#and she got excited because she paints and she showed me some of her work (beautiful btw!!!)

[readymades2002]

something difficult about writing/storytelling but only in short disconnected bursts is that writing anything longform is very difficult. there isn't as much time to practice long-term character development or subtlety (implying character instead of immediately clarifying) when its not really meant to go anywhere but a notes app. its a little frustrating...i'd love to do something more longform though. i've considered maybe just doing some short writing scenes in my various original universes a lot recently mostly because i just havent had time to draw anything fancy recently </3 maybe that would be something...

[cheriladycl01]

Best Secret Santa - The Grid x Driver! Reader

Plot: in which everyone wants to have Y/N as their secret Santa because she is the best gift giver and never fails to make peoples day by going above and beyond for it!

Credit to f1-stuff for the GIF

2017

“So Y/N this is the first year of Secret Santa, how excited are you!” The F1 interviewer asks!

“I’m so excited! I love gift gifting it’s one of my love languages to show people that I know them, and I listen to them!”

“Okay are you ready to open your gift then?” She asks pushing forward a small bag that had presents wrapped up very nicely inside. You take the bag and look at the wrapping paper, it was well wrapped and good quality.

You open the first which feels as if it could be a wooden box but doesn’t really indicate what it could be.

You see that you were correct and a wooden box with your favourite paint brand is there on the top. You unclip the clasp that’s holding the lid down seeing the various paints.

“Oh this is a good present, but not many people know that I paint on the grid.

“Who knows you paint in the grid?” She asks you.

“Hmmm Romain Grosjean, K Mag, Kimi”

“So do you think it could be one of them?”

“Maybe… potentially Kimi, he knows me very well and has really helped me as a Red Bull Junior Driver and in my Rookie Year this Year”

“I think if you open the second present you’ll know who your secret Santa is” she explains and you take the second present of the table, it was pretty weighty but not as heavy as the paints.

“This feels like a book, like a hard back” you say as you start to tear into it. And it was, it was the Romain Grosjean book.

“It’s Romain!! He’s my Secret Santa?” You look at the F1 with a massive wide grin making her smile back at her!

“Wait, come with me” she becons the lady and camera crew to follow her. She walks through the building they are all in, in Abu Dhabi until she finds Romain.

“Romain, Romain wait up wait up” you shout running after him making the camera crew follow!

“Ahhh i see you received my gift!” He exclaims and she pulls him into a thankful hug.

“Please can you sigh it Mr Grosjean, I’m a huge fan of your work in Haas!” You exclaim, handing him a pen making him chuckle but still sign the book he gifted to you!

“Thank you for you time” you giggle before the cameras cut, and they decide to do Romains secret Santa while he is there.

*Flip*

“And now we are here with Lewis Hamilton who we’ve interrupted from getting ready for his Mercedes After Party for his 4 time world championship” the F1 lady smiles at Lewis Hamilton and he kindly smiles back.

“So your Secret Santa went all out, we’ve had to set the cameras a little further back and you’ve got some sizeable gifts here but they requested you read the card first”

“Holy shit” Lewis says as they start to bring in a huge box (big enough to fit the likes of Toto Wolff inside) followed by a smaller bag to the left that had three neatly wrapped presents inside.

“Who, what the fuck” Lewis says looking at the camera as if he was on the office. He looks at the F1 presenter who just shrugs her shoulders and waits for him to open the card.

“Dear Lewis, Here are 4 gifts to commemorate your 4 World Championships! Have a great winter season, and here’s to many more championships ahead! Love, Your Secret Santa” he reads seeing the little doodles inside the card.

“Any ideas on who it could be” she asks.

“No clue, everyone on the grid would know how many championships I’ve won, so this doesn’t give away much” he offers with a laugh. He grabs the bag wanting to leave the big present till last.

“Ohhh a Vegan Cook book, so they know I’m Vegan and a Japan Fridge Magnet. Okay so this is either Max or Y/N as they shared a podium with me, I’m sure off it!” He grins before taking the next present out the bag.

“What is this” he says unwrapping a rather small but oddly shaped present.

“Oh that’s so cute it’s a Dog Collar for Roscoe! Wait, holy shit it’s personalised from Dior. Surely this can’t be Max, is it Max?” He asks and the F1 presenter just shrugs.

“Thank you, this honestly is very thoughtful as Roscoe is one of my favourite things and I love the brand and wear it all the time!” He grins.

“Okay, how about we attempt to open this bigger present. I don’t actually know how you’ll get this through customs”

“I’m scared to see what it is” Lewis laughs before tearing the box open. Inside is a surfboard that is hand painted on either side with Lewis car and many other little doddles to cover the board that has something to do with Lewis.

“Oh woah a custom made board, this must have been really expensive to have made” he says observing it before picking out all the different doodles and talking about them.

“It’s not custom made, your Secret Santa actually Hand Painted this themselves” Lewis head snaps away from the board to look at the presenter in shock.

“Oh it’s got to be Y/N”

“That is correct”

“Y/N you are the cutest. I will use this board today here in Abu Dhabi before I make good use of it in the off season! I’ve never actually had anything like this before so thank you so much, you are so very thoughtful and you have the kindest soul! Thank you for everything and I hope to share a podium with you in 2018” he smiles grinning before turning his attention back to the surfboard.

2018

“Hello Y/N it is now November 2018, after the final Grand Prix of the 2018 season. So you know what time that is!” The F1 presenter asks.

“SECRET SANTA!” You scream, pulling forward the presents, there was a medium sized box in front of you.

“Can I start”

“Of course”

You pulled the lid of the box off and immediately gasp at the first thing that isn’t wrapped that you can see what it is!

“Oh my lord, how - I’ve been needing new camera lenses and a case for mine! I take pictures of everyone around the paddock! So it could be anyone, but I was talking to Max, Pierre and Dani about needing new lenses …” you admit looking to see if the F1 presenter would give you a reactionary hint.

“Oh and there’s a small envelope. I hope you enjoy this retreat with your new lenses, maybe gain a new perspective before 2019” you read out before out of the envelope you pull out flight tickets, and a small cabin hotel booking confirmation for Italy.

“No no no stop this is too much” you say tears filling up in your eyes.

“Who do you think it is” the F1 presenter asks.

“It’s Dani Ric” you cry, the words coming out strained as you look around to see if he is watching you.

“How’d you know” she asks.

“Because we had a talk about how I felt shit about this season and that the Torro Rosso wasn’t built well this year. And how him leaving Red Bull wasn’t an easy choice but it was one he had to make” you sob. The presenter comes over and pull you into a comforting hug rubbing your back and you hug into her more.

“Hey Squirt” an Australian accent comes from behind you and you fling yourself off the presenter and turn to look at the reason for your tears.

“You made me cry on camera” you say pointing to the camera and then your gifts.

“Aw I’m glad you like them! I was worried I hadn’t done well enough!” He grins rubbing your head before pulling you into a tight hug.

“I love them! And I’ll do better next year for you! I promise” you smile and he grins back at you!

*Flip*

“Hello Charles, how are you!”

“I am very good thank you. I see that there is a lot of presents here, all varying in size and it worries me. This is my first year and I don’t know many people that well!” He says looking between all the presents.

“Well here’s the card that came with it” she says passing over the red envelope that he opens the second his gets his hands on it.

“Dear Charlie, hmmm there’s not many that call me Charlie. Amazing first year in Alfa Romeo, can’t wait to see what you do in Ferrari” he reads out thinking of who it could be.

“It’s Y/N for sure. Between the amount of presents here and the note saying Charlie it must be her!” He exclaims before tearing into his first present. There were Alfa Romeo socks, with little jelly snake candies.

“Ah to remember my time in Alfa Romeo, these Candies actually look so good! Thank you!” He says observing the candies.

“This box is small, but heavy” he observes before pulling out a watch box.

“Oh my god, it’s a Ferrari watch. Look at this beauty! I will wear this now I think” He offers showing the camera the Ferrari official watch you’d got him. He places it on his wrist, looking at it before grinning and showing the camera.

“Okay this next one looks very very big, and oh it’s super heavy. I don’t even think I can lift that up”

He starts to tear off the paper, showing a cardboard box with a stamp on top, of what Charles assumed to be the place she’d got it from.

“Antiques Auction House? What is that?” He asks not knowing.

“It’s a place you bid to get rare objects” the F1 presenter grins and Charles looks up in shock. He carefully takes the tape off the lid and pulls the heavy hunk of metal out of the box. He pulls down the bubble wrap to reveal a Ferrari paddock sign.

“Is this real?” He gasps looking it over.

“Yes, maybe take a look at the race it’s from and the year” the presenter asks pushing him to look at the front a little closer.

“Monza 1996, that’s the year I was born! This gift, is so thoughtful and I will put it in my apartment where my sim is so everyone is able to see it when they come over! Hopefully this will bring me luck in Ferrari and in Monza next year so thank you Y/N”

He picks up the next gift which is small and flimsy. He immediately thinks it’s clothing.

As he tears open he holds up the t-shirt bursting out laughing looking at both sides.

On the front it was a radio from his that year printed on saying “woHooooo, Oh Yes! That feels good! - France 2018” and on the back there were words that were printed on there saying “Ask me what happened in France 2018” as a funny sexual innuendo from how crude the radio has sounded with no context behind it!

“This is hilarious and Y/N never fails with these joke gifts. That’s something I’ve noticed, I know this has only been done 2 years now but last year she had two jokey gifts for Lewis and 2 really nice thoughtful ones. This year I have similar! She’s a really good gift giver! She goes above and beyond!”

“She really does! I always get excited, just to see what Y/N gets her Secret Santa each year!”

“I think after this, if they didn’t before, everyone wants her as their gift giver!”

“Okay last gift Charles”

He open up to see a plastic CD cover, decorated by Y/N. He opens it up seeing a note inside.

“For when you finally record something on the piano” he looks up at the presenter and he shows her the cute cover the artistic grid member has designed.

“This is beautiful and I will fill it with tracks I will share with you Y/N thank you again and Merry Christmas Cheri!” He grins.

Y/N definitely spend over her own private budget this secret Santa but she couldn’t help having a small crush on the Alfa Romeo, future Ferrari boy.

2019

“Y/N, you know it’s my favourite time of the year just because you are here serving us once again with your amazing and seemingly limitless gift giving skills. I do have to ask how did you get that Monza pit board”

“Well, my dad is good friends with a Motorsport enthusiast, who has an auction house for Motorsports and Cars, and I won it in August, and was going to give it to Charles as an end or year well done/ Christmas present, but when I got him for secret Santa it made sense to put it in his gifts” you explain.

“Amazing okay so here are you presents for the 2019 season!”

“Oh my gosh I know who this is already! It’s K Mag” you exclaims seeing the pottery set! You’d been saying to him how you wanted to start getting into pottery and how you’d just brought one of the proper stoves to bake them in.

“We spoke about this before, and of course this Metallica Funko Pop would have given it away if the pottery didn’t! Omg I can’t wait to make you and your wife a vase! Thank you so much! I will bring it with me at the start of next season!” You exclaim looking in awe at the two presents in front of you!

*Flip*

“Lance Stroll, I think this year might be your lucky year, you’ve got a decent size bag with three presents” the presenter says cheerfully making Lance smile back.

“I’m excited to see what’s been brought for me! Okay first one obviously we have to open the card and see the message.

“Dear Lance, Starting as rookies together was so much fun! Beating you was even better! Oh it’s either Y/N or Gasly, we all had our rookie year together in 2017!” He exclaims before pulling out the first present which was another envelope.

“You know this is gonna be a voucher of some kind or like, a this was supposed to be your present but it’s not here. What could it be!” He asks opening it up.

“Tennis lessons … WITH ANDY MURRAY? It’s gotta be Y/N right? They are both from the UK, and I’m guessing someone she knows him? How the hell does she know him?” He laughs, he was really into tennis, if he ever had to quit motorsport he would got to tennis as his secondary option.

“This is amazing, thank you Y/N” he smiles genuinely.

“I think him and Y/N were invited to meet the Queen. She wanted to meet Y/N for breaking records around women in motorsport. They’ve played tennis together and she’s driven him round Aintree in her Lamborghini”

“Woah that’s crazy, so they are like friends? Well thank you Y/N and Andy watch out coz I’m coming for you!” He says as he reaches for the next present which is very badly wrapped.

“I think this just be the joke present she gets alongside her good ones” he says shaking it nothing giving away what it could be. He rips it open, to find a mug and a bottle of maple syrup!

“Ah yes as a true Canadian, maple is necessary! And oh a mug”

“Turn it round Lance, what does it say?” Laughs the presenter not actually knowing this was one of the presents.

“It says Daddies Little Boy” he laughs, knowing the joke in the paddock that he wouldn’t ever loose his seat in F1 until he no longer wanted to race.

“That’s hilarious, thank you Y/N I’ll be sure to show my dad this one. Okay onto the last”

He opens it up seeing a James Bond Limited Edition, signed Car from the movies in a mini form.

“It’s so funny, me and Y/N have arguments about this all the time. So they basically got her in Casino Royale as a stunt driver for one scene as she looks like Eva Green from the back. So she will always say that Casino Royale is the best Bond film, but I disagree I think it’s Quantum of Solace! Thank you Y/N for all of this! I can’t wait for my Tennis lessons!”

2020

“What a year it’s been with this virus Y/N and what a stressful year it has been for you drivers. However you’ve had some amazing drives, you had your first win this year with the new name for Toro Rosso under AlphaTauri! And we couldn’t be happier for you. But, your moving up the ranks aren’t you!” The presenter grins happily.

“Yes as of 2021 I will stay in the Red Bull family but move alongside Max into the Red Bull Racing Honda team!” You exclaim! You were so happy to have been given the chance and had worked your but of last year in AlphaTauri coming P5 in the drivers championship. Christian Horner came to you and offered you the seat as you’d done better in the Tauri than Alex in the Red Bull.

“This is just amazing news for you Y/N and we are excited to see what you can do alongside Max Verstappen in 2021!”

“Okay here are you presents for this year!” She says, you pull your mask up a little as it had dropped down as you were talking it repositioning it up and in the correct way.

“These feel like drinks?” You question as you shake the box, when you peel it down you burst out laughing at the crate of Red Bulls in front of you. Everyone knew you were moving to Red Bull so this could literally be anyone.

“Oh my gosh, and Lego Star Wars! LOOK ITS THE FALCON” you yell excitedly. During COVID, you’d streamed alongside Alex, Charles, Lando and George as you liked playing games already and it was more fun with your friends. But you also did streams where you’d answer questions while building Lego’s.

“Guys, Christmas Falcon building stream??” You ask wiggling your eyebrows, however you didn’t know if they’d be able to see them with the Santa hat currently on top of your head.

“Who did you think it is?” The presenter asks.

“I feel like this one is so hard this year, everyone knows I’m moving to RedBull and everyone knew I streamed, and my love for Star Wars” you sigh, a hand rising up to your face in a thinking motion.

“It’s gotta be someone kind and funny. Lando? NO? hmmmm …Dani Ric again? No? Pierre Gasly? NO? Oh my lord, erm I’m not sure who is it??” You ask genuinely having no clue!

“It was George Russell!” She exclaims and you grin widely!

“Thank you so much George! I really appreciate this and I hope you drop in the steam where I’m building it!”

*Flip*

“Max, what a year it’s been for you! Between some amazing races and coming P3, what can we expect from you in 2021”

“Becoming a world champion for sure, I think Y/N moving over to redbull at this time in my career is exactly what I need. She was giving me a run for my money in a mid field car this year, pushing it to its limits every race and outperforming the car. I think she’s going to be competitive and push me further as both a teammate and a rival. I’m excited to have her on board” he smiles nodding.

“Okay so here’s your presents, they are numbered in the order you have to open them in!” She says pushing them forward.

“Okay present one, oh what is this OMG tickets to Moto GP. Beside F1 that is my favourite sport! And it’s during the summer break, that’s incredible! Thank you so much! There’s two so that means I can take a friend I presume! Can I take the gifter?” He asks looking at the F1 presenter who nods, knowing you most likely wouldn’t turn that down.

“Next one! Oooo woah, this is nice, look at this. This one here is me in, Malaysia I think. My first ever face win! Austria in 2018 is here, you can see the Bulk from the Red Bull Ring, oh and here is I think this must be my win in Brazil last year I want to say? And then Abu Dhabi from this year? That race was only yesterday, how did they… this has to be Y/N I don’t know any other person who is this good at art” he says pointing the painted canvas.

“Okay, this is the last one, so this has to be her joke one right?” He asks looking towards the people.

“Read the note here first, now that you’ve worked out who it is” she smiles pushing the letter forward.

“Dear Max, I can’t wait to drive alongside you next year. Or maybe in front of you, we’ll just have to wait and see. Y/N

“I am very excited to drive with her next season. It’s going to be a very close season with the changes I’m sure will occur” he says as he starts to pull from the bag.

“A Y/N pillow, this will travel with me as a travel pillow! Oh and a Y/N signed red bull cap. You’ll be signing a lot more of these next year, but I’m honoured to get the first ever one!” He smiles nodding before looking at the camera for them to stop rolling.

2021

“Y/N, what an amazing year you’ve had a RedBull, coming in P3 and winner the constructors championship for Red Bull, how has the year been?”

“Yeah it’s been phenomenal, driving with Max has really made me push myself to the limits. I think I’m still warming up in the Red Bull this seasons and I made some mistakes which I’ve been focusing on improving each race and I think you can see that in my performance in the second half of the season. I’m thankful to max for pushing me to be a better driver and I’m excited for 2022 with Red Bull, and Honda!”

“Obviously it’s our favourite time of the year! And we are going to be opening some presents!” She says pushing forward a small box. You grin looking at the very precise and very neat wrapping.

You open the box to find one of those cute adopt a penguin with the little plushie.

“Awww it’s so cute!” You exclaims holding up the little penguin.

“And I think there’s a note in there about something else” the F1 presenter directs.

“Hello Y/N it’s your fav mentor. Join me to meet this penguin on a Antártica cruise! K.R”

“KIMI, KIMI, KIMI! No this is too much!” You say looking at the presenter in panic.

“Your idol wants to go on holiday with you! How do you feel”

“Blessed! I’m so happy! I can’t wait to go see the penguins with you Kimi!” You smile, hugging the penguin plushie close to your chest.

*Flip*

“Lando, you’ve got some large gifts here”

“Yeah it’s Y/N” Lando immediately says looking at the wide array of gifts.

“You haven’t even opened at them yet” she laughs.

“No I know Y/N and she’s the only one that puts THIS extensive effort into this! I’ve nailed it tho saying it’s Y/N” he smirks.

“Okay what have we got here” he says picking up the first which is a thinly wrapped envelope.

“Spa vouchers …” he says before shaking his head trying not to laugh and look mock angry.

“I crash in spa, and this is what I get… thanks Y/N. Oh there’s three vouchers. You can Max Fewtrell can come with me. Oh and some … Valorant lessons? Are you saying I’m bad at Valorant, just because your a sweat and your like Ascendent or some shit!” He grins out.

He grabs the next box, small yet heavy. He opens it seeing McLaren x Richard Mille.

“A watch! Woah this … I’m so happy to add this to my collection!”

“And it’s the only one ever made!” The presenter adds making him gasp and look underneath the watch at the engraving. A blush comes onto his face thanking the girl for the watch.

“Okay big box next!” He grins tearing into it.

“Oh Y/N! Y/N” he says with a hand slapped to his mouth.

“Wait no stop” he says pulling the personalised helmet she made him with a note explaining it was for a good start to 2022.

“Thank you Y/N and I can’t wait to wear this next year it’s amazing!” He smiles showing it to the camera finding more and more funny things to laugh to himself about that were inside jokes between the pair of you.

2022

“Y/N the fight between you Max and Charles was so close this year, and you only were a few points behind Charles in the end, taking a storm of a constructors win for Red Bull, so do think you and Charles will have a chance in 2023”

“Yea of course! I’ve renewed my contract with Red Bull until 2025, so I’m very excited at what it will bring!”

“As usual it’s time for the best part of the season! Secret Santa, let’s see what you’ve got this year!” She directs pushing forward the presents in front.

“A bottle of Sake! This will be from Mr Yuki Tsunoda, a Japanese delicacy that he introduced me to this year at the Grand Prix! Thank you Yuki! We’ll have to drink this together!” You smile before going to the next present.

“Oh my gosh, a Bonsai and new tools! This is perfect for my garden in London! Look I have to show you!” She smiles showing the F1 presenter pictures of her garden going off on a rant of where she could place the new bonsai.

“Thank you so much Yuki! Can’t wait to race with you in 23” you smile at the camera.

*Flip*

“Alex! Hopefully Williams has been treating you well” the interviewer smiles happily.

“It has, I think I got a lot out of the car this year which they can learn from in the future! It’s been a year of learning for all of us and we’re happy with the improvements we made” he smiles.

“Well it’s Secret Santa time. Here are your gifts”

“This first one feels like a shirt” he admits feeling up the packaging. He opens it and unfolds the top laughing at what was on the front putting it down and laughing into his hands.

“Show us what you got Alex” she asks. He holds up the gifted top that’s a picture of you and Lily holding hands walking through the paddock looking at each other loving. Above the picture in writing says ‘this woman stole my girlfriend’.

“Lily will force me to wear this, I know it and she will agree with it and come running to the menace of a Secret Santa that gifted this to me! Thank you Y/N” he smiles charmingly at the camera.

“Okay, up next oh? Private golf lessons, with Lily at Hotchkin Course. It says here’s the course is ours for the whole day! Woah, not only will I appreciate that but Lily will also enjoy that day out! Thank you so so much Y/N as usual you are the best!”

“Hand painted golf balls, oh look so this one has the Thai flag on it, this one has the Williams logo on it, this one has a Lily flower on it, okay that’s cute! Look at this detail” he says holding the ball up close to the camera!

“This is perfect! Thank you Y/N and have an amazing Christmas”

2023

"Y/N you and Max have had an amazing season this year and have dominated formula one in Red Bull. You came P2 in the championship, not too far behind Max who won his 3rd championship!"

"Yes, its been an amazing year for us and I'm hoping that next year it will be me winning the Championship!" you grin looking at the presenter.

"Okay, so its the 7th year of Secret Santa on the grid! Are you excited! Because i am!" she says shoving the small bag towards you. You grin excited.

"Yes, okay so ooooo, I know who this is straight away and I think the fans are going to be really happy over this" you grin after you'd peeled the bag back seeing the first gift that was unwrapped and open for the eye to see.

You pull the object out showing hair bleach, toner and little tools and foils, and a note saying that you'll both dye it together and be matching blondes.

You show the camera, knowing fans will not only go wild for blonde Alex, but wild for you finally going blonde after saying for months that you would.

"This is a great gift, and we are going to get Lily to do this for us together!" you smile, before dipping into the bag and pulling the next gift out.

"Steal my GF coupons! OMG finally thank you Alex, i can finally get MY girlfriend Lily back. Guy's seriously when you next pan to her when she's in the paddock, please caption her as Lily Professional Golfer and Partner of Red Bull Driver Y/N Y/L/N. Please I'm begging you!" she laughs and the presenter writes something down on her phone.

"Thank you Alex for these amazing gifts and I will be sure to use both the coupons and the hair dye!" you grin, observing the contents of the hair dye.

"This is a good brand no? Lily must do a good job" you nod, hoping that Lily knows how to dye hair considering Alex's looked good the last time he had it done.

"Yes, its what they use for most of the KPOP Idols in Korea, you know how they dye their hair lots? This is what they use in order to keep it really nice and smooth"

*FLIP*

"Okay, here we have our all time favrioute Daniel Ricciardo, so happy to have seen you driving for AlphaTauri this year. Hopefully 2024 will be a good season for you and we can get some podiums back up there!" she smiles at Daniel who has his typical huge smile back.

"Thank you, lets get down to the real reason we are here! I want to see the presents whoever this is"

"Okay, so ooo a bike helmet. Hmmmm I've been saying to a few on the grid that i need a new one, but this is a really good brand. Okay next one" he smiles moving the bike helmet to one side.

"Ohhhh what the hell, someone has got me Talladega Nights, but they've photoshopped me into Ricky Bobby's place. Look at this. Did you guys get Jensen Button to join in this year?" he laughs showing the camera, the photoshopped version of the popular film among the drivers.

"That's really funny so i bet its got to be one of the young one. Maybe Lando? Or Y/N? or even Oscar my Aussie brother?" he says observing the disk before placing it against the bike helmet leaving it on show.

"A honey badger plushie... okay this is Y/N Lando no way would get me a plushie thats this cute" he jokes.

"Okay last one, holy shit. Do you know how the hell she managed to pull some of these gifts off?? I swear she's the actual St Nick sometimes!" he says looking at his final present. It was an envelope explaining something that you would do for him.

"So she's booked a venue, for her and Heidi in Milan to do a fashion show of my new clothes line that I’ve made in-front of anyone who wants to attend… that’s so thoughtful. Thank you Y/N I’m sure you and Heidi will look amazing on the runway! Thank you and see you on the track more next year!” He smiles.

Taglist:

@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @stupidandunnecessary @clayra-g @daemyratwst @honey-belden @moonypixel @lauralarsen @vader-is-hot @ironcowboycopnickel @itsjustkhaos @the-untamed-soul @beebo86 @happylittlereader @ziejustme @lou-larcher5 @thewulf @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @chillyleclerc @chanthereader @annoyingmoonballoon @summissss @evieepepi08 @havaneseoger08 @celesteblack08 @gulphulp @fandom1ruined2me @celebstories @starfusionsworld @jspitwall@sierruhh @georgeparisole @dakotatankbig @youcannotcancelquidditch @zzonsbeek @tallbrownhairsarcastic @mellowarcadefun @ourteenagetragedy @otako5811 @countingstacksandpanicattacks @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @hopexcroc @mirrorball-6 @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @lilypadlover @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @the-fem1n1ne-urge @21stcenturytaegi @dark-night-sky-99 @spideybv28 @i-wish-this-was-me

[lacroixwh0r3]

In a Good Way

Farmer!Abby Anderson x Housewife!Reader

Summary: You help Abby relax after a long day on the farm.

Warnings: SMUT!! a little bit of fluff, oral (a recieving), fingering (a recieving), hair pulling, kissing, mommy kink, orgasm denial, petnames, switch!Abby, switch!reader, squirting, spit, overstimulation, and a lil degradtion

Song inspo: Kingston by Faye Webster

A/N: I tried to keep it sweet and cute and then I just completely went off the rails with this...oops!

Also I hit 700 followers on here...wtf thank y'all so much! it is so amazing to be able to share my stuff on here.

And ofc, like, share, reblog, and comment.

Abby had finally finished up the last thing she needed to do around the farm before she headed back home. When she looked at the time on her phone, she realized that she was going to get home early.

As soon as she pulled up to the driveway of her home that she shared with you, her excitement grew. Abby knew that you were most likely cooking some delicious meals for dinner as well as dessert to have afterwards. She hated having to leave you all alone in the house while she was away working. Every morning at 7 a.m., she got dressed for the day, and you would lay in bed looking and beg her to stay even though you knew she couldn't. She would tell you how much she wishes she could, then place a soft kiss on your lips and make her way out the door.

Oh, but the look on your face when she got home made it all worth it to Abby.

When she left, you found things to do around the house to occupy your time. Some days you would clean around the house, make a quick trip to the local farmers market to pick up some things, read, paint your nails, or count down the hours until your wife got home.

You have to admit that it was sometimes lonely when Abby wasn't around, but you didn't really mind it. She tried to encourage you to go out and make some friends, but you refused. You were never good at making friends, and you were okay with being alone. Being alone allowed you to have time to do whatever you wanted without being judged by other people.

Abby calls out your name but gets no response. However, she did hear the sound of soft music playing from the kitchen and you singing along beautifully. The smell of whatever you were cooking made Abby extra hungry as she tiptoed her way to you.

"I didn't know that I was capable of being happy right now, But you showed me how"

She stopped at the door and noticed that your back was turned to her as you swayed your body and stirred the pot.

Behind you, you could hear the familiar sounds of Abby's heavy boots coming up behind you slowly. You try to hold back a giggle because you know she is trying to scare you. You could feel her body close behind you as you kept on moving your hips softly to the beat.

"Hey, baby," You say with your back still facing her.

"How the fuck do you do that? I can never get you," Abby playfully scoffs as she brings her hands onto your hips and presses her body onto yours. Both of you were now swaying together to the beat of the song.

"Because I know you and all your tricks, abbs," You chuckle. "You can never scare me." Abby lets out a soft hum as she kisses the back of your neck and up to the back of your ear. You leaned your head to the side, allowing her better access as your body relaxed into hers and your eyes closed.

"You make me wanna cry in a good way"

"I missed you so fucking much, baby." She whispers into your ear. You shivered as Abby's hands began to move toward your stomach, pulling you further into her hard body.

"I miss you too, sweetheart," you breathe out dreamily. You had missed Abby so much today that all you wanted to do was stay in her arms forever. "I was thinking about you all day." Abby places a kiss on your ear.

"Mm, yeah? My beautiful little wife was thinking about me today." You didn't even realize that you still had the wooden spoon in your hand until you dropped it into the pan of mashed potatoes. You spin around and wrap your arms around Abby's neck, as one of her hands is now sitting low on your back and the other is placed in the middle of your back.

