to see Topper choking out Pope only after having seen him throw Kiara to the ground. JJ had Rafe handled. You reached for JJ’s bag that had been abandoned, flipping it open to reveal the gun and a lighter. Your eyes went back and forth between the gun and Topper, who had Pope in a deadly chokehold at this point.

You wanted to do it, so bad.

But a gun to a Kook's head was what caused all of this in the first place, so you dismissed the thought, kicking the lighter over to Kie, the object hitting the sole of her shoe.

The girl looked down at the lighter and then at you, you motioned towards the projector screen and she caught on quickly. It wasn’t long before the projector screen was going up in flames, scaring the movie guests and breaking up the fight, spooking the guys. Topper released Pope as JJ pushed Kelce back once more, Rafe stood off in the middle of the four guys, staring directly at you as you got up.

When he snapped out of whatever trance he was in, he gathered up Topper and Kelce and fled the scene. Kie helped Pope up as you turned your attention to JJ. He was fixing his clothes but you didn’t miss the scars on his cheek and bottom lip.

“Are you okay?” You asked frantically, eyes roaming his entire face for any more cuts.

“Fine, I’m fine.” He calmed you as you laid a hand on his shoulder before trailing it up to the back of his neck, but he looked like he wanted to say something. Like he was thinking extremely hard.

“C’mon, let’s go.” You urged the rest of your group, leaving before the fire department and cops inevitably made their appearance.

“I JUST ACTED OFF INSTINCT, MAN. I WAS A CORNERED ANIMAL.” Pope told JJ as he restocked some items on the shelves inside of Heyward’s. It was the next morning but you were all still on edge about the fight last night. It was clear now that Topper knew Pope and yourself were the ones who sank his boat and you were just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Don’t feel bad, dude. It was three of them and two of us.” JJ tried to remedy it. “That’s some typical Kook shit right there.”

“Hell yeah.” Kie agreed. 

“Hey Pope,” Heyward’s voice rang out in the small crab-shack, towel slung over the older man’s shoulder. “There’s someone here to see you.” He motioned behind him, Deputy Shoupe making his appearance.

Pope’s posture immediately straightened, his eyes going wide as the shop went silent with Shoupe’s arrival. “Evening, officer.” He barely got out. Shoupe’s eyes went between you and Pope before replying.

“You’re both here. Great.” He said, reaching into his holster. “I have an arrest warrant for felony destruction of property. For both of you.” 

“Woah, woah, woah…” Heyward was stunned as he stood back and watched the scene play out in front of him.

“Keep your hands on the counter where I can see ‘em.” Shoupe handcuffed Pope first, the boy putting up no fight in his daze. He looked like he’d faint any moment.

“Shoupe, what’d they do?!” Heyward tried again.

“Look at the warrant.” Was all the deputy offered in response, remaining stoic. Once Pope was secure, he moved onto you, looking you in the eyes somewhat pitifully before beckoning for you to turn around and put your hands behind your back. Heyward, Kiara, and JJ were causing commotion, talking over one another as he secured you in handcuffs.

“Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney…” He continued but you could barely hear him as he single-handedly guided both you and Pope out of Heyward’s Seafood. Pope’s father, JJ, and Kie follow close behind.

“Shoupe, it was just me.” You tried, craning your neck to look at the officer. “Pope didn’t do anything.”

“Nice try, kiddo. But there were two people on that boat, caught it on camera. And your face is as clear as day.” He dismissed you.

“It was me!” JJ yelled, causing Shoupe to stop in his tracks. The three of you turned around to look at the blonde. “...Pope tried to talk us out of it. But Y/N and I were just too mad because they’d just been beaten up. I was so sick of those Figure Eight assholes." He spoke convincingly, eyes landing on Pope's ashamed figure. "I can’t let you take the blame for something I did.” JJ was now right in front of Pope, looking the boy dead in his eyes. “You’ve got too much to lose.”

“JJ, what’re you doing?” Pope said hushed but still aggressive.

“I’m telling the truth, for once in my damn life.” He said without much hesitation at all. “I took his old man’s boat, too.”

“What the hell…” Heyward looked crazily at the blonde boy.

“He’s a good kid.” JJ told Shoupe. “...You know where I’m from.” Shoupe nodded lightly, agreeing with the statement before his attention was on you and Pope.

“That the whole truth, Pope?” Shoupe inquired, cocking an unbelievable eyebrow.

He seemed to ponder on it before gulping heavily and nodding his head shakily, looking at JJ one last time. “Yeah…that," He huffed. "That covers it.” 

YOU’D NEVER SEEN THE INSIDE OF A JAIL CELL, not that you ever planned on it. It was suffocating. The walls, the color of the walls, the dingy bars, the stale air. You felt like a caged animal, an unwelcome chill making the experience that much more unbearable.

You and JJ sat across from one another — on the floor, legs bent underneath with your heads thrown back.

“Why’d you do it?” You questioned, your voice echoing out within the cell. "Take the fall, I mean..."

“I couldn’t let Pope go down for it.” His raspy voice replied. “I would’ve taken the fall for you both. But I heard Shoupe, they had footage of two people and your face was ‘as clear as day’.” He mocked the older man’s southern twang.

The action made you chuckle, craning your head down to look at him, not aware that he was already looking at you.

You sighed, shaking your head and running fingers through the base of your hair. “I should’ve never suggested it in the first place. I knew it was a stupid idea, I just wasn’t in the right headspace…”

“Because of Rafe?” The question made your heart stop, eyes jumping up to his before fleeting to the ground. “It’s not hard to notice. He clearly knows you, knows you. But I just…can’t put the pieces together. What happened between you two?”

You looked down at your hands that were now wound around your knees, your fingers fiddling with each other. “A lot of things happened, when I first moved to Figure Eight and fell in with Kiara and I’s old friend group. Let’s just... leave it at that.”

The blonde was looking at you like he wanted to press for more information and you knew one day he would, and with the way recent events have played out? That day might come sooner than you were comfortable with. But for right now, you just couldn’t wait until you got out of this cell. Somehow.

feedback is appreciated! thanks for reading.

SVN Taglist; (let me know if you'd like to be added!) @esquivelbianca @fallingwallsh @calmoistorm @i-love-ptv @liability28 @rivaiken @sophiahristov @rafxcameronss (striked means i'm unable to tag you!)

©loveharlow.

[baratiddyappreciator]

The Baki Cast Cuddle their S/O on their period (SFW)

I'm on my period and shit sucks so I figured I'd write some very self-indulgent fluff, NSFW post coming up soon for the lads and ladies I swear. Also idk if it's just me but I turn into an outright carnivore when I'm on my period. Chocolate, sure, but like, meat?? Meat snacks??? Gimme that shit.

Baki: His arms were wrapped around your chest, avoiding contact with your stomach entirely, his lips pressing softly against your temple as the corny action movie played on the TV, mostly unwatched as he was busy whispering in your ear about how he was sorry he couldn't do much more than just hold you close for the time-being, but that he promised to get you something tasty for supper, Musashi was somewhere outside, probably lounging in a warm patch of sun on the concrete. You'd never been more jealous of a damn dog before in your entire life. Baki nuzzled the back of your head, gently rubbing at a spot on your hip with the pad of his thumb, trying to soothe any aches and pains that might have settled in before your attention was drawn back to the movie, it looked like the action was finally kicking in. The both of you watched the events unfolding on screen for a moment before he spoke up, tone entirely full of confusion.

"Did... Did that priest just turn into a velociraptor??" He asked in such a tiny vulnerable voice it almost made you want to laugh, but all you could do was nod solemnly. "Dude... That's like, the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." And he was right, it really was. "Baby, I want you to know that I love you, even if you can't turn into a velociraptor." He said, before kissing your forehead, leaving you to scoff and roll your eyes in amusement.

Kozue: She sniffled, her box of kleenex practically empty by this point, the both of you snuggled up under her comfy blanket, temples throbbing with the headaches that had come on from crying all day. You didn't even remember why you'd both started crying, but clearly it had been needed. She looked over at you, and reached up to tuck a lock of your hair behind your ear, sniffling lightly, her eyes red and puffy. The skin on her cheeks was blotchy and tear stained, but she was still so pretty. One of the prettiest people you'd ever laid eyes on, actually. She sniffled again, tears welling up as she cupped both of your face in her hands, bottom lip trembling as she stared deep into your eyes, your own emotions welling up in response.

"Honey you're just so... You're so... You're just so pretty." She blubbered, and like that, you both started crying again, hugging tightly and sobbing messily, though she did pull back, still crying, to look up at you again with a trembling bottom lip. "Why are you crying? Pretty girls like you shouldn't cry!" She sobbed, completely ignoring that she was also a pretty girl and shouldn't cry.

Hanayama: Your back hurt. You'd been complaining about it all day. Your upper back, your lower back, your neck, just your entire back hurt and felt out of whack. But right now? Right now, you were on cloud nine. Hanayama had just given you the most powerful back massage of your life and put a heating pad on your back while you were laying on top of him, his large hands still kneading at your lower back to soothe any remaining aches. You could probably fall asleep right then and there, but something was keeping you awake. Not that you could figure out what it was. Maybe you were laying weird, maybe you were both too warm and too cold at the same time, or maybe it was something else, but you were fairly sure that Hanayama assumed you were dead to the world. He paused in his massaging to rub up and down your back soothingly, not pulling the heat pad off yet, though you knew he would soon to avoid your skin getting burned.

His face leaned up slightly so he could kiss the top of your head, thumbs returning to their slow, gentle massaging of your lower back muscles, a heavy but comfortable silence reigning as sleep desperately clung to the corners of your eyes, your eyelids becoming heavier as you started fading off to sleep. "I love you baby." He mumbled, kissing the top of your head off, and that was just the edge you needed to drift off to sleep.

Chiharu: You'd been laying in the same spot for a few hours now, and he was getting worried. He hesitantly approached, his only line of defense clutched in front of him like a shield. He knew that a blanket and some candies wouldn't necessarily protect him, but it might give him enough time to appease you and check to see if you needed anything. Your head slowly turned as he stepped on a creaky part of the floor, and he smiled nervously as your gaze locked on him, slowly approaching some more. "H-hey doll, I brought you something." He attempted, your eye locked onto him. Was this it? Was this how he was gonna die? Your hand reached out towards him and made lazy grabbing motions, and he had to hide his exhale of relief. That had been a close one.

"I tossed this blanket in the dryer so it's nice and warm for you, and I've got some sweet treats and a nice warm water bottle for your stomach." He said, approaching cautiously to avoid provoking your ire. You were like some sort of horrifying beast, lying in wait, ready to strike. He offered a nervous smile as he gently draped the blanket over you, earning a groan. He softened. "Do you want me to rub your legs baby? You look sore." He offered, the horrifying beast turning back into his sweet beloved, wrapped up in a blanket and needing some serious TLC.

Katsumi: Food. He had food. You knew he had food, he just wasn't giving it to you. The suspicious looks you were shooting at him since he'd come home from his parents place smelling of brownies had him visibly sweating as he busied himself around the apartment. He tried distracting you with blankets, pillows and snacks, even a back rub and a nice hot bath, but the suspicious glaring persisted until you two were getting into bed for the night. He'd stood in the doorway sheepishly, hands held behind his back as he toed at the floor, refusing to meet your gaze. You didn't even need to ask, because he caved in. "I've gotta admit something, and I think you know what it is." Your eyes narrowed further.

"Mom did send me home with brownies." He said, and your glare sharpened, but he raised his hands in surrender. "BUT! But, they're not baked yet. She didn't have time to do that part. I kept trying to find the time to put them in the oven for you, but you kept getting suspicious." He admitted, coming to kneel beside you by the bed. "Can you find a way to forgive me baby? I promise I won't withhold brownies from you ever again." He said sincerely, holding your hand. You couldn't stay mad at that face, now could you?

Jack: He couldn't stand it. You both looked and sounded miserable, laying on the couch, back turned to the outside world, sniffling, coughing and occasionally letting out tiny whimpers and groans. It was like being kicked in the chest by a guy twice his size. So there he was, sitting on the floor, his chin resting on your shoulder as his large hand rubbed up and down your spine as he asked you what he could do for you to ease your discomfort. Pressing tiny kisses to your shoulder, he rumbled as he gently wrapped his arm over your shoulders so he could wipe away a frustrated tear from the corner of your eyes, turning your face slightly so he could kiss your forehead, resuming the gentle back rubs he was giving you.

Your cramps didn't let up easily, however, and you only started crying more in both frustration and pain, leaving him to stand and lean over you, kissing your pounding tembles as he rubbed between your shoulders. "Hey, don't cry sweetheart, I'm right here. I'll make it better for you, I promise." He muttered, walking around to the other side of the couch. "I'll be right back with something to help, you don't need to tough this out on your own." He said softly, tucking your hair behind your ear and smiling down at you.

Kosho: It was one of the rare moments where Kosho pulled you into bed and let you get comfortable first, prioritizing your comfort above his, even if it meant that he only had a little bit of mattress left, his fingers rubbing little circles above your stomach to ease the cramping muscles, kissing your temple as he held the blankets close to your chin, practically tucking you in with himself right there. He'd retrieved a glass of cold water for you before, the glass sitting on the bedside table just within reach, the smell of lavender and vanilla emanating from somewhere in the other room, presumably some wax melt he'd put on. He kissed your temples again, arms stilling.

"Well? How are you feeling?" He asked, earning a sleepy hum. "Do you want a snack? A drink?" He continued, not giving you the time to answer before he was kissing your forehead and cheeks. "Just say the words, I can do it for you." He promised, kissing your forehead, only to then notice you reaching for the glass of water and realize that he'd been pinning your arm as you tried to grab the glass for a drink.

Kureha: He'd walked in to find you, a puddle of misery on the couch, disgusting, wet sobs leaving your lips from both the pain and the intensity of the emotions you were feeling. He took one look at the writhing mass of pathetic beneath the blankets and sighed, hanging up his coat and wordlessly walking past you towards the bathroom, and then the kitchen, returning to your side with a cold glass of water in one hand and a few pills in the other, the edges of a pad peeking out of his pocket and a pair of clean pajamas over his shoulder, staring down at you over the rims of his glasses, a brow cocked, waiting for you to acknowledge him. He promptly nodded at your hands. "Hold out your palm." He said, depositing the pills in your palm before he held up the glass of water to your lips. "Take these, they'll help a little with cramps." He ordered, and while you obeyed, he started lifting things out of his pocket.

"You're going to want to get changed into these, they're warm but breathable, and you're going to put this pad on." He ordered, watching you stare up at him, sniffling pathetically. You reminded him of a wet cat. "Don't look at me like that, I can't stop the discomfort, but I can make it easier to deal with." He said, clicking his tongue, a slight flush to his cheeks.

Retsu: The whole house smelled like herbal tea, a spread of meals sat in front of you that you didn't think you could finish if you were given an entire decade. Deserts, sat at the furthest end of the table as Retsu sat behind you, lifting another spoonful of soup to your lips so you didn't have to pull your hands out from beneath the blankets and do it yourself. As a matter of fact, he told you outright that he just wanted to spoil you and make you feel better. This was a bit much, but the soup was delicious. All because he'd noticed a single drop of blood on your underwear. "Come on, eat up! There's plenty of nutrients and vitamins in this soup broth that will help ease your cramps and give you energy!" He said, even though your cramps hadn't even started yet. They hadn't had enough time to start yet.

But when you'd told him that, he'd simply grinned. "The best medicine is prevention, the extra nutrients are good for you regardless." A kiss was pressed against your forehead, the bowl being moved aside and a small desert brought up to you. "Some sweets for my sweet, to lift your mood." He said, and you had to admit it, the man was doing a great job at making you feel better already.

