#i just told my manager hey do you mind if i leave a little early today & she was just like yeah no worries

[asiancatboy]

life can be so easy sometimes. woag

[xxblairexxss]

Fluffy child

Pairing : Charles Leclerc x reader

Theme : Fluff

Word count : 2.1k

A/N : Not really sure about this one. Sorry if it’s not up to your expectation, anon!

Requested!

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

"Baby, I need to go now!"

"Wait!" You yelled back and picked up your fluffy son in your arms before making your way to your boyfriend, who was all prepared to leave with his small luggage. "Teddy said bye!”

He cackled as you waved the fluffy hand while the cat was looking very unamused as he was forced to wear the shirt. "Where did you get that?”

It was a toddler size Ferrari shirt with the number 16 at the back that you ordered months ago. "From a random website! Isn’t it cute? He liked it!” You squealed and kissed Teddy’s cheek.

"I don’t think he likes it, baby. Look at the face. He’s definitely giving you a side eye.” You laughed at your boyfriend’s horrible attempt to copy the expression. "I need to go now. I love you."

"There you go.” Teddy rolled down on the floor as you crouched to place him down before wrapping your arms around Charles’ neck as he kissed you on the cheek. "I’ll miss you!"

"I’ll miss you more. Teddy, don’t get used to my absence; it’ll only be 4 days."

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

"Yeah, definitely. I mean—" Charles’ attentiveness to the conversation snapped when his phone rang. A smile instantly lit up his face when he saw the heart emoji at the end of the contact’s name. He usually got a few pictures of Teddy, your cat, every day, more if he was away. There were more pictures of the cat himself than your pictures in his phone by now.

Scooting the chair a little further away from Lando and Alex, he swiped the answer button and brought the phone to his ear, anticipating your voice. "Hey, baby!"

"Charles, he's gone…"

He frowned, unable to catch the words. Your voice was shaking, and there were a lot of voices where he was currently. "Sorry, baby. I didn’t hear you. What was that?"

"Teddy’s gone…" 

He heard you sniffle and choppy breathing, making his hand itching to hold you in his arms right now.

"Charles, where are you going?” Lando called out after seeing the Ferrari driver stand up abruptly.

"My room." That was all he said as he left the table and made his way to the driver’s room, away from anyone else so he could hear you clearly.

Teddyy was a kitten you found outside a library back when you were a student. He came to the family at an early stage of the relationship. Charles always preferred a dog, but you managed to change his mind, or maybe he was forced to change his mind because wherever you were, Teddy would be by your side. Even in bed. So he never really got to say no to the fluff of cloud. He was very vocal and proud of being a dad as well. In fact, people would always ask him about Teddy more than himself whenever he bumped into the fans. It surely felt like Teddy was slowly taking over the spotlight.

You woke up yesterday morning and headed to the kitchen to do your daily routine, which was to feed your child. There should be a mini-race between you and him about who got to reach the kitchen first, and he would have blasted out his vocal chords to alarm the whole apartment that he required food right there and then, but yesterday was different. He was just lying down on his bed, looking so weak that you had to bring him to the emergency vet. You stayed at the vet for hours up until he got surgery, alone and unable to ring Charles due to the time difference. It was 2 hours after the surgery that the vet told you he passed away due to the stress that the surgery caused. You were told he suffered from a disease that could be infected by a virus that was hard to detect, and it wasn’t your fault, but it definitely felt like it. You haven’t slept; you couldn’t look at his blue-coloured glass bowl without crying, and you needed Charles.

He didn’t say anything throughout the video call, which lasted for at least an hour. You were filling him up with everything that happened with your puffy eyes, messy hair bun with your knitted cardigan, and looking like a divorced housewife who couldn’t move on from their cheater husband.

"I’m all good now. A little sad," You sniffed and wiped the tears with your oversized sweatshirt sleeve that was a little darker in colour from being used as a replacement for a tissue. "but I’m good."

Charles smiled, his heart swelling from seeing the way you tried to play it off just so he wouldn’t have to worry too much. “Are you sure you are okay, angel? I can stay on the phone longer. They don’t need me until 3, at least.” His gaze went to the top left of his phone screen. It was 2:57 PM.

"No, it’s okay." You brought the phone closer and managed a smile after seeing the way he looked at you. "Good luck."

"I love you, precious. I’ll probably arrive by midnight. You don’t have to wait for me, alright?"

You rubbed your eyes, nodding to his question before waving as he ended the call. The brown, printed blanket was back clinging to your body as you turned yourself into a cocoon and scrolled through pictures of Teddy while F1TV was airing on your television with just a few hours to go before the race.

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

Everything had to make the loudest sound when he needed to be quiet. The sound of his shoe against the floor, which was usually silent as the grave, had to be the loudest ever at this hour. The sound of something shuffling against the floor made him whip his head as fast as he could towards the hallway, as soon as he closed the door.

"Baby?"

The shuffling sound came faster and louder as he made his way deeper into the dark hallway and stumbled back as you threw yourself against him. Too fast that he didn’t catch a glimpse of your body coming.

“F—you scared me.” He breathed out, and his arm went around your petite frame. He didn’t turn on the light because you often fell asleep on the couch, and he would hate himself for waking you up, but every sound in the dark would be connected to a burglar. He would have thrown a kick if he hadn’t caught the lavender scent from your body wash as you crashed into him earlier. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was waiting for you." 

The thumping sound filled the silence as he let go of the bag he was holding with his other hand as he held you when you started crying in his arms. "Baby…"

It felt like you had drained out every salty liquid you had left because you were dehydrated after soaking Charles’ black shirt with your tears. You were flushed red when he cackled at you as you apologised for the mess.

"You should change out of this." He jerked back as you tugged on the shirt.

"Don’t be silly. Baby, stop trying to strip me. This is an assault."

You tugged on it again. "Go and change! It probably has my snot on it."

"Okay, and?"

"It’s disgusting!" 

"Just tell me if you want to see my body. There’s no need to make up an excuse.” You rolled your eyes and left the kitchen while Charles waited for the linguine noodles to cook.

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

"Is it done?”

You looked adorable with the puffy eyes and his hoodie, which seemed to be twice the size of your body, but Charles refused to say it out loud because you would turn down the compliment as if he were making fun of you. "It’s done, but it’s mine.” He had eaten earlier on the plane, but he didn’t have to ask to know you hadn’t eaten anything. He knew you from the back of his hand. He also knew you wouldn’t say no to your favourite food, butter pasta, so even when you told him you weren’t hungry, he still ended up cooking the food just because he wanted you to eat.

"Can I have a bite?” You wished he didn’t hear your stomach grumble.

Your phone was placed on your lap as he feed you a mouthful so as you leaned in, and he caught a glance of a recent picture of you and Teddy on your screen. He hadn’t really gotten to ask why or what happened because it didn’t seem like you were ready for it. All he knew was that you had to bring him to the emergency room because he wasn’t responding well, and that was it. "Baby, what happened?"

"It was my fault.” You sighed, frustrated with yourself, as you pressed the bottom part of your palm against your eyes to stop the tears.

Charles placed his hand on your waist, and you felt him keep stroking his thumb against it while you tried to gather your emotions. "I should have known something was wrong when he didn’t really want to eat his food two days ago, but I thought it was because of the new brand of food that I recently bought. I’m such a bad mom."

He took the plate away before drawing you into his arms. "You were the best owner any cat could ask for, baby. There are some things that are beyond our control. It wasn’t your fault. We even bought him for a monthly checkup. We did everything we could. You weren’t neglecting him just because you couldn’t detect his sickness early. He was looking fine even before I left."

"I miss him so much..." 

"I know, precious. I know." The screen of your phone lights up again from a light touch of your clothes. "How about you show me pictures of him that I haven’t seen?"

"Won’t it be boring?” You wiped your tears with your sleeves again as you went to your photo album and scrolled through thousands of pictures and videos of him throughout the year. "Have you seen this one?"

"Which one?" He pulled you closer as you laid on his chest.

"This one." You chuckled and clicked on the play button. "It was when I bought a new mouse toy for him, and he was so excited that he fell off the bed from chasing it."

He was listening to you attentively until you asked to go to sleep. Truth be told, he hadn’t slept at all, even on the plane on his way back to fight the jet lag. He nearly fell asleep standing while he was waiting for the block of butter to melt against the pan, but it was worth it to joke around, to lighten up the mood, to lend you his shoulder, ears, and shirt to soak your tears with because as he stepped into the house, he knew he had a responsibility as your boyfriend. Sleep could wait; he would be happy to watch the same video of Teddy just from different angles a hundred times if that was what made you smile.

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

Charles squinted his eyes as he caught you walking back to the car with a paper bag of fruits on your left hand and something fluffy on your right. The door to the shotgun seat was opened as you got in, and the fluffy thing you were holding meowed.

He had a lot of questions, but he didn’t know where to start. He thought you said you wanted to drop by the supermarket real quick to get some fruits, and he just had to wait in the car. What was supposed to be 20 minutes turned out to be longer than that. He even had to call you to ask why you were taking so long and if you needed his help, to which you said no, and now you brought in a fluffy, moving animal as if it were part of the fruits.

"Baby, what…did you buy?“

"Oh!" You let go of the kitten and took out the small packets of everything inside the paper bag. "I bought strawberries! Blueberries and some bananas. I also got some marshmallows!”

"And what is that?” Charles arched his brow, eyes on the kitten on your lap.

"Which one?" You tilted your head.

“That..?”

“Oh! It’s a kitten!” You beamed.

"Ah, it’s a kitten! I wouldn’t have guessed. Y/N, did you think you could sneak in a kitten in the car and I wouldn’t find out about it?” He was so lost for words that he ended up chuckling.

"I found Boo on the side of the street!” You picked the kitten up and booped on the nose.

"Who is Boo? It has a name already?" 

"Can we take her, please? Please, please! I can’t just leave her on the street. She was hungry too!” You cradled the kitten against your chest and tried not to make any eye contact with your boyfriend so that he would just accept his fate and drive home. “Look at the face! She reminds me of Teddy!”

"Well, she has a name already. Let’s just go home, Boo."

✧.* general tag list! @i83andrew @cltrlne @karmabyfernando @ohthemisssery @ru-kru @tastebaldwin @f1obessed @love4lando @shinrjj @ietss @leclerc13 @darleneslane @buckybarnessweetheart @xcinnamongirl @boiohboii @formula1mount @judespoision @alwaysclassyeagle @scenesofobx @mrsmaybank13 @vildetry06 @harriesgolden

If your usernames were crossed, meaning I can’t tag you! Let me know if you would like to be removed or to be added to the tag list! Or if I missed anyone!

[hellishjoel]

burning desire

10.3k // pairing:dbf/neighbor!joel x f!reader

Series Masterlist l Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

pt. 1 pt. 2 pt. 3

summary: An argument with your mother before family dinner leaves Joel worried about you. He sneaks you away to grab a drink and talk about what’s on your mind. 

warnings: MA 18+ (minors DNI), no outbreak, dbf/neighbor!joel, soft-hot-protective!joel, rocky mother-daughter relationship (this one ain't for the weak - mommy issues galore) & discussions of verbal fighting, slight clues of abandonment issues, smut, swearing, age gap (reader is in her early 20s, Joel in his 40s), pet names, praise!kink activated, unprotected p in v (yes finally, the edging is over), mentions of birth control,  slight cockwarming if you squint, slight degradation kink

A/N: I crave three things after writing this chapter: Joel, Joel Miller, Joel fucking Miller. Also, I’m almost done with The Last of Us Part 1 :(( sad that it’s ending, but it’s been so much fun to play! Enjoy this chapter <3 

Your parents make good on their invitation and ask Joel over for dinner. A steak dinner, to be exact. Paired with wine, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a pie your parents picked up from the local bakery in town. 

You sort of hope Joel pulls out his long list of excuses to evade any awkwardness. 

Sorry, can’t tonight. I’m finishin’ up somethin’ for work. Can’t wait another day. 

Or,

Hey, maybe another night. Not feelin’ too hot. 

When in reality, it’s more like, 

I can’t come over for dinner tonight because I might bend your daughter over my truck if I see her again. 

As active as you and Joel have been, you have yet to hit a home run in lewd baseball terms. In fact, all the bases in your and Joel’s game were totally screwed up. You hit third base before you hit first, and you weren’t even sure if there was a second base. It was all just so confusing now. 

But you wanted the home run, you wanted Joel, you desired him in that light. You wondered if he was ready for it. 

Screwed over by your father asking Joel over for dinner and screwed over by Joel agreeing, you had no other choice but to sit through it and act like everything was normal. 

And everything was normal for the first half of the day before you and your mother got into it. 

The argument was recycled. You wished she would come up with better material. But it always came down to what you wanted to do after this summer since you recently graduated. And that was an ongoing war. 

After two door slams, your mother retreating to her bunker, and you finding shelter in the bathroom, you’d say today’s battle was over. 

You sit on the floor, bare feet touching cold tile. In a way, it soothes your shaky body. 

No matter how old you get, this feeling never seems to waver with its intensity. The feeling that no one’s listening, no matter how hard you scream for them to hear you. Regardless of how often you have these conversations, you become a small child again, being scolded and told that what you thought and wanted wasn’t right. 

You managed to collect your journal expertly hidden in your bedroom before fleeing to the safety of the bathroom. You flip open the pages with teary eyes. 

You wish you didn’t have to admit that this was your safe space. On the bathroom floor, back flushed against the dark wood door as you closed your eyes and tried to calm your breathing. 

June 17th  2:28 P.M. 

Mom started a fight with me about not traveling again. She says it’s crucial for me to start my career immediately. I don’t even know what I want to be yet. 

You have to pause to blink back tears. You wish you had your life figured out like it felt everyone else did. 

Why does she have to care so much that I want to leave for a little bit? It’s not like it’s forever. There’s so much more out there. I’ve studied miscellaneous classes for four years and want a break. Why do we always have to have this conversation over and over again? She always asks how I will take care of student loans and bills. I have repeatedly told her that I’ve been saving up for a while to do this. She keeps saying she wants what’s best for me and doesn’t want me to start my career too late. She says it’s hard to let me go.

I love her, and I appreciate her support through school, but school is what taught me about independence as well as academics. I want to live my life and have experiences you can only get by leaving home for a little bit. Maybe then I’ll better understand what I want for my future. 

Your writing pauses, and you stare straight ahead at the beige wall, blurry eyes reading another cheesy sign. Bathroom - Open 24 Hours - Seat Yourself. 

You decide to spare a moment of your mother’s casualties and pencil in something else that’s been recently stirring. 

I’ve been seeing Joel Miller casually since the start of this summer. I can’t believe I’m even writing this. It’s weird -- but in a way, it’s also not? He’s older by like a mile, but he’s familiar, comfortable. Easy to talk to. It doesn’t feel like he’s judging me. I’m not trying to read too much into it, but this summer sucks less because of Joel. Whether he knows it or not. 

---

You and your mother work around each other while setting up dinner in the backyard garden. She steps back inside to grab more wine glasses. 

You’ve put on a nice summer dress. The hem lands somewhere on your thighs and flows with the breeze. After sobbing on the cold bathroom tile for an hour, you don't feel very pretty, but eating outside and soaking up some fresh air might make you feel better.

“Hey, sweetheart.” 

Joel Miller was the largest, broadest, lumberjack-est man you had ever met, but he moved as quietly as a mouse. Your eyes blink a few times as you haphazardly set down the bowl of mashed potatoes on the circular table. 

“Hi.”

Your voice is raw and red, softer than usual. Joel seems to instantly take notice. You see it in the way his eyes soften. He moves a little closer, hands resting on the back of one of the white outdoor dining chairs. 

Your face probably reads more panicky than intended. He picks up on your faulty mood and assumes the worst. 

“Do they.. Do they know?” He asks, eyebrows knitted with a deep furrow in between. 

Your eyes go doe-ish, shaking your head and occupying your hands with a spare cloth napkin.

“What? No. Why would you think that?” 

He doesn’t say anything, he doesn’t have to. He takes one long look over your being and you feel it in the space between you. 

Somethin’s wrong. 

Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine, Joel. 

He tilts his head, eyes narrowing on you more. 

Suddenly, you felt exposed. Like someone had ripped the curtain open on you. No one had ever seen right through you like this before. It was unsettling, but god, you just wanted to lean right into it. 

If your parents weren’t just inside, you’d walk right into his front and curl your head in his chest just under the hook of his chin. You’d close your eyes and wrap your small arms around his waist. 

He’d encircle you in his big, protective arms and shield you from the pain you’ve felt today. You’d listen to his heart thrumming against his chest, using the rhythm to try and slow down your breathing while he whispers to you in his sweet southern drawl.

S’alright, sweetheart. Everything’s gonna be okay. I see you tryin’. 

His eyes flitter into light again, ease passing across his features. 

“Like the dress.” He looks over you with a condescending little smirk. This man has never seen you in a dress in your life. 

“Shut up. It’s just for dinner.”

He lets out a cocky little tut. “‘Cause you knew I was comin’ over?”

When you look up at him again, his hand gently rests over yours. You don’t have time to appreciate it; the sliding back door opens, and your father’s big booming laughter shakes the nearby lake. Joel’s subtle touch is instantly gone. 

“Joel! So good to see you! Hey, great bonfire a few weeks ago.”

You take a deep breath and excuse yourself from the shop talk. You don’t want to be alone with your mother in the house, but the table still needs to be set up. You work around each other in silence. She grabs the salad, you grab the dinner rolls and green beans. You could hear a pin drop. 

---

Dinner would have been better if you had an appetite. You spent the majority of your time making a tilled farm field out of your mashed potatoes. You’d flatten out your helping with a fork and then gently run the fork’s ribs through the moldable potatoes and create little crop lines out of it. You don’t always play with your food, but you weren’t really up for conversation. Your mother takes notice. She hates it. She hates that you were letting your personal problems exist in the company of others. 

The only time you looked up even slightly was when Joel started talking. Sort of a calm in an unknown storm, you suppose. He looked so handsome without even really trying. You wore a crooked smile as you looked over the dark green button-up he was wearing. It was starting to be your favorite color, he wore it so well. 

There were points where your parents would turn to each other. And Joel would turn to you. It was sort of a silent check-in. 

Under the protection of the table, his hand found your knee, his big fingers lightly playing with the hem of your dress. It was the first time you cracked a real smile all dinner. Your hand ghosted over his, your nails lightly running soothing, slow lines on the underside of his wrist by his watch. 

You doin’ okay?

Mhm.

It didn’t dawn on you that Joel might have felt he did something to cause your saddened mood. And this was his way of asking. You bit down on your lower lip, feeling his fingers lightly interlock with yours over your knee. Your eyelashes flutter at the warmth it propels through your body. It was just what you needed. Everything was going to be okay. 

---

You’re working over a stubborn steak juice stain on a plate as the sun sets over the lake and glistens a soft yellow-orange hue through the windows in the kitchen. Your parents are moving around you while you rinse the dishes, back turned to them as they spoke in mundane conversation and pack up leftovers.

You don’t see him, but you can feel Joel’s presence as he enters the doorway. He watches you. He watches your parents. You wonder what he sees. The next thing you know, he’s shaking your parents hands and bidding them goodnight. 

He stops at you. As the running faucet splashes against a few forks and a wine glass, you spare him a glance. 

“Walk me out?” Your parents take notice of his ask. And not in the way you expect. 

You tilt back and forth on your feet, looking back to the dishes. You really just wanted to finish what was left to clean and read in your room for the rest of the night. 

“Uhm-”

“Go on and walk him out, honey. We’ll see you soon, Joel. Thanks for stoppin’ in.” 

Your eyes go from Joel’s, to your parents. If they were anything, at least they were oblivious. 

You and your mother share a look before she sighs and exits the kitchen. Your jaw loosens, not even realizing how hard you were grinding your teeth while looking at her. 

“Yeah. Okay.” Your murmured voice is barely audible above the gushing sink faucet. After you set the plate on the drying rack and smear your wet hands on a dish towel, you walk Joel outside. 

The night breeze off the lake sets in a layer of goosebumps up your arms. 

Joel’s boots scuff against the gravel and dirt in his driveway, his footsteps pausing at his truck and turning to face you. 

The rising moon and setting sun work in unison to highlight his aquiline nose and silver-sprinkled jawline. He’s charmingly handsome. Rugged features meet a stone facade. 

You take a hesitant look back into the house. The kitchen light is still on, but no one is in the small windows. 

“You wanna tell me what’s really goin’ on with you?” He crosses his arms, cocking his leg out as he leans his weight onto one of his hips. 

You muster up a shrug and fold your hands around your arms to keep the light chill away. It felt like you couldn’t tell the truth, the house and your parents inside watching over you. The pressure of it all makes your shoulders lurch up a bit into your neck. 

But Joel continues to press you. You’re making him nervous, you think, because he’s not accustomed to seeing you so quiet. 

“Are you..” His words falter and fall off, and you can see the frown creased into his mouth.  “You’re wantin’ t’stop seein’ each other?” 

“What?” Now you’re the one frowning, closing the gap between you and Joel and taking him by his hand to the other side of the truck, using it as a shield between you and the rest of the world. Your back flushes against his driver-side door. 