All you could do was stare into her eyes before you began to speak. "You don't understand how much I think about you every day, darling," you confess to Abby as you place a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose. "It's been a year since we got married, and I still can't believe you're mine, Abby." You tell her breathlessly. Her freckle-covered cheeks turned a deep red as she blushed.

"Baby, I should be saying these things to you," She tells you as she brings her face close to you without any hurry. "Beautiful." She whispers before her lips fall on yours.

The kiss was soft. Neither of you rushed it, as you both took your time and savored each other. You were addicted to the taste of Abby's soft, pouty lips and the taste of her mint chapstick that she always put on.

"You weigh just as much as me, don't you I can feel it when we touch"

Your hands grip the back of her neck as the other tugs at her messy blonde braid. Abby moaned into your mouth as you kept tugging and as she leaned in, making you bend back a bit. You feel her hand, which was placed on your lower back, now go down to your ass. Abby kneads at it as she continues to kiss you.

A minute later, you both pull away from each other simultaneously, breathing heavily.

As you both stare and caress each other, you give her braid one last tug as you stand on your tippy toes and go to kiss the bottom of her chin. Her fingers were still kneading into your cheek. "Why don't you go take a shower? Dinner should be ready as soon as you get out; is that fine with you, baby?" You ask her as you rub the back of her neck.

Abby gently nods her head as she replies, "Okay, baby. Thank you so much." She leaves one last kiss on your head as she gives your ass a quick slap and makes her way out of the kitchen.

All you could do was bite your lips and shake your head while observing her ass and thighs in her tight cargo pants.

...

After Abby's shower, she somehow convinced you to ditch dinner and sit with her for a little.

"Baby, I'm not even that hungry, honestly. I just wanna hold you." She says as she sits on the couch, pulling your waist so you can sit on her lap. Rather than sitting sideways on her lap, you adjusted yourself so that you were straddling her.

You knew she was hungry, she was just coming up with an excuse for you to join her.

"Abby, I know you're lying, babes." You tell her, looking deeply into her blue eyes as you push away some of the loose hair that came out of her braid. Her hands came up to your waist and held onto it.

Ugh, whatever, but I still wanna be here with you right now. I feel like we barely got to see each other this week," Abby confessed. You nodded your head and let out a hum, letting her know that you agreed.

Instantly, a thought popped into your head. "You know what, Abs?" You looked at her with bright eyes, seeing that she was already looking down at you with a curious look on her face. "You've been working really hard at the farm all week, and I think you deserve a break, don't you think?"

Abby briefly thinks about it: "Uh, I mean, I guess, sweetheart, but it's going to be really hard to find someone to take care of everything..." As much as Abby would love to spend the day with you, she knew that in order to get the job done the way she wanted it done, she was going to have to be the one to do it.

"Abby, please take the day off..." Your hand drops into your lap and slides up her shirt so you can feel her. "For me, baby," you murmur in a low voice. You observe her eyes as the soft look that was once there has quickly been replaced with a desirous stare.

"You slutty girl, you just want me to take off so I can have my way with you and make you cum all day, hmm?" Abby looked into one of your eyes, down at your lips, and back up to the other eye. All you could do was nod your head, unable to articulate the words.

Her words were vulgar, but she made them sound like the sweetest thing on earth with her soft voice.

The girl lets out a hum before she can say anything else. "Fine, I'll see what I can do." She places a quick peck on your lips and begins sensually gliding her fingers up and down your waist, inching close to your ass. You arch your back into her strong one, making your whole body tremble with nervousness and excitement. Your head started to feel fuzzy.

Even after years of knowing Abby and being very intimate with her, you still get nervous around her at times. It was easy for Abby to detect your nervousness without you saying anything. "Aww, am I making you nervous, my love?"

"You always make me nervous, Abs."

"Yeah?"

You nodded your head, leaned forward, and wrapped your arms around her neck. First you stroked the back of her head, then you pulled her braid down, making her head lean back into the couch.

You couldn't help yourself whenever she had her braid in. Something about the hairstyle invited you to pull against it, which Abby didn't hate. As a matter of fact, Abby loved it when you pulled her hair as she ate you out.

You bent your neck down and began to lick on the sensitive spot on her neck, making her grip your waist tighter and your hips thrust up to your clothed core.

"Oh, this feels so good, my girl." She whimpers softly. "You're making mommy feel so good."

Her words made you suck and lick her neck more. You wrapped her hair around your fist to help hold her in place. Abby trembled with pleasure as her throat released a sexy moan. With each suck on her neck, Abby could feel the sensation shoot down her body, making her clit throb.

"I wish I was fucking your pussy right now," she confessed. "I'd pound that pussy so good while you suck all down my neck." You could feel her throat vibrate with each word.

You continued your assault on her neck for a little while longer until you unwrapped her hair from your fist, stopped sucking, and leaned off of her body. She released your waist, stretching her arms on the top of the couch as she looked at you and bit her luscious lips. "Oh fuck me, baby. You look so delicious right now." You groan before grabbing her chin to look at her neck. The redish, purple hickey on her neck caught your eye. "This will let everyone know you're mine. You're my wife only, right?" You asked her possessively.

She nodded her head as soon as you asked her, "Forever, I'm forever yours, baby. Only yours."

"Good." You say as you place a quick kiss on her lips.

You never doubted Abby's loyalty at all; she never gave you any reason to question her—you just liked hearing her tell you.

"You want me to go up the stairs and get the strap, baby?" She asked. You shook your head at her, causing her to slightly frown.

You absolutely love it when she fucks you with the strap, but tonight you wanted it to be all about her. You wanted to show her how much you appreciated her.

"No, I wanna make you feel good, my love." You tell her before pushing yourself off of her lap and sitting down next to her. You were balled up into her side; your feet were folded up on the couch, and your right hand sat on her lower stomach. You noticed that her pants sat low on her hips—she didn't have on her underwear, and your fingers were just a couple of inches away from her pussy.

"Can I make you feel good?" You whispered to her as you looked up at her to see her already looking at you. Her eyes gazed at you as she took in your appearance.

"Baby, you don't have to do that, you know," she pleaded, making you scoff at her.

Abby is a stubborn woman; she's always so hard to persuade, even if you're practically begging her.

"I know, I don't have to do anything," you bluntly tell her, "but I want to."

The hand that once sat on her lower stomach was now gathering the spit from your mouth and about to slip into her pants before you looked at her again. Abby sat there agape with anticipation, ready to see what you were going to do. "Is it okay if I touch you, baby?" You asked her before touching her.

She wildly shook her head until she realized that words weren't coming out of her mouth. "Y-yeah," She stammers.

With that, you slide your hands deeper into her pants, feeling the light fuzz of her hair, and dip your spit-coated fingers onto her clit. You feel her strong arm bring your body closer to her tense one as she shakes and gasps. She was already sopping wet without your spit.

Her eyes flutter closed, while yours are still stuck on her face. "You're so wet, mommy. Tell me when I made you this wet." You moaned out as you rubbed lazy circles onto her throbbing clit.

"When-" She tries to speak but is interrupted by her own moans. She bites down on her fist as she tries to gather her words and stop herself from moaning.

You didn't like that, though; you loved hearing her pretty moans.

"Put your fist down; I want to hear all your beautiful sounds. Now, tell me what made you so wet, mommy." She instantly dropped her fist as her grip on your shoulder tightened.

"When you-oh my god-when you licked my neck and gave me a hickey," she said as you used your middle finger to flick her clit back and forth in a fast motion, making Abby try to grab at your hand. She didn't know what she was feeling right now. She wanted you to stop, but she also wanted you to keep going. She wanted to cum and lose her mind at the same time.

As she inched closer to her release, she whispered, Don't stop, in your ear, but that didn't stop you from teasing her, so you gradually slowed your pace on her clit and completely stopped. Just as fast as the feeling came, it left just as quickly after you slowed down, making Abby narrow her eyes at you and snarl.

"Aww, you were gonna cum? Hmm, baby?" You tease her as you pull out your hand from her pants and stick your fingers into your mouth, tasting her saltiness. You made eye contact with her as you sucked on your finger.

"You're such a tease, you know that, right?" She breathes out.

You just let out a laugh as you popped your finger out of your mouth. Abby suddenly moved her arm around you and got off the couch, leaving you confused. She then began to strip herself of her pajama pants, leaving her nude from the waist down. You couldn't help but kiss her pelvic bone as she stood tall in front of you. You swipe your pointer finger through her wet slit, making her weak to the knees. Before she could go down, she staggered and grabbed your shoulder tightly.

"N-no touching yet, sweetie..." She scowled at you and said, "You're gonna get on your knees and eat my pussy like a good girl, okay?" You nod your head at her as your eyes trail up her body, stopping at her face. She released your shoulder, stroked your cheek, and faintly muttered good.

She sat down on the couch, scooting to the edge so that her bottom was halfway hanging off. She sat there with her legs wide open, practically inviting you in. You just sat there, taking in her appearance, until she snapped you out of it. "What are you waiting for, baby? Get on your knees."

Without any hesitation, you dropped to your knees and positioned yourself between her legs, just a few inches away from her pussy, which was glistening from her wetness. You gawked at the view in front of you as your mouth watered, still tasting her juices on your tongue.

"Are you alright?" she asked you, making you look up at Abby, who had her eyebrow cocked up with amusement. "You can have a taste if you want," she encouraged you. However, you didn't need much encouragement.

With that, you leaned forward, feeling the heat of her body as you got closer, and licked up her wet slit before wrapping your lips around her clit and sucking. Abby let out a gasp, holding her breath as she silently uttered, Oh my god, with a strained expression. She was about to reach for your head before she tried to grasp the cushion of your shared couch. You can hear her scratch at the polyester as her dull nails slide across it.

You dug yourself deeper between her legs, swirling and flicking your tongue around her clit. You could feel her arousal spreading across your face, including your nose. "Just like that, baby, keep eating mommy's pussy," she said, breathing hard. You felt yourself grow more and more greedy for her; you wanted to feel her against you, but you continued on pleasuring her. "You love tasting me, huh, beautiful?"

You loved it more than she could know; seeing the way she squirmed and moaned as you ate her out did something to you. It made you feel feral.

You let out a deep moaned around her clit, making her convulse at the vibrations. Abby's eyes squeezed shut as her jaw went slack before you released her clit from your mouth with a faint pop. You watched her sigh out as her eyes opened. She looked down at you with twinkling eyes and let out a chuckle. "Oh fuck, look at that messy face," she cooed at you. You licked up some of it that sat on your lips.

"It's so good, mommy," You moaned up at her.

"Yeah? Well, why don't you have some more?"

You nodded as you went back to licking her pussy. First, you nibbled at her lips, licking them and sucking. She enjoyed it for a little before she let out a frustrated grunt due to the lack of stimulation.

"Are you gonna keep teasing me, or are you actually gonna do something?" She said. You let out a soft laugh at her frustration, causing her to mutter fine as she grabbed onto the side of your head and shifted her hips so that your mouth went onto her clit. "Now eat." She demanded.

Right when she said that, your lips began to suckle on her pearl gently, making sure not to do too much. She pulled you in more as she grinded her hips, loving the way it felt when her clit when released from your mouth and sucked back in. You tuned out the sounds of your slurping as you were focused on making her cum.

"My good little slutty wife, look at you," she sighs out as you lap up her juices, "a-always taking care of me." You tried to keep your eyes open to watch her, but with her words and delicious taste, you couldn't help it.

You began sucking harder, making her body tense and her legs clamp around your head, but you quickly grabbed her inner thigh. You allowed your drool to flow off your tongue as you ferociously ate her cunt, making her more soaked.

"Gonna cum, baby! I'm gonna cum all over that pretty face." She moaned loudly, making you moan as well. "I'm cumming, oh fuck!" Her body was still tense, but now she was shaking—she cursed out and moaned your name as her cum gushed into your mouth. You swallowed it while some of it dripped down your chin.

You eventually pulled away from her pussy once her orgasm died down. Her breathing was loud as she lay there with her eyes closed, trying to catch her breath. Her loose strand of hair was stuck to her now sweaty forehead, looking beautiful as always. You just sat there between her thighs as you whispered, It's okay.

Finally, Abby took one last deep breath before opening her eyes, looking down at you, and letting out a chuckle. "I needed that," She said. Her hands rested over top of her t-shirt-covered stomach as she relaxed on the couch.

"I can tell, baby. You okay?"

"I'm more than okay," she said as she smirked at you, making you giggle. "Now can I fuck you? I wanna make you feel good."

"Nuh uh, Ms. Anderson, not tonight." You tell her as you place kisses on her inner thigh. Her body began to squirm, but she still kept her composure.

"It's actually Mrs. Anderson," she corrected you with her perfectly shaped eyebrow arched as she raised her left hand to show you her ring. "And why not, baby?" Her previous expression dropped quickly as she pouted.

"Because...I wanna keep tasting you tonight," you try to tempt her as you place your kisses closer to her pussy. It was working because she sucked in a sharp breath and bit down on her lip.

"You think you can cum one more time for me, mommy?" You asked her as you planted a kiss just above her pussy where the hair lay, on her soaking lips, and on her clit. She just nodded weakly as she watched.

You placed one more soft kiss on her clit before starting your attack again. You began to eat her out as if you were tongue kissing her plush lip. "Fuck, what has gotten into you, sweetie?" Abby moaned.

You groaned onto her pussy while bringing your fingers up to her pussy and teased her wet hole. You realized that you caught her by surprise because her body jolted. Once you slithered your finger into her, you began to move it in and out of her while servicing her clit with your mouth. You can feel her walls squeeze around your fingers.

"You're gonna make me cum already."

"Give-give me your hand so I can hold it while you make me cum," Abby sputtered out. You reach up, with your left arm resting on her thighs and stomach as our hands intertwine. Abby's stomach, as well as yours, flipped—there was something so mushy yet arousing about it. Seeing and feeling her finger rub against the ring she had given you did something to you. You move away from her pussy with your teeth lightly grazing against her clit. You slowly pulled your fingers out of her, then began to rapidly rub her pussy, making sure to focus on her clit.

"I-I'm cu-oh my god, I'm cumming." Her moans became uncharacteristically high, her legs got wider, and her grip on your hand tightened. Your arm began to ache as you continued your movements, but you had no plans on stopping.

"Cum for me, Abby; cum all over my hand, beautiful." You egged her on. You felt her squirm, trying to get away, but you pressed your wrist down on her stomach. Her face got redder and spread down to her neck.

"Shit! If you keep going, I'm gonna-" Her words were cut off as her eyes rolled to the back of her skull. Suddenly, her wet sounds got louder, and liquid began to gush from her, causing it to go everywhere. Down your arm, on your face, on your shirt, and all over herself. Some of it had even gotten on the couch, leaving a large wet spot, and on the carpet.

We're definitely going to have to get a new couch now.

"Oh!" You squealed out in surprise, continuing to rub against her clit. "You're squirting so much, baby!" It made you giddy that you were the one doing this to her.

Her body trashed around and trembled as she tried to speak, but she couldn't, so you decided that she had enough and stopped. You got off your knees and sat on the couch next to her before pulling her head into your chest. Her arms immediately wrapped around you. You could feel her quivering and breathing hard into your chest as you stroked and kissed her head.

"You did so good, baby," you murmured to her, rocking her back and forth.

You both stayed like that until she cooled down. You heard her say something, but you couldn't hear her, so you asked her to repeat herself.

"I can eat your pussy now," She said as her words were muffled into your chest.

"No, Abby. You need to rest."

"But I—" she tried to get out before you interrupted her.

You rolled your eyes. She was being stubborn again.

"No, plus you'll be home all day tomorrow, so you can do whatever you want." You smirked, making her smile into your chest, and said true in agreement.

It went quiet for a while until you felt Abby's breathing even out and her body slump against yours. She was asleep. You just shook your head, knowing she had been tired all along.

[morlao]

Breaking your own

rules

▪︎Isaac Garcia x fem!reader

▪︎Y/N Howard, Jackie's younger sister

Things have always been tough for you. As the youngest Howard girl you were constantly compared to your older sisters Lucy and Jackie.

Lucy the popular sunshine that everybody loved and Jackie the perfect girl who already had her plans for the future figured out and worked very hard to reach them.

Don't get me wrong, you loved your sisters with all your heart but sometimes you wished that they - especially Jackie - wouldn't set the bar so high. You were always only "Jackie's sister". Even your teachers referred to you that way.

Since the accident it had gotten so much worse. While it was obvious that you were breaking apart, Jackie had much more self control. While she studied even harder, you could barely concentrate.

When you heard the message that you and Jackie had to move to Colorado to the Walter family, you couldn't deny that you felt relieved.

Starting a new life with the Walters also meant leaving this comparism behind. Or at least most of it. You could start over new. No teachers who acted like your way of grieving was wrong and no uncle who told you what your parents would have wanted you to be.

~ ~ ~

You immediately liked Katherine and George when you first saw them as they picked you up from the airport. They made you feel so welcome. One could only hope that the boys were just as nice as they were.

Well... they weren't. At least not all of them.

You hadn't even entered the house when you heard someone shout. "Watch out!" You could just jump out of the way when a boy with a skateboard zoomed by.

"That's Lee." George explained.

Right after him chased a little boy, almost bumping into Jackie.

"Be careful, Benny!", George shouted but you were pretty sure the boy didn't hear him - and if he did, then he didn't care.

George led you into the living room where two boys were sitting on the sofa playing video games.

"Boys, that are Jackie and Y/N Howard. Girls, that are Alex and Isaac."

The boys greeted you both with a smile. The way Alex looked at Jackie made you grin widely. Seemed like this could become interesting.

Meanwhile your attention was on Isaac and for a couple of seconds your eyes met. He looked very handsome with his dark hair and his laid-back look.

Isaac grinned and raised his eyebrow and quickly you looked away. You didn't want him to think that you fancied him. Because you didn't. You were not looking for a flirt or even a relationship. You just wanted to forget about the accident and start over new.

George smiled. "Okay, let's continue the tour." He showed you the kitchen, where you met Will, Nathan and Danny and the living room where Parker was playing Hockey.

Wow, you didn't expect so many of them. It would definitely take you some time to remember all the names.

At last he lead you in the garden to the pool and to a smaller boy with a camera. A blonde guy was just getting out of the water, grinning as he saw you and your sister. He put on a total show, acting like he was the best looking guy in the whole universe.

You hated guys like him. Way too self-centered and way too arrogant. Unfortunately you noticed the way Jackie looked at him. She tried to hide it but she was clearly faszinated by him.

"Come on, Cole! Don't be such a show-off!", Nathan said, rolling his eyes.

Living here could definitely turn out to be exciting.

~ ~ ~

A few days later you woke up to laughter and Jackie's screams.

The door flew open and she stormed in, covered in a towel. "I can't believe it! I can't believe they did this!" She walked over to the mirror and looked at her hair totally in panic.

Still very sleepy you rubbed your eyes and got out of bed. "Did what? What are you talking about?"

"They put bleaching in the shampoo!" She was close to tears. Her hair had now quite a lot of blonde strands that looked like somebody had drawn them with a paint brush. In other words, it looked horrible.

However, Jackie still wanted to go to school. Perfectly ambitious as always. She managed to take George's Baseball Cap and hid her hair with it, it didn't really match her style but better than nothing.

When you came home from school you walked right into a very angry Katherine and a bunch of boys who looked absolutely pissed.

"What's up?", you asked curiously, almost regretting it as Isaac sent you a deathly glare.

Lee lowered his voice. "Your sister is a sneak. She told Katherine what happened today."

Jackie, why... you sighed heavily before running up the stairs to your room. You couldn't believe that she told Katherine. You stormed into your room and walked straight up to her desk where she was sitting and doing her homework. "Why did you do that? You know that you just ruined your chance to be accepted by them, don't you?"

Jackie frowned, clearly not agreeing with you. "What else should I have done? Just accept it and act like it didn't happen?"

You shook your head, grinning. "No way, let's give them a taste of their own medicine. Let's see if they go to school with... let's say... pink hair."

You spent the next two days preparing everything for your revenge.

Jackie was not really helpful, in fact she seemed like she wanted to stop you. "Please, Y/N, don't do it. They were grounded, I think that's enough."

"Fuck no!" You had a plan and you were going to go through with it.

While the others were having their dinner you sneaked into the boys rooms and put hair dye in their shampoo. Lee, Isaac, Cole, you got them all.

No wonder that the next day you were woken again by screams and laughter. Excited you kicked off your blanket and jumped out of bed.

Who has been the first to fall into your trap? Hopefully Cole! You couldn't stand his arrogant behaviour and you also didn't get why your sister seemed so faszinated by him.

You opened your door and couldn't help but laugh. Isaac had just come out of the bathroom, a look of horror on his face. Most of his hair was bright pink. It was hillarious!

The only negative thing about it was, that the other boys were now warned. They would for sure control their shampoo before using it.

"New York is tougher than I thought", laughed Cole, eying your sister as she covered her mouth, trying not to laugh too hard.

"I'm sure that wasn't her", said Nathan before he turned towards you, "It was you right?"

Isaac's eyes widened as he also turned around to look at you.

You leaned against the doorframe, grinning. "Don't underestimate me, Garcia!"

Isaac POV:

Wow, he couldn't deny that he was impressed. He had branded you a popular spoiled girl, a city girl who got everything she wanted, daddy's little darling. Guess he was wrong. You were tougher than you looked.

He eyed you as you stood there laughing. He definitely had to be careful. You were not only beautiful you were also not afraid of standing up for yourself and messing with the boys.

A little smile escaped his lips and he ran a hand through his hair. "Good one, Y/N"

You raised your head proudly.

Long after you disappeared into your room he still stood there, grinning.

Your POV:

The following days you were extremely careful, looking out for Isaac's revenge.

You showered at 4 in the morning so that you didn't cross paths and used freshly bought shampoo. You locked your room and sat as far away from him as possible during breakfast and dinner. Except for "Good morning" you didn't really talk to each other.

To your surprise he knocked at your door one afternoon. "Hey, Y/N, wanna play videogames together?"

You turned around, closing your maths book. "Do you really think I'm this stupid?"

He blinked. "What?"

"If you want to play a trick on me, you have to try harder. I'm not following you in the living room. I bet you have some slime that falls down on me when I walk through the door."

Isaac looked at you perplex. "Nope, I just want to get to know you better. You seem cool." He grinned. "But that's an incredible idea!"

"No pranks?" You raised your eyebrow and Isaac nodded. "No pranks, I promise."

The two of you got along surprisingly well the whole time. Isaac had some snacks and drinks prepared and he showed you his favourite video game.

After a few initial difficulties, things didn't go so badly anymore. "You're not as bad as I thought."

You took another bite of chocolate. "And this from the mouth of Isaac Garcia. I feel honored."

"Yes, you should!"

Since then the two of you often met for video game sessions. He wasn't as annoying as you thought. In fact he was really cool and fun to be with.

Jackie still didn't like him and gave you a disapproving look whenever she saw you together. You didn't really get what her problem was. She was the one who constantly hung out with Cole! Isaac was a saint compared to him.

~ ~ ~

In the last few weeks you were also starting to spend more time with Lee.

He soon grew to be one of your closest friends. (You really thought it was necessary to have a best friend who isn't a close friend to your sister. You wanted your own life after all and not just a cheap copy of your sister's)

How this friendship with Lee started? Well, being the daughter of the famous designer Angelica Howard could be hard. Everyone expected perfection, even if they didn't say it explicitly. Most of the activities you did were only because they would look nice on your CV.

At the Walters' house you had the chance to finally choose hobbies that you really liked. So you wanted to try skateboarding.

One afternoon when the majority of the Walter boys were out to watch Parkers match you took Lee's skateboard that was leaning next to the door.

It took a few attempts until you were able to stand on it without holding on to the wall. Getting around with it was even more difficult. Again you fell to the floor.

How did Lee make it look so easy? You were glaring at the skateboard as you heard a chuckle behind you.

"That looked painful."

You turned your head and saw the Garcia brothers standing there.

Isaac walked towards you and offered you a hand. You took it and he helped you to your feet.

Blushing you rubbed the back of your neck and smiled at Lee apologetically. "I'm sorry for taking your skateboard, Lee."

To your surprise Lee didn't seem angry at all. "You wanna learn it?"

"Sure"

"Okay, I'll teach you how"

Lee wasn't that good at explaining, his teaching methods were more like: I show you how easy it is by driving around and beeing absolutely cool and then it was your turn and you made an absolute fool of yourself (which Jordan captured on camera - thank you very much!).

Isaac's POV:

He couldn't stop smiling. The way you tried so hard not to fall off, your hands stretched out, looking for balance.

Soon he found himself watching you practise everyday and it wasn't boring at all. He enjoyed watching as Lee told you what to do and he even offered to give you a hand when you tried to make turns.

You were a fast learner - or at least faster than he himself when Lee tried to teach him some tricks.

"You're getting better and better", Lee said, clearly proud of himself as a teacher and proud of you, his student.

"Soon you'll turn into a real skatergirl", grinned Isaac and you gave him the brightest smile possible.

He stared at you, feeling his heart racing in his chest. Yes, he couldn't deny it anymore, he had fallen in love with Y/N Howard.

~ ~ ~

Your POV:

Lucy's Birthday. You had feared that day since the accident. And even though Jackie tried to act tough and strong you were pretty sure that she struggled just as much as you did.

While the others left for school in the morning you pretended to be sick and stayed in bed till afternoon, staring at the ceiling.

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you" Your words were quiet, your voice shaking. "Happy Birthday dear Lucy, Happy Birthday to you."

Tears streamed your face as you whispered her name. Again and again. Lucy.

Jackie never wanted to talk about her or your parents. It had been months since you last said her name. It left a bitter note on your tongue.

Abruptly you sat up. You needed to get out, you needed to stop thinking about her.

Making sure that nobody saw you, you sneaked in the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of vodka. Katherine had tried to hide it, not knowing that you watched her.

The bottle in your hand you left the house, walking towards the barn. The loft seemed like the perfect place to get wasted. In any case better than your room since you didn't know when Jackie would come home.

You climbed up the ladder and sat down on the floor, your feet dangling above the ground.

Lucy. There weren't enough words to describe how much you missed her. Her spirit, her energy. You had always felt closer to her than to Jackie - not that you didn't love Jackie but she was always so perfect that you felt like you couldn't keep up with her. Lucy on the other hand was popular and outgoing just like you. For her school wasn't the number one priority. Her grades were good but not perfect.

"Hey" Isaac's voice snapped you out of your daydreams. "What are you doing up there?"

You held up the bottle of vodka. "Celebrating!" Your voice cracked, sounding drunk already.

Isaac rised an eyebrow. "What are you celebrating?"

You shrugged, taking another sip. You didn't wanna talk about Lucy, you didn't even know if you could say her name without bursting into tears. "My miserable life?", you suggested.

Isaacs expression changed from slightly amused to worried. He climbed up the ladder and sat down next to you. "Are you okay?"

The question was so absurd that you bursted out laughing. "Yes, yes I'm totally fine!" You handed him the vodka and without taking his eyes off you, he took a sip.

You didn't want to think about anything. Not about Lucy, not about your parents not about school.

You needed something to distract you, something better than alcohol. In New York you always went partying with your friends when you felt like your world was falling apart. Here in Colorado you felt more lonely than ever. Maybe you just needed to feel alive again.

Without thinking about possible consequences you grabbed Isaac by the collar of his shirt, pulled him towards you and kissed him.

Isaac's POV:

Was this a dream? Was this really happening? Did you maybe just kiss him because you were drunk? Did you really want this?

His heart was pounding violently in his chest as he felt your hands in his and your kisses against his lips. He pulled you closer towards him, leaning against you.

He had wanted to kiss you for a while now and even though he mostly seemed so confident, he hadn't found the courage to tell you.

He asked Lee about you once or twice, trying to find out if you liked him too but either Lee didn't knew it or he didn't tell him. What cheek! What else was a brother for, especially when he was best friends with the girl Isaac loved?

His kisses became more passionate. Hugging you and spreading soft kisses on your neck, he whispers: "I'm in love with you."

You giggled, kissing him. It would definitely be best if you didn't show up for dinner.

Isaac actually hadn't thought that you were so heavily drunk, he only noticed it when you two tried to climb down the ladder again.

You giggled, trying to keep your balance what nearly gave him a heart attack. It almost took you twenty minutes.

Isaac grabbed your hand and dragged you towards the house. "Please be quiet!", he begged you while trying to get a glimpse where all the others were.

Had they already gathered in the kitchen, ready for dinner? "Lee!" He whisper-shouted as he saw his brother and signaled him to come outside.

"What's wrong, bro?"

Isaac only gestured towards you, while you were trying to stand on one leg, giggling and blabbering.

Lee stared at you in shock. "Holy shit! She looks totally drunk."

"She is", Isaac confirmed. "We need to get her to her room before Katherine sees her!"

"What if Jackie tells her? She's always trying to act right, remember."

Isaac bit his lip. That was right. Jackie had already proved that she was a sneak.

"We bring her in our room", Lee suggested, "Nobody will notice and we can take care of her until she feels better."

Okay, that sounded like a plan!

"I'll distract the others!" Lee hurried back into the kitchen, making sure the others didn't come out.

Isaac kneeled down in front of you. "Hold on to me. I'm gonna give you a piggybag ride"

You wrapped your arms around him, laughing. "I bet that's fun!" You talked loudly, way too loudly.

