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navybrat817 · 10 months

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Sign the Dotted Line

Pairing: Sugar Daddy!Andy Barber x Female Reader Summary: You discuss the terms with Estelle and wait the week before seeing Andy again. Word Count: Over 3.5k Warnings: Slow burn, reader is broke (is that a warning?), sugar daddy offer, tension, slight insecurities, inner monologue, Andy Barber (he's a warning, okay?) Graphic talent and thanks: Banner - @sgt-seabass, Divider - @firefly-graphics , Header - yours truly A/N: Welcome back to my Terms and Conditions AU! Beta read by the lovely @whisperlullaby (thanks!), but any and all mistakes are my own. ❤️ Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog for new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

You had a hard time relaxing after your meeting with Andy. You couldn’t put your finger on why you were wound up. The discussion went well, even better than you expected. Andy wasn’t pushy considering the power he wielded, but also wasn’t a pushover when you questioned him or offered alternatives. He conducted himself the way you needed him to, both professionally and personally. If he hadn’t, you’d have a much harder time going along with his contact.

So why am I so restless?

Estelle, once again reminding you why she was one of the best friends a girl could have, stopped by your place with wine and pizza. “You were not about to tell me over the phone what happened. Once I get this passed out, dish.”

Your friend was unusually quiet as you gave her the rundown of the meeting and terms you agreed to. It meant a lot that she listened, but you expected her to chime in once or twice with her opinion as she refilled your glasses of wine. Was she thinking carefully about what to say or did she not have anything to add?

“I have three questions for you,” she said, drumming her manicured nails along her glass. “First, why didn’t you accept his higher offer for more money each month?”

There it is.

“Because it was an excessive amount of money considering he’s going to pay my bills and rent, along with getting me a new wardrobe AND a personal driver. Unless I’m going out with you or our friends, it doesn’t sound like I’m going to pay for anything.”

Saying it out loud made you shift uncomfortably in your chair. Everything you had was because you worked for it. Soon, you wouldn't even work at the diner. To think the next nine months you wouldn’t work? It didn't sound real.

It didn't sound like you.

“All I'm saying is you could’ve used that extra money for savings,” she pointed out with a raise of her glass. “Or to stock up on wine.”

You snorted a bit, taking a sip of your drink. “I’m still going to put money aside for savings, but the amount he’s going to spend taking care of me? It’s a lot.”

“Doesn’t sound like it’s much to him if he agreed so easily.”

“It’s a lot to me,” you said under your breath.

And I’m not about to take advantage of him.

Andy was going to take care of you like he promised. You had no doubt about that. The world he lived in, maybe it wouldn’t make much of a difference in his bank account to take on your debt for the next nine months. You weren’t going to push for more money when he was giving you the world and then some.

Estelle smiled into her glass. “I haven’t met the guy yet, but I think he likes you because you’re a good person. I mean, he wants you to have dinners with him so he can talk to you and to get to know you even more,” she said, leaning forward when you tried to look away. “Which brings me to my second question. How do you feel about the ‘no sex’ in the contract?”

Your stomach sank a bit, making you wonder if that was why you felt restless when you should’ve been happy. “Is it bad if I say it hurts my ego a little?”

It was irrational to have a bit of a bruised ego. Andy gave you an explanation as to why he didn’t add that clause and it made perfect sense. The fantasy that he wanted you still played out in your mind though. But what would wanting him lead you to? What did you have to offer him besides companionship?

“A little? Mine would’ve hurt a lot,” she joked, causing your face to fall more as your thoughts crushed you. “Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by that. Just because he doesn't have it in the contract doesn't mean he isn't attracted to you. Didn’t you say he complimented the dress, which we knew you looked hot in? And your smile?”

"He did,” you answered, heat creeping up your neck that had nothing to do with the wine. “But Andy is like a full course meal. What the hell am I?"

Estelle wadded up her napkin and threw it at your head, which you dodged. "So are you. If you don't believe me, at least consider yourself to be dessert or a fine wine," she said. You wouldn’t, but you weren’t about to tell her that. "And you know what? I respect the man a hell of a lot more for not adding anything sexual to the contract.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. You said if something happened, he wanted it to be natural or organic. He doesn’t want to take advantage of you. He wants to seduce you the old fashioned way. And I say let him. You can start by taking some of that money he gave you and buy some fancy lingerie.”

You finished your glasses, wondering what Andy liked. Did he like something simple and classic? What colors would get his attention? "I was going to pay you back for the dress and the shoes," you told her.

With a wrinkle of her nose, she snatched the bottle from the table "Those were a gift and I won't accept any money back," she said, pouring the rest of the wine into her glass. You figured that was what she'd say. "And because you offended me, no more wine for you."

"You’re the one who brought that bottle, so your rules," you reminded her as she shot you a look. "Okay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have offered to pay you back for my present."

Estelle nodded after a moment. "Good. That's good practice for when Andy buys you something just because and you try to pay him back."

You refrained from rolling your eyes, but she had a point. You would probably try to pack him back whether he wanted it or not. "Is it really paying him back if it's with his own money?"

She pretended to think it over before laughing. "Probably not," she said as you stood up to take your glass to the sink. "Hey, I didn't ask my third question."

"Fire when ready."

"Do you really want to give it a week when you have your mind made up?"

Estelle knew you all too well. Even if you hadn't told her from the start that you planned to sign the contract, she would've figured it out. "The time frame was his call."

While it did give you time to think it through, surely he had to get things in order, too. Like your new place. God, you couldn't believe you were going to move into his building.

"You could ask him to move up the date? Worst thing he could say is 'no'."

Maybe.

"Yeah," you said, going to sit back down with a huff. "Are you sure you don't mind being in the know of this? And having to keep it under wraps?"

"Are you kidding? It's an honor you asked me," she said, holding her head high with such confidence you had to smile. "I got your back."

"Thanks, Estelle," you said.

She waved her hand dismissively, but had a smile on her face. "Don't mention it."

"Okay. Now enough about me," you smiled. "Tell me about your day."

"Well," she smirked, tilting her head as she paused dramatically. "I may have found a guy for Wendy."

Your eyes lit up, happy you asked. Wendy was another friend of yours who hadn’t dated in awhile. "Tell me everything."

You managed to keep your focus on Estelle as she told you about the gorgeous guy she met in a coffee shop who was just Wendy’s type. You wondered how different things would've been had you and Andy met that way. Would it change your story? Would you be where you were now?

Staring at your phone when Estelle went to use the bathroom, you debated whether or not to text Andy. You just saw him earlier today and he had a business dinner. How desperate would you look asking him to move the contract date up?

"Fuck it," you muttered, snatching the device and quickly typing out a message. Communication was key. Like honesty.

"I don't want to wait a week, but I understand if we have to. I hope your dinner went well."

“BOO!” You nearly dropped your phone when Estelle smacked the couch behind you. "You messaged him, didn't you?"

"Yeah," you giggled, holding your chest to calm your pounding heart. "Told him I didn't want to wait a week, but understood if we had to."

"Hopefully he listens. Well, he will if he wants to get in your pants."

"Stop," you giggled as your phone went off, holding your breath as you read the message.

"I'd rather have dinner with you. And I understand you don’t want to wait, but what was it you said about anticipation?"

Using anticipation against me.

"Fine, Daddy."

The three dots popped up immediately as he typed. "You're teasing me, honey."

"Maybe. I'll see you in a week."

“Looking forward to it, but one more thing I forgot to mention. I’d like a witness for the contract signing.”

"Are you two sexting?" Estelle asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"No," you smiled.

Just called him 'Daddy'.

"But he's sticking it out for the week," you said, only a little disappointed. He did have to draw up a contract. “And we need a witness for the signing. I’d like it to be you.”

"Ooh. He's making you wait for it," she said, giving you a small smile. "Give me the time and date and I’ll be there."

“Thanks,” you smiled, sending Andy back a message. “Estelle volunteered.”

“Perfect.”

“One more week and he’s yours,” Estelle smiled.

"One more week."

It really was the longest week of your life to wait to see Andy again, but today was the day.

Your heart beat fast as you and Estelle went into the building and went through the motions with the security guard. You half expected Irene to tell you Andy didn’t have an appointment with you as you made your way to the office. It was silly to think he’d back out, but your nerves were getting the better of you. And why?

Because you hadn’t heard from Andy. Not once. You kept looking at the door expectantly during your shifts at the diner, only to be met with disappointment when he didn’t show. You also didn’t want to admit how many times you checked your phone to see if he reached out. The man had more important things to do than visit or text you.

“Cheer up,” Estelle told you in the elevator. You felt bad. You were sulking and you didn’t try to hide it. Part of that scared you because why did it matter that he had gone radio silent?

“You don’t think he changed his mind, do you?”

“No. He’s just a busy man. Get out of your head.”

“I’m trying,” you sighed.

You led Estelle to the office, expecting to see Irene. All you saw was an empty desk. The light above her chair was off, too. The double doors were shut. Maybe it was a sign. This was too good to be true.

Andy was too good to be true.

“There you are,” you heard as the double doors opened.

“Holy shit,” Estelle breathed, almost making you elbow her.

“Andy,” you said, not quite smiling when you caught sight of him. He didn’t have a blazer on and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up. “I was just-”

“Irene wasn’t feeling well, so I sent her home for the day. Come on in.”

“Can you give us a minute?” You asked your friend, who raised an eyebrow in response.

“Yeah. I’ll be here,” she said, taking a seat. Once Andy's back was turned, she mouthed, "Hot!"

Yeah, he is.

You clutched your bag a little tighter as you walked in, reminding yourself to breathe as Andy shut the door. “We’re still doing this?” You asked, your voice shaky.

“Of course, we are,” he said, pulling out the chair that you sat in a week before. “Why? Are you having second thoughts?”

“No. Truthfully, I thought you changed your mind.”

Andy paused before he took his seat. “I have no reason to back out. I offered and want this. I said I’d take care of you and I’m a man of my word. I’m happy to prove that to you if you don’t believe me,” he said, carefully looking you over as blood rushed to your cheeks. “What made you think I’d change my mind?”

You shook your head. “It’s silly.”

“It isn’t silly to me,” he said, sweeping his gaze over you once again. “You’re stiff, honey, and you’re barely looking me in the eye. What’s going on? What do I need to do to put you at ease?”

You swallowed a little. “It was a long week to think it over and I hadn’t heard from you. Because of that, I wasn’t sure if you maybe decided to change your mind,” you explained, lifting your eyes to meet his. You were met with concern and care. “Silly, right?”

“No, it isn’t,” he assured you, sliding a small packet across the table to give you a chance to look at the top page. It was the contact. He really put it together. “May I explain?”

“Of course,” you whispered.

He surprised you by moving his chair around the table so he was beside you instead of across from you. “First, I’m sorry my silence caused any doubt. That wasn’t my intention. I only wanted to give you time to think things through,” he said, his tone gentle as he tapped the contract with his finger. “Would I have this here if I wanted to change my mind?”

“No, I don’t think,” you said, feeling a bit small.

“Second,” he said, a small smile on his face as he took out his phone. “I was the last one to message you. Maybe I didn’t want to bombard you between work.”

You stared at his phone and realized he was right. The last thing he sent was “Perfect.” regarding Estelle was your witness. You never said anything else. God, you were an idiot.

“So you were waiting to hear back from me?” You tried to tease as his smile widened. It was a handsome look. “Okay. So. I may have let my nerves get the better of me. I’m sorry. I just really want this to work.”

It took a lot for you to say that, but there was no judgment from him as he placed his hand over yours.

“So do I, honey,” he said in a low voice. “For the record, you can message me whenever you want. It won’t bother me.”

“Ditto,” you said before you cringed.

Ditto? Really? So eloquent.

He chuckled as he handed you a pen, leaning in a bit closer and giving you a chance to catch that cologne of his you loved. You’d never be able to smell it again without thinking of him. “As long as you’re okay and ready, would you like to start?”

“Yes, I would,” you smiled, sparing him another glance. “Thank you, Andy.”

He didn’t have to put you at ease. He could’ve easily laughed you off as sounding clingy or desperate, but he soothed your nerves. You shouldn’t have expected anything less from an ex-lawyer and, what you believed to be, a good man.

“Of course,” he said, going to the door to get Estelle. “Come in. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” she said, smiling as she shook Andy’s hand. “Heard a lot about you.”

