#car ac repair book

[youcancallmeelle]

Are we on the same side?

Rating: 18+ (Minors DNI!!!)

Word count: 8K

Pairing: Separated husband!Joel Miller x wife!reader

Summary: Joel and you are trialling temporary separation due to repeated arguments with one another after nearly twenty years of marriage.

He returns to the marital home to do you a favour, flirting ensues and the sexual tension gets out of hand because of course it does.

You may need some clarification on what you are…

AO3

You put up the hearts, and I'll put up both my aces Not very far apart Still on different pages

Before having kids, you used to take every moment of your life for granted. 

You were just a kid yourself back then, when you had two babies with a boy who shared your class and you were so in love you couldn’t fathom a life without him. For years you were Mama, the person who fed them and changed them, bathed them and rocked them to sleep. You worked night shifts while the love of your life worked in the day, all so food could be put on the table and an apartment could be kept to keep you all warm and safe. It wasn’t until a few years ago when your kids gained their own independence that you slowly started to regain your own life back, now you were nearly forty and working a job that gave you more freedom even if the stress levels have gotten to you more than once and your marriage… well that’s a separate issue on its own. 

You’d spent the morning doing things you wanted to, thanking whoever that your kids were teenagers who could do their own breakfast and helped with chores without coaxing. You’ve been to pilates and the salon and had your infills done, your nails a glossy shade of pillar box red in an almond shape and your toes the same colour. You’d even managed to grab a Starbucks and sipped it languidly as you people watched from the safety of your car, enjoying your chosen playlist on Spotify without the bluetooth getting hijacked. The icing on the cake though? The fact you got to shower at home without someone barging in to ask for foundation or to borrow your strapless bra or your new Adidas Superstars. 

It’s mid way through Saturday afternoon that your relaxation comes skidding to a halt in the form of your jaded lover knocking heavily against the pane of glass on your front door, the irritating noise makes you scowl and you drag your feet to answer it. 

You crack it open, familiar brown eyes stare at you and yours narrow back. 

“What are you doing here?” You ask flatly, the male on the other side picks up on your terse mood and his shoulders rise defensively. If it wasn’t for the little disagreement you’d had a few days prior on the phone over something as mundane as renewing car insurance, you’d have probably been more excited to see him but the way he can sometimes undermine you really grates on your nerves, you hate that he gets so swept up in work that he comes home and talks to you like he’s your foreman. 

The minute he’d started questioning your choice like a fucking know it all, you’d merely hung up in irritation, refusing to answer when he’d called you back twice to apparently try and patch it over. You’d read the I’m sorry and I love you more than you’ll ever know text he sent after over and over, trying to figure out how things had come to this. 

Nearly two decades together, married, with children and a house. You and Joel Miller have been torn apart by too many petty arguments that end with you sobbing and him walking away, you’d had to call it and come up with a possible solution with the marriage counsellor before it was too late. 

He huffs and lifts his hand, showing you the toolbox you’ve seen many times with its contents strewn about somewhere in your house. 

“A little birdie told me that you’re in need of a repair.” Joel’s lip twists at the side when your mood seems to perk just a fraction, there’s multiple things that need a little TLC right now but he can certainly worm his way back into your good books with a good old fashioned repair. You can only assume the little birdie was Sarah or Ellie. 

You open the door fully and step backwards so all six foot something of him can meander through your front door, he wipes his feet on the welcome mat and toes his sneakers off, nudging them into the neat space where a tattered pair of Vans have been kicked off hard enough to scuff the wall and a pair of spotless ankle boots have been nicely placed beside your shoes. 

“Where’s the babies?” He frowns, looking around and noticing the lack of noise. 

You smile as you shut the door behind him as he refers to the girls as his babies, despite Sarah being eighteen and Ellie just turned fourteen. 

With them both being girls, he’s soft anyway but Sarah is his first born who made him a father and Ellie’s still his tiny baby who he’s soaked up every second of when she was a newborn because you both knew you weren’t having any more children.

“At the movies together watching Twisters, Garret backed out on Sarah so Ellie went instead.” You inform him, sneaking an appreciative glance from the corner of your eye. 

Joel makes a noise at the mention of Sarah’s boyfriend, never having liked him for whatever reason, you think it’s because they’re eerily alike so therefore clash. 

“Little prick will be back hangin’ around here next week.” He grumbles, placing his toolbox on the bottom step.  

“She’s just going through the universal thing of falling for a country boy.” You tease. 

“Well as long as he don’t get her pregnant before graduation then we won’t have a problem.”

“She’s smarter than us.” You say. 

“I know.” Joel agrees, you sneak one more glance at the country boy who got you pregnant before graduation. 

He’s wearing slim fitting black sweatpants with a worn grey t-shirt with a faded motif on, the chain of his St Christopher barely noticeable beneath it and his thick rimmed glasses are perched on his nose. 

You miss the hungry look he shoots you when you turn away, chestnut coloured eyes drifting low to the denim shorts you wear that he’s sure you’ve had since you were in your twenties. They fit snug and are contoured perfectly to the shape of your ass, your cheeks barely peeking out. What really makes his dick hard is the fact you’re wearing one of his sweatshirts, an old Dallas Cowboys one that you’ve always been particularly fond of. 

“Nice flowers. Who got ya those?” He nods with a smirk towards the vase on the side table that’s filled with blooming peonies and baby’s breath. 

The beautiful arrangement of flowers had arrived the morning after your petty argument with Joel, a gift from the universe if you will when you needed something bright and blooming to drag you out of the despair you were frantically becoming encased in. 

“Oh.” You hum and feign ignorance, reaching out to gently touch the edge of a baby pink peony. “Just a friend.” You smile vaguely, Joel rolls his eyes. “Beautiful, aren’t they?”

“A guy sent them?” He presses, shifting his weight, your grin turns devious. 

“Mmm.” You coo, feeling thrilled when that lick of annoyance flickers across your husband’s face at your flippant tone. 

“Who?” He grins back.

“I’m not telling you.” 

“Come on, I just wanna talk to him, I wanna know why he thinks it’s okay to send my wife flowers.” 

“Ex wife.” You snort, Joel glares at you. 

“We’re separated, not divorced. Y’know what, we’re barely even separated.” He disagrees, you bite the inside of your cheek in amusement. 

“Apparently you’re here to fix my shelves and you’re doing a whole lot of yapping, very unprofessional of you.” You goad, stepping backwards when he begins to saunter towards you with a certain look in his eyes. 

“I’ll fix your shelves, I’ll fix anythin’ you want.” Joel mumbles, stalking you. 

“Big promises.” You taunt, lifting your chin defiantly. His hands grasp your waist, pulling you to him and you let him, leaning up to wrap your arms around his neck. 

You love this, the playful behaviour and flirting since you decided to live apart for a while. It feels new and exciting, a rush that you felt when you first got together as youngsters just before your world flipped and you were pregnant before your frontal lobe had developed. 

He smells delectable, you can’t stop yourself from nosing at his bearded jaw where his cologne is the strongest. Joel’s throat bobs, his fingers drift upwards under your borrowed sweatshirt to feel the bare skin between your shorts and bra. 

As his structured jaw slides across yours and his nose just barely brushes your own, you feel his breath hit your lips and you know he really wants to kiss you but is waiting for you to make the first move. 

You want to, you really do but you’re scared of falling into a false sense of security when you haven’t even scratched the surface of your underlying problems that the marriage counsellor suggested needed to be covered before you could get back on track. 

Joel enjoys the way your head fits against his collarbone, loves the sweet smell of your hair and skin. 

“Fix my shelf.” You huff into his skin as you retreat, he sighs deeply but picks up his toolbox and begins to follow you up the stairs with his eyes glued to your backside. 

It almost feels strange for Joel to be back in your shared bedroom after three weeks away, he hasn’t been back for any extra clothes or personal items. If he’s come over to see the kids, then he’s stayed downstairs or in the garden with them. 

Everything looks the same which is a strange observation given that really you’ve barely been apart for any time at all but it’s comforting to be back. 

The bed is made in its usual dress up of plain white sheets with useless throw pillows stacked neatly, there’s a pile of clean laundry resting on your vanity chair but also clothes tossed on the floor where you’ve been indecisive. 

Joel whistles when he sees the closet door open and the fallen shelf leaning against the door, there’s a scrape on the inside wall where it’s collided and taken the paint off. It looks like a fairly simple job, the wall plugs have probably come loose over time and needed replacing, it’s not as if IKEA is known for making indestructible furniture. 

“You want the step ladder?” You question as he surveys the situation, rubbing the wall with his fingertips to see if the scrape will alleviate some. 

“I think so.” He replies. “They in the garage?” 

“No, Ellie’s room, she was trying to hang some fairy lights earlier but only got halfway before she threw a fit about the command hooks.” You chuckle, wandering off to go retrieve them for him, already certain he’s made a note to finish the job for her before he leaves. 

When you get back, he’s got some tools ready, his drill in hand already. He steps onto the bottom rung of the step ladder, groaning as he stretches. 

You observe for a moment, knowing it irks him, he hates being watched on a job.

“Jesus, it’s fuckin’ dusty up here. You’re a terrible housewife, neglectin’ your duties.” Joel pokes, knowing you won’t take a blind bit of notice. 

“You wanna know why we really separated? Because you neglected your duties as a husband to satisfy your wife.” You reply easily, Joel chuckles and looks down at you. 

“Oh spare me the dramatics, you’ve never been unsatisfied by me in your whole entire life.” He sings, infuriatingly he isn’t wrong. 

“I’m telling the kids you were being sexist to me.” You threaten, chewing on a sinister smile. “Ellie will beat you up.” 

“She won’t.” Joel grins, you mumble out a complaint. “She’s a daddy’s girl, maybe try your luck with Sarah, I’m sure she’d give me a lecture.” Not that you think he needs one, he’s the biggest supporter of you and his girls. 

“They’re both Daddy’s girls, the little traitors. Nine whole months carrying them and giving birth after what felt like days and days with no fucking pain relief and this is the thanks I get? Not to mention my nipples being sucked raw.” You grumble to yourself, kicking some laundry into a pile at the side of the wall, Joel makes you jump when he groans suddenly.

“Just sayin’ but your tits were amazin’ when you were breastfeedin’ - shit, they’re still fucking phenomenal.” He sighs dreamily, closing his eyes. “Fuck, you were so hot carryin’ my babies, I’d have kept you pregnant if I had my way.” 

You bite your cheeks to hide the satisfaction that your husband still wants you. 

“You can’t say stuff like that to me anymore.” 

“Why? We separated or somethin’?” Your husband frowns comically. “Show me your tits.” 

“No.” 

“Come on, just one.” He grins boyishly. “The right one is my favourite.” You stick your middle finger up at him.

“Asshole.” You sniff, walking back to lay on the end of your bed. 

You pick up your phone, mindlessly scrolling through Facebook posts made by the PTA at the girls school while Joel complains about wall fixings or something equally as dull. 

In the end, you get bored and toss it away, instead opting to enjoy the eye candy in the form of a senior (essentially) gentleman on a stepladder cussing about how IKEA can suck his balls. 

“Piece of fuckin’ shit!” He complains when the shelf slips again in your closet, he takes a calming breath and contains his frustration, you snicker at him. “How did this even break, sweetheart?” Joel huffs, changing out for a larger wall plug. 

“Dunno, it just did.” You answer vaguely, looking at your ceiling.

“Bullshit.” He quips. “Did you put too much shit on it?” 

“No.” You hum, shaking your head. 

“You’re a liar.” He states plainly, equally unamused. “What did you put on here that was so heavy it collapsed?” 

“Nothing, maybe it was just your shoddy workmanship to begin with.” You quip, not looking at him though you desperately want to because you can imagine the outrage on his face but you won’t be able to not laugh. 

“It wasn’t me that put it up.” He glares. 

“Sure, whatever you say.” You smile sweetly at him. It’s quiet for a minute, then Joel speaks again. 

“You put filled shoeboxes up here, didn’t you? After I told you nothin’ heavier than a few sweaters? ” He asks knowingly. 

Silence and then… 

“Yeah.” You nod, he sighs loudly and turns back to drill in a screw now that he seems happy with the stability. 

You watch him as he works, angling himself to see better and be able to use his drill at the correct angle. 

The muscles in his back move and his shoulders look unbelievably broad beneath his t-shirt, it hugs his biceps and rides up when he shifts to show a slither of his boxers and bare back. 

Your mouth almost waters and you press your thighs together but it obscures your view so you part them again to peek at him through the gap in your knees. 

It’s well known that your husband is an attractive man, he always has been. You’ve watched him grow from the gangly teenager with a backwards baseball cap practically glued to his head you were first besotted with to the almost middle aged and greying man that now works before you. 

Most nights when it’s dark, quiet and the house is still, you pleasure yourself beneath the duvet thinking of him, hips moving frantically against the whir of your vibrator. It can be any scenario of the long time you’ve been together, two decades holds enough memories to fill books upon books with pictures and anecdotes, some that you keep stored away just for you. 

Sometimes you dream about the three day honeymoon in Nashville you had when your parents forced you to get married before Sarah was born, back when you first lived in Arlington in a shitty apartment you could barely afford with you both working instead of attending college. Then there was that night just under four years later with sex so explosive that you’d had the fleeting thought you’d immediately gotten pregnant again, only to actually find out you’d been right two weeks later when you’d presented Joel with yet another positive pregnancy test before twenty five. 

You chew your lip, lashes fluttering and you’re sure he notices you ogling him in the mirror that puts your reflection in his eye line by the smirk you see. 

God, he pisses you off so much sometimes. He makes your cunt wet and your teeth grind all at once, you never knew that was possible. 

Rolling off the bed and onto your feet, you casually turn so that your back is to him on the ladder but you’re in the perfect position in the reflection of the mirror in front of him. He doesn’t notice at first over the sound of the drilling but when it stops and he goes to test the stability of the shelf, he freezes and the arm holding his drill drops limply to his side. 

He sees you begin to strip down in the mirror, shimmying your shorts down and then yanking off your oversized sweater. Joel freezes, gulping when you turn away to unclip your bra, the expanse of your back is smooth and if he thought your backside looked good in those shorts, the high cut panties you’re wearing hit on a whole other level. 

“What are you doin’?” He asks when your fingers hook into the sides of your panties, they flex within the material and you peer over your shoulder at him, big doe eyes the opposite of fucking innocence. 

“Just taking a shower, I’m filthy.” You titter, holding his piercing gaze through the mirror. 

“Funny, you’ve done nothin’ but sit on your pretty little ass and watch me inhale dust that’s been here for the last fifteen years.” 

“Well, you could always join me.” You shrug, finally slipping your underwear down your thighs, Joel’s mouth goes dry. “Only if you want to, of course.” You beam at him and then sashay away into the en suite, Joel’s resolve breaks very quickly (immediately actually) and he’s yanking off his glasses and tossing them onto the dresser and plucking his t-shirt over his head in an instant. 

Maybe the solution is to fuck it out and he’ll gladly go as many times as needed, you always did need to be fucked hard when your attitude started to test him. 

The shower has been switched on and you’re naked under the stream as he finishes yanking both his socks, sweatpants and boxers off. He admires you through the glass, kicking his clothes into a messy pile before climbing in there with you, the air tight and hot. 

His big hands enrobe you from behind, long dexterous fingers gripping at your waist and pawing at all the exposed skin it’s been weeks since he’s seen. 