Isaac heard Katherine's voice. "Was that Y/N?"

"I don't think so!", Lee answered quickly, trying to block the door, "She said she would be home very late. She has to prepare a talk for literature class with one of her friends - I guess her name was Grace."

He kept talking and talking while Isaac hurried up the stairs, carrying you on his back. There wasn't the right word to describe how relieved he was, when he finally entered his room and laid you down on his bed.

Your POV:

As you woke up the next morning your head was aching. You tried to sit up but stopped in the middle of the movement - and not just because you felt you might need to throw up due to the drinking yesterday.

This wasn't your room. You took a look around, wondering how you got here.

Isaac was lying on the floor next to you. The other bed on the other side of the room was empty. Lee had already left.

Was it already this late? Damn, you didn't want anyone seeing you sneaking out of one of the boys bedroom, especially when you still felt that you were about to throw up. You were sure that they would assume the worst.

Your memory of yesterday was very vague. In fact you only remembered drinking and... oh shit, snogging Isaac. Damn, why did you do that?

It's gonna be so weird sitting next to him during lunch and dinner and seeing him basically the whole day because you lived together.

You covered your face in embarrassment. Okay, stay cool. It was just snogging. Just snogging. You were pretty sure it didn't mean much to Isaac either. He always acted like the cool boy with his leather jacket and his macho posturing.

Slowly you started to stand up and grabbed your shoes that were lying next to the bed.

Isaac moved. You must have woken him up by accident, because he grumbled softly to himself and sat up. His hair looked like a mess but it suited him surprisingly well. "Morning, Y/N" He smiled at you and leaned in for a kiss but you backed away shocked.

"What are you doing?!"

Isaac hesitated, clearly confused. "Well... after last night I thought..."

"You thought what?", you snapped, regretting how harsh it sounded as you saw how hurt Isaac looked.

"I thought we were... we kissed, I told you I loved you..."

Your face starts to burn. "You WHAT?!"

"Don't you remember that?"

"No!" You gathered your stuff and stormed out of his room, not caring anymore if somebody saw you.

All you wanted was to get away from this situation as soon as possible. You had never been good at expressing your feelings or solving conflicts. You were only good at running away.

You ran towards the room that you shared with your sister, threw the door open and stormed inside.

Jackie let out a surprised squeak. "Y/N, you scared me to death"

You kicked the door shut and threw yourself on your bed.

Jackie didn't seem to notice how upset you were. She was lost in her own chaos. "I did something very stupid", she whispered after a few minutes of silence.

You looked at her in surprise. Jackie and doing something stupid? These were words that you normally wouldn't put in one sentence.

You walked over to her and sat down on the egde of her bed. Only then did you notice that she looked just as hungover as you felt. Was she also drinking? "I'm pretty sure what I did is way worse" you said, trying to cheer her up a little bit and offering her a guilty smile.

She shook her head, half smiling, half crying. "I went to a party with Cole and I... I was drinking way too much... I almost kissed him in front of Erin and the whole group... and when I came home and Alex tried to be there for me, I tried to kiss him too."

You looked at her in disbelief. You had never thought that she would ever do something like that.

She leaned over to you and pulled you into a hug.

"Hey, it's all gonna work out, okay?" You rubbed her back soothingly. "Seemed like you took a break from being the good and perfect girl."

She rolled her eyes, smiling. Then a thought crossed her mind and she looked at you questioningly. "Y/N, you said yours would be worse...what did you do?"

"Oh" You blushed a deep shade of red. "I was snogging with Isaac."

"YOU WHAT?" She stared at you wide-eyed.

"I was drunk, way too drunk... I just wanted some distraction from thinking about Lucy and then... it just happened..."

"How much did you drink? And on top of that Isaac?!"

You knew that she couldn't stand him, especially since his prank on her. "Jackie, please, I don't want to talk about it, not yet."

She nodded even though you could see that there were lots of questions swirling around in her head.

Since you didn't want any lunch, Jackie forced you to at least go down for dinner. The Walters were already sitting at the table when the two of you came in. Isaac stared at you angrily. You avoided his gace and sat down as far away from him as possible.

~ ~ ~

Thanksgiving. The first Thanksgiving that you wouldn't celebrate with your family.

You tried to keep busy in order not to think about it.

While you were helping Katherine in the kitchen, Isaac and Lee got ready for their video call with their dad.

Lee picked out a black shirt and even a tie. It was cute to see him so excited as he asked you at least five times if he looked good and if his hair was fine.

"You look amazing", you told him with a big smile, brushing aside the single strand of hair that hung in his face.

Lee nodded excitedly and hurried outside the room.

Isaac still seemed to be angry with you as he walked right past you without even looking at you. He didn't bother dressing smartly but you still thought that he looked very handsome. He always did.

"Can you prepare the vegetables, Y/N?", Katherine asked and handed you the bowl and the different ingredients.

Danny was responsible for the dishes and they looked really amazing. He even let you try a single bite of it. Delicious.

Katherine turned towards you. "Do you know when Jackie comes back?"

"She didn't tell me." Secretly you suspected that she would try to join the fiest as late as possible. That's just the way Jackie was. Acting strong and pretending everything was fine when really she was hurting.

The door flew open and Lee stormed inside. You had never seen him this angry and hurt before.

You jumped to your feet, almost dropping the little bowl of Vegetables. "Lee, what happened?"

Lee didn't answer. Instead he opened a bottle of wine, ready to get wasted.

You turned towards his brother who has just entered the room, looking just as unbothered as he did before. "Isaac, what's up with Lee? What happened?"

He turned around, glaring at you. "Don't act like you care. I know you don't."

His words hit you like a knife. You could feel the others staring at the two of you and your cheeks started burning. "What? Of course I care! How can you say that?"

"Okay" He raised his hands defensively but his expression said 'whatever'. "Guess you do care about Lee then."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh come on, you know that exactly! You played me like a toy and you couldn't have cared less about it!" He stormed out and you were so bewildered that you just stood there not knowing what to say.

It didn't help that everyone was staring at you, their faces asking clearly "What happened between you two?"

Avoiding to look at them, you ran out of the kitchen and up to your room. Why did he say that? You didn't play him, did you?

Nevertheless his words hurt you deeply, deeper than other people's words normally did. He seemed to hate you and you... you missed spending time with him. Did you have feelings for him?

You shook your head fiercly. When you moved here you had decided that it would be better not to rush in a relationship. Especially since you still struggled with the loss of your family. You needed friends, not some drama about boys.

~ ~ ~

The great bonfire, the party everyone was waiting for.

Of course you also couldn't wait for it. A party! Amazing! Finally some distraction!

You got ready with your sister and your friends. It was hard talking to Jackie alone the past few days. Since she and Alex started dating, he was always around, barely giving you two some sister time.

Originally you had planned to spend the whole party with her and your friends but then Alex and Cole started making their usual drama about who gets to be with Jackie. Pretty annoyed you walked off - which Jackie didn't even notice.

Lost in thought you stood in front of the bonfire, staring into the flames.

"Y/N" Lee walked up to you, a worried expression on his face. "Are you okay?"

You didn't want to ruin his evening so you forced a smile and tried to forget about Cole and Alex' drama for once.

You poked Lee in the cheek and grabbed his arm. "Yeah, I really like the party. You know... the partys in New York are totally different from here."

A soft smile escaped his lips. "What are they like? Tell me about it."

"Well..." How should you describe the feeling, the unique style, the atmosphere? To be honest the only comparism that hit you was: "They are just like Jackie."

Lee raised his eyebrow, looking confused but curious. "What do you mean 'like Jackie'?"

You shrugged. "They are perfect in every way. Glamorous even. Everyone is wearing beautiful dresses and drinking fancy cocktails with straws. They are talking about their dreams and their plans for the future. Most of the people I know have already figured it out." It often felt like you didn't belong there.

Lee watched you attentive.

"Most of the parties I went to were organized by students in order to get extra credits. They seemed like a ball for a princess." You couldn't help but laugh. "I prefered the clubs. Dancing like tomorrow didn't matter and like nobody was watching. I have only been there twice." As a minor it was hard to get in, but Lucy had always found a way.

Lee looked amused. "And now you're here, playing beer pong and standing around a huge bonfire. No cocktails, no glamour."

"Yes, it feels like two different worlds."

"Which one do you prefer?"

"Honestly? This one here. No need to be perfect, just having fun and being yourself."

He chuckled and you took a sip from your drink. "By the way...have you seen the others? I want to convice Jackie to play beer pong against me. That could be my one and only chance to be better than her." Also she needed distraction from the Alex and Cole drama.

You stood on your tiptoes, searching the crowd for familiar faces. You turned around and you saw them, right next to the fireplace. Your heart clenched.

Isaac and one of the cheerleaders. The girl looked amazing. Of course she did, all cheerleaders did.

Don't cry. Don't cry. Damn, you could feel the tears in your eyes.

Lee stroked your back comfortingly. Hell, you were angry.

So goddamn angry, but not at Isaac or the girl, you were angry at yourself. You've had your chance and you pushed him away. Guess you deserved this.

Isaac POV:

He laughed as the girl in front of him said something about the party last weekend. He didn't pay attention what it was, honestly he couldn't care less.

Every now and then he stole glances over his shoulder to make sure you had noticed him and were still watching. I mean, what was the purpose of making you jealous when you didn't see it?

Yes! You were close to tears! He couldn't help but feel happy about it. After all it meant that you liked him, didn't it?

Lee was standing right beside you, his arm around your shoulder. Isaac's smile froze.

"Hey, are you okay?", the girl asked him. He didn't even remember her name.

"Mh? Yeah, yeah I'm fine." When he looked in your direction the next time, you were gone. Panic started to rise within him. Had he gone too far? Was it a horrible plan?

"I'm sorry, I have to go", he told the cheerleader, not caring that he interrupted her. Well, her story wasn't very interesting anyway.

Without waiting for her response he hurried over to his brother, looking around if you were anywhere near him. "Bro, where is she?"

Lee nodded in the direction in which you had walked off. "She wanted to be alone. Guess your brillant plan backfired."

Damn, he was right. But still he didn't regret going through with it. At least he knew now that you liked him because what other reason could your reaction have? "Did you tell her?"

Lee was clearly offended by this question. "About your plan to make her jealous? No, I promised not to, remember? Damn, just go and talk to her! You act like a seven year old!"

Lee's words made Isaac's face burn with shame. He was right, wasn't he? He really acted like a little kid. Hoping he hadn't messed completely with you, he followed you.

Your POV:

You turned as you felt someone walking up beside you. Isaac. His pretty cheerleader was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey" You forced a smile, pretending that everything was fine. You were getting better at it lately.

Isaac looked at you, worried and maybe also a bit guilty. "Is everything okay? I saw how sad you looked when you walked away from Lee."

You shook your head, smiling. "Oh, it's fine." Damn, talking to him was harder than you thought. Why was he suddenly so nice to you? He has been ignoring you or glaring at you for days, maybe weeks, and now... he left this pretty girl in order to talk to you? That boy really was a mystery.

"Look, I'm fine, Isaac. Why don't you go and have fun talking to that cheerleader girl. She seemed to fancy you." You didn't mean to sound this annoyed and bitchy.

"But I would rather talk to you, Y/N", Isaac said and suddenly he looked even more guilty. His face burning bright red he rubbed the back of his head. "I just talked to her... to make you jealous."

What? You couldn't help but stare at him. Your heart did a somersault out of joy. The relief you felt... did that mean that you liked him?

Your silence seemed to make Isaac feel insecure. He lowered his head. "Sorry, that was a stupid idea... it's okay if you don't like me."

"No that's not..." you hurry to say, "I'm sorry for what happened that day in the loft and for the way I behaved afterwards. I should have apologised way earlier." You avoided looking at him and stared into the pitch black night instead. "I didn't want to get emotionally involved... it wasn't sure how long Jackie and I would stay here after all. It wouldn't be fair to start a relationship and then move away a few weeks later."

Isaac laughed and you looked at him bewildered. "What's so funny about that?"

"Well... everything. You say a relationship wouldn't be fair but what you did is even more unfair! You made me fall in love with you, you kissed me and then you ran away and acted like it didn't happen. Like it wasn't a big deal."

You didn't know what to say. He was right and you knew it. But that didn't matter now. He just confessed to you! Your heart felt like dancing in your chest.

"Why don't you give it a try, Y/N?" His voice was soft, almost sensitive. He took your hand, his thumb gently stroking the back of your hand.

You didn't know what to answer. Should you tell him that you were afraid your uncle would take you back to New York and that saying goodbye to him would be even harder? That you tried not to get too close because you were never good at showing your emotions? That you were afraid you would hurt him again because that's just the way you were?

A thought crossed your mind. Starting over new, that's what you had wanted when you came here. You wanted to leave the old Y/N and all her problems and insecurities behind and use the chance to become someone new. Maybe this also meant giving Isaac a shot. You liked him, so maybe you should stop running away. Maybe you should break your rules of not getting too close to someone while you were here.

You stepped closer and reached out your hand to touch his cheek. His eyes widened with joy. Slowly the two of you leaned forwards, your lips touching in a sweet and gentle kiss. He seemed restrained, almost fearing you would change your mind and pull away again. To prove to him that you wouldn't run away this time, you pulled him closer and intensified the kiss.

For a moment you forgot everything around you, you only concentrated on the feeling of his lips against yours and his warmth. When you slowly start to pull away, you couldn't stop smiling.

"We don't have to rush things. And I promise I won't show you off like a trophy in school." He chuckled, clearly thinking about the way Alex and Jackie acted - all touchy and totally embarrassing. It was so gross walking through the hallway and seeing them snogging in front of everyone.

"That's very good to know", you smiled back. Your decision was right, you could feel it deep inside you. Isaac Garcia was worth breaking your own rules.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

[elliespeach]

the black lace | ellie williams

pairing: ellie williams x afab reader warnings: 18+!! smut smut smutty smut smut smut!! r! receiving, fingering, strap riding, teasing, friends to lovers lowkey,reader n ellie smoke bc who doesn't love that shit, the plot is there if u squint but i tried to not focus on it too much, not proofread wordcount: 3k an: yeah yeah i got this from porn SUE ME i will not be apologizing

you knocked on ellie’s dorm, you were a little late because you couldn’t decide what to actually wear. it was seconds before her door opened, revealing her and that smile you loved so much. your friendship with ellie was always dancing on the very thin line between platonic and romantic. a few drunk nights here and there where you both got really handsy with each other, you were always cuddling and playfully flirting with one another. but neither of you ever truly acted on the obvious feelings you had for one another, and you hoped tonight would change that. 

your plan was simple, really. ellie prided herself on her photography skills, even selling a few of them and you had asked her to help with taking some professional explicit photos of yourself. you didn’t share with her why, but ellie definitely thought about the reason all day. and she cursed herself for not asking why, instead she was so excited about the idea she immediately said yes and only thought about it later once it actually set in. without even fully knowing, your plan was already working. 

“that’s what you’re wearing?” she asked, looking you up and down with a smug expression on her face. 

you lifted up your shirt slightly, revealing the lace beneath, “did you want me to walk across campus with only this on?” ellie whistled and you pulled your shirt back down, rolling your eyes at her while she stepped aside, letting you in her dorm. it was small, but decorated just perfectly to encapsulate ellie’s personality. mortal kombat posters plastered everywhere along with ones related to comics you had no knowledge of. art supplies were scattered along her desk as if she had been painting just minutes prior and her camera sat perfectly placed on her freshly made bed. 

the neon weed sign on her wall illuminated the room in a purple cloud as it always did, making the stick-on stars on her ceiling glow as well in the semi-darkness. you turned back around to her as she shut the door behind her, she was in her usual lounging around wear. the hoodie that she stole from you that she refused to wash because it smells like you. “wanna smoke first?” she inquired, bending down to grab the shoebox from under her bed. 

“always,” you responded and sat on the edge of her bed while she picked a pre-roll from the box. she placed it in her mouth and lit the end but passed it off to you before she inhaled. she sat next to you on the bed as you took a few puffs and blew it out of the open window. 

you handed it back to her, making eye contact as you did and her fingers lingered above yours for a second too long and she cleared her throat, looking away and taking the pre-roll. “so–uh, why did you need these pictures?” she took a drag and exhaled quickly. 

“just for myself,” you admitted, which wasn’t an entire lie because you had no one else to send them to, the only person you would send them to would be her. ellie chuckled, taking another hit and handing back to you but not allowing her fingers to linger. she spoke as you inhaled the smoke. 

“really? just for you?” she asked in disbelief, allowing the little green monster in her show slightly. “not that girl in your lecture who you said was totalllyyy hot?” she mocked you, concealing her jealousy with a joke but her chest felt heavy as she did. 

you turned your body towards her, lifting your knee to rest on the bed, the other dangling off and swaying with the nerves that filled your body. “maybe,” you shrugged, taking one more hit before trying to pass it back to her. ellie rolled her eyes, swiveling her body to reach the camera behind her ignoring you trying to pass her the pre-roll. 

“i’ve heard horror stories about her–” ellie spoke, turning back to you with the camera in her hands. she gently pushed your shoulder down so your head fell to her pillow. she propped herself up on her knees and stared down at you through the camera lens. “you could do better than that.” 

since she wouldn’t take it back, you balanced the pre-roll in your mouth and lifted your upper body, peeling off the shirt that covered the lace. the high coming on making you feel more confident, along with her words so obviously laced in jealousy. bringing yourself back down on her bed and taking another hit and keeping it in your fingers. “and who is that?”

ellie gawked at you through the lens, the lingerie falling so softly on your skin and squeezing all the best parts of you. she had never seen so much of you exposed, the very thin layer of lace that covered your nipples and she was glad you couldn’t tell where she was looking through the camera. she swallowed probably louder than she had intended to and quickly refocused on the conversation. “anyone but her.” 

she snapped a picture, looking at it on the camera and shook her head. you were perfect, but the angle was off and she moved from the foot of the bed and came beside you, still on her knees. you scoffed as she straddled your lap, looking through the lens once again, focusing on your upper body. “ellie wh–” 

“shh, i’m working–” she uttered, snapping another picture catching you off guard. so you decided to just play into it, posing as best you could while she continually took pictures. she would occasionally shift her weight on top of you, resting against your legs that were propped up behind her back. the movement on your core, as little as it was, felt antagonizing like she was doing it on purpose. and she was. 

ellie was doing all she could to keep composed, but you looked so good laying on her bed in the black lace and she felt her own core tighten as it usually did when she was around you. ignoring it, she removed the camera from her eyes and plucked the pre-roll from your hands, taking a drag herself before climbing off of you. if you hadn’t been paying attention, you would have whined at her leaving but while the weed rested in her mouth she tugged on your pants, speaking out of the side of her mouth. “you look stiff,” 

“stiff?” you asked, pulling your pants down to your ankles and ellie couldn’t stop herself from peeling them the rest of the way off for you.she tossed them to the floor, putting out the pre-roll into the ashtray on her desk at the foot of the bed. turning back to you, she placed her hands on your legs gently. while meeting your gaze, she moved them up and goosebumps erupted on your skin. 

“yeah, stiff,” she repeated, stopping her hands at your thighs and spreading them apart. the lingerie hiding your wetness that had grown since you walked in the door and ellie reached for her camera, placing herself between your legs. “like you’re nervous–” she said, pulling the camera up to her eye. 

“i am not nervous,” you lied with a chuckle and ellie dropped her shoulders, bringing the camera down as well and placing it next to you on the bed. her expression read as really? and you doubled down, “i’m not!” 

she clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth, breathing out a sigh that you couldn’t decipher. she pushed back any thoughts screaming at her to stop as she lowered herself between your legs, peppering kisses along the insides of them. “do i make you nervous?” her hot breath grazed your thighs and you knew you were a goner, your breathing hitched and you laughed as her lips tickled your thighs. 

“n-no,” you remained firm, but her kisses felt like velvet on your legs and you held back from begging her to rip off the lingerie. she lifted her head from your legs, meeting your gaze. 

“i’m not buying it, babe,” you were used to her calling you babe, but her voice had turned to a low raspy tone and you nearly melted. ellie took notice of your weakened state with her between your legs and bit down on her lip, taking you in. she ran her hand up your thigh, grazing it over the top of the lace on your stomach and all bets were off for her. “i could help loosen you up, y’know.” 

you stomach was doing flips and you looked down at her still between your legs, her fingers twirling the lingerie on your hips. you knew exactly what she meant, but you decided to play dumb despite the aching urge for her to connect her lips to you again, “we already smoked–” 

“i’m not talking about smoking,” she whispered as she pulled herself up from your legs and hovering over your face. she studied your face, moving from your eyes to your lips and back again, as if asking permission. you didn’t nod, you didn’t respond, you took her face in your hands and connected your lips, tired of waiting. 

her mouth took control, forcing her tongue inside yours as her hand guided itself down your chest and squeezing the lingerie that covered your breast. you two had kissed before but it was when you were way too drunk but this time felt different. as if circumstances had changed, she kissed you like you were hers and it felt hungry which only made you all the more desperate for her to touch you. 

her hand wandered down as she kissed you, stuffing her hand beneath the clothing and finding your drenched pussy. as her fingers swirled around between your folds you moaned into her mouth, unable to hold it back and she smiled against your lips as if in victory. she pulled back from the kiss while her hands worked their magic that you had been longing for ever since you met her. she kept her face close to yours, feeling each other's heavy breathing and your hips bucked, needing more of her. 

but as you did she retracted her hand, snapping your lingerie back down on your skin. this time you whined, the missing feeling of her fingers in your slick being overbearing. “you’re soaked, babe,” she said breathlessly in her raspy voice. she took the camera that had been laying stagnant beside the two of you and repositioned herself at your feet. “let’s see if that helped,” bringing the camera up to her eye, staring at the mess she had made you to be. your chest was heaving and the clothing did little to hide the wet patch that had appeared as the result of her. 

she tsk’d, lowering the camera and looked into your doe eyes, glossed over with desperation. “try touching yourself,” ellie’d be lying if she said that she wasn’t self indulging here, you looked perfect and to be honest you were never stiff to begin with. but she couldn’t hide the way you made her feel, the butterflies that filled her stomach when you moaned into her mouth and she knew that she couldn’t go back to how it was before after this. 

you obliged, slipping your hand beneath your lingerie and felt just exactly how wet you were. you’d be embarrassed it had been anyone but ellie, but while watching her look down at you through the camera you felt the familiar build up rising in your stomach. just the image of her was enough for you. soft mumbles escaped your mouth and you arched your head back, hearing the camera snapping above you. when it stopped you lifted your head, your fingers still gliding through your own folds and ellie had placed the camera back down and she was just gazing at you while you pleased yourself. you swore you heard a soft, fuck come from her but over your own mumbles you weren’t sure. 

she leaned down, snagging the small straps on your hips in her knuckles and tugged. you lifted your legs to your chest as she pulled them up and off of you, your wet cunt on full display for her now and the look in her eye was dangerous. you hadn’t seen this side of ellie before, just her grabby hands all over you but never so determined like now. she gently pushed your legs apart again, sliding her fingers through your wetness before inserting her middle finger and your back arched. you gripped her sheets as she pumped in and out, groaning as she quickened her pace at your reaction. 

“f-fuck, ellie–” you moaned, eyes rolling back in pleasure. ellie smirked watching you unravel in front of her and slid in her ring finger, curling them inside of you. your pussy clenched around them and ellie let out a low animalistic grunt, pushing them further into your cunt with every thrust. the sound of your slick against her fingers filling the room and you felt your stomach bundle up in knots. your hand grasped at her arm that was holding her up, digging your nails into her skin and letting the moans roll out of your mouth. “i’m– i–” 

“i know baby,” ellie panted, her fingers never letting up, the new nickname ringing in your ears, bringing you closer to your climax. “let it out, i got you–” she cooed through breaths and with her words you came undone. your legs shook around her fingers, eyes rolling and back arching as tall as it could and ellie nearly finished herself just watching you. your tits bouncing with the thrusts of her fingers and she only slowed down and removed them when your quick breaths turned into long exhales. 

she couldn’t help herself and licked her fingers clean of you, leaning down and planting soft kisses on your jawline then coming back up to your mouth. “it wasn’t about pictures, was it?” she spoke quietly into your mouth, her eyes fluttering open to meet yours. you shook your head slightly, cupping her face and kissing her again, feeling accomplished that your plan had worked. 

when she pulled away you gave her puppy dog eyes, your hands gliding down her arms and tugging slightly as if to pull her back to you. “you want more?” she asked tauntingly, leaning against the wall beside her bed and brushing a hair from your face. you got up, positioning yourself on her lap and laced your arms behind her head, trailing wet kisses down her neck. 

her hands roamed your body while she hummed softly from your kisses. while sitting on her lap, you couldn’t help but feel a bulge poking you from under her sweatpants and you pulled back, an amused expression across your face. “it wasn’t just pictures for you either then?” you questioned in a low voice as your hands worked their way beyond her pants and felt the silicone underneath. 

she pulled off her hoodie, throwing it behind you and her hands found your figure again. her thumbs tracing your skin softly as she refocused her eyes on you. “i just happen to be wearing it,” 

“sure, els,” you mocked her, sliding off of her lap and tugging her pants down revealing the strap she had been concealing. it was rather large, veiny and had a purple tint to it– although you weren’t sure if it was from the neon lights in her room. but nonetheless it looked sexy attached to her, springing up as her pants were removed. you crawled up her legs, kissing here and there while she watched, her hands playing in your hair. ellie’s own pussy throbbing at the sight as you placed yourself down on the purple silicone, feeling it fill you up. 

her hands found your hips and with the help of her hands guiding your hips, you rode her strap. the movement of the base of it rubbing ellie just the right way to feel her stomach tighten as your tits bounced in her face. you placed one hand on the wall behind her to steady yourself, the other resting on her shoulder as you grinded on her, the strap reaching every corner of your pussy. ellie dug her fingers into your hips and moved you faster, feeling her own release coming on. 

your head fell into her shoulder and a string of moans and cursing came rambling out next to her ear. she was doing the same, allowing herself to express her pleasure in the form of quick breaths and low grunts. “oh my god, baby–” she managed to get out as your hips grinded faster into her and her hands cupped your tits, squeezing harshly before bringing one of them into her mouth. her tongue swirled on your sensitive nipple, feeling the vibration of her moans as she sucked on your boob before letting them go with a pop. 

her head leaned back on the wall beside your hand and her eyes were closed tight, feeling herself come closer to her finish. she could sense you were close to, your legs shaking against hers and how your breathing became more erratic. bringing her hands back to your hips to guide them, as if they needed any help anyway, you both felt the sensation of tipping over the edge and awfully loud gasps came from the both of you. your head was still buried in her shoulder as you came and ellie grabbed your face, pulling you into a deep kiss as you rode out your highs together. your grinds slowly came to a stop before plucking yourself off of her. 

you sat beside her, both of you completely out of breath and when you met her gaze she smirked at you lightly. “i still wanna take those pictures of you,” your face contorted into a confused one and she continued, rubbing your thigh with her hand, “for…. science.” 

[lamentationsofalonelypotato]

Before You Go

Pairing: Dean Winchester x f!reader, Reader POV

Summary: Reader is a grad student in college trying to work hard for her degree, but a certain green eyed stranger keeps showing up and turns her life upside down. Will she push him away? Or will she finally realize that he’s not going anywhere? (I’m so bad at summaries please forgive me!)

Tropes: Angst, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Age Difference (Reader is early to mid-20's and Dean is probably early 30's)

Word Count: 5.5K (I have an addiction don't judge me)

Warnings: Some swearing (once or twice), mentions of sex (not explicit at all), implied sex, self-deprecating thoughts (Dean),  Dean might be a little bit OOC.

Note: This is told from Reader's perspective. Any references to the reader is made using you or your. There is minimal use of y/n. I tried my best to proofread, but nobody's perfect. I’m not going to lie, this one is a little self-indulgent. This is only my second supernatural fic, so please be gentle. If you don’t like, don’t read, but if you do like, you’re my favorite!

Internal monologue is in italics and is in first person.

Masterlist

Part 2

********************************************

"Did you understand anything from that lecture?" Tim asks nudging your shoulder.

 The sour smell of beer and sweat fades in and out of your nose as you make your way to the Science building through the mass of students on the way to the football game. It was a Thursday night, Thursday night for everyone else meant tailgating, cheap beer, and face paint, but Thursday night for you meant four hours in the anatomy lab surrounded by the oppressive smell of formaldehyde and bent over a table examining the internal intricacies of the human body.

It wasn’t unwelcome, you knew what you signed up for when you decided to go to medical school, but you still wished that the lab was earlier in the day instead of at 6 pm.

The air is filled with the dull throb of energy, pulsing with the music from speakers all over campus, and through the throngs of people that pass you on the way to the stadium. The buzz of excitement in the air vibrated through your nerve endings. If you paid attention to how well the football team was doing, you would have known that tonight was the championship, but the closest you got to pigskin was the bag of pork rinds in your backpack and the occasional football player that asked you for help finding research materials during your shifts at the library.

"Nope." You reply jostling past a group of guys toting a giant stuffed pig wearing jersey of the school’s rival while they catcall some girls up ahead dressed from head to toe in bright red.

"Then why did you keep nodding?"

"Because Professor Drake was staring right at me!"

"You didn't have to make eye contact."