Doppo & Natsue: Doppo hadn't had a daughter, though part of him had always known that he'd be the best girl dad in existence. But now, the two women in his life were suffering through their periods together, and he was about to be beaten into submission by only their harsh glares (pleading glances) and evil demands (requests to come cuddle). He was a karate master though! He was strong! He would resist their evil wiles (Attempts to get him to cuddle for a few minutes because their show has a new episode released)! And yet, he found himself yawning as he dramatically slinked onto the couch, throwing an arm over each of his beloveds, grinning at the both of them roguishly.

"So, how are my two lovely demons today, hm?" He asked, and the glares he got in return sent a chill up his spine. "Hang on, I'm just joking, you know I love you both very much, I'm just trying to lighten the mood." He said, trying to defend himself, but it was too late, as pillows smacked his face from both sides. he was strong, but the two of you were clearly stronger.

Shibukawa: For once, he was being really sweet. Oddly sweet. Suspiciously sweet. You didn't want to trust his gestures of affection as genuine, but you would take them as much as you could. Hot soup, a warm blanket, a gentle back rub. It had all been very sweet as your cramps caused you more and more discomfort. You couldn't understand why he was being so sweet until you opened the bedroom closet to find that the shelving units had all collapsed, leaving clothes and your pads to spill out all over the floor at your feet. He could hear the wooden frame crack beneath your grip, his smile staying in place as you turned around, some hulking, frightening beast full of rage. He should have just come clean about the shelf having fallen before you woke up.

"Now now, no need to get upset, I'll clean it all up and fix it, I promise!" He said passively, sipping at his tea as you slowly approached. "You don't have to lift a finger to clean up the mess, I'll take care of all of it, I promise." He said calmly. Of course, he didn't want to mention that he'd been plotting a prank the entire morning and hadn't realized that you'd be getting your period. He simply sat, arms outstretched for a hug, hoping to lure you into a cuddle so he could claim it was an accident so you wouldn't bite his head off.

[leurdhavemerky]

Funny SFW Viktor x Gn!Reader Headcanons 💖

-Viktor cannot STAND black coffee. Sometimes when you're pissed at him, you "forget" to add creamer or sweetmilk. His face is hilarious.

-He isn't an animal guy- they take lots of time to care for... which he does not have. But when you rescue some kitten off of the streets, he can't help but treat it like a baby. He bought one of those little feather shakers and spends his free time snuggling your kitty. Despite insisting he isn't emotionally attached.

"Fur baby? This is not my fur baby! He's just small and fluffy, that's all. Now stop teasing me," he says, dramatically looking up at you while gently petting the little thing.

-Terrible at interior design. Used to have only a single sad wooden chair at the "dining" table. Note: There is a small crack in the sad wooden chair due to prolonged ponderings. 🪑

"Where do you even buy these things? Most of my decor consists of scattered notes and trinkets." (He is looking at a finger painting of a bird that your toddler cousin made.)

-Viktor is a big fan of meal prepping and has a giant pot's worth of soup or pasta available 24/7. Sometimes he invites you over just to help polish off a hefty tupperware full of fettuccine before it goes bad. He's a surprisingly good cook, whipping up a mean omelet for you on lazy mornings.

-He has calloused and worn hands from writing and tinkering all day. As a gag gift, you buy him those kiddie princess band-aids... your know the ones. After a small mishap, he reaches into the first aid drawer of the lab, only to pull out a smiley anthropomorphic dog. Oh well, he thinks, wrapping it around his finger.

"I see you're wearing the band-aids I bought you, hm?" you tease.

"Very funny," he says, eyes still glued to the bolt he's turning.

-Viktor is nosy when he gets bored. He looks through your books, adding little notes on random pages.

"Spicy, don't you think? I'm sure Heimerdinger wouldn't approve. Tsk tsk, dove." - V

📖🖊

(Written in the best chapter of your romance novel.)

-During academy meetings and events, you have a subtle signal for what is essentially a side eye. Phrases like:

-"Did you hear that right?" 🤨

-"That's crazy talk." 🙄

-"Are you ready to leave?" 🥱

-"Look over there." 👀

Are expressed with two hand-squeezes.

“I love you” is expressed with three.

______________________________________________________________

Hello this is my first tumblr thing I'm scared thank you goodbye

[astral--horrorshow]

Around-The-Clock Shadows

Platonic Yandere ROTTMNT x Reader

Info: This will be a full-length fic including multiple ROTTMNT characters, the main storyline revolves around the Mad Dogs.

Fic Summary: You sure are likeable, aren't you?

《Chapter 1》

Chapter 2: Juice-Induced Short-Circuit

Characters: Donnie, Leo, Raph, Mikey

A/N: Chapter 2 is here! I'm going to try to write a bit more to get chapters out faster, (dw i'm not burning myself out, i literally sit around at home most days) so ya'll have that to look forwards to!

Tbh I did my most productive writing while listening to video game fan music, maybe it just has magical tendencies from good it is.

If you want to be added to a taglist, just say the word! If you want to draw fanart or make anything based off of this, I would be literally honored. Please don't be shy, I will love whatever you make! If you have any questions about the fic, feel free to ask!

TW: Stalking, kidnapping plans, toxic relationships, Donnie has a bit of an ego, ruining of clothing

I do not condone any of the behaviors found or done in this fic. This story is purely for entertainment purposes. If you or someone you know is being treated like this, please contact the authorities.

Please Reblog writer's work!

Chapter Summary: Donnie gets rid of a tracker in a way that Leo doesn't like very much, and Raph goes over a plan with his brothers.

Word Count: 1176

☆~☆~☆

"Don't let me hear the robins sing above,

What good's their song if I've no one to love?"

You leaned your head back against the porcelain of the bathtub, watching the steam from the water curl up towards the ceiling. The silky-double vocals of Leslie Gore crept beneath the door and echoed throughout the tiled bathroom.

You leaned forwards and pulled the plug to the drain, watching the water swirl into the pipes.

"Don't let that dreamy moon come out, come out tonight,"

You lifted the needle off of the record, slipping it back into its case and strolling back to your bedroom. You snuggled under the warm covers, your wet hair dampening the pillow. Your eyelids were getting heavier with each second, warm water always did make you sleepy.

A hand landed on the outdoor windowsill, pulling the body attached to it upwards, revealing Donatello. He froze for a moment when you stirred in your sleep, but relaxed again when you merely turned your sleeping face to the wall.

Donnie pulled open your window, and slipped inside almost silently. He scanned around the room, before the spot of red light he was looking for pulled him to the jacket it was coming from.

He plucked the tracker the Purple Dragons had planted and glared at it with distaste. How dare they disrespect your privacy like that? He knew that they didn't care about you, not like he did. He wants to protect you, they want to use you. He wouldn't let that happen, over his dead body. Donnie's trackers are for protection purposes, so you need them. You need him, you need the rest of your new family to protect you from people like Kendra.

Now, what to do with the tracker? He obviously couldn't bring it back to the Lair, but he didn't want to leave it on you. He couldn't place it somewhere else, there were still things to prepare for your arrival and they would still see you at school, much to his displeasure. He thought it over, finding no good options even within the deepest depths of his intellect.

Suddenly, he thought of the most intelligent idea. He would spill something on the jacket, so you would throw it in the wash! The tracker would be destroyed! Those horrible, deceiving nerds wouldn't suspect a thing! He applauded himself in his mind, basking in his own intellect.

He was so busy praising himself in his mind that he didn't notice the electric blue portal materializing out of thin air behind him until Leo was right behind him. Donnie jumped nearly a mile out of his skin when Leo's hand landed on his shoulder.

He jerked around, expecting you to have woken up somehow and discovered his presence, but deflated when he saw that it was just his brother, and glared at him.

"What are you doing here, Leo?" Donnie said, crossing his arms with an annoyed look on his face. He could believe that his brother could do what he was doing, but he really wished he wouldn't.

"I'm visiting, of course," Leonardo flipped the ends of his bandana over his shoulder like it was hair, "Also, Raph sent me to look for you. You didn't come back after you left."

"That's none of your business."

"I think it is. If you're here, then it's all our business."

"You'll just do something rash."

Leo put on a half-mocking, half-serious pout, "Nuh-uh!"

"Scoff."

"If you don't tell me, I'll tell Raph and Mikey something is wrong."

Donatello clenched his fists and teeth, glaring even deeper at Leo. "Fine. The Purple Dragons placed a tracker on them, and I'm going to get rid of it."

Leonardo brought a hand up to his chest and gasped dramatically like a woman in a black-and-white movie, his eyes widening. "No!" He said it less like an exclamation, and more like a woman gossiping with her friends.

"Yes. Like I said, I'm going to get rid of it. Now go away."

Leo sassily put a hand on his hip, "No. I'm going to stay here and look after them."

"Fine," Donnie snapped, "But if you wake them up, you're going to regret it."

He walked to the kitchen, taking a carton of juice out of the fridge before returning.

Upon re-entering the bedroom, Donnie gritted his teeth yet again upon seeing him sit on the edge of your bed, his three-fingered hand gently petting the top of your head.

“What are you doing? Get off of there before you wake them up!” Leo pouted at his brother’s demand, but sat up anyway. He cocked his head in curiosity upon seeing the juice in Donnie’s hand.

“Juice?”

“Yes. This is how I’m going to get rid of that awful tracker.”

Leo launched forwards, attempting to grab the juice. “Don’t do that! You’re going to ruin a perfectly good jacket!”

Donatello jerked his hand back before Leo could grab it. “The whole point is that they’re going to wash it, dumb-dumb.” Upon hearing his brother’s plan, Leo didn’t try to grab the juice anymore, but put a hand on his hip again. “And what happens if it stains?”

“I’ll buy them another one,” Donnie turned back to the jacket, screwing the cap open.

Leonardo made no further attempt to stop his brother, but looked away as Donnie poured the liquid over the fabric. In his refusal to watch him disfigure clothing, he looked over to you, still sleeping soundly even with all the noise they were both making. You really were a deep sleeper, how cute.

“Done,” Donnie announced, interrupting Leo’s thoughts. He turned back to him, trying not to focus on the stained fabric on a hanger behind him. “Let’s just go,” Leo said, sulkily. He didn’t want to leave you so soon, but he couldn’t stand another minute in the awkwardness of the moment. They both walked to the kitchen, checking on you one last time to make sure you were still sleeping soundly. Donnie put the juice back in the fridge, then stepped into Leo’s portal.

☆~☆~☆

The Turtle Tank sped throughout the backstreets of New York City, leaving scattered papers and humans in its wake. Raphael pulled the tank into an isolated alleyway, beckoning his brothers to join in a circle.

"Okay," Raph said, putting his arms on the backs of Leo and Mikey, who were next to him in the circle, "We have everything prepared? Donnie, you have the tranq gun?"

"Of course I do, Raph," Donnie said with a slightly exasperated tone, "We've been over this."

"Okay, fine. Everyone knows the plan, right? We sneak in, get them, and take them home, like a boss!" Upon saying his catchphrase, Raph pumped his fist in the air, hyped up.

His energy spread to his younger brothers, and they put in their words of excitment and encouragement. Raph drove the vehicle out of the alleyway, and sped towards your home.

☆~☆~☆

A/N: Apologies if this chapter drags on a bit! I wanted to focus more on staying on one scene because of all the jumping back and forth in the first chapter! Also sorry that Raph and Mikey aren't very active in the story right now! They'll be a lot more starting in chapter 3! The first two chapters are more focused on the stalking aspect, which I tend to assign to Leo and Donnie. Raph and Mikey are more caretaker-esque, which you'll definently see very soon!

Taglist <3: @yandere-toons @yanteetle @ssak-i @oleander-nin @averagerottmntsimp

[seeingstarks]

spooky delights

summary : reader is feeling quite low, her husband has just the thing to turn that from upside down. pairing : jon moxley x afab!reader (husband!wife dynamic - fluff) cw : fake blood, blood licking (but reader thinks it's real at first), implied smut/nsfw if you squint - referred to mox as "your treat" in descriptions, nicknames (babygirl/lovely/baby), neck kisses/general kissing/slight french kissing. a/n: wanted to whip up a lil' something for halloween & this came to mind with prompt inspo from here. reblogs are very much appreciated! if you want added to the tag list send an ask but my writing updates are all over the place! word count : 712 words tag list : @harmshake gif credit : @allelitewrestlings

trick or treaters knocked on the door all evening long, being home and in the comfort of your dog was the only company you had for the time being as you awaited your husband to arrive home.

you hadn't felt like moving an inch from the sofa, only doing so to put out a bowl of candy earlier with little motivation to do much else as you went back under the covers, your dog hopping up on the sofa as you gave him a few pets.

ever since moving in with jon, you were fortunate to have snacks all around the house, however as you reached down and rummaged through the snack drawer below, you only managed to find those of the salty variety.

with a sigh, you rolled over to your side and snuggled up against your furry friend who was more than accepting of the ear scratches you provided.

after an hour or so passed by, the lights began to flicker off outside and chatter of kids on a sugar high dampened down as the night grew darker.

still no jon. you wondered what he had been up to this late. he was only supposed to be grabbing pizza and a few groceries but your sweet tooth grew stronger and the candy was bound to be gone by now.

the cincinnati native came with pizza in one hand and in the other two brown paper bags which seemed to be filled.

throwing the covers off, you were careful not to wake the sleeping pup as you stood up and greeted your husband, worry washing over your face as you saw the crimson liquid rolling down his forehead.

"is that real? here let me help you get that off-" you licked your finger, stepping up on your tippy toes and pressed a finger to jon's head, swiping the blood away with ease before going to lick it.

jon couldn't keep his eyes off you, simply chuckling at himself and your actions, adoring everything about you. "ohh, that's not- how you replicate fake blood so well amazes me." you shook your head at him and he pulled you in for a hug, feeling his arms wrap around you in a warm embrace.

you could stay this way forever, in the comfort of your lovers arms, head buried in the crook of his neck. it felt safe with him and despite living together he was your home.

"i got you a suprise baby." he reached into the bag pulling out an assortment of halloween candy, along with some frosting and gingerbread.

"we're gonna make spooky gingerbread houses?" you asked him in an excited tone, ready to rip open the bag of skittles, one of your many favorite treats besides mox.

"i know how much you love halloween and haven't been feeling your best lately.." he walked up behind you wrapping his arms around your frame, "so i figured this would help cheer my babygirl up." he nuzzled at the crook of your neck before placing a soft kiss on it.

"i love it, jon. you're the greatest husband ever." you smiled up at him starting to rip open each of the bags filled with sweet treats.

"i'll be right back, lovely." he hummed to himself and grabbed bowls for the food setting them on the counter and pouring it in.

the night was full of laughter, wandering hands, but most importantly you got to spend time with the person you loved most.

making a mess of the kitchen, frosting was spread over the counter and your face, basically anywhere but the gingerbread house.

"save some for our spooky masterpiece." jon shook his head with a chuckle watching you lick frosting from your finger.

"mm, how about nope." you turned to face him and spread some on his cheek causing the man to pull you into a heated kiss.

"tastes like mm-orange.. my favorite, unlike someone else." you shushed the man through closed lips as you opened your mouth and slipped your tongue into his, knowing full well he was talking about james. even in moments like these he was thinking about opponents but was there when it mattered most, with you. the spooky treats could wait just a little while longer you thought.

[fukurofanfics]

Fukuro Part 8: Making It Up The Right Way

A/N: I know it’s been a thousand years since I last posted, but get over it. Looking back, I’ve noticed that this story has mostly been sexual content so far, next chapter picks up with more of the storyline as opposed to Kaito just fucking everyone. Enjoy! (Also thanks for 100 followers. Shoutout to @ggidolsmuts, his reblog of part 6 really helped me)

Warning: This series contains graphic depictions of violence, graphic sexual content, and adult language throughout. It is not intended for persons under sixteen. Reader discretion advised.