A pange of jealousy settled in your chest when Andy chuckled, making you look away. Estelle was the kind of woman Andy should be with. She belonged in his world. But she wouldn’t do anything. She was a good friend and knew you were at the very least attached to Andy.

I need to get a grip.

You had no idea why the voice in your head was being so cruel to you. First the assumption about Andy backing out and now this. It needed to stop.

“I appreciate you taking the time out of your schedule to be here. I realize there are some stigmas when it comes to contracts, so I want you to know I have her best interest at heart.”

“We’ll see about that, won’t we?” Estelle asked, winking at you as she sat down and squashing those nerves once more.

“I also have an NDA for you to sign,” Andy added as he took a seat again beside you and leveled your friend with a look. “I don’t really care what people say about me if word gets out. It won't make a difference. I won’t, however, have them slander her. So I’m trusting you to protect her.”

Estelle’s eyebrows shot up as did yours. Andy’s reputation meant a lot more than yours, yet it was you he was worried about. “You are so authoritative and bossy. No wonder you're in charge,” she said, grabbing a pen for herself. "I'll sign whatever you put in front of me."

“Okay then,” Andy smiled, tilting the paper so both of you could look together. “Let’s get started.”

Andy carefully read over each section, giving both you and Estelle a chance to object or stop him. Everything discussed was accounted for. The length of the contract, job, living arrangements, expenses, travel, he had it all. No red flags jumped out. Nothing of concern. You saw no reason to object when he stated everything as agreed.

“Any questions?” He asked, like he had after every portion.

“Back to the living arrangements,” Estelle said, pointing her pen at him. “I want to be there when she moves in.”

“You do?” You questioned with a look. “You hate moving.”

“Oh, I don’t plan on doing any of the heavy lifting,” she teased. She usually paid people for that. “But I insist on seeing your building and where she’s going to live. I may ask to see your place, too.”

His place? Why?

Andy appeared surprised by the request as well. “My place? Is that necessary?”

“If you plan on having her there, yes. I want to make sure it’s safe. I get that she’s your sugar baby once she signs the dotted line, but she’s my best friend. She was before she met you and she will be once this contract ends. You want to protect her? So do I.”

Andy hummed thoughtfully. “What do you think?” he asked you.

You would feel more comfortable with someone you trusted there. Not that you didn't trust Andy, but the situation wasn't normal and you understood Estelle’s insistence. Still, seeing his place? Was she being a bit nosy? Was she curious about the man?

She's looking out for me.

“I think that’s fine, all things considered,” you replied.

“Okay. You’ll be there when she moves in and you’re welcome to see my place,” Andy agreed.

“With me there,” you added. She had no reason to see Andy’s place all by herself.

“Duh,” Estelle smiled with a wave of her hand. “Proceed.”

Minutes later, Andy finished and signed the document when you didn't raise any concerns. He slid the last page in your direction and your hand trembled a bit as you went to sign. You caught a look of worry on Estelle’s face when you hesitated. You were so close.

“Honey?” Andy asked so softly you almost missed it.

“I said I’d take care of you and I’m a man of my word.”

With an exhale, you signed your name. This was it. For the next nine months, you’d belong to Andy. Well, in some ways.

Andy’s smile warmed your heart as he passed the sheet to Estelle. Her smile was bright enough to light up the room as she signed. She was thrilled for you.

And you allowed yourself to feel happy, too.

“You’re officially a sugar baby!” Estelle said, quickly signing the NDA as you and Andy exchanged a look. You wished you knew what he was thinking. “We need to celebrate.”

Andy cleared his throat. “Actually, I was kind of hoping I could steal her away for a bit after I make her a copy of this.”

“You were?” You and Estelle asked in unison.

“Yeah,” he smiled as he got to his feet. He practically towered over you where you sat. “I want to take you to the diner myself so you can turn in your notice. What do you say?”

You smiled as Estelle clapped her hands together. “Let’s go.”

After that, you could celebrate the next chapter in your life.

It's official! Here we go! Love and thanks for reading! ❤️

Masterlist ⚓ Andy Barber Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi

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topguncortez · 1 year

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The Professor | Epilogue

previous part | masterlist

synopsis: Jake surprises you with a trip back home for Christmas, and you just hope this family holiday goes better than the last time Jake took you home.

word count: 3.4k

warnings: age gap, power imbalance, mentions of smut, mentions of parental death, mentions of past break-ups.

It really didn’t feel like Christmas. You hadn’t ever felt really Christmas-y in years past, but this year, you really didn’t feel like it. Maybe it was because instead of seeing snow covered streets, you were looking up at palm trees. Or maybe it was because you weren’t at home, surrounded by the people you loved. For once, you were sad that you weren’t coming home from class to see Santa’s Village thrown up in your living room.

For the past two years, you had flown back to Boston to spend Christmas with Lucy and Zeke. She had graduated from Boston College with her degree in English and was teaching at a local high school. Her and Zeke had tied the knot in a small wedding ceremony with just a handful of people present. It was very Lucy-esq and you were happy to be there every step of the way for them. After the wedding, You and Mrs. McAndrew placed bets on how long it would be before Lucy got pregnant. You said it would be less than a year, and you weren’t surprised when she had called out back in March telling you that she was due sometime in January.

Pushing the door to your apartment open, you were met with Tybalt and Benvolio sitting on the kitchen counter like they always do when you come home. You felt like Tybalt was awfully lonely during the day, so you adopted the little orange tabby cat to keep him company.

“Hello my loves,” You said, setting your backpack down and picking up Benvolio, which caused Tybalt to meow at you, “Do you bite your thumb at me?” Tybalt simply jumped off the counter and stalked his way towards the living room. You kissed Benvolio’s head, before setting him down on the floor. You went over to the stack of mail that was sitting on the counter, and thumbed through the various bills and Christmas cards you had gotten. You noticed one from both Kathlene and Nancy. Amelia had sent hers out the first week of December, which was just a printed picture of her and her husband Link in the middle of Africa.

“Oh! You’re not supposed to be here,” You looked up from the Christmas cards and noticed Jake walking into the kitchen.

“Well, I live here. . .” You said but Jake shook his head, walking to you.

“Yes, I know,” He greeted you with a kiss, “But, I have a surprise for you, and I didn’t want you to see.”

“I kind of have PTSD from your surprises.”

“It’s not bad, I promise,” Jake said, “And I am sorry I didn’t have time to wrap it but. . .” He placed two tickets in front of you on the counter. Your eyes widened as you grabbed the tickets and looked at him.

“You bought plane tickets?”

“I did,” Jake nodded, “You were upset about Lucy and Zeke not being able to come here and worried that you wouldn’t be able to afford going back home. So I talked to my parents and said that I wouldn’t be coming home this year. I’m going back to Boston. . . with you.”

You smiled, and wrapped your arms around Jake’s neck, pulling him in for a kiss, “I gotta go pack,” You patted his chest before running off to your shared room.

Things with Jake had gone surprisingly well in the past two years. After he practically showed up on your doorstep, the two of you had talked about your relationship. It was as easy as breathing when he was around, and you had never felt more at home with someone (besides Zeke and Lucy) in your life. It felt like he was the missing piece to your puzzle, and he felt the same. He had put in his notice at Boston, and was in the process of selling his house to move out to California with you. Rooster and Bob thought maybe Jake had a stroke, cause he was never a man to just quit his job and move like that, but Jake Thomas Seresin was in love.

Jake originally was renting a small little apartment on the other side of town, but that only lasted about two weeks. He was spending most, if not all his time with you, so you just had him move in. It was easy for Jake to find a job with his accomplishments and recommendations. He was an undergrad english professor at Berkeley. You were still working hard and studying under Doctor Hoffman, who was a lot like Jake with her teaching methods. She wasn’t an easy professor, and didn’t let you just get by in her class with Bs and Cs, she expected As, and you were working hard to maintain such grades.

Jake’s mother never seemed to beg the two of you to come home for the holidays. The past two thanksgivings you and Jake had driven down to LA to spend with his sister Amelia (she, just like you, didn’t want to go home to Texas either) and then last Christmas was spent in California with Lucy and Zeke. Of course, Olivia Seresin wanted her son and his girlfriend to come home, but she understood it. She knew that both of them were scared to come home after everything that happened the last time.

— — —

It was like nothing had changed in Chestnut Hills. The streets were covered in white snow, it was ridiculously cold outside. You were happy to be home for the holidays, but man do you miss the warm California sun. Jake had told you he rented an AirBnB for Christmas, so the two of you could have some privacy and not infiltrate Zeke and Lucy, or Bob and Miranda’s houses. The house was actually not too far from where Jake’s old house was, and he made sure to drive by it. He chuckled seeing the snowmen in the front yard.

“Guess some kids live there now,” Jake said.

“Lots of room for them,” You smiled, and grabbed his hand.

“I know,” Jake kissed the back of your hand, and continued on driving to the house, “We gotta get a bigger place. No room in the apartment for kids.”

You were taken aback a bit. Jake hardly ever talked about kids with you, “I-I guess, yeah. A one bedroom apartment isn’t very suitable for children.”

“No,” Jake pulled the rental SUV into the driveway, “They need a yard, somewhere to run. You ever think about relocating when you’re done with the program?”

“It’s crossed my mind,” You nodded, getting out of the car. Jake waited for you in front of the car, and grabbed your hand, walking up the steps towards the door, “Where did all this baby talk come from?”

“Don’t know,” Jake shrugged, and opened the front door. You didn’t say anything else as he helped you take your coat off and then hung it up. He kissed your cheek before going towards the kitchen, probably going to open a bottle of wine that the owners left.

Jake, however, did know why he was asking you, and it had to do with the small black box that was tucked in between some socks in his suitcase. He had been holding on to his mothers ring for nearly two years now, and knew it was time to pop the question. He just wasn’t 100% sure on how to do it. But, luckily for him, he knew exactly who to ask.

— — —

“You’re asking my best friend for her hand in marriage and you didn’t think to tell me before now!?” Lucy exclaimed as she stood in the doorway of her house. She still lived in the same house that you once shared with her. Slowly, her and Zeke were fixing up the college party house into a nice cute little cottage. Jake gulped and looked down at her very swollen belly, “Oh, do not use my pregnancy as an excuse, Mr. Seresin.” She moved out of the way from the door, and let Jake walk into the house.

“I meant to tell you, it’s just that there’s not a lot of space in the apartment to get away from her,” Jake said, taking off his coat and sitting on the couch, “How are you?”

“Huge,” Lucy said, sitting down on the other end of the couch, “When are you going to do it?”

“Tonight, Christmas Eve. Everyone is coming to the house. You, Zeke, Bob, his wife, Rooster and his new girl.”

“Oh! You should do it while we open our one gift!” Lucy clapped her hands, and went into detail on how Jake should ask for her friend’s hand in marriage.

Back at the house, you were busy cooking away with Zeke. You were thankful that Jake let you kick him out of the house while you and Zeke cooked. Over the years of living with Jake you came to the realization that he, in fact, could not cook. He could follow a recipe pretty well, but it wasn’t the same. Zeke had his mother’s touch type of cooking, that got along well with yours. The two of you were like a well oiled machine as you worked around the kitchen.

“What do you think they are talking about?” You asked, mixing the gravy.

“Beats me,” Zeke sighed, “They can’t have that much in common. Hell, I can’t believe you and Professor Seresin-”

“Jake.”

“Shit, sorry,” Zeke shook his head and you laughed, “Been two years and I still call him ‘Professor Seresin’.”

“It’s hard to get used to.”

You could basically hear the shit eating smirk on Zeke’s face as he asked: “Do you call him that in-”

“I am not having this conversation with you,” You laughed, and took a sip of your wine, “I’m gonna check on the dough for the rolls.”

Jake had given Lucy the ring box before leaving her house so she could wrap it. The sun was down, and it was only a matter of time before guests started showing up at the house. Everything smelled great as Jake walked through the front door. The house felt warm, and cozy, the fire cracking in the fireplace, and Christmas music playing throughout. He walked upstairs to find you sitting on the bathroom counter in front of the mirror, in nothing but your bra and underwear, doing your makeup. He smiled as he leaned against the door.

“What are you doing?” Jake asked, and you jumped, looking up at him in the mirror.

“My makeup, duh,” You said, finishing putting mascara on your eyelashes, “The lighting in here is amazing. I need lights like this at home.” You climbed down from the counter and walked over to him. You kissed his cheek before going to find your dress for the night.

“Well maybe we should build a house with a mirror like that in it,” Jake answered.