"It's a little late for that don't you think?" You smile up at him. He's taller than you, with dark hair falling forward into his glasses and a lean build. "But it's alright, I'll just binge watch YouTube videos."

Tim laughs adjusting his backpack over his shoulder. You had been lab partners since your first year, randomly assigned and forced to collaborate, but after many late night study sessions and mental breakdowns, Tim was one of your only friends.

“You seem to spend a lot of time on YouTube." He smiles.

"It's free education."

"Seems ridiculous to pay all this money just to learn it on YouTube."

"If YouTube handed out degrees for watching videos I’d be a doctor by now. I’d probably also have a degree in culinary arts.” You look down to check the watch on your wrist. You were both running late for lab. Dr. Welsh hated it when students were late, in fact, he was notorious for locking the door. Each week there was always some poor soul that banged on the door for entry, but Dr. Welsh knew no mercy. One time, you witnessed another student attempt to sneak in through the window an hour late. Dr. Welsh made them go back out the way they came, despite the lab being on the third floor.

At least the student brought a ladder with him.

“Culinary arts?”

“I like pie. Plus baking helps me cope with my stress.” You knock into his shoulder to shut him up. “What? You don’t watch anything weird on YouTube?”

“I usually start watching videos to understand the lectures and suddenly it’s been 7 hours, it’s 3 am and I’m watching a timelapse of metal rusting.”

“We’ve all been there buddy.”

"Hey doll-face!" You hear from somewhere behind you, but you ignore it, believing it to be another group of guys who splash beer over the sidewalk.

You glance down at your watch again.

"We're not going to be late." Jake says sensing your anxiety. "We've got 5 minutes."

"Early is on time, on time is late, late is inexcusable." You sing-song.

"Dr. Welsh embroider that on a pillow for you?"

"No it’s just-"

Someone grabs your backpack and pulls you back a step. What the- You whirl around prepared to cuss out a drunken frat boy, but you weren't expecting Dean Winchester.

"Dean." You say in surprise.

He looks better than you remember. Dean's wearing a red flannel covered by a black jacket, his hair tousled just the right amount to look effortless, his green eyes crinkled around the edges as his mouth pulls into a smile that makes your knees weak.

Your relationship, if you could even call it that, began your first week of classes, two years ago. You had just moved into your apartment and met your new roommate, but instead of going out to the new student mixer with her, you decided to stay in and unpack. It was past midnight when you heard a commotion in the apartment next door and when you opened your front door to investigate, you found Dean in the hallway leaning against the wall. His clothes were torn, he had a knife in his hand, blood was soaked through the front of his shirt, but when his eyes met yours, you weren't afraid. He looked so broken, so small that you had to help him. So you pulled him into your apartment and stitched him up the best you could, while he tried to lie about how it happened and explain why he looked like he'd been through a blender. Dean had never been good at lying to you, not even then. He was also the biggest baby you had ever met when it came to wound care.

In the months that followed Dean continued to show up, each time with injuries less and less life threatening asking you to help him, until one day he showed up perfectly fine and continued to show up. You would spend every minute together for a few days and then he would leave like nothing happened, only to show up again in a few weeks and it would start all over again.  Sometimes you thought that he wanted more than just a few days together, but then he would just leave, not giving you any other explanation. You hadn't expected to fall for him as hard as you did, but each time he left it broke you. You found yourself hoping each day that he would show up, only to be disappointed when he didn't. Days would drag by fading into shades of gray until finally Dean would show up and everything went back to color, only to sink back into monochrome when he left. The last time you had seen him was a month ago, when you told him that you couldn't do this anymore and told him not to come back.

But now he was here, again.

"Hey Doll-face." Dean smiles wider.

You try to ignore how your heart stutters in your chest when he smiles at you.

"Do you know this guy?" Tim asks you taking a step forward to put himself between Dean and you.

Dean's eyes trace Tim, smile slipping into confident smirk as he sizes him up. He opens his mouth, but you interrupt whatever thought was about to come out.

"Unfortunately I do." You sigh. "Tim can you give us a minute."

"Sure. But-"

"I know." You say, understanding that he was going to remind you what time it was. "We won't be late."

"I'll be over there." Tim puts a healthy distance between the two of you, far enough to give you space, but close enough that he can see you.

Dean is still smirking at him. "Boyfriend?" His eyes flit to yours, amused.

"Lab partner." You adjust your grip on your backpack unsure what to do.

I said everything I needed to say the last time. I thought that was it. Did he think I didn't mean it?

You think about the last time he was here, when you told him that you couldn't do this anymore and when he finally left, how you skipped all your classes and stayed in bed for two days clutching a pillow to your chest and wishing that it was him. It had felt like the end. The end of whatever the hell this had been. Sometimes you wished that you had defined it the first time you slept together, wished that you had told him you didn't do that ever, that you didn't just sleep with people without feelings because you knew sooner or later it would end up like this.

Then again you knew that you always had feelings for him, since the moment you locked eyes with his the night you met.

"He’s cute. If you’re into that geeky kind of thing. Though you could always date Sam-"

"What are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood. Plus I didn’t want to miss the big game.”  Dean's eyes flit to the mass of people swarming around you, shouting and singing as they stumble down the cracked pavement. The dark shadows of the buildings stretch long over campus, illuminated by the lamplights that line the sidewalks.

"You should have called"

"I did. You never pick up" He arches a perfect eyebrow.

"Most would take that as a hint"

"Well Sweetheart given my profession you not picking up made me worry."

By now you knew exactly what he did. Despite Dean not acting like he wanted a relationship, when all was quiet and it was just the two of you laying in bed he confided in you, told you things about his life that made you hold him close and wish that you could make him forget all about it. You loved those soft moments with Dean, when it felt like more and you could imagine that Dean wanted to be as wrapped up in you as you were in him.

Your heart clenches in your chest as you try to forget it all, forget the day he walked into your life, and forget how much you like him.

"I can’t do this with you right now, I’ve got a lab in 3 minutes." You turn towards where Tim is standing, prepared to leave.

"Come on you can blow off one lab.”  Dean grabs your backpack turning you back to face him. “We can go to the big game. You know I can’t say no to free beer-“ The look in his eyes is joking.

He doesn't understand.

You shake him off. "No I can't Dean. This is important to me. This is my life. I can't drop everything just because you show up out of the blue."

"It wouldn't be out of the blue if you picked up your phone." His smile dips into an attractive pout that makes it very difficult to think.

"Dean why are you here?"

"I told you, I was in the neighborhood-"

"We talked about this. I can't do this anymore."

"I remember you talking about it."

"Yes and I remember you leaving." You snap as the memory of the last time you saw him rises in the back of your throat. You think about the days that followed, when you couldn't focus and flunked a test. 

"Y/n-“ Dean sighs.

"Look, I like spending time with you, but I can't keep doing this to myself. You show up, we spend every second together for days, and then you leave. It would be one thing if we were trying to do long distance, but we’re not.  All I get is radio silence for weeks and then you show  up all over again like nothing happened, expecting to pick up right where we left off, and the cycle begins all over again."

"I don't go radio silent for weeks. It’s you that doesn’t pick up your phone or text me back.”

"Yes you do and I can't do it. I won't do it. Because every time you leave I wonder if it's the last time I'll ever see you and-" You take in a breath to stop the ball of emotion that lodges itself in your throat. "It does something to me. And I'm not saying that what you do is any less important than what I'm trying to accomplish here. I’m not telling you to stop hunting. But this is my life Dean, my future. And I don’t want to put that in jeopardy because you show up every few weeks when you’re feeling restless. I want more than a few days every few weeks. I want more and I'm worth more. And if you can't give that to me that's fine, but please stop coming around and so I can find someone else who can."

The expression on Dean's face shifts, it's no longer the playful smirk or attractive pout, it almost looks heartbroken.

But that can't be right. Dean doesn't see me that way.

You look at where Tim is waiting for you to avoid Dean's gaze. He’s looking down at the watch on his wrist and you can feel his apprehension.

"I've got to get to my lab." You turn away from Dean, but stop halfway to Tim. "It was good to see you Dean. I wish you the best."

As Tim and you begin to walk away, you can feel Dean's eyes on you the whole way up the stairs into the science building, but you refuse to turn back.

"Are you okay?" Tim whispers.

"I will be. Let's just go before Dr. Welsh locks the door." You mutter while pushing down the guilt that rose when you thought of how Dean looked when you walked away.

********************************************

Despite Dr. Welsh’s attempts to lock the door, you were far too angry with Dean to let another man stand in your way, so when you and Tim arrived to lab 10 seconds before the clock struck 6, you shoved your boot in the door before Dr. Welsh could shut it. And by some miracle he let you in. Maybe it was the murder in your eyes.

Tim had been stunned, you were usually more reserved, not quick tempered. But everything that happened with Dean rubbed you the wrong way.

You couldn’t decide if you liked him or hated him. Right now the hate was winning.

How dare he? You thought to yourself, hand clenching on the scalpel so tightly that Tim backed up. How dare he just show up again after I told him not to?

“Y/n, are you okay?” Tim had asked.

“I’m fine. Don’t I look fine?” You’d snapped at him.

Even Dr. Welsh had given you a wide berth through lab.

 After you cleaned up everything it was 10:26 pm, which meant you had a little time before your late shift in the library.

“Did you want to go see if that shawarma food truck is still parked around the corner?” Tim asks hesitantly.

“No. I’m just gonna go to the library and study before my shift.” You mumble, shouldering your backpack and ignoring the urge to think about Dean.

Hopefully he took the hint and he’s gone. The thought brought a prick of guilt. Would that be the last time I ever saw him? Would those be the last words I ever said to him? You fight the urge to call him, to apologize, because the one thing you had wanted to say was that you liked him and you didn’t want him to go, you wanted him to stay in your life permanently. Sure long distance was hard, but for him it would be worth it.

“Oh.” Tim pauses for a minute. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Huh?”

“Well that Dean guy. You seemed kinda upset.”

“I was- am. But it’s okay, give me a few hours I’ll be over it. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Sure.”

“Make sure to send the link to that Timelapse of metal rusting.” You try to smile, but the joke falls flat.

“Okay.” Tim watches you go.

The library was only a 9 minute walk from the science building, but it still felt too long. You longed to be lost in your notes, to think of anything else other than Dean, but you couldn’t.

Why did he have to come back? Why couldn’t he have just let it lie? I was doing better- You think about the weeks that followed his last visit, a haze of homework, tests, and work. Well, I was doing okay.

The thrum of music is still in the air, but now less people pass you as you walk down the sidewalk, and the ones that do are holding hands and laughing. Your thoughts shift to Dean again.

I like him, but I have to get over him because it’s not going anywhere. You think about the first time you slept together. Maybe this is my fault, maybe I should have defined this from the beginning. I mean, I know the kind of person he is… That thought makes you pause. Sure the first few times you’d patched his wounds Dean was sexy and flirty, but all the times that followed he seemed, sweet, charming. It wasn’t that you spent every moment in bed, he had taken you out to dinner at the diner down the street, fought with you over the last slice of pie, took you to a bar for drinks  where he shamelessly beat you at pool, other times he waited for you to be done with your classes to make sure that you didn't have to walk home alone at night. You remember how mad he had been when you told him you did that, but gas was so expensive and it was easier to walk the four blocks.

Someone grabs your arm from behind, pulling you out of your memories, and you finally snap. Using the only self defense move you knew, besides S-I-N-G from Miss Congeniality, you knock off the hand and flip the offender over your shoulder prepared to spray them in the face with the mace in your pocket.

But then you realize who it is.

Dean frowns up at you from the ground. “When I taught you that, I didn’t expect you to use it on me.”

“Just be happy that I didn’t pepper spray you.” Your eyes narrow.

 Maybe I should. It would make me feel better.

“Would have been the highlight of my night.” He stands up from the ground brushing off the front of his clothes with a pointed look.

“Dean what are you still doing here?”

“I want to talk.”

“I’ve said all I need to.”

“But I haven’t.”

“I don’t care. You’ve heard what I need to say and I’m sick of you not listening.”

“Y/n-“

“Fine, I’ll say it one more time, but listen this time.  I've never, never depended on anyone else in my life. It's been me, me for a long time.” You poke your finger into his chest to emphasize your point. “Then you just sauntered in and changed everything. You made me care about you, worry about you, and you made me depend on you showing up in my life. Every time you leave it breaks me. Every time I’m in a funk for days. The last time you left, I cried for two days and I didn’t go to any of my classes! I'm trying to be serious about my life. And I can't do that if you show up every few weeks and make me expect something and then leave a few days later and I'm devastated.”

Dean’s eyes widen in surprise. “I didn’t know that.”

“I have to get over you Dean, and I can't do that if you keep showing up. So please just go.” You turn away from him.

His hand comes down on your arm again to turn you back to him. “I don’t want you to get over me.”

“What?”

“Do you think I like leaving you? Do you really think it’s that easy for me?” He looks hurt.

“It certainly seems to be when you walk out after a few days with a smile like it means nothing! Like I mean nothing-“ You fight the tears that burn against your eyes. You wanted to be something for him just as much as he was something for you, but you were afraid. You hadn’t depended on anyone since you graduated and moved away from home. You weren’t used to needing someone in your life this much.

"You mean everything!” Dean shouts grabbing your shoulders. “It’s me that means nothing."

You blink your eyes for a second, not comprehending what he’s trying to say. "Dean what are you talking about?"

"I didn't think you wanted that-" He looks down.

Your eyes trace the slump in his shoulders, the frown on his handsome face, and the way he won’t meet your gaze.

What is he talking about?

You try to think of a time that you’d seen him look so vulnerable, but the only time you imagine was the night you met.

"Wanted what?"

"Me.” Dean’s voice is a whisper.

"I'm confused."

His eyebrows are furrowed, lips pressed into a tight line. “I’m nothing like you.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“You’re a little younger than me and you’re smart and you’ve got this bright future ahead of you. You don’t need someone like me dragging you down-“

“Someone like you? Dragging me down? Dean what are you talking about?" You can't comprehend what he's saying. You reach up to cup his cheeks, but Dean pulls back from you, glancing away.

“I didn’t go to a fancy college, I barely finished high school. I’ve spent most of my life in motel rooms  committing credit card fraud and trying not to die.  And then I met you. You’re funny and caring and so smart, and  I just thought that you would like it more if I came by every once in a while to relieve some tension. I didn’t think that you would want me to stay.”

He didn’t think that I would want him? That can't be right. Dean is so confident usually. You search his face and see the genuine vulnerability behind his green eyes.

“Are you serious?” You ask him.

He doesn’t say anything.

“Dean, you are smart-“

“Not the same way you are”

“Dean.” You can’t help but take his hand. Dean’s green eyes focus on yours for a second, wide and open. “You don’t have to go to college to be smart. You’re resourceful and you know more about supernatural creatures than anyone else. Even the top scientists and doctors in the world don’t believe in them and they went to stuffy old colleges and fight with one another over who’s smarter. I don’t care that you didn’t go to a fancy college. What you do is important, probably more important than what I’m going to do. You protect people, you’ve saved the world more than once, and sure maybe it’s not glamorous to some people but it is to me.”

His eyes widen in surprise.

“Have you thought that maybe I like spending time with you because you’re so different than the people I see everyday?” You ask him softly, squeezing his hand.

“No.” Dean mutters.

“I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I don’t have lavish wealthy parents bankrolling me. My dad is a mechanic. I work two jobs and send him money so I don’t have to worry about him. Sometimes I feel like a fraud. But when you show up I don’t feel like a freak. With you I feel like I don’t have to pretend, I can just be me. And I like you, a lot. This has never just been about relieving tension or sex for me. Ever. I mean it’s nice-“

“Just nice?” Dean raises an eyebrow.

You flush bright red. “I like spending time with you without that too. All the times we spent laying in bed or went to a bar or went to get food, and we talked were equally as wonderful for me. I like talking with you. I like hearing about your life. I just assumed that you had someone in every state that you visit when you’re feeling restless and that you didn’t want a relationship.”

“There’s no one else. Hasn’t been since I met you.”

Deans eyes lock with yours as you comprehend what he just confessed.

“Really?” Your voice is only a whisper.

“Fuck I’m not good at this romantic comedy shit-“ He mutters to himself shaking his head. “I like you too. I wish that I could be here all the time. I hate leaving you. It’s too quiet. When I’m not here all I do is think about you, what you’re doing, how your day was.”

Your entire body explodes with his words, heart beating so fast you think it’ll grow wings and take flight.

“When I was younger I used to laugh at Sam because he wanted a normal life, but with you I understand.  You’re so different than anyone I’ve ever met and it hurts me when I’m away from you.” Dean continues with a soft smile that makes you lose all feeling in your legs.

He takes your other hand. “I understand that what you’re doing is important and I’m not asking you to quit school. All I’m asking is that you give me a chance. I want to make this work. I know that long distance isn’t easy, but I want to try.” His eyes search yours, begging for a answer, but you can barely breathe let alone speak. You watch his face fall as he takes your silence as your answer. “But I understand if you don’t want to, because you are worth more. You’re worth more than a few days, than a phone call or a text. You deserve someone who can be here with you all the time. You’re worth more than what I can give you. And you shouldn’t have to settle-“

You grab the front of his flannel because you can’t think of anything to say and pull him down to you for a kiss. Pins and needles trace down your spine as his soft lips move against yours. He smiles against your mouth, folding you into him, his large hand on the small of your back just under your backpack causing warmth to shoot down your spine. You lose yourself in the way his body fits around yours

“I’m not settling.” Your hands cup his cheeks as you look deep into his eyes. “I never want you to feel that way, because you are worth a hundred of any man I have ever met in my life. And if it’s my cross to bear to make you understand that every day of my life, then so be it. Because I would be lucky to spend any amount of time with you. I don’t want anyone else. I just want you, Dean. I’ve wanted you since the day we met and every day after. And I’m yours as long as you want me.”

Dean’s smile breaks open something in the pit of your stomach and goosebumps scorch across your skin. “I can’t imagine not wanting you.” He presses his forehead against yours.

You stand there with his warm hand pressed into your back trying to think of another time that you felt even a fraction of what you feel for him. You think about your high school boyfriend, about a few of the guys you dated in during your undergrad years, but you come up with nothing. Because you can’t compare him to anyone else you’ve ever met. And it hurt you to think that Dean thought so little of himself in the grand scheme of things.

He leans down to kiss you again, pulling you against his chest so tight that everything blissfully falls away.

“Are you hungry?” He whispers against your lips after a minute.

“Yes, but my shift at the library starts soon. I’m there til 2.” You tighten your hands at the back of his neck, not wanting to let him go.

“Okay. I’ll go with you.”

“Dean it’s okay if you just want to go back to my apartment and sleep. I can give you the key-“ You notice the dark circles under his eyes, but you know that Dean wasn’t one to complain about being tired.

“It’s worth being tired if I get to see you.” Dean smiles. “But I’ll go get us some food, because I’m hungry too.”

“Don’t forget the pie.”

“Have I ever?” He brushes his lips to yours one more time, but you don’t remove your arms from around his neck. “You’re going to have to let me go doll.”

“Just 5 more minutes.”

********************************************

You spend the weekend together in your apartment. All those blissful moments together solidify the thought that this is real, that this time it’s going to be different. Every night going to bed with Dean tucking you against him and waking up every morning with your head on his chest feels like a dream, and you never want to wake. Every kiss and intimate moment between you feels like more, and you have to keep reminding yourself that it isn’t just sex, hasn’t ever been just sex. Dean wants to be there with you all the time, hold you close to him and share things with you. And this time you finally understand that you do help him forget and know that you do bring him as much comfort as he brings you.

When Monday comes and Dean has to go, you try not to think of it as the end.

Dean leans back against the door of the Impala, his hands on your hips, green eyes blazing in the sun, but it’s his eyes that warm you more than the sun’s rays.

"Sweetheart-" Dean begins, sensing what you’re thinking. His thumbs rub smooth circles against waist where your t-shirt rests.

"I know." You press your face into his flannel, inhaling the scent you ascribe to Dean. He smells like oil, leather, and the spicy scent of the soap he uses that tickles your nose.

"Hey." His free hand comes under your chin to raise your gaze back to his. "I promise I'm gonna come back. I promise that we're going to make this work. It’s going to be different.” He cups your cheek, eyes soft and understanding.

“I know, but you’re still leaving.” Your tighten your arms around his chest.

“I wish I didn’t have to. But Sam called, he needs me-“

“I know.” You breathe.

You don’t want Dean to feel any worse than he does about leaving, especially when you remember what he said to you a few days ago, about you deserving more and about how he wished he could be more for you. Deep down you know that both of you are determined to make this work, so you put on a smile.

 “It’s okay.” You gently rub his back.   “You’ll be back in 2 weeks and I’ll be on spring break in a month.”

“Does that mean I’ll get to see you in a bikini?” Dean grins.

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

“Hmm. Well until I see you-“ He raises his right hand from where it rests on your hip to remove the large silver ring from his finger. "Don't panic, it's not an engagement ring." Dean's smile breaks you a little.  "Just me promising that I'll come back, that I'll call and text you so much that you'll be sick of me." He slides the ring onto your thumb, the weight comforting.

"I could never be sick of you."

“Just you wait.” He winks, holding your hand to his chest. “I bet I can prove you wrong.”

“I welcome the challenge.”

The kiss goodbye is bittersweet, but you hold yourself together, refusing to cry as Dean gets into his car and leaves. You watch the Impala disappear around the corner, taking your heart with it, but just as it does your phone rings.

“Hello?”

“I miss you.” Dean’s voice fills the line and this time you can’t stop the tears.

“I miss you too.”

“I promise I’ll be back in two weeks.”

“Okay. Please be careful.” You remember all the stories he's told you over the time you’ve known him, all the horrible things that happened to him and Sam. Sometimes you wish he hadn’t, because you can’t help but worry.

“I’m always careful.” You can hear him rolling his eyes.

“As the person who has spent the past 2 years patching you up, I can say with certainty that you are not always careful.”

“Then I promise to be more careful than usual.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” The wind picks up, pulling your hair from the ponytail at the back of your head.

“I’ll call you when I make it back to the bunker.”

“Good.”

“Bye y/n.”

“Bye Dean.”

Your gaze drops to the heavy ring on your thumb and you hold tight to the hope and belief that this time is different, allowing the memories of the past few days to brush away any doubts that threaten the thought of what the future will bring.

********************************************

Thank you so much for reading!  I am considering doing a series with this reader and Dean, but let me know what y’all think!

[amerricanartwork]

I got so freaking excited seeing the trailer for "The Wild Robot", so naturally some fanart was in order! I didn't expect the painting to look so oily and have so many softer edges, but I still think it came out really nice and was good practice! Colored pencil really has helped me figure out a personal painting process, as here I actually used a similar layering technique as when I work in colored pencil.

Aside from that though, I haven't read the books yet (though I plan to after I see the film) but this movie looks like it's gonna hit so many of my favorite tropes and features when it comes to fiction and animated stories, including: non-human protagonists (and both of my favorite kinds, animals and robots!), stylized visuals, robot learning to be more than just their programming yet still maintaining their original robot skills and behavior to a degree, robot with emotions and unique ways of showing it, character in the wilds adapting by studying the animals, post-industrial-level technology existing in harmony with nature and the wilds rather than being portrayed as inherently harmful to nature and therefore inherently wrong to make (this is a big one for me), the odd duo, the gentle giant, a character finding belonging in an unexpected environment, just general wonder for the beauty of the wilds, and probably other things that'll come to me as I understand this story more.

But even beyond that, I just had to draw Roz because she's so freaking cute! Like, even excluding the adorable way she mimics the animals or glows when happy or how her "eyelids" give her more facial variation, in design alone she's so round and sweet looking! And somehow her being big and bulky to juxtapose her kindness with an strong and imposing stature just makes it even better! I love characters who are large and intimidating at first glance but total softies on the inside. Brightbill's definitely in good hands!

If the film holds up and Roz also has a clear and entertaining personality beyond just being curious and caring, there's a 60% chance that come September she'll become my new robot blorbo (roblorbo?), up there with C-3PO, Wall-E, and Five Pebbles!

Also, another version of the sketches from when they were just the lines for comparison!

[simpforboys]

I have a Xavier request. I dunno if it’s been done (plus its a little cringe and a little cliche) but the ideas been stuck in my head for days - partially inspired by rose “paint me like one of your French girls” scene in titanic. Xavier asks to paint her nude or she asks. It can lead to anything I just need the idea out of my head. Another idea I had that could be linked or seperate is a reader with wings and Xavier is just like obsessed

By the way I love your work. Your JJ stuff too (goodness me) -

Anon 🐣

(Ps: have a high five 🖐️, m not keen on hugs)

my angel

xavier thorpe x fem!reader

summary: you want xavier to draw you… nude.

warnings: mentions of smut, no real smut, nudity, YOU HAVE WINGS!!!! (i pictured angel wings but go with whatever u want bae) xavier is in love with you

im combining this because omg imagine xavier drawing you and hes just obsessed with your wings and body… anyways imma get writing

initially, when you approached xavier about the idea of doing a portrait of you, he loved it.

considering he had done many sketches of your beautiful face, it should be easy.

but then you clarified what you meant.

“can you draw me like one of your french girls, xavier?” you mimicked rose from the movie, titantic.

you leaned against your boyfriend, your wings wrapping around him enough to make him flustered.

he spun around in his stool, his eyes full of admiration. he put his hands on your waist and brought you closer.

“you know i always draw you, baby.” xavier told you, referring to the multiple portraits he had done of you.

“what if i want you do draw me with my wings? with only my wings…” you trailed off. the look you gave xavier was suggestive and he couldn’t help but feel excitement.

so now, as you stood in front of xavier in nothing but a robe in the center of his dorm, he couldn’t help but feel flustered.

“where do you want me, baby?” you teased, seeing your boyfriend blush.

“how about you lay on the bed.” xavier grabbed a chair and brought it over. he watched as you gracefully dropped the robe before laying down.

his eyes roamed your naked body. he had seen it numerous times before, but for some reason this seemed more intimate.

“you’re so beautiful, y/n.” xavier whispered as he began to sketch.

you grinned at your boyfriend. he always made you feel special.

the focus look on his face as he drew you was enough to make you flustered. being so vulnerable while he memorized every part of you was intimidating.

“relax, baby. your wings are moving.”

xavier knew when you got flustered or embarrassed your wings would tend to show your emotions more than your face.

for instance, your wings had began to scrunch together instead of being fully displayed.

that’s one of the things xavier loved most about you. the way he could always tell how you felt by your wings.

he loved everything about you. he was quite literally smitten by you, ever since he first saw you.

you were never scared to be yourself.

xavier finally finished your face when he began to draw your boobs. the memories of him leaving hickies, kissing them, sucking them made xavier blush.

“what’s got you blushing, pretty boy?”

“you.”

“i’m not doing anything.” you laughed.

“you don’t need to. everything about you would make me blush.”

you couldn’t help but feel your own face warm up, wings clamping together slightly.

“babe.”

“sorry!”

➽─────────────────❥

“are you almost done? i’m half asleep over here.”

xavier laughed at your comment. he was just finishing the details on your wings, leg bouncing in anticipation.

what if you hated it?

“come look.”

you stood up from the bed, sleep in your eyes as you put on one of xavier’s shirts.

you sat on his lap as he showed you the drawing. your face turned in admiration as xavier watched your eyes light up.

“oh my god, it’s so pretty. like a renaissance portrait.”

xavier grinned, his big hands rubbing your bare thighs. “my angel, huh?”

you smiled, kissing your boyfriend.

“your angel.”

[thatdeadaquarius]

PART 2 - Genshin Impact SAGAU / Isekai: Gifts to Give Your Allogene!

ELEMENTS HERE: Dendro, Hydro, Cryo, Geo

Part 1 / Part 2 (you're here!)

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Sun: Gender Neutral Reader (they/them only)

Planet: General SAGAU / Isekai Stuff, Platonic Cuteness

Orbit: Headcanons-ish, a couple sentences for each

Stars: a little bit of everybody as of Baizhu/Kaveh update! including rare beloveds like Aloy! (I hope I got them all… at least the playable ones… ) Please understand that some characters are more “foreground” characters and have more screen time so I may have written some more for them because I knew them better!

Comets & Meteors: Content Warnings: weapons for gifts?? 16+ Older Teen Audiences Advised, light cussing

☆

& Trigger Warnings: None Known.

☆

Edit 1/1/24: Hey I expanded on this in my Eldritch Fanfic Post Part 2, but I just wanted to vet the old posts and say I did do a form of exoticism by including the word "Huangdi" throughout this.

I've since replaced it for better readability with "Emperor" but I didn't want to erase my mistake like it never happened. I'm genuinely sorry about this, I never had ill intentions by including it, but regadless of intentions that's the impact of my actions. I'm absolutely going to be looking out for kind of thing in the future/get a sensitivity reader/a beta read from that culture to check me.

I hope you still enjoy my writing and can understand.