(Also, I’m writing according to what I think the characters would be like in real life, so they might not always be in character. Some character traits are made up by me, such as Jiwon’s affinity with computers.)

Chapter 8: Making It Up The Right Way

It was a while before Yiren woke up, she slept for a good bit. Jiwon and I brought her down to my large bed and covered her up. Jiwon went away and I stayed with her.

I felt at peace then, with her slumbering next to me and me sitting there with her, watching over her.

Finally, she stirred drowsily and her eyes opened a fraction.

“Kai?” She mumbled sleepily. 

“I’m here, baby.”

She reached out a hand and grasped mine.

“Had a good rest?” I asked gently, scooting closer to her and laying down, pulling the blankets over myself.

“Yes.” She replied. “I was tired.”

“You came four times, I’m not surprised.”

“Was it four?” She chuckled softly. “I lost track, it was so good.”

“I know.” I said. “How do you feel about tonight?”

She smiled and snuggled up to my chest. 

“Good. I’m all rested up.”

“You know what we haven’t done in a while?” I asked on a completely random note. 

“Hmm?”

“Gone outside. Or done anything outside of this cube.”

“Kaito,” she said, in tones of a mother scolding her child, eyes still shut, “what are you planning?”

“I don’t like the thought of the risk, but it’s been too long since we did anything. We might as well while we can, before we’d be in mortal danger.”

I could literally (figuratively) hear the eye-roll and she smiled.

“What are you planning?”

“What do you say we go out tonight for dinner? Like, real dinner with actual people?”

“Sounds good to me. You sure we won’t get accosted by an eight-foot-tall behemoth with five-inch claws?”

I laughed.

“I can’t be sure, ever. They pop up in the most random spots. They can smell the toxin in my sword, they follow me everywhere.”

“If they can smell the toxin and they know it can kill them, why attack to start with?”

“They view me as a threat and want to take me out if possible.” I explained. “I don’t exactly make it easy for them, and to attack me is suicide. If they attacked one of you, I wouldn’t rest until I’d hunted down every last one or died trying. They’ve already taken my parents, I couldn’t stand it if they took one of you. They’d probably also hold one of you hostage to draw me in. They know I’d come for you, they’re very clever.”

“Well, let’s hope that doesn’t happen, then.” Yiren said.

Her soft, silky hair rubbed along my arm and shoulder and without a second thought I reached up and started stroking her head. She sighed in contentment.

“Maybe. I’ll see what the others think about it. This is very relaxing, by the way.”

I smirked. “It is for me, too. You know petting an animal, like a dog or a cat relieves stress and anxiety?”

“What, am I just your stress toy now?”

“Maybe you are my toy, just a different kind.”

“Oh, so I’m just a fleshlight.”

“Yeah.”

She snorted and slid her bare arm over my stomach. 

“Well, since when did a fleshlight want to be used?”

At the same time, I felt her thigh slide over my own underneath the blanket.  Some moisture was palpable closer to where her panties were.

“Been dreaming about that ‘usage’?”

She scooted over and settled between my legs, her back to my chest.

“Yes.” She didn’t even hesitate. “I was dreaming about you.”

“Yeah?” I said in a lower voice, sliding my hand over her leg. “What did I do?”

“You fucked me so hard I screamed out in pleasure,” she said seductively, hand slowly drifting towards my waist, further in. “I squirted all over you.”

“It’s not like I couldn’t tell,” I said, dropping my hand lower and drawing a gasp from her, “you were moaning in your sleep.”

“Was I?” She asked. “Makes sense.”

“It’s going to happen tonight.” I said sensually, teasing her already-wet pussy with two fingers. “You, Jiwon, and I are going to fuck. A lot. Both of you are going to squirt all over me.”

She did nothing but moan in reply at the finger swirling her clit. Seeing my opportunity, I plunged my fingers into her already wet pussy, and she bit her lip hard to keep from shouting out, as we could be heard. Among my feelings of intense arousal, it reminded me that I hadn’t seen Sihyeon or Hwang-ja since they had fucked. I supposed that would put an end to my plans to fuck her. I was not sad about not having to listen to Eun-ji’s words earlier all over again.

“Kai,” Yiren gasped, clutching at my arm as I mercilessly rubbed at her g-spot, making her cry out, “Kai, I’m gonna cum, I’m fucking cumming! Oh, I’m so close, don’t stop!”

Her words spurred me on and I pumped her pussy faster, bringing her to her fifth orgasm of the day full on and eliciting a muffled scream from her as she hastily turned her face into the pillow to stay quiet.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t really thinking about the here and now, I was thinking about Eun-ji. I still needed to talk to her, there was no use putting it off.

She was slowly returning to reality by the time I turned back to her.

“Sorry, Yiren, I’ve got to go, there’s some business I have to handle with Eun-ji.”

“You go, Kaito.” She replied, tracing her own abs with an idle finger. “I know what the ‘business’ is, Jiwon unnie told me what happened earlier.”

“Did she?” I muttered, getting off the bed and putting on my shirt, not that it would be needed for much longer. “Well, then you know what’s happening. I’ll see you later.”

My new earpiece suddenly filled my ear with the voice of Joonhon, my head servant and overseer of the entire bunker’s function.

“Mr. Kobayashi, sir, the voice activation in the elevators is fully functional and ready for use. We’ve finally gotten it to work.”

I pressed the speak button on the small device and said,

“Joonhon, if I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times. Just call me Kaito. We’re friends, I prefer to be called by an informal name.”

“Sorry, sir. Kaito.”

“That’s better.  That’s great, I’m heading to the elevator now.”

Yiren waved after me as I stepped into the elevator, and the last image I saw before it was cut off by the doors closing was that of Yiren’s adorable face looking back at me and winking.

“Floor three.” I said to the elevator, and a small screen lit up with green on black text and a photo of me: 

                                           Kaito Kobayashi

                                         Identity Confirmed

                                      Floor 3 Access Granted

“Confirmed.” The elevator’s automated voice replied, and the elevator started moving.

“Good job, Joonhon.” I said into my earpiece. “Very impressive.”

“Thank you, sir. Have a good day.”

“You too, buddy. Pyeonghwa.”

The elevators opened to reveal Yurim and Se-Rim doing their nails.

“Have either of you seen Eun-ji?” I asked, interrupting their giggles.

“Yes, I think she went up to the roof.” Yurim said. “Said she wanted some time to think.”

“A bit odd if you ask me,” added Se-rim, “but then again, we’re all pretty stressed out lately.”

“Okay, thanks.”

I headed back into the elevator and after telling it “roof”, it started to move. 

I arrived at the roof and the doors opened to reveal Eun-ji standing there, waiting for it to arrive to her. She gave a small yelp and jumped back, my appearance taking her by surprise.

“Kaito?!”

“Yes?” I said, taking a step towards the exit. “Were you going down?”

“Erm, actually, I was looking for you.”

“Me?” I said, truly taken aback. “Why were you looking for me?”

“I wanted to talk to you.”

I stepped out of the elevator and followed her over to the couch. Maybe I wouldn’t have to do anything, maybe she would do it all herself. I knew what she wanted to talk about, and there was no doubt she was going to want to make it up to me.

“So,” she said, swallowing, “I wanted to talk to you about this morning.”

“Yes, I figured.” I said. 

“I said a lot of things that I didn’t mean, that I regret ever even thinking of saying.” She continued. “And I wanted to apologize.”

I remained quiet, waiting to see where she took it. 

“I’m sorry, Kaito.” She said, looking me directly in the eye. I spotted tears welling in her eyes as she spoke, and her bottom lip trembled . “I really never meant to say it, I know you do care, that’s why we’re here. I know you care more than anything.”

She got off her seat and wrapped her arms around me, and the sincerity of her words vibrated in my bones. I knew she meant them. 

“Forgiven, Eun-ji.” I said into her ear, patting her on the back. “I’ll not pretend I wasn’t hurt by it, but I can’t pretend I never say things I don’t mean, either. Everybody makes mistakes, I can’t fault you for being angry. I know you didn’t mean it.”

She disengaged and sat back down.

“I still feel bad, though, even when you forgive me.” She said, voice choked up, a single tear running down her cheek. 

With that she just broke down. She flung herself into my arms and started crying, and to me it felt like some kind of emotional dam had burst within her. It felt like an eternity that she sat there and wailed into my shirt, and I found it very hard not to join her in remorse. 

It made me feel awful. Maybe I had been too hard on her this morning, but whatever it was I felt awful.

“I’m s-sorry,” she said, wiping her eyes on her shirt, “it’s just I’ve been so stressed and scared, and the thing this m-morning-“

She couldn’t finish the sentence and lost it again, sobbing into my chest.

“It’s okay, Eun-ji.” I said, making a supreme effort to keep my own voice steady. “It’s alright. I’m here, there’s no need to be scared.”

After a bit she fell into silence.

“I’m sorry.” She said once she had calmed down.It’s been so stressing since we came, I’ve just been keeping it inside. There are so many things I’ve just kept to myself, it just all flooded me. The thing this morning was the last straw, I just couldn’t take it.”

“It’s okay.” I said firmly. “Eun-ji, listen to me. You have nothing to be worried about. Nothing can reach us here. I would give my own life for any one of you, it would be over my dead body that the Fukuri would touch you. You’re safe here. As for the incident this morning; I forgave you. I know you didn’t mean what you said. You are an amazing person, and nothing you do will ever change that. I love you, and nothing you do will ever change that. Don’t keep your emotions away from me like that, it’s not good. I don’t ever want you to feel like you can’t talk to me. If you’re feeling down, talk to me. I’ve been through a lot in my time, I can understand what it feels like.”

She looked up at me, and the gratitude in her expression made me feel much better. She looked adorable, and her vulnerability in that moment strengthened our bond. 

“Thank you, Kaito. Thank you so much, for everything. For spending your time, money, and effort getting us here, for saving us, for being so understanding and kind. You’re a really great guy, Yiren is lucky to have someone like you.”

Her words to me were more heartwarming than almost anything I’d ever heard. She sat back from the embrace on her knees and looked at me. 

“So how can I make up for what I said?”

I returned her gaze, surprised. “What?”

“I said,” she repeated, “how can I make up for what I said? You’re extremely kind for letting it go so quickly and so easily, but I want to do something to make it up to you.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Well…” she trailed off, and I noticed a blush growing rapidly in her tear-streaked cheeks. “I had one idea…because of the topic this morning…”

Understanding blazed though my brain and I was shocked, though it was what I came up here for in the first place.

“Wait - Eun-ji, you’re not suggesting-“

“Yes, I am.” She confirmed, starting forward.

“Wait!” I said hurriedly as she reached for my waistband and she paused, one eyebrow raised. “Stop, you don’t have to - I’m not asking you for - you don’t need to do this.”

“Well, that’s the thing.” She said, hooking her finger inside my pants. “I want to.”

What a change from this morning. A comparison from earlier, when she exploded because I fucked Yiren, to now, when she was trying to fuck me herself.

I paused. “You’re sure you want to do this? I don’t want you to feel obligated to.”

“I’m sure, Kaito. I deserve it for this morning,” she said, and put a finger to my lips when I opened my mouth to protest. “and you deserve it for being so understanding.”

“You’re absolutely positive you want to go through with it?” I asked in a last-ditch attempt to prevent it. I didn’t want her doing this because she felt compelled to because of this morning. I had to forcefully remind myself of why I came up here to start with. “If you go through with it, I won’t hold back.”

“Good,” she said lustfully, “I don’t want you to.”

With these words she yanked my pants and boxers down over my legs and to my ankles, releasing my partially-hard cock.

I took a deep breath. If this was what she really wanted, that’s what she was going to get, no mercy included.

She gave a yelp as I grabbed her head by the hair and pulled her face into my crotch. Her tongue nimbly darted out and ran along my balls. She had clearly had some experience with this. It wasn’t on Jiwon’s level, but still good enough that it felt incredible. She hadn’t even started sucking my dick yet. 

She let out a moan as she sucked on my balls, rapidly making me hard as a rock. Now that we started down the road, we weren’t going back. I hadn’t been kidding about not holding back. I lifted her head and pushed my cock into her mouth, spearing her lips open and gagging her at the back of her throat. But apparently that was just a taster.

She got up, walked around to the side of the couch, slid off her skirt, panties, shirt, and bra, bent over, and slid herself over my legs in a position that highlighted the curves and rounds of her ass, hips, and thighs. 

“I don’t feel obligated to do anything,” she said matter-of-factly, “but I need to be punished. And before you object,” she added, not even having to look at me to know I was about to dispute it, “nothing you say is going to change my mind on that.”

My objection fell dead on my lips and I sat unmoving.

“Well?” Her inquiry rose on the air. “Are you going to get on with it or am I going to sit here all day with my ass out, waiting for you to do something?”

I hesitated still. I didn’t feel like it was my place or my right to punish her for saying something she didn’t mean in the heat of the moment, especially in this way. But her alluring nude body was drawing me in like a fish on a hook, and I was finding it increasingly difficult to resist her.

She looked sideways up at me with a seductive look, turning to her pure sexiness for help. 

“I was a bad girl, and shouldn’t naughty girls be punished?” She said, intentionally making her voice lower and more breathy. “This girl needs to be spanked.”

“You know what?” I growled, primal instinct as always winning the battle against reasoning and gentlemanliness.  “Have it your way.”

She bit her lip and I gave her ass a hard, sidelong swat with my hand. She yelped in both pain and pleasure and I waited, seeing if she was alright. She gave her ass a wiggle, silently spurring me on. I smacked her three more times before deciding on a different method. There was a cabinet that happened to have a hairbrush sitting on it nearby, so I reached over and grabbed the brush, flipping it so the flat end would hit her.

She uttered a yell as the brush struck her, making her ass ripple on impact. I paused again, making sure she was still comfortable with it before going on.

“Spank me harder!” 

I gladly complied with her shouted demand, smacking her ass with the hard plastic again, and again, and again. I lost count of how many times I spanked her, her ass turning redder and redder. She yelped and moaned and shouted out, whether in pain or pleasure I didn’t know or really care. Occasional cries of “harder” or “more” came from her, and I let my instinct hotwire my brain. My hand briefly grazed her naked pussy and I was shocked to see how wet she was. Clearly the spanking was turning her on to that point. Her body quivered and her hands gripped the couch or my thigh each time the brush hit her, and she kept egging me on. 

“I’m about to fucking cummm-“ she moaned out, clutching at my leg. I tossed the brush to one side and slid my fingers down her pussy, ending on her clit and circling it swiftly. I ran the fingers back along it until I reached her entrance, which I slowly teased before plunging them inside. No hymen barrier blocked my entrance, so I knew she was not a virgin.

“Not a virgin, eh?” I said while she gave a pleasured whine, thrusting my fingers at a quick pace. “So you are a slut?”

“Only for you Kaito, only for you!” She whimpered. “I’ll be your slut, all of this is yours!”

“You’re fucking right it is,” I growled in her ear, giving her ass a hard slap with my free hand. “You’re mine.”

Something inside her snapped at my words and she climaxed with a scream as I jammed my finger into her g-spot. Her juices splattered my hand and coated my forearm as they sprayed out of her, and the tension relaxed as she fell limp against me, chest heaving.

“That was - fucking amazing,” she said, taking deep breaths, “you’re so good.”

I let her recover sufficiently before moving. I made her kneel on her knees, face resting on the couch. Her shining, sopping wet heat was facing me and I was still horny, so I positioned myself, lined up my tip with her entrance, and pushed in.

Where her face was, her mouth opened and a whimpering moan left it as her eyes closed in pleasure.

I slowly forced my way into her tight pussy, pleasurable resistance meeting me every centimeter of the way, until I bottomed out inside her.