“No, I don’t want to stop seeing you, Joel.” You frown and squeeze his hand a little tighter in assurance. “Trust me. You’re kind of..” You struggle to make the words fit. Nothing seems right. You’re kind of the only person I want to be around right now.

Joel looks a little relieved. He doesn’t make you finish your sentence. He seems to connect the dots. Joel looks from your solemn face to the house behind you—the cause of your ill-stricken mood. 

“How about we grab a drink n’talk.” It’s not a question, exactly, it’s more like a command. 

You don’t want to talk about what happened, and you have a sneaking suspicion that if you two go off together, your parents will be asking questions. 

You push the toe of your sneaker into the gravel and twist slowly back and forth. 

“I should just head back inside. My parents are probably waiting up for me, anyway. Cleanup duty.” You say unenthusiastically with a dash of sarcasm. Joel’s eyes are looking past you, still at the house. You turn around to follow his eyeline. All the lights in the house have been turned off—even the porch light. Joel scowls at the sight, thinking how he always leaves the light on for Sarah. 

The caged-in feeling returns, your chest tight as you look to your feet and try to breathe through the ache your heart held. You wanted to get out of here, and now. 

“Never mind.” You bite down on your lower lip to hold it together. “Let’s go.” 

You’re already swinging open Joel’s door, rust creaking at the joints as you slide into the passenger seat. These old trucks with no center console were so cool to you. Maybe you'd appreciate it more if you weren’t in such a shitty mood. But Joel’s already in the truck beside you, the warmth he’s radiating was welcome. His key turns in the ignition, and it clicks a few times before the engine roars to life. 

You don’t talk, he doesn’t force you to. You feel at peace putting some distance between you and the lakehouse. 

Joel drives past neighborhoods with funny street names.  Thunderbird Lane. Firefly Drive. Sugar Loaf Lane.

As the sun just finishes setting, the whole town is covered in an orange glow that will soon fade to purple. Everything flies by your window, and moving at this speed feels like the cage is lifting around your chest, the clasps on your wrist snapping free. 

Rolling down the window makes the breeze funnel into the truck and flow through your hair. Before you know it, your body is halfway out of the window. 

“What ‘n God’s name do you think you’re doin’?” Joel’s tone was warning, his fist catching your dress in a fist around your lower back in an attempt to make sure you didn’t get thrown out of the truck.  “Get back in here.” 

You turned back so Joel could see you, eyes lit, and a smile from ear to ear. His hold slowly loosens at the sight before him. 

Back arched out the window, he drives a little slower and towards the center of the road. You look up, arms outstretched into the night air as you breathe everything in. Fresh lungs, filled with a new perspective, no tears left to cry as you hang out of Joel’s window. The stars gleam, and the universe is vast.

Oh my god. You hear yourself mumble, feeling freedom reeling through your entire body. And like that, you were new again. 

A satisfied sigh leaves your lips. You’re back in the truck now, and you roll the window up but not completely closed. The wind still tickles a breeze into your thrown-about hair. You look to Joel, his eyes already on yours. 

Joel sees your fire has been re-lit, thrashing out licks of flame and building in intensity. He adores you wild and free.

“Better?”

You fix the space between you, your body melting into his side as your head lazily rolls onto his shoulder. His heavy arm finds its way around the tops of your shoulders to keep you sedentary. 

“Much better.” 

---

He ends up passing the central part of town. It’s better this way. Go somewhere he won’t be recognized with a woman half his age. He’s the one who lives in town throughout the year. You and your family only visit in the summer. It doesn’t help that the town is small, and Joel is one of a handful of skilled contractors in the area. 

His rusted truck lulls to a jittery stop outside a small bar lit by a red neon sign reading, Past Lives. You wander inside, passing empty barstools and a glowing dartboard, while your sneakers crunch peanut shells littering the ground. You nearly slipped on a large pile of them, but Joel’s hand was firmly on your bicep before you could flail any further. 

“You might be the clumsiest woman I’ve ever met.” He mutters, annoyance passing over his features. 

You roll your eyes and scoot onto one of the tall barstools at a small square table against the wall. “I doubt that’s true.” 

He shrugs his shoulders and cracks open a peanut, tossing it into his mouth. “You’re right. Your mother is the clumsiest woman I know. You get it from her. Once, I watched her glide five or six feet down the end of the dock and land in the water.” 

An ill feeling passes over you again, pursing your lips as you trace your finger around the small bowl Joel is picking his peanuts from. 

Joel halts his movements, chewing included, and watches as your eyes stare meaninglessly at the table. 

“Never really seen you like this. Thought I’d like it if you were quiet for once. But now it just feels out of character.” 

Joel’s boot teasingly nudges your sneaker under the table. His brown eyes look warm despite the lack of light in the dingy bar. Your stomach twists thinking about how he looked under the moonlight just half an hour ago. 

Those pretty eyes of his meet yours. Soft. Kind. “Talk to me.”

A beaten-up sigh leaves your lips, tugging at the hem of your dress. 

After a drink or two, you tell Joel everything he missed before dinner. How you and your mother fought. How it was all venom and tears, leaving you cold and alone on the bathroom tile. By the time the battle came to a halt, there was no clear winner or loser. 

Joel’s an attentive listener. He doesn’t interrupt. He knows when to prompt you need a push. Joel’s pile of peanut shells has turned into a small molehill. The ice in your drink sloshes around as you start talking with your hands. 

“I love her, I mean, she’s my mom. But she’s always fought me on this. This-this-...”  

“The traveling,” Joel assists, his large hand nursing a small glass of whiskey. He looks amused like he enjoys watching you spew. You supposed he feels more relieved to see you explode like this rather than holding it all in.

“And-and it’s so much more than that! She fought me about leaving Texas for school, she fought me about doing a semester abroad, she just can’t let me go, it’s suffocating!” 

You didn’t mean to sound so passionate, and you hadn’t realized how vocal you became until someone slowly clapped on the other side of the bar in appreciation. You stifled a laugh and put your head shyly in your hands. 

He nods slowly, waiting to see what you’ll say next. You’re using him like you’re journaling at home, now it’s just interactive. 

You sigh and pinch at the bridge of your nose, closing your eyes as you listen to an old country slow song humming throughout the bar. 

“Didn’t even wanna come back this year.” Your words are barely above a murmur. 

This makes Joel pause. “What d’you say?” 

You sit up straight and sigh, crossing one leg over the other under the table. These stupid drinks are making you tell the truth. Be more vulnerable than you would ordinarily be. But it’s also because you’re talking to Joel, and he’s always been interested in what you have to say. 

“I didn’t want to come back this year. These past few years, I didn’t come back to Danbury because I sort of- purposely- busied up my summer. Internships, work, anything to keep me busy and out from under their-their….” You pause to make hand gestures that are wide and all-encompassing. 

Joel juts his jaw out to the side, lips pursed before he speaks again. 

“M’happy you came back.”  

There’s a moment of silence. Joel’s eyes aren’t on yours anymore. He’s swirling his glass around slowly and watching his ice rotate in a sloppy circle. You slowly start to smile as he looks bashful. 

“What did you say, Mr.Miller?” You pry teasingly, reaching your hand over and gently stroking his watch band. The nickname makes his eyes narrow on yours. 

“Nothin’. Forget about it.” He throws back the last of his drink, and you’re cooing for him to continue. 

“Wha- Joel, come on! Why did you say that?” 

He’s just trying to buckle down his smile, hiding it with his whiskey glass and shaking his head. 

“Didn’t say nothin’.”

“Yes, you so did. Don’t even try to lie.” 

“I’ve never lied a day in my life.”

Your eyes go wide, and now you’re smacking his forearm. He’s shoving quarters at you now, sliding them to your side of the table as a form of distraction. 

“Can you just-” He scoffs under his breath and rolls his eyes, finalizing his quarter total to four. “-fuck off, go put a song on the jukebox.” 

You sneer at him but obey. You look for something particular, pausing on Little Lies by Fleetwood Mac, smirking at him as you punch in his quarters. He seems confused as to why you stay standing at the jukebox. 

The chorus hits, and you point accusingly at him as you do so. 

“Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies,” you can’t even finish before your right foot catches on more slippery peanut shells, freezing like you were caught on ice skates and trying not to fall. 

Joel’s hand has a vice grip on your bicep again until you regain your balance. God. Your face gathers heat as you snatch your phone off the table, and he lets out a laugh at your expense. 

“Can’t sing,”

“Hey-”

“Can’t walk in a straight line.”

“I had like four drinks.”

“Two.” He corrects. There’s no hiding that you’re just unbearably uncoordinated. 

“God. Just- get me out of here, Miller.” 

Joel was biting back a smile. He likes teasing you, taunting you. Only because you know how to serve it back to him. 

“Not until you see this. Wanna show you somethin’.” He sets down his whiskey and lays down cash to cover the tab. 

You start your stride, and Joel’s already looking at you with instilled concern. You insist I’m fine. Go on. You follow him through a narrow hallway towards the restrooms, an exit door lit up with a red sign over it. 

The walls are filled with signs, pictures, and letters, all illuminated by a soft flickering strip light.  These were trails that people had left along the way, passing through the bar and leaving a piece of them behind for strangers to admire. It was like a memory wall. 

Joel leans back against the men’s restroom doorframe, arms crossed as he silently admires the wall. And you. 

Your fingers brush an old family picture timestamped from the late 80s. There were business cards, from bankers to bonds bailsman. 

You feel Joel’s hand cast warmth on your hip, guiding you further down the hall. You follow his eyeline to a large yellow-light spoiled wall map. There were push pins all in different parts of the world. 

“Look at all of these, Joel!” Your eagerness was evident as you stepped in front of him, finger flying from one point to the next, squinting past the tacks to read the cities people have visited. 

“Bangkok, Thailand. Paris, France. Of course. London, Dubai, Tokyo.” Your voice trails off, finger-stopping around the empty parts of the map that some of the bargoers had yet to venture off to. The pins around the state of Texas were ironic. 

You gently took a step back, Joel's broad and hardened front caressing your back. His arms gently wrap around you before they clasp at your front. You rest your temple against his bicep as you sigh. You found comfort in him tonight more than he could understand. 

Your neck cranes to the side and up, observing his defined jawline from below. “Have you ever been out of the country?” Your face is lit with excitement, only to fall as he slowly shakes his head. You turn back to the map, your fingers gently holding onto his muscular forearm. 

“Am I crazy for wanting to leave?” 

You can feel a heavy breath leave through Joel’s nose, the air fanning over the top of your head. 

“You’re not leavin’. You’re travelin’. You’ll come back, eventually.” 

The muscle in your jaw twitches, and your eyes move to the Eastern side of the map, spotting the tiny European countries. 

“Maybe my mom is so worried that if I decide to leave, I might not come back.” You say it as a joke. It makes Joel muster up a tut. But maybe, just maybe, you mean it.

---

You feel drops scatter from the dark black clouds overhead as you rush out to the truck, feeling the cold rain splash onto the exposed skin of your thighs.

Joel’s hot on your heels, doing his little side hop down the stairs and jogging lightly with his arms tucked into his sides. He’s already tossed you the keys to his truck. His body hovers over yours and shields the raindrops from landing on your head as you fiddle with unlocking the truck door. 

“Any day now.”

His babbling thwarts your concentration. 

“Fuck off, it’s like- rusted shut.” You tease before giving the handle one large tug, and it gives way with a creak. You slip in, dress hem tangling up on your upper thighs. Your hand flies to fix it instinctually, but you slow down when you see how adamantly Joel admires the exposed skin.

When you two make eye contact, he’s already cleared his throat and put the key in the ignition. He cranes his neck back to look out the rearview window, left hand cranking the wheel with precision while his right arm wraps around the back of your headrest. You swallow the lump in your throat, watching Joel reverse out of the bar’s parking lot and back onto the main road.

Your heart thumps, and you think he can hear it because his eyes are on yours when he turns back around. Magnetizing. And you have a hard time facing him without feeling a little shy. Because you’re thinking incredibly naughty things now. 

On the drive home, the rain pelts the truck and hard. Joel’s wimpy wipers are working at full speed. He’s not concerned because he knows these streets with his eyes closed. He turns up the radio a little bit to drown out the rain. He does it for you to ease your nerves. 

“You’re quiet.” He murmurs, his eyes still on the murky road in front of him. 

You can’t help but be quiet. He looks so fucking hot. As dim streaks of lightning skitter across the sky, you see the silver hairs in his mustache and beard. His rain-dampened curls are recoiling, fresh, and wavy. His thick neck was lined with strong veins and muscle.

“So are you.” You murmur back. 

His eyes catch you in sneaky glances. Your hair, pretty and dry since he shielded you in the bar’s parking lot. Dress half rumpled up your thighs, smooth skin of your legs exposed to his wandering pupils. 

The truck suddenly shifts, veering off the main road.  

“Woah,” you gasp, thinking the truck had slid at first. But Joel’s foot was still on the gas, cautiously guiding you off to a side road. You look around, covered by darkness and trees that shield your existence but do little to veil the obscene thoughts racing through your head. 

Joel finally throws the truck into a parked position, your eyes watching as his hand snaps the keys out of the ignition. 

He looks over at you expectantly. And you just deadpan. 

“Get over here." He says between gritted teeth, voice drenched in lust as he snaps off his seatbelt and then your own.

His large hands pull you in as soon as you’re free. You don’t waste another minute, straddling his lap and resting between him and his steering wheel.  

You clutch the collar of his dark green button-up, tugging him by his neck into your kiss. It’s messy and desperate, but you've wanted to taste him since dinner. His greedy hands are wrinkling your dress. The cold air tickles your warm thighs, and you whimper into his mouth. 

Joel’s kisses are rough but fluent; he speaks the language of your lips. You take a moment to admire how different the two of you are and how it feels like he’s the key to your lock. 

His warm palms slip up the front of your thighs as he kisses you, hasty and happy. He takes the hem of your dress with him. Joel is as warm as a furnace. He’s heating you from the inside out as your core begins to ache for him.

He pauses the kiss, large palm coming up to cup your cheek as his thumb traces along your lower lip. You take the time to catch your breath, feeling his own fog against the window next to you. 

“Not exactly the most romantic spot.” His eyes shift with lust-filled guilt. “M’sorry.” 

You work up a smile, leaning in to gently kiss his cheek and up his cheekbone. 

“It’s okay. We’re not romantic.” Your clarification feels like a lie. He doesn’t need to know that. 

The rain outside becomes blurred, and Joel’s looking through you again. Right through you. Your chest pounds under his watchful eyes. He sucks in the side of his cheeks, looks you up and down your face. 

Don’t lie to me. 

Don’t make me tell you the truth.

He decides to let you move on unscathed, your thighs clamping around his own with your knees at either side of his hips. His worry lines are stamped into his forehead as he looks over you cautiously. 

You break into a smile, unable to stand him looking at you like you’re a lost puppy. “Joel,” you whisper into his ear, soft lips giving his ear a kiss as your nose lightly brushes against his soft curls. Your voice drops to a whisper, sweet and divine. “Don’t make me beg, Mr. Miller.” 

Your lips suckle his earlobe and cast your tongue along the curve while his fingertips immediately dig deeper into the flesh of your hips. The sensation makes his cock twitch in his jeans. 

You smirk as you grind your hips into his lap, a suppressed grunt leaving his parted lips. He’s into it. “You like this, Mr. Miller?” Your words are murmured against the shell of his ear, teeth gently catching his earlobe and lightly tugging. 

Your words along with the rhythm of your hips over his lap have him in a tailspin. 

“Knock it off.” He warns, teeth gritted, a low growl emitting from his throat while he grips you at the waist to pause any movement. He looks so sexy snarling at you like this. Your hand reaches between you two, palming against his cock until you feel it swell into the heart of your hand. 

Joel is lazily planting kisses on the soft skin of your neck, he’s distracted by how good your hand feels. 

You take turns half undressing one another. Joel pushes your dress up to your waist and loops his index finger into the band of your panties. He guides them down with your assistance. You kick the material off your ankles and move to pop open each button of his long sleeve. He goes to shrug it off, but you smile and tighten your hold on the collar. 

“I like it on. Just wanna see your chest hair.” 

His mouth tilts into a crooked smirk.

“‘lright, then. Good to know.” He leans back in and places messy kisses on your exposed neck. You can feel how badly he wants to sink his teeth in, but you share the mutual rule of keeping those things below the collar. Out of sight, out of other people’s nosy minds. 

You struggle to admit that jimmying open his belt at this angle was pissing you off. You’re holding your breath until it clicks open, and you let out a sigh of relief. So does Joel. 

A gasp leaves your lips as Joel lifts the both of you up purely with the strength of his hips, a low grunt leaving his pouted lips as he pushes his jeans down to his knees, along with his boxers. You sit back down over him and feel his heavy shaft pressing against your slick center. His girth makes you whimper. 

The rhythm of the rain eases your racing heart. You take Joel’s pulsing member into your slightly shaky hand. 

“Nervous?” It’s not cocky or concerned, just curious. 

“M’not nervous.” You mutter, starting to pump his cock to get him to shut up. And it works. For a minute. 

His head falls back into the seat as he watches you in admiration, his own hand wandering between your spread legs and gliding two fingers through your slick. His forefinger grazes against your clit, and he has you whimpering again. 

“S’okay to be nervous.” His thumb slowly starts delicate circles into your bundle of nerves, and now he’s got your legs quivering. 

You’re chewing at the inside of your cheek, shifty eyes meeting his. You pace your words this time. “I’m not nervous, Joel.” You pull away from him to create a line of spit from your mouth, landing on his pink tip already drizzling in precum. You swallow your nerve and bring yourself to meet his eyes. “Not with you.” 

The mutual understanding links the two of you together, bound to the agreement in silence. You have a burning desire for one another. You’re scared, and he knows it. You push him to the limits, his heart beats for you. 

Steam fogs the windows of Joel’s truck. The rain dances a fine line between pounding and pouring to slow and subtle. 

Joel’s kisses lull you into a peaceful existence. You take off your dress, unable to stand anything between you and Joel. He’s warm as he wraps his arms around you, your tits flush against his thick chest. 

You line him up by his base, Joel’s trying to hold himself still under you. You’re focusing hard, and he kisses your temple to ease your thoughts. He murmurs something, but you’re too busy concentrating. 

His pink tip meets your warm flesh, and his tip slowly parts your walls. He’s seething between his teeth, how tight you are washes pleasure over his face. He wants you to go slow. You don’t want him to go easy on you. You can’t help but let his name tumble from your lips in desperation. 

“Joel,” you whine, one hand clenching the fabric of his button-up by his shoulder while the other still weakly holds his base. 

“M’here, baby.”

He’s rubbing soothing circles in your hips with his forefingers, trying to distract you from the stretch he’s creating inside you. 

His breaths are coming out in hot puffs. The truck isn’t cold anymore, in fact, it’s only steaming up. 

“So- fuckin’- tight.” He murmurs, eyebrows knitted together as his jaw was dropped open. 

It was sharp at first, but the further you sank over him, the more you couldn’t contain yourself. As soon as his balls were flushed against your core, you were kissing him. Hot and heavy, desperate and needy, can’t get enough of each other sort of kisses. One of his hands holds the back of your head to keep you close while your fingers are delicately feeling up his chest and mazing through salt and pepper hair. 

You smirk lazily against his lips, pulling away to rest your head on his shoulder. With this leverage, you start to roll your hips down onto his. Joel’s hands assist, squeezing your ass and guiding you smoothly up and down his shaft. You’re both moaning one another’s names, hazy eyes watching each other as long as they can before eventually drifting closed. 

You wished you weren’t fucking in his truck, your riding skills were a lot better than this, but if you try and pop up, your head will just smack into the roof. And he’ll make fun of you for as long as he knows you. 

“God- feel so good, Joel.” 

You’re panting already a few minutes in. You don’t want Joel to think you can’t do this, you don’t want his help. But your body is crammed in limited quarters, and you’re already sweating. 

He feels good. You wonder how long it’s been since he’s had sex. He’s not exactly the most outgoing of gentlemen. Thinking about him being with other women, maybe even women his age stirs a weird pit inside your stomach. 

One hand steadies itself on Joel’s forearm while the other gently clutches his cheek. You leave a messy moan against his ear. 

“Do you like fucking girls half your age, Mr. Miller?” You ask with a teasing smirk, messy kisses against his stubble and his ear ensuing. 

He’s grunting every time you throw yourself back into him, skin clapping against his thighs, his hands slipping from your hips to your ass and squeezing the juicy flesh. “-like fuckin’ you.” 

A low, extended groan leaves his lips as he holds your hips down, filling you full and having you sit with it. You throw your head back, and your eyes shudder closed with a loud moan occupying the truck. 

You tell yourself that you’re both just fuck happy. You can worry about the depth of Joel’s words later. He feels too good inside of you for the first time to give a shit.

Joel’s thrusts bring you back to life, hand landing against his window and leaving a print mark against the steamy glass. 

Joel senses your languid movements. He thinks you look pretty being fucked in his trunk during a thunderstorm. The darkness wraps the both of you up, only seeing flashes of each other’s features. He combs his large hand into your hair, catching your striking features with his hooded eyes. The slope of your nose. The curvature of your collarbones. Your pretty lips that he can’t stop staring at. 

