#both in numbers and in technology

[dead-generations]

on the off chance someone that follows me is inclined to read this article: it is a puff piece, a bit of industry propaganda. It both reflects and demonstrates that the opposite is basically true. china is lagging in its development of a reusable launch vehicle and their private space sector has yet to find it's feet.

since it would take considerable time and effort to explain why exactly I say that, I won't, unless someone who follows me gives a shit. if any of you want to know let me know and I'll happily do so.

but the explanation is kinda boring, even if it's another chance to demonstrate why it's important to be able to discern and dissect rhetoric

[jobyoda-philippines]

Exploring Career and Job Opportunities in Davao City Philippines

Davao City, recognized as one of the Philippines' most progressive cities, continues to experience remarkable economic growth, creating a vibrant job market that attracts professionals from across the country. The city's diverse economy offers numerous employment opportunities, from entry-level positions to executive roles, making it an attractive destination for job seekers at all career stages.

The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector stands as one of the largest employers in Davao City, providing thousands of jobs across various specializations. Companies in this sector actively recruit customer service representatives, technical support specialists, and quality assurance analysts, offering competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits packages. The industry's continued expansion has created numerous opportunities for career advancement, with many organizations promoting from within and providing extensive training programs.

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The Information Technology sector in Davao has seen significant growth, with many companies seeking software developers, web designers, and IT support specialists. This growth has been fueled by the city's improving technological infrastructure and the increasing number of tech-focused businesses establishing operations in the region. Tech professionals can find opportunities in both established companies and startups, with many positions offering competitive compensation and the possibility of remote work arrangements.

Davao's hospitality and tourism industry continues to expand, creating jobs in hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, and tour operations. The sector offers positions ranging from entry-level service roles to management positions, with many employers providing training and development opportunities. The industry's growth has also sparked demand for professionals in events management and tourism marketing.

The education sector presents numerous opportunities for both full-time and part-time employment. Educational institutions regularly seek teachers, tutors, and administrative staff. The rise of online learning has created additional opportunities for English language teachers and academic consultants who can work flexible hours from home or teaching centers.

Job hiring  in Davao, the digital economy has opened new avenues for employment. E-commerce specialists, digital content creators, and social media managers are in high demand as businesses increasingly establish their online presence. These positions often offer the flexibility of remote work while providing competitive compensation packages.

Professional development resources are readily available in Davao City, with numerous institutions offering skills training programs and industry certifications. Job seekers can access career counseling services, resume writing assistance, and interview coaching through various employment support organizations. These resources prove invaluable in helping candidates prepare for and secure desired positions.

The financial services sector in Davao has also experienced substantial growth, creating opportunities for banking professionals, insurance specialists, and investment consultants. These positions typically offer attractive compensation packages, including performance bonuses and health benefits, making them highly sought after by experienced professionals.

Davao's agricultural sector continues to evolve, combining traditional farming with modern agribusiness practices. This has created opportunities for agricultural technologists, food processing specialists, and supply chain professionals. The sector offers both technical and management positions, with many companies providing specialized training and development programs.

For those entering Davao's job market, proper preparation is essential. Successful job seekers typically maintain updated resumes, prepare comprehensive portfolios, and stay informed about industry developments. Professional networking, both online and offline, plays a crucial role in discovering opportunities and advancing careers in the city.

The future of Davao's job market looks promising, with emerging industries creating new employment opportunities. The city's commitment to economic development, coupled with its strategic location and robust infrastructure, continues to attract businesses and investors, ensuring a steady stream of job opportunities for qualified candidates.

Whether seeking full-time employment or part-time job in Davao City offers a diverse range of opportunities across multiple industries. Success in this dynamic job market often comes to those who combine proper preparation with continuous skill development and effective networking. As the city continues to grow and evolve, its job market remains a beacon of opportunity for professionals seeking to build meaningful careers in Mindanao's premier business hub.

[geekonik]

Latest in Tech and Programming.

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[ssa-dado]

what if fleabag reader has to get a new vibrator 'cause her old one died on her or she's just getting one for her friend as a gag gift, and she runs into hotch in the process ? also i didn't know you could get them at pharmacies, but i guess that's a more realistic place for hotch to be (old back and everything).

For a Friend

triathlon!Aaron Hotchner x fleabag!reader Genre: 21st-century-feminist-meltdown-over-an-old-man and pre-relationship mutual pining Summary: You just wanted a new vibrator. Instead, you bump into Aaron Hotchner at 2 a.m., holding six modes of clitoral suction technology and a G-spot stimulator in a paper bag. Now he’s offering you a ride, a jacket, and possibly his number. You’re doing great. Warnings: Sexual themes & imagery (non-explicit but VERY suggestive), age gap, cuss words, hint of the vile act of female masturbation *pearl clutch* with *pearl clutch pt.2* sex toys, objectification of the Hotchner body, reader calls Hotch out for not having an ass, grief (your last vibrator died) Word Count: 4.7k Dado's Corner: Thanks for the request, dearest!! Sorry it took me forever, I hope you enjoy itttt!!! Special thanks to @hotchology for the free psychological counseling

masterlist(s)

Experts say it’s healthy to walk at least seven minutes a day, so here you are - taking your medically-recommended stroll at 2:06 a.m., in the direction of a 24-hour pharmacy, because you care about your health.

Deeply.

You really care about your health especially now that your vibrator has officially died in your hand right in the middle of what was shaping up to be a perfectly respectable late-night fantasy involving you, a locked door, and the tall, emotionally unavailable federal agent with zero small talk skills you’ve been mentally undressing since the first time you saw him do a butterfly stroke at the Y.

…It’s not like you always picture Aaron Hotchner.

You’re not that far gone.

You do have range.

You’ve gotten off to strangers.

To that chief of trauma doctor from Chicago Hope.

To the hot background guy from the Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas who had two lines and really great hair.

You are complex. You contain multitudes.

It’s just that Aaron Hotchner is… convenient. Reliable.

He’s easy.

Not easy-easy.

Cognitively easy. Low effort. High reward.

You don’t have to invent a man from scratch. Don’t have to mentally composite three mediocre exes and C-list celebrity actors into a half-decent fuck-doll when he already exists fully formed and fully clothed (barely.)

You don’t even have to think.

He’s basically a mental shortcut to climax, muscle memory with forearms, a comfort fantasy - like soup for the soul, if soup were six feet tall and weekly served wet at your local pool.

…And also dripping, practically naked.

All yours, at least visually.

You’ve memorized the way his thighs flex when he pushes off the wall, that split second of coiled power, the twitch of his calves, the ripple up to his glutes as he launches forward.

Perfect form. Perfect technique. Perfect… well.

Not a lot of meat back there.

Not exactly the kind of ass you’d grab with both hands and sink your teeth into.

No jiggle. No fluff.

Just… deeply respectable glutes.

Taut. Efficient. Compact.

An ass with more function than fat.

An ass that clocks in at the crack of dawn, files a huge pile of case reports, tackles a serial killer or two, then goes home and makes dinner for his kid.

An ass that probably says “thank you” when it finishes and then folds the towel neatly afterward.

Toned, athletic. Not juicy.

You wouldn’t bite it. (Lie.) You wouldn’t slap it.  (Another lie.)

(Because you’d absolutely slap it. If he walked past you up a flight of stairs in those tight trousers he insists on wearing - pleated, no less - you’d black out and wake up with a stinging palm, your handprint on him and a federal restraining order in the mail.)

You wouldn’t grope it. You’d shake its hand. A gentleman’s ass. Very in-character kind of ass.

…You’d still let it rail you against a doorframe, obviously.

You’re not an idiot. You have eyes.

And that’s how you know the way his back arches (yes, arches) when he does a lazy freestyle turn. That smooth, arrogant curve of his spine as he rotates, like the water exists solely to show him off.

You’d say he looks graceful, but that feels too innocent.

He’s obscene.

You know everything about his body. Everything except for one crucial part.

The only piece he hasn’t offered up for public consumption.

The mystery.

And yet… is it really?

Because thanks to the tight speedos he wears you’ve done more visual math in that pool cafeteria than you ever did in school.

Circumference. Vein definition. Drop. Girth. Angle. Hinge theory. Left or right lean.

You’ve factored in mass, blood flow, gravitational pull, and fabric stretch.

At this point, it’s not even fantasy, it’s field research. All you have to do is mentally rotate, enlarge by 37%, adjust for arousal, and boom - there it is.

You’ve seen that dick. You know that dick.

If it ever revealed itself in real life, you’d probably just nod.

Like, yes. Correct. That’s the dick I’ve been using. Thank you for confirming.

Your brain barely breaks a sweat.

Which is more than can be said for you, as you’re currently trying to act normal in front of a just-graduated baby pharmacist who definitely still gets ID’d at bars, while heading for the forbidden shelf.

The one that doesn’t technically exist, but everyone knows does.

You make the turn casually.

Like you’re browsing.

Like you’re not here to buy a vibrator at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday only because for some reason, buying it here - in a pharmacy - makes it feel... medical.

Like a wellness thing. Like vitamins, floss, or calcium chews.

Like a very modern, battery-operated form of hormone regulation.

Not pleasure. No, no, no, God forbid.

This is for health, for stress relief. This is for preventing female rage and preserving the social fabric of your household.

Also, it’s very, very late - which is strategic.

No lines. No witnesses.

No grandmas behind you buying Werther’s Originals and silently judging your rotating G-spot stimulator with ergonomic grip.

You tell yourself that’s why you’re here at this hour.

Not because, despite all the feminist essays and body-positive podcasts, you still get flustered at the thought of being seen in public holding a brightly colored orgasm machine.

No. Absolutely not.

You’re here because you swore - never again.

Never again would you endure the trauma of your vibrator dying mid-session and having to switch to manual mode like it was the Middle Ages just to finish.

(And worst of all, it didn’t even work. You dried up. Mood ruined. You just laid there, staring at the ceiling for fifteen full minutes before sighing, getting dressed, and deciding - once again, ironically - to take matters into your own hands.)

You’re a modern woman.

Sexually free modern woman living in a free country that still accounts for death penalty for some of their states. Nothing is more free than this freedom.

You can vote.

You can buy a dual-stimulation, six-mode, energy-efficient G-spot massager - (at least according to the box, which proudly claims it uses fewer batteries than your last one. And you believe it. You trust boxes. You’re loyal like that.)

Right next to the hemorrhoid cream. In the middle of the night.

And you can replace a fallen comrade - RIP to the last one. Gone, but not forgotten - and now, here you are, holding its shiny successor the way you’ve seen people hold babies in movie posters. (Tender. Hopeful. A little overwhelmed.)

Nothing says freedom like that.

Stars. Stripes. Clitoral suction technology.

God bless America.

…Maybe not.

Because just as you take a step back, you collide – directly -with someone you didn’t even hear approach.

“I’m so sorry,” you blurt, right as a much deeper, much more male voice says the exact same thing.

A voice your brain knows very well.

Because not even an hour ago it was busy fabricating that same voice whispering “You’re taking me so well,” and - though you'd never admit this part - also: “Sweetheart.”

(Ew.)

Aaron Hotchner is now standing right there in front of you - real, breathing, and terrifyingly three-dimensional in a full three-piece suit – and is trying so hard not to look at the aggressively pink vibrator box clenched in your hand.

But he saw it. Oh, he saw it.

He’s a profiler. He’s trained to notice things.

(Or at least that’s what your late-night Google search said back when you first typed: “aaron hotchner fbi real???”)

(Which quickly devolved into a behavioral analysis rabbit hole run by people with usernames like @wifeofunitchief69 and @peter-rhea. All of them openly thirsting after him.)

(Especially this Peter guy - who you’re 85% sure is real, 15% convinced was a hallucination - kept posting photos a few years ago that looked… suspiciously intimate. Like “taken through the blinds” intimate. You don’t know how he got them. You don’t want to know. He hasn’t posted since.)

(Guess it was just a phase.)

Aaron’s locking eyes with you. Terrifying. Unfairly hazel, thanks to the pharmacy’s aggressive overhead lighting.

He’s focused on your face. Just your face.

(You are maybe a little flustered by this.)

(You bet all the serial killers he interrogates fall in love with him, too. You bet they get weird about it. Understandable, this man definitely knows how to hold eye contact.)

But you don’t buy it.

There is no way he didn’t read the full headline: “CLITORAL SUCTION + G-SPOT STIMULATION - NOW QUIETER!” (Ironically printed in all caps. For maximum discretion. Obviously.)

You are so incredibly fucked.

Unfortunately, only metaphorically.

Also, the silence is not helping. Not even a little.

…This feels like a crime.

(It’s not. Not technically. You can’t terminate a pregnancy in half the country, but you can buy a dual-motor vibrator next to the Tylenol. It’s somewhere in the Declaration of Independence - just after “life, liberty,” and right before “All men are created equal,” [*except slaves and women].”)

Still.

You are now committing an obscene act of self-service capitalism directly in front of a federal agent.

And some small, awful corner of your brain - the one with leftover shame and badly wired internalized misogyny, inherited from a cocktail of bad parenting and several seasons of Law & Order – fully believes this is the part where he arrests you.

Pushes you against the KY shelf.

Pins you with his full body weight.

Snaps cold real handcuffs around your wrists and whispers, “You have the right to remain silent…”

Which you clearly don’t.

Because your mouth opens before your brain can file an objection.

“…It’s for a gift.” WHY. WHY DID YOU SAY THAT. “…For my friend,” you add… as if that helps. (It doesn’t.)

He nods. Polite. Awkward.

…Too bad his ears are starting to match the exact pink of the vibrator.

Goddammit, he’s a prude.

One of those soft-spoken, morally burdened types who probably says “intercourse” and excuses himself when a condom commercial comes on.

Oh no.

What if this is his first time seeing one up close?

What if you just popped his sex toy cherry?

What if he goes home, locks the door, and has a slow, shameful jerk thinking about you in CVS with a 6-mode clitoral suction wand?

(…You wish.)

No. Worse. Because now he’s staring at you like he wants to ask, “What kind of friend buys a vibrator at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday?”

But won’t.

And since you are a mature, well-educated, emotionally intelligent woman - and not, say, a liar desperately trying to salvage a crumbling cover story – you say:

“Her birthday’s tomorrow.”

(It’s not. It’s in three days. But the product needs testing. Obviously. You’re not going to spend that much money again unless you know it delivers. That’s not selfishness. That’s friendship. That’s quality control.)

“Well… technically today. Midnight and all,” you add, even smiling. So bright. So natural. So deeply suspicious.

“It’s alr-” he starts, finally working up the courage to glance down-

…Only to be slapped – hard - right between the shoulder blades by very enthusiastic, very just-graduated-and-finally-making-big-boy-money night-shift pharmacist who materializes out of nowhere behind him.

Ouch.

Now - to be fair - the pharmacist doesn’t see it. (You do. Unfortunately. In high-definition, too.)

Because Aaron Hotchner is currently holding a box of ThermaCare HeatWraps and naproxen sodium - both of which are for his back.

He jolts forward on impact, barely, and then freezes.

Just enough to make you worry that’s it, that’s the final blow. That he’s going to stay like that forever, just slightly curved, permanently bent.

Italic Hotchner.

“My man,” the pharmacist beams. “Everything alright?”

By the look on Aaron’s face, you can tell he has never seen this person before in his life. Never. Not once.

But Aaron nods - tight, polite, already calculating the minimum number of words required to exit the conversation without triggering a background check or losing his license to carry a firearm.

“Just wanted to say, I really admire you.” The pharmacist grins, still holding Aaron’s shoulder, “Not every guy’s open-minded enough to use toys in the bedroom with their girl.”

…Oh. Oh, fuck.

You should say something. Anything. Correct him. Laugh, even.

But you’re too distracted by the fact that Aaron isn’t saying a word either.

He’s just… frowning. Not full frown, just pulling his eyebrows closer together.

Which, in Hotchner language, could mean anything from “I’m flattered” or “You could’ve handled it differently” to “I’m about to shoot you.”

It’s impossible to tell. You’re not fluent yet. (You need more fieldwork. Preferably hands-on.)

“Damn, look at that,” the pharmacist chuckles, nodding at Aaron’s little arthritis starter pack.

Then turns. To you.

“Is this your fault?”

Ha.

Ha ha.

How adorable.

You wish. God, you wish.

You’d rail him into a herniated disc so bad he’d have to wear a brace for three months and think of you every time he reached for the cereal shelf.

But no.

“Um…” you manage, shaking your head. “We’re not-”

Fucking. Sexually intimate.

Connected in any capacity beyond weekly pool glances and intrusive masturbation thoughts.

(And it’s not like he seems like the type to just have a casual “friend.” No, he seems like the kind of man who'd call a hookup a regrettable lapse in judgment and then spend six months punishing himself for it.)

And so, in doubt? You flee.

A timeless tactic.

You did the same thing when your therapist asked, “Why do you think you’re so attracted to older men?” and you suddenly remembered - oh no! You didn’t lock the café.

“I think I’m just gonna…” you gesture - vague, noncommittal, something in the direction of the register - and after a short, awkwardly graceful round of people-pleasing Olympics with the vibrator-pink-faced pharmacist-

(something between “Sorry if I misunderstood, I’ve been here since 6 p.m. and I’m on my third energy drink,” and “It’s okay, no really, it’s my fault” [for what? unclear])-

You’re outside.

Alive.

Vibrator in a paper bag and…

…It’s pouring.

Not only do you not have a significant other to kiss in the rain like a scene from one of those movies you only watch when you’re actively trying to remember how alone you truly are, but your car is enjoying an extended, all-inclusive, paid-for-by-you vacation at the mechanic.

Great.

“Miss.”

You physically jolt. Because:

1. That voice.

And

2. Miss?! Hello???

Aaron is standing just behind you, yet again.

“Are you alright?” he asks.

“Oh, yes.” You are soaked. And flustered. And holding a fucking vibrator in a paper bag while the hottest man in federal law enforcement addresses you like a schoolgirl who dropped her books in a rainstorm. “Yes. Alright.”

He looks at you with that stupidly concerned face - the one where his brows pull just slightly together.

It lasts a second.

Feels like a week.

“You’ve been standing here for a few minutes…”

…Apparently, the old man’s been watching you contemplate your entire existence under the sad little pharmacy awning while he casually stocked up on meds for his fucked-up joints.

How romantic.

“Oh… I was-” Nope. Nope, you were not anything. You have no explanation.

“Do you need a ride?” he asks.

Oh. Fuck. “Don’t worry,” you blurt. “I live close by.”

Feminism is a beautiful thing.

Except right now.

Right now, feminism is cockblocking you.

Aaron hums - hums?! - already pulling his phone from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and it’s… it’s the smallest iPhone you’ve ever seen.

Probably an iPhone 4, but in his hand - his massive hand - it looks like he’s stolen it from a dollhouse.

He swipes the screen (with his very thick thumb), squints just enough to tell you he’s absolutely in denial about needing reading glasses, then turns the phone toward you:

“99% chance of hard rain until 7 a.m.”

…Unfortunately, you’re far too distracted by his hands to verify the evidence. Especially that thumb, still hovering near the screen like it’s not the most erotic thing you’ve seen all week.

(And speaking of data - there is a study. Something about men with very large hands also having very large-)

Without hesitation, Aaron just shrugs off his suit jacket. “Put it over your head,” then he hands it to you. “Don’t want you to get wet...”

Too late.

Not only because you're touching his very warm, very expensive, very tailored, very smells-so-much-like-him jacket, but because he didn’t even flinch.

Not at the acid rain.

Not at the dry-cleaning bill.

Not at the fact that he doesn’t have an umbrella for himself.

Not even at the fact that he’s now just standing there in a white shirt.

A white shirt. In the rain.

(You pray that he’s not wearing an undershirt.)

(You pray this turns into an unofficial Aaron Hotchner Wet T-Shirt Contest…Wet shirt. Wet dress shirt.)

“…You’re the one holding the electronics,” he adds, tilting his head toward the bag.

Ah. There it is. Thank you, Aaron, for making it weird. Again.