“Fuck, you’re so tight,” I groaned through clenched teeth, my head tilting back as the feeling overwhelmed me. She was tighter than Jiwon by far, but not quite as tight as Yiren.

“Oh, it’s so deep,” she gave a soft, blissful hum as I filled her up, juices leaking out around the edges of my cock. She turned around and gave me that seductive stare, biting her lip. “Now fuck me.”

Raw, animalistic lust was the only thing I felt as instinct took over, and I jabbed my hips into her as hard as possible, a wet clap resounding around the roof. She cried out, reached around, and spread her ass cheeks, allowing for further view of my cock disappearing inside her. 

I took the cue and started fucking her hard and fast, going for pure power in my thrusts. Her body was like a drug, addictive and inebriating, and I leaned forward.

“I’m going to make you fucking pay for this morning,” I growled roughly into her ear, pulling her head back by her hair to let her hear me over her own cries.

“Yes!” She yelled, turning her head and looking at me with desperate eyes. “Make me pay, punish me! Fuck me like I’m your little slut!”

“You get me wrong,” I said forcefully, her lips brushing my cheek, “you are my little slut, like it or not.”

She gave no reply except a string of mindless moans, unintelligible whispers that still held more meaning than words.

I grasped the ponytail I had formed her hair into and pulled harder.

“Say it! Fucking say it!”

“Y-yes!” She screamed out, fingers holding the couch like a vice. “I’m your slut! Fuck me however you want, I belong to you!”

Funny how just a taste of my cock had reduced all three of the members I had gone after to screaming, moaning sluts who begged me to dominate the. Each had had a different way of phrasing it, but all had the same message. Make me your slut.

I let go of her hair and reached around to her bouncing breasts, squeezing and groping her and heightening her pleasure. 

Pulling out, I turned her over onto her back, and she gave a disappointed moan before I quickly plunged back into her, the moan turning to a breathy, satisfied shout. I let myself rest on top of her, driving my shaft deeper and deeper with each thrust. 

“Oh my god yes, yes, f-fuck!” She screamed as I bottomed out inside her. “Fucking pound me! Pound my little pussy!”

“Shut up and take my cock!” I groaned through my teeth, knowing she was trying to coax the cum out of me with her dirty talk. 

She bit her lip as I gave her breast a slap, eyes closed and hands gripping my back. I felt myself nearing my peak, and she was lasting longer than I thought she would but I could still tell she was close as well.

“Cum in me Kaito,” she gasped into my ear, bucking her hips up into me, thighs flexed around my waist. 

I let out a moan myself as her walls clenched around me, but the expression on her face, her eyes closed, eyebrows angled upwards, her mouth open, was what sent me over the edge.

“I’m - fucking - cumming - FUCK!”

I managed three words and one yelled obscenity before slamming my cock into her, as deep as I could, and blasting her walls with my cum, giving a groan through my teeth as one of the most intense orgasmic highs I had ever had hit me like a truck.

I felt her juices hit me, but no sound came from her except a tiny squeak as her voice failed her. Her nails raked my lats and her legs gripped my middle very hard, her entire body trembling in pleasure. Then as soon as it came it stopped. Her thighs relaxed, her hands fell limp to her sides, and her pussy relaxed around my cock, still rapidly pulsing along with her beating heart. 

We only got to enjoy the afterglow of our passionate sex for a minute or so before Joonhon’s frantic voice blasted into my ear again.

“Kaito!” He shouted. 

“Joonhon, what the fuck!” I said, waving away Eun-ji’s questioning gaze and rising from the couch. “What is it?”

“Sir, you remember Makoto Takahashi?”

“Yes, why?”

I did remember him well, he decided to devote his life to helping the Fukuri a while ago, and had tried to kill me. 

“He’s resurfaced; he sent our server a message.”

“What did it say?” I asked warily, knowing that this couldn’t be good.

“He wants to talk to you, in person.”

“Tell him I said to fuck off. I don’t associate with dickheads like him.”

“I’m not sure that’s advisable, sir. He’s threatening you. He has the Fukuri on his side, as I’m sure you know, and he says he’ll bring them to us if you refuse.”

I hesitated. I didn’t want to see him, but by refusing I was risking the lives of myself, Everglow, and everyone else in the bunker. I couldn’t do that.

“Get the guards ready, Joonhon. We’re going to meet this motherfucker.”

[lynzishell]

List 5 facts about a favorite sim of yours, and send this to 10 simblrs whose sims you adore ♥♥♥

TYSM for sending me this ask @elderwisp and @igotsnothing 💖 I almost used this as an excuse to do two sims.... but it takes me so long to answer these things that I didn't want to risk it sitting in my inbox for too long lol!

But let's dive in, shall we? I chose my beloved...

✨Asher Goode✨

🩶Asher is a dog lover, and is very attached to his border collie, Jasper. He rescued Jasper as a six-month-old puppy when he was fifteen. The dog lives at his parents’ house because Asher doesn’t want him to be cooped up in an apartment. (He’s the main reason Asher visits his family so much.) If he does bring Jasper home to the city, it’s only for one night, and usually means he’s having a tough time and needs a little extra comfort.

🩶He is a very talented artist. One of his favorite hobbies is writing and illustrating comics. He’s been doing this since he was a kid, and it’s his creative outlet outside of work.  He completed his first story when he was fifteen. It was inspired by Jasper and is still in his old bedroom at his parents’ house. (I hope one day to share it, but I need to share it as a comic and I don’t know how to go about doing that yet, so I’m holding onto it for now.)

🩶He gets his creativity from his father, who is a musician. His dad had always hoped that his kids would share his love of music. While Asher appreciates a wide variety of genres, he’s not interested in playing any instruments. In fact, he hates the piano because it reminds him of how miserable lessons were as a kid. He’d much rather put on his headphones and draw. However, he does love dancing and going to concerts.

🩶He's not much into fitness or sports, but he does love to run on the beach with his dog. He’s also a very strong swimmer. Not because he enjoys swimming… quite the opposite really. When he was nine years old, he nearly drowned in the ocean when he was swept away by the undertow. He was saved by this mother, but he’s hated the water ever since. Rather than avoid it, though, he asked his parents to sign him up for swimming lessons. He’s not the type to avoid what scares him, he’d rather take control in any way he can.

🩶Asher is madly in love with Atlas... yes yes, we know this… but did you know that Asher’s love language is physical touch? He is very affectionate. The type to always greet you with a hug, put a hand on you while talking, lean against you while standing, drape his legs over you while sitting on the sofa, and snuggle you in bed (and he’s almost always the big spoon).  A lot of the time, he does this without thinking, so people who don’t like others in their personal space tend to not like being around him. But, for Atlas, the casual closeness and affection always put him at ease around Asher, even long before they started dating. (I could really dive into all that, but this isn’t about Atlas right now, so perhaps I’ll save it for another time 😉).

[ababyrasberry]

heyy!! I saw that u were taking requests for south park so can I request stan x fem!reader where the reader and stan obviously like eachother, like they're both always together and they're always holding hands or linking their arms when they walk or sit together and everyone knows they like eachother,,

but the reader and stan r kind of dumb so it takes a while for them to actually confess to eachother😭

obliviously in love 

a/n: OMG TYSM FOR REQUESTING THIS I HAD SM FUN WRITING THIS!!! HAVE A GREAT DAY LOVIE!! 

stan marsh x gn! reader

-you have been apart of the boys friend group since preschool

-you guys were all very close, but you and stan had a relationship like no other

-kyle, kenny, and cartman all knew abt stan's little crush before stan did himself

-stan would ask people to move desks so he could sit by you in class and pass notes

-he is always around you, and the guys rip on him for following you like a puppy dog

-stan will literally tell people that you guys are just best friends with the biggest fucking blush ever

-sometimes you come over to his house to hang with shelly, and every time randy makes fun of you and stan for not getting together yet

-honestly everyone just assumed you guys were dating because you guys held hands and sat by eachother and all that cute shit

-once butters came up to him to ask abt him and you which made stan think abt his feelings

-he was def laying in his bed thinking abt you, and that's when he knew

-"oh shit i'm in love"

-he started to act weird around you, and sorta avoided you which made you think he didn't want to talk to you anymore

You made you way to the Marsh house, you were invited by Shelly to hang out. As you rang the doorbell, you hoped you could get a chance to talk to Stan and ask him why he's been acting different. Randy opened the door, and with a big smile said,

"Here to visit your boyfriend?? He's in his room right now."

"Acutally, Shelly invited me yo hang out" you replied, walking in the the house as Tany let you in. You walked to Shelly's room, and knocked on the door. Shelly opened it, and for the next hour or so you guys talked and had fun.

"Hey Shelly, has Stan been acting different lately? I think he's avoiding me and I don't know why."

"He's probably just being a turd like always, but you could talk to him about it." she replied. 

And with that, you were walking to Stan's room, knocking on the door softly and thinking about what to say. Stan opened the door, and when he sees you his face turns bright red.

"Y-Y/N, what are you doing here??" he asked.

"Shelly asked me to hang out, but I needed to talk to you" you replied.

He let you in his room and you guys sat on his bed.

"Stan, are you okay?? I feel like you've been avoiding me and I just wanted it chekc up on you. If you don't want to be friends anymore that's fine but please tell me instead of ignoring me-"You rambled on and on. 

Stan's eyes widened at the thought that you took his avoidance as disinterest, so he cut you off saying, "Of course I want to be friends, hell, I want to be more than friends! I  love you so much and I was just scared of my own feelings." 

You sat there, shocked that he confessed that he loved you instead of hated you.

"I love you too. So so much. Please don't avoid me anymore, and know that you can talk to me about anything" you said, slowly leaning toward him.

"I have a question." You stopped leaning toward him and asked him what it was.

"Can I be your boyfriend??" Stan asked, his face as red as Kyle's hair.

You chuckled and continued to lean forward,  "Of course, as long as I can be your partner too" you joked.

He leaned foreword as well with a blush on his face, and your lips met in a tender kiss. You were the first to pull away, which made him pout and lean toward you again, but this time you tackled him into an embrace. You both fell sideways on the bed, and he snuggled closer to you, both of you falling asleep in complete bliss.

[warrior-cats-rewritten]

Hey. Semi-Serious post here. I'm gonna be quite frank, this is about the death of a real animal. My animal.

The one I made the dedication of WCR!Into The Wild for. Because the wounds are still so raw that I can barely get through typing this very sentence without feeling choked up. So... If this post isn't for you, enjoy the first cat picture, the rest will be under the cut.

Meet Cleo.

She was my best friend. I moved into her home when I was a child, and her being there got me through the ensuing abusive situation I'd found myself in. I quickly became her favorite person. She was always there for me, and I was always there for her. I read Warriors books to her.

I met someone online that I fell in love with, and planned to have them move here. I worried about Cleo, who was now getting on in her years, but still healthy and strong.

I was granted full, effective ownership of her, since she was never really registered with a breeder. An oopsie, runt of the litter kitten of a genuine bred Maine Coon, unknown father.

Plan fell through, immigrating to Canada is difficult and the economy was about to fall apart. So I made the choice to move to the UK.

I was then informed that I could not take Cleo with me, they said she was too old, and that the plane ride would be too much for her. She was roughly 14/15 years old and, again, healthy. This next part is hard to write.

I spent every day after that, for a year, spending as much time as she wanted with me. She got every cuddle and snuggle she wanted.

I still remember that last time I ever saw her, the night I left the country. I held her like a baby, because she liked that. I remember what the back of her neck smelled like (warm chocolate). I rubbed her belly, and whispered to her that I loved her, and promised to come back again and see her. Then I placed her on her favorite spot on the back of the chair, and left.

I got regular updates from my mom about her, but something was clear. When I was on the phone, I was not to call out to her, because when I did, it made her search the whole house, meowing and calling out for me, looking for me. The dogs never did that, just Cleo.

4 months away from home, she started peeing in... Odd places. Visible places. Like... Middle of the living room and on bathroom rug.

Mind you, she used to do that in front of her litter box as a protest when it wasn't clean enough for her liking. But... Not like that.

Other than that, normal behavior.

Then, about 6 months in, she started being weird with food. Still demanded it, of course, but... Wouldn't eat it. Mind you, there were times when she really was just happy to have the wet food there... And then go off and eat her kibble as if she hadn't just acted like she would die without her wet food. Typical, right?

After a week straight, and not much kibble eaten, it... Was concerning. I offered my mom to cover the cost of any medical bills she would need, but was told to not be 'ridiculous', that she was too old. That she didn't need a vet, that nothing would help.

7 months in. July 7th, 2023. Ordinary day, kinda fun, sunny out, a relaxing day where I wasn't looking at my phone much. My partner gets a text from my mom asking if I am around. I get a call from my mom.

She hadn't eaten in days. She wasn't in her box anymore. She was barely drinking. All her chub was gone, leaving my poor girl at only 5 pounds. A fraction of her weight.

My mom was not calling me to say goodbye. Goodbye had already been said. And I wasn't there.

I asked if my mom could bury her, so at the very least I could have something to visit when I got home.

To get Cleo's body back, it would have cost 200 dollars. She would be cremated, and her ashes not given back either. Gone.

The older woman next to me later said she had never, in all her years, heard a person wail and scream the way I had. I barely remember it, or anything after that. The grief is so bad that I feel chest pains, and my throat will close, I could cry myself hoarse still, just from thinking about her.

On one hand I don't want to feel this way anymore. On the other I feel horrific guilt about that, about wanting to "move on". I hate that term, it needs something new. Moving on isn't forgetting about them, it just means it doesn't hurt as badly anymore, but... What does THAT mean?

Below is the very last picture I have of her.

I'm sorry, Cleo. I'm sorry I couldn't help you. I sorry I wasn't there for you. I'm sorry I broke my promise. And I'm sorry I wasn't there to say goodbye.

I'll never forget you. I'll never love you any less.

It'll be hard to visit home without you in it.

If you read this post, thanks for listening. I'm really struggling with grief processing, even though it's been almost a year. 208 days as of today. She isn't the first I've lost, she won't be the last, but WCR is partially dedicated to her.

I hope you like the pictures of her, knowing how vain she was I'm sure she would enjoy me showing them off.

Bye guys.

[livelaughwhump]

Hii!

Could you write something about Whumpee having a nightmare and shaking, mumbling and kicking in their sleep. But. Caretaker is an empath and they send out waves of calm emotions, feelings of love, care and peace, until Whumpee has fallen into a deep peaceful sleep a faint smile on their face.

Thank youu

Hi!! Thanks for the request!! Sorry this took so long. I haven't written a general whump fic in a while, so please bear with me!

I hope you enjoy!

Content: nightmare, insomnia mention, brief mention of past captivity, implied past torture, mostly comfort

-

Whumpee hadn't slept in weeks. Caretaker had tried everything, from calming tea to white noise, but nothing had worked. They'd even suggested a sleep clinic, but Whumpee had nearly had a panic attack at the very mention. At this point, they didn't know what else to do. Whumpee was clearly exhausted, so Caretaker tried the last thing they could think of.

Whumpee sniffled as Caretaker climbed into their bed with them, wiping away their tears and offering Caretaker more space than was necessary.

"I-I'm so sorry, Caretaker," they mumbled as Caretaker settled beside them in bed. "You shouldn't have to do this for me. I know you don't like sleeping around other people-"

Caretaker gently shushed them and brushed away their tears. "Don't be sorry, dove. I'll sleep better knowing that you're not alone. I offered to do this for you, remember?"

Whumpee sniffled again and nodded. "But I don't want you to sacrifice your comfort for my sake. You already do so much for me."

Caretaker smiled and brushed Whumpee's hair out of their face. "Now's not the time for guilt, dove. All you need to worry about is sleep."

Whumpee's eyes wandered. "But...what if I can't?"