Joel enjoys the control too much for you to be on top for a second longer. 

You collapse onto the truck’s long leather seat, lips parting in surprise as he maneuvers you to lie back without slipping from your entrance. 

“H-Holy fuck, Joel-” You’re breathless. 

Joel’s jaw clicks tighter as he flattens one of his large palms beside your head for leverage, hovering over you as he begins to methodically snap his hips into yours. Your desperate cries for more fill the truck. 

Both of you are horridly cursing, some in the form of whines and moans and others in the form of whispered grunts. 

Fuckin Christ-

Holy shit, Joel, please-

Feel so god damn good, princess-

Oh f- fuck me Joel, fuck me!

You’re already feeling the knots in your stomach tether tighter and tighter together, back arching as your chest brushes against his nose. 

Joel takes the opportunity and licks a hot stripe between your breasts. You know he tastes your glistening sweat, but the trail from his tongue makes you clench tighter around him. 

You catch Joel’s unfiltered groan in your mouth, his forehead resting against yours as his amber eyes grace yours. 

He’s close, you can see it in the way his features contort and his thrusts become more unpredictable. You had no idea he could fuck this good. 

Joel brings a hand up to your lips and offers you two fingers. You whimper but reluctantly take them past your mouth. You suckle and lather your tongue up and down each digit, it makes his cock twitch inside of you. 

He plucks his fingers free with a pop, a trail of spit extending from your bottom lip to your chin as he reaches between you both. 

Finding your swollen bundle of nerves doesn’t take him more than a second. You were so turned on it was almost painful. 

Joel’s tip sweetly kisses your cervix at this angle, and you are so close to spilling over. Your hands cup his face, pulling him into you as you share a messy kiss. You think about how scared you were to kiss him before, but now it makes you feel a sense of protection and safety. You wrap your arms around his neck, you need him close. 

“Joel,” you whimper, clenching your eyes closed and dropping your jaw as he finds the perfect rhythm circling your clit. 

“Can’t hear ya, baby,” He grunts into your ear. You can feel him tiredly smirking against your cheek, knowing he’s fucking you so good you’re struggling to find the words. 

“Fuck,” you mutter, your legs clenching tighter at the sides of his hips. “M’on birth control, finish inside me,” you whisper against his ear. 

You can hear him let out a short, breathy chuckle against your ear. It only drives him more, knowing he can fill you up. 

“Y’sure, sweetheart?” 

“Want to?” 

His teeth are gritted as he growls into your ear. “Course I wanna fill your sweet cunt up.” 

It was hopeless after that. 

A crack of thunder and a strike of lightning conspire, your view of Joel illuminating his gorgeous face in a white-silver flash. 

The tight coils inside you snap free, a broken moan of his name being the last thing you remember saying before white stars filled your vision. Your hold on Joel loosens as your orgasm crashes through you ungracefully, making you twitch and rut your hips below him. 

His fingers and his thrusts don’t stop. He rides out your orgasm, following suit until he flushes his hips against yours and lets out a heavenly groan of your name. You’re still under him, vision blurry and hearing fuzzy. He finds solace in the crook of your neck, nuzzling a home for himself in the space and losing himself deep inside you. 

His body shudders lightly as he finishes, spilling white streams into you for who knows how long. Your hand is gently stroking the hair at the back of his head, fingers combing through dark curls as he breathes hot air against your neck. 

You both slowly blink back to life. He’s complimenting you, but you’re too blissed out to hear the details. 

So good, baby… Such a pretty fuckin’ girl... So lucky. 

Joel tuts softly as he attempts to free his softened length, but you whine and tighten your legs around his hips to keep him stationary. 

Your eyelashes flutter as you feel gentle kisses by the corners of your eyes, tiredly smiling as you open them before slowly sitting up onto your elbows. Joel takes the opportunity to pull out and yank his boxers and jeans back into place, securing his belt last. 

He still keeps his shirt unbuttoned for you, partially because you have a hold on a random corner to keep it so. 

With the absence of your pants hotboxing the truck, you slip back into your dress with a light shudder. You reach past Joel’s leg to retrieve your panties and pull them up your stems to keep his spillage to a minimum. 

“Good?” He asks, a smile slowly growing on your lips. He looked so fucked out. You both probably did. You attempt to fix Joel’s hair, and he takes his thumb to swipe away the saliva trail on your chin. 

“Good.” You agree. Quiet and sapped, but good. 

You force Joel to play a few games of tic-tac-toe on the foggy glass before the storms lighten up, and you can actually see more than a few feet in front of the road. 

You’re picking at the skin around your nails the entire drive home. So many questions compile in your worn-out brain. 

What if your parents noticed you were gone? What if they were awake, waiting for you by the kitchen window, and they see you slip out of Joel’s truck? Try explaining yourself after that one. 

As Joel pulls into his driveway, you observe the lake house is still dark and silent. Empty but also not. Joel’s warm palm is on your leg. It draws your attention away from the window, focusing just on him. 

“Joel?”

“Hm?” 

You shift your jaw before you lay your head back against the headrest, gentle pitter patters of the last rain cloud splashing on the window. 

“What do you do when you’re not working? Like on that Saturday when I talked to you at your truck.” 

He musters up a half-mouth smirk. “Didn’t do much talkin’ that I recall.” 

You roll your eyes and slam a closed fist against his shoulder. It barely rocks his arm, let alone his body. “M’serious.” 

He lets out a long sigh and looks out the windshield. “I do stuff around town or-  for the town.”

He’s so hard to push details out of. He’s like a jammed stapler. 

“Go on. So, like, volunteering?”

Joel rolls his eyes and shrugs. “S’not really like that.”

“That’s what it sounds like.” 

He doesn’t say anything, just sort of starts smiling. “Just like keeping myself busy. But now I have you on my plate.” He teased. Your chest felt warm, knowing he kept a place for you in his hectic life. 

“What sort of stuff are you working on right now?” 

He takes a long, deep breath through his nose. You can hear it whistle before he lets it all out of his mouth, followed by clearing his throat. 

“Y’know that old church past that big field on the east side of Danbury?” 

You mindlessly shake your head and shrug. 

“When I was a kid, I used t’go to that church-”

“For God?” You can’t help but blurt it out in shock. 

He narrows his eyes on you and smirks.

“M’not exactly the Godly type.” You look over his chiseled jawline and beautiful, robust features. You’d have to disagree. He looked like one of God’s favorites. 

“So.. why are you trying to fix an old church?”

Joel slowly smiles, eyes mindlessly on the dashboard of his truck before he answers. “I have a thing for the broken, used, and abandoned.” 

Your head cocks to the side, and you give him a look, pressing him for an honest answer. Or maybe it was an honest answer, and you’re just looking for a better answer. 

He shuffles around in his seat before he continues, hand still aimlessly circling on your thigh. “It wasn’t operable when I was a kid, just rundown, abandoned. There used to be a stained glass mural on the-uh... east-facing wall. So when the sun came up through it, the whole place just- lit up.” He pauses and shifts his focus to you. 

“Now, y’know, it’s fallin’ apart. Dumb kids throwin’ rocks at it and chipping away the glass, age makin’ it all dust-covered.” Joel shrugs and falls back into his closed pit of secrecy. 

“So… you’re fixing up the town.”

A pause. “More or less.” 

“You know how to make a stained glass mural?”

He shakes his head and purses his lips. “No. But I can figure it out.” 

You twist your lips and slowly climb over his lap once more. His eyes watch you curiously while his hands settle on your hips. You cup either side of his neck, fingertips lightly brushing up against messy curls. 

“Can I see this mural you’re working on?” 

He takes a long time to answer. So much dead silence fills the truck you start to feel a bit awkward about asking, like maybe it was too far. 

“Please.” You ask or tell rather. You kiss his lips lightly to try and sway his pending decision. “I won’t judge, I think it’s cool.”

“Cool?” He instantly chirps, cocking an eyebrow up at you. 

“I didn’t say you were cool-”

“You most certainly did.” 

You’re shaking your head, and his pointer finger is prodding into your side to get under your skin. “I said that it’s cool. The stained glass stuff, that is what is cool.” 

He’s already sneering at you. “Whatever you say, princess.” You can feel your cheeks singe with heat. Your hand anxiously scrabbles for the door handle, letting the rusty door creak open for your exit.

Sneakers scrape gravel after you climb out of Joel’s lap, his boots landing suit. 

He smoothes a hand down your dress, your eyes watch before you face him. 

“You gonna be alright?” Joel's face is laced with slight concern, his head cocking past you and looking to the house. 

You shrug and shake your head. “Yeah. We’ve had this fight before, and we’ll have it again.” 

He doesn’t seem satisfied with the answer. He’s teetering on his heels as a stray raindrop lands on your cheek. 

“You can..” He trails off as his thumb comes up and brushes away the droplet, hand lingering before he cups your cheek. “Y’know, can always stay with us if you need a break. M’sure Sarah would love the company.” And so would he. 

Your eyes soften, the gesture warm and safe. You couldn’t even imagine the trouble you’d stir up at Joel’s house. Sure, you could occupy yourself with Sarah when she returned from camping, but what would you and Joel do? Well, besides the obvious…

Your lips curl into a tight smile, not wanting him to reel in his invite out of pure bashfulness. 

“Thank you. I’ll keep it in mind.” Your eyes are on his until he sighs, his shoulders reset into that of a broad lumberjack once more. His eyes looked like they were scheming. It’s fast, like a flash, and before you know it, the look is gone. 

“Take care of yourself.” He leans down and plants a kiss on the crown of your head, thumb skimming up the line of your cheekbone. Suddenly, your heart is racing again. 

You cup his cheeks and pull him down for a real goodbye kiss, two sets of pouted lips against one another, unwilling to let go until you have to. 

---

“What are you doing after work?” You’re on a call with Joel, phone pressed between your ear and hunched shoulder. 

“What are you wearing right now?” He taunts, voice crackling in and out of connection since he was currently working at a house out of town. 

“Ha.” You deadpan, closing the sliding glass door behind you as you step back into the empty lake house, skin sweltering from being in the sun for the better half of the afternoon reading on the dock. “No, really, I could use your help.”

The phone volume shrills in your ear as you hear an electric saw roar to life, Joel cursing repeatedly as he walks away from all the noise.  “Jesus fuckin-.. so damn lou- Can you hear me better?” 

Once the saw dulled, you put the phone back to your ear.  “Yeah.”

“What do you need help with?” His voice sounds a little preoccupied like he’s trying to focus on you, but he’s got a million things running through his head. 

“My window.” You say with a frown, stepping into your bedroom and cursing at the sight of it. “Won’t open. Maybe you can crack it open with some of your handy dandy tools.”

You smile as he musters up a little laugh at your hardware knowledge or lack thereof. “I don’t know about today, baby.” 

“You are the property maintenance guy for our lakehouse now, right? You have a duty to help me.” You tease, stepping back outside with a fresh bottle of water and an apple. Your teeth pierce the skin, and the apple’s juices gush past your lips. 

“Jesus, fine. I’ll be over. I’m almost done.”

You purse your lips to hide your smirk. God, he can’t even see you, but you don’t want him to know he’s got you flustered. 

“Parents are running errands today... If that’s extra incentive for you to hurry up.” 

Joel pauses on the other end. He’s probably got that stupid smirk on his face. “In that case, I’ll leave now.”

“I knew you’d see things my way. Thank youuu.” You playfully coo. 

Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever.

An hour later, Joel’s outside your window while you assist from the inside. His face is twisted in concentration, eyes narrowed on a misaligned hinge that he works free with a screwdriver, realigns, then screws tight into its proper place. 

He looks stupid hot so focused like this. Tanned skin, hair a little dusty from work. The veins in his forearm were bulging as he uses pressure to keep the hinge in place. You had to blink a few times to keep yourself from staring. He feels it. 

“Can I help you?” His voice was thick and echoing since he was speaking to you between a glass pane. 

You bite back a smirk and shake your head. 

He pulls off the hinge and nods, pats it a few times before looking at you and giving you a thumbs up. 

You decide to let him come inside before you open the window yourself, twisting at the string of your bikini bottom as you wait. He took in your appearance as soon as he parked in the driveway. 

“What?”

“...Nothin’. Like the outfit.”

“Joel, I was sunbathing. And reading. It wasn’t an intended distraction.” It was. 

“Mhm.”

Joel appears at the entrance of your bedroom. You silently curse yourself for not updating it more. It still looked like a sixteen-year-old fangirl lived in it. 

He appreciates the posters and magazines, checking his handiwork at the window. 

“Wanna give it a go? Open it?” 

You eagerly smile and step up to the window, playfully tugging on it and heaving. 

“I-.. It’s still stuck.” You say with a frown. “Joel, you said you fixed it.”

“What? Shouldn’t be-” He’s already got his hands on the frame and tugs, feeling it easily slip up and open. You’re giggling as his face deadpans. 

“You think you’re so funny.” He taunts, his body turning towards you as he chucks his tools haphazardly on your bed. You’re already attempting to take leaps and bounds away from Joel, but his arms are long, and so are his strides. 

His rough hands capture you by your waist, dusty and calloused fingers ghosting over your warm skin. 

Joel’s lips eagerly greet yours, both of you grinning into the kiss. It’s slow as you let it envelop you. Your heart races. He’s not supposed to be here, your parents could come home any time now.  

You bite down on your lower lip, feeling butterflies in your stomach as he backs you up against your wall, foreheads gently pressed together. His eyes flick behind you, and your head follows his gaze. 

“Boybands, huh?”

You roll your eyes and smirk, fingers moving to the button of his jeans. 

“Shut up, Joel. Leave the boybands out of it.” 

A car door slamming catches both of your attention. Heads whip on instinct, eyes wide like a deer in headlights. Your parents are home, and Joel’s half-hard in your palm. 

“Oh, shit.” You curse. 

Joel’s already moving, grabbing his tools off your bed, and adjusting his jeans. “Lemme handle it.” Your heart pounds as you and Joel greet your parents at the door. They walk in with fresh shopping bags. A cheesy sign for the living room sticks out from one of them. 

“Joel?” They both ask in unison, looking between the man beside you and you in your bikini. Your mother’s face lightly flushes. 

“Hey, Joel! Good to see ya!” Your father sets the bags on the table and grabs a beer from the fridge. You shift on your feet and just let Joel lead. 

Your dad’s oblivious, your mother is more curious

. 

“What are you... What are you doing here?” She tries to ask casually with a little smile. 

Joel raises his screwdriver, strategically keeping the toolbag in front of his lower half. You try not to smirk. 

“Was fixin’ your daughter’s jammed window.”

Your mother's face softens before she smiles. “Y’know, that thing has been jammed for… years. Thank you.”

You give him a tight-lipped smile and nod. “Yes. Thank you, Mr. Miller.” The light glare he sends you means you’ll pay for that one later. Joel clears his throat and nods, too. He turns to you now, and you share a look. 

“Just… let me know if it happens again. Might need to replace the hinge entirely. Small piece of it could be broken, might be why it keeps slippin’ out of place.”

“Yeah. For sure. Thanks.” 

You walk past your mother and open the door from him, but he still stands between your parents. What the hell is he doing?

“While I have you both, I was just tellin’ your daughter ‘bout a business trip I have comin’ up.” Huh? “ It’s not for Miller Contracting. It’s more for the town. I’m gettin’ materials for the old church-”

“Oh, the one with the broken stained glass mural on the east side of town?” Your mother chirps in. “We just drove past it. Just saying how someone needs to fix it up.” Joel’s lightly nodding to your mother’s words, her face soft as she listens to him with curiosity. 

“Well, I was tellin’ her about it ‘cause I could use some help getting materials from a supplier in Houston. I’d normally ask Sarah to tag along and help, but she said she’s got some graduation parties next weekend that she doesn’t wanna miss. Would it be alright if-”

“Oh, of course! Yes, please, if you need her help and she wants to go, she’s all yours.” 

Your eyes are wide, trying not to seem too shocked by Joel secretly sweeping you out from under your parents without them even noticing. 

Joel turns to you, eyebrow cocked.  “That okay with you? Next weekend. Friday to Sunday sort’f thing.” 

A whole weekend alone with Joel? Your insides are bursting, but you have to seem apathetic. 

“Mhm. Sure.” 

Joel sneaks you a private smile. “Really appreciate it. Ya’ll have a good rest of your evenin’.” And with that, he’s out the front door. 

You couldn’t believe what just happened. 

You try to act casual before you make it off to your room, but your mother’s voice pulls you to a halt. 

“Ah-ah, not so fast. Back it up.”

You quietly sigh before coming back to the main part of the kitchen. She narrows her eyes on you and lightly crosses her arms. Your fight with her from yesterday is still fresh, and it makes holding prolonged eye contact difficult. 

“Are you seeing a boy?”

Your eyes widen on instinct. Your dad pauses the sip of his beer and watches you carefully. You try to hold together a poker face as best as you can, but you’re worried your shock is already seeping through. 

“Wha- A boy? Why would you think that?” The laugh you force out sounds too fake. And you’re a terrible liar.  You feel so hot all of a sudden. You wished Joel was still here to talk you in and out of shit. It was a skill of his you’d surely have to learn. 

“Well, we heard the door close really late last night after you walked Joel out. We were just wondering if... You know, there’s a special someone that you’re seeing.” Of course, she hoped you would tie yourself down to someone in Texas. 

“Yeah, did a boy pick you up after dinner or somethin’?” Your father presses, eyes narrowing protectively over you. “You seein’ a boy or not, honey?”

You didn’t want to lie, but you certainly weren’t ready to tell them the truth about you and Joel. 

“Uhm.” Your brain scrabbles for an answer and ultimately chooses poorly. “Sorta. I don’t know. Kind of?” 

Your mother tightens her lips in a smile and nods a little. “We’ll let it go for now, but-”

“God- Mom, please.” You groan and put your face in your hands, closing your eyes and wishing this nightmare was over. 

“But,” she annoyingly emphasizes, “If it gets serious, we want to meet this young man.” She says with a firm nod before turning back to your father and putting away the items in their shopping bags. 

Meet him? They want to meet the boy you’re seeing? What will they do when they find out the boy is actually a full-grown man, a forty-something-year-old with a teenage daughter? And that man was not only their friend and neighbor but Joel fucking Miller. Fuck. Your luck was running out. 

---

here's my masterlist!

**follow hellishfics and turn on notifications get updates on my fic postings**

[adoregojo]

what do i do when i have writing block? write a drabble for reo of course, the cure for my halt and depression, a man that i need in my life

reo knew this is a bad idea.

maybe if he had a little piece of mind and considered the fact that you will end up inebriated to the point where you were wiggling around like a spaghetti, leaping joyfully every short second you got. even chanting a random melody, handing him a non-existence microphone as if you were in a karaoke, 一a place he grew to love because of you一

don't get him wrong, reo loved a lot of things about you, most of seeing you carefree, like a free bird. shuffling around the street for all what you cared for the world, he couldn't feel anything but the universe thumping in his ribcage.

it was you two engagement celebration. nevertheless, he scored nothing more then be enclosed by other reeking riches bastard, he spent the whole night seething at whoever laid an eye on you. violet hues filled with cold acquisitive greed. that left him drying sober, he just couldn't drift away his eyes of you. and if it wasn't for the cockblooker 一aka his parents一 crawling his way to guests that he bet reading a newspaper would have been more fun than keeping a chat with them, he would've been spent the whole night glued to your figure.

before he knew it, you were all drunk and barely able to walk two steps straight. reo wanted any reason to leave early anyway, so he take off your shoes ever so mildly, caressing his fingers cautiously beyond the pained parts, mainly the heel to the achilles tendon. you mumbled something about the pairs suffocating you throughout the whole night. so now they were hung by his two fingers.

all what he had of despair glided into ashes the moment it was only you and him, it may be left uncharted, but reo always felt like it was only the two of you in this world, a world where he doesn't have to carry the burden of being judged, where he can spin you around without worrying about slamming flatly onto the floor, where he can slow dance with you in his arms without feeling like an idiot every time he stepped on your feet 一out of nervousness, not his fault that your face was too much of a distraction.

"heyyyy, reoo, look at me! don't i look enlightened under the sunlight." you sluggish, a hand under your chin as you posed, feeling yourself as you blow your fiancé's a kiss. reo cold feel an arrow keening throughout his heart, and somehow he still managed to gather himself to not collapse on the dirty ground.

"dearest. as much as you look astonishing as ever, this is a street light, and it's almost midnight."

your face fell off onto a sulk, flipping your thumb downward at reo. "booo, haterr." you say as you stick out your tongue at your soon to be husband beaming back playfully, he wasn't even bothered.

"I assure you, my love. no hater is willing to carry these pair of shoes. they hella stinky." says reo, shoving your pairs away as possible, even blocking his nose holes merrily. and he couldn't be happier when you gasped dramatically, slamming your palm on your chest where your poor, fragile heart shattered at such painful words.

"nonsense! i will not take such a fails accusation! these twins of mine will remain memorized forever," you say heedlessly, whirling around in circles to prove your pointlessness.

reo says something about being careful, but you keep spinning yourself until your vision becomes blurry and your eyes were drifting in different directions. you were dizzy, so dizzy your feet were betraying you, you couldn't keep your balance, and before you meet the ground, a firm arm caught you midway.