You tilt your head back from the water, resting it against his shoulder and pushing back into him, holding onto his forearms and digging your nails into his flesh. 

“Look who couldn’t resist, you bad boy. Whatever will the therapist say?” You mock, pouting those pretty lips. 

“You’re a goddamn tease, you know that?” He growls, nipping at your jaw and earlobe, holding the weight of your breasts in his hands. 

“If you say so.” You breathe sexily, dragging him by the back of his neck to meet your lips in a hungry kiss. 

His cock is trapped between his soft stomach and your lower back, smearing a pearlescent gleam as he anchors himself to you.

You moan into his mouth when he teases your nipples into tight peaks, plucking them and roughly cupping your tits. 

“I want to lick your pretty little pussy until you cum on my face.” He admits into your mouth, barely letting you breathe past the fierce kisses. Your clit throbs at his confession and you grab hold of his hand, guiding it down your body to between your legs where he teases your lips.

Your back arches prettily into him, the free hand holding your breast now grips your throat, forcing you to tilt your head back. 

“Ah.” You whine when the roughened pads of his fingers stroke your clit. “Mmm, there.” You hum, pushing into his fingers. He entertains you, dipping his fingertips to your honey slick hole and back up again, dragging the gooey wetness to smother on your clit until it’s hardened and desperate to be sucked on like candy. 

“Bet you could cum like this.” He says gruffly, beard scratching at your shoulders and neck, wherever he greedily kisses your dewy wet skin. 

“Wanna cum on you, Joel.” You whine, reaching behind you to grasp his thickness. He ruts into your hand, smearing more stickiness that you want to lick away from his tip. 

You absorb him similarly to a plant and the sun, the bulk of his form plastered against your back so big and strong, skin sun kissed and warm. He’s safety to you, every single thing about him, everything familiar that you know. 

“Needy little slut.” He whispers, your core becomes aflame at the debauchery, you nod in confirmation. “Oh, you agree? You just need a cock to sit on and your shitty attitude will be right as rain?” 

“Only your cock.” You whine, flicking your thumb against the underside of him, tracing out a vein you’re very familiar with. 

“Yeah, baby. Only mine, I know, I know.” His sweet breath is hot against your cheek as he pants, fingers strumming your clit faster. “You wanna cum for me, baby? Show me how good you can be?” You hum and nod, knees almost buckling, this is the fastest you’ve approached orgasm since being separated. 

“Gonna cum, Joel.” You say huskily, hips bucking into his hand until it’s only been two seconds since your revelation and you’re cumming - wet and sticky - into the palm of his hand. His mouth is on yours, you’re moaning and moving erratically, Joel’s cock is dribbling a steady stream of pre cum into your hand where you’re gripping his shaft. 

“Sexy little thing.” Joel husks into your ear, biting the lob as you heave for air, slowly undulating your hips as you ride the last wave of your peak against his hand. “Good girl.” He praises, taking his hand away when you weakly push at his wrist. He lifts it in front of you, fingers webbed with your cum, runny and clear. You catch his hand, slipping his index and middle finger into your mouth, sucking them clean as he groans and ruts into the hand still around him, the cool palladium of his wedding ring bumps against your cupids bow as you suckle. 

You slip his fingers out of your mouth, letting them drag down your chin and back to your tits. “Fuck me.” You demand haughtily, eyeing him. 

“I’ll fuck you, baby.” He confirms, softer than you were expecting, he meets you for a kiss and you suck on the plumpness of his bottom lip before turning away. Joel slicks his hair back under the spray and then begins to trace out the curve of your waist and the fullness of your ass, you feel his hand bump you knuckle first where he fists himself to complete mast and then he runs the length of himself through your pussy, hissing at the wet heat that awaits him but he pauses, retracting back unsure. 

“You want me to wear a condom?” And you freeze, looking over your shoulder in distress. 

“Have you been with other people?” You frown, your heart suddenly sinking into your stomach, making your guts twist with nausea. Joel frowns down at you, blinking away the water clinging to his lashes. 

“Course not.” He answers, you relax. “…Have you?” Joel presses.

“Absolutely not.” You state firmly. “So get inside me.” You demand, turning away to place your hands on the tiles. You feel him press kisses to your shoulders as the tip of his cock brushes your ass again, you sigh and push back into him. “Please, baby.” You beg, feeling him smile into your skin. 

“I think you’re tryin’ to baby trap me.” Joel says playfully, pulling your hips against him so that your back arches just so. 

“You had a vasectomy after Ellie, idiot.” Your hips press insistently against him and you reach back to tug at his length, your fingers barely wrapping around the girth. “Now get your dick inside me, Joel.” You demand. 

“Yes, ma’am.” He leans down a fraction and slicks himself up, the entire length of him slipping against your pussy lips once more and nudging your clit. “Fuuuuck.” Joel groans when he does it again and the head of him catches on your hole, slipping inside just a fraction. 

“Oh my god.” You pant, your forehead dropping to rest against the cool tiled as he fills you completely. It’s a tight fit, after over three weeks of no sex with him your body is near to combustion.

You wonder if the lack of sex has attributed to the arguments, both working long hours at your respective jobs and not having the time for the normal intimacy you usually share. 

This is exactly what you’ve been wanting in the weeks you’ve been apart; a carnal desire to have your husband close. 

His grunt in your ear sets something off in you, the relief he feels directly felt by you. 

You whimper at the first thrust after he’s settled within your velvet lined canal, body pressed between him and the wall. 

It won’t ever be like this with anyone else, you think to yourself - the way Joel fits within you, around you and alongside you. 

“Like that.” You pant, pressing back. He grunts into your ear in such a manly way that you reach back to yank on his hair, he growls into your neck and fucks into you harder. 

He’s so strong it makes your head spin, this gorgeous man with a heart of gold that loved you when you were young, married you and gave you two babies, helped you create a comfortable life for your family. 

It’s overwhelming; that sensation of being full and enveloped within the heat of his radius. 

You’ve missed everything about him; his smell, his voice, the way he tastes. You’ve ached for the things you’ve harmlessly bickered about before, such as underwear outside of the hamper, smudges of toothpaste on the bathroom mirror after a deep clean, crumbs on the island. 

You don’t mean to let your emotions get the best of you but your eyes well and your throat tightens, your chest constricts something fierce. 

The sob that erupts out of your chest can’t be disguised by the noise of the water hitting the floor at your feet or the soft groans of Joel, not the breathless whines from yourself either. 

It’s a raw noise, jagged at the edges so much that it hurts leaving your throat. 

“Honey?” Immediately Joel has stopped moving and withdrawn, spinning you around to cup your cheeks. “Why are you cryin’?” He presses insistently, thumbs trying to swipe away your tears. Your cheeks are aflame, embarrassed to have spoilt such an intimate moment after so long. 

“I just - I just missed you.” You whimper, tucking your nose into his bicep. He cradles you to him softly beneath the spray, hushing you gently. This makes you cry more, thinking about how he’s held your babies like this; tenderly like they’re the most fragile  beings made entirely of glass. “Everything feels wrong! And… and…” You sniffle wetly. “And I can’t sleep properly without you and your dumb old man snoring!” 

“Oh, baby.” He chuckles into your hair. 

“I don’t like the whole limited contact stuff either.” You mumble. 

“Neither do I but it’s what was suggested and I think we need to try it, if we don’t like it then that’s a good sign.” He tries to pick your mood up, you pout and nod, leaning into his touch. 

“I’m scared we won’t fix this and I’ll have to watch you start dating someone else.” 

“I’m not gonna date anyone else, lady. I only want you, I’ve only ever wanted you.” He tells you. 

“That’s not true.” You hiccup. “Brandi Neil wanted you and you were going to go to Homecoming with her.” 

“Fuckin’ - that was literally over twenty somethin’ years ago and I went with you in the end!” He huffs indignantly. “Come on, let’s get dry and we can talk some more.” Joel guides you out of the shower with a gentle hand, turning off the water and handing you a towel. He leans over on more than one occasion to peck your lips, he smooths his thumbs beneath your eyes to wipe away the mascara that’s ran in the shower from the steam. 

Once you’re both relatively dry, there’s an awkward shift in the air as you’re both naked still and Joel looks very much aroused, half hard cock swaying as he moves. 

You saunter back to the bed, peering over your shoulder to see that you’ve captured his attention intently and he gulps as you climb onto the mattress, briefly resting on all fours for a split second, wet pussy drooling and exposed before turning onto your back. 

You stretch out against the sheets not dissimilar to a renaissance painting, skin dewy with a look on your face that Joel wants to savour. 

He climbs atop the mattress with you, pushing your thighs apart to settle between them. His warm mouth finds your nipples, sucking them and biting gently, you stretch and arch into him like a puppet on strings, the weight of your breasts fitting in each of his roughened palms. You feel the brush of his cock sway against your inner thigh and you buck against it, trying to encourage him closer, you huff when he ignores you in favour of worshiping your breasts. 

“Calm down.” He murmurs. “We’ll get there.” He promises in that deep baritone which makes your purr. Joel shimmies down your body, palm dragging along your sternum and settling on your stomach where your fingers find his in a desperate squeeze. 

The broadness of him fits between your thighs, one tossed over his shoulder to open you up. It’s erotic how he looks with his mouth on you, silver streaked hair visible and it’s not long before you’re clutching at it, writhing and moaning something pretty. 

He parts your labia and licks slowly, using only the tip of his tongue, flicking over your clit and coaxing it from beneath the hood, sucking it between his lips and running his tongue repeatedly over it as you gasp and pull his hair, he suckles and there’s a lewd slurp thrown in there. 

You purr like a kitten when his fingers enter you, moving steadily and brushing your G spot with such expertise that your eyes water. He knows what you like, having learnt your body and its responses for the better part of twenty years. A gush of slick aids the smooth movement of his ring and middle finger, stroking you from the inside until it proves too much to feel so far from him. 

“Up, Joel.” You whine, tugging his tresses with more force than necessary which causes him to bite your inner thigh in retaliation but he allows himself to be malleable at the hands of you, kneeling between your legs and wiping the slick of you from his moustache and beard. 

Rocking back onto his haunches, he fists his cock at the sight of you looking wrecked, that deep possessive part of him that’s smug because it’s him that makes you look like that; flushed and desperate. 

“I won’t last long, honey.” He warns as he gets into position, wrapping both legs around his waist. 

“Don’t care.” You state, reaching down to grab hold of him and guiding the blunt head of him through your lips, teasing yourself before you notch him just right. He eases himself in gentler than before in the shower, savouring that slow stretch as he feeds you himself until the wiry coarse hairs at the base are dampened by your wetness. 

He drops onto his forearms beside your head, caging you in as he begins to move, the pendant from his St Christopher bumps your chin. You make pretty noises, clawing at his back in a way that leaves diagonal lines in various shades of pink and red. Chests pressed together, heart to heart, a rhythmic beat perfectly in sync. 

“Tell me you love me.” You gasp.

Sitting up, Joel guides your leg over his shoulder, kissing your ankle bone, toying with the dainty gold anklet there that was an anniversary present some years ago. Your back arches against the sheets and you whimper sweetly at the new sensation of his hips fitting snuggly between your thighs and the weeping head of him nudging against the sponged wall of your cervix. 

“I love you.” He groans, hands grappling your hip bones, forcing you closer like he can’t get enough, he looms over you. “I love you so fuckin’ much.” 

“I love you.” You pant back. “I love you, I love you, I love you.” His nose nudges yours, lips hungrily searching to slot against yours, puffy and wet. “You remember night one of our honeymoon?” You press, exhaling hot and tone wanting. 

“Fuck yeah I do, fuck - “ His hips snap harder and you keen. “Pretty as a fuckin picture, still in your weddin’ dress on the floor.” 

“Fuck.” You sigh, fisting at his biceps with slippery fingers. “Barely made it through the motel door.” 

“You looked so fuckin good, honey. Havin’ my baby and ridin’ me on the floor.” His mouth slackens and his eyes slip closed, clearly deep in thought. 

“I wanna do it again, Joel.” You gasp, fingers shakily circling your clit, hard and slippery. 

“Yeah, baby. We’ll have another honeymoon, renew our vows first and everythin’.” He grunts. 

“Baby.” You whimper in his ear. “I’m cumming, fuck me harder.” You say it breathlessly and all his carnal instincts take over, he fucks you that hard the headboard slams into the wall and takes a layer of sage green paint off. You’re loud through your climax, hips jumping and blood rushing through every vein like accelerant and fire. 

“Jesus, I’m gonna cum. Fuck!” He groans, fingers moulding into the mattress, orgasm hitting so hard it makes the edges of his vision blacken. “Fuckin’ Christ.” You kiss his throat from your place beneath him, licking his jugular like the fucking minx you are, biting a tendon. 

The white of his teeth is blinding as his lip curls into a near snarl, the pulse of warmth as he orgasms spreads within you and you pant, flushed from head to toe. 

You kiss him as he grunts to completion, teeth clashing. 

“You’re so good - so good.” You murmur into his mouth, frantically pushing his hair from his damp forehead. “You’re perfect.” You hum, enraptured. 

“That’s you.” He smiles, lip curving against yours. “My pretty little wife.” 

He strokes your hair and traces your features, eyes searching yours for something; hope maybe and you smile gently at him, pulling him down beside you once he’s withdrawn from the warmth of your body. 

You rest against him, cheek to his chest to listen to the thrum below. You count his freckles and you trace his knuckles, you kiss his exposed skin over and over, you absorb as much of him as you can, feeling fulfilled for the first time in weeks. 

Joel quietly observes you, you lean up on your elbow, dragging your manicured nails down the centre of his chest, he watches you with his arm behind his head. You pause and lean down to rest your chin on his sternum, blinking with those fluttery lashes that cast a shadow high on your cheekbones. 

“Thank you for my flowers.” You say, he smiles softly and reaches down to stroke your cheek with his thumb. 

“You’re welcome.” He whispers. “Wanted to do somethin’ nice for you, Ellie messaged me and said you’d had a tough week at work before that dumb fucking argument we had.” His long fingers comb through your hair, you rest easily on his stomach now, letting your eyes slip shut. “Wanna talk about it, baby?” 

“Not really.” You huff. “I don’t want to unload my problems on you.” Joel sighs in exasperation at your vague answer. 

“You can tell me anythin’, you know that.” 

“We’re supposed to be taking time apart to stop the fighting, me unloading everything onto you isn’t going to help that.” You tell him. 

“I think communication is exactly what we need.” He disagrees. 

“You’re starting an argument now.” You chuckle with an eye roll, resting your cheek against his warm skin. He rolls his eyes back but doesn’t reply, continuing to stroke your hair, twirling some around his finger. “Joel?” You ask quietly. 

“Hmm?” 

“What if we can’t fix this?” 

“We can.” He replies determinedly. “Nearly twenty years together and two kids later, I’m still so in love with you, whether we’re fighting or not.” 

“I love you.” You murmur. 

“I love you more.” He replies. “And I love our girls.” Joel adds. 

“Me too.” You shift and snuggle into him, resting your head beneath his chin. 

He holds you quietly, his touch a major comfort. You think back over the almost month it’s been since the marriage counsellor had suggested Joel move out of the martial house for awhile and stay with his brother, just so you could see if distance would be beneficial after the amalgamation of late working nights, the stress of parenting two teenage girls and life itself along with naturally getting older, you already dancing that line of perimenopause. 