Dendro Allogenes:

Tighnari = with some help again to put magic into it, you give Tighnari some head coverings you sewed together that have the power of Cryo in them! So now he can actually see what plants are out in the desert, visit Cyno, or just enter the desert to his heart’s content, which, yes, his tail started unconsciously wagging after you explained what it was. “Oh! For me? Well I’ve taken to avoiding the desert if I can because of… wait a minute, you say it has cryo in it? What? How does that work?? You think it’ll genuinely help me in the desert?? You made it???” Tighnari’s ears are all twitching with excitement, and he’s holding the covering (that matches his clothes/dark green) like it’s a new plant for study, omg he pulled out his magnifying glass and everything-

Collei = so she’s actually a really good seamstress, and makes plushies a lot, esp for kids! but one day you found one of her first attempts, a ragged looking sort of pale pink bunny… her first attempt at a plushie Baron Bunny!! so you decided to mimic her design (still baron bunny but with a sort of Sumeru-like clothing on it), and sew her one! You made a whole day of it, eating together, going to the best spots to sightsee (for as long as Collei was up for it/not too tired) and then gifted her the plushie Baron Bunny! She accidentally let out a small scream that startled both of you tbh, and then snatched that shit so quick lmao, kicking her feet on the picnic blanket and everything! With your permission of course, Collei then tackled you for a hug lol, she ranted about all the little details and made you tell her several times over how you made it so she could make some more in the future too! She may or may not have talked about missing Amber and teared up… but then you redirected her attention to the bunny saying, it’s like a gift from Amber and you really! (you also added a function where, if you squeeze the Baron, it’ll dish out some healing power and some heat! …Collei tackle hugged you twice for that one)

Alhaitham = what a hard person to get gifts for, he’d probably be like “thanks” no matter what you got him 😭, he means it tho, it would just be underwhelming… but on the bright side, he definitely seems like he’d show a deeper appreciation for handmade gifts! Since you learned how to make one for Yoimiya, you decide this calls for another handmade hammock (also bc Teyvat doesnt have hammocks)! You painted symbols like green crystals and geometric patterns, but also lions and a golden Palace of Alcazarzaray for Kaveh, and your symbol, the eight point star (like the four point but with flare/not like the jewish symbol with equal points lol)!! So that way he can keep lazing away, and avoid people more comfortably lmao, and also if he is going to do that, he doesnt have to sit on rocks or hard structures for hours reading, and you hope it’s encouragement for him to spend time outside/take a break and nap! (Haitham knows that’s part of why you gave him this, even if you didn’t say it, and so he makes a point to do that more often to make you happy, take the advice for his health) oh look, after thoroughly looking at your craftsmanship for 10 minutes, you got a smile in addition to a “thanks”, damn, that’s actually how you know he likes it a lot <3 :)

Nahida = you remember vaguely from Nahida’s storylines/friendship levels that she loves games, and so you collect her a nice deck for Genius Invokation TCG! You also made her a cute bag and container for it, her bag is a rose maple moth crocheted bc really this was an excuse to just make the cutest character in Sumeru look even cuter, (like this, i tried very hard ok, bc this doesnt exist yet, im shocked) The first image is most correct, (imagine the face and stuff is cuter/simpler) as that’s also the backpack part! Her eyes were so big when you handed it to her, (you honestly were shocked they even could get any bigger lol). She jumped up and down excitedly with the backpack on (ur fucking heart, just like you intended, the wings flapped around and everything <333) you are also currently working on a luna moth (the pale green moth) in case she wants it to match her outfit more! even tho Nahida insists something handmade once is enough, you can see the childish yearning in her eyes, like a kid trying to say no to a toy that’s being offered right in front of them lmao

Kaveh = pretty girls deserve pretty things, and you were definitely feeling the pressure to make something high quality enough for Kaveh, tho u know he’s sweet enough that he’d appreciate anything you’d take the time to handmake (and tbh.. it sounds a little arrogant, but ur hoping something so cared for by what he, or at least most people see as some kind of all-powerful god above the archons, will boost his self-esteem/confidence in his own worth more, or at least let him know one more person cares about him…) so you didnt make it super detailed, and you put a note on it too to let him know your not as great at that as he would be, but you made a model of the part of the teapot house you’re going to design for him! Like a sort of sneakpeak, you made a small lookalike of Alhaitham and his house, but filled it with decor like if Howl didnt hoard all the cool shit in his room in Howl’s Moving Castle, but instead spread it out, and sort of used your modern taste for layout, (not the ugly ass corporate aesthetic) and a small garden. You also made nearly all the decor and stuff something interesting (like some primogem strings, they can be pretty small, for string lights, lampgrass from Mondstadt that he’s never seen etc.) and while you very shyly handed him the model at first, he was practically vibrating with excitement!! “You made this?! Oh of course I don’t expect perfection, it looks wonderful so far, especially if this was your first attempt!!” Kaveh has like sat down, and is delicately holding it and looking around, and when you tell him it’s an actual space, meant for him, he gently sets down the model and grabs you by the shoulders, “Show. Me. Now. …please?” looking at you with very determined puppy dog eyes lol

Yaoyao = …idk what you expected. It was so obvious. A crocheted bunny backpack. brown, so it matches her, since her basket was brown, or you could leave off the feet, whichever u prefer, and anyway, Yaoyao is always doing things for others, so the little girl was so cute and pink when you actually gave her something instead! (once again, using ur old trick of making the person think u need something then shocking them with a handmade gift instead hehe) She IMMEDIATELY switched it out for her basket and has pretty much converted to using it full time! (tho when she needs the more solid one she’ll still wear it, she just alternates, esp if there’s some occasion she’ll deffo wear the bunny backpack, it’s her “fancy god-made bunny backpack!”)

Baizhu = the doctor isn’t one to talk about himself a lot, so you weren’t sure what he would like other than some new tea… but you wanted to make it yourself so while you were a little disappointed it was just a basic pet gift, you wanted to maybe put a little extra into it so maybe Changsheng will use it and Baizhu will think it’s cute! You crocheted a little pet pod/cave for her to hang out in (imagine this but a Jueyun Chili hehe) and it also has a little crocheted vine rope so the little Jueyun Chili cave can be hung from things, or even tied onto Baizhu’s apron/hold it like a purse! That way Changsheng doesn’t always have to drape across his shoulders/has somewhere to retreat! When you shyly showed Baizhu and Changsheng, he literally clapped, so did Qiqi lol (he usually does those tiny smiles… but this one was the brightest most genuine you’ve ever seen, even in game…!!) You find that Baizhu’s eyes look like that type of person’s eyes were they just look like “happy”, like there’s a little fond sparkle in his eye. Changsheng was all like “about time I got something instead of him! I’m basically an assistant too y’know! …thank you very much, my Emperor.” (if you’re NOT squimish of snake pics, pls look at this cute smile Changsheng would give)

Hydro Allogenes:

Barbara = …so even Barbara was a little hesitant at first, but came around to the idea after some convincing, and some encouragement (and showing her she was capable of it) but you basically ….may ….or may not have… found a loop hole for her being a catalyst? So, thru a lot of persuading Barbara to train with you and Childe (who also thought it was amusing to see such a young girl who’s literally a nun and a singer do this) you got Barbara to make water bombs! Like her circle of notes that float around her when healing, she sings and gestures and similar to her ult, (but like Childe’s E-skill it just switches between the two), the notes fly out and explode in the direction she sings/aims! You wanted to remind her of her old dream of being recognized, and wanting to help in battle in a more combat way, and besides, you’re sick of women getting regulated to the healing magical role in games/anime fantasy, so yeah. You and Childe are literally evilly giggling to each other in the background as Barbara sends quater notes and lines of music that explode (like how water can sharpen and cut things like Childe’s blades? Yeah he taught her that) so intensely that it cuts into the Pyro Lawlachurl, bringing it to its knees- Barbara accidentally cuts its head off as the finishing blow. While she gasps in a little fear, but mostly shock, Childe jumps up and down and starts cheering.

Mona = got sparkly eyes, nearly snatched the gift out of your hand, you made her some awesome earrings from the character banner wishes! All pretty ombre pink and blue they swirl and look so pretty framing Mona’s face, she only wears them on special occasions despite your claim of everyday use, they also help her figure out where the clearest view of the night sky each night but glowing brighter and brighter when she gets closer to seeing clearly, Mona is almost? weirdly envious?? for her past self that had to suffer thru all the inconvenient cloudy nights lmao

Childe = like anon said, a new pair of knit gloves, using the fur from the snow king boar! he’s amazed they never wear out now, and he totally uses them as an excuse to hold your hands all like “I just can’t get over how soft they are, feel them, you did amazing comrade! even better than some Snezhnayan shops!!”, exactly what you expect he’s leaning into your face and everything- 🙄

Xingqiu = an ao3 account you had a hard time with Xingqiu’s, afterall, he’s from a wealthier family, so he can get mostly what he wants, and you don’t wanna just get him another book… so you kidnapped him to Inazuma! (idk if this is canon, or happened in an event or smth I missed idfc) So, you also kidnapped Albedo for this trip, so that Xingqiu could actually see the impact his writing made overseas! While you intended for this trip to make Xingqiu feel better abt his writing, (and to help Albedo feel appreciated too, despite him not expressing much low self-esteem in his art, compliments heaped upon him def cant hurt, plus u can see him go pink too hehe) you also wanted to surprise him with a author book signing! If he was up for it, of course, which he “I absolutely, definitely, certainly am, my liege!” Kid’s practically hopping in place, as you get him all ready for his book signing (and not rlly Albedo bc he’s always fucking perfect, u dont have to do shit, even his messy hair looks nice 💀) …you also may or may not have given him some hair decorations (to help his asymmetrical cutting, not that it looks super bad, but for a change at least)

Yelan = …it’s official. You are intimidated. It’s only pretty hydro women and Ayato from here on, on your “Gift List”. Needless to say, like a few other allogenes, you wouldn’t know shit about this woman if you didn’t read her lore… it’s not a fine replacement, you don’t think, but with (lots of almond tofu, and osmanthus wine too) dev access to help you, you created another bracelet for Yelan. Inscribed (just like the heirlooms) inside simply says “You Are Not Alone”, with your eight star symbol following after (like a four star but with some flare, and also not the Jewish star lol), it glows an otherwordly gold, a contrast to the bright blues of the other bracelet. Its function is a geo shield, to protect Yelan and any teammates nearby when it’s activated, she can also leave the shielded area in one spot, so she can do her e-skill and still protect people. You’d just casually asked her to meet up with you one day in that teahouse you know she runs for intel, and when you presented her the bracelet, she held it delicately, saying nothing as she examined it, reading the inside. A small smile tugged her lips up, and she slips it on as she sips her tea, “…Well, I’ll have to show this to present this one to the family shrine, I think this more than makes up for the heirloom I failed to keep. A replacement from the Guide of Teyvat themselves… Thank you, my Emperor, for this handwrought gift you bestow upon a mortal such as me. …and thank you, for not leaving me alone.” Yelan bows a little in her seat, sharp blue eyes more softened than you’ve ever seen her, trained on yours. Her hands are together in that same praying motion that gives you the weirdest sense of deja vu…

Kokomi = so you don’t know much about her, as the it seems the character lore for Kokomi you can remember was… lacking, to say the least. Hoyo definitely plays favorites, BUT YOU DON’T!! At least when it comes to gift givining so everyone feels appreciated, you got a pretty book (handmade or bought) and got it/made it kinda small, like the size of the book in her idle animation, bc turns out that’s her diary of sorts. You know the priestess feels if she expresses any opinions that her people will just take her side, or her word as… well, a divine priestess, the weight of her title you suppose. She also keeps track of how many spoons she has! Like what things drain her, and what things make her feel better (big social interactions vs. reading a war treaty book by herself for example) So you made her a bullet journal! (here’s one of my favorite bullet journal youtubers, here’s a flipthru of her completed journal) you didn’t fill out the whole thing, just some example pages, to show her the possibilites! …you were kinda worried bc she turned away at first after delicately accepting it, and since it was just you two, she allowed herself turn back around and start excitedly chatting your ear off as she leaned in- and wow. Kokomi’s eyes really are, dreamy, like cotton candy… and they’re so much prettier when she smiles…

Ayato = …you know exactly what to do. Interrupting his busy schedule (and only actually taking one day out of it actually bother him so he can have the others as a secret vacation hehe) to come over to the Kamisato household and homemake some boba drinks for him, Ayaka, and Thoma to try! Mostly Ayato tho, you got all the syrups, the milks teas, the boba, and luckily, were able to get some help from Xiangling in experimenting in making… popping pearls! (they’re edible boba pearls that are actually filled with juice/syrup flavors and burst on your tounge when you barely bite them! they’ve very sweet, and Inazuma definitely didn’t have any different pearls other than tapioca, those squishy black pearls you see in his regular boba tea) …Ayato is literally holding your hand like he’s about to drop to one knee, this man is down bad for boba (and you) and… are those tears?! Is he tearing up?! “I can’t believe… THE Akitsu Mikami… blessed me, personally, with boba?? With NEW boba teas and pearls I’ve never even seen?! …Thank you, my beloved emperor!” Mans has quite literally gotten on his knees, but bc he’s so tall, he can still comfortably hold both your hands in his bigger gloved ones …Thoma is desperately trying to get Ayato up, Ayaka is getting onto her brother in the background.

Candace = it’s not exactly a traditional gift… but the reason Candace doesn’t wear a lot of her jewelry or finery is because of the hard job she has as a Guardian/in the desert, so you figured giving her more things she can’t even really wear wasn’t the way to go.. So instead! You gather a journal or advice from Ningguang, Keqing, Yelan, Zhongli, and all the others in the Qixing who were willing to help you, and kidnapped Ganyu for a sight seeing trip! (since u and Ganyu has that whole “in between two very different worlds” bond) You brought Ganyu because you know if anybody would be good at managing something/getting it started (like the music fest back for Lantern Rite… that I missed bc I dont understand how lantern rite works 😭😭😭 VIOLENTLY SOBS ITS BEEN 2 YEARS AND I HAVENT GOTTEN A SINGLE LANTERN RITE U GUYS-) it would be Ganyu herself! …and to also give her a break. See Aaru Village suffered from little to no economy before Candace finally negoiated with the elders to let Sumeru merchants travel into town/buy from them/sell to them, but she’s had a rough time keeping the old coots from being dicks about it since, …and it’s also hard to convince the younger generations to come back after many wanted to see the outside world because of this… So what better what to solve two birds with one stone?? GANYU!! And all the economy and business advice you could gather form Liyue! You hope that the village flourishing (and helping Candace cut down on shady merchants) would impress the older generation, yet also get more money in the town so they can dress it up a bit more (like fixing unsteady bridges, also u kidnapped Kaveh to help revitalize their cultural architecture buildings back into life/or help make the simple buildings just prettier) Now Ganyu and her are besties (Candace rlly needed another friend besides just Dehya alone to come out and see her in the desert) and the adepti was very willing to come visit her and Aaru Village to help the economy maintain its footing/run smoothly, and Kaveh also comes and works on it/checks on her/the village! …When you initially showed all the plans to Candace, saying it’ll impress the old by bringing back old designs/architecture plus interest/satisfy the younger generations to know their hometown is advancing and make it more appealing to come back to… The Guardian puts her shield and spear off to the side, she lowers her head, and greets you, bc u kinda just started rambling without saying hello- whoops- , “Salaam aleikum Qore, **I have already become the first Guardian to have been blessed by the gods, to receive this Vision was the only aid I could turn to in trying to help my village, my community… but to be blessed once more? I would never have dared to dream, let alone the Ogdoad Qore… I am grateful on behalf of myself, my village, and all of King Deshret’s people. …truly, I did not expect a gods eyes to turn favorably upon us since my ancestors’ time. Thank you, my Qore.” You just give her a smile back, she taught you the return phrase, so you hope it’s appropiate, “Waaleikum us salam.” :)

Nilou = This woman is consumed by dancing, other than keeping the peace (well, within reason apparently bc she’s okay with a coup-) but you’ve heard how hard it can be on dancers, how plenty of them have to have strong muscles to perform consistently. So, using adepti magic, you’ve enchanted this minakari you’ve painted (a type of metalwork that’s then painted by artists, on Earth countries like Iran, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan make them) like the teapot! It’s a small island that has a dance studio, and more importantly, a spa with hot springs, a sauna, and a room full of medical supplies dancers would need like salves, heating/cooling pads (using pyro/cryo), and space for stretches! Overall, just a place for her to get away from all the people and to heal her body up for the next performance, and after getting it all prepped/packed up with supplies, and showing it to Nilou… she literally had her hands over her mouth the whole walk around the rooms and showing her everything. Nilou had already been shocked you’d painted her a minakari piece, let alone all this! Like some others, she was quick to drop the formalities, and before you could even say “I hope you like it!” she was wrapping her arms around you and squeezing as tight as she could, tearing up and saying how happy she was that someone understood how hard dance can be on the body and how hard it can also be to take care of yourself, and how she can’t possibly show her gratitude- wait a minute. She’s pulled back and gripping you by the shoulders, not even bothering to wipe her eyes, before she swears to give you a dance every year with all the culmination of her work as she learns and makes newer and better dances!! <3

Cryo Allogenes:

Kaeya = horses so he’s actually a calvary captain- you actually wanted something that’d emphasize the handmade part of the gift, to really let Kaeya know somebody out there really cares about him, cares about him in the way that they’ll sit down and think of an idea and think of him, and then work for hours, sewing, drawing, crafting something just for him, to happy about. You make him a small, pocket sized photobook, and have a picture of every person who cares about him in all the slots, and near the end, from his last birthday where you gathered everybody together to celebrate, is a photo of Jean, Klee, Albedo, Sucrose, Venti, Rosaria, Noelle, Amber, even Eula, Diona, Mika, Barbara, and Mona came! But most importantly, you got Diluc to host it at Angel’s Share, and after some convincing, got him to get in the picture, you’re slightly off center, sandwiched by Kaeya and Diluc, where Kaeya is mid-laugh at the center, having just seen Diluc’s embarrassed face. It’s the last one in the mini album, and each photo has an even small message at the bottom, giving Kaeya a message from everybody, just for him. At the very end, with the group photo just before, is one of yourself and him posing together, you having taken him out roaming Mondstadt for the perfect picnic spot, just to give an excuse why you wanted a picture with him. And at the time, he found it a little suspicious, but was just flustered enough he let it slide. But now, opening and unfolding this tiny album, full of smiling friends and caring words, Kaeya gives a small, watery chuckle, you’ve left him a message too. “Take care of yourself Kaeya, because someone out there really cares about you. :) “

Rosaria = After seeing her “nun” outfit, there’s no doubt in your mind that Rosaria is yearning for clothes closer to her preferred aesthetic. So, using your knowledge of punk clothes and modern goth religious aesthetics, you’ve made some pieces for her to try! Some black pumps with metal crosses for heels, yes they’re sharp and this nice shawl with beads, and finally, a nice lacy skirt (no you did not make fucking lace, jesus christ, you’re not a miracle worker, despite the belief of some teyvatians-). All of which, wow, got Rosaria to give you an honest to god… smile. A full, genuine smile from Rosaria… yeah that made all your hard work worth it.

Eula = a book on common manners so Eula is actually great at cooking! So what better chaos to gift to her other than introducing her to Xiangling! Especially since you’ve given the young Liyuean cook recipes from your own world for her to try out, she’s been on a rampage of new things, and so what better new experience than a cook from an entirely different country? You also made a small book of recipes (look up how to make a zine book on youtube it’s actually kinda easy) from your world, different from Xiangling’s because you thought Eula would like different recipes than her. …So needless to say you were then being berated by two chefs for not sharing all the recipes lmao, tho that really just gave them reason to share recipes! Also any new spinoffs Xiangling’s already made from the initial ones you gave her, and now Eula not only graciously thanks you for the recipes, but also her new pen pal! :)

Diona = So, to prep for this gift, you forced converted the Cat’s Tail to a non-alcoholic cat cafe during the daytime, and only in the evenings do they start serving alcohol/cats put up. You also got onto Margaret for hiring a child to make alcohol, so instead have Diona work better hours, and only during the cafe time, so she’s not making alcoholic drinks either. (you also checked in on child labor laws in Mondstadt, and ran some paperwork by Jean just in case) But most importantly, you teach Diona all kinds of new drink recipes to make, like Shirley Temples, smoothies, etc. You even (once again, by getting help from Xiangling and Diluc) made a drink for hangovers, but more importantly, helped her make one called “Sober Up” which magically flushes out the alcohol out of someone’s body, so Diona can finally sneak people a drink that (while still cursed to be well-made since Diona made it) is a trip to drink lol, it’s like a blast of carbonation/electricity to the system and will typically make most people very nauseous (but since magic’s doing it, they dont need to throw up, they’re just sick feeling for an hour depending on how much they drank). Diona nearly cried after she saw the effect on hungover customers, and immediately started sneaking them into her father’s drinks, so now he’s leaning more toward sobriety most days, and after finding out what Diona did, started to talk to his daughter more. The next time you see her, and ask after her father, she just wraps her little arms around your waist, the highest she can reach, you hug her back.

Chongyun = for prep for this gift, you painstakingly, slowly convince Chongyun to accept more and more moments of warmth, like trying some spicy food that’s gone cold, but just away from people so he can be silly out in the Liyuean mountains instead, and to try and use exposure therapy to try and get him used to yin energy/warm/excitable things, rather than the inefficient method of just avoiding it all (as it doesn’t always work/deprives him of so many nice things!! >:[ ). So that way! You can finally! Take him to have fun!!! You haul him (and Xingqiu bc the more the merrier) to go swimming in Luhua Pools, go jumping off all the peaks from one to another paragliding, using cryo to surf down waterfalls, and most importantly, go to a hot springs at the end of the day! Chongyun was worried about them being too hot and activating his yang energy, but you all agreed he had been training to get used to it, so now he when he goes to try it, he just relaxes into the heat. He could feel the tug to get out and run in circles and get excited, but finally, Chongyun could just choose to sit and relax into the warmth with friends instead :)

Ganyu = if I had a nickel for every woman In teyvat who just needs a break I’d be fucking rich …Obviously, a day off. But an ACTUAL day off, with work regulated to others, and unless there’s an Osial level incident 2.0 (fuck his wife, you put Shenhe on duty to protect Liyue just in case) NO ONE. IS. TO. DISTURB. GANYU’S. FIRST. VACATION. IN. DECADES. You get her to show you the prettiest viewing spots in Liyue, and as you go, tell stories from your life on Earth, showing her pictures on your phone (from both the internet and ur photos), to show her how mortal you are on one hand, but then how different you are here, upgrading her weapons and artifacts, and most importantly, her gift, a Teyvat modified cellphone! Albedo and you had been working together for months to try and make something close enough to connect ur two worlds, while introducing him to adeptal magic and other powerful objects like primogems and wishes that you have to help power it, that way the only other person who might understand immediately how it feels to be (literally lol) caught between two worlds can always rely on each other! …Ganyu cried. Yep, tears down her cheeks and everything, “…I- I- don’t even- even know what to say? All this, telling me about your mortal world, helping me get stronger, and now- now this? I may not have much to give in return, other than my company and my bow… but should you ever need me, or even wish for me, I will hold you as steady as I hold together Liyue itself, my Emperor." Ganyu’s smile is so, so, so pretty, and all the prettier now that her soft blue hair and sweet eyes are framed by the sunset, like it’s her own gift back to you.

Qiqi = A backpack for herbs! You’ve made sure to stitch her name into it so in case she forgets it’s hers, she’ll just see her name again, and lots of little pockets so she can carry all the herbs/make deliveries, it looks a little like this but with a goat instead of cow, and some cocouts lmao, literally a “coco-goat” milk backpack! She is now the cutest person in Liyue, everyone agrees, nearly every single person who comes into Bubu Pharmacy gives Qiqi a compliment now, and Baizhu will periodically take a break just so he and Changsheng can coo at her lmao (Qiqi made sure she wrote down in her notebook in big letters next to your name “This person made my cocogoat backpack, remember to thank them during prayer times, and collect lots of fresh herbs for them”)

Shenhe = It’s kind of a lot, but really, at this point, you’ve done more for some of the others so this probably isn’t even scratching the surface of how big of a gift you can give, so why not. Going full steam ahead, you furnish her a house at the edge of town, so that she’s not overwhelmed by all the human traffic/people, but still close enough to make the friends she wants! When you first show her the dining/living room so plenty of guests can come over, and begin to tour her through it, the strongest woman you’ve probably ever known gently holds your shoulders and stops you from speaking, and turns you to face her, Shenhe’s eyes are sharp with observation as they roam your face, and then settle on your own wide eyes. Her eyes soften, and a small smile warms her usual stern face, (idc how tall you are, she’s taller, I fucking promise) as she leans down a little to look at you closely in the eyes, “Thank you for being a kind god. You did not have to be so generous to me, and yet here you are. If you ever feel like you’re an outsider in Teyvat, in any country or company you find yourself in, please, promise me you’ll come here. Come home to me?” ✨💘✨

Ayaka = You manage to get her away from her duties to take her out to Sumeru! Mostly so you can introduce her to Nilou, see her performance, and the flourishing arts that now fill Sumeru City’s streets, and more importantly, a dress you made so she could dance with Nilou + dance on stage, she wasn’t confident enough/didn’t want to dance for a crowd, so it’s just you three or just you two after awhile. Ayaka looks the happiest she’s been in awhile, more so than you ever saw in game, and it’s… almost like a breath of fresh air to see her away from what you felt was such an isolating environment, even after the Vision Hunt Decree was over. For her last dance, Ayaka does so alone, a little after the sun has set, so it’s all blue, and the stars are coming out, finally, you get to see an even better version of the dance she gave the traveler that night. She only opens her eyes at the end, to give you the giddiest smile you’ve ever seen on her, cheeks cute and plumped up bc she’s smiling so hard, and bows to you (Ayaka’s thanked you a million times, but she doesn’t need to, you can feel how happy she is just from this)

Mika = THE BOY!! One of the most boys to ever boy in all of Teyvat!! Your boy!!! :D What a boy, he nearly fainted when you handed over his gift one day, and you had to reach out and steady him, then hand him it again 😭 It’s similar to the Marauder’s Map, since you enchanted it (once again, what’s the point of dev access if I can’t make gifts for my skrunklies?) and since you don’t want it to end up in bad hands/get spyed on, it only shows itself with a phrase as well “I wish upon a golden star, to know this land as well as its player.” and it’ll show him everyone in public spaces in Mondstadt, not private homes, but like the plaza, the church, the Knights of Favonius, etc. He thanks you every single time he sees you for the map, as it’s both fascinating to him to have a proper well-drawn map of the city of Mondstadt (you copied it from the Teyvat in game map, but there were some buildings missing bc they’re more real here/more fleshed out as a irl city) but that just made Mika even happier bc he can go and map them out!! Literally can’t talk to you bc all he’s saying is “T-TH-TH-THANK-THANK YOU ALL FURST-!!!” before running away most of the time lol

Layla = An embroidered tiny pillow for her to easily clip onto her bag/fit in it, and take on the go with her! (this but the text just says “Sweet Dreams Layla ♡” ) that you’ve also added scent to, including some sleep inducing magics, so she’s guarenteed to sleep well and efficiently when she uses it! She blushed so hard you thought she was sick at first when you gave it to her, and she also used the pillow as a shield to hide her face as she thanked you lmao, and she made you a pillow in return! …even if she thinks it’s not as good as yours, both craft wise and function, Layla worked for weeks on it! …lol now ur the one hiding ur face behind a pillow (this but they’re all plants of sumeru)

Aloy = …if you had a nickel for every person you’ve provided with a house, you’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird it happened twice… Poor damn heroine just got dragged from one world to the next, just as the last one finally was at peace, now she’s here in Teyvat, where nothing’s familiar, the entire world is set up different, people are nicer and more open here, and there’s still threats looming on its horizon. Needless to say, she is tired, and misses her own homeworld. You really wish on her behalf that Hoyo hadn’t done a crossover, but since she’s here, you figure you might as well make it easier on her. You’ve made another teapot-like adeptal magic container, so she can have a place all to herself, and given her a ticket to your own, afterall, if anybody knows what’s its like to get yanked to another world, specifically Teyvat, it’d be the travelers and yourself, and sure enough as time goes one, Aloy becomes closer with you all, and begins to finally feel a sense of familiarity, she wraps an arm around your shoulders the first time she saw you tried to make her own personal teapot place emulate her homeworld. The widest grin you’ve seen on her face, she gives you a squeeze, “It’s just been one adventure after the next, and when we started out, you were just another stranger in a world I didn't understand. But after everything we've been through, I can say this for certain: My bow is yours, now and always. Thank you for the second home, my king.” Aloy says teasingly, laughing at the face you make.