"hey! i told you to be careful," reo's hand made it way to your waist, keeping you in shape. you almost felt like a slimy baby in his grip, he wanted to scold you more, for being reckless, for smiling broadly and making him gush, for holding his soul hostage, but he was far, far a goner to be rescued.

"haha, i did it because i knew you'd catch me." your chuckles overcome him any sense of life within him, the amethyst eyes of his only sees you, only felt the wreck of yearning pouring on you, reo's heart was pinning under your spell.

"yeah?" he asked, a stupid lovesick smile on his face.

"mhm! you'd always come to catch me when i fall." you were right, he'd jog his way to the end of the world for you. to make sure your save and sound.

"always," he assures you, tightening his hand to pull you even closer that no such thing as personal space exists between him and you, your light cologne blending with his heavy one. he snuggled his nose against the skin of your neck, drinking on your scents, as if it was the only air that bloomed his lungs. it was ticklish that it made you laugh inwardly, which was a balm on his chest. presses a quick peck on your warm cheek along the way. then carrying you with one hand like a lightweight tool to him.

"let's go home my prince charming, i need to take a looong bath." you babbled, fondling him a sloppy kiss just an inch away from his lips. a little dumbfounded, he still drags you alongside with him, you were a farther goner to notice the struck expression he had glued to his face, a faint reddish hue across his cheekbones and tip-ears.

"I'm already embracing it." maybe you were too drunk to hear that, maybe he didn't say it out too loud, maybe he's too in love to care, who knows.

[oneforthemunny]

hold your horses |cowboy!eddie munson x reader|

prompt: eddie's warned you about your speeding.

cowboy!eddie has been heavy on my mind, since reading @munsonology version of him. 

contains: filthy. MINORS DNI 18+!!! cowboy!eddie, domestic discipline-ish/ dom&sub themes, degrading, mean!dom eddie, spanking, oral fem receiving, p in v sex, after care.

The Munson Family Ranch sat on the outskirts of Hawkins, a thirty minute drive out into the rural side of the county- a twenty minute if the backroads were clear.

The first thing Eddie ever noticed about you, was your little, red sports car. The car you'd been trying to fit stacks of lumber into at the Hawkins Hardware store the first time he met you. It was cute, a little thing that could fly. You'd driven him a few times in it, pressing the gas pedal down so it roared to life, leaving Eddie grappling for the car handle. You'd laugh, look over at him with a little grin that always meant trouble.

"What?" You'd shrug innocently. "I like to go fast, baby, you know that."

Eddie did know that. Hell, half of Hawkins knew that, seeing you race by in a flash of red. More importantly, the Hawkins Police Department knew it too. You'd had your fair share of speeding tickets, some you could charm your way out of, others stuck to your name. They only seemed to pile up as you started coming out to Eddie's more often.

"What'd I tell ya 'bout speedin' down those roads?" Eddie frowned, lips pulled down in an unimpressed, fixed look at you. "Told ya that was dangerous, now, baby."

"I know, I know." You huffed lightly, waving him off with a little bat of your hand. "I'm just excited to get to ya, that's all." You grinned, wrapping your arms around him.

Eddie melted into your touch, your pretty smile and dazzling eyes, it was his weakness. He relented, pressing a kiss into the crook of your elbow, pulling you in by your waist. "You better slow down, girlie." Eddie lifted a brow at you. "Want you to come see me in one piece, you hear me?" He pinched the fat of your ass, leaving you squealing into his kiss.

Even with his warning, you still wouldn't slow down, driving too fast down the winding roads out towards his house. Even down the long, dirt driveway towards the house, Eddie would watch you, cloud of dust following behind you. He'd told you not to do that. It got the horses all wild for no reason.

"Hi, baby," You greeted with a purr, sunglasses pushed up onto your head, sauntering towards him sweetly.

Your mouth salivated at the sight of Eddie, hair pulled back and hat tipped low over his brow to fight the unforgiving sun that was beating down onto him. Wrangler clad ass that fit him snug, very nice, accentuating his bulge that had you flushing and pulsing between the legs. He wore his work gloves, tightening a fence knocked down by a bucking bronco from the day before.

"Hey, sweet thing." Eddie cooed, dimpled grin painting his lips, leaving you blushing and reeling. "What're you doin' here so early?"

You shrugged, hands clasped behind your back. "Missed you." You shrugged simply. "I got off work early and thought I'd come see you. Tried to call but... guess you were busy." You tilted your head to the side, looking at the kicked in wood Eddie was fixing.

"Yeah," Eddie snorted, shaking his head down at the wood. "Frodo's being a dick again, but managed to stay on for twenty-seconds. Beat my record."

"That's amazing, baby." You beamed down at him.

Eddie blushed gently, tongue poking out in concentration again. "I'm gonna finish up this. You got a letter from the Sheriff's department in yonder on the table." Eddie's eyes flicked up to you, watching how you stilled, face dropping. "Somethin' you wanna tell me?"

You stammered, looking back from Eddie to the house. "No," You said quickly. "I-I bet it's because I need to change my address. I haven't got around to it yet-"

"-You've been speeding again." Eddie said simply. "Haven't you?" His voice didn't hold any anger, it wasn't strict or scolding, it was level, casual like he'd asked you about the weather.

Your heart thumped in your chest. "N-No." You stuttered, cheeks flushing and flaming.

Eddie scoffed, shaking his head while he gripped the fence, veins protruding in the most delicious way. It had your knees buckling. "Don't lie to me, sweetheart. You'll just make it worse for yourself." A chill spilled down your spine, leaving you shuddering despite the heat from the sun basking on you.

"Seventy-two in a forty-five?" Eddie looked up at you, challenging. Your mouth hung open. "That's might fast to be goin'."

"Y-You looked through my mail?" You gaped, eyes gouging at Eddie in disbelief. "Eddie, you can't do that! That-that's illegal-"

"-So is going thirty over the speed limit down back roads." Eddie snapped firmly at you. His eyes cut over to your, peeking out menacing from under the brim of his hat. "Ran into Hopper today, and he told me one more time and your license would be suspended. I told him not to worry, I'd handle you."

Your tummy flipped, twisting with excitement and dread all at once, a contradicting feeling that left you dizzy. "What'd I tell you would happen last time if I found out you were speeding again?"

Your cheeks blistered, mind reeling back to the conversation. Eddie'd only spanked you lightly, enough to get you whining and pouty before sticking a finger in your face, scolding you like a bad puppy. "I'm gonna tear that ass up if I hear you're speeding again, you understand me, girlie?" You'd nodded dumbly, eyes glazed before dropping to your knees to suck him off as an apology.

You doubted that would help you now.

"I asked you somthin'." Eddie snapped, pulling you out of your own thoughts. "You just not gonna follow any of my rules now?"

"No, sir." You answered quickly, spine straightening under his intense glare. "You said... You said you'd make me sorry." You muttered, a paraphrase sure, but surely Eddie wouldn't make you repeat his exact words.

Eddie snorted in a laugh, shaking his head. "That's not what I said, and you know it." He sneered. "That's alright, honey, you don't wanna be good for me."

"I do." You huffed, lip jutting out towards him. You hated when he'd be mean with you like this. He knows it drives you wild.

"Hm, then prove it." Eddie's tone was cool, chilling almost. He always kept his cool, his composure, even when he was about to wreck you. "Go on and wait for me. You know how I want you. I'll be there in a few, darlin'. You got some learnin' ahead of you."

Your heart skipped, shaky legs carrying you up the steps of the porch towards the farm house. You could feel the pulsing between your legs, agonizing and throbbing. God, you loved when Eddie was rough with you like this. When he'd leave you sobbing and blistered from his belt, begging and dumb on his cock after he'd thoroughly ruined you to his satisfaction. You knew he'd come in, sweat soaked and musty from the day of work, and your mouth filled with spit. You hoped he'd fuck your throat, shoving his cock unforgivingly filthy into your mouth until your esophagus was bruised.

You folded your clothes neatly, placing them on the dresser before grabbing two pillows. He'd want you in the middle of the bed, ass up and hands out. You were unsure of if he'd tie you to the headboard or behind your back. You prayed behind your back, because then that meant the spanking wouldn't be as mean. He wouldn't have your hands that close where he might strike them during his lashing.

You wiggled your hips, relaxing into the fluffy pillows, sighing at the friction on your clit. You hoped he wouldn't see how drenched you were. It would only make him go harder. This was a punishment after all, a lesson you needed to learn.

The screen door screeched and latched, heavy boots hitting against the creaking wood towards the bedroom. Your heart fluttered in excitement, rolling your shoulders forward, hands clasped and extended forward.

Eddie hummed from the doorway, setting down something heavy on the ground. "So you can be a good girl?" Eddie asked, rhetorically. "When you wanna be?"

You pressed your lips together, clenching to keep yourself from shivering at the gravely tone of his voice. Oh, how you ached, begged to be touched and fucked. The mere sound of his voice was getting you this electrified. Your mind raced at what his touch would to do you.

"You've been quite the bad girl, haven't you darlin'?" Eddie tsked, sighing heavy for emphasis. His ostrich skin boots, brown and worn from the work day thundering against the floor.

"Y'don't wanna listen to my rules. Don't wanna listen to the law." Eddie's calloused hands skated across your bare back, goosebumps left in the wake of his feather light touch.

"You just wanna be a bad girl from now on?" Eddie asked, coming to the top of the bed, muddy eyes dark, brows furrowed down at you. "Go on and answer me, baby. You just not wanna be good f'me anymore? Just don't want to listen to anyone anymore?"

You shook your head. "No, Ed." You whispered, breath catching in your throat.

Eddie pursed his lips, puckering them out in confusion. "Then why're you not listenin' to anyone?" Eddie crouched in front of you, leveling himself so he could see you fully. "Why're you insistent on breakin' all the rules?"

You squirmed, the intensity of his gaze making you feel entirely too vulnerable, even in your nude state. "I dunno. I'm not doing it on purpose." You mumbled.

"Oh?" Eddie's voice lifted in surprise, brows raising to match his climbing tone. "'S that right? You didn't mean to go thirty miles over the limit? Down them back roads that I told you not to be speedin' on."

"I didn't-"

Eddie tsked, cutting you off with the shake of his head. He reached behind him, grabbing his thick leather belt, the gold buckle he'd won at a competition weeks earlier still shining on the front. Your heart skipped, breath stilling. His work belt was heavy, thick leather meant to endure buckling horses and lots of movement, and it packed a wallop when he'd use it on you.

To your surprise, Eddie took your wrists, sliding the belt through the buckle until your hands were tied tightly and secured with the leather. Eddie hooked your hands to the frame of the bed, the stretch in your shoulders a little uncomfortable.

"What did I tell you would happen if I caught you speedin' again, huh?" Eddie asked, fingertips skating back down your exposed skin while he disappeared behind you. "Did I not make myself clear the last time?"

"No, you did-" Your voice was whiny and high, teetering on a huff or a pout.

"So what exactly is the issue?" Eddie snapped, mean and gruff. Your thighs clenched, hips rubbing against the pillows. "I told you I was gonna bust your ass if you kept speedin' down those roads, didn't I?"

Your whimper in response was not enough for Eddie, his hand cracking down on the back of your thigh making you yelp. "Didn't I?" Eddie grit.

"Yes!" You cried out, hips bucking against the impact. "You did!"

"So why didn't you listen, huh? Didn't think I'd do it?" Eddie asked, you could feel him pick something up off the dresser, moving to the side of the bed. You didn't dare look over at him, you did know better than that.

"I-I just... I didn't mean to." You pouted.

"Didn't mean to?" Eddie scoffed. "Bullshit and you know it, baby. Lyin' is only gonna make it worse for you."

"'M not-"

Eddie's heavy hand cracked down on your bare cheeks, sending you recoiling at the sting, hips wiggling away from his heavy hand. "I don't want to hear another thing out of you unless I tell you, you hear me?" Eddie snapped, hand snaking through your hair, pulling you back at the scalp to bend you backwards to meet his gaze.

You nodded, lip jutting out in an emphasized pout. Sometimes it worked, got Eddie's heart melting and soft enough to go easy on you. In the least, he might go down on you afterwards if you looked sweet and sorry enough. Judging by the hard glare of his brown eyes, unmoving and unfiltered by your efforts, that wasn't going to happen tonight.

"Seventy-two in a forty-five." Eddie let you go with a slight push, leaving you bouncing forward into the mattress gently. "How much over is that?"

You huffed, thinking for a moment. "Twenty-seven." You muttered.

Eddie whistled, loud and dramatic, shaking his head in disapproval. "Twenty-seven." He annunciated every syllable, menacingly glaring down at you. "Now, you're tellin' me that was an accident?"

"It was-" You snarled, a loud groan pulling out of your chest when Eddie's hand fell heavily on your upturned ass again, leaving you grimacing and gripping against the belt.

"What'd I tell ya about that mouth, sugar?" Eddie growled lowly. "Only thing I wanna hear come outta that pretty little mouth, is you countin' out each of these licks, you understand me?"

You pouted, lips pressed together to contain your whine that threatened to spill out. You jumped slightly, heavy leather rubbing across the globes of your ass lightly, leaving you stilling at the realization. He'd gotten the strap. The dreaded strap he kept in his tack room, pinned up and mocking on the wall, blending in with the other leather equipment but reserved for you only. For when you really got out of line.

"Twenty-seven over, so I think twenty-seven hits are in order." Eddie hummed, running the strap over the globes of your ass. "I want you to count each one, loud, alright? None of that mumblin' or I'll start over." He warned with a cutting tone.

"You ready?" Eddie's voice softened, sweet and caring. It made your heart flutter behind caged ribs.

"'M ready." You nodded, pressing you cheek to the side of the duvet to look at him through thick lashes.

Eddie smiled at you, leaning over to peck your cheek sweetly. Eddie ran the strap over your ass, the heavy leather making you shiver with every glide. Eddie's heavy sigh fell out of his nose, a tell-tale sign he was about to begin. Your eyes squinted shut, hearing the whoosh! of the strap before it cracked down, white hot shocking pain searing your ass.

You gasped, breathless and strangled out of your chest, eyes popping open in a strained glare. Eddie sucked his teeth lightly, glaring sternly down at you. "O-One," You shuddered out.

Eddie nodded curtly, satisfied, before lifting the strap again. You moaned in pain, nails digging into the leather with the blow. He hit the same spot again, purposeful and heavy, leaving you blistering in uncomfortable heat. There was no reason you should be throbbing the way you were, clit pounding and screaming for relief as the vibrations from the strap tickled their way through your skin to your core.

"Two." You grunted, teeth barred. You wouldn't cry, not this early on, you convinced yourself, slow and controlled breaths to keep the burn in your chest down.

Eddie lifted the strap again, letting it snap against your already blossoming skin. "Three!" You squealed, barely catching your breath before it was falling down again. "Four!"

The burn from the strap could barely register before Eddie brought it down again, two more times, leaving you grappling and bucking against the pillows. He paused, letting the burn from the hits of the strap really settle in, that sizzling feelings that felt tight and warm settled into a low ache on the cushiony globes of your ass. Tears brimmed your waterline, and you sniffed them back hard, face rubbing into your arms to maintain your composure.

That didn't last long. By double digits, your voice was wobbling, tears leaking out of the corner of your eyes with every hit of the strap against you.

"Eighteen!" You whined, hips wiggling against the pillows. Eddie had already had to fix them once, a silent huff before placing you back on them, letting the strap rest heavy on the small of your back.

The smack! filled the room, leaving you gasping out fiercely. The breath tore through you with shock, choking you slightly from the impact as the sting settled in, the meat of your ass where your thighs met, a sensitive sit spot that now had been struck.

"Ow!" You howled, back arching in reverse to try and pull away.

Eddie's hand was quick, pressing into the small of your back to keep you in place. "What number was that, hm?" Eddie scolded you over your own labored breaths and whiny cries. "We need to start over?"

"N-Ninete-een." You shuddered out, shoulders heaving and shaking, body racked with sobs.

Eddie smiled contently before lifting the strap again. He brought it down lighter this time, enough to sting but not a punishing hit. Still, you sobbed and wiggled, sniffling out a number that was muffled under your arms.

"Twenty-seven!" You cried out before the strap actually fell onto your burning skin, the final blow that left you limp and smushed into the bed.

The patchwork blanket was wet underneath you, soaked with your own tears, snot, and drool. You were sure his pillows were soaked too with your own arousal. Your skin burned, ass ached and felt like it had doubled in size, yet your pussy throbbed. You could feel your own slick spend that had coated your inner thighs.

"Oh," Eddie cooed gently, fingers skating over your hot, buzzing skin. "You gonna be speedin' again?" He asked, tone light, a little teasing.

You shook your head, face still buried in the blanket to muffle your cries. "No? You promise?" Eddie's joints creaked when he crouched next to you, calloused hand petting your hair out of the way, a gentle coax to get you to look at him.

You nuzzled into his affection, wet cheek moving so it pressed into the palm of his hand, whimpering pathetically when he cradled you. "I won't speed anymore." You pouted, eyes glassy with tears. A hard sniffle followed that had Eddie grinning. "I promise, Ed."

"I know you won't." Eddie smiled, rough pad of his thumb swiping under your eyes. "You know you scare me when you speed down them roads, baby. Scares the hell outta me. Could hit someone, or a deer, or go to swerve and go right over, and-and... you can't do that to me, alright? My heart wants to give out even thinkin' about it darlin'."

"'M sorry." You mumbled. "I don't want to scare you. I'm sorry."

Eddie grinned, lips pressing against yours, tasting the salty tears that dripped down to coat those pillowy, soft lips he couldn't get enough of. "Mmm," Eddie moaned into the kiss. "Taste delicious, honey. My sweet, sweet girl." His eyes darkened, tongue swiping over his bottom lip.

"Bet I know somethin' else that tastes sweet too." He rasped, eyeing your lifted hips, ass glowing red and deep.

You blushed, clenching your thighs together. "What'd ya think? Can I have a little taste of her too?" Eddie nodded towards your propped lower half.

You nodded furiously, brainlessly, tummy flipping and squeezing with heat. "Please." You whined, nasally and high pitched, full of desperation but oh so sweet.

"Since you asked so kindly." Eddie winked at you, patting your thigh gently.

He was behind you, pulling the pillows and pushing your thighs to your chest, ass up and high in the air. Eddie gave no warning, he never did, licking a long stripe from your clit all that way to your puckered hole, groaning when he felt you gush and tense. He loved making you feel filthy like that, it always got you so wet.

Eddie pumped his fingers in and out of your sopping hole, tongue latching and suckling on your clit until your toes curled. You didn't even care that he was gripping your sensitive skin a little too harsh, the irritated burn with every pull of his hand only aided to your need, hips wiggling to press back into him.

"Fuck, sweetheart, taste so good." Eddie rasped, letting his forehead rest against your tailbone, inhaling your scent, pungent and tangy, deeply. God, he'd get it bottled up and wear it everyday if he could, your sweet nectar was an addiction to him, his weakness.

"Please, 'm so close." You huffed, eyes pinching close, rocking on your knees for some sort of friction.

Eddie gripped either side of your red cheeks, hot under his touch, pulling them apart to expose your tight, sopping hole before he truly suffocated himself into you. He was licking you furiously, bearded scruff scratching against your clit until you flooded him, leaving him covered and shining in your own spend.

Eddie didn't dare wipe it off, no way. He wanted to be covered in you, feel your release all over him as long as he wanted. His cock was throbbing, uncomfortably and painfully behind the cruel zipper of his wranglers. He didn't even bother taking them all the way off, growing frustrated when they caught around his ankles.

Eddie's boot on the bed, heavy and dirty next to you, the other spread and bent so he could drill you, fuck you hard and deep, hands in a bruising grip on your hips. You were sure he was just using your body to fuck himself, picking you up and angling you so differently until he found the spot he was looking for, that sensitive spot that left you crying out and soaking his cock.

It wasn't twenty minutes later that you had collapsed, sprawled on the bed, Eddie's own release dribbling and coating your abused skin, body still shaking with the aftershocks of the orgasm. Eddie smoked his Spirits, your head curled onto his chest, curls matted to his neck and hair weighed down by the hat. His boots kicked off, jeans long gone, still laying over the covers, long legs avoiding the wet spot you'd left behind. He knew he'd have to clean that later.

"I tell ya." Eddie exhaled slowly, the cloud of smoke following him. "For such a bad girl, you've got the best pussy in the world. Ain't that a shame."

"Gotta have something." You giggled breathlessly, lids heavy and mind foggy.

"You got more than that." Eddie nodded down at you. "You're perfect, baby. Well, almost perfect, you just speed." He gave you a pointed glare, nose pressing against yours.

You laughed, swatting him away gently. "I just like to go fast, what can I say?" You shrugged gently.

"Thought once you started hangin' around me, you'd realize," Eddie paused, looking down at you, puddle eyes starry and shining into you. "Takin' it slow is the thing to do, darlin'. There's no need to rush. 'M not goin' anywhere, and neither are you, alright? So slow it down."

You blushed, moving so your cheek was pressed into his inked pec, nuzzling into the pale skin sweetly. "I'll go slower." You hummed. "For you, and you only."