He sort of redeems himself by opening the door of his very shiny, very hot-dad black car like it’s the 1950s. (You hate how much you love it.)

…He even closes the door for you.

There are a few immediate observations that need to be made about Aaron Hotchner’s car:

•           It smells divine. Like clean leather, big paycheck, small emotional availability and a touch of lavender, too.

•           It’s spotless. Not a crumb. Not a fingerprint. There’s not a speck of dust anywhere.

•           There are superhero comics tucked into the seat pocket. Jack’s, obviously. Unless… they’re his. Which would be - God. A brooding man with a soft spot for two-dimensional justice and emotionally stunted men in capes. Fatherhood and projection, hand in hand. Amazing.

But what really grabs your attention is the seating.

Full black leather.

Sleek. Cold enough to sting if your thighs were bare. Soft enough to leave marks if you were sitting on his lap instead.

Easy to wipe down. Easy to grip.

A car designed to be fucked in.

The hottest thing inside it, though? Probably the fact that it takes a few soft Are you alrights and Do you need anythings before Aaron finally starts the engine.

And it’s… quiet. Disturbingly quiet. No coughing. No sputtering. No “please God start” noises.

Just… starts.

“It’s such a cool car,” you blurt.

Fifty percent because you mean it.

Fifty percent because the silence is killing you and that’s literally the first thing your brain offered up as a conversation starter. You’re not even sure what you’re complimenting. Just that it has… technology.

You’re genuinely impressed. There’s literally a screen. A touchscreen. With sensors. A built-in navigator.

Meanwhile, your car still has a cassette slot, three loose aux cables, a suspicious stain that doesn’t want to come off, and a radio that only plays static unless you hit it twice.

“It’s a good car,” he replies, completely unbothered. Literally just a man stating a fact. About his vehicle. And yet, your brain shuts off.

You’re hot under the collar because Aaron Hotchner said something true… in a nice voice.

That’s it. That’s the bar.

And to make it worse, he doesn’t follow it up. No “Do you drive much?” No “What year is yours?”

Nothing. Just those three words and then silence.

He's the worst small talker you've ever met and now you have no idea how to keep this going.

You consider asking him about… tires. Or gas mileage. Or how long it took him to sell his soul to become this repressed.

Pathetic.

You’re even more pathetic when he does that thing. The hot thing. The driving thing.

Where he turns around to check behind him - one hand on the back of your seat, other on the wheel - torso twisting, shirt clinging, full neck exposure.

Basically porn.

You try so hard not to spontaneously combust.

Not just because you’re pressed into his personal space, or because his white dress shirt is completely see-through now after all that rain and you can see where his spine ends, or because he’s absolutely not wearing an undershirt and is one unexpected pothole away from full nipple contact.

No. It’s the tongue.

The tiny flick. Just a flash. Quick. Absent. Almost innocent.

His tongue darts out - just a little - as he focuses, like it helps him steer straighter. Nothing but a reflex. He probably doesn’t even know he’s doing it.

You, however, are acutely aware-

Just as aware as you are of the fact that the two of you are sitting in near silence. Almost comfortable.

If not for the small detail that you’re horny and holding a vibrator in a paper bag. The only sound is the rain-

And the soft, awkward half-comment he lets slip when you tell him your address:

“Oh. You were right. It is really… close.”

No shit, Sherlock.

If you had even an ounce of courage, this would be the most satisfying “told you so” of your life - because not even four minutes in, he’s already pulling into the cracked little square that overlooks your apartment complex.

“Where’s the entrance?” he asks, squinting at the very charming, definitely-not-a-fire-hazard 1970s architecture. “It’s barely lit here.”

He’s right, though.

There’s a little pedestrian alley that leads to your stairwell, and it’s lit by what is essentially half a lightbulb and probably one moth if you’re lucky.

“I can’t leave you here,” he says, already switching off the engine.

“It’s fine, don’t worry, I’ve done it alone a thousand times.”

You get The Look™.

The full Dad Look™.

Eyebrows lowered. Mouth set. Silent moral judgment loading. Which, naturally, makes you blurt out something helpful:

“I swear. Even at 3 a.m. When I was blackout drunk.”

He looks horrified.

Which is… great. Exactly the vibe you were going for on this totally unromantic, emotionally neutral, post-pharmacy ride home.

“Well, you’re not walking alone all the way there today,” then he proceeds to open the driver’s door before you can even object.

“Wait- really, you don’t have to-”

“Stay here,” he cuts in, already halfway out before you can finish.

Then suddenly, he’s at your door. Umbrella overhead.

Like some man from a black-and-white movie who has no idea you’re holding a vibrator in your bag and have a sink full of crusted risotto waiting at home.

Chivalry.

That’s what it should be called. But that word feels too… medieval. Too knight-in-shining-armor. Too “written by robed men who thought ankles were sinful and menstruation was the devil’s piss.”

No.

From him, this isn’t chivalry. It’s something else.

Not performance. Not politeness.

Just… kindness.

Offensively tender, nonverbal, soak-himself-in-the-rain kind of kindness.

And so the two of you walk under the same umbrella together, arms brushing every other step.

You try to create distance. He scoots closer.

Adjusts the umbrella to keep you dry.

Prioritizes your dry head over his own sopping suit.

Kind of romantic.

You could kiss him here.

Right now.

Under this umbrella. In the rain. In front of your depressing 70s concrete box of an apartment.

You could just… do it.

Lean in. Shut him up. See what that mouth actually feels like.

If it weren’t for the very inconvenient fact that you are juuuuuust a bit terrified of rejection.

Terrified in the “ha-ha I’ll never date again if someone even slightly hesitates when I flirt” way.

In the “I’ll replay the rejection in the shower for the next ten years, write five alternate endings, and mentally workshop comebacks well into menopause” kind of way.

In the “what if he says no and then I have to move to Vermont” way.

Also, you are currently holding a vibrator in a paper bag. So. There’s that.

Still, Temptation is real.

Even because Aaron is still mid-monologue about street lighting standards. Turning his head every few steps. Gesturing with one hand like a man who has read far too many municipal codes for someone this hot.

The idea of shutting him up for good with a kiss is honestly starting to sound like a public service.

“It’s barely visible here,” he mutters, scanning the alley. “No signage. No reflective paint. Anyone could-”

“Trip?” you offer.

“Worse.” He deadpans, then turns toward you, “Are you humoring me?”

“A little,” you shrug (he’s pathetic.)

He stops. Looks at you. “I’m being serious.”

…Ah, the dad voice. Firm. Slightly patronizing. Delicious.

“I know,” you smile. “That’s what makes it so fun.”

By the time he’s done glaring, you’re already at your building entrance, heart stupidly tight.

Saved. Almost.

“Well… this is me.” You pull out your keys to prove to him you’ve got your shit together. “Um… thanks for the ride. And the walk, of course.” (What is this, Pride & Prejudice?) “I think I’m good from here.”

You say it lightly, casual, because if you don’t end it now, you’re 100% sure he’ll keep going.

He’ll follow you to your door.

To your kitchen. To your hallway. Maybe even your bedroom.

Not for sex. God, no.

Just to make sure you’re safely tucked in.

That your bedroom window locks properly.

That the shadow outside was just a tree and not a threat (more likely, the stray cat you and two old ladies keep over-feeding.)

He’d stand there - in the doorway, quiet, stiff, arms crossed - and wait until you hit REM sleep before silently excusing himself.

The worst part? He’d make it feel horribly sweet.

And the much, much worse part? To do that, he’d have to walk through the disaster zone you call home.

The crusty risotto bowls still soaking in the sink. Three wine glasses, none of which match. A fork in a mug.

He’d pass your roommate mid-makeout with a “friend” who’s definitely not wearing pants and is probably sitting on your throw blanket.

He’d see the takeout containers on the counter.

The mystery stain on the wall you keep forgetting to Google.

The chair you keep meaning to fix but now just refer to as “decorative.”

He’d see you. As you are.

And you can’t be the reason this man actively re-dyes his greys by Wednesday. You’d love to be. You really would.

But not like this.

Also, you’re just really tired and you’ve got… things to test.

And, if you’re honest, some things are better when they stay in your head. Untouched. Untried. Safely fantasized.

So you smile.

“I’ll be fine.”

He nods. Doesn’t argue.

But doesn’t leave, either.

Instead, he pulls something from his coat pocket.

His business card.

“Text me when you’re inside,” he says, dead serious.

You blink at it.

The paper is thick. Embossed.

Feels like you’re holding a warrant.

“Oh wow,” you murmur, trying not to smile. “This is the smoothest way I’ve ever gotten someone’s number.”

He straightens slightly. “It’s my work phone.” Still serious, but fumbling.

(He’s so bad at this. It’s almost adorable.)

You nod, suppressing the second smile in a row. “Of course.”

He looks at you for a moment - too long, maybe, or maybe it’s just your perception that’s a bit fucked up - and says, “Goodnight, miss.”

You pause.

“It’s-” You tell him your name.

He nods. Revises. And repeats it. A little too careful. A little too gentle.

You might actually pass out.

Not just from the emotional whiplash, but also because your apartment has too many goddamn stairs and your legs were not built for this level of cardio or romantic tension.

You stumble inside, safe. Unmurdered. Emotionally unstable. Immediately grab your phone and text the number printed in the most intimidating Arial you’ve ever seen.

made it still alive didn’t get murdered not even a little bit

He replies almost instantly.

(Almost, because he’s an old man with disproportionately large thumbs and the texting accuracy of someone whose phone autocorrects “fine” to “filing.”)

aaron hotchner (work, no nudes): This is a work number. Please be mindful. – A.H.

…He signs his own texts. Oh fucking hell.

aaron hotchner (work, no nudes): But I’m glad to hear it. Goodnight, miss. – A.H.

You type back:

goodnight... agent??

Three dots appear. Pause. Then-

aaron hotchner (work, no nudes): 👍 – A.H.

taglist: @beata1108 ; @c-losur3 ; @fangirlunknown ; @hayleym1234 ; @justyourusualash ; @khxna ; @kyrathekiller ; @littlemisskavities ; @lostinwonderland314 ; @mmmunson ; @mxblobby ; @oxforce ; @percysley ; @person-005 ; @prettybaby-reid ; @reidfile ; @royalestrellas ; @ssa-callahan ; @softestqueeen ; @theseerbetweenus ; @todorokishoe24 ; @who-needs-to-sleep

[txttletale]

genuinely curious but I don't know how to phrase this in a way that sounds less accusatory so please know I'm asking in good faith and am just bad at words

what are your thoughts on the environmental impact of generative ai? do you think the cost for all the cooling system is worth the tasks generative ai performs? I've been wrangling this because while I feel like I can justify it as smaller scales, that would mean it isn't a publicly available tool which I also feel uncomfortable with

the environmental impacts of genAI are almost always one of three things, both by their detractors and their boosters:

vastly overstated

stated correctly, but with a deceptive lack of context (ie, giving numbers in watt-hours, or amount of water 'used' for cooling, without necessary context like what comparable services use or what actually happens to that water)

assumed to be on track to grow constantly as genAI sees universal adoption across every industry

like, when water is used to cool a datacenter, that datacenter isn't just "a big building running chatgpt" -- datacenters are the backbone of the modern internet. now, i mean, all that said, the basic question here: no, i don't think it's a good tradeoff to be burning fossil fuels to power the magic 8ball. but asking that question in a vacuum (imo) elides a lot of the realities of power consumption in the global north by exceptionalizing genAI as opposed to, for example, video streaming, or online games. or, for that matter, for any number of other things.

so to me a lot of this stuff seems like very selective outrage in most cases, people working backwards from all the twitter artists on their dashboard hating midjourney to find an ethical reason why it is irredeemably evil.

& in the best, good-faith cases, it's taking at face value the claims of genAI companies and datacenter owners that the power usage will continue spiralling as the technology is integrated into every aspect of our lives. but to be blunt, i think it's a little naive to take these estimates seriously: these companies rely on their stock prices remaining high and attractive to investors, so they have enormous financial incentives not only to lie but to make financial decisions as if the universal adoption boom is just around the corner at all times. but there's no actual business plan! these companies are burning gigantic piles of money every day, because this is a bubble

so tldr: i don't think most things fossil fuels are burned for are 'worth it', but the response to that is a comprehensive climate politics and not an individualistic 'carbon footprint' approach, certainly not one that chooses chatgpt as its battleground. genAI uses a lot of power but at a rate currently comparable to other massively popular digital leisure products like fortnite or netflix -- forecasts of it massively increasing by several orders of magnitude are in my opinion unfounded and can mostly be traced back to people who have a direct financial stake in this being the case because their business model is an obvious boondoggle otherwise.

[stellifystari]

𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒔

ⓘ 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪 𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺

𝐴𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦: All of the degrees and energies in astrology have their own types of beauty that is appreciated by many however these specific degrees will have a stronger focus on beauty in someone’s life due to their numerical and astrological meanings. Often the biggest beauty symbols have quite a few of these degrees not just one or two. Not everyone’s purpose is strongly associated with beauty related things though and that’s okay! Certain places are more favorable for these degrees such as venus, the ascendant, etc.

5 degrees ❀ Sexy beauty degree - The number of sexiness in numerology is five but five is also a leo degree in astrology and in gematria the word leo reduces to five as well. People with five energy in their chart get lots of praise for their beauty. They’re often lusted after a lot for their appearance though and may not get enough recognition for things such as their intelligence.

6 degrees ❀ Graceful/innocent beauty degree - The main number of beauty in numerology. People with six energy have a natural and effortless beauty without trying. They are admired a lot for their beauty. Six degrees is also a virgo degree which is the sign associated with youth (as virgo is ruled by mercury) so these people often age well too. These people usually come off very innocent and are caring people. They aren’t just pretty faces. They also have a good soul and do a lot for others.

9 degrees ❀ Ethereal beauty degree - In numerology the nine follows the five so it has a lot in common with the five. Nine is a more superficial number and focuses a lot on being flashy and looks so they do tend to keep up with their looks more than other numerical energies (aside from five). This is also a sagittarius degree in astrology so it can give someone a beautiful curvy body. Often these people have a very ethereal look as well.

14 degrees ❀ Sensual beauty degree - This is another five energy since in numerology fourteen reduces to five (when you add one plus four). This is also a taurus degree in astrology so people with fourteen degrees in their chart will be admired by many for their sensual beauty.

15 degrees ❀ Multi-faceted beauty degree - Fifteen is definitely an underrated beauty degree I don’t see many people talk about. It has not only the reduced six energy (one plus five) but also five energy in the number. Someone with this degree could be both sexy and pretty at the same time.

16 degrees ❀ Inside and out beauty degree - Sixteen is often very pretty having the six energy in there which is associated with beauty. Sixteen reduces to seven (one plus six) so this person could be talked about a lot online and praised on the internet/social media for their beauty as well. This is because seven is the number of technology in numerology. These people also tend to be very kind. Their beauty shines strongly through their caring nature and intelligence.

23 degrees ❀ Charming and youthful beauty degree - People with this degree will age very well since in numerology twenty three is an amplified youth number. It’s also a number associated with charm so these people (even when they’re not the most conventionally attractive) will still be admired a lot for their charm and sense of humor. This degree also reduces to five though (two plus three) which is the number of sexiness in numerology. Since this is an aquarius degree in astrology these people could also be talked about a lot on the internet and have a unique beauty that stands out a lot from others.

25 degrees ❀ Worldwide beauty degree - You’ll often find that people with this degree in their astrology chart or numerology in their birthday are very admired for their beauty such as marilyn monroe, one of the biggest beauty symbols to date. The only downside is that they may not get enough recognition for their other positive attributes such as their intelligence. These people are very smart.

26 degrees ❀ Effortless and powerful beauty degree - People with this degree have a natural and effortless beauty. They look pretty even without makeup. Especially since this is a taurus degree in astrology. However twenty six does reduce to eight (two plus six equals eight) so with the eight numerology it can help a person gain lots of power and money through their beauty. With this energy in your chart though your beauty is heavily affected by your karma. If you live a righteous life it will show through your appearance. You will be radiant and stunning. If you live a life spreading negativity and doing lots of harm to others the opposite will occur.

29 degrees ❀ Mystical charisma beauty degree - People with this degree are obsessed with their appearance and looking good. If they don’t feel beautiful they won’t feel good. Similar to the ninth degree they have a very ethereal beauty. Since this degree reduces to eleven a master number in numerology these people often have a very beautiful and slim body as well. These people are extremely charismatic so even when they’re not conventionally attractive people can’t help but be drawn to them for their alluring persona.

৻ꪆ 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒆 ৻ꪆ

[societyfolklore]

Trapped Together

Title: Trapped Together

Pairing: Sheild!Bucky Barnes x Sheild!Female Reader

Summary:  A mission doesn’t go as planed. The result?  Bucky and you find yourselves handcuffed together without the key and no easy way out.

Word Count: 4.1k

Warnings:  / Explicit Content /18+, Minors DNI, Accidental Handcuffs, Forced Proximity, Smut, Fingering, Unprotected sex, Soft Dom Bucky, Mild Dubcon Elements (squint), Mentions of thigh riding, Porn with min plot.. but yeah.. No Beta

A/N: my entry for  @avengers-assemble-bingo  for Bucky 108th Bday event – Final square! Square: A2 – ‘I didn’t do a thing’ Card Number: 4B003 The mission was supposed to be simple- just a routine investigation of an old HYDRA base. No hostiles, no active threats, just a sweep for any lingering tech or classified intel. But, of course, things didn’t go to plan.

The air was thick with dust and the scent of rusted metal as you navigated the dimly lit corridors, your boots scuffing softly against the cracked concrete floor. The remains of outdated HYDRA technology sat abandoned, wires frayed, panels dark, the remnants of a long-dead organization still clutching at relevance. It should have been nothing more than a cleanup job- catalogue the junk, confirm there were no active threats, and get the hell out.

You were scanning a particularly decrepit-looking console, fingers grazing over a series of faded HYDRA insignias, when something clicked.

A sharp snap echoed through the room as a metal cuff clamped down around your wrist.

“Oh, shit,” you muttered, instinctively tugging at it.

“What happened?”

Bucky’s voice was immediate, sharp with concern. He was at your side in an instant, his vibranium hand gently gripped your forearm as he inspected the cuff. His brows furrowed as he studied the mechanism, and before you could warn him to be careful, his metal fingers drifted too close.

With a soft hiss, another cuff snapped into place- this time, locking around his vibranium wrist.

You both froze.

“Seriously?” you exhaled, staring at the unforgiving metal that now physically attached you to Bucky Barnes.

He let out a slow, deliberate breath through his nose. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Your heart hammered as you gave the restraint a sharp tug, testing it. The metal didn’t so much as shift. You turned, twisting your wrist, but Bucky moved with you- because there was no getting away.

Panic crept into your voice. “Okay, okay, we can just take these off, right?”

Bucky pulled at his side, first experimentally, then harder. The muscles in his jaw twitched as he yanked at it, but the cuff refused to budge. His frown deepened as he examined the lock.

“No keyhole.”

You blinked. “What do you mean ‘no keyhole’?”

“I mean,” he muttered, voice edged with irritation, “there’s no keyhole. No latch, no release.”

Your stomach did an uncomfortable flip. “So… what? We cut them off?”

Bucky flexed his vibranium fingers. “They’re HYDRA-made. If I try to break them, I could crush your wrist in the process.”

The realization settled between you, heavy and unshakable.

You inhaled sharply. “Fantastic.” Then, with far less patience: “We’re stuck.”

Bucky exhaled, a muscle in his jaw twitching. “Yup.”

And then the inevitable happened.

“This is your fault!” you snapped, yanking at the cuff in frustration, your wrist burning from the chafing metal.

Bucky had the audacity to smirk. “Doll, I didn’t do a thing.”

“You- ugh!” You yanked again, but it was pointless. You weren’t getting out of this without cutting off his damn arm, and even you weren’t cruel enough to suggest that he try to dismantle parts of it.

Being this close to him was already annoying on the best of days. His constant 'follow my lead' attitude, the way he always seemed so sure of himself- it drove you insane. And now? Now you were literally stuck to him. Your pulse kicked up for reasons you refused to acknowledge, and you scowled, masking the unease with irritation.