Geo Allogenes:

Noelle = goddamn when will the busy women trend END these poor souls Motherfucker, you’re gift to Noelle was to knight the damn girl yourself. No, but you nearly talked Jean’s ear off for an hour, after gathering evidence (both from eyewitnesses, and Noelle herself, including other knights and Jean herself) about why the literal fuck Noelle wasn’t a Knight of Favonius yet, and why she should be. After genuinely shaking Jean’s nerves a little, she agreed, and finally, Noelle was going to knighted along with any other potential recruits during the testing season, (as people with high reputations, which, once again, using your god status for all its worth, could recommend new recruits) but most importantly… You gave her a 5-star claymore, which, you do have to somewhat work on yourself physically in teyvat now, but your dev access lets you cheat a little (like the cooking meter on cooking dishes, you’re the goddamn cooking god when hosting guests hehe) so you also are allowed to edit it, like adding a Geo-bonus to the weapon itself! When the ceremony for knighthood was going, and pretty much all of Mondstadt came to finally see Noelle get knighted, you made a fun show of walking out where you were hiding and replacing Jean, to knight Noelle yourself. She’s gone completely red in the face, and is starting to sway a little in her down on one knee position, as you gently place the blade on both shoulders, and grin at her as you turn and pull out the claymore for her. She actually does end up falling over, pale as a ghost, whoops-

Albedo = internet access so he can become a fucking god basically the alchemist is a hard guy to make a gift for, another person you’re a little afraid high-quality handmade gifts would impress him more… so you worked hard, and eventually you managed to make three big notebooks for Albedo, one with lined paper, one bulleted, and one blank for sketches (you did the title page a decent sketch of his pretty face smiling and “For Albedo” underneath, and while that one had a picture, the other two had just the words) and you also loaned him your cellphone for awhile, and suggested the idea of a laptop to make for himself, as he already managed to get you connected to Earth’s internet again, that’s part of the reason you customized/made him notebooks, so he could research from the internet and write down any notes he wanted! …wow. you really did it. after explained all this, and leaving him notes about the laptop idea as loose paper stuck inside one of them, you managed… to get Albedo to… smile. At you. Like a FULL smile, pretty lips, wide smile, and flushed cheeks-!! Albedo caught the notebooks you almost dropped.

Ningguang = what do you get the woman that has everything? so you started to think of things that’d make an experience, and after remembering her lore about her making a chess game, you decided a board game would be good! And if you make the little pieces, it’d be one of a kind too! (she’s the type that really loves handmade gifts/as long as you put effort in it doesnt matter how “bad” it looks to her, she’ll believe it’s still good <3) …So you made a Teyvat version of Monopoly. You figured the business part would be in her realm of expertise, and maybe she could use it to play with business associates or friends, and of course, she’s a competitive woman, so she thinks it’s great, and even asked permission that a marketable version be made (one that’s not nearly as nice quality as hers from you obviously)! Ningguang also treated you very well as a thank you for making it for her, a nice dinner at Liuli Pavilion, with a useful gift of places you haven’t seen in Teyvat yet bc it’s more expansive now that you’re physically here!! You may have gotten over-excited about it… and she may have chuckled at you… and you may have gotten flustered after she rested her pretty hand on yours for nearly half the dinner as you stuttered thru and explanation of the game…

Zhongli = …what do you get the man that has everything (ningguang problem 2.0)?? Well, since you thought of something for her that was an experience a little bit, yet also one of a kind, you figured the same path for the previous God of Wealth/literally invented money/etc. would do, plus he’d the type to deeply appreciate handmade gifts too! Using a few chunks of Light Realm Core, 3 Masterless Starglitter, 1 Intertwined Fate, and 1 Condensed Resin, to make a nigh indestructible Ginko leaf hair pin, which also to replace his last pin, which while not broken, was getting old and beat up (he’s immortal he doesn’ notice these things unless they’re like magically long lasting items lol). But in a few spots are these peach beads like this instead of all white beads, like on the ring both have symbols of longevity, and are usally associated with immortals, you wanted to make something that’d also hold memories (hence the resin, from leylines) so if the erosion ever took him, Zhongli could hold the pin and see some of his favorite memories played back (like misty glittering gold projections)! When you told him all this, the materials, (he obv knew the symbols) and the intentions, and then handed him the gift, his soft smile got bigger and bigger, until you could see him small fangs (❤️‍🔥) and then he turned around? You were confused, until he look over his shoulder, his eyes flashing gold in the sunlight, “Will you do me the honor, my Emperor?” OH- you unclip his old geo cor lapis one, and pull his hair up into more of a low bun, and put the hair piece in. the golden ginko leaves chime softly in the breeze. The old god turns back to you (idc how tall you are, he’s taller, and he had to crouch a little so you could reach lol) and gives you that blinding, beautiful smile again, the kind that makes his eyes look warm and happy. He takes your hand delicately, like you’re made of something fragile instead of stars and magic stronger than any he’s ever seen, “Truly, you bless me too generously, my Emperor. Thank you, for caring for a forgotten god like me, for caring about my heart.” …Zhongli presses a soft chaste kiss to your knuckles, right on the middle finger’s knuckle, his lips are warm and so, so soft, like they’re barely even there. <3

Yunjin = a bit difficult because she’s so theater focused in life, but you figure since she does solo shows a lot, she’ll still be the one to benefit the most from your gift, you made some floating plaustrite lanterns to help heft some platforms for more stage space/cool effects! (this but a little more detail, you painted some bamboo and a few simple adepti on them) Like putting props up there or lights to aim on actors, or even actors themselves since the floating rock is steady enough! Yunjin practically squealed (which immediately made every actor in the vicintity be like “YUNJIN!! UR VOICE WILL GO HOARSE STOP-”) and gather the whole troupe to thank you! But she especially told you that although she already intended for you to have front row seats every time you came to see her plays, she especially wanted to get some stories from your life, or even just your favorites from Earth for her to perform for you!! (she even suggested that one of the platforms could be your special seat, like an opera box seat lol)

Itto = you know that belt buckle he wears that’s just an Oni head? Yeah, you made him a second belt but with a onikabuto beetle as the buckle instead! (kinda like this) but a small enough it’s not inconvenient and poking his stomach, which you definitely got a Inazuman blacksmith to help out, you mostly painted it, and when you show Itto the belt, mans literally just wraps his buff arms around you like a hug but then just starts spinning you rapidly, and lets out the highest pitch “EEEEEEEEEEE-!!!” you’ve ever heard him make (and you’ve given him a few trinkets before, so this is a new record wow). No, it doesn’t matter to Itto how much you weigh, have you seen his abs?! He says as he’s still got you a little off the ground, and is now walking away with your limp body and wearing his new belt, “This, and a proper meal to thank you are the bare minimum, my wonderful emperor! Come on, the gang’s already there anyway, you gotta try my Granny Oni’s food, and I’ll make something too! My best, most special, sandwich, Way of the Strong!! Y’know, because if anybody deserves it, it’d be the strongest, and sweetest, you!!”

Gorou = since teyvat isn’t exactly the pinnacle of advanced civilization, though there are some advancements sure like the Kamera, there are still a fair amount of things that’re just left up to locals to produce and make using whatever process they’ve got, regardless of efficiency, and one of those is soap. Yep, soap. Earth is more advanced when it comes to beauty products, but also hygiene products, and Gorou has a hard time maintaining his tail he’s said when he’s stressed/overworked. So, you used some knowledge from your interdimensional smartphone (love u Albedo) to find a homemade recipe to make soap! (…for dogs, but you don’t know if he’d find it offensive… so you don’t tell him LMAO) and you even made it a cute shape (just so when you handed it over, he’d open it and of course, go all red all the way down his neck even, hehe, (he secretly liked it)

You towards all of Teyvat, except it's not even their birthdays (idk if u want it to be it can)

☆

PLEASE LET KNOW IF ANY LINKS/PICS ARE INACCURATE FOR A CULTURE/MISLABELED ETC.

Me after writing all this:  _」(´ཀ`」 ∠)__

… so I may have hyperfixated a little too hard on this one.

Did the OG asker want this? …probably not…

Did anyone ask for this?? …no.

…did I do it anyway….…yes.

…sorry?

(I promise I only thought to do this because there are so many characters left out in favor of the more popular ones for most SAGAU posts, and bc i never want any of my babes to feel any less loved than any others if I was actually there in Teyvat… you get… this mess.)

sorry!

☆

Safe Travels,

💀♒

☆MY BELOVEDS☆

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist / @thedevioussmirk / @the-dumber-scaramouche

[hellcat8908]

hello! I'm not sure if you're taking requests right now but if you are, could I ask for a fic where Azriel had a terrible day and he takes out his frustration by yelling at the reader? Bonus points if the reader was excited and happy about something and wanted to tell him but he snaps at her before she can.

He's never done this before ofc, he loves and adores her so she just quietly resigns and apologizes through the tears although it's not her fault.

Begging for some comfort at the end because your angst fics always- AND I MEAN ALWAYS- destroy me beyond repair 😭💙

Hopefully this is along the lines of what you had in mind. 💜

The Painting Azriel x Female Reader

Warnings: Angst, Language, Ass Azriel, Fluff, Implied Smut

You had hung the self-portrait of you wearing Azriel's favorite lingerie on the bedroom wall. Feyre had been teaching you to paint over the last few months, and you finally felt confident in your ability. You were excited to show Azriel once he got home, which should be any minute. You made sure the canvas was straight before going downstairs to wait for him. The minutes ticked by, and your excitement grew until finally the front door opened. In walked a less than thrilled Azriel.

"Hey, love. Let me help you with those." You say as you start helping him remove his blades. You accidently drop one, causing him to let out an annoyed sigh. "Sorry, I didn't mean to." You apologize as you pick it up. "So I have something really exciting to share with you." You tell him as he puts his weapons away. "I need a shower." He says, ignoring you as he walks towards the master suite. "That's just it. What I want to share with you is in the bedroom." You say before he turns around to face you.

"Can you please just give me some time to decompress before you start in on whatever this is!" He says through gritted teeth. "Oh, sure. Sorry, love." You say awkwardly. He storms into the bathroom, and moments later, you hear the shower running. You decide to pour a glass of his favorite liquor, bringing it back to the bedroom. Moments later, you hear the shower shut off, and Azriel emerges, pulling a shirt over his head. You offer him the glass, watching him become more agitated. "I'm going to meet Rhys and Cassian for drinks." He says.

"Oh, ok. Do you have time to see-" You start to say but are interrupted by Azriel's outburst. "Why is it so hard for you to understand that I'm not interested in whatever trivial thing you have to share with me?! Do you know how draining it is to come home after a long day to you bombarding me with meaningless bits of your day?! Maybe you should actually do something meaningful with your time and make friends so you'll have someone else to bother besides me!!" "You're right, I should give you time to unwind after work. I'm sorry. Go have fun with Rhys and Cass." You manage to say as your eyes start to water and your lip quivers.

You walk out of the room before he can notice and make your way to the living room and curl up with your book, waiting for Azriel to leave. Moments later, he walks out the door without even telling you bye. Your heart cracks as his words play over in your head, again and again. Tears fall from your eyes as you pull your knees to your chest. As you replay it, your sadness turns into anger. You grab one of his daggers from the case and make your way into the bedroom. You pull the canvas off the wall, telling yourself he doesn't deserve it.

The sharp edge of the dagger easily cuts through the canvas as you destroy it. Your anger is lessening with each cut through your painting. Once your anger had faded, you left the painting shredded on the floor. You replace the dagger in the case and decide to shower and then go to bed. After stepping out of your hot shower and dressing in pajamas, you make your way to the guest bedroom and lock the door. You curl up under the blankets before crying yourself to sleep over the pain lingering in your chest.

Azriel quickly finds Rhys and Cassian at Rita's. He grabs a drink from the bar before joining them, pulling up  third chair. "Surprised to see you here." Cassian says. "I had a shit day and wanted to loosen up." He answers. "Just figured you'd be gome with y/n tonight." Rhys says cautiously. "My time doesn't revolve around her. I needed a night out, but now, unless you too knock this off, I'll go enjoy the night somewhere else." Azriel says, annoyed that he's even talking about you right now. "Didn't realize you were going to be so pissy, considering the circumstances." Cassian says.

"What circumstances? I came home from a shit day, and right away, y/n was hounding me about something, and I needed time to decompress, so I showered and came here." Azriel says, confused. "So she didn't give you her surprise?" Rhys asks. "No, we got into an argument, and I left. She was reading a book when I left, I think. I wasn't really paying attention." Azriel says. Rhys and Cassian share a look as they take another drink each. "What do you know that I don't?" Azriel says. "Nothing, Feyre said that we'd be lucky to see you tonight once you saw what y/n had for you. So, whatever it was, we just assumed you'd cancel on us."

"Whatever it was, I didn't give her a chance to share with me, so here I am. You two aren't helping my mood any." He says as he takes a drink. "Never said we would. I can't wait to see how you fix whatever mess you've created." Cassian says. "I haven't created a mess. It's probably some stupid little thing that she'll forget about in a couple of days, you'll see." Azriel says as he takes a drink. "I wouldn't be too sure about that, Feyre says she's been working on it for months." Rhys says. "Fine, I'll go home. See what it is, then come back and tell you I was right!" Azriel says as he finishes his drink.

Azriel walks home, trying to cool off. He stands in front of the house, surprised to see it dark this early. When he steps inside, he doesn't find you anywhere downstairs. He heads upstairs, wondering if you're in bed already. He opens the door to find the bed empty and made. As he looks around, he sees the ruined canvas on the floor. He leans down to pick it up, trying to piece the rips back together. He lays it on the bed, and once he pieces together, he sees the painting of you in his favorite lingerie. His throat tightens as he heart aches. "What have I done?" He says to himself. He resumes searching for you, noticing the guest bedroom door is shut.

He walks down the hallway and tries to open the door, finding it locked. "Y/n, are you in there?" He asks. As he knocks on the door. He wakes you up, but you refuse to acknowledge him. "Please let me in." He says. You bury yourself under the blankets. "Angel, please. I know you're not sleeping. You never go to bed this early," he says. He you keep ignoring him, hoping he'll leave you be. Eventually, he gives up and goes to bed. You lay there staring at the ceiling, unable to fall back asleep until hours later.

When you finally wake up, you realize you slept in until noon. You pull yourself out of bed and make your way to the kitchen. You're momentarily surprised to see Azriel sitting in the kitchen. You ignore him and start to make yourself some eggs and toast. "Here, let me help you with that." He offers as he gets up. "I'm fine." You tell him. "I would hate for you to bother with my trivial little breakfast." You say as you scramble the eggs. "Angel, I-" You cut him off, "Don't you have work to do?" He seems surprised by your shortness, "I decided to take some time off, I thought maybe we could spend some time together."

You put your eggs on a plate and put cream cheese on your toast, "Bad timing, I have to go find something meaningful to do with my time." You say before walking out to eat on the patio, away from him. You sit outside and enjoy the warmth of the sun as you eat. You start to wonder if you're being too hard on Azriel. You let your mind wander as you finish your breakfast. You take your plate back inside and leave it in the sink. You notice Azriel's not downstairs anymore. You go upstairs to get dressed for the day. You find Azriel sitting on the bed with his fingers in hair as his shadows are restless around him. He doesn't look up at you. You quickly change and make your way out of the house.

You start walking towards Feyre's studio. She's in the middle of a class when you arrive. She nods in acknowledgment as she continues her lesson. You watch as the kids follow her instructions and work on their paintings. You offer to help when she needs, keeping you distracted from Azriel. After the class wraps up and the final child leaves, Feyre turns her full attention to you. "Surprised to see you here, I thought for sure Azriel would keep you in bed after seeing your spicy painting." Your smile faulters, "he might've had he given me the chance to show it to him before I destroyed it." You say sheepishly. "What happened?!" She asks in confusion.

"It would be easier just to show you." You tell her as you drop your shields before replaying last night for her. You put your shields up once she's seen enough. "He really said that?!" She asks as anger lace her words. "Yup." You say popping the p. She hugs you, "I'm so sorry, he doesn't deserve the painting after what he said." "I know, that's why I destroyed it." You assure her. "So what now?" She asks. "Well, he has tried everything but actually apologizing to me." You say. "If you need anything, just let me know." She says. "Thanks," you say. "I just think I needed some time away to think." You say as you clean up the remaining paint supplies.

After spending some time catching up with Feyre, you decide to head home. You walk in and notice smoke coming from the kitchen. You rush into the room and find Azriel trying to cook. One of the pans on the stove is on fire as you grab it and toss it in the sink, turning the faucet on. Steam fills the room as the flames are extinguished. You look at Azriel and can't contain your laughter at what a mess he looks like. His face is smudged with various ingredients, and his hair is a mess like he's been pulling on it or repeatedly running his fingers through it. "What are you doing?" You ask between laughs.

"I was trying to cook you dinner, but it seems I'm not very good at it." He says as he opens the windows and patio door to clear out the steam and smoke. "So it would seem," you reply with a smile. "So why were you trying to burn down the house with dinner?" You ask. "I was hoping to surprise you with dinner and apologize for yesterday." He says sheepishly. "Well, you definitely surprised me with dinner." You tease him. "I know, how about I order take out and we can talk?" He offers. "I'd like that," you say softly.

Once dinner arrives, you sit at the table with Azriel sitting across from you. You both eat in silence as neither of you know where to start. Finally, Azriel breaks the silence, "I'm deeply sorry that I took out my anger on you yesterday. What I said was awful and wrong. Nothing about you is trivial, and your life has plenty of meaning." You set your fork down and give him your undivided attention, "Did you mean anything you said yesterday?" He runs his fingers through his hair, "There are days where it would be nice if you'd give me some time to decompress and unwind. I know yelling at you about it yesterday was the complete opposite of how I should've approached the topic. Somedays are more taxing than others, and some time to get my head right would be appreciated." He says, looking embarrassed.

You stand up from the table and move to sit beside him, "I should've been better about reading the signs to how bad your day was. I was just blinded by my excitement. After you told me you needed to decompress, I still pushed with my excitement instead of giving you what you asked for." He gently takes your hands in his and lovingly strokes the backs of them with his thumbs, "Angel, after seeing your painting, I can't blame you for being excited. You did such an amazing job, and I know you've been working hard on it. I'm sorry I hurt you enough to destroy it." You reach out and cradle the side of his face in your hand, "I'm sorry I pushed you and forced you to lash out." His leans into your touch, relishing in your warmth.

"I'm glad we finally talked. Do you have any idea how hard it is to stay mad at you?" You say with a laugh trying to lighten the mood. "Probably as hard as it is to stay mad at you." He says in return. "Especially this morning." You say with a smile. "I meant what I said about taking some time off to spend some time together." He says. "Well, how about we start by cleaning up the kitchen." You say as you start gathering the take out containers and disposing of the empty ones. "I'll clean it up. After all, I'm the one who made the mess." He says as he moves to gather supplies. "I'll help so we'll be done faster and can make up more." You say teasing him.

Before you start cleaning, you grab the symphonia that Azriel bought for you. You let it play while you start cleaning. Azriel cleans the stove as you focus on the dishes. Your hips gently sway to the music as you start drying. Azriel notices you dancing and admires you while he finishes wiping off the counters. You feel his hands on your hips as he gently pulls you against him, swaying with you. "I've missed this," you say softly. "Me too." He responds. He continues to hold you as you dance to the soft melody.

You turn in his arms, your fingers in his hair pulling him in for a kiss. He pours all of his emotions for you into the bruising kiss and leaves you speechless. You notice the heat pooling in his eyes before trailing kisses down his jaw to his neck. Gently kissing and nipping the sensitive skin, causing his grip on you to tighten. "Angel....fuck...you know....I love....when you do....that," he says as he gets lost in the feeling. "Why don't you take me upstairs so we can properly make up," you say barely audibly. His hands move to your thighs as he picks you up and starts carrying you upstairs, "you read my mind, angel."

[asimpwithfreetime]

Hi, I really like your work and if you didn't mind, could I ask of yandere Neteyam x Na'vi reader, you can choose the promt and setting.

Obliviously if you don't mind!

Idea: Yandere Neteyam forcing the bond because he is jealous

You belong with me (Yandere! Neteyam x Na’vi reader)

Content warnings: English isn’t my first language, this hasn’t been proofread yet, Neteyam is aged up

General warnings: yandere Neteyam, yandere behavior, obsessive behavior, manipulative yandere! Neteyam, violent! Neteyam, bonding without consent (even though they had planned it just for a few days later), animalistic growling, Neteyam crying just like yandere Jake

[ 3rd Person POV ]

Y/n and Neteyam had promised each other they would mate before Eywa once they turned into adulthood. They promised that since the beginning of their relationship.

The time was near and Y/n seemed quite nervous. Mating with the future Olo’eyktan isn’t the easiest thing to do. Knowing the judging glares some female omatikaya gave her.

With that, she tried to keep herself distracted during the day (when she didn’t have chores or errands). Neteyam didn’t mind at all, he was nervous himself too. And there was an obsessive thought that was taking over his mind, the closeness of having Y/n all for himself had him excited with the idea.

He felt anger any time a male talked to her, even if it was his own father. She shouldn’t be beaming at any other Na’vi. Her sweet smile and kind words should be all his.

And when there were just a few days away from the mating, he snapped. All the omatikaya knew that Y/n was with Neteyam and Neteyam was with Y/n. Quite literally, everyone knew it.

But there he was, a young Na’vi warrior trying to court Neteyam’s soon to be mate. She seemed shy but she was telling him (nicely) that she didn’t want anything to do with him.

He seemed like he had desisted. But it wasn’t like that. Y/n felt bad for the boy, but she knew she wanted Neteyam. She had chosen long ago.

That evening, Y/n went to the tree of souls, asking Eywa to help her ease the tension and nervousness that she had been feeling cooling up in her stomach.

She didn’t hear the Na’vi approaching her. The same boy from that morning. He started talking, going on and on, saying that he was a way better potential mate than Neteyam. The boy wasn’t aggressive or tried to impose, he was just a little bit of annoying. Y/n, once again, declined nicely.

The boy seemed to not get it. Probably one of the young warriors who had just finished one big hunt and thought they owned the place.

From between the bioluminescent plants, Neteyam emerged. “She is mine! Back off” the tone was harsh, she didn’t remember the dark look over Neteyam’s eyes.

“You guys haven’t bonded yet” the boy said, trying to sound confident, the figure of Neteyam making his voice crack, “She isn’t from anyone yet”.

Neteyam growled low in his throat. He then hissed, showing of his fangs and the Max look in his eyes. He jumped over the other boy and started punching him. Y/n suppressed a scream. “Neteyam! Stop!” She found her voice back once the other boy started bleeding.

Neteyam didn’t stop, the low growls coming from deep inside of him. Y/n started crying the moment she saw the bloody state the other Na’vi was in. Neteyam stopped the moment he heard her sobs.

He got up and got close to her kneeling down. “I’m so sorry baby, didn’t mean to scare you” he said, hugging her, some of the blood painting her body as well. “Please, please, don’t cry” he said, his own eyes watering and his lip quivering.

“Please, baby, look at me” his pleadings weren’t heard, Y/n was not only mad, but scared. She looked at his as if she was seeing a demon. “Get away from me!” She hollered, her own hisses scarring Neteyam. “But I was protecting you” he cried, lowering more onto the floor. She got away from him, trying to pry him away. He cried, he whimpered and tried in all ways possible to get a hold of her. He was uncontrollable, like a baby crying and wailing for his mother. He reached for her and used all his force to get to her.

She couldn’t resist it. Seeing him crying so hard made her feel bad, until she saw the other boy almost unconscious. But he had already reached her. She couldn’t react fast enough to stop him form connecting both braids together. “There” he said crying. “Now that we are mated before Eywa in the tree of our ancestors, you are mine and I am yours” he cuddled her, even when she tried to get away form his grasp.

“You belong with me now” Neteyam’s voice softened little by little, his body jerking while he was catching his breath. Y/n looked around dumbfounded. What had just happened?

[staytinyville]

Who's Your Daddy?

Part of the Give Some Sugar Event brought to you by @wonderlandnet ! Check out the other amazing stories!

↣ Summary: You had been giving Yunho a hard time just to rile him up. While on Idol Radio to promote your group’s new album, fans began to see just the kind of relationship you had with ATEEZ's own golden retriever. Spoiler Alert! He doesn't act like one in bed. 

↣ Characters/Pairing: Yunho x afab!reader

↣ Genre: Mature (MDNI)

↣ AU/Trope info: idol!au, idol!reader, 

↣ Warnings: mean dom!Yunho, bratty!reader, degradation, 

↣ Word Count: 2.3k

↣ A/N: I imagine this whole thing to be part of my made up universe with a girl group that is part of KQ. Honestly if you guys love them and all I am more than happy to create their own masterlist with imagines that cater to them. I also have so much lore for them too! I would love to answer questions if you guys have any!

Staytinyville’s Permanent Taglist

↣ Affiliates: @wonderlandnet , @cultofdionysusnet , @pirateeznet , @cromernet

↣ Special Thanks: Thank you @saradika-graphics for the amazing banners! Please go check her out if you have specific banners in mind. She is great!

The large smile on your face hadn’t left since the moment you had stepped into the studio with your bandmates and the hosts. Idol Radio was something you had always enjoyed being on because you got the chance of speaking a bit more freely with a fellow idol while also talking about things you enjoyed. 

This season called for labelmates Yunho and Hongjoong to be the hosts–which you were so excited to be part of. You always loved doing things with any of the ATEEZ boys along with your other members. 

You had been a trainee alongside them, having joined before Yunho and starting the girl group, Luuz, within KQ Entertainment. While your group had debuted a year after them, you had still grown very close for being in such a small company. You all worked well together and it was something the fans were quick to catch on. 

Hongjoong and Yunho were talking about certain topics that the fans would bring up on Idol Radio social media, which led to the one you were currently having. 

“Something that you guys do is express your love languages a lot throughout your little shows and all those.” Hongjoong spoke up, looking over at Yunho who nodded his head. “It's something that you do with everyone including us.” He explained looking back over at you and your two other members. 

You sat closest to Hongjoong, swinging back and forth on the swivel chair. The oldest member followed you, seated in the middle. And your youngest member was stationed at the end. 

“We appreciate that a lot.” Hongjoong added, making you smile wider. 

“Oh yeah.” The oldest member spoke up first. “We each have different kinds for both giving and receiving.” She explained. “I really like when people give me their time but I really love giving words of affirmation.” She told the boys wanting to clear out what kind of person she was. 

“I am a huge person when it comes to gift receiving.” The youngest laughed. “It sounds so bad but I swear it can be anything. A little girl once gave me a painted rock and to this day it’s in my room.” She continued her story. “For giving, I am the kind of person who tends to do acts of service.”

“With us, I feel how close we are and how well we get along those are just the kinds of things we do.” You turned to Hongjoong. “Just like how you guys all are so close, that is how we are. It’s common for us to do those kinds of things.”

“With how you are, how can we not?” Your oldest member laughed. 

You were the only extrovert in the group. While the others were quiet and a bit more reserved, you were the one who brought them out of the shells. A lot of fans tended to compare you to Wooyoung or Yunho, but you were just the kind of person who took charge of a lot of things. That was why you were the leader. If you hadn’t demanded things, you weren’t sure if your group would even be a group. 

You giggled hiding your face from the red blush blooming hearing the coos from the fans outside. “Personally, my love language is words of affirmation.” You added into the conversation. “And I enjoy gift giving.” You finished. 

“With how you are I would assume it was physical touch.” Hongjoong snorted, causing Yunho to laugh in agreement. 

“Are you kidding me?” The youngest butted in. “(Y/N), loves getting attention of any kind. She is almost always asking for physical touch.” She expressed. 

“She does!” The oldest cackled. “She is always asking someone for a hug or to hold hands. She's so cute about it!”

Your face began to grow even more red, causing you to finally cover it with both hands. You began to laugh out in embarrassment which only made everyone else awed at how cute you were being. Your older member poked at your cheek as she awed and Hongjoong laughed loudly. 

“We pass by in the hallways of KQ and she has to stop us with a handshake or high five or a full on hug.” Hongjoong expressed. “Like we have places to be!” He giggled, poking fun at you. 

“Ya!” Your youngest shouted pointing at Hongjoong. “She does do that!”

“I saw her for the first time just not ask for that with Yunho the other day.” The oldest member confessed. “All she gave him was a hi.”

You sucked in a breath as a smile quickly overtook your lips. You kept your head down, pressing your lips together to keep from saying anything as you looked over at the tall man. He raised his eyebrow at you, tilting his head to the side in challenge. 

“She did do that.” Yunho licked his lips, giving you a pointed look. “Very sad to not get a hug.”

“It was a cheery hello.” You spoke up, hands in your lap as you straighten your back. 

“Sure.” Yunho tongued at his cheek, looking away from you. 

You watched how his hands tapped at the table, veins popping out. Your shoulders dropped as you kept your eyes on them, zoning out for just a moment. You smacked your lips looking back up when Hongjoong switched the topic of conversation. 

The rest of the radio show went easy and quickly. The group got to do a little dance for the title track on your latest album which meant getting Yunho and Hongjoong to join. Everytime Yunho would step closer to you, you would move to the other side, giggling when you would skip over. 

You kept your hands behind your back the whole time when you weren’t doing anything, rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet. Each time you would catch Yunho’s gaze you would see him poke at his cheek with his tongue and his eyes give you warning looks. It made shivers go down your spine when you took in the kind of energy he was giving you. 

“You guys are going back on tour this coming fall, right?” Yunho asked, looking at your other members. 

You glared for a split second, pouting just a bit before turning to your members. 

“Yes, we had a bit of a break before going to America to continue our Kings and Queens tour. From there we will be traveling to Europe, which should be fun.” The oldest shared. 

You guys talked a little bit about what touring was like for each of you and how different it was to ATEEZ schedule and tour. 

When the break came up, you and the girls would wave at the fans for a moment, reading over their signs and giving them kisses and hearts. Hongjoong and Yunho separated from the three of you, going over to the snack table where they had requested specific ones just for your groups. They knew what kind of things you liked so they decided to ask for those kinds of snacks. 

You moved along the window, standing next to Yunho as you tried to look around him for what they had. 

“Here.” Yunho said, handing you a bag of grapes.