“Maybe we should,” You stepped into the green colored dress, “Can you zip?” Jake nodded and came behind you to zip it up. His fingers brush ever so lightly up the bareskin of your spin, sending a shiver down your body. He placed a kiss on your neck and gave your ass a squeeze.

“All good,” He said, a smirk on his face as he stepped away from you.

“Thank you, baby,” You said and turned around to face him. His hands rested on your hips, holding you close to him. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the doorbell, “Oh! Get dressed, I’ll go greet the guests.”

Jake fixed his tie as he walked down the stairs to be greeted by the laughter of guests. Rooster was the first to notice him, and said something to the girl next to him, before getting up and walking over to where Jake was.

“Bagman!” Rooster said and hugged his friend.

“Rooster,” Jake said back, “Where’s-”

“In the kitchen,” Rooster answered, “Her friend says you’re gonna pop the question? Who would’ve thought that you would be marrying your student.”

“Not my student anymore,” Jake corrected, “Who’s the girl?”

“Lys,” Rooster nodded over to her. She stood up from the couch and walked over to where Jake and Rooster were standing, “This is Jake, that professor friend of mine,” Jake shook the girl’s hand.

“So you’re the woman who is strong enough to deal with Rooster and his awful Hawaiian shirts,” Jake pointed to the Christmas Hawaiian shirt that Rooster was wearing.

Lys giggled, “I guess I am. Your girlfriend is the sweetest by the way.”

“Speaking of which, I’m gonna go find her,” Jake smiled, “Nice meeting you.”

Jake could easily hear your laughter as it floated out of the kitchen. You were standing next to Miranda, who was holding a small child on her hip and Lucy, who was sitting down in a chair. Jake walked over to you, and put his arm around your waist, pulling you into him. You smiled, and leaned against his warm chest. Lucy couldn’t help but smile at the two of you. She had watched you for years run and try to escape the holidays, but now, you embraced all that came with it.

It felt great to see a table full of food and your best friends sitting around it. Jake sat at the head of the table, you on his left as Zeke sat on the other end. Everything felt right, except for the way Jake was acting. He had been very touchy and affectionate towards you, until Lucy had called him away to help with something. When he came back, he was acting weird. It made you think back to the very first holiday you had spent with him. The heartbreak in which that holiday ended for both of you.

The conversation flowed smoothly, as you sipped your wine and listened to Rooster tell the story of his very first Christmas with Bob and Rooster. Like you, Rooster didn’t have much for family and he wasn’t talking to her godfather back then, and Jake had invited the two of them to come home with him. Rooster was so overwhelmed that he didn’t tell Olivia that he was allergic to pecans, and he felt bad if he just threw them away.

“So he ate the whole thing,” Bob said, laughing so hard his glasses were falling off his nose.

“And. . . went back for seconds,” Jake added in.

“Oh my god,” Lys laughed, “What happened?”

“The good thing about all this is that I don’t swell up like a balloon when I have pecans. . . No, I just shit my brains out for days.”

“No!” Lucy scrunched her eyebrows.

“It was so bad, he passed out on the toilet from dehydration,” Jake said, “Amelia went in to check on him and screamed so loud we thought there was another snake in the house.”

“There was a snake. . . but it was attached to Rooster,” Bob said and everyone laughed even harder at that as Rooster tossed a piece of croissant roll at him.

“So, long story short. . .First Holidays at the Seresins is no longer a thing,” Jake said and took a sip of his drink. You also sipped your drink to try and hide the awkward glance from Lucy. You were sure that Jake had told his friends about the disaster of the first holiday you had at the Seresin house, although it wasn’t as comical as Bradley’s pecan mishap.

“Why don’t we go do our one gift,” Lucy said, trying to ease the awkward tension, “Lys, I’m not sure if Bradley told you but the ol’ tradition around here is that you open one gift on Christmas eve. Y/N’s parents started it and it kind of has become a thing among the whole family now.”

“Oh I love that,” Lys said, “And yes he told me, and hopefully, I can out-do his gift giving.”

“He tell you one year he gave me a box of condoms. . . but the box was already half empty,” Bob said, pointing at Bradley.

“Is this just tattle on Bradshaw day?” Bradley rolled his eyes.

You chuckled, “Everyone go ahead in, I’ll start picking this up.” You stood up from your seat and collected your plate and Lucy’s.

“I’ll help,” Jake said, and you looked at him somewhat surprised. It was the first time he had said anything to you since sitting down at the table. You nodded and picked up Zeke’s plate before heading to the kitchen. Everyone slowly helped bring in the plates and extra food from the dining room before making their way to the living room.

You and Jake worked in silence as you put the extra food in containers and loaded up the dishwasher. You were a bit scared of saying anything, not knowing what Jake was feeling. That was one thing that hadn’t changed over the years, was Jake’s ability to talk to you about his feelings. He had somewhat opened up to you, but it was like trying to thaw snow on a negative degree day. It was going to take a long time, and patience, which you were willing to give him.

There were only a couple of dishes left to dry and put away, “I can get the last of these. Go be with your friends. I heard Miranda say that Lucas brought you-”

“Walk with me,” Jake said, taking the rag out of your hands. You looked up at him, his green eyes were unreadable but his voice was soft, “I told Bob I’d help Lucas build the train set that we bought him tomorrow. Walk with me? Please.”

You nodded and Jake took your hand, leading you out the backdoor of the house. Lucy heard the door shut and she smiled, looking at the gift box in her hand.

“What’s that look on your face?” Zeke asked his wife.

“Nothing,” Lucy sighed with a smile, “Let’s open gifts!”

“Aren’t we waiting for Y/N and Jake?” Rooster asked.

“No, they’re a bit busy right now,” Lucy said and gave Rooster a knowing look. He was a bit confused at first but Lys nudged him and then pointed to her ring finger. Rooster’s mouth fell open in an O shape and then he smiled.

You wished you would’ve grabbed your coat before going on a walk with Jake. It was cold, but the feeling of his hand in yours was keeping you somewhat warm. The snow was falling, making a warm glow from the street light illuminate the night sky. Nights like these reminded you of your mother and how much she loved the snow. You knew Berkeley was part of her dream, but you sometimes wished you never left Boston for this very reason. Jake was humming some song under his breath as he led you down the dark street.

“Where are we going?” You asked, as Jake stopped walking outside of his old house.

“Here, and before you ask, I already talked to the owners,” Jake answered and you giggled, “Do you remember the first time you came over?”

“When you kissed me and kicked me out? Yeah, I remember,” You said and Jake winced.

“I am still so sorry I did that. I’m sorry for everything that I did to you. I was such an ass and you didn’t deserve any of it,” Jake said and you took a step forward, caressed his cheek with your hand.

“I forgive you,” You said and Jake grabbed your hands in his.

“The reason I kicked you out that night was because I was scared. That kiss. . . it was different than anything I had before, which I know sounds like one of those tacky romance novels you read in the bath.”

“Hey, Boys of the Mason-Dixon is a good book.”

“Sure, baby,” Jake winked, “But that kiss, that night actually, I realized I wasn’t going to live my life without you, and it scared the ever living fuck out of me,” He let a tear escape from his eyes as you already had tears falling down your cheeks, “When I left you at Thanksgiving it was because my mom gave me this,”

Jake let go of your hands to pull out a ring from his pocket. You gasped and covered your mouth with your hands, “She knew then what I was trying too hard to fight. . . that I am so deeply, madly in love with you. And it might’ve taken watching you walk away from me and move across the country to realize, but Y/N L/N,” You choked back a sob as Jake got down on one knee.

“I never want to know a day where you aren’t mine. Will you please, marry me?”

You dropped to your knees in front of Jake, and grabbed his face in your hands. With your thumb you wiped the tears away from his cheeks, and then leaned in to kiss his pink lips.

taglist: @zetasaturno99 @tallrock35 @bioodforbiood @mak-32 @cherrycola27 @drunkangels @fuckyeahhangman @the-winter-marvel33 @oldnatgwenaccount @cm27078 @xoxabs88xox @paige-alexandra-may @ereardon @marantha @callsign-phoenix @bradleybeachbabe @manunitedgotbruno @mulletmcghee @moonvr @nagygreta @cherryobx @callsign-joyride @blue-aconite @books-for-summer @violyn20 @lilylilyyyyyy @p1nkbarbi3 @princessofglitterland @hallway5 @thedroneranger @chaoticweirdogeek @abaker74 @auroraboreallisfine @materialgirl01 @fandom-princess-forevermore @averyhotchner @thedaredevilsgirl @shelbycillian @currentlybradshaw @mavesiceroo @emptyloverofmine @lovingjakeseresin @thegoddessc @techni-coloured @shawnsblue @captainmarvels-blog

note: okay, this might be the official goodbye to Professor Seresin. . .MIGHT. . .

#top gun #top gun fan fic #top gun fan fiction #top gun imagine #top gun au #top gun maverick #top gun maverick fan fic #top gun maverick fan fiction #top gun maverick au #Jake seresin #Jake Seresin fan fic #Jake Seresin fan fiction #Jake Seresin imagine #Jake Seresin AU #Jake Seresin x reader #Jake Seresin x you #Jake Seresin x y/n #the professor

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readychilledwine · 4 months

Note

we want the juicy details on your sexual awakening

It's not that juicy. It's actually fairly sad, but someone else may be at this point and need to hear it.

Warning - questionable consent, technically a form of sex work, total power exchange, abusive relationships, mental health issues, learning to adapt, and becoming a survivor instead of a victim.

I was a really really good kid and teen. Like I addressed, I got my kicks from fanfiction. I dated once in high school, and it never went further than kissing (which caused my first break up and broken heart). My first "What is happening to my body," came from watching The Mummy, and it wasn't something I could discuss with anyone besides my older brother who did the best he could to try to talk to me about safe sex.

I moved away from my parents in 2014 and went to a college about 4 hours away. Aka- close enough to mom and dad to drive home once every couple months, not close enough for them to randomly show up. I was an art major focusing on art history and visual design, and that required me to take a life drawing class.

Tender 18 year old Liz, a starving college student working two jobs, ended up catching the eye of one of the male models, and we started talking a lot. I found out after a month of him taking me on dates, surprising me with gifts, and him staying up with me when I'd be lonely because I didn't live on campus have friends, that he was married and him and his wife were looking for a girlfriend for him since she had a boyfriend on the side. I don't regret this choice because it shaped who I am today, but I stupidly agreed to go into it without having set my own boundaries and limits.

He had rules for me. Rules I can recite clearly to this day: he dresses me, I do not make financial choices without him, I am to tell him where I was at all times and leave my tracker on, he decides what I eat and when, no drinking, no smoking, and no other partners. If I listened, he would pay my tuition, books, help with rent, etc. At the time, I did not realize that I was entering a total power exchange dynamic, and he knew that.

Those starter rules evolved into more... sex based rules, and after 3 months, I ended up losing my virginity to him after he told me refusing was breaking his rules, and if I broke his rules, my allowance was cut off, and I really needed help with rent, friends. I am not proud of that decision, but that decision was made.

I stayed in this relationship with him hanging financial security and my own naivety over my head for close to 10 months. My dad is a law enforcement officer, and he is the one who noticed the change in my personality and looks.

I had waist length dark brown hair. I came home blonde with my hair cut to my lower neck. I stopped wearing Converse and Vans and started wearing heels and sandles more. I would get really anxious and upset if I wasn't near my phone or could not find it to meet my required check-ins. I cried. Alot. Yelling made me actually panic. My dad made me sit down with a female investigator and answer questions about everything.

When she was done and confirmed to him what was happening, he then proceeded to get my brothers, a uHaul, and my apartment keys and move me back home. He had my phone bill at that point, so he blocked the couple, her boyfriend, and their friends that I had the displeasure of meeting and ensured I never heard from them again.

Cohearsed consent is not consent. The second I started therapy and realized that, I spiraled. The weight of everything set in, and I realized I had been a victim of sexual assault. I began to cope by being hypersexual. Within a year, I'd had sex with close to 30 people trying to reclaim my body and, in turn, endangering myself until I met my ex fiancé.

When I met him, things changed significantly. He was a stepping stone in my healing and helped me find religion and value in myself beyond my body. Ironically, my healing and finding the wrong religion (catholics don't seem to be a fan of spirituality) is what led to our engagement being called off. I was 21 when we stopped seeing each other.