Eddie's dimpled grin was a true prize, leaving you blushing and dizzy under his loving gaze. "That's all I ask, darlin'." He rasped, lips pressing to yours sweetly. "You speed again, and I'm gonna hide your keys. Make you start driving the Wagon."

'The Wagon' was an ancient station wagon from the fifties. His mother's old car that Eddie couldn't bare to get rid of. Good for cruising because of the low speed it would go, bad for racing because of that.

You groaned, rolling your eyes. "Don't you dare." You jested lightly. "I'll take a horse."

Eddie snorted. "You can't even mount a horse, properly." He eyed you knowingly.

You shrugged. "I'm sure I can figure it out. Mount you just fine, and you told me you're a stallion." You giggled.

Eddie blushed, shaking his head. "I think you told me that." He poked your side gently. "I just agreed with ya."

"You always do." You purred, nails running down the soft skin of his tummy, toned and a little red from his days in the sun.

His happy trail was full again, leading down to the magnificent bunch of hair on his pelvis. Oh, you loved it when Eddie would go stag under his jeans, unbuckle that top button and only his bush showed. It made you drop to your knees every time, that's why he did it.

Eddie sighed, arm curling to pull you closer to him. "Yeah, can't argue with ya too much. Love ya too much, you little wildcat." He pressed a kiss to your hair line, nicotine drenched lips trailing down your temple lightly, smothering you in warmth. "'S why I worry about ya, ya know?"

"I know." You beamed, hugging him tightly, burying yourself in his scent, spicy and a little bitter from the sweat of the day. You didn't mind because it was Eddie, completely him.

"I gotta go to traffic school." You pouted, hooking your chin over his pec to look up at him.

Eddie snorted. "Good. You better pass, too, or I'll bring out the strap again."

"Don't you dare." Your eyes widened at him, reaching back to rub your sore skin. You both knew you didn't mean it, loved the way he was mean to you too much to truly mean it.

Eddie laughed, bumming his cigarette out on the tray before pulling you closer to him, arms wrapped around your frame like heavy weights. "Think I need a minute before I get up." Eddie muttered, heavy lids pulling shut. "Just a second 'fore I go feed the horses."

[k-n0-x]

༺ ♱✮♱ ¨:·Something Stupid-Chapter 4·:¨ ♱✮♱ ༻

A/N: Hey guys! I managed to get this chapter out early coz I am so hot and amazing at everything my social life is at an all time low and we have Easter break. Some foreshadowing if you guys can guess, but keep it to yourselves for now. Mommy issues y/n? That’s a first 😨😨😨😨. This chapter is also Lucifer basically being: “No, you’re so sexy haha don’t cry”

Also, the slow burn is burning now! YAYYA 🎉

Playlist:

Navigation

Enjoy! <3

꧁🥀☽💫✶♛🦢♕✶💫☾🥀꧂

You sit on the patio of your home, feeling as though you’re rotting away. 

It’s been 5 days since Adam’s full blown out tantrum, but it feels like it’s been 5 lifetimes. 

A cockatiel lands on your table, its bulging inky eyes staring at you, vying for your attention. 

You laugh, and give it some crumbs of your leftover toast from breakfast that you couldn’t bear to finish.

The bird eats them graciously, and flies away, you watching enviously. 

Oh, how you wished you were that bird. Carefree, and not trapped in the gilded cage that you are in. 

If only… 

Bzz bzz

Your phone rings. The contact Mom glows on your screen. 

Unwillingly, you swipe right. 

“Hey mom, what's up?” This woman never calls you, unless there are three instances; she needs you to get her something of monetary worth, wishing you a happy birthday/any other significant holiday, or-

“Darling, there's something I need to talk to you about. A little birdie told me that you've been stepping out of line recently~” 

Ah yes. The third instance. The times when your actual fucking personality shows, even for a sliver of a moment, and how it  could potentially hurt your ‘relationship’ with Adam. 

“Mom, it's not that big of a deal. I just was feeling rough recently, and-”

“Well it doesn't matter what you feel does it? What matters is that you honour our family. Being married to Adam is what's best for you. You acting outwardly is seriously jeaprodising your relationship, and I am just trying to help you stop before it's too late,” Your maternal figure’s sing-song-like voice turns sharp in an instant, like it could cut through butter. 

“You were always a wild child, a disappointment, I am trying to help you-”

You interrupt. 

“How are you helping?! Belittling me, treating me as some sort of– some do Ill?! I have tried, given my whole entire fucking life, trying to please you in every way, but somehow, it's never enough! And when I do fuck up, suddenly I'm a failure in your eyes?!” 

Silence.

“You better mind your language young lady,”

“NO! I will NOT mind my FUCKING LANGUAGE. I will  swear when I want to, and I will do whatever I FUCKING WANT! I AM DONE WITH YOU AND YOU- YOUR WAY OF THINGS!” 

You press the end button, calmly. 

You storm up to your bedroom and closed the door. Calmly.

You look at the bookshelf, always so perfectly clean, scarce of dust. 

Perfectly clean, no imperfections. 

You let out a cry of irritation and just start throwing out books, ripping the pages of each, crumpling sheets of paper, sobbing hot angry tears while doing so. 

When that was done, you just bring the entire bookshelf down with a bang, and you stomp on it until you feel a sharp pain in your foot, surely that's a splinter right there. 

You stumble over into your bed and scream and cry in your pillow, amongst the mess.

You submerge yourself in your pillow even more, until your anger numbs away, leaving you with a throbbing pain in your head. 

Absolutely drained from your outburst, you drift off. 

꧁ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ꧂

Everywhere is foggy. 

You look around, looking for anything of use, when your attention is turned to a glowing light, placed on a rusted pedestal. 

Since it's the only thing that piques interest, you touch the fluorescent ball and yelp when it scorches your hand.

“Ow,” you pull your hand away and decide to look for anything else. 

As you trek through the nothingness, you  feel like you're being tugged down by an anchor, or treading through quicksand. 

Suddenly, the ground gives way under your feet. 

You’re falling. 

The cold air whistles through your ears. 

You try to fly with your wings, but nothing; it feels like they have been ruthlessly ripped from your body.

You feel as though you're being stretched, squished and deformed like play dough, until you hear and feel something cracking. As you fall, you look towards the light. 

At the entrance of the hole, there are many, unidentifiable figures, just, staring at your downfall. 

You want to scream and cry for help, but it feels like your mouth has been cemented shut. 

A faint noise calls your name, which sounds closer and closer each time as you fall helplessly. 

You make a successful-ish attempt to turn on your stomach. 

In your horror, you see a halo, cracked and muted of its previous glow. Your halo.

Not that far below you, there are hot red coals. 

Oh God. 

The voice becomes louder and closer and you hit the ground with a scream. 

You jump up, to find yourself back in the dump that is your bedroom, slicked with sweat. 

“Oh my God, Y/N! Are you alright?” Emily, who was tentatively paving the way to get to your pathetic self. 

“Emi, hi… Yeah, just eh, rough day,” you smile weakly at the Seraphim, who’s concerned expression shows that she doesn't believe you, but she doesn’t want to put you under pressure.

“What’s all of this?” Emily motions to the wrecked room.  

“Adam pulled a tantrum again?” 

“Huh? Oh that, nono, sorry uhm,” you pause to clean the room as it was with the snap of your fingers.

“Why are you here Emi? Do you need something?” You wipe your eyes, but your bloodshot eyes are still apparent. 

“No, I just wanted to hang out with you, but I can come back if it's a bad time,” The Seraphim stumbles over her words as she looks up at you, slightly flushing.

“No, no you can stay. I’m just a little bit shaken up, but yep you can stay. Uhm….” you trail off. 

This place is feels really constraining

You need an escape. 

“Hey Emily, wanna go on an adventure?” You put on a face of newfound enthusiasm. The Seraphim just had that effect on people.

“Of course! But er, where?” 

“Shh, it's a surprise, now let's go!” You push Emily into the portal you made and go in yourself. 

꧁ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ꧂

“Woah, this is what it's like?” Emily says as she looks around the hellish landscape like a lost puppy.

She snaps out of it when you drag her out of the way of a thrown carcass headed towards the both of you. 

“Yeah, let's head inside,” You manoeuvre her into the hotel. 

The lobby is more populated than your last visits to the establishment, though all faces are familiar. 

“Emily, meet Angel, Husk Alastor, Charlie, who you know already, and-” Your voice dies down in your throat at the sight of the Demon King, with his strapping jacket and top hat. 

What is going on with you today? 

“And Lucifer,” You motion to the King, who gives you both an acknowledging nod. 

Your heart misses a beat. 

“Well uh, there's one more but I don't know where she is… WOAH NIFFTY!”

The little scamp runs towards the Seraphim with a knife about to stab her with malicious intent. 

“Niffty, no. No stabbing any more angels we talked about this,” Angel grabs the knife from the housemaid and throws it in the trash can. 

“Ugh, not a bad boy,” Nifty grumbles and begrudgingly rushes off to god knows where. 

“Well everyone, this is Emily, not sure if Charlie has told you about her but-”

“Is she your kid?” Angel asks. 

“I’m sorry, what? Oh no, no she is not my kid pff,” you say. 

“Huh,”

“Well as I was trying to say, Emily here is another person on our side,” You give Emi an encouraging squeeze of the shoulders. 

“Well this is quite the improvement. Salutations! Pleasure to meet you,” The radio demon greets himself, extending his hand to shake Emily's. 

She takes it, though cautious. 

She turns to Charlie and warms up to the amicable face. 

“Hi, Emily, er obviously you know who I am,” The princess of Hell welcomes her, as some of the other Hotel residents go off doing their own thing. 

“Oh yes. Y/N told me about you, obviously we've met before, but under less casual circumstances,” Emily scrambles for conversation. 

Obviously, they need a little push to loosen up with each other. 

“Charlie, maybe show Emily the garden? Or maybe the entire hotel for that matter. Emi here has been dying to have a look around,” 

“Oh yes! Let me show you some of the suites, I decorated them myself,” Filled with giddiness, Charlie beckons the Seraphim upstairs.  

Emily turns to you, unsure. 

“Go on, don't worry, I'll be waiting here!” You give her a persuasive smile and shoo the pair upstairs. 

Now you had some time to kill…

“Hey!” 

“Agh!” You jump at the voice of Lucifer. 

“Geez, am I that scary?” He laughs and puts a hand on your shoulder. 

“Pff as if-” You snicker and give him a playful shove back.

“Anyway, how've you been? How's the old rusted machine been?”

“Are you always going to make digs and remarks at my husband in an attempt to get all three of his wives in your pants?” You raise an eyebrow sarcastically.

He sighs, feigning sorrow. “You know me too well. I thought it was the perfect plan, but clearly I'll have to tune it a bit,” The demon rattles on, but your brain fixates on the one word he said. 

Perfect. 

Something you try so, so hard to be, but apparently isn't enough for your mom. 

If your mom doesn't love you as you are. 

Well, what's to say anyone can? 

“Well, what do you say, Butter-Duck? You have to find a nickname for me, but I'll call you that regardless, hmm?”

His question brings you back to the conversation. 

Which, leads you to ugly, fat tears. 

Lucifer’s face contorts into panic. 

“Wait, I'm sorry, it's was a rubbish nickname, sorry I thought it was funny-” He puts a comforting hand on your shoulder. 

“No, no it's not that,” You rub your eyes, your voice croaky. 

“The reason is quite silly, really, it's fine, I'm just being stupid hahha,”

Lucifer is not convinced. 

“Listen, you helped me out the other day, and even though I'm not good at this comforting stuff, please, at least let me listen,” He gives you a weak, gorgeous smile, one that is enough to make you stop crying about. 

Okay, it's really becoming an issue of you being distracted by…

Him.

“Well, just an argument with my mom; basically just her saying how much of a disappointment I am and-” your voice creaks.

“And?”

“And I suddenly just don’t feel like her daughter,just a burden she has to put up with, and then what’s the point of all of this if you're not perfect,” 

And breathe. 

You put your face in your hands. 

“I’ll never find love,” 

“Hang on, but isn't Adam your husband? Don't you love him?” 

“No, I don't. It was a marriage purely organised by my parents. Completely transactional,” you mutter dejectedly. 

“Shit, that really sucks. Listen, I know it's hard to hear, but you need to hear it. Nobody is perfect. No one. That's what makes people interesting. And your mom wanting you to be that is far from perfect of her. Not sure if you're aware, but we're in Hell, right now, amongst many people who are basically morality rejects. But you, you're a Winner. Not in the physical sense, but also metaphorically. And for what it's worth…” Lucifer takes a moment to mull over his next words. 

“Many people love you, like Charlie and, that Seraphim, Emilia?”

“Emily” You amend. 

“Anyway, that's besides the point. The point is that you have many people that adore you, and that's what matters most,” Lucifer comes closer and stiffly puts his arms around you, which you return. 

“Thank you, Lucifer,” You sniffle into his shoulder. 

“No problem, anytime. You are my friend after all,” He gently smiles.

Your heart flutters. Friend? As in, person he considers more than an acquaintance? 

“So, what's this about a Butter-Duck?” You tease. 

“What? I thought it'd be a cool nickname for you,” He huffs. 

“Alright, alright… Let me think of a nickname for you then… Lulu!” 

He grimaces. “Ugh, that sounds like a name for a baby products brand!”

“Oddly specific, but if it annoys you more, all the better!” 

“Ugh, you're like worst than some sinners here I swear,” 

“Who said Angel’s can't be jokesters too?” You give him a wink. 

He coughs, a rosy red complexion appearing on his face.

꧁ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ꧂

Emily and Charlie come back into the lobby, to you and Lucifer making small talk on the couch. 

“Ready to go?”

 Emily nods. She goes to hugs Charlie, which is reciprocated. 

“Well, I’ll see you around?” You squeeze the demon’s king hand. 

He looks at you, and nods, hesitant to return the gesture, as if you were glass. 

“Yes, I will,” 

As you and Emily leave to make your way back to Heaven, you could've sworn you heard Lucifer whisper three words. 

“I love you,” 

You turn back with a questioning expression, but all that was on his face was nonchalance.

꧁🥀☽💫✶♛🐣♕✶💫☾🥀꧂

Word count- 2,194~

Taglist:

@dionysusismypatrongod

@glowymxxn

@froggybich

[hornyfor-redacted-onmain]

Bamboozled

Pieces of My Heart - Chapter 15 Stray Kids OT8 x reader, Soulmate AU

Masterlist | Next Part

The next morning was spent doing errands. You woke up to a few good morning texts that made you smile, and you let them know you were heading out to the store down the street. The street was slightly busy as it was early morning on a weekday, but it wasn’t crowded.

You managed to make it through the store with little to no issues, only slightly panicked when you messed up while thanking the cashier, but thankfully she brushed off the error and wished you a nice day.

Soulmates

Y/N Guess who only slightly embarrassed themselves at the grocery store ^^ Img.png Felix Oh no, what happened? Y/N Tried to say thank you. Accidentally said you’re welcome. Felix ∠ ( ´• ０ •`) 〴 Han Damn, that’s so embarrassing For you For me it’s hilarious Y/N ( ⇀ ╭╮↼ ) Chan Glad you’re back safe Sorry to hear about you embarrassing moment Minho Poor Jagiya RIP your dignity Funeral will be held at 8pm           Y/N ( ง •` ⎽ ´• ) ง

You got back to your apartment and began putting things away only an hour after leaving, which left you with plenty of time to sort out all the things you had planned for the day, starting with your assignments for the week.

You received a text as you began to set up your computer and pull out the books you had bought only a week before you got onto the plane, but you forget about them for a few seconds and it isn’t until you get 6 consecutive notifications that you finally pull out your phone.

Changbin Hey, do you mind doing me a favor? Y/N Hmmm, depends on the favor

The other texts you received were a couple photos and selfies sent by Jeongin, and you smiled as you looked through a few of them. Most of them were obviously taken without the members’ knowledge, and you shamelessly saved a few of them and used your favorite selfie as your phone wallpaper.

Changbin Channie-hyung made plans to work later tonight, despite my best efforts to convince him to take a day off. You mind giving it a shot? Y/N What makes you think he’d listen to me? Changbin I figured you could persuade him more effectively. Y/N Hmmm. I might have some ideas in mind. Changbin Oh? Thought about it before, huh? Y/N NOT LIKE THAT! Get your mind out of the gutter! Changbin Kkkkk As long as it gets him to bed before midnight, I don’t care what you do. Y/N ( ￣ ^ ￣ ) ゞ

You then decided to thank Jeongin for the pictures by making yourself a breakfast full of his favorite foods, settling down at your desk while you ate to go through your email before you got started on your homework. You set a timer for 2 hours, working through as much work as you could with a few breaks in between, and pretty soon your alarm went off.

Double checking it was around lunchtime, you sent a quick message.

Y/N Are you busy right now? Chan Hmm, having a quick lunch with the boys. Why? Is everything okay? Y/N Can I call? Want to hear your voice.

Instead of a reply, you received a call from him, which you received with a smile.

“Well, someone was quite eager,” You teased.

“What can I say. I missed you too.”

“You saw me yesterday.”

“Hmm, but that was over 24 hours ago. It’s a long time to be away from my girlfriend.”

You let out a laugh. “Girlfriend? Awfully sure of yourself considering you haven’t actually asked me yet.”

“I haven’t. But a little birdie told me Seungmin already asked for us.”

“Oh?” You began to pace your room. “Doesn’t that technically mean only Seungmin’s my boyfriend?”

“Haven’t you realized sweetheart? We’re a package deal.”

That made you pause, and you were suddenly grateful that this conversation was taking place over the phone and not in person, because it allowed you to ignore your suddenly hot cheeks and act as if you were as confident as you wished you could be.

“Well, in that case, I think I deserve a nice night in with my lovely boyfriend. What do you say, want to hang out tonight?”

There was a pause on his end, and you could just about make out the distant chatter from the other boys. “I don’t know. I had some ideas I wanted to flesh out while they were still fresh …”

“Shoot. Are you sure I can’t convince you to change your mind? I was really looking forward to getting to spend some time with you.” You dropped your voice down to a seductive tone. “I promise I’ll make it worth your time.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I have some ideas in mind.”

“What kind of ideas?”

“Good food, good company, and a good night’s sleep. What more could you possible want?”

“That sounds like heaven,” He said with a smile in his voice. “I’ll agree on one condition.”

“Hmm?”

“Tell me which one of the boys put you up to this.”

You snickered. “Please don’t kill my boyfriends, babe. I prefer to have them around just a little longer.”

“Oh no, I mean to thank them. I was planning on spending the night with you anyways, as an apology for missing dinner last night, but I figured I could get a better deal if I convinced the others that I was going to work tonight-“ He trailed off.

Your mouth dropped open in shock. “You planned this!?”

“I planned on someone snitching on me.” His own voice suddenly dropped, and you felt shivers roll down your spine. “Getting to hear you practically begging for me? Oh honey, that was just the cherry on top.”

“You little shit,” You snapped back breathlessly.

Chan let out a chuckle. “I’ll see you tonight sweetheart.”

“My place or yours?” You wondered, twirling around on your spot with a smile.

“My place. If I have you all alone, I won’t be able to keep my hands to myself.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” You teased. “But your place it is. See you later, alligator.”

“In a while, crocodile.”

-0-0-

Y/N You’re too predictable And apparently, so am I :( Changbin ??

-0-0-

Using the key you had been given just the day before, you made your way into an uneasily quiet apartment. It felt wrong to be there by yourself, but you had a plan for a perfect evening, and part of that part was making sure that you had a nice warm meal waiting for you boys when they got back home.

You were planning on something simple, but also something you were sure everyone would like. You didn’t know if everyone would come around for dinner or if it would just be the 4 who lived there, so you made enough for 9 people and figured if there were leftovers they could always eat tomorrow.

And your timing was nearly spot on, because just as you lowered the heat to leave the food warm, you heard the front door click open. There was a soft chatter and a surprised hum from behind you, and you turned around with a smile.

“Dinner’s ready if you guys are hungry,” you said, and Jisung waddled over to you with a tired smile.

“Hi baby,” he said, wrapping his arms around you.

“Miss me?” You teased.

“Always.” He hooked his chin onto your shoulder, and you felt an arm reach out to pull the lid off the pan on the stove. “Ooh, whats this?”

“Chicken parm. You hungry?”

“Ahhh, you made food!?” Changbin’s loud yell made you jump, and you peeked around Jisung to wave at the other three who were piling into the kitchen.

“It’s ready, if you guys want to eat.”

You received a loud overlapping rumble of confirmation from 3 of the boys, and Chan gave you a knowing look when you winced at the sudden pitch in noise. He mouthed what you assumed was ‘thank you’, but you had to quickly look away to keep Hyunjin from dropping the plates he had been trying to grab despite you and Jisung standing in his way.

Jisung whined when you pulled away, and it was only with a promise to sit next to him that you managed to wrangle them all to the table.

The rest of the meal was surprisingly silent as the boys ate. You could tell they were tired, and you were thankful that Chan wasn’t going to actually be working late that night because he looked like he needed a good night’s sleep more than anyone.