The space had made you realise you didn’t want to be without him and you’d both seemed to realise that you didn’t want to split up, you just needed to figure out a way to make things work. 

“I think we should trial the time apart for another week and keep seeing the counsellor for a few more months.” You begin. “I’m gonna figure something out at work and reduce my hours, no more bringing it home with me.” 

“That sounds good.” Joel murmurs, twisting a piece of your hair. “I’m goin’ to cut my days down to four, I think the finances will be fine and I want to be around here more for you and the girls.” He tells you, you nod slowly and blink away the tears that have suddenly come at the softness of his voice. 

“I don’t care if we have to give up any extra luxuries, I just need you and our kids here happy.” You emphasise. 

“That’s what I want too, baby. No more arguments over stupid shit, I’m sorry for bein’ so fuckin’ horrible lately.” 

“I was horrible too, Joel.” You say. “We just need to keep working on things and if we feel an argument brewing then we should take a step back and reassess what’s caused it and find a solution just like the therapist says.” You advise. “Also we should make time for a date night every week.” 

“Sounds good to me, baby.” Joel agrees, tugging you forward. “Kiss me, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you.” He murmurs sweetly and you go easily, moulding yourself over him to meet him for a deep kiss that speaks a thousand words and apologies. 

“Hey.” You say suddenly, eyes flitting over to the vanity where multiple photo frames sit. “You remember that trip we took to Seattle when the kids were little?” Joel follows your line of sight where they’re focused on one of the smaller frames holding two polaroids, one of Sarah and Ellie when they were eight and four, then another you’d taken of Joel on the pier with the wheel behind him you’d taken. 

“Yeah.” He says fondly. “That was a great trip, the kids loved it.” 

“What was that girl called that Ellie made friends with at the aquarium?” You smile as you think of a rambunctious Ellie, stomping around holding her Daddy’s hand in her tiny overalls, pointing at every fish she saw swimming ahead in the glass tunnels. 

“Oh er… fuck. What was it? Little blonde girl with a braid.” He recites, thinking back almost a decade. “Abby!” He suddenly exclaims and you hum, nodding. 

“That was it, they were so cute together watching the sea lion show, remember how jealous Sarah was that she thought all Ellie’s love was being stolen away.” You giggle, nuzzling his shoulder. “We should go again now they’re grown up.” 

There’s a comfortable silence as you bask in the evening sun coming through the window behind the bed, coating you in warmth while you lazily make out with your husband like you used to as teenagers in his beat up truck. 

You moan into his mouth when a hand sneakily skims your back and moulds to the fleshiest part of your backside. Sitting back to take a breath, you begin to kiss at his stubbled jaw, focusing intently on the grey patches and working yourself down his throat, to his clavicle and down his chest where he has yours, Sarah’s and Ellie’s name tattooed over his heart. 

He props himself up in interest on his elbows when you make it to his sternum, nipping near his navel and dragging your nails through the smattering of hair below it until you reach his groin. 

“You think you can go again?” You smirk at him, nipping his hip, sucking a small bruise into the skin above his pubic area.

“Keep doin’ that and I’ll be rarin’ to go.” He huffs, cradling the back of your head when you lick above his pubic area.

You move lower and his cock begins to swell against his thigh, his thighs tense when your hot breath drifts over his length. 

Just as you’re about to drag your tongue over the flushed head of him, you hear a car skim across the gravel driveway and you both freeze. 

“Shit, that’s the kids.” You panic, sitting up and swinging your legs off the bed to gather up something to wear. “Quick!” You urge Joel who looks equally as panicked as he yanks up his boxers. You find a long floral dress to throw on from the corner and manage to yank up the panties you were wearing earlier, the crotch becomes sodden with the semen but you ignore the uncomfortable wet feeling and try to fan away the flush on your cheeks as you watch your husband get dressed. 

You’re both barrelling down the stairs just as the front door opens and you bump into Joel as you skid on foyer tiles, he steadies you as your kids stare back. 

You and Joel try to act casual despite the feral things you’ve just done.

“You’re back early.” You squeak, very aware of your damp hair and smudged makeup. 

It’s a mere second before your daughter’s come barrelling full force towards the apple of their eyes, pregnancy and labour be damned. 

“Dad!” The girls squeal in unison, rushing to hug him. He wraps an arm around each of them, eyes slipping shut with contentment. 

“Hi, my girls.” He sighs happily, nosing Ellie’s hairline and then Sarah’s. 

“Missed you.” You hear Ellie tell him. 

“Hi, mom.” You mock unseriously, crossing your arms. 

“Hey, mom.” Ellie mocks devilishly, tilting her head back with the same teasing look her father possesses more often than not. She’s her father’s daughter, a carbon copy of him whereas Sarah is more like you. 

“You have a good afternoon?” You ask when Sarah meanders her way into your orbit, wrapping her arms around your waist. She nods against you and you tuck some hair out of her face, she nuzzles into you. 

“The movie was packed so we got frozen yoghurt and walked around Target instead, we got you some candy.” She says sweetly, rubbing her cheek into your collar whilst Ellie is resting her chin against Joel’s chest with her arms wound around his waist, whispering something that makes him chuckle and sway her from side to side tenderly. 

She stares up at him like he’s hung the stars and the moon just for you, you’re certain she’d crawl into his rib cage and stay there if she could and you don’t blame her.

“Thank you, sweet girls.” You beam. “Hey, are you both in for dinner tonight?” You suddenly wonder. 

“Yes, sir.” Ellie replies. 

“I’ve got no plans.” Sarah shrugs. 

“How about we Doordash something? Could eat it on the patio?” You suggest and Ellie cheers, Joel chuckles into her hair. 

“Even Dad?” Sarah hesitates as she asks, looking at you hopefully. Your heart breaks, Joel staying away had some serious effects in the first week even though they knew you weren’t going through a divorce and trying to fix things. Ellie acted out at school and Sarah shut herself away, both missing their father’s presence at home even though they saw him most days after school and on weekends if they weren’t out with friends. 

You’d never stopped them seeing him and wouldn’t dare to even if things were irreparable between you. 

“Of course.” You answer Sarah, Ellie looks between you and Joel curiously, her eyes narrow when she sees him smiling softly at you and clocks you blushing. 

“Whatcha both been doing?” Ellie asks slyly. 

“Hanging out, your Dad fixed the shelf for me.” You tell her nonchalantly over Sarah’s head. “So uh.. which one of you ratted on me for breaking it?” 

“Dunno what you’re talking about, man.” Ellie sniffs, you tug the end of her ponytail.

“Mmm.” You murmur, unconvinced. “Go get changed into something comfy and have a think about what you fancy for dinner.” You order, nodding towards the stairs. 

“Race ya!” Ellie bellows suddenly, pushing Sarah into you to get a head start. 

“Hey!” Her older sister shouts, barrelling after her while you sigh and head towards the kitchen, the peace and quiet officially gone. 

Joel gives you a flirtatious look and your heart jumps, your chest warms as do your cheeks. 

“Stop looking at me like that.” You demand, pushing his face away in the opposite direction. He chuckles and grabs your wrist, using it as leverage to pull you to him.  

“What? Like I want to eat you?” He murmurs lowly, you hum affirmatively. “Maybe I do.” 

“That could be arranged.” You whisper, he takes you back into his arms, walking with you until you hit the edge of the kitchen island. You pull him into a kiss, dragging your fingers through the curls at the nape of his neck. 

He growls lowly and hoists you up onto the surface, stepping between your legs, running his hands up and down your parted thighs. 

“The kids are listenin’ to us.” Joel whispers into your ear when he pulls away, nodding outside of the kitchen entryway where you realise you didn’t hear them run all the way to the top of the stairs. 

“No, we’re not!” Sarah has the audacity to yell with offence, you giggle into Joel’s t-shirt.

“Get changed before I make your Dad cook his famous spaghetti surprise dinner tonight instead of getting take out!” You holler back. 

“That was one time.” Joel complains under his breath. 

“Make us a sister.” Ellie shouts from halfway upstairs. 

“No chance! Dad got snipped after you anyway, he said you were more than enough trouble and you were barely out the womb!” You shout back, cackling when you hear both her and Sarah gag fiercely. 

“It’s true!” Joel adds. “I had frozen peas on my crotch for days!”

“Gross!” They both exclaim. 

That night, you sit on the patio furniture, with your husband and children, your feet cradled in his lap with glasses of wine and takeout with quiet music playing from Alexa, giggling and telling them stories of your teenage years and some of a time they’re too young to remember, planning a trip to Seattle they’re ecstatic over. 

You’re certain that everything will be okay. 

[creativepromptsforwriting]

Hi! Could you give meet uglies and cutes that takes place in public transport?

Hi, sure :)

Meet Cutes/Uglies: Public Transport Edition

the only place for their luggage on the train is the overhead bin and they struggle so much that someone gets up to help them

one of them has a ticket that allows another person to ride with them, so they invite a random stranger to use their ticket, requirement for this is that they have to stay together for the whole ride

an engine failure is the reason why a 100 people get stranded at a little train station in the middle of nowhere, all trying to find their way home

sitting next to each other on a long bus/train ride and starting to talk about anything and everything

the train has a two hour delay and they start to bond over their annoyance

it's rush hour, the bus is completely full and the only way to not fall is to cling to the person closest to them

sharing a taxi, because they need to go to the same place

calling the conductor on the train, because the other one is sitting on the seat they booked and doesn’t want to move

there is nothing worse on a train, then when someone close by starts to make really loud phone calls for hours on end, talking about private issues without shame

it's their first time on a ferry, but it's the only way to get to the other city and sorry to the other passengers, but they get incredibly sea sick

almost as bad is when the person next to them starts unpacking their food and it's probably yummy, but it smells a lot and they will tell them that

the rails are being repaired, so they have to use rail replacement buses to get to the next train station, but they have to work together to find out how to get there because there are no signs and nothing makes any kind of sense

when the bus makes a sharp turn they suddenly find themself on the lap of a stranger

their seat neighbour is watching a Netflix show with subtitles, so they start to watch too and get invested

I'm using public transport daily and I have a love/hate relationship with it. I've just come back from a trip where the train was late for 2 hours and there was no AC at over 30 degrees. Still love to have the option to just go anywhere without having to use cars.

- Jana

PS: Schienenersatzverkehrshaltestellen (rail replacement coach stops) in Germany are notorious for being difficult to find and hard to navigate. I definitely met other frustated and lost people like that before.

[kivaember]

excerpt of the ac6 anniversary oneshot i'm writing... gonna try and get it done this week bc it's already late but, pls enjoy the little excerpt below...

-

It’d become something of an annual tradition, for him and Raven to sneak out on the anniversary of Rubicon’s liberation.

Rusty wasn’t quite sure when it all started. Not the first anniversary, not the second - maybe the third? It’d been so long ago, about thirty years now, that Rusty couldn’t really recall when it had become ironclad tradition for them, but it was a permanently pencilled in part of their calendar now.

It had evolved though, over the decades. In the early days they used to just take their ACs and forge blindly into the wilderness, until they found one of the many pieces of the Xylem that had broken up in the atmosphere and ploughed into the earth. One of them would have brought alcohol, and they’d sit and watch the sunset and the eventual sunrise, with not many words spoken between them.

But a lot had changed since the early days of Rubicon’s liberation. Thirty years was a long time to haul the half-decayed infrastructure back onto its feet, and with the Earth corporations and the PCA being blessedly (yet suspiciously) absent after being chased off, the Rubiconians had managed to reconstruct some semblance of normal life.

Farms, on land now tentatively deemed arable, thanks to the climate warming enough for the ice-melt to come down from the mountains and forge new rivers and lakes. Sustainable mealworm livestock, now that new Coral wells had been dug and secured. An actual, continuously expanding city, forged from the wreckage of one that had escaped the worst of the Fires and the Coral war - Khepri, it’d been named, after some ancient god from the ancient history Earth tried its best to bury in favour of its own narrative.

The city was still in its infant stages. There were still periods of blackouts to conserve electricity, and construction work was forever ongoing to try and address the shortage of housing and amenities, but… things were steadily looking up. They’d achieved a lot these past thirty years, and his and Raven’s own, private way of honouring the day of Rubicon’s liberation reflected that.

“We’re here, buddy. C’mon, up you get.”

Raven stirred sluggishly as Rusty patted his shoulder, lifting his head from where it’d been resting against the passenger seat’s window. He looked adorably disorientated, his reddish-brown eyes squinting at the windscreen, where the pick-up truck’s headlights lit up their surroundings partially.

A small clearing on the edge a lake - the lake hadn’t always been there, had formed over the last ten years or so from new ice-melt and heavy rains, but in the centre of it was a piece of the Xylem, rusted and overgrown with moss and vines, some of which bloomed brilliant crimson flowers this time of year, carrying a scent that was sharp but sweet.

It was like a natural monument, in its own way. Eventually this piece would rust away or sink deeper into the lake until nothing remained, but until then… well, it was the closest Xylem piece they could visit without needing to book a several day trip by car, or hopping into their ACs - which they tried to avoid nowadays, since the fuel and energy was better used towards Rubicon’s reconstruction.

“It should be clear skies tonight,” Rusty said as Raven got his bearings. “Maybe we’ll see some shooting stars, eh?”

Raven hummed softly and unclipped his seat belt. The night was warm, but Raven still grabbed the puffer jacket from where it’d been stuffed in the foot-well, tugging it on and zipping it up. Rusty shook his head with a smile but didn’t comment.

They piled out of the truck - an ancient, battered thing that Ziyi had recently revived from the scrap it had once been. With a lack of need for ‘Coral Warriors’, Ziyi had thrown herself headfirst into salvage and mechanic repairs to better serve Rubicon - made quite a name for herself, too. Rusty was just relieved that she had survived the whole Coral War mess, got to live an actual life that wasn’t just shooting corporate scum from the moment she was old enough to sit in a cockpit and learn how to pull the trigger.

It was quiet as they prepared for their anniversary. Rusty rounded the back of the truck, pulling the tarp off and checking to make sure the mattress and blankets he’d laid down there earlier hadn’t moved too much and that the alcohol had survived the journey, while Raven took out the fold out chairs and table to set them up by the lake. It was only when they were both seated in the chairs, staring out across the lake towards the rusting Xylem monument, that conversation picked up.

“Apparently, this should be better than last year’s,” Rusty said as he cracked open the alcohol bottle. “Ziyi said, and I quote, ‘it’s so disgustingly sweet it’s like licking treacle’, so, right up your alley.” Raven harrumphed softly, but there was a faint, barely there smile on his lips.

Rusty poured their drinks, and as they settled back in their seats, he couldn’t help but admire Raven. He looked completely untouched by the passage of time, almost identical to when Rusty had seen him the first time thirty years ago, without a hint of wrinkles or grey in his hair. There were some changes, though: he didn’t look so underfed or bordering unwell, with more meat on his bones, more muscle tone, and more colour to his cheeks.

He smiled more now too, was more expressive.

Rusty wasn’t much different, though. Aside from finding the occasional grey hair, he looked much the same as he did thirty years ago too - as did Uncle, though his age shone through by the increasingly stiff way he’d walk, or how long it’d take him to sit down and stand back up again. Considering he was almost one hundred years old, Rusty was still impressed at how spry and sharp he was.

These augmentations, huh? If the price for them weren’t so traumatisingly high, Rusty would think the longevity worth it.