I slowed down at that point signicantly and cut off all sex. I was done with it and decided never again. I could please me better than anyone else could anyways. Then, I met baby daddy, and we started as strictly friends with benefits. He is the safest dom I've ever had, the kindest man I've ever met, and from the bat, he understood me more than I understood me. He saw me for me and cared for me despite the damaged goods.

He triggered the true awakening. We took sex between us slow, exploring things gently, talking about what I wanted to try and keeping track of what I liked, what he liked, and meeting in a happy middle. He indulged my want to explore with other women and just sat and watched. Then, when we felt I was ready, he introduced me to the swinging/bdsm lifestyle, and it helped me process the remaining bits of trauma I had with him beside me every step of the way. He helped shape me sexually into who I needed to be to heal and then who I deserved to be sexually for me.

I don't know at what point FwB turned into us living together and telling each other how much the other means to us almost daily, but now we're here, cuddling on couch, exhausted from taking care of our daughter, and discussing which one of us gets the last chocolate peanut butter overnight oats packet and *whispers* marriage.

Him and Sophia are the happy ending 18 year old Liz thought she was losing when she was desperate to pay rent. He helped me heal, learn who I was in terms of sex, and gave me the safest place to land.

One might say I'm pretty attached to him forever now 🤣

Ps - let me tell ya, missionary isn't boring when it's with someone who thinks you're the most beautiful woman he's ever seen, pregnancy stretch marks, and all. 💕

#elizabeths.updates #send asks #send anons

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jarofstyles · 9 months

Text

FICTOBER DAY 6- Do You Believe in Soulmates?

Hello and welcome to day 6 of fictober. I hope you enjoy a little semi spooky blurb from us...

FICTOBER Prompt list and masterlist

Patreon

WC-1.2k

Warnings- wolves

-----

“Do you believe in soulmates?” The words floated on the warm night air to Y/N’s ears. She laid beside him on the blanket, looking up stars. It was the third night in a row that they’d continued their stargazing, Harry arriving to her home and promising to have her back safe and sound to her roommate before driving over to the lookout point over the lake.

Y/N was new to town, looking for a new beginning, and Harry had found her on her worst day. Only 2 months in, she had been burnt out. Tirelessly writing her book at night and working at the cafe during the day for just enough for her rent, bills and some food here and there. If she didn’t get her free meals at the cafe, she knew she would be in an even worse spot- but she had left a place that had been dulling her life, keeping her tied and rooted with no place to grow. Leaving had been the best option.

The lake town was tucked into the foothills of the mountains, A nice summer tourist population and a small, tight knit group of locals she was trying to find her place in. The weave was strong and the things seemed to be established, so she was trying to find a nice spot in between to settle- but her hanging out with Harry had made some waves. His family was a long time legacy, basically built the town up. He wasn’t much of a socializing type besides his small, even tighter group of friends, so when he was seen walking around with the new girl in town? It had spread like wildfire. It never ceased to amaze her how fast small towns spread gossip to the trees to set the rumor mill ablaze.

She had been informed that Harry didn’t date around, he didn’t sleep around despite people being more than obvious in their interest. A coworker had divulged that she knew his family was apparently part of some sort of exclusive group with a share of other families in town and the surrounding era. It was all hush hush, but Y/N knew that it wasn’t her business. If Harry had his secrets, it was okay. She did too.

Like how meeting him had given her the inspiration on what to model her male character on in her book.

“I’m a romance novel author, Harry.” She rolled her head to the side. “Of course I do. It’s the best trope there is.” She laughed, looking back up at the stars. Sometimes his stare was a bit intense and made her squirmy. He always seemed to be looking. Somehow, she didn’t mind.

“What do you like about it?” He asked, turning over on his side a bit as she continued looking up.

“Theres a lot. I love the idea of unconditional love, but I know that isn’t realistic. So I think I like the thought that someone is meant for me. That there isn’t something wrong with me for always feeling like something is missing in my partners thusfar. I love that whole thing. Feeling like you were made for someone, that they’ll just get you and how you feel… It’s always been something I wished was something for me. But I hope one day I can meet mine.” Her sigh was dreamy, smiling at the sky as Harry continued staring at her.

“Maybe you already have.” His voice was calm, just as it normally was, his eyes on her expression as he continued. “Well.. What if being with them required sacrifices? If life wouldn’t be different?” His words were ominous but Y/N was a bit oblivious. She always had been, full of wonder and stuck in her own brain. His question was one that had her mind whirling around, colorful thoughts throwing themselves at the walls until one stuck.

“I mean, every good love story requires sacrifice. It’s part of every single good storyline, every memorable romance.” She laughed, nudging his foot with her own. “And I suppose life is never the same after meeting anyone but especially a soul mate. Someone the stars bound to you. The cosmos and the moon, powerful things they are.” She didn’t know just how correct that was. “I’d still want to be with them, yeah. Any relationship takes work and adjustments. I think it would be more than worth it for a soul mate-”

Y/N gasped as she was interrupted by the howl of wolves off in the forest. Shivers hit her body, chills hitting her skin as the sound reverbed off the trees, the full moon in the sky seeming doubly as bright. There were trees on either side of them and her nerves shot into her stomach. It sounded so close. Sitting up, her widened eyes met Harry’s. His body hadn’t moved, hadn’t even stiffened. Oddly, she thought he saw him relax at it. “Uh- should we go? That sounded really close, and I’m no expert but that’s probably not good.” Her nervous hand wringing was a distraction, Harry gently pulling one of them from her own grasp, urging her back down.

“I’m not afraid. It’s okay. The wolves are misjudged. They don’t want to hurt humans.” He spoke confidently. “The humans are the ones attacking first. It’s probably different in other places but here, we respect the wolves and they leave us be.” His words were spoken as if he knew this for a fact. Y/N oddly believed him, despite knowing it was going against all logic she had.

“Oh, alright. I always thought wolves were beautiful but I try and keep a respectable distance. You know?” She tucked a bit of hair behind her ear, sitting back in her original spot as she tried to calm her heart down. The howling was moving further away, and Harry’s calmness was contagious.

“Yes. You’re one of the smart ones. In this town, the relationship with the wildlife is different. We all respect the creatures and nature’s course.”

“Oh!” Y/N gasped. “So that’s part of why there was a questionnaire everyone filled out while filing their documents at town hall, then. Wanting to make sure people knew that. Smart. I don’t know why people wouldn’t accept that, though. It should be like that everywhere.” Y/N sighed, shaking her head. “And do you like them, then? The wolves?”

She didn’t think it was that funny, but the smile that grew on his face and the little burst of laughter made her own smile tilt up the corner of her mouth. The man’s dimples were on display, teeth pearly white and crinkles by his eyes. Harry was attractive- anyone could see that- but to see him light up like that because of something she said? She felt his smile deep in her core. “Well…” He laughed through another howl. “You could say that.”

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thesims4blogger · 2 months

Text

The Sims 4: New Game Patch (April 16th, 2024)

EA is releasing a new game update for The Sims 4 ahead of the release of the two upcoming kits, Urban Homage and Party Essentials.

The Sims Direct Communication shared a tweet that the patch will resolve the issue with an error message that is being shown to some players. See it below.

If you have auto updates enabled in Origin’s “Application Settings”, the game will auto-update once you open Origin. If you have auto-updates disabled, you will need to manually update by clicking the game in your library.

To ensure your game is up to date, check the game version found in Documents > EA > The Sims 4 > GameVersion.txt. Your game should now read: PC: 1.106.148.1030 / Mac: 1.106.148.1230 / Console: 1.91

Sul Sul Simmers!

In just a few days, you can get your hands on a fresh fit to wear to the best party on the block. The fun doesn’t stop there; we’ve also

The Sims Team

Bug Fixes

Base Game

Plants that are alive and well will no longer emit green “stink clouds” as if they were dead. Translations related to this fix will be available in the next release!

After enforcing regulations with the Landgraab Power Company, power on a Sim’s lot will no longer be unexpectedly shut off when bills are paid in full.

What an identity crisis! Simmers playing in any language besides English will no longer see the First and Last Name panel blank in CAS for Sims that have selected pronouns.

Um, wasn’t this supposed to be a group activity? When doing Group Cooking, all Sims will now participate.

Gallery Server

We have been continually reviewing your Gallery profanity reports, which can be submitted through the The Sims 4 Gallery Profanity Filter Feedback survey, and we have been updating the ruleset to allow Simmer freedom while keeping others safe. A couple of highlights include:

Reducing the strictness of how hashtags were handled when listed in specific orders

Maxis-created Sims, even from past Sims games, should no longer be prevented from uploading if you choose to recreate one or more

Eco Lifestyle

We fixed an issue where The Dew Collector was not collecting any water. Now, it will correctly collect water, and the water level will continue to rise.

High School Years

Timestamps are now updated properly on the Social Bunny App. Phew, talk about FOMO!

Horse Ranch

While admirable, Sims will no longer express a desire to level up their Nectar Making skill, when that skill is already maxed out.

Yipee, Horse Riding now helps Sims lose weight!

For Rent

In this economy?! The maximum available rent value will no longer lower after evicting a tenant during a grace period in 11C Sungai Point.

Yikes. Now, this is going to require an audit! Landlords who own a Residential Rental Lot and own a business will no longer have fund transfer issues. Transfers from the business to the household will no longer fail, and money will no longer duplicate household funds when transferring to a business.

Crystal Creations

The shawl sweater from Crystal Creations is now visible when selecting a “Fashion Choice” in CAS filters. Please be advised that wearing this shawl did not grant the power of invisibility.

Realm of Magic

What a conundrum! When aliens abduct Spellcasters, they will now become pregnant and give birth to an alien baby instead of a Sim baby.

Werewolves

Tastes like kibble! After taking the ‘Wolf-B-Gone’ drink, Sims will no longer have a fury glow still showing.

Updated a series of CAS accessories that were originally showing up for werewolves, even though those accessories were not applicable to werewolves.

Grunge Revival

A texture issue with the chipped nails in Grunge Revival has been updated.

Poolside Splash

Textures on one of the tank tops have been updated to remove some texture bleeding.

Castle Estate

Hear ye, hear ye. All Castle Estate Windows have been updated to show up in the correct wall height categories.

The arrow slit window has been updated to show that it can be placed on curved walls.

The “Heraldic Crest of Yore” and the “The Eavesdropping Llama” have been updated to appear in Outdoor Wall Sculptures. Your castle has never looked better!

#news #the sims 4 #ts4 #sims 4 #sims 4 update

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ohbo-ohno · 10 months

Note

kinda wanted to squabble on this a bit…

in a civilian timeline ghost is a butcher and johnny is an electrician. johnny is ghost’s regular, well technically both reader and johnny are i suppose. when reader first moves into the not-so-safe-but-it’s-cheap-apartment, she decides she wants to try and cook a home meal for herself. yk, congrats she’s got her first home and everything

she goes up to ghost’s butcher store, and the entire time ghost is just staring at her. when she’s finally ready to order, ghost gives her a little bit of everything. he’s gotta make sure your fed! besides he’s the owner, he can go without a few extra dollars, and it’s you were talking about. johnny however, notices this.

i imagine johnnys not 100% into reader at the beginning. in this neighborhood, it’s hard to find someone you can trust and rely on. but reader?? hooh boy when johnny gets to know her, he’s ready for her to start making him home cooked meals. and possibly ready for her to move again (but into his flat)

he offers to check on the wiring in your flat when you start complaining of the power randomly shutting off. simon, whose behind the counter, also chimes in saying that there’s been a couple of robberies in the area that have a similar description to what reader is describing. lights going out randomly, and then a few days later a body turns up. she freaks out at this, does the math to see if she can possibly afford a different place.

she searches high and low for something better. but every apartment tour she has gets canceled, or rescheduled, she doesn’t make enough to afford the monthly rent, etc. when she goes back to ghost’s butcher store a few days later, he offers her a job to help make some extra cash. she’s hesitant as she’s not super close to ghost, mostly johnny, but accepts nonetheless.

it’s basic minimal work, but it still doesn’t cut the bill. reader starts to realize she’s not being given the full amount of money she’s worked for; and simon is like “ive got something that you can earn your money back with” and snatches her up when she starts getting whiny about it.

back in the apartment reader wakes up on a large bed, covered in thick and warm blankets. she’s got rope constricting her hands and feet, and her pelvis feels a bit sore. johnny comes in and he’s like “oh hey :D roomies!!” and teases her about her new living arrangements. meanwhile ghost is hovering around the kitchen, creating a nice meal for her to eat so she can be a little less mad at him when he comes to talk too her.