You huffed, turning your attention back to the restraint. “We need to find a way to break these.”

Bucky tilted his head, looking far too entertained. “Oh, I dunno. Could be fun like this.”

Your glare could have cut through steel. “We are not staying cuffed together, Barnes.”

Bucky shrugged, tugging lightly at the cuffs again. “I’m sure Stark will get us out of these once we get home.”

You grumbled under your breath. “Great. Our extraction isn’t scheduled until tomorrow.”

Bucky let out a dry chuckle. "Guess that means we're getting real cozy till then, huh?" He glanced down at where your wrists were bound together and smirked. "Hope you don’t snore, Doll."

Despite your efforts there was no solution. The cuffs were far beyond ordinary restraints. No brute force, no backdoor override, no simple trick was going to free you. And with Bucky’s metal arm restrained, even he wasn’t willing to risk hurting you to break them.

Which meant you had no choice but to wait for Tony to take a look.

And that? That was going to be a problem.

By the time night fell, exhaustion was settling in. You both managed to find a somewhat decent place to rest- an old, creaking bed in a safehouse nearby. The mattress was thin, the sheets smelled vaguely of dust and damp, but it was better than nothing. But sleeping while attached to Bucky Barnes was proving to be a nightmare.

“Stop moving,” you grumbled, trying to get comfortable without your arm getting yanked.

Bucky exhaled through his nose. “Kinda hard when you’re sprawled all over me, Doll.”

Your cheeks burned. “I’m not- ”

But you were.

There was no way around it- his arm was wrapped around you, keeping you pressed against his side. Every shift, every twitch of his muscles, sent a jolt of awareness through you. The heat of his body, the solid weight of him, the sheer size of him against you…

You tried to shift away, but the cuffs made it impossible. Every tiny movement just pressed you closer, your body molding against his like a puzzle piece that fit all too well. You could feel the way his chest rose and fell, steady, unbothered- while your own breath was coming far too fast for comfort.

“This is ridiculous,” you muttered, twisting slightly, only to freeze as Bucky's grip instinctively tightened around you.

“Doll,” his voice was low, rough with sleep, “if you keep wiggling like that, neither of us are getting any rest.”

Heat flared in your cheeks. “I’m not- ” But you were, again, shifting just enough to feel the tension coiled in his muscles, the slow flex of his vibranium fingers resting against your waist.

You swallowed hard, willing your body to ignore the way he felt against you. But it was impossible- the warmth, the solid weight, the steady, controlled power that had you feeling far too aware of every single breath he took. You could smell him, the faint traces of sweat and gunpowder mixed with something unmistakably Bucky.

You squeezed your eyes shut. “Just go to sleep.”

Silence stretched between you before Bucky let out a slow chuckle, the vibrations rolling through his chest, through you.

“Whatever you say, Doll.”

And somehow, despite everything, you did.

You blinked awake, mind still foggy. The sky outside the safehouse window had shifted to muted shades of gray, the first signs of dawn creeping in through the thin curtains. The air was thick with early morning stillness, broken only by the soft creaks of the old bed beneath you. As you stirred, trying to shift into a more comfortable position, something stopped you.

Something warm. Solid. Heavy. The unmistakable weight of an arm draped over you, pinning you in place. Not just any arm- his arm. The hard, unyielding pressure of metal wrapped around your waist, anchoring you to him even as he slept. The sensation was grounding and suffocating all at once, leaving you hyper-aware of every shift, every breath, every slow, unconscious squeeze of his vibranium fingers against your bare skin.

But it wasn’t just his arm. Sometime during the night, you had gotten tangled together, his leg slipped between yours, pressing up against your crotch in a way that made your breath stop. The pressure, subtle yet insistent, had you far too aware of how sensitive you felt, of the heat pooling low in your belly. The way your body responded, the way the tension in the air had shifted from mere discomfort to something else entirely.

You tried to move his hold was  unyielding  so you shifted back.

Only this time your butt was pressed firmly against something unmistakable.

Bucky was hard.

Heat rushed up your spine, your senses suddenly painfully aware of everything- the solid warmth of his chest flush against your back, the slow, deep rhythm of his breathing, and the way his hips had begun rocking against you, even in sleep.

You swallowed hard, torn between panic and something far more dangerous as another slow, instinctive roll of his hips sent a spark of heat straight to your core. You should move- you should wake him up- but then a quiet, needy sound slipped from his lips, muffled where his face had buried against the back of your neck.

His vibranium hand flexed, the cooler metal splaying over your stomach. Skin to metal. Your shirt had ridden up during the night, leaving you bare beneath his touch, and when his thumb brushed the soft skin just beneath your ribs, your entire body tensed. A shiver rolled through you, unbidden, and that’s when you felt it-

Your own arousal.

The ache that pulsed in time with the steady press of his body against yours. The sharp awareness of how easily, how seamlessly, your bodies fit together, the tension stretched so tight between you it felt like a live wire.

You needed to wake him up.

But trapped as you were, there was no room to press your thighs together- only to shift, just barely, along the firm muscle of his leg between yours. The motion sent a ripple of sensation through you, what had you done in the night that had gotten you as wet you were becoming. Shifting your hips again trying to do something to make it better- Bucky growled.

His nose brushed against the back of your neck, breath hot, lips so close to your skin. His hips pressed against you again, slower, deliberate, sending a shockwave through your already tense body. His grip on your stomach tightened, just enough for you to feel it, to need more.

Then came the sharp, teasing graze of teeth against your nape.

His voice was hoarse, rough with sleep and something else entirely when he muttered, “Stop moving, Doll. You’re making it worse.”

His breath fanned against your skin, sending another shudder through you, and suddenly you weren’t sure who was torturing who.

You stiffened, before trying to move away.

"I just- "

"Said stop moving." His grip tightened, pulling you back against him, his leg pushing up harder, and you swallowed the moan that nearly slipped past your lips.

"Been teasing me all damn night in your sleep."

"I didn’t do a thing.”

"Really?" His breath was hot against your ear, voice rough and edged with something dangerous. "'Cause I can smell it, you know..."

Your stomach flipped. "What?"

Bucky's fingers flexed against your bare skin, his tone dark with amusement. "You. Been leaving little wet patches on my leg with all your grinding…"

His words sent another wave of heat through you, your breath hitching as your body betrayed you yet again. Bucky hummed, his lips grazing your neck as his grip on your waist tightened. "Drove me crazy, y'know. All those little sleepy moans while you were riding my leg. Thought I was imagining it at first, but nah- " his teeth nipped at the delicate skin just below your ear, making you jolt, "- you were using me, weren’t you?"

"I wasn’t- "

"You're always such a brat in the field, you a brat in the bed, too, Doll?" His voice was smug, teasing, completely in control now. Your fingers clenched around the cuffed hand as he slowly dragged it down your stomach, his movements deliberate, testing. You tensed, instinctively trying to pull his hand back up, but the metal was unyielding. His fingers merely flexed beneath yours, a silent warning that he could take control if he wanted to.

"Don't get all shy on me now, sweetheart…" Bucky murmured, his lips tracing a slow, heated path down the side of your throat. "Not after all the trouble you've already caused."

Bucky's hand cupped you through your pants, his palm pressing against the damp fabric, making you gasp. A dark chuckle rumbled against your neck as he felt the heat radiating through the thin material.

"Undo your pants," he murmured, the command cutting through the thick haze of tension.

You found yourself shifting, your own shaking fingers undoing the button and pulling down the zipper, Bucky’s hand sliding in without hesitation. The sensation made you arch, your body betraying you as his fingers made contact. A little whimper slipped from your lips before you could stop it.

"All that grinding made you all ache and sensitive, Babydoll…" His metal finger barely pressed your underwear against your swollen clit, the faintest amount of pressure making your breath stutter.

Bucky hummed in satisfaction, his fingers starting a slow, teasing circle over the fabric still covering you. "Bet you've been dripping for me all night," he murmured, his lips tracing the shell of your ear. "So wet and needy, and you don’t even wanna admit it."

His hand slid further, fingers pushing past the final barrier of fabric to find you bare beneath, slick and ready. He groaned at the feel of you, his grip tightening as his fingers slipped through your wetness, coating themselves in evidence of your arousal. "Fuck, sweetheart… you're soaking."

A strangled sound caught in your throat as his fingers circled your clit, the cool contrast of metal making you shudder. You tried to resist the pleasure flooding through you, but Bucky was relentless, keeping you spread open with his thigh between yours.

"Bucky- "

"Shh, sweetheart. Just let me feel you," he whispered, voice thick with desire. His hand moved with intent now, slow and devastating strokes that had you trembling against him. "That’s it, good girl… just like that."

His fingers slid lower, teasing along your folds, gathering the slickness that betrayed just how much you wanted this. A wicked smirk ghosted across his lips as he pressed against your entrance, just barely dipping in before pulling back, his touch agonizingly light.

"So sensitive," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the side of your neck. "So fuckin’ wet for me."

You let out a strangled moan as his metal finger circled your clit again, more pressure this time, more purpose. Heat coiled low in your stomach, each slow stroke sending sparks of pleasure racing through your veins. Your hips moved before you could stop them, chasing the friction he so cruelly teased you with.

"That’s it, sweetheart," Bucky coaxed, voice laced with dark amusement. "Knew you wanted this. Knew you couldn’t resist."

You barely had time to bite back another moan before he flipped you onto your stomach, his grip firm as he pressed your cuffed hand down against the mattress. His free hand slid to your hip, tugging your pants lower, the cool air ghosting over your bare skin making you shiver.

The bed creaked as he moved behind you, the unmistakable sound of his belt being undone making your breath hitch. The rasp of his zipper sent anticipation curling through your spine, the weight of his body pressing you into the mattress keeping you exactly where he wanted you. His own pants coming down, the clank of his metal belt

"Been waiting for this all night," Bucky murmured, his hand smoothing over the curve of your ass before squeezing. You felt your hips raise back to meet his hand, instinctively seeking friction, rubbing against the heavy, hard length pressed against you.

He groaned at the contact, his breath coming out harsher as he gripped your waist, his flesh hand against your skin. "That’s it, sweetheart," he muttered, grinding his cock against you slow and deliberate. "You want it, don’t you?"

You barely had time to answer before his free hand slid between your thighs, fingers teasing along your already slick folds. "So fuckin' wet for me," he groaned, his touch purposeful as he spread your arousal with slow, torturous strokes. "Bet you were dreamin' about this, weren't you? Ridin' my leg, gettin' yourself all worked up..."

Your breath stuttered, a whimper slipping from your lips as he pushed a finger inside you properly, curling it just right, making your body jolt. The pleasure was overwhelming, too much and not enough all at once.

"Bucky- " you gasped, barely able to form the words as he worked you open, his touch both devastating and precise.

"Yeah?" His voice was low, teasing, his breath warm against your skin as he pressed another finger in, stretching you further, our cunt clenching and holding onto his fingers. "That feel good, sweetheart? You gonna admit how bad you wanted this?"

Your fingers curled into the sheets, a desperate moan slipping from your lips as he thrust his fingers deeper, stroking the spot that had you trembling.

"Fuck- Bucky, I- " you tried, but your words cut off into a whimper when his thumb circled your clit, sending another wave of pleasure through you.

"That’s it," he murmured, voice thick with satisfaction. "Let me hear you."

Bucky chuckled, dark and pleased, withdrawing his hand only to replace it with the heavy press of his cock against your entrance. "Gonna take my time with you, Doll," he murmured, voice thick with hunger. "Gonna stretch you open nice and slow... make sure you feel every inch."

And then, with a deep, steady push, he sank into you, stretching you inch by inch, until there was nothing left between you but heat, pressure, and the raw, unrelenting pleasure of being completely, utterly filled.

“Fuck, you feel good,” he groaned, the weight of him making it impossible to properly move. Your walls fluttering around him as you let out a soft whine.

Bucky’s fingers tightened against your hips, his breath ragged against the back of your neck. “That’s it, not so sassy now, are ya baby?” he murmured, voice thick with amusement. His thrusts deepened, each roll of his hips sending pleasure spiking through you. “Just needed my fat cock to make you behave.”

A choked moan escaped your lips, your body arching instinctively, pushing back against him. The stretch, the pressure- it was too much and not enough, and you couldn’t stop the desperate sounds spilling from your throat.

Bucky chuckled darkly. “Fuck, listen to you,” he groaned, his pace picking up, the slap of skin against skin echoing in the room. “Moanin’ like a needy little thing. Thought you hated being stuck with me?”

You couldn’t even answer, couldn’t form words between gasps and whimpers.

“C’mon, sweetheart, use your words,” he taunted, his flesh hand slipping beneath you, fingers finding your clit. “Tell me how good I feel stretching you out.”

Your breath hitched, your back arching as pleasure ripped through you. “Bucky- I- fuck- ”

He groaned, thrusting harder, deeper, hitting that spot that made you see stars. “That’s it, take it, baby,” he rasped. “You’re so fuckin’ tight- so fuckin’ perfect wrapped around me.”

Your body clenched, heat coiling in your belly, the pleasure unbearable as his fingers worked you mercilessly, pushing you closer to the edge.

““Gonna come for me?” Bucky growled, his grip on your waist tightening. “Gonna soak my cock like a good girl?”

Your breath hitched, your body tightening around him, the pressure building unbearably fast. His fingers on your clit never relented, pushing you closer and closer, his thrusts turning sharper, rougher, until it was too much-

The pleasure crashed over you in a blinding wave, your cry muffled into the pillow as your body convulsed beneath him. You clenched around him, squeezing him so tight he let out a strangled moan, his grip on your waist turning bruising.

“Fuck- just like that,” he groaned, his rhythm faltering, his body seizing as he drove into you one last time before he buried himself deep, spilling into you with a deep, shuddering groan. The heat of it sent aftershocks rippling through you, your body still pulsing with the remnants of your orgasm as he slumped over you, both of you panting, sweat-slicked, and utterly spent.

For a long moment, there was only the sound of your ragged breathing, the weight of him pressing you into the mattress. His breath fanned over the back of your neck, warm and uneven, his heart hammering against your spine. Neither of you spoke, your bodies still tangled, still connected, the cuffs a firm reminder that there was no pulling away just yet.

Bucky chuckled breathlessly, his lips ghosting over your shoulder as he murmured, “Guess being stuck together ain’t so bad after all, huh?”

His words sent a lazy shiver through you, but you were too boneless, too utterly wrecked to argue. Instead, you let your eyes drift shut, exhaling slowly, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest against your back.

Yeah, you were definitely in trouble.

By the time backup arrived, you were fully dressed again, but nothing about the tension had faded. If anything, it had settled deeper. The flight home was quiet, and you were quiet too.

Bucky hadn’t let go of you the entire time. His fingers brushed your thigh every so often, casual, like it was nothing. Normally, you would have said something- told him to quit it, nudged him away- but right now, your brain was too hazy, too fluffy to form a real thought. The ache between your legs made every small movement an unspoken reminder of where he'd been, of what he'd done.

You kept your eyes on the window, forcing yourself to breathe, to act normal. But in the reflection, you saw it-

Bucky watching you.

That same small, satisfied smile on his face.

As the jet touched down, Bucky finally pulled at the cuffed connection, his vibranium arm giving a gentle but insistent tug. Your gaze snapped up, attention pulled from the window as your fingers instinctively curled into your lap.

"On your feet, Doll. Don't wanna keep Stark waiting."

"Yes, Sir." The words left your lips before you could even think about them, your breath hitching the moment you realized what you’d said.

Sir? When had that slipped into your vocabulary?

Bucky’s smirk deepened, though he didn’t comment, just gave a slow hum of amusement as he stood, the cuffed hand ensuring you followed right after. Blinking, heat creeping into your cheeks, you cleared your throat and got to your feet, falling into step slightly behind him as you made your way toward Stark’s lab.

Tony raised an eyebrow at the sight of you and Bucky, still cuffed together. "What the hell happened here?"

"Long story," Bucky muttered, avoiding your gaze, though his grip on the cuffed hand lingered a second too long before finally letting go.

Once the cuffs were finally removed, you should have felt relief. Should have been grateful to be free. But instead… you hesitated.

Bucky hesitated, too.

You both lingered, standing too close, the air between you charged with something unspoken. His fingers flexed at his side like he was fighting the urge to touch you again, his jaw tightening as his gaze flickered over you, lingering on the places he'd marked just hours ago. And for one, sharp moment, you thought he might- might say something, might pull you back in, might remind you exactly how good you felt under him.

But then, he just smirked. Slow, knowing, dangerous.

"Don’t think this means you’re off the hook, Doll."

Your breath caught. "I’m not?"

Bucky leaned in, his voice dipping into something husky. "Not even close."

His eyes held yours, heavy with meaning, and your stomach flipped, heat flooding your face and running down your chest. You swallowed hard, your pulse hammering as he finally stepped back-

But instead of leaving, he gave your cuffed hand a light tug, guiding you toward the hallway. "C'mon, sweetheart," he murmured, his smirk deepening. "Think it's time I take you somewhere a little more comfortable."

Your breath hitched, your body still too warm, too sensitive from everything that had happened. "Bucky- "

He shot you a look over his shoulder, teasing but firm. "Unless you wanna sleep alone tonight?"

A nervous giggle bubbled up before you could stop it, and you cleared your throat, shaking your head as he led you toward his bedroom.

[foone]

why are printers so hated? it's simple:

computers are good at computering. they are not good at the real world.

the biggest problems in computers, the ones that have had to change the most over the time they've existed, are the parts that deal with the real world. The keyboard, the mouse, the screen. every computer needs these, but they involve interacting with the real world. that's a problem. that's why they get replaced so much.

now, printers: printers have some of the most complex real-world interaction. they need to deposit ink on paper in 2 dimensions, and that results in at least three ways it can go on right from the start. (this is why 3D printers are just 2D printers that can go wrong in another whole dimension)

scanners fall into many of the same problems printers have, but fewer people have scanners, and they're not as cost-optimized. But they are nearly as annoying.

This is also why you can make a printer better by cutting down on the number of moving elements: laser printers are better than inkjets, because they only need to move in one dimension, and their ink is a powder, not a liquid. and the best-behaved printers of all are thermal printers: no ink and the head doesn't move. That's why every receipt printer is a thermal printer, because they need that shit to work all the time so they can sell shit. And thermal is the most reliable way to do that.

But yeah, cost-optimization is also a big part of why printers are such finicky unreliable bastards: you don't want to pay much for them. Who is excited for all the printing they're gonna be doing? basically nobody. But people get forced to have a printer because they gotta print something, for school or work or the government or whatever. So they want the cheapest thing that'll work. They're not shopping on features and functionality and design, they want something that costs barely anything, and can fucking PRINT. anything else is an optional bonus.

And here's the thing: there's a fundamental limit of how much you can optimize an inkjet printer, and we got near to it in like the late 90s. Every printer since then has just been a tad smaller, a tad faster, and added some gimmicks like printing from WIFI or bluetooth instead of needing to plug in a cable.

And that's the worst place to be in, for a computer component. The "I don't care how fancy it is, just give me one that works" zone. This is why you can buy a keyboard for 20$ and a mouse for 10$ and they both work plenty fine for 90% of users. They're objectively shit compared to the ones in the 60-150$ range, but do they work? yep. So that's what people get.

Printers fell into that zone long, long ago, when people stopped getting excited about "desktop publishing". So with printers shoved into the "make them as cheap as possible" zone, they have gotten exponentially shittier. Can you cut costs by 5$ a printer by making them jam more often? good. make them only last a couple years to save a buck or two per unit? absolutely. Can you make the printer cost 10$ less and make that back on the proprietary ink cartridges? oh, they've been doing that since Billy Clinton was in office.