"Then, I'll be right beside you. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

Whumpee's lower lip was wobbling. "But, what if-"

Caretaker shushed them again, wrapping their arms around their frightened companion. "There's nothing to be worried about, dove. Just relax and close your eyes. I'll watch over you."

. . .

Caretaker was beyond relieved when they heard the evening out of Whumpee's breath. They couldn't remember the last time Whumpee had slept through the night, and they prayed to whatever god was listening that Whumpee would make it even half that.

It had only taken a little over an hour, which wasn't as long as Caretaker had expected. They were so proud of Whumpee. They had been put through hell by a despicable human being. It was no wonder they couldn't sleep. They were probably terrified of being plucked from their bed and taken right back to that awful place without so much as a cry for help.

Caretaker snuggled closer to Whumpee, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of their head. With their incredible relief came overwhelming exhaustion, and Caretaker's eyelids fluttered. Their body sagged against Whumpee's, and with a soft breath that ruffled Whumpee's tangled hair, Caretaker closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep.

. . .

Caretaker awoke a few hours later to the sound of soft whimpering. At first, they assumed it was their dog begging for attention, until they heard spoken words.

"N-No, Wh-Whumper, p-please."

Caretaker's eyes snapped open. They quickly pushed themself into a sitting position and flicked on the lamp to their right. Their eyes scanned the room, searching for any sign of the person Whumpee was begging to. As their eyes adjusted to the sudden light, they recognized the emptiness of Whumpee's room.

"Please, no. I-I don't want it, please..."

Caretaker shifted their gaze down to Whumpee's small, quivering form. Their light curls stuck to their sweat-slick forehead and tears were oozing out of the corners of their tightly-clamped eyes. A quiet yelp escaped their throat, followed by more soft begging.

Caretaker absolutely deflated. They knew all about how awful Whumpee's nightmares could be. Whumpee told them about each one in detail, and they were all worse than the one before.

Caretaker hated seeing them like this. It broke their heart to see the brilliant, joyful, funny person they once knew reduced to something so pitiful and broken.

Caretaker forced a sad smile to their face. They'd always been told that they had a gift for making people feel safe, without even saying a word. They just hoped they'd be able to reach Whumpee through the horrors they were surely reliving.

Caretaker gently ran their hand through Whumpee's hair, softly caressing their tear-stained cheeks. They wanted Whumpee to know that they were safe, that Caretaker was never going to let anything bad happen to them again. They wanted Whumpee to feel loved and accepted and heard, despite the pain and the loss they'd experienced.

Sure enough, Whumpee's trembling seemed to slow, their whimpers quieted, and the wrinkles on their face smoothed out. Their tense body relaxed and they shivered beneath Caretaker's cool touch. Even once they'd calmed down a bit, Caretaker didn't stop caressing Whumpee and wiping away their tears and sweat.

As much as they knew Whumpee would feel guilty for it, Caretaker was beyond grateful that Whumpee had woken them up. They much preferred that to Whumpee waking themself up. If they were given the option, Caretaker would never sleep again if it meant Whumpee never had another nightmare. They didn't deserve to live in such fear and turmoil, and Caretaker vowed that they would do whatever it took to take that pain away from them.

Even if it meant hunting Whumper down themself.

-

I hope this was okay!! I'm not used to writing regular whump fics, so I'm not sure how I feel about this. It's a little shorter than I intended, but I hope you enjoyed it!

If anyone else has any requests, suggestions, or questions for me or my characters, please feel free to send them to me!

[postwarlevi]

Kindness at Christmas

Content: Nearly 3.7k words showing some of your most recent Christmas, and a long flashback of how you got there.

Extras: Another piece for @levi-supreme Happy Birthday Levi event! This got a little longer than I realized and I teared up a couple times writing it! I hope you love it!!

"We did it!" Your daughter giggles happily as her father places her back down.

He's just helped hold her up to put the star on top of your six foot Christmas tree.

"It looks beautiful!" You say, coming to hug them both. Levi kisses you softly and smiles.

"We still have more to do!" Your seven year old is always very excited for the Christmas season. Not because of the toys, although that helps, but because of the lights and the magic, the movies and the music, the yummy foods, and the family time.

"Grandma Kuchel is coming over tomorrow to help, don't worry." Levis mom loves coming to see you. She dotes on all of you and spoils her granddaughter and even her new grandpup that you got at the shelter earlier in the year.

"Yay!" She loves her grandma and runs to hug her doggy who barks and plays with her.

You and Levi smile at the happy sight.

"I love you." He whispers, pulling you close.

"I love you too." You share another sweet kiss in front of your Christmas tree, before reaching to adjust a small gold star ornament.

It's taken a long time to get here, it hasn't always been easy, but it's been worth it.

"Daddy! Read to me!" Your little one is a daddies girl, and it warms your heart to see them together.

She goes to pick out a Christmas book, which is tradition for Levi to read the night you put up your tree.

You make mugs of hot chocolate for each of you and all go into the living room.

Levi gives the dog a chew toy so he'll settle in and the pup takes it to his bed in the corner.

As you and your daughter snuggle on the couch, Levi pulls out one of the many fleece blankets in the closet and comes to put it over you.

"Thank you sweetheart." You look at him fondly as he sits down with you both and picks up the book.

Just as he's about to start reading your daughter stops him.

"Daddy, why do you always wrap mommy in a blanket?" She notices he does this a lot, and even though you have blankets, every year he gets you another one.

"So she never gets cold, my little snowflake." Levi smiles at you as you brush his hair back.

She looks between the two of you, not quite understanding.

"Are you sick?" She asks you in a concerned voice.

"No my sweet girl. It's just, there was a time we didn't have this many blankets." You hug her.

"So you were cold?" She looks up at you.

"A little, but daddy was always there to keep me warm." You share a smile.

"Everything is fine now, so let's listen to daddy read, okay?" You two hold each other as Levi takes a sip of hot chocolate and begins.

"Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse" Levi reaches over and touches your daughters nose, making her giggle.

You smile and get lost in thought as Levi continues.

FLASHBLACK

Ten Years Ago

It's December, and you look around your tiny apartment, sighing that you barely have enough money to keep the electric on, so there's no way you can afford decorations.

It's your first year as a married couple. You thought it would be better than this. You've tried so hard but, times are tough.

You don't like to bother friends or family, because they have their own things to deal with.

You hear the door unlock and your husband comes in from work, taking his coat off.

"Levi!" You skip over to him and lean into his hug. Even if everything isn't going right, as long as you are together, the future is bright.

"Hi love, how was your day?" He asks, kissing you.

You bite you lip and he notices. "It's okay, tell me." He leads you to the small couch.

"They cut my hours back at work again." You hate to tell him this. You are part time already, and it's a seasonal job, but apparently they hired too much help.

Levi sighs and holds you. "It's okay. Don't worry. We'll be okay."

Levi closes his eyes and tries to believe this. You went into marriage thinking putting both your funds together would work nicely.

You had a beautiful wedding with friends and family, and an even better honeymoon. Everything was perfect.

But then you came back home, and things started to fall apart.

Old student debts, a couple minor but important medical problems, the car breaking down, a rent increase.

It's been one thing after another and no matter how hard you try, something else always comes up.

Levis mother has tried to help out but you don't want to make things hard for her. Same with your family.

So instead Levi picked up a second job while you tried to at least keep the one you had while finding another, but everyone wants a job right now.

So some nights you've made less food, you've sold some wedding presents that though you wanted, didn't necessarily need. And though it's getting colder, you purposely don't put the heat up as much as you'd like.

You try not to cry but Levi senses it.

He pulls back and holds you cheeks. "I promise, everything will be fine."

You nod and sniffle. "I know. I just want it to be better now." You move closer and rest your head on his chest. Your happy place.

He plays with your hair and watches you move up and down on his chest as he breathes.

"You know what we need? A Christmas tree." He says suddenly, surprising you.

"But we don't even have dinner!" Your logical side says.

He chuckles and kisses your forehead. "Come on, trust me."

And of course you do. So you both put on your sweaters and get the car running and he drives.

You see the tank nearing empty and frown.

"Stop that." Levi reaches out to hold your hand as he drives.

You put on the radio to Christmas music and listen to Frank Sinatra sing you Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

"Have yourself a merry little Christmas Let your heart be light Next year all our troubles, will be out of sight"

You squeeze Levis hand as you wish it were next year.

Levi pulls into a Christmas tree lot and you look around, smelling the fesh pine scent.

"We'll have to keep it small." He tells you, and you nod.

"Thats okay." You don't mind. You're actually feeling a little more optimistic already.

Holding hands and looking at all different ones and seeing what's in your budget, you settle on a pretty nice four foot tree that will fit just fine in your house.

Levi pays and loads it up and you get back in the car. "And look, some money for decorations." He leans over to kiss you as you smile.

You go to the store and pick out the cheapest lights you can find. All blue, but they look pretty. You pick out red garland as well and a tree skirt.

"This will do." You don't want to overspend on all the individual ornaments when you could use this money elsewhere.

You put the things in the car and on the way out notice an elderly gentleman not looking well off, playing a guitar and using his case for tips.

You go to stand by him and Levi comes over to you, kissing your cheek.

You pull out a few dollars and throw one into the case for the man.

He thanks you and you nod, getting back into the car and closing your eyes.

"That's a nice thing you did, love."

You start to sob suddenly and Levi leans over to comfort you. "It's okay, let it out."

"I feel so stupid. I keep thinking we aren't doing well because I can't even make you a decent dinner but here we have enough money to get a tree and that man has to sit outside in the cold and ask for it!"

You wet his shirt with your tears as he holds you. "We're going to be okay." He promises you.

You pull back and wipe your eyes and nod. "I know." You let out a sigh. "Thank you."

He kisses your forehead. "Come on, let's grab a little something, we've both had a long day." He holds your hand again as he drives to a tiny diner and you pick up a meal that's for one person.

"I don't mind being cold at night sometimes, but we have to eat." You say once your inside and have the meal on the table.

You scrounge around for some other food and see some vegetables that would go nicely and bread that isn't yet expired and end up making enough with that and the warm meal you bought to be enough for both of you.

"See? You make wonderful meals." Levi encourages you and you smile, thankful for him.

You sit and eat by candle light to save on the electric and it's pretty cozy. You eat well tonight and go to put up your tree.

You flip the light switch so you can admire it and gasp. "It's beautiful!" You love the green, blue and red. It's your perfect little Christmas tree.

Levi holds you in his arms and kisses you.

"Thank you." You say, resting on his chest as you look at the tree.

"You're welcome, love." He kisses your forehead, and soon after pulls you to bed.

He folds the blanket twice and wraps you in it, while he takes the sheet.

"I don't want you to be cold." You say, holding him tight.

"Don't you worry about me. You just hold me and keep me warm." He smiles as you nod and try to move your weight onto him.

You exchange soft 'I love you's as you drift off to sleep.

Levi wakes in the morning, kissing your sleeping form, knowing you don't have to wake up yet.

He's a little cold but not freezing, and you seem pretty warm still.

He starts to get ready for work, wondering if there's any extra side jobs he can do.

Last night he dipped into the money he wanted to use to buy you something nice with that tree. But you needed it, and he was happy to give it to you.

After making sure you're still sound asleep, he locks up and heads to work, stopping to use a few dollars to fill the gas some.

He makes a cup of tea at work before his shift. It's not great but at least this way he doesn't use your water or electric.

His phone rings suddenly and it's his mother calling.

"Mom, what are you doing up this early?" He asks.

"I know you've been working long hours and wanted to say hello." She tells him.

He smiles. He loves talking to her.

"How are you Levi? How's my daughter in law? I'd like to see you soon." She isn't far away but knows you've been trying to adjust to married life.

"We're getting by." He says vaguely, and Kuchel catches the way he says it.

"Levi, what's wrong?" She asks in her mom way that says not to lie to her.

Levi sighs. "We're just a little behind on bills. Things are kind of tough. She lost some hours at her job and is worrying." Levi doesn't mention not eating properly or being cold at night, but he doesn't have to.

"Honey! You need to call me! I can help you." Kuchel cannot believe he hasn't told her sooner. All she knows if you two are very happy together.

"I don't want to bother you! I'm.. I'm really trying here mom." He let's his voice crack. All he wants to do is take care of you like you deserve, and not have to have someone come to the rescue.

"You keep trying your best. I know you both are, don't worry. And don't be afraid to say something!" She says sternly.

"Okay.. um. Look I'll pay you back, but can I borrow a little money? For gas and to get her something nice? I'll figure the rest out." He hates having to ask this of her.

"Of course! I'll drive over later before you get off. She doesn't need to know. And I'll bring you a nice homemade meal. You say you got it at your work party." Kuchel thinks of anything she can do for you.

"Okay. Thank you. I should go clock in now, I'm a little late. But, I really appreciate this." She's the best mother he could ever ask for. And he will pay her back.

"You go to work, don't worry about anything. I love you." Kuchel hangs up and starts planning.

At home you wake up and text Levi 'Good morning' not expecting anything back yet as you know he's working.

You fold the blanket and put on your robe and flip the switch to go look at your Christmas tree.

You sit there for a while and look around your apartment. It isn't much, things are difficult, but it's yours, yours and Levis.

Since your hours were cut back you don't have much to do today, and yet are feeling good.

You go for a walk in town and say hello to people and look at all the nice things in display windows.

You see an older woman carrying packages and go to assist her.

"Thank you dear! Would you help me upstairs?" She asks, and you nod.

You help her set the things on her table. It's a nice place. She has a grand Christmas tree.

"Thank you. Oh! I forgot to mail this darn letter!" She pulls it out of a bag.

"Oh, I can go." You offer. You pass a mailbox on the way and don't want her to go out again.

"Would you? That would be such a help. If it's not too much trouble, give this list to the bakery next door."

She gives you a list a page long.

"My family is coming for Christmas." She explains.

"That's nice. Anything else I can do?" It makes you feel good to be useful.

"I think that's all. I appreciate it. What's your name?" She asks, and you tell her.

"What a nice name. Do you have a fella?" She digs around in her purse.

"I do." You smile.

"That's nice dear. I hope you're very happy."

You nod, and she hands you another envelope.

"It's not another letter, it's for you. Do with it what you want. Thank you."

She sends you on your way with the letter, list and envelope, and you drop the things off like she's asked.

You stand on a side street and open the envelope. There's a thank you note.

"Thank you for your kindness. It goes further than you think. We never know what someone is going through. I wish you all the happiness. Here's a little something to brighten your day."

You dig in the envelope again and there's a little money inside and a small gold star Christmas ornament.

You smile and sigh happily. It's enough to do a little something with, and truly make your day brighter.

You think of the man playing guitar last night and hope the small contribution you made, made a difference.

Later in the day Levi has visited his mom and she's given him a little money, some food, and a bunch of hope.

"And don't you dare keep things from me!" She smacks his arm lightly, and he promises not to.

"What's that wonderful smell?" Levi walks into the house that smells of spices as he carries his own bags.

Today, when you greet him, you are in a much better mood than yesterday.

"Levi!" You stop your cooking to help him put his things down. "What's all this?"

He kisses you and tells you the truth. "Mom came by. I didn't ask for much but she insisted. Mothers intuition, I guess."

You look at the pans of homemade food and grin and laugh happily, hugging him.

"She's so wonderful! I had a good day too!" You smile.

"I see, what's that amazing smell?"

"We have soup in the pot and veggies roasting in the oven. It's enough for days! I even got some fresh apples and oranges. Now we have too much food!" What a good problem to have.

You tell him about your day and the women you met.

"She was very kind. I used some of the money and bought what was on sale to make this, donated a few dollars to a childrens fund, and we still have some money aside for bills! Not much, but it'll help." You say positively.

Levi holds your cheeks and kisses your mouth. "See? We're okay."