Your eyes went wide and a large grin spread across your face as you took in the fruit. Just as you were about to reach out for them, Yunho was quick to swipe them out of your reach, causing you to pout. 

“Yunho.” You whined, trying to reach out again. But he was quicker, taking a step back as he laughed to keep the facade that you were just messing around. He hid the grapes behind his back, looking at you expectantly. 

“What do you say?” He asked, raising his brow as he looked at you with a demanding expression. 

You rolled your eyes playfully, sticking your bottom lip out as you frowned. Yunho gave you the bag of grapes when the staff began to go back to their seats and were about to ask you all to return back to the radio. Your smile returned to your face as you ripped the plastic open and popped a grape into your mouth. 

“You want words of affirmation?” Yunho whispered in your ear as he passed you. “Then earn them.”

*****

You laid on your back as quick pants were flowing out of your mouth. You were mewling, arching your body off the bed as Yunho laid kisses against your neck to rile you up. Your hands were tied to the bedpost with some tie he had laying around the room. Your hands were clenched in fists as the need to reach out for Yunho became too much. 

But you knew why you were in the position you were in. You had warranted it. 

“Want to be praised?” Yunho scoffed against your skin, hands trailing ticklishly along the length of your raised arms. “Not when you act like that.” He leaned up off of you, hands roughly following down your body as they applied harsh pressure which made you moan out and try to follow after them. 

“What did you think you were going to get?” He asked, sitting on his knees as his chest was on display for you to see. 

He mockingly pouted, eyes looking down at your legs that were clenched together as you wiggled around to get friction on your wet core. He almost laughed at how you wiggled about, knowing you weren’t going to get anything out of your restlessness. He splayed his fingers on your thigh, holding it down in place. 

“Or is it that you want to be degraded?” He taunted, finger digging into the flesh of your thigh. “That’s what the brat wants?” He suddenly leaned forward, getting a gasp from you as you tried to move your head back from him. 

“She likes when I call her a slut.” He mocked. 

“No, I don’t.” You panted, moving your legs so that you could feel Yunho’s skin on your thighs at least. “Only good girl.” You whined, closing your eyes as Yunho’s large hand found purchase on your neck. 

His fingers were long enough to not only cover the entirety of your throat, but to also reach up into your chin and cheeks. He dug the pads on his fingers into the flesh, shaking your head back and forth lightly.

“Not mine, that's for sure.” He scoffed, lightly shoving your head to the side as his fingers dug into your chubby cheeks. 

“No!” You cried out when he moved away again. “Only Yunho’s good girl.” You babbled, trying to push him back into your hips to get some stimulation. 

“No, no.” He got off the bed, moving to your side. “I haven’t seen her. Only a brat who likes to rile me up.” He tsked, shrugging to himself as he began to move about the room, leaving you to wither alone. 

“Please.” You whined, pulling at the tie. 

Your feet planted themselves onto the bed, hips thrusting forward as you clenched your legs together to ease the ache between them. 

“Please what?” Yunho asked from the end of the bed. “You can use your words now.” He leaned over, grabbing your ankles before quickly shoving them back down the bed, stretching you out. He opened them further, keeping you from finding relief. 

“Do it.” He demanded. 

“Please, fuck me.” You pathetically whimpered, knees knocking together. 

“Think I will?” He climbed back up the bed, getting between your legs. “With how you’ve been acting?” He scoffed. 

“You got a lot of learning to do.” He shook his head, brushing hair away from your face as he kissed your cheek in a way that left you crying for more. 

“Pretty baby doesn’t know how to act to get my attention.” He kept up his act. “Hm? Act like a brat and think things will go the way you want?” He rhetorically asked you. “You know I like things to go my way.” 

He finally moved to be situated between your legs, his cock settled between your lips and head nudging at your clit. He grabbed your cheeks in one hand, making you face him as tears began to pool at your lashlines. 

He smiled cruelly at the look on your face. Your eyes were completely unfocused, mouth dry from how you were breathing through it with your whines and pants. With his fingers along your cheeks, he squished them together getting your mouth to form an o shape. 

You cried out when he roughly spit into it, jaw closing on instinct to swallow what he had given you. Yunho’s eyes almost rolled to the back of his head when he saw your tongue roll out for more. But he only groaned to himself, shutting his eyes for a moment to get back to his plan ahead. 

“Want to be a good girl?” He told you. “Then let's see how many times you can cum until I'm satisfied.”

*****

You played with the mic for a moment, watching as your members waved at the fans who attended soundcheck. You smiled at the ones on your side, swinging your mic around as you hummed songs. A large and colorful sign caught your attention, making you squint to read it. You crouched for a moment, making a face as you read it. 

The fans started to scream louder, swinging their signs around to see which one you were reading. You began to laugh as the question registered in your head, coming to a stand. You licked your lips reading it over again.  

(Y/N), Who's your daddy?

A large grin spread across your face, teeth shining as you thought about how to answer. With a mischievous look you raised one arm and placed the other across your belt. Knowing the dance by heart you moved your hips from side to side, singing along to Illusion as you danced the way Yunho did. 

You laughed wildly when the fans screamed and began to sing Illusion. But you gave the fan with the sign a wink, making them gasp and scream even louder as they jumped up and down. You just knew you were going to see it on social media later. 

Permanent Taglist: @hecateslittlewitchling , @ldysmfrst , @rln-byg , @vampcharxter , @angieskzzzz , @puppyminnnie , @smilingtokki , @emtrades22 , @tinyelfperson

[hotdilfs11]

.　　. 　 ˚　. Have we got our lines crossed? - Don’t waste my time, Victor Lundberg

✩ parings. (blk!reader x Rio)

✩ summary. Valarie was secretly a gang leader, and no one knew about it; however, she retired due to the FBI following her around for the past five years. Rio is a gang leader that her best friends work for; however, he has feelings for Valarie, but she doesn't really have them for Rio. Is she going to fall in love with him, or will they be at war?

✩ warnings. cursing, threats

.　　. 　 ˚　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　. 　 ˚　.

Beth's house-

A guy named Rio showed up at Beth's house, threatening all of us because of the money we took from the grocery store. I mean, I would too since we took over half a million, but it is what it is. We honestly didn’t know that he owned the grocery store or had ties with them, but I guess he did. Rio has a tattooed eagle on his neck and a buzz cut. He has warm, hickory eyes full of mystery, dominance, and a touch of familiarity that gave me comfort and excitement. He came in with three other guys. They all had a big build with tattoos and were wearing all black. Rio was also wearing black, but he was shorter than the other guys that were surrounding him; however, his body gave off a sense of security and self-confidence, making the three other guys look weak. His face contorted with rage, and his body was tensed up while he slowly paced throughout the kitchen as he made heavy eye contact with all four of us. His thick, husky voice echoed through the house as he made this short speech about getting his money back. I toned out half of it because I had made that speech a hundred times to people, but it sounded way better. We were all standing in the kitchen, surrounded by the guys he was with. Beth, Ruby, and Annie were all in tears, pleading for their lives, but I looked at him with a deceiving glare, not giving a crap about what he was saying. He was boring me, and I think he noticed that when he looked at me. He paused for a minute, and a heavy silence flooded the air. His eyebrows furrowed as he started walking slowly towards me. His jaw clenched up as his thick hazel eyes met mine in fury.

He wiped his mouth slowly as he got closer to me. "Oh, I’m sorry, am I boring you?” he said in a threatening voice. I looked up at him with an unbothered expression. "Nah, carry on, though,” I responded to him in a nonchalant tone. He started getting closer and closer to me, and my body started to tense up. I stood up straight as I kept eye contact with him, not giving him any satisfaction, but all he could do was give me a grim smirk. He chuckled. "So... you think this is funny, huh?"

I took a step towards him and looked up at him with a blissful smirk growing on my face. "Yeah, I actually do.” I paused. "Rio, right?"

I could see the anger on his face grow heavier by the minute when those words spilled out of my mouth. However, all he could do was laugh. He backed away from me, turning his back away from all four of us. “So you bitches think it's some kind of joke, huh?"

"No, we don't,” Beth said in a sharp yet anxious manner, looking at me with a scared look on her face.

I shrug my shoulders. “I think it’s fucking hilarious,” as the crack of my heels echoed through the house as I took my first step on the cold, hickory floor towards him, catching Rio's attention. He turned around in a swift motion as his cold, hard eyes caressed over my body. I stand closer to him as my chest brushes over his, feeling his body heat bounce off him and onto mine. Rio hovers over me and chuckles softly, breaking eye contact with me for a minute.

He looked back at me with a deceiving smirk on his face. “You got a lot of balls, ma; I like it.” He said it in a husky voice as he walked away from me and right out the door with everyone he brought

with him. I look over at him walking out with a smile painted on my face, amused by him even though it's a bad thing to feel like that but I did.

A months later:

Working with Rio has its ups and downs, but I’ve been through worse. My girls have been struggling with keeping up with the lies and guilt, especially my sister Ruby. All we're doing is spending fake money and turning it into real money, and I don’t know what's hard about that. They can’t keep up with any of this because of all the mistakes they're making, and I can't tell them because I don’t want them to know what I did in the past. Anyway, we almost got caught two times already, and it's kind of painful to watch, but I’m doing this for my girls and giving them what they need. It's not like I need the money I’m set for the rest of my life, but I know they don't, so I'd rather help them more than I ever did. They make their mistakes, and they’ll all move on from them, but this mistake was stupid as fuck even for them. And it's not even Ruby or Annie's fault; it's Beth's fault because she lets her emotions get the best of her. It’s been like that since I was a kid, and it’s not like the task was hard. It was just delivering trucks to a warehouse; however, Beth got pulled over, but she discovered that there was nothing in there, and the cop let her go. After that, she went to Rio, pissed him off, and threw the keys at his face. “What we had here is done; go home,” Rio said in a calm voice.

Now? I’m the one who has to get them out of it. We're in the kitchen as they tell me about the little plan they have for me.

“Please Val.” Ruby said it in an anxious voice. “You're the only one he has feelings for,” she announced quietly.

My eyes widened, and I looked up at Ruby, annoyed at what she just said. I lean against the counter, rolling my eyes. “The feels, Ruby, are you fucking kidding me?”

Annie sighs as her eyes furrow in worry. “I mean..." she says slowly as she anxiously plays with the sleeve of her shirt.

I turn my head towards her, letting out a soft chuckle. “So you guys all think that he..." They all slowly nodded their heads simultaneously, and I just looked at them in disbelief. I let out a frustrated sigh as they just all looked at me like lost puppies. “All you have to do is ask him to get us back in the loop; that's it." Beth announced softly, but all I could do was look at them with a dumbfounded look on my face. "Please,” Ruby begged. I looked into my sister's saddened eyes and sighed, "Fine, I’ll do it for god's sake, but if I get killed, I'm going to be pissed." They all had an innocent smile on their faces, and all I can do is roll my eyes at them.

Two days later:I stepped out of Beth's house, slamming the front door as I walked down her driveway towards a black Range Rover. I wore black jeans and a black fitted long-sleeve shirt. My black stilettos clacked against the rocky sidewalk as the illuminating car drew me closer to it, sending a bitter chill down my spine. A dash of excitement hit my body when I pulled the hasty black door handle, revealing Rio gazing over my body, looking up and down at me. I felt his strong pair of eyes still caressing my body after I got in the car

with him. I liked the feeling of him admiring me, but I’m here for business only. Rio lets out a soft chuckle, and being coy, he says, “You look so good today. Is this all for me, baby? Aww, you shouldn't have."

I roll my eyes and look at him with a judgmental glare. "Nah, I wore this for me, Rio. Now please drive.” I said as I turned my head away from him, looking out the window. I can still feel his eyes admiring me, but I didn’t pay any attention to him. He drove off after.

[bettyfrommars]

I'm on Fire

biker!Eddie x fem!artist!reader

Part 4

🚨MDNI, 18+Only, implied smut, eventual smut, angst, sexual tension, adult themes, alcohol consumption, cheating (not on reader), biker!Eddie, biker!Steve, mutual pining, slow burn, mention of violence, brief use of Y/N (again, sorry).

Word count: 6.8K

Series Masterlist

In part 4, you meet another one of Eddie's dear friends, Robin Buckley, and get invited to a barbecue. Eddie tries to cut ties with a messy part of his life as his feelings for you grow. Your time with Eddie gets cut short again when the darker elements of his lifestyle comes calling. I've purposely left out physical details about your roommate Katie, so that you can picture her however you want.

A/N: I am so honored by the enthusiasm some of you have shown for this, and please know I think about you all the time as I write it. Also, I've barely been posting here a month, and I'm always open to any tips or suggestions. Love to hear what you thought and what you'd like to see happen 👀

It’s a good thing Eddie left with Charlene because he didn’t have to see how tipsy you got, stumbling out to the car at the end of the night, shoes catching in the gravel, babbling to Jeff how much you loved him and how glad you were that he was your friend.

“Girl, you better tell me everything that went down,” Jeffery said as he got in behind the steering wheel and helped you snap your seat belt together, because your aim was awful. “What did Charlene say to you?”

In the 8 months that he’d known you, Jeff had never seen you like this. Sure, you had a bit of that eccentric, scatterbrained artist way about you, but you were always professional and, if something someone said ever got to you, you never let it show.

“Charlene WHO?” You asked, and then you laughed hysterically, tossing your head back against the seat, as if what you’d just said was the most hilarious thing ever.

Jeff coughed out a laugh, looking over at you, wishing he had a tape recorder to play this conversation back for you on Monday.

You took a drink from the water bottle in the console, swallowed a few times, and then told him the story, as best as you could remember it, as Jeff maneuvered the car out of the long country road and back to the freeway.

-----------

“Who was that girl you were talking to?” Charlene asked Eddie as they drove off into the night. They were in a sleek, black utility vehicle this time, complete with heated leather seats.

“A friend,” Eddie told her. Not to minimize the crush he had on you, but he didn’t know what else to call you. If you were someone he was dating, he would’ve said that, but whatever the two of you had barely qualified as anything yet.

She reached over to squeeze his leg right above the knee, and tried to slid her hand further up his thigh, but he pushed her away. “I’m not in the mood,” he grumbled.

“Well, I didn’t mean to break up your little romantic moment, or whatever it was,” Charlene shrugged and looked out her window to the cars passing by on the freeway. “I just didn’t want you to make a fool out of me in front of my friends.”

Eddie had his wrist high resting on the steering wheel and he looked over his arm at her. “You don’t own me, you know that, right?”

Charlene adjusted her skin tight dress and began to fidget with one of her gold bracelets. “I own the things I pay for, and you were supposed to be mine for the evening.”

Eddie worked his jaw in silence, realizing in at that exact moment that he was done being her little bitch. Her attention and the money had been flattering, and the sex had been exciting the first couple times, but he could barely stand to look at her anymore, no matter how gorgeous she was. The radio was on low (Head Like a Hole by NIN) and he wondered about what you’d asked him earlier, about why he never called. He should’ve called to thank you for the painting, that was true, but the days of the week started to blur together, and he never saw Steve to ask him for your digits. Plus, what would he say to you? He was admittedly more of a hands-on type of guy, and not great over the phone, but he was willing to step out of his comfort zone for you, if you needed him to.

“You’re coming in, right?” Charlene cooed, noticing that he wasn’t following her into the house after he parked the car in the garage.

Eddie shook his head, lighting a cigarette, about to head over to hop on his chopper that was hidden along the side of the house. “I told you, we’re not doing that anymore.”

In response, Charlene rolled her eyes and gave an exaggerated groan, digging in her purse to pull out a wad of cash. “Well, here then,” she shook the handful of hundreds at him. “Take your money. That’s all you care about, right?”

Eddie had to scoff. Money was all he cared about? Her manipulation techniques were first rate, he had to give her that.

He hollowed his cheeks to take a long pull off his smoke. “Nah, keep it,” he said on the exhale, a plume of white smoke exiting pursed lips, turning his back on her and flipping his collar up on his leather jacket. “Save it for your next bodyguard. I’m done.”

One of the garage doors was still open, but Charlene seemed to forget and raised her voice. “Eddie, wait! I’m sorry!”

Her voice seemed to echo through the entire street, but Eddie kept walking until he disappeared around the corner of the building.

“You can’t just walk away from me like this!” She added, but he was already revving his bike and shifting into gear.

----------

You’ve had a couple doozy hangovers in your day, but a red wine hangover? They were the god awful worst. You got up to hydrate and eat something early in the morning, and then you went back to bed.

Later on, you sat on the couch with some tea and your eyes half open and the hood to your sweatshirt over your head like a shroud while Katie told you how expertly Steve had rocked her world the night before. Apparently, before he fucked her 8 ways to Sunday, he took her to one of the new bars on the outskirts of town where a band was playing, and there were two of her old students there who recognized her.

After the show, she gave Steve road head, and then they ended up doing the dirty in the back seat of his car like teenagers.

“What is happening to me?” She asked you, feeling all sorts of sore and stretched out. “This is not how I saw myself acting at this age, but I can’t say I hate it. How was your night?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” you said with a shake of your head, the movement making your temples throb. “Tell me more about Steve. What’s his deal? Does he have family here or?”

Your mind kept flashing back to the look on Charlene’s face, and how sloppy you’d been in the car with Jeff, and it made you want to cringe and bury your face in your hands.

“He didn’t mention his parents, but he’s got a little kid. A son named Oliver,” she used the remote to change the channel on the TV, but the sound was on mute. “The mom isn’t in the picture anymore, though, I guess she split when he was just a baby.”

Your eyes snapped open to full awareness, recalling that Steve had similar eyes and hair coloring to Eddie, and you pictured the photo of that doe-eyed toddler taped to the dash of his tow truck.

“How old is he? Steve’s son, I mean?” You asked, the opportunity to put new pieces to the Eddie puzzle together snapping you out of your malaise.

“He just turned 5 last month,” Katie said through a yawn. “And you will never guess who Steve lives with,” she held her breath there for a few beats, suspended, waiting for you to pull a name out of the air without any hints. You couldn’t even begin to try; your brain was about as active as smashed peas.

After reading your vacant stare, Katie continued, bobbing her chin with each word, “Robin Fucking Buckley.”

Katie had been interested in both men and women since you’d known her, and Robin was a woman she’d met when she first moved to Hawkins after college, and had an instant crush on. The crush never went anywhere, though, because Robin was in a relationship at the time, and Katie had not yet come out as bisexual, so she wasn’t sure what to do about the feelings she was having, but you vividly remembered hearing how she gushed over her.

“They’ve been raising Oliver together,” she continued. “He told me about Robin after he and I had sex though, so then it made me feel weird and I didn’t tell him that I used to daydream about being with her.”

“I can’t believe what a small world it is here,” you mused, suddenly wishing the phone would ring, and that it would be Eddie, and he’d say, “I can’t stop thinking about you.” But, that didn’t sound like Eddie, did it? It was more likely for him to bring a spare tire by and mow your lawn while you were at work. Superficial words of adoration? You weren’t sure that was his thing.

“Are you planning on seeing Steve again?” You were curious for selfish reasons, because Steve was your only current link to Eddie.

“We talked about the fact that we’d rather this be a fuck buddy thing than something serious, but he did invite both of us to a barbecue they’re having at their house on Sunday.” She smoothed her lips together and stared at the carpet, her eyes getting glossy from not blinking. “I’m not sure how weird it would be for me to see Robin again, though. I really had it bad for her.”

Sunday was a day away, and you hoped that your hangover would be gone by then, because it didn’t feel like it was dissipating any time soon.

---------

The little boy with the thick head of wavy, golden brown hair screeched, “uncle Eddie!” as he ran toward him at full tilt, and then dove at his shin and wrapped is arms around his legs.

Eddie bent down to latch his hands under the tiny monster’s arms and swung him up in the air. “What’s going on, big man?” He adjusted the kid at his hip like it was second nature, like he was born to be Uncle Eddie.

Robin Buckley was just shutting the door to her car in the parking lot of Munson’s Garage and following behind Oliver at a stroll, grinning as she watched the two of them together. She pushed her sunglasses up into her blue-streaked hair, and the hoop piercings on her eyebrow and lip glinted in the sun. Eddie had just dismounted his bike and was taking his helmet off to hook it on one of the handlebars.

“Can you watch him for a bit?” Robin asked, her hands in her back pockets. She had on a Bikini Kill t-shirt on under a red and black flannel and holes in the knees of her jeans. “I have to run some errands, but Steve can pick him up in two hours.”

Eddie was actually just in the middle of rushing to several different places trying to get a project finished, and had a billion things on his mind, but Steve and Robin and Oliver always came first; they were his family.

“Oh I think I can manage that,” Eddie turned to Oliver, and Oliver put his hands on Eddie’s cheeks, smooshing them in a little. “What do you think, Ollie, wanna have some beers and play some poker with me?”

Oliver nodded, ecstatic, his mouth open.

“Ha ha,” Robin bent forward to brush some hair out of Oliver’s eyes and planted a kiss on his cheek before stepping back. “Maybe Uncle Eddie will make you some of those butter noodles you like.”

Oliver said, “airplane,” and Eddie scooped him on his belly with both arms so he was horizontal, and spun around in a circle a few times. Uncle Wayne saw them from the office window and was already headed over with his arms out.

Eddie lowered Oliver to his feet and said, “go say hi to uncle Wayne,” to which the boy took off as fast as his legs could carry him across the pavement. Eddie reveled at the joy on Wayne’s face as he bent down to hug the kid tight, and then took his hand to walk him back to the office. There was a TV in there with a bunch of cartoons on VHS just for Oliver, and some of the building blocks and toys he liked to play with.

“How is he?” Robin asked. Wayne was too far away to hear them, but she waved.

“Same,” Eddie cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the lump he felt there. “I don’t think the chemo is doing jack shit, but what the fuck do I know.”

Robin knew how much of a toll Wayne’s illness was taking on Eddie, but it made him uncomfortable to talk about it, so she didn’t push him.

“So, when are you coming to the barbecue tomorrow?” She asked as they made their way over to the shade of the awning just under Eddie’s apartment.

“Shit, that’s tomorrow?” Eddie frowned like he was working out a math problem, scratching the stubble on his jaw. “Why did I think it was next week?”

“Because dingus probably didn’t remind you like I told him to,” Robin dropped down into one of the plastic chairs with an ‘omph’. “There will be plenty of food, just bring some beer, or whatever alcohol you want to drink.”

Eddie sat down on the picnic table bench across from her, elbows on his knees. “I’ll bring beer and burgers, but I can’t drink that much for a couple days, Fight Night is next weekend.”

Robin dropped her shoulders and gave him a look. “Please tell me you’re not getting in the ring this time?”

“I have to,” Eddie shrugged, leaning back to plant his forearms onto the top of the picnic table, stretching his chest out. “I won the last one, remember? Winner always gets challenged.” He brushed something invisible off of the front of this work shirt. “But this will be my last fight for a while, Rob, I’ll forfeit if I have to.”

“Good,” she snorted her approval. “You and Steve are getting too old for this shit. We’re all getting too old for recreational activities that could possibly end up in broken bones and hospitalization.”

“No one is putting me in the hospital, I promise you,” he raised his eyebrow at her, confidentially.

Changing the subject, Robin shifted in her seat and narrowed her eyes. “What do you know about this chick that Steve has been talking to lately? You met her, right? Her name is Katie something.”

Eddie’s heart raced at the mention of Katie, but for other reasons. “Yeah, her and her friend saved our asses that night that we almost got pinched by the cops.”

“Okay,” Robin nodded. “What else do you know? Steve said you’d met her before?”

“What’s with all the questions? I don’t they’re as serious as---”

“Because, Edward, he went ahead and invited her to the barbecue, a complete stranger, without running it by me first. You know I don’t like Oliver to be exposed to every transient piece of ass he has a fling with, especially if they’re just another bar fly who tries to sneak a line of coke off the tank on our toilet like last time.”

Eddie knew she had a point; although Oliver wasn’t biologically hers, Robin had been helping to raise him since he was 7 months old, and she had turned into a fierce momma bear. He lost his train of thought for a second because if Katie was coming to the barbecue...then maybe….

“Earth to Eddie?” Robin clapped her hands together once.

“Yeah, sorry,” he shook his head as if to clear it. “First of all, she’s employed, she’s a teacher at the high school. English or Geometry or something.”

Alright, Robin liked the details so far. Dating a woman who had gainful employment was an improvement for Steve.

“I guess I sold her weed years ago, before I moved away, but I must’ve blacked a lot of that time out because I don’t remember her. I knew her brother Danny though, and he was a nice kid.”

Robin was biting her lip, drumming her fingers on the arm rest, taking in the information, and then she decided to change the subject, cocking her head. “What about you? Seeing any one special these days? Anyone you’d want to bring with you tomorrow?”

Eddie ran his fingers through his hair a couple times, pondering if he should tell her about you, but then decided against it. He didn’t want to answer a bunch of questions and, more importantly, he didn’t want to jinx anything.

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

It was one of those picture perfect days for a barbecue; the sun was out, but the temperature was mild, and all of the cherry blossom trees along the street were blooming. Steve and Robin’s house was located in a neighborhood that had a reputation for being a sketchy, but the yards were all well kept with little gardens. The house itself was Easter egg blue with white trim, a front square of lawn that was neatly edged and mowed, and then a driveway along the side that led to the back patio. There were three motorcycles parked on the street among the other cars, as well as that black Chevelle you saw at the garage.

“He’s here,” you breathed, balancing three dishes of food in your lap as Katie turned the car off and you both looked around. “I know he’s here. Wait, please take me back home.”

“Forget it,” Katie laughed. “We talked about this. The safe word is ‘pineapple’ if one of us is having a really awful or uncomfortable time.”

You tilted your head so that you could look up at the house. “What if he brought that Charlene lady?”

“Eddie might be a little oblivious at times, but I don’t think he’s an idiot,” Katie assured you. “Besides, that bitch does not want to catch these hands.”

“How well did you say you knew Robin?” You asked, stalling.

“We worked together when I had that warehouse job back in ‘89 or ‘90. We barely spoke ten sentences to each other, and exchanged a few goofy looks. I doubt she’ll even remember me.”

Oh, Robin remembered her, alright. You could tell by her face when she caught site of the two of you walking up the driveway from the living room window.

Robin gasped and ducked behind the curtain, pressing her back against the wall next to the bookshelf, out of sight.

“Steve!” She hissed, trying to get his attention in the kitchen, waving him over. He was bending down to grab another beer out of the refrigerator, talking to one of his buddies from the bar he bounced at from time to time.

He stopped what he was doing and came over with a look of concern on his face, his eyes scanning around for what might be bothering her.

“What is Katherine Clayton doing here?” She asked in a tense whisper.

Steve peeked around the curtain to catch a quick glimpse of who she was talking about, just as the two of you disappeared up the driveway around the corner of the house.

He was shaking is head, confused. “That’s Katie. What are you talking about?”

Robin’s eyes widened. “You had sex with Kathrine Clayton?” And then, as the realization sank in that Steve had done the deed with one of her long-standing secret crushes, she groaned and headed for the bathroom so that she could sit on the floor in there for a few minutes and regroup.

“Wait!” Steve whispered after her. “Please tell me you didn’t fuck her too?”

“I wish!” Robin yelled, just as she shut the bathroom door and he heard it lock.

----------

Eddie was at the grill cleaning it off, his back to you, and your eyes locked on those unmistakable broad shoulders in a black t-shirt that had Megadeth tour dates half covered by his long hair, dark wash jeans cuffed at his boots, and a blue handkerchief hanging out of his back pocket. One knee bent out to the side; wallet chain draped over his thigh. Muscular triceps flexing under various colors of tattoo ink.

“Pineapple,” you said under your breath. A tape deck and two speakers were on the steps as music by Soundgarden blessed the event. You scanned the other 10 or so people there and didn’t see Steve, but another guest in one of the lawn chairs greeted you with a tilt of her beer.

The sound of the greeting made Eddie turn his head nonchalantly, but then once he saw it was you, he dropped what he was doing and spun around, wiping his hands on a rag as he went.

“Where should I put these?” You asked, referring to the stack of side dishes in your hands.

“Here, let me take them,” Eddie came over and bent down a bit to get his hands under what you were carrying, and his fingers fumbled on top of yours for a few seconds before the pass was complete, hard edges of his rings grazing the underside of your palm, both of you letting out a few goofy laughs. You had a low cut shirt on and you were delighted to find his gaze hovering on your cleavage more than once.

“This way,” he inclined his head for you to follow him over to a long table by the fence, his mouth kicking up on one side in a grin.

Steve’s head was still reeling over the fact that he accidentally slept with a girl that Robin had a crush on when he came out to welcome Katie with a hug and ask her what she wanted to drink. Steve was in full biker attire with his leather cut on over his t-shirt, leather pants, and his sunglasses on with his hair slicked back.

“Whatever you’re having,” Katie shrugged. “I’m easy. But, you already know that.” It was a joke, but under the circumstances, it made Steve feel worse. There were very few women on the earth that Robin admitted to having crushes on, and he managed to bury his cock inside of one. The sex had been fucking amazing, too, but he tried not to think about that.

Steve and Robin crossed paths as she was coming out and he was going in to get Katie a beer, and then Robin made her way over to greet her, trying not to let the disappointment read on her face.

“Long time no see,” Robin quipped, sliding a hand into the front pocket of her distressed, baggy denim.

“I can’t believe you remember me,” Katie balked, sincerely shocked.