It's the same place floppy disks were in in about 2000. CD-burners were not yet cheap enough, USB flash drives didn't exist yet (but were coming), modems weren't fast enough yet to copy stuff over the internet, superfloppies hadn't taken over like some hoped, and memory cards were too expensive and not everyone had a drive for them. So we still needed floppy disks, but at the same time this was a technology that hadn't changed in nearly 20 years. So people were tired of paying out the nose for them... the only solution? cut corners. I have floppy disks from 1984 that read perfectly, but a shrinkwrapped box of disks from 1999 will have over half the disks failed. They cut corners on the material quality, the QA process, the cleaning cloth inside the disk, everything they could. And the disks were shit as a result.

So, printers are in that particular note of the death-spiral where they've reached the point of "no one likes or cares about this technology, but it's still required so it's gone to shit". That's why they are so annoying, so unreliable, so fucking crap.

So, here's the good news:

You can still buy a better printer, and it will work far better. Laser printers still exist, and LED printers work the same way but even cheaper. They're still more expensive than inkjets (especially if you need color), but if you have to print stuff, they're a godsend. Way more reliable.

This is not a stable equilibrium. Printers cannot limp along in this terrible state forever. You know why I brought up floppy disk there? (besides the fact I'm a giant floppy disk nerd) because floppy disks GOT REPLACED. Have you used one this decade? CD-Rs and USB drives and internet sharing came along and ate the lunch of floppy disks, so much so that it's been over a decade since any more have been made. The same will happen to (inkjet) printers, eventually. This kind of clearly-broken situation cannot hold. It'll push people to go paperless, for companies to build cheaper alternatives to take over from the inkjets, or someone will come up with a new, more reliable printer based on some new technology that's now cheap enough to use in printers. Yeah, it sucks right now, but it can't last.

So, in conclusion: Printers suck, but this is both an innate problem caused by them having to deal with so much fucking Real World, and a local minimum of reliability that we're currently stuck in. Eventually we'll get out of this valley on the graph and printers will bother people a lot less.

Random fun facts about printing of the past and their local minimums:

in the hot metal type era, not only would the whole printing process expose you to lead, the most common method of printing text was the linotype, which could go wrong in a very fun way: if the next for a line wasn't properly justified (filling out the whole row), it could "squirt", and lead would escape through gaps in the type matrix. This would result in molten lead squirting out of the machine, possibly onto the operator. Anecdotally, linotype operators would sometimes recognize each other on the street because of the telltale spots on their forearms where they had white splotches where no hair grew, because they got bad lead burns. This type of printing remained in use until the 80s.

Another fun type of now-retired printers are drum printers, a type of line printer. These work something like a typewriter or dot-matrix printer, except the elements extend across the entire width of the paper. So instead of printing a character at time by smacking it into the paper, the whole line got smacked nearly at once. The problem is that if the paper jammed and the printer continued to try to print, that line of the paper would be repeatedly struck at high speed, creating a lot of heat. This worry created the now-infamous Linux error: "lp0 on fire". This was displayed when the error signals from a parallel printer didn't make sense... and it was a real worry. A high speed printer could definitely set the paper on fire, though this was rare.

So... one thing to be grateful about current shitty inkjet printers: they are very unlikely to burn anything, especially you.

(because before they could do that they'd have to work, at least a little, first, and that's very unlikely)

[evilminji]

Been Watching Weird Fruit Explorer(?)... and I just...

W-Who let Bored Danny have BooTube?

Sorry, YOU-Tube. He has TWO Apps now. BooTube is bigger. Way more random, yet... somehow more niche? Meh. It's what happens when you get billions of billions of people who all have their own Obsessions to rant over, on a site.

Ember's channel is pretty lit, tho, ngl.

He stopped using YOU-Tube almost overnight. Too many ads, weird algorithmic pushiness. No thanks. It was too small and too "trying to take my money". You know?

Buuuuut? See.... TUCKER is the Tech guy.

Coding and that sort of stuff. HE does hands on work. You want a toaster? He can MAKE you a toaster! With LAZERS! Runs off The Goo! But a program? Eeeeeeeh? Hit it with hammer maybe? Monkey make fire? Hit with stick? Blergh.

Yeah, he can SORTA push through.

But he suuuucks.

And like... he had a headache, okay? His project had just, quiet literally, exploded in his face. So when he looked at his phone? All the apps were blobs. He clicked the one that LOOKED kinda right. Shoved his arm in his phone and brute forced a channel set up.

He figured he could ramble about Space!

It's not like he cared is anyone LISTENS or not! It's a "for him" thing, you know? Like a diary. But more... putting on a ☆~show~☆?

So he rambles from the floor of his Lair's Lab, crashs and wails in the distance, green sky occasionally visible as he lazily floats by windows. Dropping... juuuust past human knowledge understanding of Space. Talking like he's STUDYING somewhere. Referencing PAPERS no human will ever be able to find.

But a few they WILL.

Some of which, are currently? Only half written.

But then? Oh YEAH... he should eat! You know... Sam keeps bringing him fruits and veggies and stuff from her internship at that Botanical Lair. Stuff never seen before of Earth. Or hasn't been seen in centuries.

Again, like, a FEW that? Randomly? Have???

He picks up something sharply purple, bright orange insides. Crisp crunch. He makes a face. And starts to ramble about it, distracted from Space. "Weirdly mushroom-y" he notes. "Kinda bubblegum sweet? But like... CHEAP bubblegum. Like it hits you all at once and is kinda chemically. But it disappears real fast? Huh. Spicy too..."

It's the first video on the Playlist. One of hundreds. Two of the green Lanterns RECONIZE that fruit ad HIGHLY toxic to humans, can't recognize what planet they're seeing. Or how this alien teen got himself on YouTube.

He seems... unaware of how incredibly famous he's become.

But his strange techno Pharoah friend has not. HE is both perfectly aware and apparently amused. Has taken to feeding him rare and hazardous flora and fauna, to see if it tastes good.

....there have been an alarming number of plants from dead planets.

And the comments the kid makes? Alarming as hell.

Sam's just pleased everybody's getting their greens. Danny's glad him n tuck get to hang and do "try weird foods and fuck around, bro time". They've made lazers! Talked about stuff! Debated why Martian Manhunter is THE superior Justice League member.

Danny understands. Wonder Woman is a BAMF. But he's biased, Tucker. He doesn't CARE if she has a sword and flowy, impressive locks! Shape-shifting telepath! From MARS!!! *imaginary mic drop*

And Tucker? Is conquering the YouTube scene with this charming, weird, relatable young alien. Who rambles about Space, debates nerd stuff, eats weird plants and describes them, and makes sci-fi technology! Theme? WHAT THEME? Phantom is a weird channel, man. You never know what you'll find!

And no one can get rid of it.

Believe them, governments have TRIED. Censorship? Not possible. Not without removing the whole SITE.

[dcxdpdabbles]

DCxDP Fanfic Idea: Tax Brackets

Samantha Manson didn't have the best relationship with her parents. Not that she hated them or that they mistreated her, but they were constantly butting heads. They had an idea of what they wanted their daughter to be like, and Sam always fell short.

She won't surrender who she was just to make them happy, but sometimes, when she watched the way Danny's parents supported him, or when Tucker's mother gave her son complete attention when he spoke of his interest, she was tempted.

How would it feel to have her parents be proud of her? To smile when she showed off an outfit or listen to her passions? How could Danny and Tucker not see how lucky they were?

Sam loved her parents, but she also hated being around them. It was hard to put into words- the way she would die for them and avoid them at all costs. The air was always thick with tension around them, as they watched her every word, just so they could get through one conversation without someone snapping, and yet still they found some way to "fix" her.

Her room was her only safe space in the whole house. It was the one place her parents didn't bother to touch or change, even if they went into it to try to convince her to change her ways. Her mother made a habit of waking her with a dress that she had seen one of her friend's daughters wear, and thought This one will be the one to show Sammy-kins the light or some other nonsense.

Sam always made adjustments to the dresses, painting them black, cutting off the frills, and sometimes just accessorizing correctly, but she never threw them out. Perhaps it was sentimental of her; maybe she wanted to keep the gifts her mother had given her, or maybe she just liked watching her mother's face when she "fixed" the dress in the same way the older woman had wanted to fix her.

It was hard to say.

Even harder to defend when Danny and Tucker were at her house, looking through her closet, and finding all the dresses. Her friends started to spend more time at her place whenever she knew her parents wouldn't be home.

Of course, she asked for permission, but she made sure to time it with events they couldn't afford to miss. Her family was wealthy, but they were very much new money, and they needed connections, although establishing them with the other rich families was challenging, given their generations of experience managing their funds. Despite being comfortable in life due to her grandfather's invention, it was apparent that the family's wealth wouldn't last long.

Sam's parents depended on their rental properties. Neither bothered to work a nine-to-five job; instead, they merely bought houses and storefronts throughout Amity Park and rented them out to their new neighbors.

There was a reason Sam was able to hide her wealth.

When her parents moved to Amity Park, it was because they wanted to find a place that was affordable enough to buy multiple properties, yet still populated enough that it wouldn't be difficult to find renters. The family still received royalties from the deli toothpick cellophane-twirling device, but that would one day become obsolete, especially with the rapid advancements in technology.

It was their financial advisors who saw the end of their wealth in the future if they didn't act fast.

Her parents settled with a fixed budget, moving to Amity Park and ensuring the family's wealth grew if they lived as upper-middle-class, compared to the way they were both brought up, i.e., the ultra-rich.

Sam was only in the second grade, so she didn't really feel the shift from the two classes, but her parents certainly did. They couldn't do too much to the outside of their home, but they made up for it by making the inside so lavish. While inside the Manson home, they could pretend they were spending millions and millions as they once had, instead of staring worryingly at the number in their bank account.

Personally, Sam thought they were fine. It's not like they were anywhere near in danger of being homeless or even stressed about money, but her parents didn't see it that way. Sam and Grandma Ida weren't raised like them, where they had enough to be comfortable, not worry about being poor, but never at the bottom of the ultra-rich barrel.

Her mother and father had fallen from that tax bracket, and it killed them inside. The rentals in Amity Park would save them, that's what her father claimed; Sam only had to endure a few years of this lifestyle before they could reestablish a healthy cash flow and return to the ultra-rich.

Sam always rolled her eyes, thinking it was all too dramatic. Her life wasn't hard. In fact, it was one of the best in the entire zip code. She never had to worry about bills like Danny, never had to count coins for things like Tucker, never had to watch everything fall apart like Valerie, and she certainly never had to work a day in her life.

Then, the summer right before senior year arrived, and her parents burst into her room, carrying a new outfit they wanted her to wear. This time, she couldn't make adjustments. The reason?

It was a school uniform.

Sam's parents had finally saved enough money to escape Amity Park, the middle of nowhere. They had secured an investment with a few minor companies that were generating much-needed cash, and they had expanded their rental properties to three other states.

They were finally in the upper tax bracket that they had both been in during their childhood.

Jeremy's eyes were sparkling as he watched Sam pinch the cloth between her fingers as if it were something foul. "I was able to get you into Gotham Academy for your senior year. Only the wealthiest of children attend there. It's a dream come true!"

"Your dream," Sam hissed, throwing the uniform onto her bed. "I don't want some stupid snobby rich kid school. All my friends attend Casper High, and it's my senior year! This is when high school actually gets fun."

"Sammy-kins, Casper High was only meant to be temporary. You will be going to Gotham Academy, or you can forget your trust fund," her mother warned in that same no-nonsense tone of hers. It was the one Sam heard whenever she got a cold, and her mother panicked, hiring an entire medical staff team.

Sam doesn't think she will be able to outstubborn the woman on this.

"Oh come on, Mom, don't be so dramatic-" Sam starts only to have her mother cut her off with a hiss from behind her teeth. Jeremy wisely stepped away from his wife and daughter, giving them some space but not leaving the room.

"Do you know what I wouldn't have given to be allowed an education of this level? At an institution like this?" Pamela's eyes watered slightly with bitter tears. Sam froze at the sight of them. "My Father didn't believe women had a right to study, Samantha. It was literally tied into my trust fund that if I chose any higher education, I would be out on the streets. I didn't have the chance. You have this chance."

Pamela picks up the uniform, holding it out to Sam, one feminist to another, painted in different shades but sisters in arms all the same. "You're going to Gotham Academy."

Sam swallowed, taking the uniform with a shaking hand. "Okay, Mom. For you."

She rages, and sobs, and crashes when they leave her room. So many emotions swirling around her mind, but she was unable to let them out. After a while, she can't take it and rushes out of the house, riding her motorbike to Danny's place.

She texted her best friends to ask for emotional support outside her house, and within ten minutes, both agreed to meet. She doesn't pay mind to the movers - apparently, her parents weren't going to give her a warning that they were leaving Amitly Park that very week - but she does have to stop every little bit to wipe her eyes.

When she gets close enough to Fenton Works, she stops a bit to let the neon sign glow on her for a few seconds, realizing she won't see it for a very long time. Not if her parents have any say.

They had always wanted to forget they had to resort to this little town, but to Sam, this was her home, her upbringing. Her two best friends in the whole world were here. All her trials and triumphs, all her petty rivalries and endless memories.

All of it was right here in this small city.

She would be gone by Saturday if her father were to be believed. She only had three days left.

She knocked on the Fenton front door with tears slipping down her face. Jazz, who was visiting from college, opened it with a smile, but the second she registered Sam's devastation, the older woman dragged her into a hug without comment.

Two summers ago, when Danny and she broke up, Jazz had done the same thing. She might have been Danny's sister, but she was also Sam's friend, and despite the two being avoiding each other after a nasty breakup, Sam had missed her best friend like a lost limb.

Jazz had been the one to take her to get ice cream, the one who chatted softly about people just not working out romantically, and Jazz had been the one to help Sam mend the bridge between her and Danny.

Now it was Jazz that held her and promised to make her senior year great, even if Jazz was at Gotham U instead of Gotham Academy.

"On the plus side," Jazz joked after brushing Sam's hair out of her eyes, cuddling up together on the couch. Danny and Tucker had been attracted by the noise, both now sitting on the floor near Sam's feet. "You'll likely have a Wayne in your year. Free eye candy."

"Yeah, Tim Drake-Wayne, that boy could hit it," Danny jokes, patting Sam's feet. His eyes are red from his own tears, but his smile is still the same boyish, shy grin that attracted her attention all those years ago. "Maybe you can turn him Goth?"

"If you do, you've got to send me pictures," Tucker adds, placing his head on the couch cushion. "I bet it would be hilarious. In fact, I'll see that in person. How far is Gotham anyway? We could do some road trips whenever we get a chance."

"Great idea, Tuck!" Danny beams, turning to his sister, "Can we crash at your place when we get up there?"

"Of course. Just as long as you're okay sleeping on an air mattress in my one-room apartment."

Sam's world was falling apart, but at least she had her friends as a safety net; no matter what tax bracket she was in, they would always treat her as Sam and nothing else.

[cressidagrey]

Lavender House

Pairing: Oscar Piastri x Felicity Leong-Piastri (Original Character)

Summary:  Felicity Piastri was a genius, a mother, a wife, a homemaker, an interior designer, an engineer…not always in that order. Or: How Felicity made a House a Home. 

Notes: Big thanks to @llirawolf , who listens to me ramble 😂

(divider thanks to @saradika-graphics )

Felicity Piastri didn’t need to be a genius anymore.

There were no parents that expected perfection. That pressured her to turn into a diamond. There was nobody expecting her mind to come up with the next big thing. 

But that didn’t mean she forgot how.

She just…channeled it differently these days. 

The Farmhouse that Oscar and she had bought from his first McLaren pay check had a name. 

Lavender House. 

Named after the field of Lavender in the backyard. 

Lavender House was Felicity’s rebellion.

Not loud. Not explosive. 

But quiet. Intentional. Brick by stubborn brick.

It was soft rebellion, stitched into curtain seams and pressed into tile grout. A rebellion that said: I don’t need to be brilliant to deserve joy. I don’t need to perform to be proud of myself. I don’t need to be exceptional to be enough.

In Singapore, her childhood room had been white.

The walls, the curtains, even the bookshelves—they all matched. 

Controlled. 

Designed to look presentable in case company ever wandered upstairs. 

Felicity had wanted purple. Or teal. Or maybe a mural of the moon. 

But her mother said no. Her father said it would distract her from her studies.

“Focus on what you’re good at,” they’d said. 

Felicty was good. Too good. At maths, at chemistry, at solving problems with no answers. 

At school, she was a prodigy. 

At home, she was a project.

Her parents expected perfection. 

Anything below brilliance was failure. 

Her mind had been assigned a number and that number meant that she was expected to perform. 

She had grown to hate it. 

Had grown to despise the way her mind worked sometimes. Had wished everything that she could be just a little bit less…smart. That she could see the world the way other people did. 

She never did. 

Felicity had done what her parents expected of her. To a point. 

And then she had chosen a boy that loved racing cars. And that had been that. 

Oscar had been the first choice she had made just for herself. But not the last.

Bee. 

Lavender House. 

That quiet, pre-war farmhouse, that Oscar and her had bought near the McLaren Technology Center, surrounded by quiet hills. 

It wasn’t for anyone but them. 

This was theirs.

She didn’t need permission.

 She didn’t need to prove anything.

They had lived in two apartments before Lavender House. 

The quiet one in the outskirts of London, where they had lived after graduating from school. Where Felicity had gone to Imperial College London…where they had brought Bee home to…

And then the catastrophe that had been their apartment during their one year stint in Enstone in 2022, while Oscar had been the reserve driver for Alpine. 

 She had made both apartments livable.

 But they had never been hers.

Not like Lavender House was. 

Lavender House was crooked.

Not metaphorically. Physically. The front porch sagged on one side. The shutters didn’t quite match. One of the trees in the yard leaned like it was perpetually eavesdropping. The floorboards creaked like they had opinions.

Felicity had loved it the second she saw it.

Not because it was perfect. Not because it was impressive. But because—for the first time in her life—she could choose it.

She could say this one.

She could say mine.

And it would be true.

Lavender House was a bit wonky. A bit overgrown. The kind of place real estate agents called “charming” when they meant “needs work.”

But it was theirs.

And for the first time, Felicity could make choices. Real ones.

 She didn’t need to ask anyone.

Not even Oscar. 

F1 was a strange rhythm. Fast and furious and then suddenly… quiet.

Oscar was gone more than half the year.

And when Bee was napping or drawing schematic diagrams on the fridge (again), and the house felt too big, too still—Felicity did what she always had done. 

She fixed things. 

She had always been good with her hands. Fixing things. Building things. Making do and making better.

But Lavender House?

Lavender House let her go feral with it.

It started small. 

She had pulled down wallpaper in the living room when Oscar had been in Sakhir… Had added a shelf in the laundry room, and hooks by the front door by Bahrain. Had re-caulked the sink because the sealant annoyed her every time she did the dishes when he was busy in the Sim. 

…and then Oscar had been gone for a triple header… 

Three hours later, a sink was in the front yard.

By the time Oscar got home—exhausted and still in his team kit—he’d wandered into the downstairs bathroom and stopped dead.

New tile. New vanity. Fresh lighting. Gold fixtures.

 She’d found the basin sink in a clearance section and fell in love instantly. Installed it herself with a YouTube tutorial and a quiet prayer.

Oscar had blinked at it for a full minute. “Did we… always have this bathroom?”

Felicity handed him a towel. “Nope. Welcome home. Bee helped pick the grout color,” she said. “She chose the sparkle.”

He’d laughed, kissed her forehead, and said, “Of course she did.”

It was always like that.

While he was gone, she’d make lists. Not written down—just in her head. Quiet rows of I could fix that. That could be better. I wonder if I can build one of those.

And then, somewhere between a toddler meltdown and a 2 a.m. snack, she’d just… do it.

A new backsplash in the kitchen.

 Repainted Bee’s dresser while she napped.

 Installed a row of built in bookshelves. With a rolling ladder. 

Once, she turned the attic into a reading nook with a skylight, a beanbag, and three dozen pillows.

 Another time, she fixed the warped garden gate and repainted it pastel blue just because she liked the way it looked against the ivy.

She wasn’t trying to impress anyone.

It wasn’t about performance.

It was about choice. About autonomy. About control.

Every screw, every paint stroke, every trip to the hardware store with Bee perched on her hip, asking if they could buy more plants?