You smile and hug him as you finish dinner.

You eat very well that night and put leftovers in containers to keep fresh for the coming days.

Afterwards you pull out the little star ornament and together place it on your tree.

Levi makes the packs of hot chocolate Kuchel included and you sit and read A Christmas Carol together.

You share fond looks and smiles, and steal kisses throughout.

"I love you sweetheart." You say to him as you lay on the couch together.

"I love you too." He squeezes your sides lovingly and sighs as you run your hands through his hair.

"I'm going to pick up some hours tomorrow. And someone will give me their shift too, so I'll get a whole days work in." You tell Levi, happy you could find something.

"That's great." Levi wishes you didn't have to worry, or work. Maybe one day.

You both get ready for bed and Levi holds out a bag for you. "It's still days till Christmas, but I want you to have it now."

You sit on the bed together and open the large bag, pulling out a large, beautiful green fleece blanket.

You gasp and stand to open it. "It's gorgeous!" You admire it and Levi smiles.

"Do you like it?" Your reaction says you do but Levi wants to make sure.

"Yes!" You throw your arms around him and hold the blanket between you.

Levi chuckles and kisses your cheeks and nose.

"It looks so expensive." You note, looking at him.

"Don't you worry. It's fleece. A warm but inexpensive material. Wool was out of our price range." Levi explains.

You hug him tight. "Thank you my husband. For the tree, the blanket, always being there for me, no matter what." Somehow, you always make it work.

He holds you and strokes your hair. "You never have to thank me, my wonderful wife. You make me so happy."

What started as a dreary holiday season has started to turn around nicely.

Levi tucks you into bed that night, wrapping you both in the new blanket, putting the old one on top for extra warmth.

For the first time in a month, you don't go to sleep cold.

"Thank you." You whisper as you lay in bed together.

"You're never going to be cold again. I promise." Things will get better starting now. You're both sure of it.

END FLASHBACK

"But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight, "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

As you've been lost in thought, Levi has just finished reading.

You smile as you think of that first Christmas together. After that particular day, things really did turn around.

You both worked hard and things went your way, and slowly you caught up on your bills, had enough food every day, even enough money for small gifts, and as Levi promised, you went to bed warm every night.

You spent a lovely Christmas with friends and family and thanked Kuchel for her help, of which she brushed off and told you to always come to her. You send a thank you note to the woman you met, and you even found the guitar player again and made sure he had a nice meal.

Within a few years, thanks to steady jobs and promotions, your situation went from rough to fair to good to great. And you paid Kuchel back a thousand times over a few years later when you announced you were having a daughter.

"Mommy?" Your daughter looks up at you.

"Oh, sorry sweetie." You realize you had a tear in your eye.

"Are you okay?" She asks.

"Yes my love. I'm just very happy." You kiss her cheek and reach to hold Levis hand.

He knows what you've been thinking of, and is thankful that you've made all these new memories since.

Your daughter doesn't know the whole story, but does know one thing, and though she's been listening to her father read, she's been thinking of you.

She climbs off your lap and disappears into the hallway, your dog jumping up to follow his favorite person.

You look at Levi and smile. "Thank you."

He leans in to kiss you gently.

Suddenly your daughter comes back in with three other blankets and the dog following behind, making you laugh.

"What are you doing?"

She throws them all on you, spreading them out. Levi grins and watches.

She climbs back into your lap and hugs you. "You'll always be warm mommy. Right daddy?"

You smile widely and hold her tightly. "Thank you my sweet girl."

Levi leans over to hug you both. "That's right. And I love you both so much." He kisses you both back and fourth, making you laugh happily, even letting the dog up to cuddle with you.

Levi isn't sure how he got so lucky. He also always remembers that first Christmas, and how you stuck it out together.

All it took was a little help from loved ones, some kindness along the way, and a few fleece blankets.

[xtom-darling-x17]

Perfect Heaven

Pairing - Jeremiah x reader

Summary - You and Jeremiah swim together as Jere is a bit needy, your relationship is good but how did it really start?

Warnings - Smut 18+ (Praise kink, Daddy kink, Protected sex)

A/N - Prompt list request by @roro2x I hope you enjoy! I had fun writing this fanfic, I think my writing is improving. Let me know what you think, I love all your feedback and comments on my posts. Thank you for the love and support 🥰

“Snuggle me please,”

“You me, right here right now,”

Word count - 2k

Jeremiah rushes around the corner, his hand on the wall to catch himself falling into you.

“Hey, come on let’s go swim,” Jeremiah states looking at you in your glory, giving you an Award Winning smile.

“Um, sorry I have to tidy my room,” You kinda look away, moving a piece of hair back behind your ear trying not to give into his witty, charm.

“How come no one wants to play with me,” Jeremiah pouts softly, gently taking your smaller hand into his larger one. He gives you the most adorable puppy dog eyes you ever seen.

Your own fault is that you can’t resist him, you bore into his eyes as he almost sulks. You have two options either try to run away or stay.

You take the latter this time.

“Fine,” You lightly giggle, “I will swim with you, just give me a min to put my bathing suit on and I’m all yours!” You kiss his cheek, bopping his cute nose and ruffling his curls.

“Really,” Jere Smiles so wide as his voice gets caught in his throat. Your the only person to exist to turn away from his Witt and charm, so it is actually rare that you agree when you need to do something.

“Yes, really! Now shoo before I change my mind,” You flap your hands towards the stairs, you go into your room to get changed.

Jeremiah running down the stairs as he has just won the Olympics, a very fine athlete he is.

You smile as you dig out your swim suit, knowing that Jeremiah loves anything on your body. You pick your favourite one of them all, (Fave).

Bringing down a towel for you and Jeremiah, knowing he’s not going to think of that. You go downstairs to swim with your love, correction dorky lover.

“Hey,” Jeremiah breaths out to you, wrapping his arms around your waist to guide you in the pool.

You climb down the steps feeling two strong arms engulfing you “Hi,” You whisper, instantly caging your legs around his waist.

You let go of him after a few minutes of you talking, “Jere, I wanted to swim sweetheart,” you giggle, laying on your back and kicking your feet to go to the other side of the pool.

Jeremiah stares at you in awe, he smirks letting you have your fun for a bit. Watching you is so mesmerising but he joining you in on the actual swimming is good too.

You end up encircling Jeremiah as you two lock eyes with one another, fidgeting moving around in circles closer towards your undeniable love.

“Your eyes are gorgeous, babe,” Jeremiah speaks first, breaking the comfortable silence.

“You can speak for your self, Jere bear,” You nod, winking teasing him.

“You are stunning in your bathing suit, Darling,” Jeremiah flirted, running a hand through his hair.

“You don’t look too bad yourself, Jere,” You giggle, pushing his chest away from you lightly playing with him.

“Snuggle me, please,” Jeremiah begs pouting adorably, making grabby hands no longer wanting to ignore the feelings of missing your touch. It was hard enough the first time!

“As You Wish, My Love,” you swam into his toned, bare chest having a tight hold onto his frame as he asked of you.

Jeremiah hugs you just as tight as you snuggle into him, your still into the warm water outside late at night with no one around. Just you and him, in your own perfect heaven.

“I can’t get enough of you, Darling,” Jeremiah whispers, “I love you so much, Y/N,” smiling into your ear as he holds you a lot closer than you was if that was even possible!

You take a deep breathe as what you are hearing, Jeremiah and you have not said anything about loving each other.

“You are Everything to me and more Jere bear,” You look up into his eyes, pulling your mouth closer to his ear “I love you so much too, Jeremiah,” You whisper, smiling feeling his and yours heart beat as one.

You and him finally having the courage to express your true full feelings towards one another.

Jeremiah playfully let’s go splashing you, making you laugh as you splash back. He takes your hand twirling you around like a dancing mermaid in the water.

“People may really like me, as I’m “popular”,” Jeremiah quotes with his fingers, rolling his eyes scoffing, “But you,” He pulls you closer into his warm, embrace just lips apart from you, “You, My Love are the only being that I want, will love and care for deep from the bottom of my heart!”

Jeremiah stares into your gorgeous, (Your eye colour) lovingly with all his soul. You are taken back by his romantic, deep meaningful words. Staring in his beautiful eyes like deer in head lights.

Jeremiah’s eyes flicker from your eyes to your lips once or twice really quick, he leans In gently pressing his lips against yours. Soft and tender are the two feelings that Jere feels against your lips, as you both kiss passionately.

Jeremiah’s hands cup your jawline to deepen the kiss, he is so in fluctuated by you. It is unreal how he has entangled himself into love with you.

Being hurt In the passed by so many people, dose feel shit. However, finding the right true love, who sticks by you no matter what. That is one of the greatest things in the world to come by.

Jeremiah heart found it, his heart beats for you!

still in the pool under the moonlight, Jere lifts you up. You wrapping your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck. Your still kissing, not breaking apart as you come even closer together.

Only just pulling away to breath your love between you, Jere whispers some words that you can’t make out ending with you snorting.

Jeremiah baffled at how adorable you are with your sweet, little snort. You cover your face because your embarrassed as you just noticed of your actions. Jere pulls your hands away your face, to see your pretty face.

“As, I was saying,” Jeremiah breathes out, smiling, “You make me feel complete, Darling! And also don’t be embarrassed, that was adorable pumpkin.” He tilts your chin up to look into his eyes again, he loves the eye contact so much!

“You make me feel complete too! Jere bear,” You giggle at your words, making you feel on top of the world.

“Good, now let’s get out of this pool and go to bed,” Jere takes your hand leading you out of the pool as you nod in agreement. He takes a towel out wrapping it around your body, then his body with his towel.

“We still got some more snuggling to do,” Jeremiah smiles, lifting his arm up pointing his index finger up in the air to signal he means business. You giggle, going inside the house to tag along with your lover.

🧋

This is how you kinda went into a thing, then went into a good relationship!

Jeremiah being a lifeguard, flirting and having a good time at cousins. You being a girl, who is quiet and pretty much collected. You bumped into each other as you went to the country club to swim.

You was minding your own business as walking along the pool side to the steps, as Gigi “accidentally” knocked you into the pool.

You fell into the pool knocking the life out of you, Jeremiah quick on his feet as he dives into save you gracefully. Catching a shocker expression from Gigi, pretending that she didn’t “see” you all because Jeremiah’s eyes were wondering on you.

Gigi, huffed as her plan back fired on her. Awkwardly, sitting on the sun lounger as Jeremiah brings you out of the pool.

“Are you, ok,” Jeremiah asked, checking that your breathing.

You nod your head as you cough up water, holding his arm to balance yourself. Tears, red eyes explained at how Gigi spot of “fun” turned into something more.

“Your ok, sweetheart, I’ve got you,” Jeremiah sweet talks you, making sure you felt comforted. He grabs you a towel, making sure you don’t shiver to death. Picking you up once more to place you down on a sun lounger.

Everyone watching at the incident, shocked on how swiftly Jeremiah saved you. Clapping at his best efforts.

“Don’t mind other people, it’s none of their business,” Jeremiah sits down next to you, holding you, “I’m Jeremiah, you are?” He gives you a toothy grin.

“Y/N,” you smile calming down, loving his strong arms around you. Hey, he is a cute guy your not letting that pass.

Don’t worry Gigi had a good telling off from Jeremiah after he realises at what her plan was!

🧋

From that time on wards you were friends with Jeremiah, him secretly liking you more than he actually let on. 

You ended up between him and the wall as he pushes you against his chest, Jere has your hands up with his own above your head.

“What are you doing, Jere,” You grin, encouraging him to speak.

“Looking at you, always thinking how wet you must be under that pretty, little skirt of yours! Your always such a tease Pretty girl,” Jeremiah whispers, into your ear smoothly.

“Do you now? Wouldn’t you like to know…” You smirked, teasing him flicking your eyes between your his eyes and lips.

Jeremiah took his chance in smashing his lips against your own, you gently holding his jaw and neck to deepen the kiss.

You ended up going back to Jeremiah’s room back from the party, late at night after you kissed.

“You, me right here right now,” Jere exclaims, you breathing out an agreement as he pulls you over sliding his tongue backdown your throat.

Jeremiah quickly pulls his shirt over his head, you doing the same as he pushes your back on the bed.

“Fuck, your so gorgeous Darling,” He groans, as he massages your tits.

“I want you to be inside, Jeremiah,” You whimper as you feel his mouth all over you.

You moan at the feeling of his lips suckling on your soft flesh, Jere then grabs a condom rolling it on himself.

“Shit, sweetheart I can’t wait any long either,” Jere grunts, as he pushes himself into you, “Fuck, Your wet little cunt is so tight,”

“Mm, it’s tight for you Jere,” You moan out as he thrusts his large, thick cock back into your little slit repeatedly.

“Yes, take it baby,” Jere praises, “There is a good girl, taking me so well,” He fits all of himself deep into your little cunt.

He stops for a moment, “Ah, I’m so full of you Daddy,” The word slipping out as you moan into bliss. Jere grins, loving the name.

He pushes himself back out ramming himself back into you, making you scream out of pleasure.

“Yes, Baby girl take it for Daddy,” Jere smirks, taking his finger to your clit rubbing the bundle of nerves, “Daddy’s good girl, sweetheart!”

You nod as you try to hold yourself through this pleasure, not to let go just yet.

“Awe, your cute little cunt clutching my cock, baby! Do you want to cum, Princess,” Jere grunts, as he goes faster, deeper inside you.

He is hitting all your sweet spots perfectly without missing, he is kissing your lips with so much lust, passion and love.

“Fuck, cum for daddy, baby,” Jere encourages you, rubbing your clit again to help you.

“Uh-huh, I’m going to cum for Daddy,” You moan out really loudly, “I’m cumming daddy,”

Shortly after your release, Jeremiah own high came along. You and him looking like you was going to pass out.

You end up sleeping until the next morning, waking up to each other. Confessing your real feelings together, not playing anymore petty games between you.

Happens to be something more, your prefect heaven!

[lwtkmm]

They loved you, didn't they?

Hi this is my first time writing a obey me ff .In this AU, MC and Asmo are lovers and the mc is a female. I'm sorry if it's not good, this is my first replaced mc au fic ╥﹏╥ please be nice. Remember, you are loved, you are special, you are worth it, your presence matters and you are beautiful.

Tw : uneasy thoughts.

Part 1

Do it mc.

Should I?

They don't need you anyways.

Don't you want to be free.

You are useless , waste.

Maybe... Just maybe somewhere in their heart, they still have a little love for you.

6 months ago

Slam! You sighed as you switched off your laptop. A busy day at RAD results in a lot of homework. You looked at the time, it was 12:03 am. You were craving sleep just then you heard a sharp knock. You just knew who it was.

" What is it now belphie? " You said peeping out.

" Mc... "

" No belphie, you can't sleep here everyday"

You knew it was coming, you cannot let him win.

Belphie looked down and then when he looked at you again, he used his ultimate weapon - cuteness. He looked at you with those puppy dog eyes which he knew you couldn't resist, as if stars were beaming out of his eyes straight into your heart.

You can't resist them, now could you? You finally let your guard down.

" Fine, but you're sleeping in your room from tomorrow "

" YAY" He smirked. Weapon cuteness always works.

You both laid on your bed and belphie snuggled against you.

" I had a bad dream MC... You.. You had left me, for someone else. You won't leave me right? I won't let you leave me "

" Of course belphie , you're my cute little cuddle buddy, why would I ever leave you? " You smiled and ruffled his hair.

Yet there was this feeling within you , which you couldn't describe. A feeling of dread.

You woke up with a sudden sharp knock on your door.

" MC ~ darling I'm coming in ~ "

It was him.

The door was opened. And you saw those pair of eyes, those eyes which had mesmerized you from the day you came to the devildom, the eyes in which you found warmth , love and affection you carved and the smile which made you completely besotted. Your heart fluttered in his presence.