[whumpsday]

Kane & Jim #38: Heat Wave Part 1

Masterlist

content: vampire whumpee, whumper turned whumpee, whumpee turned caretaker, heat whump, accidental whump, begging, recovery from past starvation / weight talk

retconned jim’s truck into a car because i realized i needed him to have a trunk for this chapter. edited the 5 mentions of a truck in chapter 1 to reflect this. in return for this sacrifice, i will give liz a truck if it ever comes up.

thank you @lost-in-labradorite-halls for giving me the idea for this chapter!

-

Kane hummed along with the CD player, his new favorite thing. He’d been expecting a record player when he’d asked Jim for a way to play music, but apparently that wasn’t current anymore. He’d not made much of an effort to keep up with new technologies even before his capture, and Jim said that this device had become popular during his time locked away, anyway.

Jim was out of the house, which meant he was locked in the basement. Jim always seemed apologetic about it, but Kane didn’t mind it one bit. The basement was safe. Jim’s whole house was safe, but especially the basement. Free of windows that could let in wretched sunlight, a securely locked door, his nice comfortable bed that he could hide under or wrap himself up in blankets and lie on.

The only problem was that it was starting to get very, very hot.

It was making Kane nervous. It hadn’t been so when Jim left, but now it was so hot that he even took off his jacket, ceasing his peaceful humming. He refused to change out his long sleeves for short, though. Especially when the heat was an ever-present reminder of the sun looming outside.

At first it was just uncomfortable, but as the minutes turned to an hour turned to two, it became unbearable. Sweat drenched him, though he still did not change out his clothing for more revealing options.

A thought occurred to Kane as he cooked: was he being punished?

Maybe he’d done something wrong, displeased his savior somehow. His heart crushed at the thought. He thought he’d been good. He’d been trying so hard to be good, not that Jim made it difficult, here.

Maybe it was a punishment for before. That made more sense. He’d always expected the other shoe to drop eventually, for Jim to finally take his revenge. Maybe Jim just wanted him healthy again before he started. A fresh slate. If so, Jim was true to his merciful nature: being baked in the sweltering heat was better than being burned alive in the sun.

Hot tears welled up in Kane’s eyes despite the lenient nature of his punishment. After three months of peace, of mercy, of finally being able to exist comfortably, he dreaded going back to punishment.

But of course, he’d never deserved Jim’s kindness. He knew that, but it still hurt. Jim was all he had in the world, the only person who he thought might care about him. But this was always how it was supposed to be. He had to pay for what he’d done.

Kane whimpered as he grew hotter still, splayed out on the floor. He felt lethargic, like he’d be unable to remove his clothing even if he tried.

It’s still better than burning. Be grateful.

-

God damn, this heat wave was awful. Jim’s car’s air conditioning struggled against it as he made the drive back out to his secluded home. He'd already booked an appointment with the AC repair guy, but he was backed up with appointments and wouldn’t be able to come for a few days, and that was the soonest he’d been able to find. But even if his AC at home wasn’t as cool as it normally should be, at least it was something.

It was so hot, he’d even gone outside with his neck exposed. He never did that, ever. Hadn’t in years. But, well... he knew Kane wasn’t out here.

But when he parked and entered his house, he found that it was just as hot inside as it was outside.

“Fuck.” Jim checked the thermostat, but it wasn’t functional. He banged on it a few times, turned it off an on again. Nothing.

He’d have to go stay with Liz until it could be fixed, at least while the heat wave was on. It was unbearable. He was already massively uncomfortable, and he’d only been in the house for two seconds.

Oh, shit. Kane.

Jim raced to the basement instantly, unlocking the door to find Kane laid out on the floor, looking miserable. He’d hoped that the basement being underground would at least make it a little cooler than upstairs, but it was just as unbearable down here. Depending on when the AC went out, Kane could’ve been stuck in this for hours.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been trying to be good.” Kane rasped, looking at him with pleading eyes. Jim couldn’t tell whether the wetness on his face was sweat or tears. “Thank you for the lenient punishment. I know I deserve worse. Thank you.”

“Shit, Kane, no.” Jim raced down to Kane’s side. “This was an accident, it’s not a punishment, okay? AC gave up on us. I just got home.”

Kane’s head lolled weakly to the side, facing Jim. “Not, not a punishment?” he questioned.

“No, man. I don’t do that, right? If there’s a problem, we’d talk about it. Here, c’mon, lemme help you up.” Jim helped him to his feet and started him toward the basement’s half-bathroom.

Kane’s eyes sparkled with hope as he leaned into Jim. “Thank you, thank you, I’m sorry.”

“You’re fine. You’re gonna be fine.” Jim leaned him against the sink and turned it on cold. At least that was working. As soon as the water cooled, Jim splashed it lightly onto Kane’s face, watching the vampire’s eyes flutter shut with relief. He splashed his own face too, for good measure. “That better?”

“Yes. Thank you so much.” Kane enthused, already sounding like he had a little more energy in him.

“Alright, good. The AC repair guy’s not coming for a few more days, but we can’t stay here, not in the middle of this heat wave. Shit, that’s just my luck. Can’t exactly take you to a hotel. Liz’ll probably let us stay with her for a few days.” There was a time when he would’ve been nervous about letting Kane near Liz, but it had become apparent that Kane was pretty much harmless. Besides, Liz was a hunter.

Kane apparently reached the same conclusion, his eyes going wide with fear.

-

“What?” he squeaked. He couldn’t have heard Jim right. He couldn’t be saying they were going to stay in a hunter’s home. Leaving his basement, leaving Jim’s house, his only safe haven in years, for who knows what.

“Hey, you’ve met Liz a few times. She’s never hurt you, right? It’ll be fine.” Jim’s voice kept that same gentle, soothing tone, but only confirmed his fears.

Kane shook his head profusely. “I can’t, I can’t, please, Jim, I don’t want to go, please.”

“Hey. It’s okay. I’m gonna be there with you, remember? You’re safe. No one’s gonna hurt you. I know it’s not... the best situation, but it’s kind of our only option right now. I promise, it’s gonna be fine.” Jim took Kane’s hand and guided it to the sink. “Splash some more cool water on yourself and relax. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Kane obediently dipped his hands into the stream and doused himself in more of the nice, cold water. It felt amazing, but did little to quell the anxiety clawing away at him. His hands shook. “You, you won’t leave me there?”

“I won’t. I know it’s scary, I know Liz isn’t exactly the most... approachable person. Listen, the most likely thing that’s gonna happen is you’ll stay in a room the whole time while we wait it out. An air-conditioned room. Liz, uh... probably isn’t gonna give you free roam of the house.” Jim rubbed his back comfortingly. “No one’s gonna hurt’cha.”

He knew he didn’t have a choice. If Jim wanted him to go, he had to go. And staying in a cool room sounded so nice right now. And Jim was being nice. He nodded, a lump in his throat stopping any words from coming out.

“Alright, how about I grab you a bag and you can pack up whatever you wanna take? A few days’ worth of clothes, your CD player, whatever else you want. Sound good?” Jim asked encouragingly.

“Okay...” Kane said, his voice barely above a whisper. He’d get to take his things. That was something. He wouldn’t be left with nothing, like back in the cell.

Jim gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Be right back.”

Kane got to work gathering what he’d like to take. A week’s worth of his favorite clothes, long pants and long sleeves that would shield him from the sun if he was forced into the light, all folded neatly and stacked in a pile. He debated taking the jacket, but decided against it, not wanting something so precious to leave the safety of Jim’s home.

Jim came down with a luggage bag shortly after. “Let me know if you need more space, I’ve got more bags.”

“Thank you.” He took the bag gratefully, and began filling it. It would likely be enough space.

“I called Liz, she's letting us stay. You’re gonna have to be a little more restrained while we’re there, both sets of cuffs on 24/7, since Liz doesn’t have a vampire-proofed room. I know it sucks, but it’s just for a few days, and it’s sure better than staying here in this heat wave.” Jim said apologetically.

“I don’t mind the restraints.” Kane assured him. “The, just the padded ones, right?” he added nervously.

“Of course. Don’t even have ones that aren’t. I wouldn’t burn you. Nothing’s gonna hurt at all.” Jim’s words did help him calm down a little.

He nodded as he finished packing his things, coiling the wire of the CD player and tucking the machine between two stacks of clothing. “All done.”

“Great. I can take that and my bag out to the car, and then we can work on bundling you up for transport.” Jim said.

That stopped Kane in his tracks. His head snapped up to Jim, looking him straight in the eyes with sudden terror. “We’re n-not... waiting for night?”

Jim sighed sadly. “Let’s sit, okay? Try to calm down. I promised you that you wouldn’t get hurt and I meant it.” He sat on Kane’s bed, patting the space next to him as invitation.

Kane shakily made his way to the bed and sat next to him as indicated. Despite the oppressive heat, he felt like ice was flowing through his veins.

“Kane, I’m not gonna let anything bad happen to you. I know how scared you are of the sun, but we can’t just wait around here for the next five hours for it to set. You might not be able to get heat stroke, but I can. We gotta go. We don’t have to rush it, you can take some time to psych yourself up for it, but we can’t wait for sunset.” Jim spoke slowly and carefully, like he’d been practicing what to tell him. “I’ll make double sure that every inch of you’s covered up before we take a single step outside. You’re not gonna get burned, and you’ll feel a lot better once we get there. Okay?”

“M-maybe I could just... stay behind? Please, Jim?” he suggested. “You can just lock the door, and, and I’ll stay here in the basement the whole time. I’ll be good, I promise.” Fresh tears pooled in his eyes. “Please. You said no more sun.”

“I’m not gonna leave you locked up all alone with no food while you bake alive for days.” Jim’s voice was gentle, but Kane hated the words. He would take what Jim was describing over the sun any day. “Listen to me. It’s going to be okay. Let’s... think about it a little. What’s the worst case scenario here?”

“Sun.” Kane said immediately, shuddering at the thought.

“Alright. So let’s say, hypothetically, I bundle you up real thorough with blankets like I’m planning. You give the go-ahead that you’re all covered up. You’re also wearing your regular clothes underneath. Somehow, a bit of sunlight gets through and burns you when we walk outside. I pull you back in right away and we fix it so you’re really all covered. It hurts, but it’s a probably one-inch burn that heals by the next day, ‘cause you’re healthy and fed. That sound about right?” Jim asked.

Kane thought about it, trying to think of any flaws in the scenario Jim laid out. He was right, it was different now. He was fed. Burns wouldn’t take weeks and weeks to heal from anymore.

“Wh-what if it slips off in the middle? While you’re driving?” He could picture it. The blanket slips while Jim’s driving, and he’s too busy with that to fix it, so he burns and burns and burns the whole way to Liz’s house.

“As soon as you let me know, I’d pull over right away and fix it. You won’t be stuck.” Jim assured him. “You’re not in this alone anymore.”

“Could I go in the trunk? If, if that’s okay?” Kane asked tentatively. No windows in the trunk. No risk.

“Totally.” Jim agreed. “If you wanna ride in the trunk, if that would make you feel safer, you absolutely can.”

Kane was still terrified. He was about to go out in the sun.

But Jim would be there, this time.

Jim lightly clapped his hands together. “Sounds like we’ve got a plan in motion. Anything else you wanna add to it?”

“What happens when we get there?” Kane asked.

“I’ll open the trunk, double check to make sure you’re all covered, and take you inside. The blinds’ll be closed. I’ll unwrap you, and then we can both enjoy the wonders of air conditioning again. No burning.” Jim patted him on the shoulder. “You okay?”

Kane nodded. He couldn’t believe he was agreeing to this. But... Jim wanted it. He had to. And he did make it sound a little less terrifying.

“I’m gonna take everything out to the car. I’ll leave it running so the AC gets it cool, but it’s probably still gonna be hot as fuck in the trunk, especially with you all bundled up. It’s about a half-hour ride and then you’re clear.”

“Okay.” Kane agreed.

Jim left with the luggage and returned holding two large, thick quilts, some duct tape, and two sets of cuffs. “I was only gonna use one quilt, especially ‘cause you’re gonna be real toasty with the heat already, but I can put a second one on if you want me to. Up to you.”

“Both, please.” Kane decided. It would be wildly uncomfortable, but it was a million times better than the chance of even a second of being burned by sunlight.

“Okie dokie. Hold out your hands?” Jim locked the restraints into place, first his wrists, than his ankles. They weren’t too tight, resting comfortably against his joints. Jim then laid one of the quilts out on the floor. “Go ahead and lie down in the middle, alright?”

Kane fought the instinctive urge to say Yes, sir as he did as directed.

-

Jim could see the fear written all over Kane’s face. Poor guy. He wished there was a better way to do this.

He would make damn sure to keep the promise of not letting him get hurt.

“I’m gonna cover you with this one first, roll you over, and do a second layer with the second one so it opens on the other side. That way, even if one were to somehow fail, it’d just open to more blanket. I’ll use the tape to keep everything in place.” he explained. “We won’t take a single step outside until you give the go-ahead.”

Kane nodded shakily. “Okay.”

“It’s gonna be a lot better when we get there. Just remember: once we set out, only thirty minutes to air conditioning.” Jim said as he folded the quilt over Kane’s body, making sure to cover every inch of him. “Doing okay so far?”

“Yes.” came a muffled voice from inside the quilt.

“Great, gonna do the first layer of tape.” Jim began winding duct tape around Kane’s bundled form, lifting Kane up with his hands where he needed to. By the time he was done, it was apparent that adding a second quilt would be complete overkill. “Are you sure you want the second quilt? You look pretty protected like this, and it’s gonna be hell sitting in that the whole drive.”

“Yes, please!” Kane’s words were tinged with panic.

“Alright, your call.” Jim agreed with a shrug. He laid out the second quilt, tumbled Kane over to lay on it, and began wrapping him in that, too. Jim did not envy his position: he was already unbearably hot in just a t-shirt and shorts, he couldn’t imagine what Kane felt like under two blankets. But hey, his choice. “Still good?”

“Mm-hm.” Kane’s voice was even more muffled now, barely audible under the thick layers of protection.

“Good. Lemme get that locked in.” He wound tape around and around, making sure it wouldn’t slip in transit. “That feel secure?”

Kane’s bundled-up form nodded with another “Mm-hm.”

“Okay, gonna pick you up now. I’ll let you know when we’re about to get to the door. I won’t take you out until you’re ready, alright?”

Jim scooped Kane up into his arms. He wasn’t very strong, but Kane was light, even with the blankets. He’d only been eating again for two months, and had been slow with gaining his weight back. Every day, he looked a little less skinny, but it was still gonna take a while for him to get himself up to a healthy weight.

He climbed up the stairs, making his way to the front door. He couldn’t wait to get into the coolness of his car.

God, it was gonna be awful for Kane in the trunk.

“You still sure you wanna go in the trunk? There’s not a bit of you showing, and it’ll be a lot cooler up in the front with me.”

Kane nodded frantically. “Mm!”

“Okay. However you wanna do it.” Jim stopped in front of the door. “We’re at the door. You let me know when to step out. If anything hurts, say something and I’ll bring you right back inside.”

Kane was silent in his arms for a long moment. A minute turned to two as Jim stood there, sweating. Even with Kane’s unhealthily light weight, Jim’s arms started to shake as he held the bundle of him in the oppressive heat.

Finally, he heard a soft, scared noise come from beneath the blankets.

“Alright. You’re gonna be fine. Opening the door.” Jim struggled to open his front door while holding a man in his arms, taking a slow, tentative step outside.