 That was Felicity rewriting her childhood.

She hadn’t grown up in a house where she could pick things.

 Now, she built a home where nothing was untouchable.

Where the furniture was a little mismatched and the couch had juice stains but no one flinched when something spilled.

Where Bee got to help pick the wall color in her room—“blue like the sea and space”—and Felicity didn’t say no, even when it meant buying three different paint samples to get it right.

Oscar never minded.

He’d walk in after a race weekend, drop his bag, and glance around like a man playing Spot the Difference.

“New bookshelf?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Didn’t we have a wall here before?”

“Nope,” she’d say cheerfully. “We had a half-wall. It’s open now.”

Sometimes he’d joke about coming home to a different house every time.

He never stopped her. Never asked her to tone it down.

 He’d just hold her tighter at night, murmur I missed you, and mean it.

Felicity learned to sew because she wanted curtains.

Not store-bought ones. Not the stiff, ivory-colored ones that always hung in her childhood house, pressed to perfection and never touched.

 She wanted real curtains—soft ones, ones that moved with the breeze, ones that looked like the sun belonged to them when it streamed through the windows.

So she bought a secondhand sewing machine for twenty dollars, watched half a dozen YouTube tutorials at 1.5x speed, and made her first set of curtains with Bee napping in the next room and Oscar in Australia for a race.

The stitches weren’t straight. The thread bunched in the corners. But they hung just fine.

That was the beginning.

Felicity hadn’t planned on becoming a one-woman renovation crew.

It had just… happened. Quietly. Organically. Like muscle memory she hadn’t known she’d been building.

She learned as she went.

 YouTube tutorials. DIY forums. A very nice woman at the hardware store who started setting aside supplies for her “weekend project phase.”

There was something deeply satisfying about it.

 Not just the physical transformation. But the fact that it was hers.

 Her choices. Her hands. Her time. Her care.

She learned to sew everything—throw pillow covers, draft stoppers, a soft play mat with a cloud pattern for Bee. She made matching aprons for her and Bee with “FELICITY AND BEE’S BAKERY & CHAOS” stitched on the front and a tiny whisk embroidered in the corner. 

She learned how to do mosaics because she wanted the backsplash to sparkle.

Not sparkle like glitter. Sparkle like sea glass. Like things collected and cared for. So she watched a whole mosaic series while Bee colored beside her, figured out how to score and lay tile, and bought discounted sheets of broken ceramic from a local home store.

The result? A backsplash that looked like a stained-glass window in the kitchen, different pieces catching the morning light at different angles. Oscar had walked in, stared at it for a good minute, then said reverently, “It’s like our kitchen went to art school.”

She learned woodworking too. Just basic things at first—measuring, cutting, sanding. Then she made Bee bookshelves with a rolling ladder. 

Felicity ordered botanical wallpaper with lemons and wildflowers and tiny bees that looked like they were dancing. It arrived in a roll the size of a cricket bat and immediately overwhelmed her. She watched six videos on wallpaper paste, spilled half a bucket on the floor, and still managed to get it up in the laundry room by midnight—with Bee asleep and Oscar on a plane somewhere over Japan.

The kitchen cabinets were next—an unforgivable shade of rental beige, chipped and sticky from someone else’s decade of cooking. She couldn’t stand them. So she painted them a deep forest green, every handle replaced with brushed brass pulls she spent an entire afternoon choosing.

 Not too shiny. Not too cold.

 They had weight to them—real, solid weight. The kind that felt earned.

She figured out how to replace the kitchen sink because the old one “looked tired” and she wanted something that “felt like a deep breath.” Oscar had come home and immediately started washing dishes for fun. For fun. That’s how good the sink was.

She learned how to wire lamps. How to reupholster a thrifted chair. How to make things hers.

She chose every light fixture. Every drawer pull. Every hinge and towel bar and shelf bracket.

 Not because they had to be perfect—though she had opinions—but because they had to be theirs.

 Soft where her childhood was sharp. Warm where her memories were cold. Lived-in. Imperfect. Loved.

She wasn’t just homemaking.

She was homebuilding.

Felicity had always been that kind of person—the one who learned things just because.

Not for a degree. Not for a certificate. Not even necessarily to get better. Just because she wanted to know. Just because the world was full of things she hadn’t been allowed to try as a child.

Sometimes she taught herself something just to prove she could.

Sometimes she taught herself because no one else had ever let her try.

But mostly?

 She taught herself because it was hers. Her hands. Her time. Her voice. Her choices.

No one could take that from her anymore.

Because here’s the thing: 

Felicity never stopped being brilliant. She just stopped needing to prove it.

The farmhouse may have been her soft rebellion—hand-painted walls, mosaic tile backsplashes, furniture she sanded down and stained herself—but the bank account behind it was pure, precise calculation.

She took a handful of consulting jobs if they were interesting enough.

Restored cars because it was fun. 

Raised Bee because there was nothing more important to her than that. 

There was masters degree in Mechanical Engineering that was gathering dust, and Ph.D. in the same she had only done because she had been going insane during their year in Enstone. 

Felicity didn’t want to teach. Didn’t want to be a professor or go back to a lab.

She wanted to make Lavender House a home. 

And she paid for all of it with… the stock market.

Because why not?

She did like data. She liked numbers. 

She would never be able to shut up that corner of her brain. 

And markets?

Markets were just behavior in disguise. Patterns. Emotion. Overreaction.

Math.

Numbers. 

While Bee napped and Oscar was halfway across the world doing qualifying laps, Felicity opened her laptop at the kitchen table, sipped her tea, and quietly made thousands.

 She didn’t gamble. She calculated.

 Watched trends. Watched people.

 Watched the exact second an algorithm got cocky and the exact moment to strike.

 She bought low. Sold high. 

Occasionally shorted things with a kind of ruthless satisfaction that made Oscar blink.

It wasn’t about getting rich.

 It was about freedom.

Freedom to buy paint samples without guilt. 

To order custom cabinet pulls shaped like little wrenches. 

To pick up an antique lamp at a local auction and rewire it with a soldering iron she taught herself to use from YouTube.

The gorgeous claw-foot tub? Apple, post-earnings dip.

The outdoor pizza oven? Nvidia before the AI boom.

The new porch swing? A casual ETF play during a market lull.

Because that was the beautiful part—she didn’t need anyone’s permission.

Not her parents’, not her professors’, not the world’s.

Just a good internet connection, a firm belief in her own instincts, and a list of home improvement dreams as long as Bee’s bedtime story list.

She built her house the way she built her life:

 With both hands, full heart, and a mind sharper than anyone realized until it was already too late.

(And a healthy amount of leverage when the RSI looked favorable.)

Felicity made money from numbers—but spent it on joy.

 Because what was the point of brilliance if you couldn’t live in the world you made better?

She didn’t need to be a genius.

Didn’t need to publish papers or present at conferences or prove she could out-math every man in the room.

In Lavender House, she could spend a week picking the exact right tile for the laundry room and that was enough.

She still was brilliant. Of course she was. Her brain didn’t forget how to calculate complex trajectories or restore a 1970s engine block. She still filed tax returns with color-coded tabs and corrected Bee’s puzzle strategy without even thinking.

But now? If she wanted to spend a month sewing floral throw pillows because the living room needed something, she could.

If she wanted to repaint the entryway because the light changed in the afternoon and the old color looked wrong, she did.

The farmhouse was a map of her defiance.

Of choosing softness over strategy. Texture over perfection. Of letting go of the girl who had to be gifted just to be seen.

Oscar saw her anyway.

And Bee—sweet Bee—grew up in a house where brilliance was not demanded, only nurtured. Where creativity mattered more than precision. Where joy didn’t have to be earned with grades or gold stars.

Where her mother could be anything she wanted—artist, carpenter, baker, mechanic.

And sometimes? Just tired. And happy. And enough.

[deinocheirus]

A while ago on discord people were talking about the terms their alien species had for each other in their own languages, and i took a rough stab at it....Which then made me fall down a rabbit hole of thinking about the actual languages these would be from, since none of these guys are monolinguistic and there would have to be a reason these languages might be seen as a "default" language of a species.

(The animal names some species name each other after are "translated" loosely comparable Earth life for the sake of brevity)

Ramblings on the languages these are for under the cut.

Human: English. (many of these names are works in progress and might be changed later)

Snamel: Ossgtat. One of the languages spoken by early snamel space colonists. While spoken ossgtat eventually evolved into new languages or died off across planetary colonies, the ancient form of the language remains relevant as both a religious and scientific language (comparable to how humans use lain), as well as has had many failed pushes to be a species wide lingua franca

The most common term for jawfish is not derived from ancient Ossgtat, but rather is a loanword of the colony that first made contact with them.

Jawfish: Wossoss. The most commonly spoken language of the whistler jawfish subspecies. While the Clicker subspecies has four times the population then the Whistlers, they lack a language as widely used as wossoss.

The "deformed" suffix initially on contact was used to refer specifically to physical deformity, but as centuries pass has evolved to refer to things that are generally strange or unworldly.

Tandem: A'awa. While only the 12th most spoken language for the species, the A'awa language is significant in being the one spoken by the population of first contact, and as a result has become the language of science and technology and a frequent source of loan words in other languages. Several languages adopt A'awag words to describe alien beings or concepts.

Raptor: "Our Talk" a constructed language made centuries after first contact. The exceptional vocal mimicry of the species has resulted in alien languages being more commonly spoken amongst Raptors then their own languages, and those that do remain of theirs have radically changed from alien influence.

Our Talk was born out of an isolationist movement, constructed out of the chunks of various dialects in an attempt to make a new "purely raptor" language. Their terms for alien species are onomatopoeias, "pohum" for humans is pronounced in particularly human-like inflection.

Canary: Gsiii. While neither the most common language or the language of the Canaries first contact was attempted with The Gsiii empire ended up the first canary nation to fully embrace alien diplomacy and is the most common language of canaries off homeworld. While not universal, gsiiik terminology has spread to several other major languages, to the point that now the gsiiik word "legged" has lost its association with limbs and has evolved into the term for aliens in general.

Considering canaries are both small and blind, it is not surprising that the number of legs their giant alien visitors have is our most noteworthy feature. Interacting with a human being is usually like interacting with a massive pairs of legs.

Trunkfish: Patriarch speech. The singular vocal language used by males of the entire species and a lingua franca (something achievable when your entire species resides in a body of water the size of Lake Erie). Females and subadults communicate in a diverse array of languages made up of weak electric pulse.

"Demon" is a translation of a broad group of supernatural beings in trunkfish beliefs that are neither moral nor divine in nature that may be cruel or benevolent, and might also be translated as "spirit" or "fairy". Some aliens are given descriptive names, but others are directly named after preexisting folkloric creatures. Humans specifically are named after a sort of demonic tree believed to both cause or ward off mudslides.

Many trunkfish still see aliens as literal supernatural beings, and envision space travel and other planets as just various fairy worlds and hells that are already a part of their cosmology.

Grex: "Xenology dialect". The grex languages are constructed out of a small fixed pool of instinctive calls known at birth, however these calls can be both altered and used as syllables or phonemes in larger learnt words.

Dialects of grex languages often form around different professions and fields of research, "Anti-People" depending on one's dialect or context and pronunciation could mean anything from an alien, a misanthrope, a murderer, a fictional character, or a type of basket.

Holophant: Ocean script. The civilization of first contact has a plethora of languages signed, written, danced, and tactilely used. The terms for alien species in their signed languages tend to not be translatable, largely made up of modified or entirely new unique single signs.

The most common words for aliens in general is just the sign for animal with a black flash of their chromatophores, as opposed to the neutral dappled markings used for animals in general. In written form this is usually written as either "black" or "night" animals, in reference to coming from the night sky (space)

"Ocean script" is a logographic written language and one of the two core writing systems of the region. Here aliens are described with more readily translatable compound words.

[bloodibambiidoll]

Nasty Girl ⟡˖ Older!Rafe Cameron x Perv!Reader ⟡˖

✰ Rafe is an arrogant dick, over a decade older than you and your dad’s boss, you shouldn’t want anything to do with him. So why can’t you stay away? ✰

۶♡ৎ This is a request from my angel @babygorewhore I love you sm, this one’s for you pookie ۶♡ৎ

✰ Age gap (Rafe is early 40s reader is mid 20s), Obsessive behaviors, perverted acts involving panties, gagging, choking, spit kink, daddy kink, unprotected sex, pussy slapping, pillow humping, pussy eating, cum eating, size kink 18+MNDI ✰

You can’t stand Rafe Cameron. And the fact that you’re so obsessed with him only makes you hate him more. No matter how much you hated the way he walked around like he owned the world, or the rotating door of women he brings around, you can’t shake this irresistible pull he has on you. You shouldn’t feel this way, not only is Rafe a huge dick he’s also over a decade older than you and your dad’s boss. It started off small, stealing glances at him every time you visited your dad at work, dressing in your most revealing dresses and skirts to his work events, making off handed comments and brushing past him when there was clearly room to go around. It wasn’t until you caught him in a bathroom with some lanky blonde bent over the counter while noises that resembled a crow left her body that you finally lost it.

You decided to leave the company charity event early, making sure to pass Rafe’s car and leave your tiny pink thong on his side-view mirror. He wouldn’t know they were yours, but he would know that they didn’t belong to the girl he was currently balls deep inside of because you saw her coral thong pushed to the side. After that it was like you couldn’t stop. You started leaving your panties anywhere you’d think Rafe would find them. In his office on his desk or the chair, his car became a favorite, you even managed to loop one around his drink while he wasn’t looking at the country club once. After the first few pairs you started leaving dirty photos of yourself along with them. Not showing your face, of course. Just shots of your ass and tits, always matching the underwear you planned to leave. You thought about maybe just texting or even emailing them to him but your dad gave him both of those things “in case of emergency”. So you decided to do it old school and take photos on your Polaroid. It was sexier that way, anyway.

But you haven’t done anything like what you’re about to do. You’re upstairs with the sound of loud voices all drowned together barely making it through the thick, high floors beneath you. It didn’t take you long to find Rafe’s room. A double door at the end of the long hall with gold ornate knobs was very clearly the master. You also weren’t surprised he had a keypad lock on his door, especially throwing a party like this. Your dad and his coworkers are everyday businessmen to the sivlian eye but behind closed doors they’re into some pretty deep criminal shit. Luckily you already managed to break into his laptop. It was almost too easy, he navigates technology like a grandpa even though he’s only forty. You had a passing thought about teaching him a more efficient way to organize his work laptop but you quickly shut it down. You’re supposed to hate him. Even if you him to fuck you until you can hardly breathe. He had a whole entire document of passwords and key combinations and you may have written all of them down. So you easily slipped inside after entering the numbers on the keypad.

You spent some time looking around and it was about what you expected. Sleek, expensive furniture, no decorations, the white walls bare aside from a random picture of a boat near the window. It's so clean it almost seems like no one lives here but you assume that’s probably due to the cleaners. You go through his drawers, nothing of interest really, unless you count all the clothes you could potentially steal. His bathroom is just as clean as his room and you can’t help but smirk when you notice a full skin care routine sitting on his counter. So vain. But, you can’t deny a man who is invested in his hygiene is extremely sexy. You smell his expensive colognes, his body wash, even his fucking shampoo. You inhale every single one like it’s your drug of choice. Though, you’re sure they smell a million times better on his skin, mixed with his musk.

After spending some time snooping, your focus turns back to the real reason you came in here. You walk into his large walk-in closet and flick on the light. There’s a glass jewelry case in the middle, filled with designer watches, rings, chains, and sunglasses. You approach it and try to pull open the top drawer when you’re met with resistance, you notice another combination lock. But a lightbulb goes off in your head, remembering the key code marked “jewelry case” before pulling out your phone, finding the numbers and unlocking the drawer with a click. The first drawer is, as expected, more jewelry that matches the items in the display case above. The second drawer though, that’s a different story. When you slide it open instead of expensive designer, it’s filled with lace and silk.

Every single pair of your panties you’ve left for him are in this drawer, along with the Polaroids stacked neatly. Upon closer inspection you notice that they’re covered not just in your cum, but his too. It has your pussy nearly dripping, you were already wet from the minute you saw him earlier tonight but now you can feel your slick dripping down your inner thighs, causing them to stick together under your micro dress. You have to practically drag yourself away from the sight of your underwear under lock and key, almost like they’re treasure, covered in a mixture of Rafe's cum and your own.

You look around the rest of the space and the entire span of the closet is lined with his clothes hanging on wracks. One side is clearly business attire and the other is more casual. Though there isn’t a huge difference, you’ve never seen Rafe in jeans and a t-shirt. You can’t decide if the thought is more sexy or comical. It’s hard to imagine him being well, relaxed. You grab a black button up before exiting the closet, undoing the buttons as you go. A thousand dirty fantasies run through your mind as your eyes roam over the king sized bed. But there’s one you can make a reality right now. The whole reason you came in here. You grab one of his silk pillows and wrap his shirt around it before placing it in the middle of the bed. You turn around to grab your Polaroid out of your bag and then crawl onto the mattress, mounting the pillow. You don’t bother taking your fuzzy platform heels off either, he can sleep on the grime from the bottom of your shoes along with the juices from your pussy for all you care.

You start off slow, running your hands along your body, groping your tits through the faux leather of your dress, imagining that they’re Rafe’s much larger hands. It doesn’t take you long to get worked up, your juices starting to make the cloth underneath you slick. You're so wet that when you start to jerk your hips back and forth on the pillow that you practically glide. The lace of your thong gets pulled tighter, adding extra pressure to your puffy clit. Your dress rides up your hips, revealing your ass and the plush of your thighs as your hips start to speed up. Once you start to really get into it you pull your panties to the side and yank the zipper that goes all the way down the front of your dress down your chest so your tits can spill out. You switch up the movement of your hips every few moments, rotating between using the pillow for leverage and running your hands down your body.

You start to get so lost in the throes of pleasure you almost forget where you are entirely until your white sock covered shin smacks against your pink polaroid camera. You smirk to yourself in remembrance as you pluck it from the bed and turn it on. You hold it above yourself while you press your tits together and spread your legs far enough to show your mound on top of his shirt and snap a photo. You take more than one this time, using almost the entire roll taking pictures of your body from various angles. You shove your fingers in your mouth. Take photos of your tiny thong string nestled between your ass. You even take one with his shirt held up between your teeth. That ends up being the last photo because the smell of his cologne hits your nostrils and it has you inhaling deeply while your hips start to subconsciously grind down again.

Rafe practically felt like a madman as he tried for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes to get out of this conversation with your father and their business partner. Every single time he tried to slip away he was pulled back in somehow. But that didn’t stop his eyes from traveling to the tantalizing view on his phone screen every ten seconds. He felt like a cat who caught a mouse it’s been chasing for months. All without even trying. You lead yourself into a trap he didn’t even set and it couldn’t be more fucking perfect. The fact that you had no idea that his entire house was bugged with cameras that he could see directly in the palm of his hand made his cock twitch. Rafe checked his phone the minute he got the notification that someone was unlocking his bedroom door, ready to send security up there to grab a thief. But he was oh so pleasantly surprised when he saw it was you. You weren’t like any of the other girls he’s ever seen in all his time living on this island. Your platform shoes and dark make-up were utterly enticing to him and your bratty attitude made him want to bend you over his knee until you cried. He also knew you were a naughty girl, with a dirty little secret only he knew. Rafe’s obsession for you only grew by the day and now it was at an all time high.

He decided to let it play out for a bit. He watched as you surveyed his blank walls and rummaged through his drawers. Then you made your way into the bathroom and he watched as you greedily inhaled his colognes and body washes. You went into his closet and somehow unlocked his jewelry case. He’d have to figure out how you managed to learn his key codes later. His heartbeat sped up when you reached for the second drawer but the way you looked down at the trophies you had ever so graciously gifted him with elation only made his appetite for you nearly unbearable. What really sent him over the edge though was how you were currently strandling his pillow as you bucked your hips with his shirt held to your nose.