- 🦢 anon

ok swan this is actually perfect and i have nothing to add to it. i tried to think of things. nothing

go read @ceilidho's butcher!ghost au here please. it's fucking beautiful

#asks and answers #🦢 anon

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thegeeksideofsr · 2 years

Text

Pretending or Not.

I didn't know what reason to give for them to be in this situation, so I had to wing it.

Content: A fake marriage, bed sharing, talk of having kids and a family, a smidge is steamyness, a dash of self doubt and miss understandings, and probably an absurd amount of fluff.

I hope you enjoy.

Being the newest to the team was, interesting. They offered me a place on the team after they need my help with a forgery piece of jewelry for a con a almost a year ago. They asked me to be their forger, and occasional grifter. Grifting wasn't my normal thing, but I can pull it off when I need to, plus Nate had more options for cons with one extra person around. It was nice having a team, but I spent most of my time behind the scenes with Hardison.

Spending as much time together as we do, Hardison and I bonded pretty quickly. He was an amazing forger, but there was somethings he wasn't able to do that I could. He was great at making fake badges, coats for various agencies, uniforms for almost very profession that required one, and the occasional statue of a saint. My area of expertise was paintings, gems, coins, and a verity of antiquities. Plus we had similar tastes in things outside the job like movies and tv shows, books, and movies.

Parker and I got along well. We bonded over a mutual love of shiney things and her teaching me how to lift and pickpocket, a skill we both used to mess with Hardison.

Sophie and Nate were harder to get to know. Sophie was helping me improve my grifting, while trying to keep Nate from going of the rails. And Nate was, Nate. He was drunk most of the time, but when he wasn't as drunk as normal, he was planning the next job.

Eliot was the most difficult. He was friendly and we had been paired up for cons occasionally, he even kept me company while I was working on a forgery. He never said much, usually reading a book, or watching something on the TV quietly. We even cooked dinner for the whole team together a couple times.

I could help but fall for him. I had witnessed his kindness towards the people we help, especially kids. His protective streak for the team is a mile wide, his cooking is out of this world.

Then there's his looks. His blue eye that seem to change color depending on the light, his honey tone skin, soft brown hair that is obviously well taken care of, and his smile that could make any girl swoon.

I kept how I felt to myself though. I had seen how he put the charm on to women at random places. He had never done that to me, and that made it clear I was just part of the team.

That didn't stop me from admiring from afar. Hardison nearly caught me ogling him once, but I managed to play it off as starring off into space, in his general direction.

At least today he wasn't in my line of sight, just sitting right beside me as Hardison went over everything he had dug up of the Price's.

The Price's were a middle aged couple, with no kids, and way to much time on their hands. They took over management of an apartment building a six months ago and decided that the fixed rent that tenants were paying wasn't enough, and raised the rent. A few families moved because they couldn't afford it anymore.

Our client was a young father named Eric Thatcher, who was maybe twenty eight, who's wife had an emergency cesarean with their second child and was still healing, and was having trouble managing everything. He was taking care of his wife, a new born, a four year old, work and house hold chores.

Apparently, taking care of everything in a household can cause bills to be paid a little bit late, who knew? Eric and been making all his payments, just a few days late. Mrs. Price said that if he didn't start paying on time, his family would be evicted. Eric had tried to tell her that she didn't have the power to do that, but that just made it worse. She had her husband make up some official looking papers saying that she could.

Poor Eric knew they weren't real, but he had no way to fight her on it.

Eric came to us to make her back off, or get her arrested for extortion or breach of contract, for the sake of his sanity and the other families in the building.

That's how I ended up playing house with Eliot Spencer.

While we posed as the new couple in the neighborhood, Nate got close to the Price's at work.

We 'rented' the apartment next door to Eric, establishing ourselves as his sister and brother-in-law to help out with the kids and her recovery. We made sure to bring him and his wife, Kate, in to the con to make sure the Price's wouldn't get suspicious. Kate was more then willing to help, and their four year old, Jemma, was young enough not to really know if we really were related or not.

We kept our first names so Eric and Kate wouldn't accidentally slip up, and Hardison built us an entire history for us, photos and everything. He even managed to get rings that looked like a set, that happened to fit us both perfectly. I don't even want to know how he knew our ring sizes.

We 'moved in' with help from Parker and Hardison. They helped us set up the apartment so that it looked presentable. The apartment had two bedrooms, but we decided to share one in case the Price's got curious and went snooping.

Hardison giving me a wide eyed look repeatedly when we where bringing stuff to the bedroom.

Of course, with in two hours of us being there, the Price's made their way to our apartment to introduce themselves. They put up a friendly persona, Mrs. Price was obviously checking out Eliot, which was a little creepy, Mr. Price seemed unfazed by his wife's blatant ogling.

It was after dark and we had a couple boxes left in Eliot's truck. He climbed up to pull them from the bed of the truck and handed them to me, to set on the ground, he hopped down from the tailgate, turning to me to take a box from my hands. His eyes moved over my right shoulder, and his posture changed slightly.

"What? What is it?" I ask.

"Mrs. Price. She walking her ankle biter, keeps looking at us trying to be inconspicuous, but damn she's bad at it."

He puts on a flirty look I'd seen on him a dozen times, he takes the box I'm holding, set it on top of the other box, then pulls me in close to his chest.

"We need to sell the part. You up for that?" He whispers in my ear.

I nod, his close proximity making my brain shortcircuit. His hands come up to either side of my face, his fingers landing just behind my ears. I let out a squeak of surprise, as he pulls me into a kiss. I freeze for a second, then relax and kiss him back.

He pulls away, just barely, before we both move in for another kiss, completely losing our selves in it. His hands travel from my face to the back of my neck, down my arms, then around my waist.

I bring my arm up behind his head, one hand tangling in his hair, which is softer than it looks, and the other cupping his jaw.

We finally pull away when the need for air is to much to ignore. We stand there, breathing hard trying to come back to reality.

He lifts his head away, his blue eyes looking into mine, a lock of hair hanging in his face. I bring my hand up and tuck it behind his ear. It's a intimate moment neither of use were expecting. The air around us thick with tension.

He glances behind me quickly.

"She's gone." He says in hoarse tone.

The bubble bursts when he speaks, the memory that it was just an act hitting me like a rock.

I don't even acknowledge him. I untangle myself from his arms grab the top box from the stack and practically run back to the apartment.

I leave the box in the kitchen, then head to the bedroom to grab some clothes then lock my self in the bathroom. I can hear him enter the apartment, then walk down the hall to the bedroom, then some movement and drawers opening and closing.

I tune out the sounds of his movements, and start a shower.

Once I finish, I take a deep breath, before walking to the bedroom. The only light on is the small lamp on his side. Eliot's already in bed, sitting up against the head of the bed with a book in his hands.

He looks up when I come in, he marks his place then sets his book aside. He doesn't say anything, he just watches me get ready for bed, then crawl in next to him. I lay on my side, my back to him.

"Are you ok? I should have asked if it was ok before I ki-"

"It's fine, Eliot."

I hear him take a breath, then let it out. He turns out the light, and lays down himself.

I don't fall asleep immediately. Neither does Eliot. I can tell by how rigid he is. We don't say anything, we just lay there, back to back, until sleep finally takes over.

*****

The next morning I wake up alone. I sit up and look around, Eliot is now where to be found. The clock on the wall says it's only eight thirty, so I decide to get up. Once I'm dressed and presentable, my ear bud in my pocket, I make my way down the hall, with still no sign of Eliot. The only sign he's been there was a pot of fresh, hot coffee. I make my way through the kitchen and fix my self a mug.

I begin to make myself a light breakfast, when the front door opens. Eliot comes walking in, dressed in a janitor jump suit, a scowl on his face. Hardison obviously annoying him this early in the morning.

He sees me and his scowl softens.

"Mornin', Y/N," he says, then rolls his eyes. " Parker and Hardison say hi."

I laugh as I pull my ear bud out and tuck it in my ear.

"Good morning, gang. How's it goin'"

*****

By the end of the day, Hardison had been able to hack into the Price's accounts, and discovered that Mr. Price had some serious gambling debts, and they had raised the rent to pay it off. He also worked for a crime family as their accountant.

Parker broke into his office and found all the original fixed rent contracts, and records of the crimes his boss committed, in a safe, that according to her, so easy to open, baby could do it.

Once we set up the next step in the con, we quit for the night, so that we could start fresh in the morning.

A knock came on the door just as we were starting to collect items for dinner. It was Eric asking if we could watch Jemma and Fern for a few minutes while he and Kate made dinner, and focused on a few chores.

He introduced us to the girls. Jemma warmed up to us pretty quickly once she realized that Eliot wasn't as scary as he looked, she pulled him off to look at her rock collection, while I was holding baby Fern. She was adorable and had that sweet baby smell. It was nice being able to give the Eric and Kate a few moments to them selves, even if it was just a room away.

After Jemma was finished showing off her collection to Eliot, she decided it was my turn. So I handed Fern to Eliot and followed the little girl to her desk in the corner of the living room. She began going through the box one by one, telling my which ones where her favorites and why, which ones had stories behind them, and which ones were 'enchanted'. After she was finished we talked a bit more about rocks, flowers, and our favorite colors.

Kate soon called Jemma for bath before dinner, leaving me at the small desk. I watch them leave the room hand in hand, when movement from Eliot's direction catches my attention. I look over at him and my heart nearly stops.

Eliot holding a baby is something I never expected to see. She looked so small in his arms, he's swaying slightly as he holds her so gently. He's not even looking at me, or scanning his surroundings, he's just looking at the baby in his arms.

I would have liked kids some day, with the right guy, but it never happened. And now being a criminal and working with a team that went after powerful people, my life too dangerous for kids. But damn, Eliot holding a baby, and interacting with Jemma, that made me reconsider things.

But he didn't see me as anything but a coworker. So I would have to stow these memories away, for when I needed a smile.

*****

When we got back to the apartment we cooked dinner together again, working in comfortable silence.

I couldn't get the image of Eliot and Fern out of my head.

"Did you ever thing about having a family?" I ask.

He looks at me, his eye brows raised in surprise.

"Nevermind. It was stupid question."

I turn back to the stove, mentally scolding myself for asking that.

"A long time ago. Before I joined the army. The life I live now, ain't safe for a family. Even if I tried," he answered after a few minutes.

I turn to look at him, finding him already looking at me.

" I understand."

We stare at each other for a moment, before turning back to our cooking.

****

I let out a huff as I laid down against my pillow later that evening.

"You ok?" He asks, walking towards the bed.

"Yeah, just tired."

He nods, then climbs in next to me. We lay back to back, with a gap between us. I toss a little bit, trying to get comfortable.

He suddenly rolls over, wraps and arm around my waist and pulls me across the bed and into his chest.

Once the shock of what he just did wears off, the feeling of being spooned settles over me. The warmth of him seeping into me, the weight of his arm around my waist, the feeling of him breathing against my back, the combination making me calm a little bit.

"What are you doing, Eliot?" I whisper.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Cuddling me. But, why?"

"Because you keep wiggling, tryin' to get comfortable and I thought this might help. Do you want me to let go?"

"No."

A silents falls over us, his warmth seeping into me.

"Can we talk about the kiss last night?" He asks after a few minutes.

"What about it?"

" You kissed me back."

"You kissed me first."

He chuckles at my response. His arms squeezing me briefly, before relaxing into a soft hold.

I roll over into his chest, tucking my head under his chin. He lays his hand on my back, and starts to rub circles into my spine, lulling me to sleep.

*******

I woke up to my phone ringing, I go to grab it, but an arm around my waist tightens when I move. I open my eye to see Eliot scowling, barely awake. I untangle myself from his arm, and grab my phone.

It was Hardison, calling to tell us that he intercepted an email Mrs. Price just sent to Eric, saying that because of all the late payments, his family was being evicted, and he had two weeks to find a new place to live.

Nate decided to bring up the time line. We were taking the Price's down today. The con was already in motion, we just had to push them over the line.

After hanging up, I turn back to Eliot, who's now wide awake and leaning on an elbow. I scoot closer to him, and begins filling him in on what Hardison told me.

"Alright. We better get going," he says moving to get out of bed.

I grab his wrist, stopping him from getting to far. I hold his face with my free hand and kiss him. He leans into the kiss, his hands cupping my face.