The bundle in his arms was rigid. Jim could feel just how tense Kane was as the sunlight shone on his blanket cocoon.

“Anything hurt?” he asked.

Kane shook his head no.

“Great. You’re doing great, Kane. It’s alright, I’ve gotcha. Not gonna let anything bad happen to you.” He carried Kane’s trembling form over to the car, opened the trunk, and gently laid him inside. He curled in on himself instantly, then uncurled. Probably already hot enough as it is.

“You all set for me to get the ball rolling on this?” Jim asked.

Kane made a soft whining sound, nodding.

“Alright. Shout if you need anything, loud, so I can hear you. I’ll get you out of there soon as possible.”

With a last look at the blanket burrito of a vampire, Jim shut the trunk. The car was blissfully cool compared to outside as he got in, guilt panging him that Kane was stuck in the hot trunk.

But, well, he’d offered. Kane wanted to be in there. With a final muttered curse at the AC for breaking at a time like this, he made way to take Kane to the house he grew up in.

-

extra content posted in between #37 and #38!

canon drabbles:

Bites Him

Sunburn (referenced in this chapter!)

au stuff:

Sun-day by @whumpshaped for the SPK crossover

Kane forgets Jim’s name

and have a plug for Magnanimous Moonrise & Savage Sunset, an amazing vampire whump series by @not-a-space-alien that takes place in the (slightly altered lore) same universe as Kane & Jim! it’s been updating with crazy frequency, put out 8 chapters (4 in 2 parts each) in the time between this and my last chapter. highly recommend. heed content warnings.

-

taglist:

@annablogsposts

@badluck990

@ceph-the-writing-spook

@cicatrix-energy

@crying-wings

@crystalquartzwhump

@cupcakes-and-pain

@cyberneticfire

@darlingwhump

@deluxewhump

@down-in-the-whumps

@elrysdoesstuff

@emcscared-whumps

@extemporary-whump

@extrabitterbrain

@harri-00

@iamtheshriekingguineapig

@icyheart-and-friends

@inpainandsuffering

@interdimensional-chaos

@kira-the-whump-enthusiast

@lactose-intolerant-egg

@lilac-and-lemon-whumps

@littlespacecastle

@little-whumpee

@lost-in-labradorite-halls

@melancholy-in-the-morning

@morning-star-whump

@msjessmahler

@myhusbandsasemni

@mylifeisonthebookshelf

@neverthelass

@nicolepascaline

@nine-tailed-whump

@no-terms-and-conditions-apply

@not-a-space-alien

@octopus-reactivated

@oddsconvert

@onlybadendings

@owencarvourenthusiast

@pigeonwhumps

@pumpkin-spice-whump

@quietly-by-myself

@quirkykayleetam

@ramadiiiisme

@redwhump

@scp-1296

@secretwhumplair

@the-whumperfly-effect

@the-whumpers-grimm

@thecyrulik

@thegreatwhodini

@themarlo

@thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight

@t0rture-me

@whump-blog-reblogs

@whump-cravings

@whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump

@whump-me-all-night-long

@whump-my-heart-away

@whump-queen

@whumperfully

@whumpthisway

@whumpilicious

@whumpshaped

@whumpwillow

@whumpworld

@whumpy-writings

@whumpycries

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@wits-and-wrongs

@wolfeyedwitch

[richincolor]

A Summer Setting for a Summer Read

A friend sent me a twitter thread asking about books set in summer and I thought...what a fantastic post that could be. We often talk about "summer reads" but what about books that are set during summer? Books that capture that magical time of "freedom" and beating the heat. A time when anything seems possible.  Take a look at these books that have mysteries to solve, new relationships to explore, and lives forever changed.

Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley

Perry Firekeeper-Birch was ready for her Summer of Slack but instead, after a fender bender that was entirely not her fault, she’s stuck working to pay back her Auntie Daunis for repairs to the Jeep.

Thankfully she has the other outcasts of the summer program, Team Misfit Toys, and even her twin sister Pauline. Together they ace obstacle courses, plan vigils for missing women in the community, and make sure summer doesn’t feel so lost after all.

But when she attends a meeting at a local university, Perry learns about the “Warrior Girl”, an ancestor whose bones and knife are stored in the museum archives, and everything changes. Perry has to return Warrior Girl to her tribe. Determined to help, she learns all she can about NAGPRA, the federal law that allows tribes to request the return of ancestral remains and sacred items. The university has been using legal loopholes to hold onto Warrior Girl and twelve other Anishinaabe ancestors’ remains, and Perry and the Misfits won’t let it go on any longer.

Using all of their skills and resources, the Misfits realize a heist is the only way to bring back the stolen artifacts and remains for good. But there is more to this repatriation than meets the eye as more women disappear and Pauline’s perfectionism takes a turn for the worse. As secrets and mysteries unfurl, Perry and the Misfits must fight to find a way to make things right – for the ancestors and for their community. 

A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo

Aria Tang West was looking forward to a summer on Martha's Vineyard with her best friends--one last round of sand and sun before college. But after a graduation party goes wrong, Aria's parents exile her to California to stay with her grandmother, artist Joan West. Aria expects boredom, but what she finds is Steph Nichols, her grandmother's gardener. Soon, Aria is second-guessing who she is and what she wants to be, and a summer that once seemed lost becomes unforgettable--for Aria, her family, and the working-class queer community Steph introduces her to. It's the kind of summer that changes a life forever. 

The Davenports by Krystal Marquis

 In 1910, the Davenports are one of the few Black families of immense wealth and status in a changing United States, their fortune made through the entrepreneurship of William Davenport, a formerly enslaved man who founded the Davenport Carriage Company years ago. Now the Davenports live surrounded by servants, crystal chandeliers, and endless parties, finding their way and finding love—even where they're not supposed to.

There is Olivia , the beautiful elder Davenport daughter, ready to do her duty by getting married. . . until she meets the charismatic civil rights leader Washington DeWight and sparks fly. The younger daughter, Helen, is more interested in fixing cars than falling in love—unless it's with her sister's suitor. Amy-Rose, the childhood friend turned maid to the Davenport sisters, dreams of opening her own business—and marrying the one man she could never be with, Olivia and Helen's brother, John. But Olivia's best friend, Ruby, also has her sights set on John Davenport, though she can't seem to keep his interest . . . until family pressure has her scheming to win his heart, just as someone else wins hers.

The first book in a breathless new series, The Davenports offers a glimpse into a period of African American history often overlooked, while delivering a totally escapist, swoon-worthy read. Inspired by the real-life story of C.R. Patterson and his family, it's the tale of four determined and passionate young Black women discovering the courage to steer their own path in life—and love. 

Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution by Kacen Callender

Lark Winters wants to be a writer, and for now that means posting on their social media accounts––anything to build their platform. When former best friend Kasim accidentally posts a thread on Lark's Twitter declaring his love for a secret, unrequited crush, Lark's tweets are suddenly the talk of the school—and beyond. To protect Kasim, Lark decides to take the fall, pretending they accidentally posted the thread in reference to another classmate. It seems like a great idea: Lark gets closer to their crush, Kasim keeps his privacy, and Lark's social media stats explode. But living a lie takes a toll—as does the judgment of thousands of Internet strangers. Lark tries their best to be perfect at all costs, but nothing seems good enough for the anonymous hordes––or for Kasim, who is growing closer to Lark, just like it used to be between them . . .

In the end, Lark must embrace their right to their messy emotions and learn how to be in love. 

Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, & Nicola Yoon

 Six critically acclaimed, bestselling, and award-winning authors bring the glowing warmth and electricity of Black teen love to this interlinked novel of charming, hilarious, and heartwarming stories that shine a bright light through the dark.

A summer heatwave blankets New York City in darkness. But as the city is thrown into confusion, a different kind of electricity sparks…

A first meeting.

Long-time friends.

Bitter exes.

And maybe the beginning of something new.

When the lights go out, people reveal hidden truths. Love blossoms, friendship transforms, and new possibilities take flight. 

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen

 When eighteen-year-old Ever Wong’s parents send her from Ohio to Taiwan to study Mandarin for the summer, she finds herself thrust among the very over-achieving kids her parents have always wanted her to be, including Rick Woo, the Yale-bound prodigy profiled in the Chinese newspapers since they were nine—and her parents’ yardstick for her never-measuring-up life.

Unbeknownst to her parents, however, the program is actually an infamous teen meet-market nicknamed Loveboat, where the kids are more into clubbing than calligraphy and drinking snake-blood sake than touring sacred shrines.

Free for the first time, Ever sets out to break all her parents’ uber-strict rules—but how far can she go before she breaks her own heart?   

[nutteu]

tomorrow is the fleeting smile on your bleeding lips [Chapter I]

-

[AO3 Chapter I] [AO3 Chapter II] [AO3 Chapter III] [moonsea series]

Steven’s mechanic was unfairly, unfathomably, absolutely, devastatingly hot. He was going to die from a severe case of embarrassment before the car was even fixed, if the mechanic didn’t stop grinning at him as if he wanted to devour Steven whole. [Jake/Steven; au; published 2022-06-29; total word count: 24,806]

-

Marc was going to chewed his ears off—no, he was going to kill Steven if he found out. His brother might be babying him to a fault, but this was the fourth time this month that Steven barreled into a problem with the car, which Marc owned, and bought after saving up for so long, and which he loved so much, and which he only lent to Steven because he was paranoid as fuck and thought that Steven would fall asleep in the bus, or get mugged, or worse, get harassed.

See, Steven was more than happy to drive the car around. It cut down the time he usually spent waiting for the bus, and he didn’t need to worry about his bus leaving before he could get on it. Also, he could bring a lot of things, and it was faster altogether—a more practical experience. But the catch was, Steven didn’t know shit about cars. Ask him about the complete history of Trojan War and he’d answer in less than a heartbeat. Ask him about how to change a tire, and he’d just stay silent until he inevitably squirmed in discomfort.

He just didn’t know, okay?

Which was probably not the best thing to say to Marc. Especially now that his brother was away in Cairo for a few weeks. Also, not the best thing to inform that the car just suddenly broke down and wouldn’t start, and Steven was slowly panicking. He had taken the car to repair shops, but they evidently didn’t do a good enough job if it was still not working right. He couldn’t tell the difference, honestly. He just knew that there was nothing he could do but to resign another portion of his paycheck to fix the car, more than usual this time because it never broke down like this before.

He sighed, and pulled out his phone. It was brand new, and he didn’t quite understand how to use it yet. Marc insisted that he had it, because he complained that Steven’s voice sounded so shitty when he used his Neanderthal era phone, which was a big insult, because that phone served him for years just fine. But his brother was hardheaded, and Steven was so used to accepting everything Marc had given to him, to follow where his brother went.

It was definitely useful now, even if he fumbled a bit with it. He looked up the nearest auto repair shop, and called the number. A gruff voice answered his call, and he stuttered a bit before he relayed the condition. The person, a man named Khonshu—which was hilarious as fuck because the last Steven checked, it was the Egyptian god of moon—sounded so displeased. He understood; it was night, and the shop must have been closing soon. But he was a bit desperate, and still very much panicking. In the end, Khonshu told him to wait on his location, said someone would pick him up.

He let out a relieved sigh as soon as the call ended. Khonshu was not pleasant to talk to. He bit his lip, and stretched a bit on the driver seat. He supposed he should just go out, since the AC was dead, and he could miss the person picking him up if he spent his time holing up inside. So, he stepped out, and waited on the side of the road; walking around, and swinging on the tip of his toes. He should have brought a book. He usually did, but he forgot this morning because he was in a hurry; he was almost late for a tour from a uni. He could just read on the phone, like Marc had taught him, but it hurt his eyes, and he didn’t understand how to control the functions of the app.

Waiting like an idiot it was.

He watched cars and bike pass by, smiling awkwardly at passersby stealing glances at him. He was a bit wary when people walked closer, or when they stared at him for too long. He was sure he looked neat enough today, he had wanted to impress the entourage after all. But, perhaps, it was his hair? He surreptitiously looked at the tinted window to check if his curls were in place. They were a bit messy, but acceptable nonetheless. Was it his clothes? Nah, no way, this shirt looked cool, for his taste anyway, and he didn’t button it wrong. Was it because he looked painfully, obviously uncomfortable and restless? Yeah, maybe; he felt that way, definitely.

He tried his best to ignore them, thinking back to Marc’s tireless lecture of stranger danger. Honestly, Steven was thirty-six, and though he was a complete garbage at having good sleeping schedule, he thought that he managed his life pretty good. Marc was just overprotective. But the clock was ticking by, and the road was slowly deserted, and Steven couldn’t help but press his back closer to the side of his car. There was a man who had been standing against the wall of a nearby building, and Steven caught him staring several times. He didn’t try to approach, but yeah, Marc was right. Stranger danger.

Just when he was about to call Khonshu again, be damned with him grumbling in his ears, just to make sure that he was indeed getting picked up, a car parked in front of his, and the driver climbed out. Steven paused for a moment. It might be someone who lived here, but then the man walked towards him, and he had to rub at his eyes for a moment.

The man, whom Steven was now sure the person that Khonshu had sent because he was still wearing a mechanic jumpsuit, looked exactly like him and his brother. There were a few key differences, like the deceptively relaxed set of his brows and shoulders, the hooded stare, the perpetual smirk on his lips, the gait in his steps. But aside from that, he could pass as their brother. Steven was pretty sure that he and Marc were born as twins, not triplet. But here the man was, stopping to stand in front of Steven, with his smirk and the stench of tobacco clinging to him. It was like seeing Marc, just more relaxed and devious, and Steven almost thought that, perhaps, for some magical reason, Marc had sensed that his baby brother was in trouble, again, and flew over from Cairo to save his pathetic ass.

“Steven Grant?” he asked, and Steven swallowed. His voice was rough around the edges, husky and low. There was a noticeable accent in his syllables, and it only made him all the more—what was the word? Steven didn’t want to say seductive; he didn’t think he could handle the mortification of his own thought. Yeah, nope, this one was definitely not Marc.

“Y-yeah,” he stuttered out, aware that he was staring like a creep. “You’re from the Iah Auto Repair Shop?”

“Jake Lockley,” the man introduced himself, and nodded. “Khonshu sent me, said something about your car breaking down.”

He smiled in dismay, and gestured to the poor, abused thing. “Yeah,” he said. “Brought it to the repair shops before this, but either they didn’t fix it properly, or I’m just a disaster with a car. I’m leaning more towards the latter.”

The man’s smirk widened a fraction, almost a grin. There was mirth in his eyes as he placed a warm palm on Steven’s shoulders. He didn’t want to admit that he was holding back a gasp. He could feel the warmth of Jake’s hand through the shirt, and he was suddenly torn between feeling grateful that he left the jacket inside the car, or panicking all over again because even a small contact could make him so flustered.

He couldn’t quite hide the flush on his cheeks when Jake leaned forward. He was about to push the man away—Marc’s training was rigorous and it had been ingrained into Steven’s head—but then Jake said, “I’ll handle the towing, and you get inside my car. That gentleman over there hasn’t moved an inch, and you’ve been fidgeting quite a lot. Let’s not find out what he wants to do to you, yeah?”

He found it hard to voice out an answer, so he just nodded his head, cheeks aflame because Jake’s warm breath hit his skin when he spoke, from how close they were. He followed behind the man as they walked to the side of his car. He opened the door for Steven, throwing him a last grin before he closed the door behind. Steven let out the breath he had been holding.