The entire scene had him losing his mind with lust and you just kept taking it further. He watched you pull your tits out, the way you took all those slutty pictures for him and he wished more than anything in the world he could turn his phone up to full volume so he could hear the pretty little moans leaving your lips. He could tell from the avid speed of your hips and the way your eyes are rolled back that you’re close to your end and he’ll be damned if he isn’t there to see it. He finally excuses himself under the guise of having to go to the bathroom and slips up the large staircase with ease.

You're so close. The pace of your hips is so quick that the entire bed shakes underneath you as delicious euphoria is seconds away. You have the corner of Rafe’s shirt grasped tightly in your fist as you hold it up to your nose. The cloth is pulled taunt against your clit just right, drool drips down your chin onto the black material as you take in Rafe’s scent. Heat washes over you and you moan with reckless abandon, too lost in your tidal wave of an orgasm to care if anyone can hear you.

“I knew you were a dirty girl, but this is even better than anything my mind ever could’a dreamed up…” The sound of Rafe’s voice makes you practically scream and you clutch his shirt over your chest on instinct. Your entire body heats as you take in his large form leaning against the closed bedroom door. His arms are crossed and he has probably the most smug smirk you’ve ever seen in your life painted on his face as he looks over at you through hooded eyes.

“Rafe! I - aren’t you supposed to be hosting a party?” You scoff and roll your eyes, clearly trying to change the subject when you’re the one who broke into his room.

“Well… you see…” Rafe stalks over to you like a predator that caught his prey and stops at the end of the bed. He places his large hands on the mattress so he can lean down only inches from your face, his tongue darts out to wet his bottom lip as his eyes travel down your body before connecting with your own. “This little unassuming mouse wandered into my den without even considering that I have eyes on every inch of this house.”

“How - how long have you been watching?” You clutch onto the shirt tighter, hiding your boobs and bare pussy even though he’s already seen both on multiple occasions. Something about him knowing it was you was making you suddenly nervous.

“Oh, sweetheart, I get a notification when someone opens that door… I saw everything. What do we have here?” His eyes are blue fire as they land on the Polaroids and he picks one up with delight before picking up another and another until he’s seen every single one. He sets them aside in a neat stack before abruptly gripping onto the shirt covering you and ripping it down your body with a growl. You gasp in surprise and use your arms to cover your nipples while slamming your legs shut. “Oh, no, none of that. Don’t get all shy on me now, I’ve already seen it all.” Rafe grabs the pillow and pulls it from underneath you causing you to fall backwards on the bed onto your ass. “Would you look at that…” He looks down at the pillow with hungry fascination as a low groan rumbles through his chest. You watch as he runs the pad of his finger through the creamy wetness before bringing it to his mouth and holding eye contact with you as he sucks it between his lips. His eyes immediately roll back when your taste hits his tongue. “Fuckin’ delicious. But I’m always tastin’ you secondhand.. I can’t wait to taste that sweet pussy directly from the source.”

You’re utterly stunned for a moment. You look up at him with your jaw hanging open while you do your best to cover your most intimate parts when all you want to do is throw your legs open and fully submit to him. You always told yourself if he ever caught you that you would make him work for it. But with the way he’s looking at you now? You can already feel yourself slipping and he hasn’t even touched you yet.

“Who - who said I was going to let you taste me? And what do you mean secondhand?” You tried to say it in a biting tone but your voice squeaks and betrays your facade immediately.

“Oh, little mouse… this little back and forth we’ve been playing has been fun and all. But now you’ve wandered right into my bed and I’m done playing games.” Rafe abruptly grabs onto your ankles, pulling you down to the edge of the bed until your feet are dangling off and you try to pull your knees together again but he grips onto them and pulls them back open. “Quit hiding from me.”

His hands grip tightly onto the meat of your thighs, the gold rings on his fingers pinching your skin in a way that has you holding back a moan. The look in Rafe’s eyes is nearly animalistic as he stares down at your puffy, wet pussy. Your little black thong pushed to the side, covered in creamy, white juices. His fingertips travel down your legs gripping hard enough to bruise with every inch. He brings his thumbs to the crevices of your thighs and presses his fingers hard on either side of your folds, pushing your pussy lips together. You can’t hold in the tiny mewl that leaves the back of your throat. He punches your slick cunt together roughly a few times before pulling you apart. Your pussy clicks for him from your wetness as he pulls you open.

“Been waiting for this moment, ya know?” Rafe runs his thumb along your slit, gathering your wetness before bringing his thumbs to rub along the sides of your lips, teasing you. “I knew it was you. I had my suspicions from the beginning. Ever since you walked in on me in the bathroom…”

“How?” Your voice is a broken whisper, any thoughts of fighting back slipping further and further from your mind. Embarrassingly enough, you feel like you could come from just this.

“Well, I was almost positive after that cute little cherry thong…” Rafe grazes over your clit for just a moment before going back to teasing you. “Earlier that day you were wearing these sexy little jeans and when you bent over I got a view of that same thong. Then, to my surprise, the very same pair ended up in my office later that day.” He presses hard on your clit, giving it a few strokes and you think his teasing has finally come to an end but as soon as it’s there, it’s gone. And he goes back to teasing your pussy tantalizingly. “But then, about a week later I saw you sneaking out of my office and I decided to let you get away with it.”

“You decided?” You push yourself up on your elbows and scoff with your eyebrow raised, your irritation with him returning. Rafe just smirks before shoving his thumb knuckle deep in your pussy and curving it against your walls. It makes your eyes roll back while you wriggle underneath him.

“Yes, princess, I decided.” His other thumb presses on your clit hard but doesn’t move. “Once I was positive it was you, I wasn’t ready for it to stop. Especially once you started leaving those little pictures for me. Who knew you were such a dirty slut.” He pulls his fingers from you before landing a harsh smack on your clit causing you to yelp.

“So you knew it was me and didn’t say anything? And then proceeded to keep them in a treasure box and jerk off all over them? Pervert.” Rafe slaps your pussy again, three times in succession.

“Stop being a fuckin’ brat. If I’m a pervert, what does that make you, huh?” He slaps your pussy even harder and then brings both of his hands down on your inner thighs with a loud smack. “Leaving me your panties, takin’ dirty photos for me, I saw you inhaling my cologne like it was a line of coke. And now I caught you in my bed, coming all over my pillow. You’re a nasty. Little. Girl.” He punctuates each word with a slap to your cunt and you can’t help but moan loudly for him.

“Yeah? Well you’re a nasty old man.” Your chest heaves but you still manage to paint a cheshire smirk on your face, your eyes twinkling with mischief as you use the last of your resolve against him.

“You know what? I’m sick of your bratty fuckin’ mouth.” Rafe grips onto the thin strings of your panties and pulls them down your legs before balling them up and shoving them in your mouth. The sudden intrusion makes you gag, but it’s not unwelcome. The act of dominance and the taste of yourself on your tongue has any and all attitude in you evaporating from your body. He grabs your chin and roughly shakes your head side to side. “That’s better. You gonna be a good girl and let me taste that perfect cunt now or do I need to beat the attitude out of you?”

You moan around the lace in your mouth and drop your knees to the sides, offering yourself to him. Rafe looks at you devilishly as he lays on his stomach on the mattress and throws your legs over his shoulders. He runs his nose along your inner thigh as he takes in your sweet scent before hovering over your pussy and inhaling deeply.

“Smell so fuckin’ sweet, bet you taste even sweeter.” The flat Rafe’s runs through your folds up to your clit before circling it a few times. He nips it with his teeth and shoves his tongue as far as it can go inside of you causing you to cry out and arch your back off the mattress.

“Quit wiggling.” Rafe growls into your pussy, the vibrations sending shockwaves through your body. His large hand splay on your hip, holding you down as he eats you like a man starved. He circles two fingers at your entrance before pressing them knuckle deep inside of you. He caresses your sweet spot while sucking your clit into his mouth and it has an explosion of pleasure washing over your body as your orgasm consumes you.

Rafe pulls off of you when you come down from your high and brings the fingers that were just inside you to his chin dripping with your juices. He smears it around before sucking his fingers clean, groaning like he just ate the best meal of his life. He leans forward and plucks the panties from your mouth before slamming his lips against yours. The kiss is dominating and he shoves his tongue deep into your mouth, swirling it around and coating your taste buds with your own cum. He leans back to admire you and he feels like his cock is going to burst. Your hair is a mess, your dark lipstick is smudged and slick, and the zipper on that tight little dress is barely hanging on. Your tits are on full display as you lay like a perverted little angel with your legs spread beneath him.

“God damn. I’ve gotta fuck that pussy, baby.” Rafe pulls the zipper of your dress the rest of the way down before leaning up on his knees and reaching for the buttons on his shirt. “Take that shit off. Leave the socks and shoes though.”

He licks his lips as he continues to unbutton his shirt while his eyes practically swallow you whole. You quickly rid yourself of your dress and push yourself up onto your knees to watch him undress. You have to stop yourself from jumping him when he gets his shirt all the way off, his perfectly toned body towering over you. When he gets his pants down enough to get his cock out you can’t even hold in your gasp. He’s huge. So thick you aren’t sure you could wrap a single hand around him and so long that you aren’t sure if you could take him all down your throat.

“Fuck. I don’t know if that’s going to fit…” Your eyes are the sizes of saucers as you stare at his cock with your jaw slack. Those words make Rafe feel like he’s going to go insane and his hand flies to your hair, grasping onto it at the nape of your neck and yanking your head back.

“Oh, it’ll fit.” His tongue slides over his teeth and he takes his shaft in his hand so he can rub his precum along your lips, adding to the mess. Rafe uses his grip on your head to manhandle you onto your back before throwing your legs over his shoulders. He smirks down at you while he pumps himself in his hand. “You want it?”

“Yes, fuck. I want it so bad.” You tilt your hips towards him searching for any kind of friction but his hand presses down on your hip, stilling your movements.

“Oh, come on, baby doll. You can do better than that. How bad do you want it?” He taps the head of his cock against your clit a few times before running it through your folds. You try to angle your hips to push him further inside of you and he just tuts at you like you did something naughty before pulling his cock away entirely. “Let me hear it, beg.”

“Please, daddy, I want it so bad.” Rafe breathes out heavily through his nostrils and grips onto your throat, leaning down so his face is inches from yours.

“Oh, little mouse.. you’re just full of surprises, huh? I don’t think you know what you’ve done.” Rafe chuckles darkly and leans back up onto his knees, positioning his cock at your entrance. He presses his head into you and he’s so thick you already feel so full by the time he’s only a few inches in.

“Oh, god. I don’t - I really don’t know if it’s all going to fit.” The air is nearly taken out of your lungs when he thrusts his hips forward and you’re sure he’s all the way inside of you now but he pulls almost all the way out before slamming his cock into you to the hilt with his hips flush against yours. “Holy shit, oh my god.”

“I thought you wanted it so bad, now you’re whining that it won’t fit? I’m gonna fuckin’ make it fit and you’re gonna take it like the dirty little slut you are.” Rafe rams his hips into yours at a brutal pace as he grips onto your throat again and squeezes tightly. His free hand comes to rub circles on your clit and it makes your vision blur. “Yeah fuckin, take it. You gonna come for me? I can feel your pussy squeezing me. You’re so fuckin’ tight.”

“Yes, fuck daddy, please make me cum.” Your voice is a broken sob as your makeup smears messily down your face. “I’m so fucking full.”

“Yeah, that’s right, sweet thing. Give me your cum.” That’s all it takes to have an all consuming orgasm washing over you. Your walls convulse around Rafe’s thick length and he picks up his thrusts, chasing his own high. He uses his grip on your throat to press you down into the mattress and your legs fall down onto his hips. You lace them around him and this new angle has him hitting so deep you swear you’re going to feel him for days. The hand not on your throat hooks onto your bottom teeth, pulling your jaw open so he can spit on your tongue. You swallow without asking and then suck his fingers into your mouth greedily.

“You’re so fuckin’ nasty, ya know that? Letting your dad’s boss fuck you till you cry while he’s right down stairs. Leaving me your little fuckin’ panties. This perfect god damn pussy.” Rafe is babbling like a man possessed as he pumps into you hard and deep until his cock starts to twitch inside you. He growls as he fills you with ropes of his cum. When he pulls out you feel nearly hollow and then he shoves his fingers knuckle deep inside of you, collecting some of his cum on his fingers. You pull his hand back to your mouth and lick his fingers, moaning at your combined tastes.

“Oh, I’m gonna have so much fun with you, little mouse.” Rafe stares down at you with a hunger that’s laced with obsession and you don’t even care because you’re just as obsessed as he is. “You’re mine now.”

Taglist: @nemesyaaa @strawberrydolly333 @sturnioloshacker @loserboysandlithium @gri959 @rafeinterlude @xoxohoneymoongirl @tacymbcm @bunnies-p1tst0p @starkeysprincess

Dividers by @anitalenia

[joaeriz]

8 LETTERS (Paige Bueckers x Fem!Reader)

📎 inspired by “8 Letters” by Why Don’t We 📖 fluff | slow burn | soft romance | college AU 💌 word count: ~2.8k

summary: When Y/N is assigned to write a feature on UConn’s star player Paige Bueckers, the last thing she expects is late-night FaceTimes, secret hangouts, and catching real feelings. As the line between friendship and something more starts to blur, both girls are left wondering if they’re brave enough to say the eight letters that could change everything.

authors note: (Okay, so before you jump in—I just wanna say I had so much fun writing this. It’s honestly a mix of two of my favorite things ever: Paige Bueckers (who I adore) and “8 Letters” by Why Don’t We (which lives rent-free in my head, always). The idea hit me out of nowhere—like, what if that kind of soft, slow, “I love you but I’m scared to say it” kind of story played out between Y/N and Paige? And it just spiraled from there in the best way. I got way too emotionally invested in these two (not sorry), and writing all the cute moments, the late-night FaceTimes, and the feelings they’re both too scared to admit? Ugh. I loved every second.So if you’re into a little angst, a lot of softness, and some seriously sweet vibes, I hope this gives you butterflies the way it gave me butterflies writing it. Thanks for reading—it means so much. — Jo)

P.s: this is my first fic i have posted on here!! Im not new at writing, but let me know if you guys want more :)

You weren’t supposed to fall in love with your story subject.

That was rule number one of journalism school. No dating your interviewees, no crushes on profile pieces, no getting involved. But rules felt irrelevant the first time Paige Bueckers smiled at you like you were more than another face with a notepad.

Your assignment was simple—write a semester-long feature on the UConn women’s basketball team for the student paper. Paige, naturally, was the center of the piece. A star on and off the court. Already a national name. Every sports journalist dreamed of covering her.

You were supposed to remain objective.

Instead, you were falling for her.

Hard.

—

It started with a dead recorder.

Your first real conversation wasn’t planned—unless you count fate as a planner. You’d been huddled near the sideline at practice, trying to record a quote from one of the assistant coaches when your recorder sputtered out and died mid-sentence. You swore under your breath and slapped it, like that ever helped.

Paige had been walking by, sipping on a water bottle, and stopped. “Need backup?”

You looked up, startled. “Only if you’ve got a time machine.”

She smiled. “Nope. But I’ve got the Voice Memos app.”

She handed over her phone like it was no big deal—like she hadn’t just offered you her lifeline. You blinked. “You trust a random reporter with your phone?”

“You don’t seem like the type to scroll through texts.” She leaned in with a smirk. “Besides, you’ve got an honest face. And a tragic relationship with electronics.”

You laughed, cheeks heating. She stayed next to you for a few minutes, watching as you wrapped up your interview with her phone in hand. When it was over, she texted you the audio file with the message:

“Try not to let your technology trauma ruin your career.”

You responded with a lame thank-you and a joke about threatening your recorder with a hammer. You didn’t expect her to reply.

But she did.

“Violence is rarely the answer, but I’ll allow it.”

From there, it snowballed. Texts turned into full-blown threads. Threads into daily check-ins. She started sending random memes between practices—some sports-related, some completely unhinged—and you’d match her energy with cursed TikToks and sarcastic commentary.

Then came the first FaceTime.

You were editing audio at 11:47 p.m. when her name lit up your screen. Paige Bueckers is FaceTiming you.

You stared at it for a second. Then answered.

She was wrapped in a hoodie with damp hair and tired eyes, lying in bed. “Hey,” she said softly. “Didn’t wanna be alone tonight.”

That first call lasted three hours.

You talked about everything: your major, her injuries, your complicated relationship with your hometown, her fear of letting people down. She confessed that sometimes, the pressure made her want to run away to a place where no one knew her name.

You said you understood.

After that, it became routine. Late-night FaceTimes. Morning Snapchats. Study breaks where she'd call and say, “Tell me something random,” and you’d ramble about your day while she half-listened, half-dozed.

—

The first time you hung out outside of school was under the guise of an interview follow-up.

She invited you to a local coffee shop—some cozy little place with plants in every window and tables just slightly too small. You showed up with your laptop and pages of notes. Paige showed up in a hoodie and beanie, no makeup, looking infuriatingly good.

You talked for two hours.

Only twenty minutes was about basketball.

She paid for your drink when you weren’t looking.

“I’ll Venmo you,” you said, pretending to dig for your phone.

She just shrugged. “Nah. Call it a reporter’s hazard fee.”

After that came more not-quite-dates. Study sessions in the campus library where she never actually studied. Walks through the trail behind the dorms where she'd kick pebbles and talk about life like it was something she hadn’t quite figured out yet.

One night, she invited you to “movie night” with the team.

You showed up with snacks and nerves, expecting a whole crowd.

But it was just her.

Two mugs of hot chocolate already on the table. A blanket tossed casually over the couch. She tried to play it off. “The others bailed,” she claimed with a sheepish shrug.

She was a terrible liar.

You stayed anyway.

She fell asleep halfway through the second movie with her head on your shoulder, and you didn’t dare move.

After that night, everything shifted.

—

There were moments. God, there were moments.

The way her hand would brush yours when she passed you something and linger—just a second too long. The way she’d light up when you walked into a room, like you were the only one she’d been waiting for. How she’d say things like:

“Sometimes I forget how to breathe around you.”

And then immediately pretend it was a joke.

You wanted to say it.

You almost did—on Valentine’s Day, when she left a note in your dorm mailbox with a chocolate bar and the words “you’re my favorite notification.”

But you chickened out.

Because if she didn’t feel the same way, you’d lose her. And that possibility was more terrifying than staying quiet.

But then came the silence.

She started pulling away. Fewer texts. Missed calls. Short replies like:

“Practice ran late.” “Sorry, just tired.” “Talk soon?”

And soon became never.

Until the day it broke.

—

It was cold. Rainy. The kind of day that made everything feel heavier. You were walking past the practice facility, hood up, heart aching, when you saw her.

Paige. Alone. Leaning against the wall like she was waiting for something—or someone.

You slowed. She looked up.

“I think we should stop,” she said.

Your stomach dropped. “Stop…?”

“This. Us. I don’t know what this is to you, and I can’t keep pretending I’m okay with not knowing.”

You blinked, throat closing.

“I’m not asking you to guess,” you managed to say.

“Well, then tell me,” she whispered. “Because I think about you all the time, and I don’t know how to make it stop. And it hurts, Y/N. It hurts not knowing if I’m just another story to you.”

And finally—finally—you said the words.

“You asked what love looks like to me.”

She held her breath.

“It looks like you. Like FaceTime calls at midnight and cold coffee on a Sunday morning. It’s how you fight through everything and still smile like you’re not carrying the weight of the world. I didn’t say it before because I was scared, but I’m more scared of losing you.”

Her eyes glossed. She stepped closer.

“You love me?” she asked, barely a whisper.

“I do.”

And when she kissed you, it was soft and shaky and real. Like exhaling after holding your breath for too long.

—

That night, your article sat unfinished.

She lay beside you on your tiny dorm bed, her hand brushing yours under the covers, the silence between you humming with peace.

“Say it again,” she murmured.

You smiled.

“I love you.”

Eight letters.

—

It had been twenty-six days since you told Paige you loved her.

Twenty-six days since she kissed you in the rain like her world had just started spinning again.

Twenty-six days since things finally became real.

And every single one of those days had felt like waking up in the softest dream.