He leans in more, he brings a hand down to my waist and gently pushes me backwards onto the bed, holding himself above me with one arm.

The kisses become more intense and hands starn to wander. His hands slip under my shirt, and graze my skin. I grip his tank top, and pull it up slightly, exposing his skin. I runs my hands over his skin, his warmth seeping into me.

His hand travels up my torso, landing on my ribs, his thumb grazing the under side of my breast. He runs his thumb along the side of it, causing goosebumps to appear.

He pulls away when I let out a small whimper when his kisses move from my lips to my neck.

"We should stop. If we don't meet the others, they'll come lookin' and I don't want to be interrupted." His voice low, and ruff." And when this job is done we are having a long talk."

I nod. He pulls his hand from my shirt, sitting up slightly, before leaning in and kissing me one more time.

He finally pulls away, as he stands I can see a clear bulge in is sleep pants. He follows my gaze, then look back at me with a smirk.

"If we had more time, I'd make sure you wouldn't leave the bed for as long as I could."

And with that last comment he walks out of the room, leaving me a mess in the bed.

I hear the shower turn on, and have to stop my self from imagining him in there, other wise nothing would be accomplished today.

I drag myself out of bed and get ready for the long day ahead.

*****

After the job was done and the Price's were charged with forgery and extortion, I sat at a booth with Parker and Hardison, half listening to them bicker about something, I was still thinking about the kisses between Eliot and I earlier. The way his hands held my face, his smell, the feel of his hands against my skin, the intensity of the kisses and how his lips were softer then I was expecting. It easily became the best kiss I'd ever have.

I get up to get another round of drinks. While waiting, I hear Sophie and Eliot talking.

"You two are practically made for each other!"

"Damn it Sophie. Leave it alone."

"You're in denial, Eliot."

" I'm not in denial."

"Look me in the eye and tell me you don't feel anything for her. Or it was all just the job?"

" Sophie. Let it go," he growls.

He doesn't deny it. That it wasn't all the job.

I bring the drinks back to the booth, then head back to pay the evening's tab. While waiting for the receipt, I think about all the things that happened over the con.

"Y/N."

Eliot's voice pulls me from my thoughts. He's sitting on the stool next to me, an open beer in front of him. He's changed clothes from before, now he's in black short sleeved button front shirt, the way he's leaning against the bar top accentuates he's arms and shoulders.

"You ok?"

I clear my throat as I force myself to look away from him.

"Mmhm. I'm fine. Just tired, it's been a long couple of days."

He nods in agreement, then takes a sip of his beer. He sits there quietly, looking deep in thought.

He doesn't bring anything up though. He acts like nothing happened, like it was just another day. It makes me realize how stupid I was thinking that something changed, that he felt something for me.

I get up and dig through my bag for some money, tears start blurring my vision.

"You leavin'?" He asks, in a worried tone.

"Yeah. I wanna sleep for a week after this. Who knows what Nate has planned next."

I finally manage to pull a few bills from my wallet, I see that I'm still wearing the ring Hardison gave me for the con. Tears finally blur my vision completely. I set the bills down then pull the ring off. I place it on the counter next to Eliot.

"Can you make sure Hardison gets this back, please?"

"Wait, we need to talk about -"

"It fine, Eliot. You did a great job of making people believe you love me. Nearly fooled me too."

I practically run out of the pub. I can hear him call my name as I leave, but I ignore it. The crisp night air is refreshing after being in the pub. I hear footsteps behind me after a second, I recognize them as Eliot's, but I continue to ignore it.

I almost make it to my car, when he catches up to me. His hand catches my elbow, making me stop.

" Wait! Would ya stop runnin'?"

" 'M not running. I just want to go home."

"Come on, Y/N, you look like you are about to cry. What did you mean, nearly fooled ya?"

I clench my eyes shut, trying to force the tears back.

I finally feel calm enough to look at him. He has a worried look on his face, his jackets not even on right. I reach up and fix his jacket, I rest my hand on his chest for a second, then pull away.

" Good night, Eliot."

"Y/N, wait -"

I tune him out and flee to my car, once I'm in I start it and pull away. I glance in the mirror, seeing Eliot standing in the sidewalk where I left him.

Once I'm home I finally let the dam break. I let my self cry for a few minutes before gathering my self up, and taking a nice, hot shower. When I'm done I put on my favorite sweater and comfy pants then take care of my hair. I head to the kitchen for some water. Half way through my second glass, a knock on my door echoes through my apartment.

I set my cup down on the counter then walk to the door. Looking through the peephole, I see Eliot standing on the other side. I let out a quiet groan because I know my eyes are still red and puffy.

I open the door, and look at him. His eyebrows aren't in his usual scowl, he has a more hopefull look on his face.

"What do you want, Eliot?" I ask, with a slight croak.

"You."

A bolt of surprise shoots through me.

"What?"

"You said I fooled everyone in to thinkin' I love you, even you." He says, taking as step closer, nearly touching me. "I wasn't pretending."

" Eliot, I heard you with Sophie. She asked if it was just for the job, and you didn't say it wasn't."

He lets out a sigh.

"I didn't say anything, because I wanted to talk to you first. I fell for you months ago. I didn't want to admit it to myself, because I thought you didn't feel the same way. And I was pretending, at the beginning, that it was just for the job, then when I kissed you that first time, it was like someone slapped me up side the head. Then you kissed me back and it was like all the puzzle pieces fell into place."

His hands come to the sides of my face, holding me still at he looks me in the eye.

"I'm in love with you. And the past few days made me realize just how much, and it scares me."

The weight of his words makes the world fade away. Words seem to escape me, so I do the next logical thing. I grab the collar of his shirt and pull him down into a kiss. Pouring as much feeling into it as I could.

His arms wrap around my waist, pulling me in till my front is flush against him. I move my hands from his collar to his face, holding him as if he was a precious artifact. I pull away from the kiss when my lungs begin to burn, both of us start taking deep breaths.

"I love you too, Eliot," I whisper, holding his face in my hands.

A smile spreads across his face, crinkles appearing at the corners of his eyes.

" I never pretended after that first kiss. And seein' you with Jemma and Fern, I made me feel things I didn't think I could feel any more," he whispers. "You think you'd be willing to give me chance?"

"I think I can do that."

#leverage #eliot spencer #christian kane #eliot spencer x reader #eliot spencer x oc #leverage fanfic

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missbabyjay · 1 year

Text

What Is This? - Joel Miller x F Reader

TLOU SPOILERS!

MASTERLIST - CHECK OUT MY PAGE FOR MORE!

HI! This takes place in my own made up dimension lol. I followed parts of the actual show, and then completely disregarded other parts. I plan on leaving Bill and Frank in, but I wasn't sure about Tess (no hate to her character). This is sorta self-indulgent so I hope you enjoy anyway! I think I might make a part two but I need to know what y'all think :)

I'd also like to point out that I am just becoming familiar with Joel. I would like to keep him rough around the edge, but I think there's truly a sweet person under there and I need some fluffier stuff with him. I'm seeing way too many pieces where Joel is next level crazy. So this is for my fluff lovers.

Warnings/Content: Mature, Swearing, Angst, injury, the tiniest bit of fluff

Summary: You and Joel don't particularly enjoy each other, but with the shared responsibility of Ellie you're stuck together - being forced to address whatever weird thing there is between you two.

Word Count: 2K

. . .

You had been working alongside Joel for the past two years. You had met through Tess, doing odd jobs for her. Joel never seemed to trust you, although he never really trusted anyone. He didn’t enjoy your attitude, and found you to be sloppy at your job. The two of you were similar in one way; you had enough of the corrupt shit occurring in the QZ. You wanted to get away, you craved freedom - even if that meant living among the infected. You craved life outside of the walls… away from FEDRA.

Besides that, you and Joel butt heads like two mountain goats; fighting for dominance in the partnership you shared. You both had cold, yet overpowering personalities. Your morals were long gone. You both had an incredible amount of trauma constantly sitting on your shoulders, making the linger of tension much stronger between you two.

You insisted that you’d be able to handle yourself outside of the walls. You had experienced life among the ruined world before making it to Boston… how did he figure you ended up there anyway? The only reason you agreed to transporting Ellie was in hopes of finding new life, somewhere far away from the Boston QZ. With or without Joel, you didn’t care. In fact, you could say you were using him as leverage to get out of here - he knew the secret ways out, where to go when you reached the open world outside of the large, consuming and towering walls that encapsulated you within the fucked up corrupt society you lived in.

It had been a tense few days since you left the QZ. Plans changed and you were left with the responsibility of Ellie; something neither you or Joel really wanted. You trudged your feet forward, following behind the two. You knew there were a few places that Joel stashed extra items, making you hopeful for a pit stop. Your legs ached, sending shooting pains to your feet. Each step you took forward made you wince with pain… this sort of trek was easier before you got comfortable with your sedentary life within the QZ.

“We’re gonna stop right up here, stay back… I’m gonna check inside,” Joel instructed you and Ellie.

You sighed, sending a gentle smile to Ellie who reciprocated. You appreciated Ellie’s attitude. She didn’t really have much of a filter and she stood up for herself; respectable for a fourteen year old, you thought to yourself. You wished you were the same way when you were fourteen. You will never forget being that age; that was the year the outbreak began.

As always, you didn’t listen to Joel. You proceeded forward causing him to let out a low, powerful, “No.” To which you responded by rolling your eyes.

The two of you followed behind Joel, and when you entered the building you were met with a run down gas station. Yet the ravaged sight was genuinely nostalgic to you. You couldn’t remember the last time you were in a gas station. Your brain flooded back to pre-apocalyptic life, a time where life was enjoyable; renting a movie, grabbing a slushy, indulging in some candy. Your hands glided along the dust covered shelves as you walked down the aisle. Ellie wandered off while Joel searched for his stash.

“So what’s your plan, old man?” You muttered to Joel as he continued trying to retrace his steps.

“Why’s it matter to you? Thought you could handle this on your own,” he grunted.

You continued tracing shapes and drawing in the dust, dragging your feet along. “You’d like that. Wouldn’t you?”

Joel stopped, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

You continued stalking the aisles, but now you were staring into Joel’s eyes. He looked angry, a look that was quite familiar to you.

“I know you don’t even want me here. I don’t even want to be here with you. I’m sure there’s better people out there anyway,” you scoffed, rolling your eyes sarcastically.

Joel stopped his scattered movements to face you, quickly removing the space between the two of you.

His hand forcefully made its way to your delicate neck, pushing you against the end cap of the aisle. Your eyes widened as you gasped for air, “Look girl, you know you wouldn’t survive out there without me. And after losing Tess? I’m not losing you either.”

Joel stared into your eyes, into your soul. Your neck gulped under the strong grip of his hand - you struggled to gasp, your lungs were begging for air. He finally let go, causing you to intake a deep breath, trying to find the words, but instead tears began to well and you hurried out of the busted gas station.

Joel knew he fucked up. He didn’t know what came over him, but he couldn’t lose you or Ellie. Not necessarily out of love, but for the sake of his own ego, and guilt. Joel couldn’t handle anymore of that.

“Ellie!” He yelled out, searching for her in the building.

She slowly slid around the corner of the small office space, “What the fuck was that dude?”

Joel shook his head, “Let’s go. Now.” He demanded.

To Ellie’s surprise Joel ran out of the building. She quickly followed behind.

. . .

Your heart was racing as your chest expanded and closed in at a rapid pace. You tripped on a large tree chunk, leaving you sprawled on the ground. You pushed yourself to stand with the limited energy you had left. Your hands held you up as you used your knees for support, trying to not put too much pressure on your weak and injured foot. You attempted to get ahold of your breathing; the tears still falling down your dirtied face like a waterfall.

You didn’t understand… he cared about you?

The way he treated you since the beginning just didn’t match up with his words. What kind of game was he playing? He would throw cold, intimidating bitterness towards you for any small mistake. He didn't hesitate to put you in your place, and never paid you any attention that wasn't direly necessary.

You didn’t remember what it felt like to be cared about. You always ran from affection… even before the apocalypse.

You heard your name being called from afar, awakening your fight or flight to kick in - you wanted to run, as far as you could, but your body couldn’t withstand anymore; your legs continued to ache, your ankle was agonizing and your lungs felt like they were filled with blood. You were far more out of shape than you thought, leaving your inner weakness to overtake you.