That was the most intense, well-intentioned warning he had gotten in his life. He unconsciously lifted his hand to his shoulders, where Jake had touched him. It was still a little bit warm. He scrunched his nose and quickly put his hand down. What the hell was he doing? It was just a friendly gesture, for fuck’s sake. No need to be so self-conscious about it. Or bothered. Or- or wanting it to happen again.

Jesus fuck he was going insane.

He decided to ignore his embarrassment, and looked up. The man who had been watching him was scowling at something, and Steven turned around slightly to see that Jake was throwing a grin at him. The grin was different than the one he gave to Steven. This one made him shiver and curl a little in his seat. Jake, for all that he looked like a hot, unruly man, now seemed so dangerous.

The man then pushed off of the wall, and started to walk away. Steven stared. It truly was fortunate that Jake arrived just in time. He glanced at Jake again, but the man was already gone, presumably inside Steven’s car to set the gear to neutral. He looked up ahead again, and fiddled with his fingers. He really should have brought a book.

It took Jake some time before he opened the door and slid into the driver’s seat. “All done, Stevie,” he said, the name rolling on his tongue like a tease. “Put on your seatbelt.”

“It’s Steven,” he corrected as he clicked the belt in place. “With a ‘v’.”

“Not so catchy,” Jake replied easily. “Stevie is better, don’t you think?”

“Nope, don’t think so. I like my name as it is,” he said, leaning against the seat as the car was started. It purred instead of rumbling, like Marc’s car. Which was all Steven’s fault in the first place. He promised himself he’d treat Marc once his brother was back. If he didn’t plan on telling what was the reason other than welcoming Marc back, then, well, what was a little white lie, right?

“I can suggest a lot more interesting names,” Jake said without looking away from the road. They turned left on the junction, before he continued. “How does sweetheart sound?”

Steven honest to God choked on his spit. He stuttered out an intelligible reply, but Jake was laughing already. He glanced at Steven, the same smirk on his lips. There was a glint in his eyes that Steven didn’t dare to look at for too long, in fear that he’d do something stupid. Like saying that he didn’t mind Jake calling him sweetheart. My God, it was less then an hour and he was already being so needy.

“You’re so easy,” Jake said, looking at the road again.

“Uh, I’m sorry?” he said, not sure how to respond to that. He should have been annoyed, he supposed. But Jake said it so softly that all Steven’s heart did was beat faster than it should.

Jake’s lips quirked a bit, but he didn’t say anything. Steven wanted to ask what exactly that grin meant, but then again, he was too busy trying to breathe right. Maybe phoning this particular repair shop wasn’t the best decision he’d taken today. Not because he met Jake, but because of how much he was turning into a desperate man in the presence of this cheeky mechanic.

Could this be considered as narcissism? They looked unnervingly similar to each other. And yet, they couldn’t be more different. Sure, Marc had called him a cheeky little shit on at least a thousand different occasions, but it wasn’t the point. They had no similarities between except for their appearance, and even that stopped at several points. Steven didn’t think that he could ever dream of being as suave as Jake.

He tried to surreptitiously glance at Jake, and found that the man was looking straight ahead. He noted that Jake’s nose was taller than his, and with his face set on a neutral expression, he looked like Marc—which, way to go really, bringing his own brother into his. Really killed the mood. Even if Steven didn’t know what mood, exactly, he was talking about.

“If you want to stare at me, all you have to do is ask, little dove,” Jake said suddenly, and let out an amused huff when Steven squeaked.

“Sorry, mate, didn’t mean to be rude,” he said, scratching his neck. “You just look a lot like me and my brother.”

“You have a brother?” Jake asked, an eyebrow raised, eyes still focused on the road.

“Yeah, a twin, older than me, just by twelve minutes, honestly; probably won’t let me go out of the house if he has any say to it,” he said, pursing his lips a little. Sure, Marc was thoroughly traumatized that he let his guard down one second and Steven almost drowned. Or that one time Steven almost got kidnapped. Or that one time he fell off of his friend’s bike. Or that one time Steven sleep-walked to the streets. Or—yeah, he got the idea: Marc was worried because his little brother seemed to be a huge magnet for troubles and disasters. Which, probably, explained why fate decided that he was to meet Jake Lockley. If Steven had to describe that man with a word, trouble was definitely the first thing that came to mind.

But he couldn’t look away, and he was aware that his cheeks was still heated. Oh, God, he was doomed and Marc was going to be so, so disappointed at him.

“Your brother has a complex,” Jake told him bluntly.

Steven laughed a little. “He does, doesn’t he?” he said with a slight shake of his head. “Not without reason, though. I’m a walking disaster.”

“A cute walking disaster, at least,” came the reply, and Steven was speechless for God knew how many times tonight. He was afraid that it wouldn’t stop anytime soon.

He bit his lip and looked down, suddenly hyper aware of how he must have looked like a garbage next to Jake’s confidence. He unconsciously tried to fix the curls falling into his eyes, hoping that Jake wouldn’t notice, would only see it as a nervous gesture.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the car halted in front of the repair shop. Jake unlocked the car, and went ahead to take care of Steven’s car. He went out, too, and saw that some people were still there. They got his car inside the large space of the garage, and started to prepare their tools. Steven watched him, fascinated. They worked so quickly and efficiently, almost without a thought in their practiced movements. He saw that Jake was talking to another mechanic, and an unbelievably tall man dressed in white, face adorned with neatly trimmed mustache and beard. There was a scowl on the man’s face, but he was listening intently nonetheless. This must have been Khonshu.

Steven waited near Jake’s car, unsure what to do. He fiddled with his sleeves, and suddenly longed for his jacket just to have something to touch. He liked the texture of the seams, the feel of worn fabric under his fingertips. There was just something soothing in tracing the neat line of the threads, as if his fingers were running above the cables of the utility pole; long, smooth lines that seemed to follow when he passed them by.

Jake went back to him after some time. He pointed a thumb to the car, and said, “We gotta make sure what’s broken before we can fix it. Upfront payment after the diagnosis. Can you come here tomorrow?”

“I can,” he nodded. “But I’m going to be a bit late, is that okay? I get off work at six, and I gotta take the bus to go here, and a taxi probably since there’s no route for the bus here.”

“No need,” Jake said. “I can pick you up. Where’s your workplace?”

Steven was stunned for a moment. That offer just came out of nowhere. Well, not that out of nowhere, given the situation. But he was pretty sure that mechanics didn’t just offer to pick up their clients off of work just because their car was out of commission. Besides, Jake had just met him, and he honestly didn’t want to impose on the other man. But Steven didn’t want to refuse the offer either. For one, it’d be easier. Also, because he got to be picked up by Jake.

Oh, dear Lord, he was turning into a fifteen-year-old in puberty.

“Uh, Petrie Museum,” he said, unsure for a moment.

“I’ll pick you up at six,” Jake nodded, then shouted something at someone in the garage. It was in a language that Steven didn’t recognize. He just watched as Jake nodded at the answering reply, before he turned back to him. “Do you need a ride home?”

Alright. No matter how much Steven’s heart was kicking, screaming and giggling at Jake’s presence, this was way too fast. Or maybe he was reading into it too much. It was just a harmless, kind offer, and Jake was just being polite. But, God, did he want to.

“If you don’t mind?” he asked, hesitant.

“Wouldn’t offer you otherwise, little dove,” Jake said, again with the pet name. “Come on, I’ve told them I’m clocking off.”

Steven nodded dumbly, following Jake to once again get into the car, not really believing what was happening, couldn’t really wrap his head around it. The car broke down, he was worried sick because he didn’t want to make Marc mad, he was anxiously waiting to get picked up while trying to ignore the stare of that stranger burning on the side of his face, met Jake Lockley, realized that he was fucked and doomed, and now Jake was driving him home and Steven was about to scream out his confusion. That sounded about right.

He fastened the seatbelt as the car was turned on. Jake looked around for incoming vehicles that might pass, before he drove to the main road. “Where are we going, Stevie?”

He ignored the obvious mockery of his name, and rattled off the address. It was forty-minutes’ drive from here, and he didn’t know what to do in the meantime. Here he was, in the same space with the person he had admitted was attractive enough to make him fumble and stutter, and he didn’t know how to appear less like he was a weirdo and more of a respectable customer, whatever that meant.

Jake turned on the tape, and they listened to some music Steven didn’t recognize in low volume. The drive was spent in silence, and Steven was getting antsy. Had he made the wrong decision? Maybe Jake was hoping he’d refuse the offer, but Steven was too dumb to read the clue. He pressed himself closer against the door of the car, mulling in his thoughts.

“You were more talkative before,” Jake then remarked, surprising Steven. “Why, you afraid I’m gonna do something to you?”

“No!” Steven exclaimed, then recoiled when he said it louder than he intended. “No,” he repeated, at reasonable volume this time. “I’m just—not used to being driven by someone else than my brother, I guess. A stranger at that, no less.”

“We won’t be stranger soon, Steven with a ‘v’,” Jake said, the trademark smirk reappearing. “Was that your brother’s car?”

“Yeah,” he said weakly, remembering about his carelessness. “He lent me to it a few months ago because he’s been going on business trips constantly these days. He’s the one who usually drives me around when he’s in town. Which he won’t be, for a few weeks at least.” He didn’t know why he felt the need to tack on the last bit.

“And you broke it,” Jake said.

“Oi, no need to rub the salt on the wound, mate,” Steven huffed out, crossing his arms in front of his chest, face flushing. He was talking to a mechanic, who understood cars’ technicalities more than Steven could ever hope to do. He was embarrassing himself enough.

Jake chuckled lightly. It sounded so pleasant to the ears, for some reason. They were halfway to the apartment building, and Steven started to see familiar shops and streets around the area. The low hum of the tape blended in with the faint bustling of the people and vehicles left on the streets. It was later than the time he usually went home at. He had thought of getting himself some dinner at the restaurant he frequented, because he felt lethargic after two tours with huge groups and didn’t want to cook himself. He supposed it was fortunate enough that the car broke down when it did, he wouldn’t happen to stumble on Iah Repair Shop otherwise. Wouldn’t meet Jake.

And there he went, sounding like a teenager with a gigantic crush again. He met a stranger wearing his face one time, and bam, he was flailing and helpless. This felt like that one time he ate a steak, and then went bonkers and thought that he was hallucinating Gus having two fins, when in reality, Marc had forgotten to feed the poor fish and tried to replace it with a new one. He was mad at Marc for two days, because Gus was his little one-finned wonder, alright.

“Been working at the museum for long, Stevie?” Jake then asked.

Steven looked away from the bright neon lights of a barber shop and shrugged. “Depends on how you see it,” he said. “I worked as the clerk before, selling sweets and souvenirs from the museum. I only got the job as the tour guide recently. About… six months now? It’s been a huge improvement, nonetheless, even if my boss is still an annoying hag.”

Jake grinned. “Mine too.”

“Khonshu?” he asked, then laughed when Jake nodded. “Yeah, a bit of a prick, isn’t he? I thought he was going to strangle me, with how annoyed he sounded like on the phone.”

“We were about to close,” Jake told him. “We usually close at seven, but we close later than usual on Saturday and Sunday.”

“Ah, that explains it, then,” Steven said, nodding along with the explanation. “Sorry for heaping up more troubles on you.”

“It’s good for the business anyway,” Jake said, and turned left at the three-way junction. Steven could already see the apartment building from here. “And I get to drive you home. Not a bad deal for me, be damned with Khonshu.”

Steven chewed at his lower lip, fidgeting slightly. He was trying so hard not to outright blush at the implication of Jake’s words. But it was so hard to fight his natural bodily reaction. He could feel the back of his neck warming up. “Yeah, thanks for offering. The taxi fare would be a nightmare for my bank account.”

They halted in front of the apartment building, and Jake turned to look at him. There was that same glint again in his eyes when he practically purred, “Oh, trust me, the pleasure’s all mine, little dove.”

Good God, what was it with this man? Steven felt all at once like he wanted to ask Jake if he fancied a drink, and to whimper and curl into himself because never in his life that he felt this flustered. In the end he just bit his lip harder, and tried not to fiddle with his fingers again.

A hand reached out towards him, and Steven was still a little dazed to react properly. There was a thumb pulling insistently on his lower lip, so he released it from his teeth. The thumb stayed there, rubbing at the reddened flesh, small indents from how often Steven had bitten his lip in the span of less than two hours alone. It was a bold gesture, and one that he was sure that not everyone would do to a stranger they just met.

A part of him, that sounded annoyingly like Marc, was screaming about stranger danger again, urging him to get the hell out of the car, to push away Jake’s hand because it shouldn’t be there. But a bigger part of him was promptly short-circuiting when Jake continued swiping the thumb on his lip. Steven’s mouth was parted a little, afraid that he’d accidentally lick Jake’s finger if he closed it. He was sure that his whole face was obviously red enough to rival the ketchup that Marc hated so much.

“You’ll bleed if you bite it any harder,” Jake told him, voice soft for once, yet heavy with something Steven couldn’t decipher. His eyes flicked towards Steven’s lips for a moment, his thumb stopping, and the air in the car seemed to be stagnant, as if waiting for something.

Steven, too, felt like he was waiting, though he didn’t know what that was that he waited for. But he stayed there, breath bated in his lungs, clenching the seams of his shirt tight. He watched Jake lick his own lips, and something in him ached at the sight. He wanted—he wanted to—

Jake pulled his hand away, and straightened himself. His usual grin came back as he said, “I’ll see you tomorrow, then, Stevie.”

“It’s Steven,” he reminded, voice embarrassingly hoarse. He tried not to bite his lip again, and instead opened the door. He was equal part relieved and frustrated that nothing happened in the end. It was a bit foolish, and forward, to think that Jake would be interested in having anything to do with lame, old Steven. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Jake.”

He got out of the car with shaky legs, and waved as the car drove away. He was still a bit out of it when he got into the elevator, and pressed the button for his floor. It was only when he was inside his apartment that he realized that he had forgotten to take his bag and jacket from the backseat of his car; his phone, wallet, and apartment key safely tucked inside the pockets of his pants. He hadn’t even realized that, only noticing when he went to deposit his bag at its usual place, and found nothing to put down.

All because of Jake Lockley and his goddamned smirk and pet names.

Yeah, Marc was definitely going to scold him for a thousand years after this.

-

“Do you think I’m going crazy?” he asked to Gus 2.0 as he fed the fish.

He couldn’t sleep until it was pretty late. He tried to read books, solve the Rubik cube, do some light exercises. But each time he closed his eyes, Jake’s smirk was there, and Steven would wake up faster than he could ever do; skin heated and a whisper of need crawling on his back. It wasn’t that he had never had a fleeting infatuation, or plain physical attraction towards someone else. It was just that it had never been this bad before. Not to mention that Marc wasn’t there to hold him down in sleep, and thus he had to resign himself to chaining his ankle again and pouring sands around the bed.

He pointedly ignored how he tried to sleep with restlessness and a certain need down in his pelvis. He didn’t think he could face Jake if he were to jerk off to the thought of him; of his face, of the danger in the glint of his eyes, of his touch on Steven’s skin, of his smirk, of his low voice calling Steven with all sorts of endearment. Nope, no Siree, not in this household. Definitely.