“I’ll clean up,” You reassured the others when they finished. “You guys go get ready for bed.”

“Are you staying?!” Hyunjin piped up, giving you a pleading look.

“Sorry Hyunnie, I called dibs,” Chan said, patting the young dancer on the shoulder.

Changbin gave you a sour look and you laughed, knowing that he had undoubtedly asked Chan about your cryptic text and realized you had both been bamboozled.

Jisung let out a yell. “No fair! Why do you get to spend the night with them?”

“Yeah! What if I get lonely tonight?”

“Ah, Hyunjinnie! You can stay with me if you want!” Changbin chimed in.

Hyunjin made a face, leaning away from Changbin who was now making kissy faces, and shooting you a pleading look. You grabbed his plate and escaped into the kitchen, the sound of chairs scratching along the floor and pounding footsteps echoing down the halls.

“Everyday,” Chan sighed, joining you at the sink and placing his plate on the counter.

You glanced at him, smile tugging at your lips. “You poor boy. You look like you need a break.”

“Hmm, good thing I have a perfect escape,” He whispered, wrapping his arms around your waist.

The heat from his body soaked through your shirt and you leaned back, pausing in your dish washing to appreciate the feeling of content you experienced being in his arms, and you knew he felt it too when he slumped against you as his muscles relaxed. He pressed a kiss to your shoulder, grip tightening for a split second before he pulled away.

“Move over,” He said, bumping you with his hip. “Let me help.”

“You don’t have to,” You reassured him. “I know you’re tired.”

“The quicker we finish this, the quicker I get to have you in my bed.”

You flushed at the subtle innuendo he dropped on you, and if it wasn’t for the giggle that escaped him when he realized it too, you would have thought it was on purpose. You bumped him back and the two of you made quick work of the dishes.

-0-0-

Something nudged your shoulder, and you jolted awake with a sudden inhale of air. There was a blurry smudge of a person leaning over you, and your heart was beating loudly in your ears until your eyes adjusted to the dark and you realized that the smudge was Jisung, frozen with his eyes wide at having been caught. You let out the breath you had been holding.

“Sungie,” You groaned, and Chan shifted from behind you. “Seriously?”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t notice until tomorrow.”

You closed your eyes, lifting up the blanket in a silent invitation, and Jisung took the win with grace as he slid under the covers. Chan huffed out a laugh in realization, warm air hitting the back of your neck. Jisung pressed his back against your front, and you wrapped your arms around him, the warmth from both sides slowly pulling you back to sleep.

[itspbandjellytime]

The Assistant [Hailee Steinfeld x Fem!Reader] - Chapter 3

Plot: Y/N Waldorf is fresh out of college and her first job is being Hailee Steinfeld's personal assistant, but what Y/N doesn't know is that Hailee is hiding a huge secret from the general public and from her, as her assistant.

Notes: This is a multi-chapter fic, you can also read this on wattpad under the same username "itspbandjellytime". This fanfic is also going to contain NSFW themes in the near future, so if you're under the age of 18 please don't read this. Thank you!

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Word count: 1.4k words

[Y/N's POV]

The next day arrived, today is the day I move in with Hailee. I already packed my bags earlier this morning again, I looked at Jackie with a smile on her face and gave her a tight hug "Girl, don't be sad, at least we live in the same state now." I reassured her as she fake cries. Jackie pulls away from her and laughs "I know, I am just being very dramatic and besides, West Hollywood and Malibu is a 40 minute drive. You can visit anytime you want." Jackie told me "Hailee isnt expecting you to show up, that quick right?" Jackie asks me as I reached for the door. I respond with a shrug "Eh, better to be early.", Jackie grabs my wrist all of a sudden which made my eyes widen. "You good?" I ask her with a confused tone, Jackie told me to sit down on the couch with her for a bit.

"Yeah, It's just that I've been hearing something online about Hailee... you know... Keeping a secret from the general public?" Jackie said, as much as I love Jackie, she's my best friend, I will jump off a tall building and sell my organs for that woman... There are times that she relies on random and odd stuff on the internet, especially engaging in blind item pages like Deuxmoi. I furrow my brows, oblivious on what Jackie was telling me "What do you mean? Also what did I tell you interacting with those pages?" I said in a very motherly tone despite the fact that Jackie is two years older than me. 

"Heard it from Deuxmoi before you got here, someone said that Hailee Steinfeld is hiding a secret from the public and only her manager knows about it." Jackie says, and then gasps "Do you think she's pregnant?" 

"GIRL WHAT THE FUCK?!?" I yelled "You've been on Deuxmoi way too much! We both know that site is like the fifth? or lower circle in hell, you know what Tree Paine did when Deuxmoi went after Taylor Swift, right? Also we don't know these people personally!" I said, I let out a sigh and rubbed my temples, going silent for a while. "Look, whatever that is... I won't believe it." I said standing up, putting my hands up with a smile on my face.

Jackie smiles back, understanding what I just told her "Alright, but you know I am just one call away and we can meet up like once or twice a week." Jackie said, standing up again and giving me a hug. I hug Jackie back and nodded "Yeah, just message me if ever." I said, grabbing my bags and finally leaving the apartment.

Forty minutes later, I finally arrived at Hailee's lavish looking house located in Malibu. The house looked amazing from the outside and made me think what's in store inside as well, I parked my car somewhere and grabbed my bags from the trunk. I walked up to the front porch and rang the doorbell, waiting for her to open the door. 

Seconds later, she opens the door for me. Hailee is wearing a pair of black yoga pants, a pair of sneakers and a black sports bra that shows off those toned abs of hers that makes me weak on my knees. She looks so hot, my heart starts racing and a lot of thoughts run through my mind seeing her like that. But I still kept my normal posture in tact to be a little bit professional "Hey, you're here! Come on in." Hailee says, inviting me to enter the house. 

I enter the house with my bags and I look around the place in awe, I knew that her house would look this good even though I've never seen the whole thing. "I'm sorry if I look like this, I just finished working out." Hailee says, leading me to her living room "Make yourself comfortable, Y/N." Hailee says again, I nod with a smile on my face and I sat down on her couch. I just stare at her walk to her kitchen as she grabs a bottle of cold water from her freezer, the way I look at her is filled with admiration and adoration. My little moment was broken when all of a sudden I heard two high pitched barks, I look down to see her yorkies Brando and Martini looking at me, their tails wagging in sync. 

"Oh my goodness, are these Brando and Martini?" I say, smiling at the dogs having some second thoughts if I should pet them both, I am a huge dog person but I have a huge fear of dogs biting me. "Yep, in the flesh! Don't worry they don't bite, they're super friendly." Hailee says, heading to the couch to sit next to me. Hailee puts Brando on my lap and he starts to lick my fingers, which caused me to chuckle and gently pet his head "He's starting to like you, are you a dog person?" Hailee asks. I nod in response as I kept petting Brando while Martini is lying down on my shoe "I have a German Shepard in Washington, his name is... Well... It's a ridiculous name." I said, trying to keep up with an actual conversation with Hailee. 

"Well, what's the name of your dog then?" Hailee asks, her hazel eyes looking into mine. I swear, I get lost in those eyes every time.

"His name is... Sir Tenderloin McAvish the Second... We call him Tendy for short." I answered, Hailee starts to burst out laughing once I told her the name of my family's dog. Her laugh is so contagious, it made me laugh as well "I am dead serious, that's his name." I said, pulling my phone out and showing a photo of Tendy to Hailee. "He's a rescue dog, we got him back in 2003. He's like a big baby." I said, showing her a photo of me and carrying Tendy like a baby. Hailee laughs and smiles at the photo of me and my dog, zooming in the photo to see him up close.

"Well you're not wrong Y/N, I treat these two like they're my own children. Oh wait, that reminds me... Come, I'll show you your room." Hailee says, standing up from the couch. I gently put Brando down on the floor again and watch him run around the living room with Martini, I picked my bags up and followed Hailee upstairs. I continued to admire the interior design of Hailee's house, it looks cozy and comfortable. "Alright, we're here." Hailee says, opening the door of my room for me. I entered the room and looked around, I have a comfortable bed and my own bathroom and TV. 

I sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at her "Thanks, your place is cool. Who's your interior designer?" I asked, Hailee leans against the door frame, crossing her toned arms. "My mom, she's the best." Hailee chuckles and looks at me, "Well I gotta say, your mom is cool. Quick question, have you ever done this before with your past assistants?" I ask, Hailee shook her head in response "Nope, most of my old personal assistants are people older than me cause you know I started this whole acting and music thing at a young age..." Hailee answers, taking a sip of water from her water bottle.

"So I am the first assistant to stay in your place then?" I asks, with a little hint of casualness.

"Yeah, I feel like you're going to be an assistant that will last long." Hailee responds, winking at me with a smirk on her face "Anyway, if you need anything else. Just let me know, this is your home now... Well once you get a place of your own." Hailee says, closing the door of my room.

I flopped down on the bed, lying on my back as I stare at the ceiling, letting out a sigh. Everything is happening all at once, it feels overwhelming but in a very positive manner to say the least. I furrow my brows a bit, looking back as I was looking around the place before heading to my room earlier. 

There was this room at the end of the hallway and it was dark, I didn't ask Hailee about it because it might come off as invasive and I might lose my job. So I just quickly assumed it was a storage room, or a room that has her awards, or a room that has one single box that has her scrapped music or that damn album everyone in the fandom is waiting for. Whatever lies in that room, I'll just ignore it and focus on one thing and one thing only. My job as Hailee's assistant.  

[writingshushf1]

Hey you! How are you doing? I was wondering if your requests are open? I'd like to request something angsty with mick, they are bffs and in love with eachother but its kinda like a right person wrong time? like, always something happens and they cant be together.

the 1

Summary:  I have this dream you're doing cool shit. Having adventures on your own

Rating: +14

Warnings: them fighting (and ending up hurting each other with words), angst

Word count: 1.7k

Note: gathered those two request that could work together. just sadness, not my best fanfiction really - just having a small block with writing long stories

masterlist

You were so stubborn. Both of you.

Not all love stories come to a happy ever after and (un)luckly, yours didn’t. As much as you two tried, something always came in the middle of it. So much, that you two stopped trying.

Here’s the thing: it wasn’t a new thing, a sentiment you discovered throughout you were getting closer. It happened just like an earthquake, big, destroyed everything it could and more than once.

The moment they announced that Mick was the Formula 2 champion of 2020 you cried out, happy for him. You wanted to wrap him in your arms, say the sweetest things and that you were so proud of him - yet you were hundreds of miles away. That still wouldn't stop you, that night you called him, you stayed for hours talking and pretending that no one else existed in the world but the two of you.

But how could you be the perfect suitor for each other, you managed to be the opposite. You were both stubborn and liked to have the last word, so often when something seemed to develop, you ended up fighting.

“Mick, for fuck’s sake! I’ve already told you: I can’t go to Bahrain, it will be in the middle of my exams!” You crossed your arms, sitting on the balcony. “I can’t just abandon everything and go after you.”

“But you’re my best friend! You’re the only person outside my family I can trust my life with.” He put his hands on his waist, stopping pacing from side to side.

“I love you, bud, I really do. But I can’t do this. I want to graduate being the best, so in the future, I can follow you anywhere, being your engineer.”

“Fine! Then I’ll find someone to follow me through the season.” 

Even if he understood what you were saying, he couldn't leave you the last word. He wanted more from you, yet he couldn't say how.

“Fine! Find a little fuck doll that only cares about your money and your dick.”

“At least she cares.”

“Like I don’t? Are you really insinuating that, Schumacher?”

“No, but if the shoe fits…” 

“Don’t you dare.” You got up, walking close to him. “Honestly, sometimes I really wonder if you actually value my friendship or you just want some hot girl to stroll around you so you feel more confident.”

“I do.”

“Then why do you talk to me like that?”

It was a few weeks of silence after that. Mick was too proud, yet that conversation stuck in his mind. The feelings the German held were confusing, at the same time he doesn't regret putting it on the line that he feels left out because you never had any real time for him, his heart broke at the thought of him hurting you. He was completely in love with you, a deep and long standing love. Something that you felt too, yet you never had a right time for it to reveal itself.

It was early in the morning and you were watching a movie alone, until you heard the doorbell, at first you took a knife and went to the door. You opened a small crack, however you breathed a sigh of relief when you saw your best friend, almost unconscious, being carried by a girl.

"He only knew this address. He had too many drinks."

"And you are...?"

"We go out sometimes. He's good in bed. You?"

"Best friend."

"Oh. Good luck."

You dropped the knife and took him in your arms, stroking the blond strands, which were messy. You giggled as he started mumbling some things in Italian mixed with German, leaving a kiss on his forehead. 

With great difficulty, she managed to get him to sit on the sofa and drink some water. The light blue eyes followed you as you tried to find some of his clothes put away and a towel, he urgently needed a shower.

"Sorry." He slurred, ducking his head.

"For?"

"For being a jerk." Mick hugged his own body. "I get upset that you never have time for me, hence why I want to fight with you. And you like to argue too.... And I say things I don't mean."

"We have very different lives, Micki."

He didn't say anything else, just let himself be led into the bathroom, where you helped him into just his underwear - which he removed without any shame. You turned on the shower and turned on your back, expecting him to go alone, however you felt a hand on the small of your back. A few seconds later you were only in your panties and bra, stepping into the shower with him.

"But I love you. That's why I want you around." He said as he let you wash his hair.

"And I love you too."

"No, but... I love you. Beyond platonic."

"Those are drunken words, Schumi."

"No. They are not."

He pulled you into a slow kiss, letting his tongue pass against yours, holding your waist and pulling your body against his. For a few seconds you had no reaction, it felt like a dream, yet at the same time you knew it was going to be a very big fall. Fortunately for Mick, you returned the kiss, letting yourself go with the moment. The taste of beer mixed with liquor from his lips seemed to get you drunk every moment.

That night, you slept curled up in each other's arms under the duvet.

In the morning, he was more affectionate, more needy, as if he knew he had to leave soon - which wasn't a lie, he had to travel to another country in less than 72 hours.

"Next race you're going, whether you like it or not." He murmured, leaving a long kiss on your cheek and walking away.

And again, it happened during that race weekend, with no attached strings. You two were playing with fire and not being scared about it. 

Some of Schumacher’s past acquaintances were on the Paddock, which made you cringe all the way to it. How did they get there? He invited them? No, he didn’t, however they were rich girls, models, famous, of course it wasn't hard to get a pass to see the wonderful boy they stayed for a week or two. Without a doubt, you were insecure, especially that he was a sunshine, so he talked with everyone who approached him - with good or bad intentions. So you ended up alone, inside of his trailer while he did his media obligations. You were so insecure, afraid of your friendship being ruined with all of this shit. 

After an hour, the blonde got inside the trailer, surprised, yet happy, to find you there. But his smile vanished when he saw that you had tear stained cheeks.

“Schatz? What happened? We’re friends, you can tell me.”

“Friends. That’s all we’ll ever be.”

“What? Elaborate that for me.” He sat down next to you, holding your hand.

“Mick… I love you, you love me. That’s true, right?”

“Of course! Unless…”

“That’s the thing. Love isn’t the only thing that can hold something. You confessed to me while drunk, after weeks we had a big fight. We can’t communicate properly.”

“But we’ve been friends forever. We always vented out our feelings.”

“Not the ones we feel about each other.”

“For God’s sake. Don’t tell me you don’t want to keep going on because of some hidden feelings.”

“Calm down and listen to me.”

“Calm down? Why should I? I want to fight for this!” He got up, throwing his hands up. “Why don’t you let me?”

“Because it's not the moment, Mick!” You also got up, letting tears fall. “You’re concentrating on your career, that’s going great! While I’m trying to finish university… We can’t be together more than 2 days every month or so.”

“But it’s not that hard, I can fly every time I want to.”

“Also… I don’t think we’re ready to engage in this.” You held his shoulders. “I have loved you since we were 18, I’ve dreamt about you, but… We won’t work it out. I would give it one year till one of us does something unforgivable. And I refuse to lose you over something idiotic.”

“Me either!”

“So do you understand what I’m trying to do? We still be friends, I’m not willing to lose that, but we push this feeling until we’re at the same page in life? How about that.”

“I want it now. I want the instant happiness of having you next to me.” He turned his head away, trying to fight the tears that wanted to fall against his light skin. His defensive side was threatening to come out.

“I’m sorry… I’m afraid I’ll hurt you.”

“Schatz… I’m not your ex.” He shooted back, looking now at you.

“That’s why. Tell me you’re not trying to fix something when you used to go out with multiple women?” You shooted at him, starting to get angry with his words.

“Fine.” He cried out, huffing. “But I’ll come back to get you. Because I refuse to have someone in my life that’s not you and honestly? I’m willing to fight for it.”

“I’m willing too.” Finally thinking he accepted the defeat, you let out a sigh.

“Which is why-” Oh, there he goes again. At the same time, a sob escaped your lips. “I want you now! Why can’t I have nice things happening all the time? There’s always something bad.”

“Mick. Stop. I’m done talking about this.” You shook your head, wiping your tears away. “I’m going. Get some rest, clear your thoughts and I will call you when I think you are better.”

“No! Don’t go like that!” He held your hand before you could step out of the trailer. “What if something happens? What if something happens and this is the last time we’re together? I know I hate you right now, but it’s only now, I can’t feel like that for too long.” His free hand caressed your cheek. “Please. A kiss.”

“Fine.”

His lips crashed against yours, a melancholy kiss of farewell, as if he was trying to bring up some point that might make you give up on not continuing that situation. When you pulled away from him, you held his hand against your face, leaving small kisses on it before squeezing and releasing it. You opened the trailer door, murmuring "see you later," at which he responded with "Ich liebe dich, Schatz.”

Right person at the wrong time always sucked.

[prettymorgueboy]

Hey can u request Adrian Tepes as a father again and it’s just fluff like he takes her around the castle and they just have some sweet father daughter moments daughter reader btw ❤️😁☺️

A Day Of Leisure

Synopsis: Reader is I’d say about 8-9, a bright cookie, you and your father are just enjoying life in the castle. she/her prns for this one!

Warning(s): Nothing! Just a small mention of being abandoned as a child for the reader.

Word Count: 1.6k

Note(s): I'm adoring how much you guys are enjoying the last one so I'm very happy to see another request for it, as always my requests are always open for anything and everything as long as it goes with my Card! 

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

The manor was quite, the morning dew coated the windows, leaving the outside world hidden from the child's bedroom, She who had just rosen from her slumber, tired eyes and small yawns escaping her lips as the room was dimly lit, the sun slowly sinking upon the curtains, letting the floor be coated in a warm haze. Every morning was like this, the child running down the staircase with her nightgown fluttering with the force of the air as she sprinted down the stairs, twisting around every corner, practically bouncing off the walls as she rushed endlessly to her fathers room.

Alucard was always awake before them, ready to start the day before his daughter; yet he waited. He would hear her little feet patter against the wooden floors of the castle, chuckling quietly as he always pretended to be asleep the moment she opened the door before jumping into his bed. Some days she would doze back off in his care, but on days like this she jumped headfirst into his chest.

“Oof! Little lady, what a brute way to awaken your father!” The Man would shoot a playful glare at her which was always met with the brightest grin she could manage, Mornings were always warm, As if nothing could go wrong in the day before the sun would signal that it was noon. 

“I woke up first again papa! That means we get to work on the flowers again!” Alucard smiled at his daughter, stroking her hair while nodding. He had always promised if she woke up earlier than him then she could choose the chore for the day, and she almost always chose to do garden work, or work outside. This was something they enjoyed to do together, something simple in the warm sun, Alucard didn't mind the sun, compared to others it had no ill effect on him but truth be told It did make him a bit more sluggish towards the end of the day, but perhaps that was himself who conditioned that sort of thought.

“Garden work again (y/n)? I thought we agreed the attic needed dusting.” He teased the small child, but she stood proudly before jumping off the bed in a huff, twirling around to grab her fathers hand and lift him from the confinement of his comforter. 

“You said I could choose! You lost!”

“Yes yes of course dear, now, we need to get you some food before we begin, work in the sun is always tasking on you.” He smiled softly, changing into a comfortable but far more appropriate outfit to start the day, for neither of them could work in nightgowns. He handed her the change of clothes and she rushed off to change. Her footsteps echoing through the walls as she raced back, he left his room and made way to the kitchen on the ground floor. 

“Fruits, and some toast should be good, I’ll make us an early lunch anyways since we will be outside..” He murmured quietly to himself as he continued to prep the fruits. The gas stove warmed the pan and right as he began to place the bread onto it with a dash of butter the young girl ran back in.

“Papa!” She smiled widely and took it upon herself to grab the pitcher of water off of the counter, carefully tipping it into two different crystal glasses. They once had a dining room table they shared in the dining room itself. Ever since she had grown past the age of four they both agreed they preferred to eat closer, so they had a set of chairs sat at the counter by the window, which was their ‘new’ table. They only used the dining table when closer friends and family came over; which is rare.

“Darling, do you want to plant the rose bushes? Or perhaps we can work on the stone structure in the front part? As long as you don't make me do it all again.” The small girl giggled at her father before the plate was placed in front of her, he sighed as he stared at her hair, It was a mess and tangled beyond belief.