Being with Paige wasn’t loud or flashy—not most of the time. It was slow mornings in bed, tangled limbs and quiet whispers. It was FaceTiming just to sit in silence while you both worked. It was warm hoodies borrowed without asking, and her stealing your socks because “they’re the soft ones.”

It was peace.

One Sunday morning, you found her asleep on your couch, wearing your crewneck and hugging your stuffed animal. She’d crashed the night before after watching movies in your room, the two of you curled together on your tiny dorm bed until she got too warm and rolled onto the floor, dramatically sighing, “This is why we need a queen-sized mattress and a lease.”

You’d laughed, thinking she was joking.

Then she blinked up at you and said, totally serious, “Like… a place. You and me. Off campus. Someday.”

Your heart soared, and you tucked the idea away like a wish on a star.

Later, she sleepily mumbled, “I want you in my mornings and my nights.”

And you knew she meant it.

—

Dating Paige came with little adventures.

Like the time she surprised you with a picnic—on a Tuesday.

You’d been having the worst week: deadlines, papers, zero sleep. Paige texted you in the middle of class: “Be ready at 6. Trust me.”

You met her behind the student union, expecting takeout and a movie.

Instead, she’d laid out a blanket under a canopy of fairy lights she somehow got from the volleyball team’s gear closet. There was music playing from a Bluetooth speaker, a thermos of your favorite hot cocoa, and a little box of cupcakes from the bakery you once mentioned you liked.

“I know you’re overwhelmed,” she said, pulling you into a hug. “So I’m forcing you to pause. Just for tonight.”

You nearly cried.

“I don’t deserve you,” you whispered.

She kissed your forehead and grinned. “Nah. We deserve each other.”

—

Her love came in a thousand small ways.

When your period hit hard, she showed up with snacks, heating pads, and the world’s ugliest cartoon pajamas she said were “scientifically proven to improve moods.” (They did.)

When she won a game, she didn’t go out with the team—she came to your place and danced with you barefoot in the kitchen to 2000s R&B.

When you got a bad grade on a paper and spiraled about being “not good enough,” she held your face in her hands and said, “You’re brilliant. One grade doesn’t get to rewrite the story.”

She never let you forget your worth—even when you did.

—

Your favorite tradition was Sunday mornings.

You’d wake up slow—her arm slung lazily around your waist, her cheek against your shoulder. She always looked soft in the mornings, voice scratchy, hair messy, face unfiltered.

“Don’t look at me,” she’d mumble, burying her face in the pillow.

You always did anyway.

You’d take turns making breakfast—read: burning toast and debating whether Pop-Tarts counted as a real meal. You’d play records on your vintage player, dance around the room in socks, kiss in the doorway like it was a scene from a movie.

She called you “home” once.

You didn’t say anything in return.

You just pulled her into your chest and held her tighter than words could manage.

—

There were no more secrets now.

People knew. Slowly, sure. But Paige had started holding your hand in public. At first on quieter streets, where no one looked. Then at campus parties. Then at a game.

After a home win, she ran over to the bleachers—where you were waiting—and kissed you in front of a thousand fans and a dozen cameras.

“I love you,” she said breathlessly. “Needed you to know before anything else.”

The video went viral. The team teased her endlessly.

She didn’t care.

Neither did you.

—

One night, lying in bed with your laptop open on your stomach and Paige half-asleep beside you, you said, “This is the happiest I’ve ever been.”

She looked up. “Because of me?”

You smiled. “Because of us.”

She kissed your shoulder and whispered, “Let’s stay like this forever.”

And maybe the future held more challenges—graduation, jobs, long-distance talks if things got complicated.

But for now, you had everything you needed.

Her heartbeat beside yours. Her laughter echoing in your chest. And the words you once feared to say now lived freely between you.

“I love you.” Eight letters. Forever on repeat.

[jhyoos]

Save A Horse, Ride A Cowgirl 2

bronc abby x buckle bunny reader

mentions : modern au, cocky abby, romance, smut, strap on sex, fluff, ellie, dina and jesse mentioned

summary : abby takes the reader out on a date to the rodeo fair.

notes : part 1 <-

It had been a week since you last saw Abby—not for lack of trying, but because her schedule was packed. Between training, competitions, and whatever else a professional rodeo star did on the daily, she was constantly on the move. You’d barely gotten a glimpse of her after that night under the stars, and yeah, you were feeling the absence.

Then, out of nowhere, she found you on Instagram.

You weren’t expecting much when you clicked on her profile, but the second you did, your jaw nearly hit the floor. Over two million followers. Verified.

The Abby Anderson you met at the rodeo was already something, but this? This was next level. Scrolling through her feed, it was all action shots of her on horseback, winning competitions, and the occasional training video where she looked effortlessly cool. And, of course, thirst trap pictures—shirt slightly unbuttoned, sweat-drenched after a long day, those muscular arms flexing in ways that made your brain short-circuit.

You followed her back immediately, not expecting much, but then your phone buzzed.

ab.anderson: Hey, bunny.

That was all it took. One simple message.

Numbers were exchanged, and you started texting here and there, but Abby? Abby texted like an old man. She sent full sentences, used punctuation, and even signed some texts off with -A like she was sending an email. The sexting? Even worse.

So, to save your sanity, you resorted to FaceTiming whenever you both had the time. It was easier, and if nothing else, you got to watch her struggle with modern technology.

Then, one night after work, just like clockwork, your phone lit up with her name.

You answered, flopping onto your bed. “What’s up, cowgirl?”

Abby’s face filled the screen, and damn, she looked good—hair damp from a shower, sitting somewhere that looked like a hotel room. “Hey, bunny,” she said, her voice warm, familiar. “What are you doin’ this weekend?”

You raised an eyebrow. “Why? You finally making time for me?”

Her smirk widened. “Damn right. There’s a rodeo fair in town—I wanna take you.”

Your lips parted in surprise. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to go—it was just unexpected. Abby was the one always in the rodeos, so you figured she’d be too busy competing.

Before you could respond, though, a thought struck you, and you couldn’t stop yourself from asking, “Okay, but real quick—why the hell do you text like an old man? Have you heard of TikTok? They'll teach you everything you need to know.”

Abby groaned, running a hand down her face. “I don’t use my phone much, and I don’t manage my social media. My team handles all that.”

Your eyes widened in mock shock. “You have a team?” You gasped dramatically. “I’m messing around with someone famous?”

Abby laughed, shaking her head. “Yeah, I guess you are,” she said, voice dripping with amusement. Then, she leaned in a little closer to the camera, her eyes gleaming. “It’s nothing, really—just the number one bronc rider in the country.”

Your jaw dropped at her blatant flex. “Oh, fuck off,” you said, laughing. “You just had to throw that in there, huh?”

Abby grinned. “Had to make sure you knew what you were dealing with.”

“Oh, trust me,” you drawled, smirking. “I definitely know.”

She chuckled, shaking her head. “So? You comin’ or what?”

You bit your lip, pretending to think before finally nodding. “Alright, Anderson. Take me to the rodeo.”

Her smirk softened into something warmer, something almost fond. “Good,” she murmured. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

The weekend finally rolled around, and your room looked like a damn tornado had ripped through it. Clothes were strewn across the bed, shoes kicked to the side, and Dina was sitting cross-legged on the floor, scrolling on her phone between giving you brutally honest fashion advice.

Your hair was styled perfectly, your makeup was flawless—but the outfit? That was the real struggle. You held up a few options, groaning each time they didn’t feel right.

"You’re overthinking this,” Dina sighed, tossing a pillow at you.

“You’re underthinking this,” you shot back, pacing in front of your mirror. "I like her a lot, Dina. I have to look good."

“You always look good,” she said, rolling her eyes before sitting up. “But if you want to look hot—go with those shorts and that cheetah print corset top.”

You turned to the mirror, holding up the outfit against your body. The booty jean shorts hugged your curves just right, and the cheetah print corset top? It was giving country but make it sexy. You paired it with some black boots, did a little spin, and finally, finally felt satisfied.

Just as you finished adjusting everything, you heard a honk outside.

“Perfect timing,” Dina grinned.

“Lifesaver,” you said, giving her a quick hug before grabbing your bag.

Stepping out of your room, you found your dad lounging on the couch, eyes locked on the TV as Yellowstone played. Without a second thought, you leaned down and kissed his cheek. “Bye, Dad.”

“Be safe,” he muttered, still half-distracted. “And don’t be out too late.”

You smirked. No promises.

Pushing open the front door, you were immediately greeted by the sight of that familiar black truck parked in your driveway. The engine was humming low, the headlights casting a soft glow, and sitting behind the wheel—looking fine as hell—was Abby.

She was decked out in all black. Black jeans, black button-up, the sleeves rolled up just enough to show off those arms, a silver belt buckle glinting under the porch light. The way she leaned back in her seat, one hand resting on the wheel, exuding effortless confidence? Yeah. Trouble.

You climbed into the passenger seat, closing the door behind you with a soft thud before turning to her. “Damn, Anderson,” you said, looking her up and down. “You didn’t even look like this the first time we met.”

That smug smirk of hers grew as she gave you an equally slow once-over. “I should say the same to you, bunny,” she murmured, voice thick with approval. “You look real good and…” she trailed off, reaching toward the center console, “you forgot something.”

She lifted up the hat she had given you, the one from the rodeo, and before you could even react, she placed it on your head, her fingers lingering just a little too long.

Your stomach flipped.

“You ready?” she asked, her voice softer now, her eyes locked onto yours.

You smiled, adjusting the brim of the hat before nodding. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

With that, she put the truck into drive, pulling off down the road, the night just beginning.

The festival was alive with bright lights, the air thick with the scent of fried food, caramel, and the smoky tang of barbecue. Laughter and country music blended into the background as you and Abby moved through the bustling crowd, tickets in hand, ready to indulge in everything the fair had to offer.

From the moment you stepped through the gates, the night was nothing but fun. Abby, as it turned out, was really good at carnival games—almost too good. Every time she stepped up to a booth, she won with ease, knocking down milk bottles like it was second nature, landing impossible shots in rigged hoops, and hooking prizes from claw machines like she had magnets in her fingers.

She must have won you at least five plushies before you even reached the food stalls.

"Are you sure you’re not cheating?" you teased, hugging an oversized stuffed horse to your chest.

She smirked, tossing a ring onto a bottle without even looking. It landed with a perfect clink. "Nah, bunny. I’m just better."

Your night was briefly interrupted when a few festival-goers recognized her. People stopped her in passing, asking for autographs, asking why she wasn’t in the rodeo today. Abby didn’t even hesitate before slipping an arm around your waist, pulling you into her side as she answered,

“I canceled for this pretty lady right here. Don’t worry—I’ll be back in the arena before you know it.”

That answer alone had your stomach flipping.

Eventually, you two made your way to a concession stand that sold drinks and jello shots. Abby stuck to her whiskey, sipping slow, watching with amusement as the men behind the counter flirted with you, handing you drinks and shots for free simply because you were pretty.

You took every single one they handed you, and before you knew it, you were drunk out of your mind.

Abby didn’t mind, though. If anything, she loved seeing you in your fullest element—carefree, laughing, tipsy off life and liquor.

But then, something caught your eye.

A mechanical bull.

You gasped, eyes going wide with excitement, and before Abby could react, you took off, weaving through the crowd toward it.

“Shit—bunny, wait—” Abby called after you, quickly catching up, standing at your side as you bounced on your heels in line.

“You sure you wanna do this?” she asked, a knowing smirk playing on her lips.

“I’m more than sure,” you grinned, barely able to contain your excitement.

The line moved fast, and when it was finally your turn, you climbed onto the bull with surprising ease, settling in like you’d done this a hundred times before. You wrapped one hand tightly around the horn, the other adjusting the hat still perched on your head. With a confident grin, you shot a thumbs-up to the operator.

He pressed the button.

The bull jerked to life, spinning and bucking in unpredictable movements, but you held on like a pro. One hand gripping the saddle, the other keeping your hat in place as you moved in sync with the mechanical beast.

Abby was impressed.

But if she was being honest? She wasn’t really focused on how good you were at staying on.

She was focused on the way your hips rolled, the way your thighs clenched to keep yourself balanced—the way your body moved so effortlessly in a rhythm that had her wishing, praying, that it was her beneath you instead of that damn machine.

She was so lost in the sight of you that she almost didn’t notice the group of guys standing nearby, whispering among themselves, eyeing you in a way that made her blood boil.

“Damn, look at her ride that thing.”

"Bet she’s even better in a—"

Before the guy could even finish that sentence, Abby was already on her feet, standing over them, voice low and dangerous.

“Watch your fuckin’ mouths.”

The guys looked up at her, startled, and quickly muttered some half-assed apologies before backing off.

By the time Abby turned back, you had finally lost control, tumbling off the bull with a breathless laugh.

“Woooo! New record—60 seconds!” the operator announced through the mic before stepping over to help you up, handing you a giant plush cow as a prize.

Still clearly drunk, you stumbled down from the platform, plushie in hand, and the moment you saw Abby, your eyes lit up like you had just won the lottery.

“Look what I got!” you beamed, holding up the cow proudly.

Abby let out a small chuckle, shaking her head as she wrapped an arm around your shoulder. “Yeah, I see it. Come on, babygirl,” she murmured, voice soft as she led you toward a nearby table by the food venue.

She pulled out a chair for you, easing you into it before sitting beside you, resting a protective hand on your thigh.

"Let’s get you some food before you pass out on me."

Abby was about halfway to the food stand when you shook your head, pressing your fingers to your temples.

"I'ma be honest, my head is still spinning,” you admitted, leaning back in your chair. “Can you get it for me? I’ll save our spots here.”

Abby turned back to you with a smile, tilting her head slightly before leaning in to give you a quick kiss on the lips. “Alright. What do you want to eat?”

You smirked, eyes glinting with mischief. “You… but I’ll settle for some nachos.”

Abby let out a low chuckle, shaking her head as she patted your thigh. “Alright, I’ll be back.”

With that, she walked off, disappearing into the crowd.

As you waited, you sighed, pulling off Abby’s hat and using it to fan yourself. The night air was warm, and the combination of alcohol and excitement had left a flush on your skin. You were still grinning to yourself when you noticed movement from the side—then suddenly, a group of guys stepped up, surrounding you almost entirely.

It didn’t take long to realize who they were.

The same group of perverted assholes that had been whispering about you while you were riding the bull.

You remained seated, looking up at them with a bored expression.

One of them smirked, tipping his beer can toward you. “Damn, sweetheart, you sure know how to ride.”

Another one chimed in, eyes raking down your body. “Bet you’d be even better on somethin’ else.”

You worked at Hooters—you were used to men hitting on you. So instead of reacting, you plastered on a small, polite smile, already preparing to shut them down.

“Thanks, but I’m good. My girlfriend’s getting me something, and she’ll be back any second now.”

That should have been enough. Should have been.

But it wasn’t.

The flirting didn’t stop. If anything, it got worse. More persistent.

One of them, the tallest of the group, stepped closer, invading your space. “C’mon now, no need to play hard to get,” he drawled. “We’re just tryna have a little fun.”

Your patience was running thin. “And I said I’m good,” you said firmly. “I don’t want any of you—”

Before you could even finish, a rough hand grabbed your arm, yanking you up from your seat.

It happened fast—too fast for them to react.

Before he could tighten his grip, before he could say another word, your fist connected with his face.

A sickening crack filled the air as his nose burst open, blood spilling down his face. He stumbled back with a strangled yell, clutching his face in pain.

“Fuck off!” you snapped, eyes blazing as you glared at the rest of them. “All of you.”

The rest of the group stood frozen, wide-eyed.

“I’m a lesbian. I don’t even like you—any of you.”

There was a stunned silence. Then the guy you had just punched groaned, still gripping his nose. “What the fuck, you crazy bit—”

“What the fuck’s going on here?”

The deep, unmistakable voice sent chills down your spine.

You turned just in time to see Abby storming toward you, jaw clenched, brows furrowed in a deadly glare. She was holding a plate of nachos, but her focus was entirely on the scene in front of her.

The guys immediately took a step back.

Abby’s gaze snapped to the guy with the bleeding nose, then back to you, eyes scanning for any sign of harm. “Bunny,” she murmured, voice tense, “you good?”

You nodded. “Yeah. Just dealt with some assholes who couldn’t take a hint.”

Abby’s eyes darkened, and without missing a beat, she dropped the plate of nachos and stepped toward the group.

They didn’t wait for her to get closer.

One of them muttered, “Shit—let’s go,” before grabbing his friend and dragging him away, disappearing into the crowd like cowards.

Abby watched them go, chest rising and falling with barely restrained anger.

Then she turned back to you.

“C’mere,” she murmured, voice softer now.

You didn’t hesitate, stepping into her arms as she pulled you into a tight embrace. You felt the tension in her muscles, the way her fingers flexed against your back like she was trying to ground herself.

Finally, she sighed, pressing a kiss to the side of your head. “Next time?” she said, voice teasing but still laced with concern. “Wait ‘til I’m back before you start throwin’ punches, yeah?”

You smirked, tilting your chin up to look at her. “No promises.”

Abby huffed, shaking her head before pressing a firm kiss to your lips. “You’re gonna be the death of me, bunny.”

You let out a small sigh, rubbing your temples. The adrenaline from earlier was fading, leaving behind a dull headache—and your buzz? Gone.

“I think my buzz is wearing off,” you admitted, looking up at Abby. “Can we just go? They kinda ruined the mood.”

Abby frowned, her jaw tightening slightly, but she nodded. “Yeah, sure. We can go to my place.”

That made you pause. You raised a brow, crossing your arms. “Your place? Didn’t know you were from around here.”

“I’m not,” she said with a smirk. “I’m staying at an Airbnb.”

That was enough to convince you.

The ride to her place was quiet, comfortable. Abby kept one hand on the wheel, the other resting casually on your thigh, her thumb rubbing slow circles against your bare skin. You leaned into the seat, feeling exhaustion creeping in—but when you pulled up to the Airbnb, you were wide awake again.

Before you could even get out of the truck, loud, excited barking rang through the air.

The moment Abby opened the door, two dogs bolted toward her, tails wagging furiously.

You blinked.

“You have dogs?” you asked, sliding out of the truck and shutting the door behind you.

Abby chuckled as she knelt down, rubbing one of the dog’s head affectionately. “Yeah. Didn’t I mention them?”

You shook your head, already crouching to pet them. You loved animals—always had—but taking care of them? Different story. Feeding, walking, and worst of all, cleaning up after them? Not your thing.

Still, that didn’t stop you from melting a little Alice licked your hand. “Aww, you’re both so cute,” you cooed, scratching behind their ears.

Abby carried the giant plushies inside, dropping them onto the living room couch before turning back to you.

“Their names are Bear and Alice,” she said. “I adopted them from a friend.”

You glanced up at her with a small smile. “Well, they’re adorable.”

Bear—who was definitely the troublemaker—jumped up on you, his paws landing on your thighs, his tail wagging like crazy.

Abby snorted. “Yeah, adorable until they knock you over.”

You laughed, nudging Bear back down gently before standing. “So… what now?”

Abby raised a brow, a slow smirk creeping onto her lips as she stepped closer.

“I can think of a few things,” she murmured, her hands slipping around your waist.

Your stomach flipped.

Yeah, you were definitely feeling awake again.

Abby’s gaze flickered down to your lips, and that was all the signal you needed. You leaned in, pressing your lips against hers, soft but full of intent. She didn’t hesitate to kiss you back, her hands gripping your waist firmly before she lifted you with ease, making you gasp against her mouth.

Instinctively, your legs wrapped around her, your arms draping over her broad shoulders as she carried you effortlessly through the Airbnb. The feeling of being handled like that sent a shiver through you, heat pooling low in your stomach.

By the time she reached the bedroom, Abby laid you down onto the bed, her body hovering over yours. The room was dimly lit, just enough for you to see the hunger in her eyes. You pulled her down into another kiss, deeper this time, biting her bottom lip just enough to make her groan. But before she could take control, you pulled away, your lips curling into a smirk.