“Yeah, I think so, too,” he said to the gurgle of bubbles Gus 2.0 let out. He sighed, and pressed his forehead against the cool glass of the tank. It felt pleasant, so he stayed for a moment. “Marc won’t be pleased. But then again, he’s not pleased with anyone I go out with. Weird chap, that guy, really. Good thing I love him.” And good thing that Marc loved him too much to ever strangle Steven for all the troubles he found himself in over the span of their lives.

He went out of the apartment, a bit weirded out that he had to go back to the usual routine of waiting for the bus, standing amongst the crowded of people minding their own business. Fortunately, he didn’t fell asleep on someone’s back like that one time. He couldn’t help it; he was dead at his feet, and Marc hadn’t come home for a week because he had something to do. He carefully didn’t tell his brother about it.

The museum was bustling about today, since it was Sunday. Little kids with their parents, teenagers pointing to artefacts and making funny faces to imitate them; just people walking around the museum, and Steven occasionally greeted them to ask if they needed any assistance, explaining the history whenever someone asked.

He liked his job, had been dreaming of it since he worked in the museum for the first time. There was just something fascinating about recounting the old stories of how a certain outcome in history came to be, in speculating about the factuality of it all, in mulling about the superstitious reasonings of some customs. It was certainly better than selling jellies and plushies at the counter, though he did like the Taweret plushies, had two back at home.

He was distracted enough with work throughout the day, but when it was his time to clock off, he was feeling a bit jittery. He supposed it showed on his face, because he was never as good as Marc in concealing his emotions. J.B even asked him what got his panties so twisted, which Steven reprimanded for his crude language—there were children around them still!—but he kept his mouth shut. He had enough teasing from Jake alone, he didn’t any more to make himself even more anxious.

He didn’t even know what he’s worried about. It was just Jake picking him up from work, so they could go to the repair shop and Steven could reluctantly let go of his money to fix the car. It was pure business, with a dash of kindness. He was just getting worked up for no good reason. Still, he couldn’t help it.

When it was time for him to go out, he was nearly vibrating with restlessness. He waited nervously on the side of the road, eyes roving over the street to spot Jake’s car. He didn’t remember the plate number, but he remembered the shape, the color, and the brand. Should be easy enough.

Except, Jake didn’t come with that car. Or even a car at all.

A bike slowed down in front of Steven; the roaring machine petered out as the gas was let go carefully. Steven stared for a moment, uncomprehending. There was a small chuckle, muffled by the helmet, from the rider. When the helmet was opened, Steven had to hold himself back from reeling. Because it was Jake Lockley, on a bike, wearing leather jacket, and—oh, Lord have mercy on him—leather gloves as well. He looked comfortable and so, so unfairly hot like that. His curls were mussed from the helmet, an easy smile on his lips, the familiar stench of tobacco around him. Steven swallowed hard, and took a trembling step forward to greet the other man.

“Hullo,” he said, berating himself inwardly when his voice came out small and unsure.

“Been waiting long?” Jake asked, unclasping the second helmet on the back and handed it to Steven.

“No, not really,” he said. He put on the helmet, made sure the clasp was secured, before he cautiously got on the bike. “Didn’t know you ride a bike.”

“The car isn’t mine, it’s for all of us to use,” Jake explained, putting his helmet back on, and gripped the handles. “Never been on one of these babies before?” the man asked, peering at Steven from the side rearview mirror.

Steven shook his head. “Never been brave enough to try, to be exact,” he said. “Seems kinda dangerous, and I have enough bad luck as it is.”

Jake chuckled again, and prepared to go ahead, before he paused. “What are you doing?”

“What?” Steven said dumbly.

“What are you holding on?” Jake patiently elaborated.

“Oh,” he breathed out, and let go of the clutch he had on the seams of Jake’s jacket. “Sorry, didn’t know where to hold. Should I grab the bar?”

Jake shook his head, and much to Steven’s surprise and the imminent danger of his heart exploding, yanked Steven’s forearms to put it around the man’s waist. “You said it yourself; it’s dangerous. And it will be if you don’t hold on properly.”

Steven flailed a little, before he gingerly clasped his fingers together to hug Jake’s middle. It brought him closer to the man, right cheek pressed against a broad back. He could smell the leather and something that he guessed was Jake’s cologne, along with hints of sweat and musk. He barely restrained himself from burying his face on the man’s back completely, just to chase a little bit more of the heady scent.

“Hang on tight, princess,” Jake said, before they went off.

Steven didn’t want to admit that he squeaked in surprise. The bike was much faster than a car, and he wasn’t used to the maneuvering needed. He tightened his hold on Jake, closing his eyes as they went pass the streets in a blur. He was pretty sure they exceeded speed limit or something, but maybe it was just because he wasn’t used to the feeling of riding a bike.

It felt pleasant, to be honest, aside from the surprise and unfamiliarity. He could feel the wind on his face, the whizzing of every vehicle passing by, the flex of Jake’s torso each time they turned, the rumble of the machine, the way Jake’s shoulders looked so strong, felt that way, from the back. He might just enjoy this experience yet. Even if he knew that a big part of it was because it was Jake Lockley, and he got to wrap his arms around the man without making it awkward. If he pressed even closer until his front was plastered to Jake’s back—well, then, he was just unused to this, okay? No ulterior motive at all.

The ride went by faster than he’d like to admit. Before long, the bike slowed down as they entered the parking space of the repair shop. The mechanics didn’t spare them a glance, absorbed in their work. Khonshu was nowhere to be seen, but two men approached the bike, and started telling Jake about something Steven couldn’t pretend to understand.

“As much as I enjoy you clinging tight to me, we still have something to do,” Jake then said, and Steven felt his cheeks burn from embarrassment when he realized that he hadn’t let go. He had just clung to Jake in front of all these people. Great.

He let go hastily, almost stumbling as he got off the bike. Jake only laughed lightly and followed at a more sedate pace. He put the helmet on the seat, and went to unclasp Steven’s without prompting. He was probably used to how slow Steven was at everything, particularly when he was around Jake. Steven held his breath when Jake was once again within his personal space, his knuckles brushing the underside of his chin.

“Come on, little dove,” Jake said, walking towards Steven’s car.

He followed and watched with clenched fists as Jake easily divested his jacket, the muscles on his shoulders apparent through the thin black shirt. He hung it on the back of a chair, along with the gloves, which he bit down to pull off and nearly gave Steven a heart attack from doing so. He signaled to Steven to wait as he went to towards a door that must have led to the back room. Steven smiled at the mechanics around him, and some of them grinned at him; eyeing him and then glancing to where Jake had disappeared. He didn’t know, and didn’t think he wanted to know the silent conversation going between them as they exchanged loaded look with each other.

Jake came back with his jumpsuit ready, only this time, the upper part was tied around his waist, and Steven sucked in a deep breath because Jake’s shirt was tight and it clung to his defined chest. He was defined everywhere, it seemed. From his shoulders to his chest, the thick biceps and lean torso. Probably from all the heavy lifting he had to do in his job. Steven was a little bit envious; Marc was built almost similarly to Jake, and little old Steven was soft on the stomach because he didn’t exercise that much and he went through a box of chocolate whenever he tried to calm himself down from watching sad movies.

“We’ve taken a look at your car this morning,” Jake started, hands braced against the opened hood of the car. “It’s total wasteland in here.”

Steven shuffled his feet guiltily. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

Jake hummed and pursed his lips a little. “There are problems on the battery, spark plugs, clutch cables, as well as dried oil. It’s a wonder you could drive as far as you could. You can go ahead and pay at the counter for the total, and they’ll give you the details of payment, things we need to change entirely or to simply repair.”

He then pointed to the cashier, and Steven ambled there. He listened without really understanding as the young woman who manned the cashier listed all the thing he should pay. He just gave her his credit card, and said his gratitude once she was done. Jake and the other mechanics were already in the process of tinkering with the machine when he came back.

“Your bag is on the bench,” Jake said without looking up.

Steven nodded and went to take his belongings. Everything was there, thankfully, nothing was missing. He went back to Jake, and clutched at the strap of his bag. “Um, how long does it take to fix it?”

“Give or take twelve days. Could be faster, could take longer; it depends,” Jake explained. “We’re a bit swamped, so I’m leaning towards around two weeks. We’ll notify you once it’s done.”

“Okay,” he nodded. “Thank you for informing me. I guess I’ll take my leave?” He didn’t know why he even phrased it as a question. There was nothing else he could do here, anyway. He should let Jake work instead of bothering him.

“You got someone to drive you home tonight?”

“The taxi driver will, I’m sure,” he said with a light grin.

Jake laughed, and stepped away from the car, leaving two of his friends to continue fixing it. “Can you wait a bit? Just around,” he checked on the clock at the wall, and looked back to Steven, “twenty minutes. We’re closing soon anyway.”

“Oh,” Steven said, blinking a few times in surprise. He had thought that the offer was one-time. He didn’t expect to have Jake driving him home again. With his bike. And his leather jacket. And gloves. Oh, fuck. “Uh, I can? I mean, yes, I can. Definitely. Twenty minutes, no problem.”

Jake looked at him with a strange expression, as if he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to laugh or be exasperated. Probably both. In the end, however, he just led Steven to the bench, and went over to get his jacket and gloves. “Here, keep them safe for me. There’s a vending machine there if you want to drink something.”

Steven nodded and clutched the jacket closer. He put the gloves in his bag so he wouldn’t lose them. He’d keep them safe. They were worn, he realized, both the jacket and gloves, now that he had the chance to properly run his hand through the fabric. Some part of the leather on the shoulders was already flaking off, a sign of use and time. This was a well-beloved and taken care of item. Steven bit his lip, and tried not to be too conspicuous as he hugged the jacket closer to his chest. It was still warm from Jake’s body heat, and the previous scent wafted to his nose. He inhaled deep and clutched it tighter.

He watched as Jake talked with the other mechanics, laughing at something, before he went back to work on another car. He sounded so relaxed and comfortable, here in his elements, surrounded by the people he must have known for a long time. Instead of a young man who was seemingly cocky and devious, he was more open and playful. Boyish, was the right word. They ruffled his hair and he complained about their dirty hands; punching someone’s arm with a grin; muttering to himself as he bent over the hood of the car. He looked like he was enjoying himself.

Steven smiled to himself softly. It felt nice, to see a side of Jake that didn’t make him constantly flustered and losing his mind. He felt more real, somehow. Like someone Steven could care about instead of one he wanted to taste on his lips. Well, that too, but not only. This was worse than he had thought. Two days and he was thinking about such foolish things. Marc was right when he said that Steven gave his heart to easily for the world; falling too fast, shattering on the impact.

He hoped this was just a fleeting fancy, nothing more serious. Jake was charming and nice to be around. Steven shouldn’t use his kindness for his own benefit in feeding his fantasies. He knew that Marc never really approved Steven being in a relationship because not many people could understand him, could accept him as he was without demanding for some changes.

Changes weren’t always bad, as long as it means to improve, but most of the time, it was a critic of Steven’s personality and habit. It was hard not to be self-conscious of himself, after so long being the odd man out amongst his peers, to follow and bend over people’s will because he thought that they loved him, but Marc had picked up the pieces of his heart far too often. He didn’t want his brother to worry about him like that. It pained him to see Marc looking so sad and resigned.

But it was alright, this time. Jake was just naturally playful and flirty, it seemed. And Steven wouldn’t disappoint Marc again by nurturing his feelings. He felt guilty enough for desiring Jake physically. He didn’t need to take it further and put his emotions into play. Besides, people weren’t really interested in having a proper relationship with Steven once they got past the curiosity and the sweetness. They probably thought that he was too much of a dork, or too dependent on his brother, or just too weird in general because of his interests, behavior, and his internal problems, including the sleep-walking and the whole ankle restraint fiasco. Someone laughed at it once, and Marc broke their nose.

The idea that Jake would be interested in all of that mess was laughable enough.

He didn’t know how long time had passed, too engrossed in his own thought. But then Jake stood in front of him, already out of his jumpsuit, and sporting a smear of oil on his cheek. Steven stood up and reached out to wipe it with the sleeve of his shirt. It was more of a habit than anything else. Marc had done it to him countless times, as he did to Marc.

“There you go,” he said softly, smiling at Jake. “All clean.”

Jake didn’t say anything, and Steven suddenly realized that he might stepping on some landmine he wasn’t aware of. It was bold of him to touch Jake like that, despite the man having done the same yesterday. The thing was, Steven didn’t mind being touched, if he had to be honest. He didn’t get it much from anyone but Marc, but Marc was the only one he had in nearly everything. He supposed he was just lonely, or touch-starved, especially when Marc left for a while to enlist in the military, and when he started going out of country often for his job.

But he also knew that not everyone shared the same thought. He looked down and shuffled with his feet again. “I’m sorry,” he said.

There was a lone finger lifting up his chin, Jake’s dark eyes burning into his. “What for?” he asked, voice low enough that Steven had to strain to catch it. “You didn’t do anything wrong, little dove.”

Steven bit his lip, and nodded, feeling relieved and dizzy at the same time. If there was one thing he immediately noticed from Jake, aside from how unbelievably hot he was, it was his apparent lack of understanding of personal space. He had crowded into Steven a lot in the span of two days, never looking bothered with what he did. Not that Steven minded either.

Jake let his finger linger a little bit more, before he pulled his hand back. Steven unconsciously followed the warmth, and gritted his teeth when he realized too late what he was doing. “Are you- are you done for the night?” he then asked, just to alleviate the sheer mortification running through his veins. He kept forgetting that he shouldn’t do that. Marc might understand, but just because Jake had been touchy, didn’t mean that Steven should just let go of his inhibition.

“All done,” Jake nodded. Thankfully, he didn’t comment on Steven’s slip. “We can go now.”

Steven took the gloves out of his bag and gave it to Jake as the man put on his jacket. He waved a little at the other mechanics, while Jake just nodded at them and started walking towards the bike. This time, Steven was only less hesitant to put his arms around Jake. There was a pleased hum, an approval, coming from Jake at his decision. Steven didn’t know why it made his heart flutter so much. Perhaps, he was just that much of a people-pleaser.

They rode through the night, whizzing past buildings and streets. Steven felt more comfortable than the first time, and he could enjoy the sceneries as well as the feel of Jake in his arms better. They were more or less of the same height and build, though with considerable difference in muscle mass. Hugging Jake felt a lot like hugging Marc, and it brought a sort of familiar comfort in Steven. The warmth, the weight, the width, they all were nearly similar. He missed his brother more than he had thought, apparently.

He closed his eyes and tightened his hold on Jake, just enjoying the breeze hitting his face and bare hands that weren’t covered by the sleeves of his own jacket. It just felt nice to have someone to touch.

The bike then slowed, and Steven lifted his head to see that they had arrived. He climbed off the bike with some reluctance. His bum was sore, but he liked the experience enough. He gave the helmet back to Jake and smiled awkwardly at him. He didn’t know what to say, out of all thing to lose words at. He usually talked so much that oftentimes people just sighed and walked away, or in Marc’s case, very rare and only when he was in a particularly severe bad mood, just closed his palm over Steven’s lips and dragged him to the bed so they could sleep instead.

Jake reached out suddenly, and closed his hand over Steven’s. He didn’t realize he was squeezing his fists so tight from nervousness. “What is it?” he asked, gently this time, keeping his gloved hand wrapped around Steven’s wrist.

“I just—I don’t know,” he admitted with a sigh. “Thank you, I guess? For doing this for me. I know that you don’t have to pick me up and drive me home. I don’t even know where you live, whether it’s far from here. So, thank you, and sorry for being a burden.”