“Whatever,” Robin looked down at the ground shyly and flexed her toes inside her Converse. “I used to use the water fountain on the other side of the warehouse just so I could get a glimpse of you in those daisy duke shorts you used to wear.”

Wait, Katie’s brain raced, was Robin insinuating that she used to have a crush on her too? That whole time??

“I know it’s been 6 years, but I still have the shorts,” Katie assured her, winking as she took a sip of her beer.

You were about to walk over to grab one of the folded chairs leaning up against the house, but Eddie told one of the guys to get up so that you could have his chair. You were about to protest, but the young dude with a full sleeve of tattoos popped to his feet and went to find another seat before you could get the words out of your mouth. Eddie wanted you to sit next to him, and that was that.

Eddie was still standing, about to ask you what he could get you to drink, when the screen door slammed open and a little dark haired boy came down the steps with Steve. “I’ll push you on the swings until uncle Wayne gets here,” Steve cooed in a very daddy voice.

“I owe Wayne big time for watching him tonight so that I could get drunk,” Robin said across the patio to Eddie.

“Are you kidding?” Eddie put his hand on your shoulder as he talked, casually showing ownership to everyone else at the party. “He loves hanging out with little big man.” You peeked at his ring-clad fingers that cupped your shoulder out of the corner of your eye and your stomach exploded with butterflies.

Oliver went over and hid behind Robin’s legs, and she introduced him to you and Katie. “He’s really shy around new people,” she said, tousling his hair. “But once he gets to know you, he’s a chatterbox.”

The little boy locked eyes with you curiously from behind Robin’s pant leg and continued to keep a silent watch on you until for the next 30 minutes until Wayne picked him up.

Everyone sat in an informal circle, and you were introduced to each person at the party, most of their names you forgot as soon as they were said to you. You found out that Steve was a tattoo artist, as well as being bouncer at a bar, and a couple of the guests worked with him and brought their significant others. One of the women was Robin’s ex, who she was still good friends with, and a woman she knew from the coffee shop she worked at. You also met one of Eddie’s bandmates Gareth, the only other original member, and his wife. You drank your first beer on an empty stomach and Steve encouraged you to tell your version of what happened that first night you all met at the Hideout. Eddie discouraged it, wanting to forget most of that night ever happened, but you continued. A few things you said made everyone laugh, and Eddie clapped his hand on top of yours at one point to squeeze it, giving you a wink and a little bitten-lip half-smile as he did so. You turned and met his eyes, the chemistry of your cosmic pull sparking little glints at the corners of your mouths; the unspoken hope of something new, something special.

When it was time to eat, Eddie asked you how you liked your burger, and when you told him you were a vegetarian, he startled you by clutching at his chest dramatically, pretending that you shot him in the heart, dropping his shoulder back. “Burgers are one of the things I do really, really well though,” you were sitting in the chair closest to him as he worked on the patties for everyone else.

“What are the other things you do well?” You were being coy, feeling a slight buzz as you sipped your second beer.

He looked at you over his shoulder and playfully raised his eyebrows a few times. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Eddie was having a hard time restraining himself from not bending down to kiss you with how adorable and flirty you were being. The only thing stopping him, besides not being sure you even wanted him to kiss you, was the fact that every single relationship he’d had with a woman for many years had been purely sexual, and things always escalated quickly. He was tired of sticking his cock in warm bodies he barely knew. Or worse yet, warm bodies he had grown to despise, like Charlene. He was tired of riding this hardcore persona every minute of every day. He wanted you to see the geeky side of him, the devoted, adoring side of him that he never let out of the bag because he didn’t trust himself to be vulnerable.

“Will you look at that,” Robin whispered to Katie who was in the chair to her. Her eyes were trained across the way at how close in proximity Eddie and you were. You were both making each other laugh, sneaking in whatever opportunity you could to touch each other, if only a brush of the elbows. “Did you know about this?”

Katie leaned over in her chair, putting her head to her shoulder. “It’s been brewing for a couple weeks now,” she told Robin. “Y/N has had a really rough couple years. She hasn’t shown interest in anyone since she moved here.”

“How come I’m always the last to know these things?” Robin asked, indulging herself with a deep inhale of the cinnamon spice smell of Katie’s hair, and then she turned to look at her, and the two of them shared this moment when their faces were extremely close in proximity for a heartbeat before they both jumped apart.

Just as the sun was starting to set, they lit the scattered tiki torches and the hard alcohol came out. Robin was the first one to throw back a shot, followed by Steve and Katie. The crowd thinned out by half, and you walked over to talk to Katie and grab a can of beer. He came over as you were about to pull the tab open and he stopped you, holding out his hand.

“Shotgun one with me?” He asked, his cheeks rosy, and his full pink lips inviting.

“Yasssss,” Robin overheard and stood up to get her own can with a hop in her step. “Steve! Shotgun with me!” Robin was definitely feeling the alcohol, and it was a happy sight for Steve because his best friend worked tirelessly every day to take care of him and Oliver and to keep their lives organized. He’d be running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to raise Oliver and work two jobs if not for her.

You looked around, and then down at Katie, who shrugged her shoulders.

“I’ve never...I don’t know how,” you laughed, hoping he wouldn’t think you were super lame.

Eddie winked, “I’ll teach you, Princess,” and then he held up the beer in his hand and explained how to hold it as he used the metal teeth from one of his keys to punch a small hole in the aluminum, and some of the beer misted his neck.

You watched how Steve shotgunned his, and you hoped it didn’t activate your gag reflex in some embarrassing way.

Standing in the grass behind where Robin and Katie’s chairs were, Eddie kept eye contact with you as he brought the punctured hole in the can to his mouth, lips wrapping around, and then he tilted his head back and flipped the tab so that the liquid went shooting down into his throat. You watched his Adam’s apple jerk up and down as he swallowed, some beer seeping out the corner of his mouth.

He made a refreshing ‘Ahhhhhh’ sound when he was done, and then he took your beer can to puncture it in the same way.

“Ready?” He asked. You weren’t, but you said yes anyway, liking the way his mouth kinda hung open, waiting for your answer.

He took hold of the back of your neck as he brought the can to your mouth, careful not to spill any of it on you. After a preemptive, nervous swallow, your hand replaced his on the can and you closed your eyes tight just as you flipped the tab and it hissed, shooting the cool liquid right over the back of your tongue and into your throat.

Some of it came out of your nose as you bent over to cough, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand, snorting at how it tickled in your nostrils. With his hand still clutching the back of your neck, Eddie pulled you close and said, “good girl,” in your ear in a low octave that made your pussy twitch.

Once your coughing spasm was over, you tilted your head up, and suddenly his fingers were cupping under your chin, his thumb swiping from the corner of your mouth over your bottom lip to catch a drop of beer left there.

It hadn’t meant to be a sexual gesture, one that made the blood run to his cock, but it became so in the time it took for his thumb to make it from one side of your mouth to the other, and one of your hands went to rest on his waist.

A few feet away from you, Steve screamed, “bullshit!” and the group broke into laughter at something Robin said.

Stolen from his reverie by the jolt of reality, Eddie lowered his hand from your face and dropped his chin to his chest. “I’m sorry about the other night,” he said, gnawing a few tiny bites on his lower lip. “The whole thing that happened at the art show.”

“You don’t have to be sorry,” you told him, sincerely, moving your hand from his waist to crook your finger into one of his front belt loops.

When his eyes lifted to yours, it was from under his lashes and his heart swelled up a bit at the way you were looking at him, like he really hadn’t done anything wrong. He felt like maybe, if you could forgive him for some of the things he’d done, then perhaps he could forgive himself.

“I don’t work for her anymore,” he confessed, crushing his can flat on his leg with a violent crunch, and then taking yours to do the same, before tossing them in a pile with the others. “I quit.”

The joy it made you feel probably widened your eyes a bit, but you tried to contain any visual tells as best you could. “It’s probably for the best.”

Inside, the phone started ringing. Robin had to turn the music down to make sure it wasn’t her mind playing tricks on her. Normally, they’d just let it ring, but with Oliver at Wayne’s, Steve ran inside to pick it up.

“So,” Eddie took a deep breath and took hold of your forearm, working along with finger stokes you might use on a guitar. “Have you ever been on a motorcycle before?”

You were hanging on his every word, but just then Steve leaned out from the screen door. “Eddie! Phone for you.”

Eddie made a face. “Is it Wayne?”

Steve shook his head. “I have no idea who it is, man. She just said it was urgent.”

She.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” Eddie gave your arm one final squeeze. “Don’t disappear on me.”

You watched him go into the house, and then you turned to look at Katie who was taking another shot with Robin and another guest, and you realized that you needed to keep your wits about you because you would be the one driving Katie’s car home, and it had been a while since you’d operated a stick shift.

There was an open window to the kitchen on the side of the house, and you made sure no one was looking before you made your way over there to creep up beneath it and see if you could eavesdrop on what the phone call was about.

“How did you get this number?” Eddie barked into the receiver after he picked it up and found out who it was. The person on the other end said a few things, and then he added. “Don’t ever call here again.”

Robin turned the music up and some of what he was saying was drowned out, but you kept getting bits and piece as you strained with your ear just below the window. “….you need to stop….stop acting like it was more than fucking….go spend time with your husband….”

But then he was in the middle of saying something else when he got cut off abruptly, as if the other person hung up. Eddie slammed the phone onto the cradle of the receiver with a curse and it made you jump. After only a couple seconds, the phone shrilled again, and he picked it up before the first ring could finish.

“WHAT DID I TELL YOU?” he growled through gritted teeth, frustration burning in his chest.

But then, his tone changed, “oh, hey, sorry Bones. I thought you were someone else. What’s up? Yeah, Steve’s here he’s busy….this is Eddie…..how much…..yeah I’ll be there….”

You heard the phone click back onto the receiver again, gentle this time, and you came around to find Robin and her friends belting out the lyrics to Jealousy by Gin Blossoms as it played on the stereo.

“Tomorrow we can drive around this town and let the cops chase us around...

the past is gone, but something might be found to take its place….”

What the fuck happened to this night? Eddie wondered to himself as he stood just inside the kitchen with his back to the door, clenching his fingers into white knuckled fists, trying to calm himself down. He had finally worked up the nerve to ask you on a proper date and every single ghost from his past had to come back to bite him in the ass. First Charlene, who was threatening to show up at his place, and now a favor for the Coffin Kings. Not a favor out of the goodness of his heart, of course, he would be getting paid a decent amount, but still---horrible timing. He snatched his leather jacket off the hook in the alcove near the back door and puffed his cheeks out on a heavy exhale loaded with emotional exhaustion.

“Bones just called,” Eddie told Steve as he jumped down from the porch stairs and started punching his arms into the sleeves of his leather. “They need some last minute extra protection for that run they’re doing tonight, and I told him I would.”

“Shit, I’ll go too,” Steve told him, putting his half empty beer down on his chair. “Are they paying the same as last time?”

Eddie was buttoning his cuff, but his eyes shifted to Robin form under the curtain of his bangs; she was standing behind Steve shaking her head. “It’s just me tonight, man. You stay here with your family.” Also, Steve was clearly inebriated, and these runs with the Coffin Kings always had the potential to be dangerous work. Eddie promised Robin a few months ago that he’d keep him from taking part in them as much as he could. Not only did Eddie need the money, but he needed to blow some steam off.

After the interlude with Steve, Eddie’s eyes roamed until they landed on you, standing there talking to Robin’s ex, Stephanie. You felt the heat-seeking missiles of his warm wood stare and turned your head.

You blinked both of your eyes in a double wink, an endearing, bashful wink, and ….god...he wanted to rush over and pick you up, to feel you wrap your arms and legs around him, to nuzzle his face in your neck and carry you off somewhere.

Eddie flipped his collar as he walked over to where you were, standing half in the darkness of the driveway and half in the glow of the tiki torches around the lawn.

“Walk with me?” He asked, and then he stretched his fingers down, crawling across your palm to intertwine them with yours, watching your face the whole time to make sure it was okay.

He had long strides, so you had to trot down the pavement after him on the balls of your feet, clinging to his arm as you went. You could hear the party continue on behind you as you sucked the crisp air into your lungs and took in the leather and Old Spice and tobacco vanilla of Eddie’s scent. You felt so safe with him, the safest you’d felt in a long time.

Nothing could worry you except all of his little secrets, and wherever he was sneaking off to this late at night.

He let go of your hand so he could swing his leg over and mount his bike, and then he pulled his helmet from the handlebars, his eyes never leaving you. “I’m sorry to bail like this,” he shifted on his feet so that that the huge black bike with the airbrushed bats on the gas tank rocked the other way, enabling him to boot the heavy kick stand out of the way. “I’ll have to make it up to you one of these days.”

“I’d like that,” you said, watching him strap his matte black, bare bones helmet on. You didn’t know what he was about to go do but something compelled you to say, “be careful,” just as he revved the chopper to life, spitting out its fierce grumble like a mechanical dragon.

He thought about kissing you. If something happened to him on this run and he met his fate living on the knifes edge, he didn’t want to go with any regrets. But he lost his nerve and the moment slipped away, and then he was twisting his fists on the handlebars and backing the bike up into the shadows of the unlit street.

He lifted his fingers to you in one last wave as he went, sailing into the darkness, and eventually becoming it.

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Part 5

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taglist 💗: @unfocused81 @manicmagicmayhem @dream-a-little-nightmare @ms1oftheboys @tlclick73 @corrodedcoffincumslut @kelsiegrin @nope-thanks @falling-solar-system @lofaewrites

[mrswolffs-blog]

Daddy's Always Here: Lewis Hamilton X Black!Reader

NOTE: Lele is pronounced Lee-lee

The night is very cold as the time was approaching Christmas, so everyone had to be covered up to keep warm. Lewis was able to be at home during the week to spend some time with Y/n and his daughter, Leah Hamilton; however he had to leave for the last few races of the season. The little Hamilton was very sad that her daddy was leaving again, but promised to still cheer for him while he was on the track.

It was a couple of minutes after 8pm when Lewis returned back to the apartment that was given to him for his stay while in Barcelona as he had some extra things to go over. He decided that since he was lonely from leaving Roscoe at home, he would call to speak with his family. Lewis retrieved the telephone from his pocket and clicked on his Y/n's number to start the facetime; however after a the call was answered he was surprised to see his daughter instead of his wife. "Hi daddy, how are you?!" Asked the fully-energized toddler. "Hi baby, daddy's doing great. How are you and where is mommy?" Lewis asked confused to why his wife was nowhere in sight. "Mommy went to the kitchen to clean up the dishes. Should I give her the phone?" The smart baby asked as her father nodded his head yes.

Little footsteps could be heard until a voice broke out "Leah, you can't be running on the tiles with socks. You'll fall and hurt yourself" Y/n softly spoke to her daughter as she lifts her onto the counter. "Sorry mommy, daddy is on the phone and he wanted to see you" the toddler explains as she showed her mommy the phone. "Hi babe, you look tired. Why are you out in the cold?" Y/n questioned her husband. "Yeah, I'm a bit tired. Just got back from the track and thought I'd check in to see how my beautiful family is doing" Lewis answered causing Y/n to blush. "Well Sir Lewis, if I must have you know, your family is doing quite fine just sad because we miss you being here with us" She replied making a smile appear on his face.

"Daddy, when are you coming home?" Leah asked sadly as she took the phone from her mother's hand. "Why are you asking pumpkin?" Lewis asked suspiciously as she had never asked that particular question before. "I just wanna see you. You go away very quickly after coming home and we don't have enough time for bedtime stories or cuddles anymore cause you are never at home. Daddy, do you love me?" The toddler asked on the verge of tears, shocking both parents as the baby had never mentioned feeling this way before. "Of course I love you Lele, you're my daughter. As you know I have to work to be able to take care you and mommy so I'm away a lot which is why when I'm at home, I try to spend as much time with you as possible. Please don't doubt my love for you my baby. I love you with all my life" Lewis explained as his heart was breaking at the words he heard.

"Tell you what, daddy doesn't have work tomorrow so how about you both stay on the phone until you fall asleep. He can read you a bedtime story and you both can talk about your day at school and your drawings yeah?" Y/n suggested making the toddler become excited. Throughout the time, Leah showed her daddy some pictures she drew and painted in class as they spoke about the meanings behind them, then they talked about her new teddy that grandpa Anthony gave her and what she named it. Eventually things winded down as Leah was put into her crib with the phone because Lewis wanted to speak with his baby before she fell asleep. "Leah, I want to let you know that I love you very much and I know it's hard for you to understand now that I'm away most of the time but I promise you that you and your mommy are always on my mind. I wish I could take you with me everywhere I go but that is impossible due to you having school. I want you to know that no matter where in the world I am from home, my heart is always with you. Daddy will always be here ok?" He asked as he daughter nodded her head in response. They moved onto the bedtime story where Lewis read until Leah fell asleep when Y/n came to get the phone.

"She really needed that talk." Y/n said as she walked towards her bedroom. "Yeah I know. I'll be coming home on a three hours flight tomorrow for the Christmas break. So we'll be spending a lot of ime together with her alright?" Lewis responded as Y/n became excited to have her husband back home. "Yeah, I'll make sure to keep the secret. I love you Lew" Y/n said as Lewis replied "I love you too Y/n/n" before the call ended. This specific night, Lewis went to sleep feeling jittery at the mere thought of reuniting with his family.

[marlynnofmany]

Shore Leave

I didn’t think I was homesick until I caught the unexpected sound of a toddler’s wild laughter from the spaceship bridge. Out in the hall, I whipped around to stick my head through the door with some very unprofessional curiosity. That hadn’t been an alien noise.

Up on screen was our new client who the captain was negotiating with, and also the client’s young daughter. She’d apparently come into Daddy’s room to show the nice aliens on the video call her favorite noisemaker.

“Okay honey, they think it’s great. Go on back to—” the patient father was interrupted by an electronic fart sound on high volume, and even louder peals of laughter from his child. “I’m sorry,” he said to the captain as he scooped up the wiggly youngster and carried her out of frame.

Captain Sunlight waited patiently, every inch the dignified yellow lizard alien who wasn’t about to let someone’s gleeful offspring ruffle her calm.

The human came back, minus the child but with a new food smear on the shoulder of his crisp uniform shirt. Nobody told him. The conversation resumed with nary a giggle, and with me waiting in the hall.

“…By that timeframe or sooner,” Captain Sunlight concluded. “We can’t have your colony going without the comforts of home for long! Farewell.” She held her position as Wio flicked a button with one blue-ringed tentacle, and the screen clicked off.

“I volunteer,” I said.

A lesser captain might have twitched, but she probably knew I was there. “That saves me the trouble of finding you to ask,” she said smoothly, turning her chair. “It’s a big delivery, with multiple cases, so we’ll get a couple others to go along too.”

“Sure, sure,” I said. “I’m sure they’ll love to visit a human colony.”

“Though we won’t need too much lifting power,” she continued, “Because it’s a lower-gravity world.”

“Yay!” I said with an honest grin. “That’s even better.”

***

Getting the shipment down the ramp was surprisingly difficult, because the hoversled was calibrated for the artificial gravity inside our ship. Even with Mimi clinging to the control panel as it passed the barrier, the dang thing bounced.

I leaped to pull it down; Paint shrieked and leapt out of the way; Zhee yelled at both of us; Mimi cranked the controls and overcorrected, almost crushing my feet. I leapt back next to Paint, who had already stumbled in the low gravity and fallen on orange sand that was actually a decent match for her scales. I managed not to land on top of her.

“Got it,” Mimi grumbled in that rough voice that always seemed out of place on a guy who looked like an octopus the color of mint chip ice cream. He scrambled off the back of the sled. “Don’t touch the controls until you get back.”

“Understood,” Zhee said, clicking forward to follow the sled. He made the best exit of all of us, only springing upward a little. All those legs probably helped. Bug aliens weren’t known for tripping over their own feet — something that Zhee was insufferably smug about, and something that I would never let him live down if it actually happened. Not today, though.

The minor excitement had made it obvious that the air on this low-grav world was indeed as thin as the scans had said, and there was no point in toughing it out until we got indoors. The three of us got our feet under us and put on the vaguely-uncomfortable breathing masks, then began maneuvering the sled as a team. Really Zhee was doing all of the work while Paint and I held onto the sides and calibrated our own relationships with gravity, but we could pretend. And the long walk across the landing pad gave me a chance to take in the sights.

The landing pad itself was pretty boring; a couple silver-gray ships on one side and a wide stone building on the other. No sign of our contact yet, but the instructions had been to meet at the sun-shelter. So that’s where we went. At a hoppity-bouncy pace that probably would have looked very silly to any local humans if they were out to see us yet.

As we got closer to the big sun-shelter, I could better appreciate the way its shape seemed built to funnel cool air in and warm air out. Also the view off the cliff. I got a good look at that too, over the edges of the flat hilltop that the landing pad covered.

My first impression was: weird desert. Sandy hillsides in reds and oranges, with a sun that was just above those hills, and already hot. A bunch of alien trees scattered around that looked like they wanted to be cacti. They were almost familiar, as if they’d been designed by someone who only had third-hand descriptions of Earth plants to work with.

The low gravity let them get wild in ways that would collapse back home. The tallest ones spread up into the sky in cylinders that bent and quested out in every direction like curious snakes, but at a vast scale. Others spiraled straight up like unicorn horns, or twisted together like lumpy brains the size of a house, or feathered out like thick fan blades with fractal patterns. A couple were probably star-shaped if you cut a cross section, and the sides reached out to make dividers that were probably handy to hide behind in a sandstorm.

I was so busy looking at the cactus trees and trying to decide if they had spines or not that I was surprised when the hoversled stopped. We’d reached the shelter.

Zhee rapped on the door with his pincher arm. It was stone too, and would have hurt my knuckles.

Where is everybody? I thought, looking around at the sun-bright area. It sure is getting hot out.

The door slid wide to the welcome sight of another human, who immediately ushered us inside.

“Come come, bring it in!” she said, waving both hands and bounding aside. Her skin was dark and her clothes were drapey, and she seemed to consider the matter urgent. Given how much the top of my head was starting to cook, I didn’t blame her.

The door wasn’t big enough for the sled. So we unloaded it through the doorway, as quickly as possible, with me sliding close to the human and Zhee standing on the sled and Paint standing behind it to push boxes forward and comment that the extreme heat was kind of nice, actually.

But even she, coldblooded though she was, had to admit that shade was nicer by the time we got everything unloaded. She helped turn the hoversled on its side at the recommendation of the human, who still hadn’t introduced herself. Flipping it around was weirdly easy in the low-grav. Once we got even the sled inside the room — very spacious, that — the human closed the door and greeted us properly.

Yes, she was the contact we were supposed to meet. Taeya, how-do-you-do. Yes, the weather here did get shockingly hot quickly. No, it wouldn’t be pleasant to go back out into that, even for the short jaunt to the ship. Did we have to rush off, or was there time for a cooling beverage or two?

“There is!” I told her. “The captain said we have two hours of wiggle room in our schedule — usually there’s more, but we have some urgent deliveries — anyway, two hours, three tops, because she wanted to, uh, ‘give me time among my own herd.’” I made finger quotes.

Taeya beamed. “Then let me give you a tour! This stuff will keep; the people coming to unpack it won’t need any help from me. C’mon downstairs.”

“Downstairs?” I asked.

She hopped behind the boxes and disappeared, waving a hand to follow. “Downstairs!”

With a glance at the others, I moved forward and floated down the red stone stairs, one hopping step at a time.

And there I found civilization.

Stairs led to streets and storefronts and vast, cavernous halls, all carved out of the rock. It was built mostly around the edges of the mesa from what I could tell, a curving, circular city with lots of air flow that left the central core solid and untouched. It didn’t quite feel like home to me, but it was so impressive that I didn’t mind.

Every boulevard had high ceilings, and even high benches, out of the way of foot traffic. Most of the surfaces were either painted or carved. And everywhere I looked, humans bounced instead of walking — which did look silly no matter how they approached it.

With the drapey, flowing, colorful clothes that everyone wore, it all looked like a society of cheerful wizards. I laughed behind my breathing mask, then asked Taeya if she thought I could take it off. She wasn’t wearing one, but then her lungs were used to thin air.

“Oh yes, I should have said,” she told me with a wave of gold-and-red sleeves. “We have oxygen generators lower down, to keep things comfortable. Along with the top-notch medical suites for keeping an eye on any low-grav degradation. Offworlders tend to ask about that.” She had a distinct twinkle in her eye as she said it.

“How handy,” I said.

Zhee peered judgmentally at the lightfooted humans. “Is that how you handle muscle atrophy? With medical adjustments?”

“Partly,” Taeya said.

“Mushers!” Paint exclaimed at the same time, pointing.

I turned, looking for sled dogs and thinking back to the time Paint had gotten to ride a hoversled while I pulled. I saw no dogs now, but a cluster of rickshaws pulled by people huffing like suburban joggers. They didn’t bounce, weighted down as they were. And their passengers looked like workout buddies urging them on until they got their own turns.

“Partly things like that,” Taeya finished smoothly.

I removed my breathing mask, eyeing a nearby restaurant and a closer flower display, then took a deep lungful of body odor and broke up laughing. When the nearest passersby had moved on, hopefully toward showers, I explained to my nonhuman crewmates that sometimes our own natural smell was unpleasant to us, with insufficient hygiene. Surely I’d told them that before.

“Right, you did,” Zhee said. “I still say it’s a deeply maladaptive trait.”

“I won’t argue with you on that count,” I told him, trying to fan the air casually.

Thankfully the rest of the crowd sported a more pleasant range of scents, and we hopped on down the road.

Taeya had something else to show us before nightfall.

“Nightfall?” I asked with some concern. “We’ve only got two hours, less now. Probably closer to one.”

Taeya responded by making a sharp turn toward a row of window slits, just a few inches wide by several times my height. Outside, the sun was already getting low.

“Oh,” I said eloquently.

“It’s the perfect time to see the flitters come out,” Taeya said with another hand wave. “Come on.”

More bouncing steps, another beautiful hallway full of murals, and another curving stairway down. Then we were, surprisingly, outside.

A sprawling garden of alien succulents covered the ground, with low burrows that I noticed moments before brilliantly-colored creatures began scampering out of them. These took to the sky in flashes of movement, flitting about as the name suggested, for all the world like tiny flying carpets that had been ferrets once.

Paint wanted to know if they bit. Zhee asked if they were food. I shook my head while Taeya told them both no. They were a lovely sight, and that’s all they needed to be. Plus they ate some local pests. Always a bonus.

The air was getting chilly already, to my surprise. Taeya did something deft with her clothes, pinning the drapey bits in a way that looked suddenly much warmer, with all that cloth wrapped around her.

“If you were staying longer, I’d suggest you get a local outfit,” she told me.

I nodded. “If I was staying longer, I’d take you up on that. Looks like a good design.” Clever and foreign, in a way that looked like several familiar things at once while managing to be none of them. And certainly nothing I’d ever worn.

Staring up at the whirling flitters as the light left the sky, I felt oddly sad. So much of this was halfway familiar, not the whole-hearted taste of home that I’d hoped for. But before I could get too maudlin, Taeya waved us back toward the carved-out city.

“C’mon, back into the good air,” she said. “One last thing before we get you back up to your ship.”

I hopped quietly after her. Zhee muttered about the theoretical taste of flitter meat while Paint made stiff-legged lizard hops out of the nighttime chill.

We were only a little ways down this new hallway before I heard music.

I bounded faster.

The great hall that Taeya led us into was lined with people around the edges, standing in rows and sitting on ledges, their voices echoing as they sang toward the center. I spotted instruments at some of the higher seats. People at the bottom swayed in time.

I didn’t know the words. But I knew the sound. A crowd of humans singing together; it was a glorious thing.

This is what I’ve been missing, I thought, breathing deeply. The air here smelled like flowers and spices and laundry detergent, and it was full of the sound of home. A vast roomful of people singing the same song, voices rebounding off the walls and bodies moving in joy.

I glanced back at Zhee and Paint. They both looked a little baffled. I asked over the music, “Do your people do much singing?”

“A bit? I guess?” Paint said. “But not all together like this.”

Zhee shook his head. “Why would you use your voice for music?” he asked. “How barbaric.”

I laughed and turned to Taeya, who was happy to teach me the words. There was even a bit of dancing with the next song, and that was an adventure in low gravity. So was the next. Zhee and Paint patiently observed from the doorway.

Then when one song ended, and a fast drumbeat paved the way for the next, I was surprised to see a number of people vacate the dance floor. I started to do the same, ready to say something about getting to the ship on time.

I didn’t realize that Taeya had left until she returned. She appeared at my elbow with two padded helmets and a smile.

“We’ve moved on to quick-beat time!” she told me over the rising music. “Does your captain need you back right now, or can you stay long enough to try a low-grav mosh pit?”

Our two hours were up and I knew it. I looked to Zhee and Paint, who were close enough to hear the conversation. Paint was sitting on one of the head-height benches. She looked down at Zhee.

He turned his head away, which meant nothing with his range of vision. He harrumphed. “Don’t break anything the medsystem can’t fix.”  

“I’ll do my best!” I told him with a grin as I accepted a helmet. “Besides, I hear they have good ones here.”

Surrounded by a mix of old and new, I joined my people in the time-honored tradition of dancing more far vigorously than common sense dictated. The captain had said three hours tops. 

~~~

The ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book. More to come!