" darling ~ " Asmo pouted.

" This is not fair, I was so lonely and cold last night and here you were snuggling up with belphie!! " His screeching sounds woke belphie up.

" Can you be a little low, Asmo? I'm trying to sleep "

" Belphie! How could you! You betrayed me " Of course he was joking.

" Ah! I'm sorry Asmo, I promise to cuddle with you tonight " You sighed, you had to promise him the cuddles or else Asmo wouldn't stop squealing.

" Yes, Sweetheart ~ cuddles, skin care, nails and Maybe a little more " He winked at you.

belphie was wide awake by then, he was so done with Asmo's shit and was staring daggers at him, if it weren't for you, he would have loved ruining Asmo's "beautiful" Face, as he claims it to be, belphie thought.

You giggled , the brother's brawling was annoying yet so heart warming . That's how your past year had been in the devildom. You were brought in a place inhabited by hungry demons who could devour you whole, who knew that you'd find a place in the hearts of the seven demon brothers, the demon price and his butler, the angels and don't forget the infamous charming yet shady sorcerer. And you had managed to make a room for them in your heart too. They were precious for you. Yet, He, was the one who captivated your heart, you never thought that the Avatar of lust would take a liking to you and that liking would turn into love.

" Come on now sweetcakes, we're getting late. Lord Diavolo has called a special council meeting, if we're late, Lucifer will skin us alive. "

" Special... Meeting? For what? "

" I don't know love, nobody knows Lord Diavolo said it's a surprise in a very merry voice "

" Ugh it's gonna be one of his stupid ideas again "

After pushing Belphie And Asmo out , much to Asmo whining, you put on your uniform and got ready for RAD.

It was a cold beautiful day, yet you had that uneasy feeling. A feeling that something was going to get wrong.

What could get wrong? Your life was basically perfect. Seven demon brothers adored you , You had a lover who loved you to death, the prince and the butler doted on you , the angels loved you and were always there to help and the pretty sorcerer who taught you spells and sometimes offered to cook for you and you had to make a run for dear life.

Yet, the thought kept lingering in your mind and it somewhat made you scared for what was coming.

A storm.

Part 2

[bellofthemeadow]

Summer of '03 | Joel Miller x Female Reader

Chapter 2 - The Garden Party

Series Masterlist | Previous Chapter

Rating: M for Mature (18 + no minors allowed)

Word Count: 6K

Warning: All warnings on the Series Masterlists, will update if necessary (Re-iterating, no minors allowed! Thank you)

Chapter Summary: The annual neighbourhood garden party is the last place you want to attend as the new gal in town. But you spot Joel Miller in the corner who gives you a rather charming smile. Maybe things are finally looking up!

Notes: Hey everyone, its been a minute! I am really sorry for the delay for the chapter, but life has been insanely busy! Between work, preparing grad applications and the upcoming semester, I have not had a minute for me. Also, this chapter was really hard to write, I've been trying to make my interactions more natural and its SO HARD!

I hope you all enjoy the chapter and like always thank you to everyone who liked and commented previously, I live for all your feedbacks! If you wanted to be tagged, let me know and I'll be really happy to add you to my taglist :D Take care everybody!!!

Taglist: @brittmb115 , @bitchwitch1981, @kittenlittle24 , @casa-boiardi

As the morning sun crept through the curtains, you woke up completely groggy. The oppressive feeling was eerily reminiscent of your late teens when you'd sneakily raid your dad's liquor cabinet for a swig of that fancy cognac. You groaned and snuggled your head further on the pillow. Note to self: "Never again mix wine with emotions” The fight with Joel last night had left you emotionally drained, and the contradictory desire/hate combo that was swirling inside you further accentuated that hangover feeling you were experiencing. And on retrospect, mixing wine into the already boiling pot of emotional turmoil had not been a great idea.

Getting up slowly, you shuffled your way into the bathroom, urgently seeking relief from that awful pasty feeling in your mouth. With your teeth brushed and the unpleasantness washed away, you returned to your room. Feeling a bit daring, you cracked open the bedroom window. And what do you know? A wonderful gust of fresh air greeted you, like the universe had just dropped a perfect little slice of heaven right at your doorstep.

Your hangover momentarily forgotten, you dashed to put on your cutest co-ord yoga outfit – a playful pink ensemble sprinkled with little white dots that made you feel like your best Barbie self. You unfurled your yoga mat, eagerly anticipating the next 45 minutes of respite from thinking about one Joel Miller. As you were bending down in some stretches, your peaceful bubble was abruptly shattered by a relentless assault of knocks on the front door. Seriously, universe? Can't a person downward dog in peace?

Letting out an annoyed huff, you marched towards the front door and yanked it open, fully prepared to tear into any doorstep salesman audacious enough to disturb someone at 8:45 on a Saturday morning.

Your annoyance faded as soon as it appeared because right in front of you stood a very sheepish-looking Sarah Miller, dressed in cute white shorts and a purple cap-sleeve shirt. A broad smile lit up her face as you opened the door. You arched an eyebrow, crossing your arms playfully before teasingly asking, "I thought you weren't supposed to come around here from now on?" Sarah's response was an Olympic-worthy eye roll; the sass was strong with this one.

"I don't know what's up with my dad, he was so out of line last night! Uncle Tommy says that he's got a stick up his ass, and honestly, truth!" You burst out laughing before herding her inside.

"Ah well, men are from a completely different planet. I stopped trying to decode their language a long time ago" you giggled with her.

Sarah suddenly had a very vulnerable look etching itself on her face. "I was afraid you wouldn't want to hang out with me after yesterday. I would totally understand if you didn't want to; my dad can be a lot sometimes. Like I love him and everything, but he really needs to chill." You smiled and reassuringly bumped your shoulder with hers.

"Hey, don't sweat it, alright? I loved hanging out with you yesterday, and your dad's grouchy grandpa routine isn't going to change that. Now that school is over, maybe you could come around more, we could hang out and stuff. If you aren’t busy of course, I cant imagine that youd want to spend all of your time with your boring old neighbour!"

Sarah's smile could light up the whole of Austin with how bright it got. "I'd love that! I have a babysitting gig for most of the summer, but I'll be free every day after 3 pm, and Dad works late, so we can hang out then..." Sarah kept rambling about how excited she was, and you couldn't help but smile fondly.

"Still, now we'll make sure that Joel knows when you come over; don't want to give him another excuse to hate me, you know. He’s got a big enough list already" Sarah acquiesced quickly, "Don't worry, my dad's gonna come 'round. He likes playing the overprotective Texas man, but inside he's like a big mush of jello."

 You couldn't help but snort at her words; many words came to mind when you think of Joel Miller, but "mushy," "soft," and "jello" would definitely not be contenders. Words like "intimidating," "broad," and "grumpy" would more accurately describe the man. And the sneakier voice in the back of your head would go even further and kept traitorously adding explicit descriptives that you couldn’t take out of your mind; “sexy” “arousing” and “daddy” were just a few. But you would deny ever having those thoughts until your grave. It didn’t matter how hot and steamy Joel Miller was, he was first and foremost a Grade-A asshole.

But when you looked at Sarah, who was so sweet and lively, you found it hard to believe that Joel Miller could truly be as terrible as he appeared. After all, he was the one who had raised her, wasn't he? Just the previous day, Sarah had disclosed to you that Joel was a single dad, which might account for his long hours and the fatigued yet determined countenance he wore. Observing him leaving his house in the morning, you were reminded of an old drawing you had come about in your grandma’s library when you were a child. You remember spending hours overlooking the printed carving depicting Atlas shouldering the world's weight as if an immense burden rested on his shoulders. The roles of provider, nurturer, and protector seemed etched into his demeanor – qualities, you imagined, he sought to embody for his daughter. It couldn't be easy, day in and day out.  If only he was less of a dick, you would bequeath those qualities to the man: dedicated, protective, nurturer. A shame he had the personality of a constipated rottweiler.

You smiled at Sarah and gestured toward the living room. "I was about to do some yoga, you want in?"

"I don't have a mat," Sarah replied.

"Lucky for you, I have two," you winked at her. When you decided to move to Austin, you’d never be able to guess that your new best friend would be a 14-year-old girl.

"Come on, you can't miss it! It's going to be so much fun, and literally everyone will be there!" Sarah exclaimed, her excitement only adding to the throbbing headache you were developing.

You hesitated, trying to find the right words to decline politely. "Well, you know, big meetups really aren't my scene…" In truth, the idea of spending your entire Sunday afternoon at the annual neighbourhood cookout in Didi Roberts' backyard didn't appeal to you at all. The Robertsons' legendary BBQ supposedly marked the beginning of every summer and was the talk of the neighbourhood, but for you, it was more like an anxiety-inducing spectacle to avoid at all cost. As the new face on the block, you could already hear a million questions coming your way - something you'd much rather steer clear of. The prospect of being surrounded by a sea of unfamiliar faces, engaging in small talk, and participating in group activities made you feel slightly uneasy. After all, you had come to cherish the quiet Sundays you've enjoyed since moving to Austin, spending them with a good book, relaxing in the backyard pool with Sarah, or strolling through the nearby park.

“I don’t think I want to have a bunch of people asking me a bunch of questions, Sarah, you know what I mean?” Sarah clucked her tongue, putting a stray curl behind her ear as she turned toward you. Both of you were lounging in the backyard, savouring the last rays of the sun before Joel would be due home. “Nah, people won’t care. Didi’s husband left her like 2 months ago, and no one knows why!!! People are gonna be way more interested in that drama than you moving in, trust me!”

You chewed your lips as you considered Didi's new divorce proceedings being in full swing. You couldn't help but wonder why she would be so adamant to host regardless. Perhaps it was out of habit, an attempt to maintain a sense of normalcy in the midst of what you heard to be a complete shit show of a divorce. Or maybe it was an act of defiance, showing everyone that she was doing just fine despite her husband leaving her for his secretary. The jury was still out on that.

Despite your best efforts to stand your ground, Sarah's contagious enthusiasm was proving to be a formidable opponent, gradually wearing down your resistance. For every argument you put forth, she effortlessly offered a counter, until finally, your resolve began to crumble, and you found yourself giving in.

"Well, okay, I guess I could drop by for a little while," you finally conceded, a soft smile escaping as Sarah's triumphant expression lit up her face.

"Awesome! You won't regret it, I promise!" Sarah assured you, wrapping you in a tight hug.

This was how you ended up in a large backyard, full to the brim with the entire neighbourhood on a blisteringly hot Sunday afternoon. The sun beat down relentlessly, casting a golden hue on the lively scene before you. Laughter and chatter filled the air, accompanied by the tantalizing aroma of grilled meats and sizzling vegetables.

As you stepped into the midst of the gathering, you couldn't help but feel like a fish out of water. An outsider among the familiar faces, you took a moment to observe the different groups scattered throughout the yard. Kids were running around with playful abandon, their laughter like tiny bells chiming in the summer breeze. Their parents were scattered over the expanse of meticulously trimmed green hedges and professionally cut grass. The dads had for the most part congregated around the large bbq, while the moms were drinking rose and chattering on the patio chairs. And you were… there. Sarah had said that she and unfortunately Joel, would be there at 1h30 pm, well now it was 1h55 pm and they were nowhere to be found.

Suppressing a groan, you reached for your glass of sangria, lifting it to your lips and taking a hearty sip. You had arrived at the cookout armed with the special concoction, hoping it would somehow win over the crowd. Your culinary prowess might not shine as brilliantly as Gordon Ramsay's, but who needed Michelin stars when you had the “Boozy Book” written by your very own Granny Mabel? She had always sworn by the magic of adding 3 extra shots of triple sec and 2 shots of Jameson to a full bottle of white wine, claiming it made the whole thing pop. You could still vividly recall the sight of your relatives at family summer cookouts, gleefully imbibing Mabel's potent sangria, only to end up toppling over and snoozing on the meticulously manicured lawn. In your younger years, the adults' antics might have seemed far from impressive, yet your grandma's smug wink and her declaration, "Someone's got to add a little spice to these dull gatherings, my darling!" had stuck with you. Now, as an adult, you embraced the tradition with open arms. After all, people didn't have the luxury of being judging assholes when they were too intoxicated to even form coherent thoughts.

And apparently, your master plan to win over the neighbourhood ladies had worked like a charm. Initially met with unsure and haughty looks, their opinions quickly changed after just one sip of your sangria. Suddenly, you became their new best friend, and even the hostess, Didi, declared that you would be invited to every future cookout. Hip hip hurray, you thought, though a tinge of gloominess lingered.

As you sipped your drink, you found yourself trapped in a conversation with Bonny and Portia, neighbours who lived down the street. They were busy talking your ear off about their husbands and their brood of children. They were practically living novellas of family life, expressing their eagerness for the resumption of school to catch a break from their children's ever-present demands. A wry smile danced on your lips as you listened to their musings, "so much for motherly instinct," you couldn't help but snort into your glass.

As you tuned them out and Portia's voice began to fade into the background, your eyes wandered away from the endless chatter and scanned the gathering.

And there he stood, Joel Miller, the man who made your heart skip a beat. Time seemed to slow as your gaze locked onto his, and the air around you crackled with electricity.

He looked delectable in that tight blue t-shirt, his charm and charisma radiating effortlessly. Joel stood in the corner, sipping on a beer, the condensation forming delicate droplets on the bottle. The way he casually leaned against the fence showcasing his confident ease as if he owned the place. The world around you seemed to blur, and all that remained was him and the palpable connection between you.

A mixture of excitement and nervousness flooded through your veins, momentarily halting your breath. The fleeting eye contact said more than words ever could. He knew, and you knew, and it was intoxicating.

A mischievous glint danced in Joel's eyes, and a knowing smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. He raised his beer in a subtle salute towards you without breaking the locked gaze, revealing the underlying connection between you two. However, before the moment could fully unfold, he shifted his attention to a smaller man in round glasses who was chatting animatedly at him.

Joel responded with polite nods and occasional hums, but it was evident that he was merely going through the motions. His eyes, though looking at the man, seemed distant, as if his mind was elsewhere. And your eyes stayed glued to him, observing the mesmerizing bobbing of his Adam's apple with each sip he took from his beer, entranced by the subtle movements.

You felt yourself grow warmer and a throbbing ache slowly started to build deep within you. You rubbed your thighs together as subtly as you could, but the sight of Joel Miller, who, for once, didn't look like he wanted to rip your head off, was too much for you. So you indulged, taking your time to watch him – how good, strong, and wholly masculine he looked compared to everyone else. Your eyes roamed over his strong shoulders, stretching against the fabric of his checkered shirt. His sleeves were rolled up, leaving his powerful and hairy forearms on full display. With his arms crossed, his stern stance gave you the perfect view to appreciate the thickness of them. You couldn't stop looking at him. You close your eyes, feeling the pressure of the man from the other side of the backyard. Fuck what you wouldn’t give to have him bend you over the table in front of everyone at that party. To have those big strong hands hold you down, hold your hair. Maybe you’d see something other than resentment in those warm brown eyes for once.

A teasing smirk played upon your lips as you continued to indulge in shamelessly ogling the man who had been causing headaches for the past couple of weeks. Your eyes settled on his strong thighs, outlined perfectly by the well-worn fabric of his ever-present jeans. It was as if he had a personal commitment to denim, regardless of the occasion or the weather. But you weren't complaining; in fact, you were quite appreciative of this consistency. Those jeans offered you an unobstructed view of his muscular legs, each contour and sinew highlighted in exquisite detail.

The play of sunlight on his skin only intensified the appeal. The way his muscles shifted beneath the surface as he moved, the way his stride exuded confidence – it was all captivating. You marvelled at how he could maintain such an effortless air of strength and masculinity, even amidst this admittingly boring BBQ.