“You really think so lowly of yourself, don’t you?” Jake said, and tugged at Steven’s wrist, bringing him just a tad closer. “I was the one who offered. Don’t think too much and accept it as it is. I’m not one to do something I don’t want to.”

“Okay,” Steven nodded, chewing on his lower lip for a moment before he cautiously continued, “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“In the morning,” Jake then said. “I’ll pick you up early. We can get some breakfast before work.”

“Oh, you don’t have to—” Steven paused; Jake had tightened his hold around his wrist in a warning. He stuttered and nodded at last. “Okay, then. Breakfast tomorrow.”

Jake pulled his hand away, and nodded at Steven before he drove off. Steven watched his back going further and further away, before he walked into the apartment, not sure about how he should feel. He was happy, that was for sure. But also confused and kind of scared. Jake Lockley had the capability of wrecking him in merely two days, in only several hours. He didn’t know just how much he was going to embarrass himself if he spent more time in Jake’s presence.

But, hey, this wouldn’t last forever, and this could be the only time Steven could enjoy his company. Two weeks, Jake had said. Steven didn’t know how it’d end, but he could… perhaps he could just let himself have this for the short amount of time. It was harmless anyway, right? Just someone to talk to, have breakfast together, and a companion he saw before and after he worked.

It should be alright, he was sure.

-

[oliviajames1122]

What is a MOT?

An MOT is an annual inspection mandated by law to make sure your vehicle is secure and complies with the minimum standards for road and environmental safety. MOT stands for Ministry of Transportation because it was this department of government that oversaw the test's introduction in 1960.

What does a MOT include?

The MOT test covers inspections of your vehicle's various systems, including the braking and fuel systems, as well as seat belts, mirrors, wipers, lights, and the exhaust. The engine, clutch, and gearbox conditions are not covered by the MOT. Many vehicles also have their exhaust emissions assessed, as part of their MOT. They won't be given a MOT certificate if it is determined that their emissions are too high. You can always find a MOT history checker online and check MOT history.

Do I need to have a MOT?

Some people believe that they do not need to perform MOT tests on their vehicles on a regular basis, but if you are caught driving a car without a valid MOT, you risk receiving a £1000 fine. If your car is deemed dangerous during a MOT test and you continue to drive the vehicle, you risk receiving a £2500 fine, a driving ban, and three penalty points on your license. Police cars have automatic number plate recognition technology, which flags vehicles without proper MOT certification. Check your MOT history online and signing up for reminders a few weeks before your MOT is due will help you stay clear from such situations.

What signs do you see in an overheating idling or running car when the air conditioner is on?

Similar signs are present when a car overheats without the engine running. The indications of a car overheating when the AC is on, or it is idle include:

1. Temperature gauge 

Every car has a coolant temperature gauge, which should not be set higher than 110 c. In addition, some vehicles come with warning temperature LEDs rather than the conventional gauge. If the temperature of the engine coolant rises abnormally, they are intended to activate and alert you. These gauges only malfunction when there is a coolant leak. This is a sign to look for car repairs near me garages online and book your car in at your earliest convenience. Your vehicle may have overheated, and the gaskets and plastics are beginning to melt if you notice that it is physically hotter than before, and you can smell burned rubber or plastic.

2. Ticking noises emanating from the engine compartment

If engine oil is used for longer than the manufacturer recommends, it loses its viscosity and becomes ineffective. Parts will then start to rub against one another due to this. To avoid a hefty repair fee down the road or a potential engine failure, conduct an online search for car services near me garages and make sure to stick to the recommended service schedules.

[shivkunjauto]

Car Service in Lucknow – Shivkunj Automotive: Your Trusted Partner for Quality Care

Car Service in Lucknow - Finding a trustworthy and professional service is essential for the life and well-being of your vehicle. Shivkunj Automotive name trusted in the auto industry will ensure quality car care services-from simple maintenance to specialized repairs that will keep your car running like clockwork.

Why should one choose Shivkunj Automotive for car servicing in Lucknow?

Shivkunj Automotive understands quality car service quite well in Lucknow. The experienced technicians can handle all vehicles, including hatchbacks and luxury cars, with expertise. Latest equipment and original spare parts ensure your car runs just right. The routine oil change, engine diagnostics, or brake repairs are indeed carried out with excellent services matching the best standards within this industry.

All-inclusive Car Service in Lucknow

The services we render are all-rounded and cover the general servicing of your car:

Oil and Filter Change: Your engine needs regular oil changes to run quietly. We deliver premium quality oil and filter replacement services to improve the performance of your car.

Brake Inspection and Repair: This is a critical safety check we undertake- checking up your vehicle's brakes and repairing or replacing if necessary.

Engine Diagnostics: Is your car's engine giving up some terrible troubles? Don't worry, as our advanced diagnosis tools diagnose the problem beforehand for an instant and perfect solution.

AC Servicing: Stay cool on Lucknow roads due to expert air conditioning repairing and servicing offered by our skilled technicians.

Battery Replacement: Make sure every time you start up your car that it starts like a first-time start. Our reliable battery inspection and replacement services ensure that you start every time.

Benefits of Regular Car Service in Lucknow

Regular automobile car servicing is important and can prevent most breakdowns as well as expensive breakdowns. Shivkunj Automotive provides car servicing to elongate the life of your car through our preventive maintenance. That is why servicing your car regularly is very important. Here are the reasons why:

Better Performance: A well-attended car runs more effectively, which means more efficient fuel consumption as well as smoother driving.

Improved Safety: Periodic checks ensure brakes, tires, and other safety features are all in top condition.

Value Retention: Preventive service will also make sure that your car retains pristine conditions and hence its market value.

Why Shivkunj Automotive is Unique

We are different from other car services in Lucknow. We believe in giving you transparent communication at fair prices along with the best after-service. Our professionalism, prompt service, and care in detail make our customers believe in us and come again.

FAQs

1- What does it entail at Shivkunj Automotive?

For a full car service, we include oil and filter changes, brake inspections, an engine check, fluid check, tire rotation, and general safety checks to make sure your vehicle is running as it should.

2- How often should one service the car?

It is advisable to service a car after every 10,000 to 15,000 kilometers, or every six months, whichever first, to keep it running and enduring well.

3- Do you offer an emergency car repair service in Lucknow?

Of course, yes. So, at Shivkunj Automotive, you are sure to get urgent relief through repair service so that your car gets back on the road as quickly as possible.

4- Can I book a car service appointment online?

Of course! You can simply book an appointment with us online or call us for booking a time as convenient as possible for you.

5- Do you use genuine parts for replacement and repairs?

We use only original and authorized parts that are recommended by the manufacturer; this will ensure that your vehicle maintains its standards and performance.

For the best car service in Lucknow, visit Shivkunj Automotive for sure care and expertise. Book your appointment now and keep your car in top condition!

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Car repair services nearby you

🚗Book your car repair service nearby you at vehiclecare having expert mechanic and technician at affordable price💰 . Our skilled technicians are dedicated to top-notch quality service care for your vehicle.

Services offered by vehiclecare: 》Engine Oil Change 》Oil Filter Replacement 》Wheel Alignment 》Brake Repairs 》AC & Heating 》Car Wash

We're using the latest technology and high-quality spare parts🔩to ensure your car runs smooth and safely With a commitment to transparency and customer satisfaction.

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Expert Car AC Repair Solutions in Pune

Get expert car AC repair solutions in Pune with GoMechanic. Our dedicated team is ready to tackle any AC problem, ensuring your vehicle remains comfortable year-round. With a commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, we guarantee reliable service. Book now

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Car Air Conditioning Repair in Christchurch - JT Auto

JT Auto offers top Car Air Conditioning Repair in Christchurch. Our expert technicians ensure your AC system runs efficiently, keeping you cool and comfortable. Trust JT Auto for reliable service.

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Affordable Maruti Suzuki Car AC Repair in Mumbai | GoMechanic Experts

Experiencing issues with your Maruti Suzuki's AC? GoMechanic in Mumbai provides affordable and high-quality car AC repair services designed to keep your car’s cooling system in optimal condition. Whether it's low cooling, AC gas leakage, or a faulty condenser, our trained professionals are equipped to diagnose and repair all issues quickly. We ensure you drive comfortably, even in the hottest weather. Offering upfront pricing and convenient scheduling, GoMechanic is your trusted partner for Maruti Suzuki AC repairs. Click here to learn more and book your appointment: Car AC Repair for Maruti Suzuki

[motormatesautocare]

Finding the Best Car Service Centre Near Me in Ravenhall

When it comes to keeping your vehicle in top condition, finding a reliable car service center is crucial. If you’re searching for a "car service centre near me in Ravenhall," you’re in the right place. Motor Mates Auto Care offers top-notch automotive services to ensure your car runs smoothly and safely. Let’s explore why Motor Mates Auto Care should be your go-to choice for all your car servicing needs.

Why Regular Car Servicing is Essential

Regular car servicing is not just about keeping your vehicle clean and running; it’s about ensuring your safety on the road. Routine maintenance can help prevent major breakdowns and costly repairs down the line. By choosing a reputable car service center, you’re investing in your car’s longevity and performance. Car Service Centre Near Me Ravenhall

What to Look for in a Car Service Centre Near Me in Ravenhall

When choosing a car service center, there are several factors to consider:

Expertise and Experience: Look for a service center with experienced mechanics who are knowledgeable about various car models and makes. Motor Mates Auto Care boasts a team of skilled professionals who are well-versed in the latest automotive technologies and repair techniques.

Range of Services: Ensure the service center offers a comprehensive range of services, from basic oil changes to complex engine diagnostics and repairs. Motor Mates Auto Care provides a wide array of services, including brake repairs, tire changes, and air conditioning servicing, to name a few.

Transparency and Honesty: A trustworthy service center will provide clear explanations and detailed estimates before commencing any work. At Motor Mates Auto Care, customer satisfaction is a priority. They maintain transparency by offering honest advice and upfront pricing.

Convenient Location: Proximity is key when looking for a “car service centre near me in Ravenhall.” Motor Mates Auto Care is conveniently located in Ravenhall, making it easily accessible for residents in the area and surrounding suburbs.

Services Offered by Motor Mates Auto Care

Motor Mates Auto Care is your one-stop shop for all your automotive needs. Here’s a glimpse of the services they offer: Car Service Centre Near Me Ravenhall

Routine Maintenance: From oil changes to fluid checks, Motor Mates Auto Care ensures your vehicle runs efficiently.

Brake Repairs: Your safety is paramount, and the expert technicians at Motor Mates Auto Care will ensure your brakes are in top condition.

Tire Services: Whether you need a tire rotation, alignment, or replacement, they have you covered.

Engine Diagnostics: If your check engine light is on, the team will diagnose and fix the issue promptly.

Air Conditioning Services: Stay cool in the summer with their comprehensive AC repair and maintenance services.

Battery Services: They also offer battery testing and replacement services to keep your car starting reliably every time.

Why Choose Motor Mates Auto Care?

Customer-Centric Approach: At Motor Mates Auto Care, customer satisfaction is at the forefront. They listen to your concerns and tailor their services to meet your specific needs.

State-of-the-Art Equipment: The service center is equipped with the latest tools and diagnostic equipment, ensuring accurate and efficient repairs.

Competitive Pricing: Quality service doesn’t have to break the bank. Motor Mates Auto Care offers competitive pricing without compromising on quality.

Positive Reviews: A quick look at their customer reviews reveals a track record of satisfied clients who praise their professionalism and quality of work.

Book Your Car Service Today

Don’t wait until your car breaks down to find a “car service centre near me in Ravenhall.” Regular maintenance is key to avoiding costly repairs and ensuring your vehicle runs smoothly. Motor Mates Auto Care is here to provide reliable, high-quality service that you can trust.

Visit their services page to learn more about what they offer or to book your next service appointment. Your car deserves the best, and Motor Mates Auto Care is here to deliver just that.

Car Service Centre Near Me Ravenhall

[perthcar123]

Get Your Car AC Repaired With Best Car Workshop In Perth

What if there is a frightful hot climate, you are driving for a long time, your car’s Air Conditioning System is not working and your whole journey is ruined up. To avoid these circumstances a regular car air conditioning service is a must. So, if you are looking for a team of car air conditioning specialists here we got for you Australia's best car service workshop in Perth that deals in providing exclusive auto care services. So, book an appointment through a call or email and get premium car ac repairs Perth solutions at a standard cost.

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Expert Air Conditioning Maintenance in Palm Beach, FL: Your Go-To Guide

Keeping your air conditioning system in top shape is crucial, especially in a place like Palm Beach, FL, where the sun shines almost year-round. Air Conditioning Maintenance Palm Beach Fl If you're looking for reliable air conditioning maintenance services, Dana's Air Conditioning is a name you can trust. With their expertise and dedication, they ensure your cooling system runs efficiently, providing comfort during the hottest days.

Why Regular Air Conditioning Maintenance is Essential

Air conditioning systems, like any other machinery, require regular maintenance to function optimally. Neglecting routine upkeep can lead to a host of issues, including decreased efficiency, higher energy bills, and even complete system failure. Here are some key reasons why regular maintenance is essential:

Enhanced Efficiency: Regular maintenance ensures that all components of your AC system are clean and functioning correctly, which helps it run more efficiently. This can lead to lower energy consumption and reduced utility bills.

Extended Lifespan: Just like regular oil changes extend the life of a car, consistent AC maintenance can prolong the life of your unit. This can save you money in the long run by delaying the need for a costly replacement.

Improved Air Quality: A well-maintained air conditioner filters out dust, pollen, and other allergens, improving the air quality in your home. This is particularly important for households with individuals who suffer from allergies or respiratory conditions.

Prevent Costly Repairs: Regular check-ups can identify potential issues before they become major problems. Early detection of worn-out parts or minor malfunctions can prevent costly repairs down the line.

Why Choose Dana's Air Conditioning in Palm Beach, FL?

Dana's Air Conditioning has built a reputation for providing high-quality air conditioning maintenance services in Palm Beach, FL. Here's what sets them apart:

Experienced Technicians: Their team of certified technicians has extensive experience in servicing all types of air conditioning systems. They are trained to handle everything from routine maintenance to complex repairs.

Comprehensive Services: Dana's Air Conditioning offers a wide range of services, including filter replacements, system diagnostics, refrigerant level checks, and more. They ensure that every aspect of your AC system is thoroughly inspected and maintained.

Customer Satisfaction: Customer satisfaction is a top priority at Dana's Air Conditioning. They pride themselves on providing reliable, timely, and efficient services, ensuring that your AC system runs smoothly year-round.

Transparent Pricing: They offer transparent pricing with no hidden fees. You’ll know exactly what you’re paying for, making it easier to budget for your maintenance needs.

How to Schedule Maintenance with Dana's Air Conditioning

Scheduling an appointment with Dana's Air Conditioning is easy and convenient. You can visit their website to book a service, or give them a call to speak with a friendly representative. They offer flexible scheduling options to accommodate your busy lifestyle.

In conclusion, regular air conditioning maintenance is essential for keeping your system running efficiently and ensuring a comfortable indoor environment. Air Conditioning Maintenance Palm Beach Fl Dana's Air Conditioning in Palm Beach, FL, is your go-to provider for expert maintenance services. Contact them today to schedule your next maintenance appointment and keep your home cool and comfortable all year long.