You decided to let the universe decide your destiny - you laid on the ground and waited, like bait. Either for Joel to find you, or an infected.

Your eyes wandered above you. You soaked in the leafy green trees towering over you. The sounds of nature filling your ears. The warm wind blowing against your rough skin. The earth below you felt cool and comforting. Your breathing began to slow and you found your eyes becoming heavy. As much as you wanted to fight it, you let them close and soon you were met with a hazy half-ass slumber - the best you could get in an apocalypse.

. . .

Joel felt panic wash over him. He just told you he couldn’t lose you, and yet here he was searching for you. “Where could she be?” he questioned as he began to feel that all too familiar feeling - guilt.

Ellie joined him in calling your name. She felt nervous too. She wasn’t sure if she could handle Joel after losing another person. His bitterness made this journey much harder, a journey she didn’t choose to be on.

Joel stopped dead in his tracks, and reached his arm out to stop Ellie from proceeding. He slowly raised his gun, and cautiously began walking forward, taking small, quiet steps in order to avoid creating too much noise. He didn’t have much ammo left and he had to make the most of it.

He saw a body laying in the middle of the path, could it be an infected? Or just a dead body? His heart dropped when he noticed it was you; eyes closed, body limp. His mind wandered to the worst possible place.

“Y/N!” He shook you lightly, cautiously, unsure of the situation. Just hopeful that you were okay. He saw your chest rising, indicating you were well alive. He soaked in the view of your face; your parted chapped lips, the delicate crows feet nestled beside your eyes, the dirt that laid on your face - that still looked so soft to him.

. . .

Your peaceful slumber was broken as your body was gently shook. You bolted up - defencive being the first thing you felt anytime you woke from sleep. “Y/N, woah girl it’s just me, Joel” his voice cooed, bringing you back to reality as he rubbed your arm.

“Oh, you,” fell out of your lips sarcastically, brushing Joel off as quickly as you could. You didn’t want to feel his touch - you didn’t know how to process his touch. Joel made you want to feel cared for again, maybe.

“I’m just uh- gonna go like 10 feet over there and let you two figure out whatever this is…” Ellie announced, awkwardly making her way over to a nearby tree where she could prop herself against, somewhat comfortably, while being able to protect her back.

You both eyed Ellie as she walked, both knowing she was your responsibility to protect, but also knowing the two of you had to figure out whatever fucked up situation this was.

You began to massage your ankle, wincing in pain. Fuck, what did I do. Joel looked down over you, concern and anger were plastered on his face.

“Why the fuck did you run Y/N? What is wrong with you? I said you couldn’t handle being alone and here I fucking find you… asleep in the middle of a forest… so vulnerable,” he exclaimed, aggressively grabbing your arm to pull you to your feet.

You resisted, but his power was all too much for you to fight against. The weight of yourself bearing on your ankle made it difficult for you to stand. You shrugged your shoulders. You weren’t sure exactly why you ran. Joel’s words made you feel something that you didn’t want to feel. You didn’t want a connection to anyone. You knew this sort of life meant relying on yourself and only yourself, and Joel was making that difficult.

You looked up to meet Joel's brown eyes. His dusted face looked concerned, not angry, for once. “Look, what you said… I'm not used to people saying that kinda shit to me. It’s hard to hear that someone doesn’t want me dead, I usually assume the opposite considering no one really cares about other people in this world,” you muttered out, struggling to keep contact with Joel's gaze.

Your body tensed as you were suddenly pulled into Joel's embrace. It wasn’t necessarily loving, but it felt protective. “Well I do care. I’m not gonna lose you. You may annoy the shit out of me but my world would be too quiet without your bitching,” he whispered into your ear. Sure, the words weren’t romantic or anything, but you knew Joel was being genuine.

You pushed Joel away, “Okay,” you grunted, sending him a feeble smile through your pursed lips. “I’m gonna need you to tape me up. I fucked up my ankle earlier,” you lamented.

Joel shook his head, “Of course you did. Here, sit back down,” he glowered. He called over Ellie to assist him and the two managed to tape your ankle making you able to lazily follow behind them as you continued your journey.

“Where to?” you questioned, not sure what kind of answer you’d receive.

“Bill and Franks,” Joel muttered, waving you over to come closer to him. “Get on my back, you shouldn’t walk on that ankle of yours,” he insisted. You obliged, you’d be crazy to turn down his offer. Your ankle was throbbing and you could use a break considering you still had a few hours of your hike to get through.

As Joel readjusted you on his back your body became quite comfortable. You nuzzled your chin in between his shoulder and neck, embracing his warmth and surprisingly nodding off into a light snooze.

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal x reader #joel miller tlou #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller fanfiction #pedro pascal fanfiction

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thevindicativevordan · 12 days

Note

Comics this week (especially The Ultimates)?

Anonymous asked: Comics this week ? (also, have you dropped Immortal Thor ?)

Yeah my rent got raised and my medical bills hit me hard, so more cuts were needed alas.

Batman #148 -Dropped this as well, with the end of Zdarsky's Zur arc being underwhelming I can't justify continuing to read this. It's been merely ok, sometimes interesting, but far too familiar and repetitive in how it rehashes familiar story beats. Once again Batman drives the Batfamily away, only to acknowledge he needs them and reconcile. Until someone comes on board with a new story direction, I'm tapping out on Batbooks.

Kneel Before Zod #6 - Zod already scored himself a mistress? He and Sinestro can bond over their love of evil blue women. I thought for sure that other cell was a trap for Zod, glad he suspected the same and didn't take the bait until he was sure. I wonder if he and Emerald Empress are going to join forces? YJ made Ursa into EE, so perhaps Casey is taking inspiration from that. With the return of the Retroboot coming, will this Emerald Empress belong to that Legion's history? I'm expecting that to be the case.

My Adventures With Superman #1 - Even with my financial problems I still want to support MAWS any way I can, and happily I enjoyed this. No surprise with Campbell writing but it feels exactly as what it's been advertised as being, a lost episode of the show. Bloodsport is my Gluppo Shitto after how much I enjoyed The Suicide Squad, so I'm happy to see him appear here.. Another competing shady government agency in Checkmate too, I really want to see Bloodsport appear in the show. Frankly I wish he had gotten Slade's position as the second in command for Waller. I was wondering how they were going to differentiate Amazo from Parasite since they both do similar things, but MAWS Parasite doesn't actually copy powers merely absorbs energy, so now Clark is up against someone who can go toe to toe with him and has his own powers. That will be useful experience if he ever has to face Zod or Bizarro.

Ultimates #1 - Ahhh but this was easily the best first issue of the week. Camp is able to emulate Hickman's style while retaining his own voice, and of the Ultimate line he's the only one besides Hickman who managed to tell a complete story in an issue. We get Cap waking up and reacting to the United States no longer existing, Doom and Cap nudging Tony in different directions, Tony talking about how he hasn't yet "conquered time" (duhnduhnDUHNNNNN), the compression here is refreshing and makes the issue feel meaty. Camp even directly tackles the murkiness of Pym getting his powers. Hank was so afraid of becoming like 616 Hank that he refused to take Tony’s offer, but he still kept the orb. Seems like we won’t get the typical wife beater Pym storyline for this universe thank goodness. He and Janet are married too and Janet is perfect, reminds me of EMH Janet.

There was also an interview with Camp where he outright states that he wants you to be uncomfortable with the Ultimates killing. It would be easy to make the charges of terrorism a mere smear but it looks like he intends to embrace the label and interrogate if terrorists can be heroes - exactly in line with the idea of the 6160 Ultimates being the equivalent to the 1610 Liberators. Curiously he teases that Doom's changing eye color might not be mere colorist error. If that's the case, my theory is that Maker merged Reed and the other three into one body, or even Reed and Doom, similar to how he merged the four hirelings in Ultimate Invasion #1.

#weekly review #ultimates #my adventures with superman

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lunarsilkscreen · 10 months

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Minimum Wage, and beyond

Let's use any store for an example:

Minimum wage is set at $15 an hour.

In order to break even, which is arguably the entire point of a business to begin with. You need to pay your employees hours worked.

That means you need to sell 2 $10 sandwiches an hour per employee. You make cost of ingredients AND pay that employee.

Now, back in the day before utilities were a thing: water, power, refrigeration, ectera... You didn't need EXTRA to pay the utilities. It wasn't a thing. That's why bartering worked, because the shopkeep could sell goods to the next sap to walk in the door.

And, besides from the assholes, rent wasn't a thing. You bought a plot of land, took out a loan to hire a carpenter and built your house and business on the same spot, called it a day. (Or got some buddies and some brewskis and did it yourselves.)

There's building codes, and inspectors, and utilities, and you have to worry about termites, carpenter ants, other pests, mold, mildew, ASBESTOS!

You gotta pay all *that* on top of the doctor that owns the business that you manage for him while he's in the Bahamas. He's never there, he rarely checks in, he just wants to foot the bill for a continuous dividend.

And shit if you fuck it up, or the business is in a location with no foot traffic. (And since it's to expensive to go outside, now you only interface with people delivering to other people! And those other people will give you a bad review when they inevitably receive their food cold.

Did I mention it was good for nothing doctors that recommended asbestos in the first place as a miracle insulation?

So how the f* are you supposed to make enough money to pay yourself, your employees, and your boss AND STILL HAVE ENOUGH TO PAY UTILITIES!

And on top of *that* what's the next step since you don't work for a corporate infrastructure that has hierarchy beyond *some doctor who owns this place*?

Unless you manage to figure out how to convince the doctor landlord to pay you a bonus for making astronomical returns, this is it buddy. This is your life.

I hope you enjoy Pizza.

So how is it possible that anybody make more than that? How is it, that somebody can get a loan of A BILLION DOLLARS. Refuse to pay it back, and then not go to jail? Is it because you'd have to be an idiot to loan out that much? Well if you got that much to lend, it must be fine.

In America, "pawn stars" has ensured that bartering is like an old fashioned nearly ancient way to make money. Goods are money, disposable items means you can't sell anything. Hell, I've never seen anything at a garage sale go for more than a couple bucks.

The goods as currency just doesn't work if everybody is just waiting to "storage wars" your old stuff when you can't pay your mortgage anymore. It's not value, it's icing for land owners and banks.

So tell me, how is value store supposed to work for the average person? We need to spend money to eat, and for the economy to work, it's mathematically impossible to make ends meet at a business that sells food if the local population doesn't come eat at your establishment.

On a macro scale, what we have isn't working at all.

It wasn't working when minimum wage was $7 it isn't working with minimum wage at $15. We checked the math twice.

How do you ensure an employee can afford room and board, and still have time to participate in politics to ensure a working government and economy?

That is the questions we're trying to answer as we look at the entire system from a macro perspective.

We have to ensure that the plumbers, and the farmers, and the electricians and the mechanics can all get paid a living wage, but they cannot if there is nobody who can afford their services.

So how do we make sure, that the "dirty jobs" that "nobody wants to do" actually have demand for use, AND return on investment to the individual doing them?

I think, that it should be illegal for a residential unit to be used on AirBnB. I think, that they should have to be zoned like regular inns and hotels. I also think, that if somebody who *owns* the house they're living in, or you know, has a mortgage. Then you should mind your own damn business if they have an OnlyFans. unless they're keeping you up at night, or out in the streets, I don't think you should care.

I also think that rental housing should also follow the same rules for Hotels and apartments. They should be zoned for that, and they shouldn't count towards the theoretical residential housing that the city thinks they have.

At the very least, it'll ensure that there's a supply of people nearby to buy pizza from Dr. Pizza's Pizza and Law office.

And you'll be able to keep track of your homelessness issue.

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ninaleenova · 9 months

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Truth is. . .

I wish I could tell you I stopped feeling this way.

I wish I could tell you that the psych word and getting sober made it all go away.

I wish I could tell you that getting closer to a God of my understanding, or rather the Game Dev of my understanding, has made it so these feelings or thoughts never came up again. . .

But that isn't true.

Truth is. . . I still want to kill myself. It's not that I necessarily really want to die it's just that sometimes the pain gets so big that I don't want to be alive.

My Game Dev wouldn't allow me to die, apparently my save-state in this universe has me alive--I certainly can't drink over it or use drugs, this includes marijuana unfortunately--and I can't go to the hospital again because I have bills to pay and I'm already in arrears with my rent. . .

So what else am I supposed to do besides feel my feelings and process them and actually cope and do everything I can to use my tools?