“You didn't brush your hair after your bath did you?” He shook his head, stifling a small chuckle and she turned back around with full cheeks, stuffed with the mix of sliced fruit with a dash of honey.

“Nwo… Forgwot” She spoke before he was able to cover her mouth which was full of food.

“Don't speak with a mouth full of food little one..” She swallowed quickly and puffed her cheeks slightly, her eyebrows furrowing before he pulled her hair back to rest off the back of her shoulder before grabbing a comb and ribbon. 

“Eat up (y/n), I'll comb through the knots, we don't want the dirt getting into your pretty hair or we will have to spend twice as long washing it all out.” His fingers slowly separated strands, making sure to take the comb carefully, unraveling them in ways that would hurt the least. She ate quietly before putting a strawberry on her fork and pointing it in the direction of her father who looked over and smiled before taking a bite of the strawberry.

“Thank you little one, Do you want your hair braided? It’s a bit windy outside and I don't want you to get overwhelmed with your hair loose or in a tail.”

“Can I have a braid? But I want papa to have a braid too.” His eyes widened a bit, surprised to see the young girl so eager to share a hairstyle with him, so he smiled and nodded. “Yes I suppose so.”

He slowly braided the hair, making sure It was secure, wanting it to last until they were done with outside work. She tends to get distracted by the critters out and about and chases them around. 

“Can I try to braid yours papa?” She turned around and looked genuine, seemingly wanting to give her father a hand with the workload, he sat for a moment, pondering the question as he tied the ribbon around the ends of her hair, tucking any loose pieces behind her ear. He turned his chair to her, sitting with his back facing his daughter.

“Go ahead little one, first you take three strands and slowly weave them together, think of it almost like making a basket like we did when Uncle Trevor visited us.” She seemed excited, wishing nothing more but to make her fathers hair look as pretty as he did for hers. She had done ponytails or simply brushed it and decorated it with a few clips in her jewelry box. 

It was small moments like this that made Alucard wonder how he ever had the chance to have this little girl as his daughter, how anyone could look at his (y/n) and just drop her off in a box in the forest, left to be a meal by other monsters that lurked within them. He had felt lucky to be her father, to have such a smart child, such a caring and sweet one, albeit a handful from time to time, he never stopped being proud to be her father.

“I'm done! You look pretty too now!” he smiled softly, pulling the braid over his shoulder; examining her work. She had done wonderfully, sure there were a few strands a bit loose but It didn't bother him one bit when he saw how happy she was, and for a moment he felt like his mother. He saw his own once childish smile in his daughters, and he felt his mothers presence as he looked softly at her. Nothing but adoration and pride shone in his thoughts as she looked so unbelievably gleeful at his hair.

“It looks gorgeous little one, thank you. You should have told your father you could braid so beautifully, I'll make you braid out pie crust from now on!” He chuckled and picked her up, enjoying the warmth at that moment. She rested on his hip as they both spun in the kitchen, her giggles filled the room before he dipped her, pretending to drop her before catching her and placing her down onto the floor.

“Well, are we planting the roses or fixing the stones?” They stared for a moment but then she looked out the window.

“Roses, But you have to dig the holes!” She ran off, leaving her father to trail behind, smiling softly at how happy he was, even if his family was small, It was his and he wouldn't ever change it.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

Ahhhhh I love writing these so much… Biggest comfort in the world is writing my cc as fathers, they make me so happy and dear god Alucard my beloved man. As always I hope you all enjoyed this, I had planned to do a bit more, though I thought it was a sweet ending seeing them softly bicker as you run off. 

Stay healthy, happy, and hydrated everyone!<3

[norrisleclercf1]

Enemy Lines

Pairing: OC!Gabriel Leclerc and OC!Aletta Verstappen

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: None

Synopsis: You find out about your son and Max’s daughter in a weird way

Request: Hey! This was amazing, absolutely loved it. Would you mind doing a next part where the kids have grown up and Aletta and Gabriel are in a relationship and how max and charles react to it. Thank you so much love 💗

Walking in on your son with Max Verstappen's daughter was not something you'd witness in your lifetime. You scream and slam the door closed and bolt downstairs. Thankfully Charles wasn't home, so you didn't have to face him.

“Mama!” Gabriel yells, running down the stairs and into the kitchen after you. You turn and hold up one finger trying to scrub the image out of your head.

“Mama, listen, I know.....I know.....okay, I didn't know what you were going to say, but we're safe, and I use protect-”

“NO! I do NOT need to know your sex life, Gabriel. Stop talking.” You holler, covering your ears and pacing back and forth behind the kitchen island. Gabriel was 22, Aletta was 20; they were adults. They were allowed to do...what adults did, but to you and your husband of 25 years, he was still your baby boy.

“Mrs. Leclerc?” Aletta calls softly and comes into the room, thankfully put together.

“Aletta, sweetie....honey...I won't tell your father; you're adults, but please, for the love of God, don't do this when we're home.” you plead.

The girl, a spitting image of her father, nods her head and shuffles her feet. “I'm going to go home; Papa wants to go over footage of my last race.” the girl whispers and leans up, kissing Gabriel's cheek.

“I wouldn't leave; the others are coming here for dinner, so...go sit in the living room.” Grabbing food from the fridge, you start to cook dinner; soon, you get lost in your thoughts.

Gabriel and Aletta have always been close as children; you should've seen this coming. But, when they both started to race against each other in karting, they took a massive hit in their friendship. They always fought on and off the track, and you weren't sure what to do. Max said it was customary for them to fight, look at him and Charles.

Charles, on the other hand, was not happy with the fighting. Even as Gabriel grew up, he was still his little boy; Charles took him everywhere and seeing Gabriel fight with Aletta tore something in his heart. You told Charles that they were competitive and growing up, they'd figure things out.

It was when they both hit 14 and 16 that they stopped fighting, you didn't know who gave the piece offering, but you hinted that your softhearted boy was the one to call the truce. Aletta was coming over again and eventually started asking for help from Gabriel to improve.

So lost in your thoughts, you didn't know Charles was home until you felt those warm, strong arms wrap around your waist; with a gasp that turned into a soft laugh, you turned around.

“Hello handsome, how was work?” Charles was still an F1 driver but began to take an approach behind the scenes, working his way to being a team manager and helping shape the following future drivers.

“Good, there's promise in F2, but we’ll see.” He mumbles into your neck, pulling you into him more, basking in the silence and homey feel of you.

“Aletta here.” You mumble, turning back to the cutting board and slicing the peppers.

“Really?” He turns away to hold something to drink. You raise an eyebrow, not liking the way he shuts that conversation down quickly.

“What do you know?” you ask, putting the knife down the face quietly, Charles.

“Nothing baby, just.....sawhersneakinthroughhiswindowthatsall.” He rushes out, looking around the kitchen.

“You know!” You whisper yell, jabbing your husband in the chest, making him wince and look down.

“Yes. I've been catching her sneaking in and out late at night and early morning; I gave her a key, but that's not working.” He grumbles, taking a sip of the beer in his hands.

“Nice job Charles; I just caught them...in bed.” You whisper, you yell, and Charles chokes on his beer, making it spray on his face and shirt.

“I didn't hear that; I didn't. We're stopping this conversation because that's still my baby boy, the same boy who still plays with my damn rings.”

“Yeah, the same rings that are now on his fingers.” You taunt; this weird yelling grunt sound comes out of his mouth as he covers his ears.

You can't help but laugh but quickly stop when Gabriel comes into the kitchen, having heard the commotion. Gabriel looks around and then groans, covering his face, and looks at you. “Dammit, Mama.” He groans.

“Hey, don't curse at Your Mother.” Charles snaps quickly, making Gabriel mumble an apology.

“You told him! Why?” “he already knew, baby. Your father sees Aletta crawling in and out of your window.” Your reason, making Gabriel freeze and stare at his father, who shrugs, dabbing the beer stains out of his shirt.

“Uncle max doesn't know.” Your son's voices have the both of you stare at one another.

“Yeah...good luck with that one, Mon nounours.” Charles pats his son on the back as Gabriel hides his face in his hands.

Max was well known to be overprotective of his daughter and even hated having Lando’s twin boys around his daughter. Aletta was a softhearted sweetheart, but she had her father’s temper and passion. He pampered her and had one rule. No dating. Which has been broken now.

“Hello? You really shouldn't leave the front door unlocked!” The same Dutchmen yell into the house, making Gabriel bolt out of the kitchen.

Max walks in with his wife and smiles brightly at his two friends. “Aletta should be over soon; she said she was with Coletta,” Max says, putting bags of food and wine on the island and walking over, kissing you on the cheek.

You smile, knowing damn well that Aletta was here and not with Carlos’s eldest daughter. Coletta was 25 and was the mother of the F1 driver's kids. But, speak, and they appear. Coletta walks in and smiles brightly, and runs over to you.

“Aunty Y/n.” She hugs you and moves to Charles, who wraps her in his arms. Charles never mentioned it, but he always wanted a daughter, and he had that in Coletta. She was secretly his favorite and always went to him or Lando when she couldn't speak to her father about it.

“Where’s Letta?” Max asks, getting his hug, and Coletta shrugs. “I don't know; I figured she was with y'all?” the girl shrugs and walks away from the kitchen and follows the TV sound.

Max makes a face but doesn't say anything else, which has you suspicious but don't say anything about it. The others all start to pour in, the house coming to life. George and Carmen with their daughter and new baby boy. Lewis with his girlfriend, who was pregnant with a little girl. Lando and the twin boys are Gabriel’s age, Pierre with his two girls and boy and another baby on the way.

Soon everyone was here, and dinner was ready. Max is still not saying much but was eyeing his daughter and your son throughout dinner. You sat next to him while everyone just chatted and ate dinner.

“Gabriel and Aletta are together, no?” you ask, sipping some wine with Max stop mid-cut on his steak.

“I already know; move on.” He grumbled, making you smile brightly and shake your head.

“How did you find out?” curious now.

“Your dipshit son left his underwear in my daughter's room.” Your laughter breaks out making max laugh as well, shaking his head.

“They're stupid and in love. We should give them this for a little bit more.” you nod to them, which has a max nod.

“Hey, Gabriel.” Max calls to him which has your son look up.

“Yeah Uncle Max?”

“Next time you sneak into my daughters room, don't leave your underwear.” He says calmly making everyone stop and stare before Avery, Pierres son’s laughter breaks out his little squeals making the others all start laughing.

“This is so embarrassing,” Aletta whispers, hiding his face. “Brought it in yourself.”Max shrugs, making everyone laugh even harder.

[kiryoutann]

Before reading, please check series masterlist to read the warning(s), disclaimer, and to make sure you’re on the right chapter. Minors do NOT interact.

Please consider donating to my Kofi. That would really help me!

Likes, replies, reblogs, and shares also count. Once again, thanks so much!

Six months later.

It's so beautiful.

Green grass under the warm sun. A fresh breeze stirred the decorative flags that were hung all over the capital Mondstadt. Gothic architecture is still strong and stands as the main attraction of this country. The river that flowed outside the great wall was reflecting the white clouds that extended beneath the azure sky. Those who are busy with their daily activities are surrounded by the scent of dandelions. Little ones are playing and running around.

Mondstadt is so beautiful. Unfortunately, you spend all day sleeping on the soft bed provided in one of the palace rooms for royal guests.

Childe left the room early in the morning for a diplomatic meeting, so the opposite side of the bed has been vacant for a while. You (thought) you managed to persuade Sasha to let you sleep a little longer, but instead she assumed you were sick and immediately asked Laura to find Childe.

“Love?”

Here he is. You pulled the covers over your head, trying to ignore the sound of his approaching footsteps. The end of the bed was pressed down and you guessed he was sitting next to you. Slowly, Childe pulled your covers up to look at you.

"Are you sick? Want me to call a healer?”

You shook your head quickly, "I simply want to sleep a bit longer."

Childe glanced at Sasha who was standing not far from the two of you before turning back to you. "But, angel, you've slept all day, and they said you have to attend a tea party this afternoon. Well, I don't mind if you don't but, are you sure you're alright?” He brushed away the strands of hair covering your face.

"I'll be fine. Just.. give me one more hour of sleep.” You spoke drowsily and then shut your eyes once again.

Childe frowned in worry. "Are you sure? Should I stay? I can tell them I have urgent business and leave the conference—”

"Don't be silly, Ajax." You opened your eyes to glare at him. “Why do I feel you’re trying to make me as an excuse to get out of your responsibilities?”

A laugh from him. “Hey, I was really worried you know.” He says.

"I told you I'm fine. I'm not going to die, at least not now."

"I thought we agreed not to have talks like this again." Childe stares in disappointment and you can't help but laugh.

"Good God, I was just kidding." You cupped his face with one hand. “Stop sulking like a baby. I might actually ask you to stay and cuddle with me."

A smile appeared on his handsome face as he drew closer to you, “Hmm? What's stopping you?"

Meanwhile on the other side of the room, Sasha and the other two were trying hard to deaf their ears to the conversation you both thought was quiet enough for them not to hear. Her eyes darted to the walls of the room as if that was the most interesting thing. At least that will distract her from you and Childe who are too preoccupied with each other to notice anyone else's presence.

A kiss on your lips. “I'll hurry back for you alright? Don't look at other men at the tea party." You almost roll your eyes at his words.

“It’s a tea party only for the ladies.”

"You can never be too careful."

Childe got out of bed and you already started to miss his warmth. He briefly spoke to Sasha, saying that she should immediately call a healer if anything should happen to you. After giving you one more glance (and a wink), he walks to the door to Dmitri outside the room.

A sigh left you before you got up reluctantly asking your maids to prepare warm water for a bath.

One rosewater bath later and you're sitting at the dresser. Laura did your hair, while Ksenia applied your makeup. She patted the powder pad so gently you yawned. Sasha noticed this and stared suspiciously at your reflection in the mirror. You took a deep breath trying to relieve the tiredness in your body.

"We are finished, Your Majesty." Laura and Ksenia said together.

You said a small thank you to them then got up from the chair. Laura opened the door for you, letting you leave the room first. Your three ladies-in-waiting followed behind you on your way to the garden where the tea party was being held.

Warm air hugs you as soon as you step into the palace garden. Butterflies and a few small insects flutter and land on the colorful flowers that grow around you—you almost forget how beautiful they are after living on Snezhnaya for so long. Once more, the wind blows. The sun falls to illuminate your path to the gazebo with a white iron roof where a table spread out with beautiful cloth is located. The sound of your footsteps turned the heads of the Mondstadt nobles, and you smiled at them all.

“Empress (Y/N), good afternoon.” The blonde-haired woman—Countess Jean—carved a thin smile with her polished pink lips.

Some Mondstadt nobles you've never met before welcome you. Jean stood next to them while helping introduce them one by one to you. “This is Lady Fischl, daughter of Duke Verurteilung of Immernachtreich.” A green-eyed blonde bowed politely at you before giving an enthusiastic look.

“Empress! I, Fischl, hast known all kinds regarding thou, especially how  they define thy grace and beauty as being comparable to the stars that adorn the welkin at dusk. Wouldst  I may add, thy lovely gown caught mine eye and wondered where I might find some one with such stitching talent!”

"Ah? Um..” While trying to figure out what she said, you lifted the hem of your dress slightly. "This was made by a Snezhnayan tailor."

“'tis decided. I shall cross mountains and sail oceans to meet this tailor!"

Jean cleared her throat awkwardly. “Lady Fischl, may I continue?” she asked, earning a nod.

After Countess Jean introduced you to the Mondstadt nobles who were present at the tea party, Princess Ayaka waved enthusiastically. “Princess—! Ah, I mean, Empress! Please sit next to me!” She pointed out the empty chair next to her.

Jean watched as everyone had taken a seat. She then continued, “Since King Diluc doesn't yet have a partner to handle the tea party, I'm the one responsible for this. For that, allow me to present traditional Mondstadt delicacies for overseas guests to taste.” She signaled the maid to put the snacks on the table.

A cake covered with pink cream and fresh raspberries is set in the middle. Lemon buttercream cakes make you smile seeing their small size. You looked around the table as Jean described each dish. The cookies placed in front of Ayaka appeared to be delicious.

What smells like boiled eggs wafts into your nostrils, and you instinctively cover your mouth to hide the nausea that's roiling in your gut. Ayaka immediately got a handkerchief for you. Sasha who is sitting at the table along with other nobles ladies-in-waiting rushes over to you.

“Princess!” Ayaka mistakenly called out from panic.

“Your Majesty! Is something the matter?!”

You were too occupied trying to ease your nausea as you covered your nose with a blue handkerchief to respond to Sasha. Jean orders one of the maids to call a healer. You glance out of the corner of your eye for the source of the pungent scent.

"That.. the smell.. get rid of it, please." You said after finding a loaf of boiled eggs not far from Jean. "I'm sorry but, the smell .."

Jean followed your gaze and nodded quickly. “No need to worry, Empress (Y/N).” He gave the plate of bread to the maid to take away. "The healer will come soon."

A server arrives with a new meal just as your nausea begins to subside. The smell of eggs returned. The handkerchief was tightened over your lips as the shaking of your stomach intensified. Sasha noticed your face beginning to flush and rose up from her kneeling position in front of you to approach Jean.

“Your Excellency, I'd better take Her Majesty to a healer right away. Please accept my apologies for leaving the tea party early.” He says.

“I understand. Please, lead them to the healer's room!”

In response to the blonde's request, one of the maids nodded. Sasha and Ksenia put strong hands on your shoulders helping to support you while stroking your back. Laura pulls out a bottle of fragrance trying to ease your nausea. The long hallway was filled with hurried footsteps on the way to the healing room. After passing through the door, the royal healer immediately tells you to lean on the red velvet couch.

The first thing she did was check your pulse. Her warm fingers touch your skin as she furrows her brows in concentration. She pursed her lips thinly, asking about your monthly cycle—which Sasha answered in detail. You feel awkward knowing she knows about it more than you do.

The healer nodded while retaining an assumed diagnosis. "I already have a suspicion, but I'll need to confirm it again." She dipped her hands in a basin of clean water before turning back to you while making sure her palms were raised; you watched as the water dripped down her elbow. "I must request that you remove your dress, Your Majesty."

Although the examination is uncomfortable, you know that it is necessary for the healer to confirm the diagnosis. After she was done, Sasha helped you put on your clothes again while waiting for the woman to tell you what was wrong.

"There are several reasons besides pregnancy that can affect your late monthly cycle, such as stress or fatigue. However, after I combined that with the nausea caused by the strong smell—the smell of eggs as one of them—and the physical examination just now that revealed enlarged breasts and changes in areola—I can confirm that you are pregnant.”

Laura and Ksenia gasped with joy. Sasha smiled silently. While you are frozen.

The healer's lips curved up, “Congratulations, Empress (Y/N). You are with child.”

Something defines the brilliance of this world's hues. The basin is no fuller than your heart which flows happiness and emotion to every inch of you. The realization that there is another life growing inside your tummy sweetens the air. You want to set your foot on every green meadow here to let them know that you are the happiest human being on earth.

As you covered your mouth to contain your sobs, your hold on the fabric of your dress' grew tighter. Your maids approach you to congratulate you. You couldn't help but extend your arms and hug all three of them. Women celebrating other women's blessings

You wiped your tears, looking at Sasha with a smile.

"Please don't tell him just yet."

Sasha's eyes widen from that, but what she gives you next is a smile—a warm one. You wouldn't have realized she was holding you if it wasn't for the light squeeze she gave; her way of telling you that she will continue to be with you and wants nothing but the best for you and now, your child. Laura and Ksenia congratulated you, saying they would do their best to accompany you on your pregnancy journey.

Aside from the promise made by Sasha, it's another one that makes you smile with blushing cheeks.

In your room, Sasha instructed Ksenia to prepare warm water for a bath while Laura hurried to inform Jean that you were unwell and couldn't continue the tea party. The ball is being held tonight—that's reason enough for Sasha to force you to stay in bed and take plenty of rest.

When they dress you in a mauve dress for the ball, your ladies-in-waiting make sure not to tie the bodice too tightly. Diamonds and gems accessorize your neck, ears and fingers. You try to hold back a smile when you see the door swing open showing Childe ready in his nice suit. He leans against the arm of the couch, blue eyes sweeping across your back carving a thin grin before he meets yours and gives you his usual wink.

"We are done, Your Majesty." Sasha told you.

"Thank you." You got up from your seat, not missing the enthusiastic stares of your ladies-in-waiting.

Childe holds out his hand to receive yours. He squeezed it gently before bringing it to his lips, a chaste kiss you received from him. "Are you sure we shouldn't skip the ball and cuddle the night away?"

“Absolutely. Besides, I heard that Mondstadt has the best wine.” You reasoned that even if you knew full well, there would be no alcohol going down your throat tonight and in the months to come.

"Firewater is still better in my opinion." Childe said, leading you to the door.

The sound of music is heard the second you enter the ballroom. A resounding blend of harp and piano throughout the opulence. Many of the guests had dragged themselves onto the dance floor, their partners clutched tightly in their hands. You and Childe get greetings from several familiar faces, but not a few Mondstadt nobles who you don't recognize have the courage and courtesy to introduce themselves and give a warm welcome.