You sat up, sliding off the bed slowly, making sure her eyes followed you. Abby leaned back on her elbows, watching as you reached for the hem of your top, peeling it off teasingly slow before taking your bra off also. The cool air met your bare skin as you let the fabric drop. Next, you hooked your thumbs into your shorts and panties, sliding them down your legs with the same deliberate pace.

Abby’s tongue darted out to wet her lips, her hands flexing against the sheets.

“You gonna ride me like you did that bull?” she asked, voice thick with anticipation.

You bit your lip, letting your fingers ghost over her thighs as you climbed onto her lap, your bodies pressed together, heat radiating between you.

“I think you already know the answer,” you murmured.

As you sinked into her lap, you felt something abnormal in her pants. You looked at her confused "Whats that?," you asked.

A knowing smirk appeared on Abby's face "Find out," she said.

You looked at her with a raised eyebrow before getting off of her and unbuckling her pants and pulling them down, along with her boxers, letting them pool at her ankles.

It was a strap, a black one that was about 8 inches.

"You had this on the whole festival?," you asked, looking at her.

"Gotta be prepared," she said with a shrug.

Abby's strap was stuffed deep inside of your wet cunt, she groaned seeing you take every single inch with ease.

Her hands were on your waist as you were on top of her, keeping your promise.

Riding her.

You put your hands in the middle of her chest, keeping yourself balanced as you started to slowly ride her, needy moans spilling out of your mouth.

"Fuck bunny. You're doing so well...taking me so well," she praises as she looks up at you, taking in the sight of you. The way your breast bounced with each thrust, the bites she left on your shoulder and neck, the way you took her cock like it was made for you.

Fuck—what a sight to see.

Once you adjusted to her cock, your thrusting became faster, your hands shifted from her chest to the back of her thighs.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," you moaned out as your head tilted back, your cunt fluttering around her cock, wanting more.

Abby pulled herself up, sitting up as she grabbed her hat, that you disgarded on the side of the bed as she put it on your head. "Come on ride my cock, cowgirl. You can do it better than this.'

The words coming out of Abby's mouth only made you whimper. Even she knew you werent giving yourself enough simulation.

She took that as a sigh to wrap her arm around your waist, keeping you steady before she uses her other arm to leverage herself to fuck up into you, making you gasp in pleasure.

The thrust were deep and fast, the head of her cock kissing your cervix, making your eyes roll to the back of your head.

She grunts with each thrust as she felt it too, the base of the strap rubbing against her huge, puffy clit.

You soon match her thrust, going down as she thrusted up. It made her cock hit every spot perfectly earning almost pornographic moans out of you.

Your hips soon start to twitch and the knot in your stomach starting to build up. "Ah— fuck I'm gonna cum," you announce.

"Me too, babygirl," she grunts out.

The grip she had on you, got tighter as her hips twitched against yours, but you didnt stop you couldn't. You wanted to cum. You needed to.

You stopped Abby's movements by pushing her back down by her chest, her hands went back to your waist as you got back to bouncing on her cock.

You bite your bottom lip as you switched between grinding and bouncing. "Im coming!," you moaned out.

You both came at the same time, Abby threw her head back the sounds coming out of her were a mix of moans and gasps.

The sounds coming from her only made you cum harder, seconds after her, your juices spilling and covering her cock and thighs along with her own.

You huffed before you slowly got off of her and laid down beside her.

Abby was looking at you, her eyes heavy but full of something deep—satisfaction, maybe, or amusement at the lazy grin pulling at your lips. She reached out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear before letting her fingers trail down your jaw.

Then, with a teasing smirk, you broke the silence.

“Save a horse, ride a cowgirl,” you murmured, voice smug and slightly breathless.

Abby huffed out a laugh, shaking her head. “Jesus, you’re ridiculous.”

The morning was slow and peaceful, the kind of lazy dawn that made you want to stretch out the moment forever. Abby was still knocked out in bed when you slid into one of her flannels, the fabric drowning you in warmth, the scent of her clinging to it like a second skin. You didn’t bother buttoning it all the way, just enough to cover yourself as you padded barefoot through the Airbnb.

Bear and Alice stirred the second they saw you, tails thumping against the floor as they eagerly followed you to the back door. “Alright, alright, hold on,” you muttered sleepily, opening it and stepping onto the porch as the cool morning air kissed your legs. They ran out to do their business while you made your way back inside, the scent of coffee filling the air as you brewed a fresh pot.

You perched on one of the stools at the kitchen island, cradling the warm mug in your hands, taking slow sips as you let yourself sink into the morning. That was, until you heard the soft creak of footsteps behind you.

Abby shuffled in, looking half-asleep but still effortlessly gorgeous. Her hair was a little messy, her arms stretching above her head as she yawned. She was only in a sports bra and sweatpants, and damn, did she look good—like the kind of good that made you want to skip breakfast and drag her right back to bed.

She came up behind you, pressing a slow, sleepy kiss to your cheek before moving toward the coffee pot.

“You’re up early,” she murmured, voice husky from sleep.

“Had to let your children out,” you teased, nodding toward the dogs outside.

She grunted in response, pouring herself some coffee. You watched her for a moment before deciding to address the elephant in the room.

“So… when are you gonna ask?”

Abby turned, raising a brow. “Ask what?”

You rolled your eyes. “To be your girlfriend, dummy.”

She smirked, taking a slow sip of her coffee as she leaned against the counter. “I thought we were locked in when I put my hat on your head.”

You scoffed. “Well, you were wrong. And you’ve been doing slang research—‘locked in’ is new.”

Abby huffed out a laugh, shaking her head before stepping closer. “Alright then,” she said, setting her coffee down before looking at you properly. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

A smirk tugged at your lips as you lifted your mug, letting the words sit in the air for a beat before answering.

“Yes. I’ll be your girlfriend.”

You smiled against the rim of your cup, taking another slow sip as Abby watched you, grinning.

“Good,” she murmured. “Because I wasn’t planning on letting you go, anyway.”

Abby leaned down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to your lips, her hand resting on your thigh as if to anchor you to this moment. When she pulled back, she gave you that signature smirk—the one that made your stomach do flips.

“You know,” she mused, eyes dragging over you with that signature smirk, “you look real good in my clothes.”

You raised a brow, setting your mug down before leaning forward on your elbows. “Yeah? Guess you’ll have to get used to seeing me in them, huh?”

Abby’s smirk softened into something more genuine, something a little too tender for the casual morning conversation, but she didn’t shy away from it. Instead, she leaned down, pressing a kiss to your forehead before muttering against your skin, “Yeah, I guess I will.”

taglist : @rhian88 @abbyslvrrr @hell0-ki55y @spritelova @abbyscoochiecruncher @smaugayra @chaikichainsaw @femme-historian @h2pinky @lilredbird101 @kirna-diane @viperineee @sincerely-forest @athena-winters13 @madsxh1022

[kissthesunandmoon]

To win her hand-part 2~

SMUT! MDNI

(Part one has only been up for about half a day but so far quite a few people seem to like it so I thought I’d hop straight on with a part 2, hope you enjoy. I am so sorry that it is quite long but I felt some build up was necessary, hopefully it’s worth it!)

Making your way up the stairs, your ears finally felt relief from all the obnoxious drunken chatter and cheering, with one final glance back you see your father drinking with the Yautja leader, apparently the two were really bonding over your new union. Truthfully you had genuinely asked Ka’Toah to head back to your room to get to know each other better, away from curious ears and prying eyes, but of course you couldn’t ignore that it was your wedding night. You knew that your culture and his were vastly different, but you could only assume that their traditions of newly weds were the same, what you couldn’t assume was, well…how they were in that department. Through the night of celebrations you had many of your people congratulating you, and most likely due to the drink, you had been let in on the fact that not only did many of your own kind desire the Yautja, but there were a number (higher than you had imagined) of those who had actually pursued them. Both women and men came to you to you telling you stories of their conquests with the god like beings, though you had never asked. Of course these were one nights stands driven by lust and pleasure so you couldn’t fully make your predictions from that alone, but there was one word that you had heard more than a few times. Rough. They were rough, and big. I mean it didn’t take a genius to figure the latter out, your new husband towered over you, he was tall and very muscular. With this in mind it made sense that they would be well endowed to put it politely, and the fact that they obviously weren’t human would account for their apparent roughness. The thoughts consumed you and you found yourself growing nervous, of course you felt comfortable and safe with your new husband, more than you had expected. But the thought loomed over you that you didn’t know him, or why he had even wanted to win your hand in the first place, you had no idea of his intentions and you had never thought to ask. Perhaps he would be rough with you, rougher than you could handle, you were sure he wouldn’t do it intentionally but he could very well end up hurting you. You felt the anxiety building like a knot in your stomach and a cloud in your mind.

The two of you soon came to the door of your room, and once entering you watched as his eyes wandered, curiosity and awe behind them. To call it a bedroom was an understatement with its impressive size, on one side was a large round bed, adorned with silk sheets perfect for the hot climate of your home. There were a few other typical bedroom items, a type of vanity, a seat, but it was none of these items that caught his eye. On the other side however, was something that only a princess could have in her chambers, it looked like either a very large floor level bath, or a small pool. He analysed the slight steam coming from it and he let out another, slightly proud purr when he recognised the heating technology was that of his own. Another generous gift brought to your people by his, a flawless underfloor heating system far more advanced than any created around the world. And of course, straight ahead was an arch that lead to a substantial balcony which like the rest of your room was made from a beautiful, slightly tan marbled stone.

Without even discussing it the two of you instinctively made your way to your balcony looking over your home, the night air was still warm, the sky danced with the lights of the stars and moon, and the sound of vibrant chatter and festivities still hung in the air. You stood quietly for a moment, before he spoke in your own native tongue catching you a little off guard, “You are uneasy of something, Princess” you couldn’t help your smile at both the effort he was clearly putting in to speaking your language which must have been difficult for him, and of course the nickname. Although it was your formal title of course, it sounded sweeter coming from him. But of your smile faded slightly as you processed his words, it wasn’t a question, he wasn’t asking. He knew something was bothering you. You inhaled a breath trying to formulate a sentence in your head, you didn’t want any poor wording offending him. Before you could speak he turned to you, gazing down with gentle eyes, “Are you…having reservations of our union?” You didn’t even hesitate before you replied a loud “No!”, maybe a little louder than you anticipated. “Sorry…I mean no, that isn’t it” you said softer this time, before letting out a small sigh and averting your gaze to the ground. It didn’t take long before you felt a gentle finger under your chin, tilting your head back up to look at him, and you almost melted when you did. His eyebrows were knitted into a look of concern, but his eyes were probably the softest you had seen them, he didn’t push you but gave you a small nod prompting you to explain when you were ready. Taking another shaky breath you knew you owed him an explanation, you hated the idea of him thinking you were having regrets. “It’s just…how do I even say this?” You swallowed hard before continuing, your mouth suddenly dry. “I know now that intimate relationships between our kind are not as uncommon as I had thought, and I know that you would never hurt me…but Im much smaller than you and- I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous, I’m sorry”. You felt the sting of heat in your cheeks, unlike when you had locked eyes however, this was a blush born from embarrassment. You heard that familiar purr you were growing to love as his fingers moved from under your chin, to cup your cheek affectionately, his fingers grazing your hair and you looked up at him again. Once again he spoke in your language with great effort, the moment feeling too important to be communicated through a robotic voice, he needed you to hear him, even if it was slightly broken and his pronunciation flawed. “Do not apologise, I understand I am much larger than you, you fear it will hurt?”. You just nodded shyly at his question and he continued again, the back of his palm caressing your cheek as he did. “I will never do anything to hurt you, but I do not want you to be frightened, we do not need to cross that line if you do not wish to”. You put your hand on his, leaning into his touch, your heart feeling eased by his words, the fact that he was willing to remain without your touch for your own comfort was more than most of the men within your own kind would have offered. “It’s not that I don’t want to…I do, I just-“ you didn’t even know how to finish the sentence, and you didn’t have to. Ka’Toah watched you for a moment, before bending down and scooping you up bridal style and carrying you back into your room, he placed you gently on the floor near your pool. Before you could even process it, he began to rid himself of his armour, you debated averting your eyes but found yourself unable to, staring shamelessly at his now naked body. He then turned stepping into the heated water, then he held a hand out to you. Realising what he was insinuation your breath hitched for a moment, eyes never leaving his and slowly you mimicked him, slowly undressing yourself until you were completely naked as well.

You took his hand and stepped into the water, your size different apparent as the water which reached the middle of your chest, sat just above his hips. He slowly walked backwards with your hand in his until he reached the wall of the pool where there was a ridge to be used as a seat, he sat down and stood you between his legs facing him. You looked at him curiously tilting your head slightly, “We can get to know each others bodies without going all the way, how about we simply get comfortable with each others touch” he explained without you even having to explicitly ask. “Okay” you practically whispered, you stood and watched as his hand found your cheek once again caressing it gently, before it slowly ran down to your jaw and then your neck. You focused on steadying your breathing, enjoying the feeling of his skin. It was so different to your own, but the contrast was absolutely divine. His hands continued, running down your collarbones to your chest, he looked up at you for a moment before touching you there. He was asking for permission, you nodded and he didn’t wait another second before his hands found your breasts, circling your nippled with his thumbs and letting out a deeper purr than you had heard previously. You let out a small gasp, his rough fingers adding just the right amount of friction as he circled, you found your mind wandering, fantasising about how that gentle pressure would feel elsewhere.

Although his intentions were genuinely not to coax you into sex, you found yourself pressing your thighs together to ease the heat building there. His hands moved from your chest, gliding down your waist almost engulfing you with the size difference, those mischievous thumbs once again running down your stomach tracing light patterns. His eyes were focused on your body, memorising every curve, indulging in the softness of your skin. Soon his hands moved down to your hips, running over your outer thighs, you could hear him muttering in his language, you didn’t know what he was saying but from his tone, you could tell they were compliments. No limits to his curiosity he used his hand to gently part your legs, wanting to feel the soft skin of your inner thighs. First he dragged his fingers along the outsides once again with your heart already pounding, before finally they trailed to the insides once again trailing up and down. You figured he mustn’t have known that the inside of the thigh was an extremely sensitive part of a human woman, because his fingers took one particular high drag. And you couldn’t hold it in anymore, your body trembled and you let out a loud gasp, stumbling forward slightly having to steady yourself with firm hands on his shoulders. His hands had gripped you to steady you, and for the first time in a while his eyes met your own, looking slightly alarmed. It didn’t take long apparently though before he recognised the look in your own, finally less distracted by the feel of your body he took a moment to analyse your body, and he realised. Your heart was beating faster, but not like before, not from nerves. Your cheeks slightly flushed, breathing shaky, he could tell without a doubt. You were on fire from his touch, the look in his eyes shifted slightly to one a mix of curiosity and desire. Bringing his hands around the backs of your thighs he gave you a gentle tug closer to him, so close that your front was almost pressed against his own, after all with the height difference he was practically eye level with you despite sitting down. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t need words, neither did you. He moved his hands back to the insides of your thighs, trailing up and down once again, but each time he would go higher, and higher. Your breathing became heavy, your hands still gripping his shoulders as you looked down at him. He was teasing you. Just as it almost became unbearable, his hand trailed up and instead of dipping back down, he went higher. Finally pressing his fingers against you, you whimpered slightly eyes still locked in his. He waiting for a moment, as if trying to give you time to back down if you wanted to. But instead your body spoke on your behalf, as completely on their own accord, your hips rocked forward slightly. That was enough for him, his other hand came to wrap around your waist steadying you, and then he began moving his hand. His middle finger began to circle your clit, your body trembled again, the feeling was overwhelming in the best way. One of your hands left his shoulders to cover your own mouth, stifling yourself, but before you could get comfortable his hand at your waist flew up to grab your wrist. Pulling it away he shook his head, tutting at you leaning forward to put his face beside your ear “Now how will I know how good you feel if I can’t hear you?” He cood softly, he let go of your wrist and you wrapped both of your arms around his neck holding him close, keeping his head next to your own discovering you enjoyed his lustful words against your ear. His hand traveled back down, this time resting on your hip.

He continued circling his fingers a little faster now, your hips continued rocking and you didn’t hide your moans this time, he continued to growl and mumble in your ear. Various words of praise guided you through your pleasure, sometimes a little teasing, but you liked it “right there hmm?” “Does that feel good?” “You like that princess?” All of his words bringing you closer and closer, you grabbed at his arm between your legs, panting and gasping. He knew you were close, and he didn’t stop, his fingers worked tirelessly and finally without warning, the band snapped and you let out a strangled moan as you came, his fingers worked you through your orgasm as your moans turned to whimpers, and finally whines of overstimulation. You pulled back looking at him trying to catch your breath. But before you could even wrap your head around what happened, once again he scooped you up causing you to yelp slightly, climbing out of your pool with you in his arms, apparently not caring about the fact the two of you were soaked as he lay made his way to your bed, laying you on your back. He hovered above you slightly as you gazed up at him through your now slightly hooded eyes, he used his hand to brush some of your hair out of your face staring into your eyes. “Beautiful…” he whispered softly to you “We don’t have to do anything else, your pleasure is more than enough-“ he began, but before he could even finish you wrapped your legs around his hips, the fear of pain seemingly long gone from your mind.

He looked at you for a moment his hand gripping one of your thighs at his waist, he needed verbal confirmation from you. “Please” you breathed, your voice slightly weak from your high, and that was all he needed. He began slowly pushing in, you winced from the stretch, your eyes squeezing shut as you subconsciously held your breath. The arm he was supporting himself with next to your head moved to stroke a finger along your cheek, as his the thumb from his other hand make delicate circles on your thigh. “Breathe for me”. You let out a shaky exhale as he pushed in further and further until you were full, and then he stopped waiting for you to adjust to his size. Your hands wandered, gripping his shoulders, biceps, neck, chest-whatever you could find. He lowered himself so that he was almost flush against you, still running his hands along your cheek, your hair, your lips trying to soothe you. If he was honest, he was almost debating pulling out and scooping you up to cuddle you instead, he hated seeing your face scrunch up with pain, your slight whines of discomfort. But then just as he almost did, your face and body relaxed, your breathing steadied and your hands came to rest on his back. Testing the waters slightly, he rolled his hips, not too much but just enough to gauge your comfort. And he found much more, you let out a soft moan as he did so, your legs tightening and your nails digging into his back. And so he did it again, and again, each time pulling slightly further back, rocking his hips just a little harder. And soon, you were a moaning writhing mess beneath him. Your hips moved with him, desperate to feel him, and suddenly the talk of the “roughness” didn’t seem to scare you. “More, please” you managed between your moans, and finally he felt that you were truly comfortable enough for him to let himself go. Two of you losing yourselves in the pleasure together, you didn’t try to be quiet and neither did he. Just as you thought it couldn’t feel any better, he angled his hips differently, so that he went deeper and his pelvis rubbed against your clit. Your moans grew louder as you practically clawed at his back as you felt that familiar build low in your stomach, the new angle along with your nails also edged him towards his own orgasm. Lifting himself slightly he rested his forehead against your own, once again muttering sweet nothings as he felt you tighten around you. “There you go princess, that’s it, right there” and the sweetness of his intimacy collided with the rocking of his hips, and you came undone again. Harder this time, your back arched as your legs shook around him, moaning, panting and gasping. The sight and sound of you pushed him over the edge, as his hand reached under your back, pressing you into him. He let out a deep primal growl, not pulling out as he filled you. You weren’t sure if he could get you pregnant, and you didn’t care. You needed to feel him. Finally the two of you slowed your hips, you stayed there a moment before he finally pulled out. And quickly he sat up against your pillows, pulling you into his lap and against his chest, rubbing your back and running his fingers through your hair. He must have asked you a million times if you were okay, and each time you reassured him. You were more than okay, in fact as you relaxed into him coming down from your second high of the night you only had one thing on your mind. One more couldn’t hurt, right?

(OKAY so I am so sorry that this is so long, but I really hope it was worth it! Once again this is my first time with fanfic so I hope the smut was okay. Let me know if you enjoyed it, and if you want a part three or have any one shot requests!)