I can't magically wish it away, it doesn't work like that. You can't magically wish away cancer, mental health illness is the same thing as any other type of debilitating disease you just can't see it and the only manifestation are the behaviors and feelings, not necessarily anything physical.

I'd love to tell you that it got any easier, it really hasn't it's just my resilience has increased apparently by the grace of my Game Dev.

Not every day feels like this but every day has been feeling like this to some degree for quite a while now.

The thoughts don't go away, the medicine certainly does help otherwise I would be worse off than I am which is insane for me to think about.

My first attempt was at 7 years old, I am now 31. I pray everyday that my game does forces a patch update and my coding and updates my firmware and eradicate my bugs that lead me to think this way but the bugs and errors keep popping up and the same occurrences keep happening but that's okay.

I pray that my system does not cease functioning, and I pray that I don't try to take a permanent action to temporary problems again and end up corrupting my CPU and just be a blank state vegetable where my power runs but there's no processing behind it.

I know I have to keep fighting and I know I have to value myself and it isn't just about who relies on me.

No human power can relieve me of myself, not even myself, I just have to choose different small little things everyday.

To any other brave soul that maybe out there going through the same thing that's reading this, thank you for being here today and I love you.

#alcoholism #keep coming back #one day at a time #spilled thoughts #writing #addiction recovery #easy does it #diary #recovery #recovering addict #mental health #mental illness #suicide #depression #tw depressing thoughts #truth #spilled writing #spilled words #honesty

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d1stract-and-daydream · 1 year

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Think With Your Heart, Feel With Your Brain (OC x Bucky)

Summary:Lilith was born inheriting her parents' powers:telekinesis. Though that was not the only thing she inherited. It seemed all her persistent obsessions, tendency to panic under overstimulation, and confusion separating romantic and platonic feelings were also somehow, passed down to her. Follow Lilith as she tries to learn her way through her powers-and her feelings.

Just a character and relationship study of autistic OC/Bucky/Steve based on rampant daydreams.

Warning: No warning, just some secondhand embarrassment. WC:800+

Chapter 1: Introduction

The fact is, New York is just too full of superheroes. Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, and whatever else she never could remember. And one thing they do best is being loud. Which, coincidentally, is also the one thing Lilith hates the most. Well, aside from microfiber cloths and overhead lights. Actually, it’s better not to start. The list goes on and on.

People often tell her that without them, there would be no one to help with alien invasions and shit. But the same people also bemoan their wrecked cars and ruined home.

Unfortunately, she's not in the place to have such an opinion. Having two superpowered parents means, well, she inherits the power. For all she knows, she could live a completely different path right now if the right people discovered her. But she wasn’t, and that’s fine. She's not bitter about it or anything. She's been living the good life as a magician at birthday parties, specialising in making things float in the air. It’s not the most prosperous job out there, but it’s nice that she can set her own time and don’t have to bother with putting on the happy mask, which is why she chose to be a magician instead of a clown. People think an unsmiling magician is mysterious, can’t say the same about clowns, though.

She's in no position to do the honourable thing to hide her identity when she’re barely making rent. If she can use her powers to pay her bills, then why won’t she? Who’s going to stop her, anyway? It’s not like she was out here hurting anyone, so honestly people can go f—

She watches as a kid rammed into a tower of stacked can, causing it to collapse right in front of her. This is normally why they advise against zoning out in public. Before the cans could bury her under, she conjured an invisible shield around her, causing the cans to bounce off her instead.

“You okay?” A deep voice spoke besides her. She turned to look at him, removing her headphones to hear him better, but when she got a glimpse of a metal arm, her eyes snapped to the owner’s face to confirm her suspicion. It’s one of them. Well, if anything, it just confirms her initial statement. Although it’s hard to find it in her to resent this man. From what she saw of him, he was genetically blessed.

“I’m okay,” she assured him, right before she took a step back, slipping over the cans, causing her to fall flat on her back. She has no idea which is worse, the pain or the embarrassment of having that witnessed. Until Mr. Superhero started laughing. Embarrassment, it is.

“Here, let me help you.” He said after he finished, pulling her up by the waist.

“Thanks.” she muttered, now averting his gaze completely, confident that her heated cheeks meant she was now blushing. Time to change the topic.

“You’re…” she started, pointing at him, trying to remember his name. She was sure that he was the Winter Soldier before, but she doesn't know what he calls himself these days.

“James Barnes,” he offered her a handshake, which she took. But she can’t tear her eyes away from his metal arm, and she realises after that she probably looked like the biggest creep in town, staring at him like that.

“Sorry,” she started, looking down, to his side, his chest, hell, anywhere besides the arm and his face. “It’s just… it looks cool.”

He waves his hands. “You can stare however long you want to. I don’t mind.” Her eyebrows knit, trying to decipher if that was considered flirting or just a good-natured joke. She decides it’s the latter and gives him a smile.

“Thanks again.” She says before pushing her cart to leave the crime scene.

“Oh, and thanks for saving the world and stuff.” She adds, thinking about saying “thanks for her service”, but decides that’s enough of embarrassing herself today.

A/N: This was just for fun. Will be multi-chaptered. Should I make this a BuckyxReader or BuckyxReaderxSteve? Also, if anyone has any scene/dialogue/prompt that will fit, I am always open to explore them.

#mcu fic #marvel mcu #bucky x oc #Buckyxf!oc #Buckyxfem oc #bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #oc #original character

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thesims4blogger · 1 month

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The Sims 4: New Game Patch (April 16th, 2024)

EA is releasing a new game update for The Sims 4 ahead of the release of the two upcoming kits, Urban Homage and Party Essentials.

The Sims Direct Communication shared a tweet that the patch will resolve the issue with an error message that is being shown to some players. See it below.

To ensure your game is up to date, check the game version found in Documents > EA > The Sims 4 > GameVersion.txt. Your game should now read: PC: 1.106.148.1030 / Mac: 1.106.148.1230 / Console: 1.91

Sul Sul Simmers! In just a few days, you can get your hands on a fresh fit to wear to the best party on the block. The fun doesn’t stop there; we’ve also got some updates coming your way! The Sims Team

Sul Sul Simmers!

In just a few days, you can get your hands on a fresh fit to wear to the best party on the block. The fun doesn’t stop there; we’ve also got some updates coming your way!

The Sims Team

Bug Fixes

Base Game

Plants that are alive and well will no longer emit green “stink clouds” as if they were dead. Translations related to this fix will be available in the next release!

After enforcing regulations with the Landgraab Power Company, power on a Sim’s lot will no longer be unexpectedly shut off when bills are paid in full.

What an identity crisis! Simmers playing in any language besides English will no longer see the First and Last Name panel blank in CAS for Sims that have selected pronouns.

Um, wasn’t this supposed to be a group activity? When doing Group Cooking, all Sims will now participate.

Gallery Server

Reducing the strictness of how hashtags were handled when listed in specific orders

Maxis-created Sims, even from past Sims games, should no longer be prevented from uploading if you choose to recreate one or more

Eco Lifestyle

We fixed an issue where The Dew Collector was not collecting any water. Now, it will correctly collect water, and the water level will continue to rise.

High School Years

Timestamps are now updated properly on the Social Bunny App. Phew, talk about FOMO!

Horse Ranch

While admirable, Sims will no longer express a desire to level up their Nectar Making skill, when that skill is already maxed out.

Yipee, Horse Riding now helps Sims lose weight!

For Rent

In this economy?! The maximum available rent value will no longer lower after evicting a tenant during a grace period in 11C Sungai Point.

Crystal Creations

The shawl sweater from Crystal Creations is now visible when selecting a “Fashion Choice” in CAS filters. Please be advised that wearing this shawl did not grant the power of invisibility.

Realm of Magic

What a conundrum! When aliens abduct Spellcasters, they will now become pregnant and give birth to an alien baby instead of a Sim baby.

Werewolves

Tastes like kibble! After taking the ‘Wolf-B-Gone’ drink, Sims will no longer have a fury glow still showing.

Updated a series of CAS accessories that were originally showing up for werewolves, even though those accessories were not applicable to werewolves.

Grunge Revival

A texture issue with the chipped nails in Grunge Revival has been updated.

Poolside Splash

Textures on one of the tank tops have been updated to remove some texture bleeding.

Castle Estate

Hear ye, hear ye. All Castle Estate Windows have been updated to show up in the correct wall height categories.

The arrow slit window has been updated to show that it can be placed on curved walls.

The “Heraldic Crest of Yore” and the “The Eavesdropping Llama” have been updated to appear in Outdoor Wall Sculptures. Your castle has never looked better!

#news #the sims 4 #sims 4 #ts4

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lovevalley45 · 2 years

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untitled ficlet #268 (aka, that adventuring party au)

After a long day of adventuring, Gideon couldn't help looking forward to setting up camp and patching themselves up for the next day. Don't get her wrong, she loved a good battle and the thrill of questing. But the nights where they were all forced to wind down were quite pleasant.

Astra had started a fire with the juice left in her for a Firebolt, Spooner had made sure they picked a nice spot and possibly to grab some dinner, and she had settled down to repair Little Gideon. Her defender had gotten rocked in their recent encounter and practically limped beside them, but with a few quick Mendings the droid was back to her peppy self.

"How are you feeling?" Gideon asked her. The droid didn't speak, but it made a happy noise before going to inspect the rest of the camp.

From her spot close enough to the flames that they could nearly lick her skin, Astra glanced up from her pseudo-spellbook. "Nice to see our little nuissance up again."

"You can't think she's that annoying," she said. "She saved our arses well enough out there."

Little Gideon whizzed by, bumping against her leg as if to agree with her master. Astra bopped the droid on her head, but she smiled anyways. "You're still not getting a cut."

"Not even 10%?" Gideon asked.

"For what?" Astra asked.

She shrugged. "She's smarter than you think."

"Are we letting the robot go on shopping sprees now?" Spooner asked, bow slung over her shoulder.

"Little Gideon deserves just as much credit as the rest of us."

Spooner plopped down beside Astra. "C'mon, how are you gonna deny as cute of a face as this?"

Astra rolled her eyes, flipping a few pages in her pseudo-spellback and taking out her pencil. "Fine. Only 10% though."

"Things look safe out there, by the way," she told them. "No evil sorcerers in the woods waiting for us to go to bed and take advantage of us."

"I'll have Little Gideon patrol the perimeter anyways," Gideon said. "Can never be too safe."

“The bad news is, the woods seem pretty empty in general. I couldn’t even find Astra’s favorite, squirrels,” Spooner continued, throwing a teasing smile at their party member.

“I’d prefer squirrels over rations,” Astra muttered, not looking up from her accounting.

“We’re only one day out from the nearest town, and then we can settle in at a tavern and get a nice, real meal,” Gideon declared. “Ooh, remember that one place with the spicy fish stew?”

“Mm, wasn’t a personal favorite, but they served up a nice breakfast,” Spooner replied.

“Tavern food is a little too lowbrow for me,” Astra said.

“Big surprise there,” Spooner muttered.

“But that bakery in the last village we went through had-”

“The most amazing pie,” the three of them finished together, as Astra sighed.

“Almost stole that recipe off of them,” she added.

“You what?” Gideon asked.

“I didn’t!” She huffed. “Besides, where could I have even made it?”

“Perhaps we can rent out a nice house for a little while after this adventure. After all, you two have been going together long before you picked me up,” Gideon said.

Spooner smiled, leaning back on the log a little. “Wouldn’t mind a month’s break.”

“If the payout is big enough,” Astra said. “Adventuring isn’t easy, but it pays the bills.”

“Please, I know you’d love to spend a month lounging around and getting to use your spell slots to make life easy instead of setting baddies on fire,” Spooner told her. “Giddy and I could make ourselves busy while you try to recreate those pies.”

“I think we’d come back to the kitchen ablaze, wouldn’t we?” Gideon teased.

“There was that one time I went out to try and find more food…” she agreed.

“That was different,” Astra said.

As Spooner elbowed her playfully, Little Gideon came up besides her master and snuggled close. Gideon ran a hand over her cool metal head, feeling the arcane energy that powered her thrum under her fingers. She glanced back over at the rest of her party, too distracted by their own drama to notice her gaze. If there’d been any people to find her and Little Gideon, she was grateful it’d been these weirdos.

#alli writes shit #legends of tomorrow #gideon lot #astra logue #spooner cruz #i'd say try and guess their classes but i talk a lot abt my dnd headcanons so y'all probably know

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