Your lips met the cool rim of the glass in front of you, and you took a tentative sip. The liquid provided a fleeting reprieve, its flavor momentarily drowning out the persistent tug of the dilemma that wrestled your thoughts. Should you muster the courage to wander over and initiate a conversation with him? The notion lingered, a prominent question mark dancing in the recesses of your mind, illuminated much like those incessant billboards on the highway. It was as if a colossal, bright yellow arrow was pointing directly at Joel Miller and his infuriatingly irresistible face!

But the memory of his all too recent antagonistic behaviour gave you pause. The last time you crossed Joel Miller’s path, his words had been laced with a sharpness that grated your soul raw, leaving you exposed and feeling like a misbehaving little girl all over again. Your palms felt sweaty when you were with him, and you were pretty damn sure that about 60% of that wasn’t due to arousal. Ok maybe more like 40%, but still!

When his piercing brown gaze fixed on you, warm and inviting for everyone else, it seemed to hold a different essence entirely, summoning a sense of learned powerlessness that you had vowed never to let anyone inflict upon you again. It settled deep within your stomach, a leaden weight that felt unshakable. Like an anchor, it connected you to the darkest corners of your self-destructive tendencies. It was astonishing how a devilishly handsome, middle-aged contractor from Texas had managed to raze the fragile castle of self-esteem you had painstakingly erected after you had left your parents' home at just 19-year-old.

But at the same time, shouldn't two adults be able to talk without making a big scene in public? You were twenty-six for God’s sake, not a toddler! And he was… well you didn’t know how old Joel Miller was, but he should be old enough to not throw a temper tantrum. At any rate, that smile he threw your way could have been a peace offering, maybe he realized he had been nothing short of a complete douchebag since the day you two met. And there was Sarah too. You loved the girl, and it would be really nice if you and her dad weren’t always going for the jugular like a pair of wildcats!

Just as you were lost in thought, Portia's loud voice snapped you back to reality:

“And then, Marie said that the lifeguard down at Millbrow public pool wanted to show her how he used his stick and… Hey you even listening?”

You turn your head sharply toward the woman who exchanged an annoyed look with Bonny who rolled her eyes at your blatant display of inattention. You smiled nervously before downing the rest of your full glass in one go to the look of horror of the two PTA moms. You tapped the edge of your glass for emphasis, “Empty, gonna grab a refill of the punch I saw coming in. See you two later.” Before either could utter a word, you quickly make your escape toward the large table on the patio where a large bowl of punch had been placed.

As you were making your way, you tempted a quick look towards where Joel was standing a minute ago to find… Nothing. You let out a sigh, probably better that he went somewhere else, gives you an excuse to not talk to him. As you reach the table you grab the oversized ladle and poured yourself a generous amount of the unknown concoction into your glass.

“I’d be careful with that if I were ya. Didi’s famous ‘round here for having a pretty generous pour.”  You dropped the ladle with a large splash from the shock of hearing the voice of the man that had been living rent-free in your mind right in your left ear. He was close… way too close for your heart to handle. Joel let out a sharp laugh as you felt yourself grow hot.

“Glad one of us is having fun.” You grumble, “Could you give me some space, I gotta…” you point in the general direction of the punch bowl and extend your hand to start a game of go fish with the ladle. But as your hand reaches for the bowl, Joel’s own larger, browner, and calloused hand reaches for your wrist and softly squeezes. “’tis my fault, I’ll grab it. If Didi saw you contaminating her punch, she’ll throw a damn fit.” You shiver as you slowly retract your hand, “Euhh, thank yo-” You inhaled sharply as you felt his other hand grabbing your lower back, gently nudging you to the side.

You turn your head and were met with the devastatingly beautiful side profile of your infuriating neighbour. You were so close, that if you leaned in you could probably kiss the apple of his cheek. “Won’t Didi be angry with you if she sees you though?”  Joel only smiles as he fishes out the ladle and puts it on the napkin next to the bowl before wiping his hand down. He turns his head in your direction and all of a sudden, your two noses are inches apart. You drew in a sharp breath as Joel Miller smiles his devil smile “Better me than you, trouble.”

You raised an inquisitive eyebrow at his taunting and dare you say, flirty word, “Trouble? Is that supposed to be me?”  Joel gave a shy smile at the playful tone behind your words, and slowly brought his face inches closer to yours, your nose almost touching. You could feel his warm breath on your face. His sharp woodsy aftershave invaded your senses, leaving you a bit dizzy. “Yeah, I mean you’ve been nothin’ but trouble since I met ya…” And just like that the spell was broken.

“Excuse me?” You drew your head back sharply and took a couple of steps back, clearly, Joel wasn’t expecting you to react that way because he levelled you with a lost and slightly panicked look.

“I don’t be meanin’ anythin’ by that. I just, ya know.” He was clearly scrambling for words, but you just stared him down putting your hands on your hips to make you look as unimpressed as possible. He squirmed under your hard stare. Good, you thought. Let him feel as small as he made you feel these past 2 weeks. After 30 seconds of this suburban recreation of a western showdown, Joel seems to remember who he was and who you were because his eyes narrowed, and his lips formed a thin line.

“Sorry to burst whatever little rich girl bubble ya been living in, sweetheart. But you’ve been a troublemaker since you set foot in this damn neighbourhood!” You refused to be intimidated, not this time. Not when you had been mere inches away from kissing those plush lips that now were disdainfully scorning you.

“I don’t see how I’ve been trouble at all actually.” You replied, fixing him with an angry glar.

 “What you want an itemized list or somethin’?” You felt your eyes narrowing further at his words, “I’ve been nothing but nice and friendly since the day we met! You are the one that’s been acting like a grade-A asshole!”

 “Come on kid, ya bein’ serious right now?”

“Do I look like I am joking?” you retort angrily. Joel deflated at your tone and looked sheepish for a split second. You could see the gears working in his mind as he was trying to stringed together an excuse that would get him out of this.

"I didn’t mean to be rude, but ya know you ain’t the most considerate…" You let out a loud gasp, looks like Joel decided to double down.

"Is it about me arriving a ‘day later’?” You made sure to emphasize the words with air quotes, “I told you that day, no one told ME I had a schedule to abide by. If I had gotten in late at night, I would have found a hotel to crash in, no biggie. Rich girl pockets, you know." Joel looked a bit reddish at your sarcastic words and a little frown settled between his bushy eyebrows.

"Well, then you should’ve used that big New York, fancy educated brain to know not to disturb people when they don’t want to be bothered!" God this man knew how to push your button! What was wrong with him and why did he love throwing you your life back in your face like a well-placed jab!

"May I remind you that it was 1 pm by the time I got to Austin? How was I supposed to know you'd be asleep at 1 pm? I am many things, Mr. Miller, but a mind reader is not one of them."

Joel was getting quieter with each answer you were giving him, but he was not a man with the habit of letting go. He had dug himself a grave and he was in too deep to reach the top, so the only way to go now was deeper.

"Well, you did have my daughter at your place without tellin' me! That was irresponsible and downright negligen…"

"And I already apologized for that. I apologized, but that wasn't enough, was it? Why exactly? I didn't do anything to Sarah! I would NEVER do anything to that girl, and I would NEVER let anything happen to her! For Heaven’s sake, you act as if I was taking her into a cult! And you treat me like a… Like a fucking nuisance! Like I’m a fungus under your foot. And for what? Because I’m inconsiderate based on your minimal assessment of me? Based on the fact that I didn’t abide by a schedule I didn’t know about? Because I woke you up in the afternoon when I should have known that Joel Miller would be sleeping? Or because I love spending time with your daughter? From the way I see it, one of us is acting like a kid and it sure as hell isn’t me. You need to grow the hell up, Joel!"

You catch your breath as you start to notice that you two have been attracting a crowd, and most people in your general vicinity have gone completely silent. Hypnotized by the free melodrama happening in front of them, no doubt.

Joel was not letting go, and although his voice was much more subdued than what you’d heard before, he kept going his accent getting thicker with each angry word he was uttering. But you were too angry for his charming southern drawl to have any effect on you “I told ya I didn’t want ya hanging out wit’ Sarah no more! She’s my daughter and I decide who she should hang out with!”

You rolled your eyes at his last-ditch effort to apparently stick it to you. What was it with men and their refusal to admit fault? You were so tired, and the day was so fucking hot. Fuck, things had gone sideways so quickly. You really didn’t want to fight with Joel, all you wanted now was to go home, crawl into bed and sleep for 12 hours, hopefully away from all the nosy neighbours. You cringed, you and Joel would without a doubt be the number one topic of gossip in the weeks to come.

You gave him a tired smile, “I don’t even know why I am arguing with you right now, since everything I say, you’ll just twist to fit whatever weird narrative you’ve got going on. Look, I like hanging out with Sarah, she’s just a lovely girl. She is funny and kind and just completely smart as a whip. She is the first person that’s shown me some kindness since I moved here. If you really don’t want her spending time with me, I won't push it all right. I just want you to please leave me alone now.”

Your words seem to placate Joel as his stance became softer as he finally seemed to realize that you two had amassed quite the crowd with your little display. “Look, I didn’t mea..” “It’s fine.” You cut him off, “I’ll get out of your hair, and I’ll stop causing so much trouble since that’s apparently all I am good for to you.”

“Now wait a min…” His plea went ignored.

“I said it's fine Joel! And now, I am going home.” You turn sharply and swiftly make your way out of the backyard, your blood ringing loudly in your ears and tears welling up in your eyes. From hurt or humiliation, you didn’t know. Now you could see things pretty clearly though, Joel Miller was a fucking asshole.

Joel's gaze tracked your hasty retreat from the garden party, his eyes fixed on your form as you disappeared from sight. The soft murmur of his neighbors' conversations reached his ears his. Your public spat was probably the highlight of their fucking month. Vultures the lot of them!

He shot them a withering glare, his frustration palpable, his words of sharp retaliation poised at the tip of his tongue. However, before the acerbic retort could find its voice, a broad hand landed with a hearty thud on his back, interrupting his thoughts.

“Alright folk, Show’s over! How ‘bout ya’ll go find something else to entertain ya lot?” Tommy’s voice was friendly enough, but the authority underlying his words was sufficient for people to start scattering like a bunch of barn mice.

Tommy's grip on Joel's arm tightened as he led him away from the chattering crowd, angling towards the neglected corner of the backyard. The hushed echoes of whispered conversations seemed to follow them, an audible shadow that gnawed at Tommy's nerves.

Something was definitely off, but he wasn’t able to put his finger on what was going on with his brother. As they reached the secluded spot, Joel's brows were furrowed, his features a mix of bewilderment and frustration. Tommy could sense the tension in the air, a palpable unease that crackled between them.

"What the hell is going on with you?" Tommy's voice mirrored the frantic thoughts racing through his mind. "I might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but even I can tell that whatever the hell just went down was a complete disaster, Joel! Seriously, for the love of God, ya made the poor girl cry!"

"I sure as hell didn't plan for that, Tommy, you gotta trust me on that! I was just messing around with her, and she took it way too seriously. Not my fault she got all bent out of shape. Those city kids, they can't handle a little ribbing..." Tommy shot Joel a stare that oozed complete and utter disbelief.

"Yeah, you and I both know that's a load of crap. Whatever went down, it sure as hell wasn't because of some harmless teasing. You were just dishing out your typical Joel jerk-face. I've seen that expression before, but it’s usually reserved for when the cement guys are running late, not for the cute girl next door!"

Joel's shoulders slumped as he let out a frustrated grumble in response to Tommy's words. He shut his eyes and agitatedly tousled his hair, as if trying to shake off his thoughts. "She's like under my damn skin, Tommy!" Tommy's mouth dropped open comically, momentarily resembling a fish caught on a hook. "It's like... I can't even explain it. I don't have the right words. But ever since I laid eyes on her, it's like an itch I can't scratch, and it just doesn't make any damn sense. We've had maybe three conversations since she moved here, and each one ended up in a fight. But damn it, Tommy, it's like she knows exactly how to push my buttons! Every time she walks outside in those shorts, it just gets under my skin 'cause I know every creep on the street is staring. And God, when she's with Sarah, she's incredible. Sarah adores her. I'm just... lost." Joel's words tumbled out in a jumble, an attempt to give voice to the chaotic swirl of emotions inside him.

Tommy fixed his brother with a blank stare, his voice tinged with incredulity, "So, if I'm getting this straight, you're attracted to her, and your grand strategy was to become the biggest jerk possible? Is this your mid-life equivalent of pulling the pretty girl’s pigtails in 8th grade?"

“Fucker! Ya don’t have to be such an ass about it!”

“I wouldn’t have to be if you’d get your head out of yours!”

"DAD!" Joel's eyes clamped shut as a loud groan erupted from his lips. "For crying out loud?" he muttered under his breath, the frustration evident in his tone. He pivoted on his heel, only to find himself locking eyes with Sarah, whose expression conveyed equal parts anger and disappointment over the scene that had just unfolded. She levelled a stern gaze at him, her hands planted firmly on her hips, a mirror of the very pose you had struck during your argument.

“What the hell was that?!” she shrieked.

“Don’t start with me Sarah, your uncle is already ripping into me so ya gonna have to take a ticket!” Joel grumbled unhappily.

“Yeah well, you were a complete dick..”

“Oy, language! I don’t care how angry you are, ya know better than not mindin’ your manners!” Sarah took on a sullen look and angrily exhaled a puff of air through her nose, “What like you minded yours with her? I invited her you know, the least you could have done was to be cordial!”

Joel took a step toward Sarah and grabbed her into his warm embrace, he could feel her tears wetting his shirt, “I really like her dad, she listens to what I have to say and she doesn’t just pretend to like other adults do. She took me shopping last week, and we looked at makeup for hours, because we couldn’t decide on the right shade. I’ve always wanted to have that.”

A pang shot through Joel's heart as he absorbed his daughter's words. He knew that Sarah had borne the weight of her mother's absence in silence, and now, with stark clarity, he understood the nature of the bond that you shared with her. Regret surged within him as he recognized the depths of his own blindness, the emotional whirlwind he'd been trapped in that had blinded him to the very essence of Sarah's needs. The realization hit him square in the chest: he had been a jerk, a self-absorbed fool, but now, he was determined to make things right.

“I know babygirl. I am so sorry for how I acted; I’ll make things right ok. Daddy will make everything right.” he murmured, his voice tender as he continued to hold her close. Sarah had reached an age where grand displays of fatherly affection were met with a facade of maturity. She had declared herself "too grown up" for such things, yet beneath it all, her heart seemed to welcome his words of comfort.

After a moment, they released each other from their embrace. Sarah wiped away her tears, her determination shining through. "You promise?" she questioned, a mix of vulnerability and longing in her voice. Joel reached out, his touch gentle as he brushed away a stray tear from Sarah's cheek. Offering her a warm, reassuring smile, he answered, "I promise, sweetie. How about tomorrow, you head over there and invite her for dinner next Friday?"

Sarah's face lit up like a child on Christmas morning. "Really? You mean it? I can invite her for Miller Friday?!"

Joel nodded, his own smile matching her excitement. "Yeah, it'll be a good time."

Sarah's enthusiasm didn't stop there. "And Uncle Tommy can still come? So, it’ll be like all of us?"

Joel chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "Of course. For better or worse, we're stuck with him."

Amidst the playful protestations coming from Tommy, who had been observing from the sidelines, Sarah managed a chuckle of her own.

Her gaze turned serious once more. "And you'll apologize?"

Joel's expression softened. "Yes, babygirl, I'll apologize."

"Promise?" Sarah pressed, her eyes searching for his assurance.

Joel's smile broadened, before spitting loudly in his hand and extending it toward Sarah. "Promise!"

"EWWW, DAD, GROSS!"

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