“Emperor Childe.”

When Childe and you turned around, two men were standing there, one with red hair and the other with dark blue strands. Both of them had long hair, with the only distinction being the height of their ponytails.

“King Diluc.” Your husband holds out his hand for a handshake.

Diluc Ragnvindr. The red-haired King of Mondstadt who reminds you of fire. You wonder if he's hiding a smoldering spirit behind his polite face. He was present in another set of his dapper suit. Unlike at Snezhnaya's recent banquet, he appeared with his long hair pulled up into a higher-than-usual ponytail.

Diluc gave you a brief nod before turning to the man next to him. “Allow me to introduce my brother. This is Duke Kaeya. Perhaps you have not met." He said, making your attention fall on the man wearing an eye patch.

“Ah, right. This is the first time we have met, Duke Kaeya.” Childe shook his hand.

Kaeya painted faint dimples on his tan skin. "It is an honor to meet in person such a wise person as you, the Emperor and Empress of Snezhnaya." He gave Childe a friendly smile, which you swear turned into something else when he swept his dark eyes across you.

Diluc's red eyes widened as he watched Kaeya hold out his hand asking for yours. He didn't have to do this, but he chose to do it. Childe watched as you offered your hand hesitantly. A kiss that was too long for Childe not to think anything of it landed on the back of your hand. Kaeya opened his eyes to look at you accompanied by a smile that had a meaning behind it.

“Welcome to Mond, Empress (Y/N).”

If looks could burn, Kaeya would have already emptied all the drinks in here to quell the fire that was searing him. You swear you heard Childe pulled out a light scoff. Kaeya straightened his back again with an expression close to satisfaction.

“Ahem.”

Diluc made a fake cough noise, but it was more to remind Kaeya to keep his boundaries than to break the uneasy silence between the four of you. "Kaeya is known to be friendly with others, so I hope you don't take it the wrong way, Your Majesties." He says.

Childe laughed dryly. “Does this mean Duke Kaeya is also friendly enough to take me on a little tour around Mond?” His voice is sweet, but you know the intent in it contrasts from that.

"Why, of course, Your Majesty." Kaeya smiled widely and placed his right hand on his left chest. "It would be my pleasure.”

This situation is too heavy. You want nothing more than someone to save you from this and luckily, Diluc has the ability to read that. "If you'll excuse us, we have to greet the other guests." He then turned to the buffet. "Do enjoy your time with banquets and refreshing drinks like grape juice."

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” You said.

Childe and you turned the other way while Diluc and Kaeya started walking toward the other nobles. You take a deep breath before emptying your lungs again.

"I would appreciate it if you would stop picking fights with every man I talk to."

"He was flirting with you." Childe stopped in his tracks.

You hastily put your hand in front of his lips stopping him from letting out a longer protest. "Could you get me a glass of grape juice?" you ask him.

Childe furrowed his brows, "Not wine?" You shake your head.

Although not completely convinced, Childe gives you a kiss on the hand then tells you to stay here. You see his figure walking to the buffet table. His broad shoulders make you smile. You sweep your eyes around to relieve boredom.

Strands of blonde caught your eye. You remember she has longer hair; now it falls a little lower than her earlobes. The woman with gold eyes was spinning in an orange gown, in the arms of a man with nearly the same hair color as her. His eyes could still be seen through the mask that covered the right portion of his face.

The smile on Lumine's face was so wide it radiated happiness.

Footsteps draw your attention to Childe, who is holding a glass of grape juice and another of what you assume is dandelion wine. He handed you one. You stared at the liquid before taking a gulp, feeling the sweet taste on your tongue.

"Do you like it?"

You nodded, "It tastes better than I imagined."

"Wanna bring home ten barrels of it?"

A laugh from you. "One bottle is enough, Ajax." You said.

In the midst of a sea of people, a figure stands out for some reason; you're not sure why; it could be his complex fancy suits, the way he carries himself, the power in his gaze, or the fact that you've known him all your life. You greet your old friend with a smile on your face.

Zhongli made strides towards you with a handsome smile. Under the extravagant chandeliers, amber eyes sparkled beautifully. Childe did not take his blue eyes off his every move.

The man stops right in front of you for a bow, "Your Majesties."

Weird to hear that from him. Even though it had been six months ago Childe had inherited the throne and three months ago Snezhnaya had declared it an imperial state; You think you'll never get used to all this. Let alone one that came out of Zhongli.

"Duke." Childe gave him a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

“Duke Zhongli.” You called him enthusiastically. "It's.. a surprise to find you here."

Zhongli nodded, “His Majesty Emperor Shiva is unable to attend. I've come to represent him at his request.” He says.

“Make sure you do well, Duke.” Childe commented.

Zhongli pretended to be blind by the sharp glare Childe gave him. “I appreciate the concern—

"Who said I was concerned?"

“—but, everything is well.” Zhongli continued despite being interrupted by him.

Your lips were about to part to change the topic to break the pressure between the two when a woman bumped into Zhongli and spilled her glass on him. Her voice is sweet, making you turn to look at her and stop in place.

“O-oh my! I'm so sorry! I was careless and—”

A laugh from Zhongli. "Nothing to worry about. Are you alright?”

Zhongli asked the woman—the woman you saw in your vision. You're completely convinced after casting a glance at the hanfu she's wearing. Zhongli continued to talk to her with a big smile that seemed to be permanently etched on his face.

"This is my first time here, and I've already ruined someone's expensive suit. I'm truly sorry!” The woman kept apologizing to Zhongli.

"As I said, this is nothing, Lady..?"

“Guizhong! My name is Guizhong.”

Guizhong.

Guizhong appeared in front of you with everything that made you believe she would be a good fit for Zhongli. You watched her give him a blue handkerchief. Long fine strands of hair. She's clumsy, but you find that to be cute. You wonder if Zhongli thinks so too. They were lost in their new conversation and every word they exchanged dripped happiness into the depths of your heart.

The promised happy ending had at last arrived.

“Duke Zhongli, Lady Guizhong, “You have their attention.

Guizhong looked at you and then at Childe before bowing deeply in regret. “Goodness! Your Majesties! M-may prosperity and health be bestowed on you! I'm sorry I should have realized sooner." She tightly shut her eyes after hearing your chuckle.

"Please rise. Forgive the interruption but, we'll leave you both to your talk."

Zhongli turned to face Childe who was grinning happily at you. "Now?" he asked.

"Yes." You turned your gaze on the area where people were dancing. “I suddenly want to dance.” You turned to Childe. “Perhaps the Duke can bring Lady Guizhong for one.” You said to Zhongli.

Those amber eyes stared at you in curiosity and confusion. In your heart, there is one thing you want to tell him: that happiness is close to him. But, just as Zhongli and Guizhong gave nods and let you go, you twisted your heels and tightened your grip on Childe's arm.

"That’s scary." Your husband comments.

“What is?”

Childe slowed down as he reached the dance floor. "Your smile. You look like you've planned something and it's working." He put his hand on your waist.

A chuckle escaped your lips. You put your hand on his shoulder, and he starts picking up on the melodic tempo of the music. “If so, will you stop sulking and dance properly?” You see the annoyance reflected on his face again.

"How could I not when nearly every in the room—in all of Tevyat—was trying to flirt with my wife?"

"They were just talking to me, Ajax." you corrected.

“They were flirting with you, angel. Don't try to manipulate my memory."

A sigh comes out a sign you give up arguing with him. Childe took you for a twirl. "You are the most jealous man I have ever known." You then continued, "I can't imagine how you'd react when the other one showed up."

The frown in the middle of his brow deepened before his limbs came to a complete stop. He gave you a dumbfounded look. “Wait, what are you—” His expression now full of hurt. "—you're.. you have another man?" He spoke with trembling, and you stifled a laugh in the guilt that you were covering up.

"Well," Your hand tried to lead him to dance again but, Childe refused to move his feet before you answered him. "After all, I'm still not sure if it'll be a boy or a girl, right?"

Confusion hit him like a tsunami even though his betrayed expression was still there. “A boy or a girl? What kind of nonsense are you playing—”

“I’m pregnant.”

The words died suddenly on the tip of his tongue. Childe stared at you with wide blue eyes. The blood seemed to be drained from his face before returning to fill his cheeks.

For him, the world came to a halt for a brief minute. His brain stopped functioning. His ears suddenly went deaf leaving your voice and those words repeating over and over in his head. His mouth gaped open. His heart was pounding inside his ribs pumping out the feelings he was still digesting. Then a tsunami of happiness washed over him, so overwhelming that his lips curved and he sobbed as he took you in his arms.

It was one moment he wished could stay forever. Even so, Childe—Ajax, is aware that there will be more happy things in the future. With you, with now—his unborn baby. At the same time, Childe felt and desired a lot.

In the middle of the melodies that flowed from a combination of piano and harp, you hugged him even tighter. He is the luckiest man in the world. His heart felt like it was wrapped in satin and moonlight. You laugh, but it's his chest that warms. What a dream this is, and God has the generosity to make it not end up as one. Perhaps He knows: happiness should come in the form of a really sweet fruit for two human beings who have suffered for a long time.

Childe gave you a smile before laying a kiss on your lips. He didn't mind if he had attracted everyone's attention as a result. The music could stop but, he wouldn't with this. He placed another one, still not caring if people would label him unethical.

“I,”—he kissed you again—“love,”—another one—“you.” He said in between kisses.

You both left the ballroom early that evening. The moonlight filtering in through the opened window illuminates the bed where you lie down for a cuddle. The wind of Mondstadt's capital is finally appreciated the next day in the lush meadows.

"Please be born healthy." Childe speaks to your still unnoticeable pregnant belly before giving it a small kiss.

The blue sky stretches above the white clouds. He held your hand as you walked down the grassy path. The gurgling waterfall sounded faint. Dandelion blooms swayed and then scattered into the air. On a wooden chair with a view of a statue in the center of a lake, the two of you decide to take a break.

"I wonder how Shiva will react to this." You start the conversation.

Childe's shoulders shook as he laughed. "He will definitely kill me. For impregnating my wife." You join in the louder laugh.

There was a silence before you lifted your head from his shoulder to say, "About that grape juice.." Childe looked at you curiously. "I don't think ten barrels will be enough."

Childe carved a smile. The two of you returned to enjoy the sight ahead.

"Twenty it is."

AbbyBianx, ness

@thelovelydiviner @r0ttenhearts @tsunotaro-san @yguchild @a-random-bored-person @ajaxstar @dandelimoonus @deemayaz @sxztus @meiraloves2dmen @bananazzzen @sugarxbxby123 @httpmitsuya @kaiyoschaos @ganyuzuri @enviouspeanut @justreadings @nat1203 @creamiepudding @childes0nlywife @hieraethx @r0se-r4men  @cyn9 @bluelovesleep @sucrosia @undecidingfate @funicidals @geozhong @chipzho @yevenly @hanilessa @gojoandelsalovechilde @angeliquen @imthestatebum

If I wrote your username wrong, please let me know TT_TT For those who can’t be tagged, please make sure the setting for "Allow this blog to appear in search results” is turned on.

Check out more of my post: WRITING COMMISSION

[promptthebear]

Hiii, could you please do Billy Russo “Stay there. I’m on my way.”? Fluff please. Thanks :)

Easter Askbox Event- Billy Russo x Reader Fluff

CW: Reader is 2nd person “you”, pronouns and gender for reader not mentioned but they menstruate and are wearing a skirt. Some mentions of canon typical violence.

A/N: Finally I managed to write something shorter for once! I think just shy of 500 words is the closest I’m going to get to a Drabble lol. Enjoy!

Billy was halfway home, when your custom ringtone started blaring through the car’s speakers. He glanced down at the touchscreen control pannel, his brows knit together with confusion and concern. Usually, if you needed to get ahold of him you’d just text or leave a message at Anvil’s front desk. A surprise phone call really could only mean one thing. You were in trouble.

Immediately, Billy’s mind jumped where it always did each time he thought of “you” and “trouble” in the same sentence.

Frank.

Somehow, Frank Castle had come back from the goddamn dead and was going to finally make him pay for all the shit he’d caused. The problem was, everyone knew Billy didn’t give a shit if he lived or died. He’d accepted long ago that if he didn’t put a bullet in his own skull, someone would happily do it for him and he’d made his peace with that.

You, however, were another matter entirely. The only thing you’d ever done “wrong” was fall for an evil, murdering bastard like him, and that wasn’t worth dying over, no matter what anyone else thought.

Gripping the steering wheel reflexively, Billy took a deep breath, and then tapped the button that would connect the call. There was an eerie, crackling silence on the other end that did nothing to melt the icy rock that had settled in his gut.

“Billy?”

There was a slight tremble to your voice, and it sounded thick, like you had been crying. It almost broke Billy’s heart, but at the same time he couldn’t help but feel a little relieved. Yes, you were upset, but it sounded like regular, run of the mill upset instead of “help I’m being held hostage by the ghosts of your past and they’re going to kill me” upset.

“Hey baby. You okay?”

“I’m-“ you made a choked noise, somewhere between a hiccup and a muffled sob “God, this is so stupid. I’m so sorry.”

“No, princess, you don’t need to be sorry. Whatever’s wrong, I’ll fix it okay? I just need you to tell me what happened.”

He could hear you taking a shaky breath, like you were trying to calm yourself before speaking. God, he hoped nobody had been stupid enough to try and hurt you. If anyone had, they’d be finding out what trying to talk with a slit throat was like before the day was over.

“It’s…my period.”

Billy bit back a sigh of relief.

“Yeah? Are your cramps bad or something?”

“No, I…well it came early, right? And I don’t have any tampons or anything and I bled through my skirt. I’m still at work, I’ve been hiding in the bathroom for the last fifteen minutes and…shit. I told you it was stupid”

It was all Billy could do not to laugh. It’s not that he found your predicament all that funny, but he was just so thankful this was something much simpler than his imagination had concocted he couldn’t help himself. He settled for a smile instead, hoping he sounded reassuring instead of mocking.

“Aw, babydoll. Do you want me to come get you?”

“Please? I need you”

Billy shifted the car into third gear, preparing to make a hairpin turn as the engine purred louder. If he went quickly, he could get home, get you a change of clothes and get to your office in under twenty minutes.

“Stay there. I’m on my way”

[mimisempai]

You just have to be

Summary

It's one of those days for Crowley. One of those days when he doesn't feel like doing anything. But perhaps the loving care of a certain angel will change the course of this not-so-good day.  

Notes

a bit of depressive Crowley and a caring angel....

Happy Birthday to one of the most beautiful person I know : @rins-love-winsThank you for being one of my inspiration source!

On Ao3

Rating T -  1795 words

Aziraphale had been awake for a few minutes and, seeing that Crowley showed no sign of moving, he leaned over and kissed his hair before saying softly, "Crowley, my dear, I'm getting up."

Crowley murmured into the pillow, "'kay Angel. I don't feel like leaving this bed today."

Aziraphale ran a hand through Crowley's hair and said kindly, "I understand," then leaned over and whispered in his ear, "If you need anything, I'm here."

Crowley turned his head and said, "Thank you, Angel."

Aziraphale pressed a last kiss to the demon's forehead before getting up, dressing and heading down to the shop to start his day.

*********

Seeing that Crowley still hadn't come down by early afternoon, Aziraphale decided to go up and see him, if only to make sure he didn't need anything.

When he reached the bedroom he whispered softly, "Crowley?"

Crowley rolled under the covers and sat up a little.

The angel asked gently, "Still don't feel like getting up?"

Crowley shook his head, stretched out his arms and said, "But I wouldn't mind a hug."

Aziraphale, touched beyond measure that the demon was so open about what he wanted, didn't keep him waiting and slid in beside him, wrapping his arms around him and pressing him against his chest.

Crowley immediately wrapped himself around him and buried his face in his neck.

Aziraphale let out a soft yelp, "But you're scratching, my dear!"

He pushed the demon away a little and saw something he hadn't immediately noticed in the semi-darkness of the room.

Something he'd never seen before. Crowley with a light stubble. He ran his finger over the slightly rough skin and said softly, "I think this is the first time I've seen you like this."

Crowley replied, "I wasn't feeling up to it today."

Aziraphale nodded in understanding, knowing full well it had something to do with the kind of bad day Crowley had from time to time, 

Crowley stared at him for a few seconds and continued, "It makes me realise that you once mentioned your barber. How come you need one?"

Aziraphale blushed slightly but replied, "I like being pampered. It's very nice. Well, I should put that in the past tense, because now that I have my demon at home, I don't need anyone else to pamper me."

The smile on the demon's lips was worth the slight embarrassment the angel felt after his confession.

He continued, "Like when you washed my hair or took care of my wings."

As the demon nodded, Aziraphale ran a finger across his cheek and asked softly, "Don't you want to try?"

Crowley thought for a moment and with a slight playful gleam in his eye replied, "Do you even know what you're doing? I mean, not like 1941, if you know what I mean."

"Hey, that's petty! I'll have you know, Mr Crowley, I've got a whole shaving kit and I know how to use it."

The demon laughed at the angel's outburst, and Aziraphale was secretly pleased that he had managed to lighten his mood a little.

He said softly, "You still haven't told me. Would you like me to do it for you?"

Crowley nodded gently and replied a little embarrassed, "If it's you, I'd like you to do it for me."

Aziraphale smiled softly and kissed him on the cheek before saying "With pleasure, my love".

He then got up from the bed and found a chair, which he placed in front of the window, from which he opened the curtains to let the sunlight into the room.

He returned to the bed and held out his hand to Crowley, saying "Come and sit here so I can see better".

The demon grabbed the angel's hand and stood before moving to the chair and sitting down while the angel went to get what he needed. 

Aziraphale returned a few moments later with a basin, a towel on his arm and his shaving kit under his arm.

The angel placed the basin and shaving kit on a small table beside Crowley and, taking the towel, tied it around the demon's neck.

His gaze was drawn to the strands of red hair glistening in the sunlight filtering through the window. He grabbed a small one and rolled it between his fingers, saying, "Gorgeous.” 

Confused, Crowley asked, "What? What is gorgeous?"

Aziraphale replied with a half smile on his lips, "Your hair, my dear." 

"Oh..." replied the demon, unable to hide the slight blush that the angel's words caused. 

Aziraphale unpacked the entire shaving kit, grabbed a small cloth, soaked it in warm water and dabbed it over Crowley's stubble. He then grabbed the shaving brush, moistened it with shaving cream and, humming, ran it over all the stubble.

The angel then put down the shaving brush and took the razor, he opened it and showed it to Crowley gently, he asked gently, "Do you trust me?

Crowley replied softly, "With my life. Since the beginning of time and for as long as that".

Azirphale smiled softly and murmured, "Thank you," then leaned forward and gave him a long kiss on the forehead.

He placed the razor blade against the demon's creamed cheek and ran it gently from top to bottom. Then he wiped the blade clean and did the same on another area of skin just beside it. 

Crowley had closed his eyes, looking totally at ease, and Aziraphale, though he knew the demon trusted him completely, was no less moved.

He continued, the silence broken only by the sound of the blade against skin and the angel's humming.

When he had finished, he put the blade down and took the small cloth, moistened it again and dabbed it over Crowley's face, removing the remnants of the cream here and there.

Then he reached for a bottle of cologne and put a few drops on his hands before gently rubbing them over the demon's face.

Crowley sniffed, then said in a surprised tone, "But... it's my cologne, how did you know..."

Aziraphale pressed a light kiss to his lips and replied, "You're not the only one who can smell the other... Musk, red patchouli, lilac, mahogany, lemon rind, oak moss, leather and a hint of vanilla husk."

Then he stroked his cheek gently and continued, "There. We're done."

Crowley opened his eyes and just as the angel was about to remove his hand from his face, the demon grabbed it and kissed the palm before saying, "You were right, Angel, it's very nice to be pampered. But I suppose it's even nicer because it's you."

Aziraphale sat on the edge of the bed and asked Crowley, without a trace of judgement in his voice, " Do you want to go back to bed?"

Crowley shook his head and replied, "No, but... will you go to the park with me?"

Aziraphale immediately replied, "Of course."

He stood and held out his hand to Crowley, adding, "Let's go."

**********

Some time later, after feeding the ducks, they sat hand in hand on their bench.

Having just gently mocked another pair of not-so-discreet spies, at least to them, Crowley dropped his head to the Angel's shoulder and asked quietly, "Angel?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Aren't you tired of all this?"

Aziraphale asked in a confused tone, "All of what?"

Crowley replied, "Of me, and these moments when I don't feel like doing anything, when we have everything to be happy about."

Aziraphale rested his head against Crowley's and replied quietly, "Absolutely not tired of it. I won't say I like these moments, because they mean you're not well. But I do like the fact that you don't have to go through them alone, that I can help you on days like today. That you let me see you when you're like this. And I'm happy if I can give you even a little support and comfort".

Crowley turned his head and kissed the angel's cheek lightly before saying, "Believe me, you've done much more than that today. Knowing that I don't have to hide from you anymore, that I don't have to pretend and that you just let me be in these moments is so much more than I could have hoped for."

"Always, my love," the angel replied as he squeezed his hand, then continued, "You know, Crowley, happiness isn't when things are going well. It's when we get through a day like today, the two of us, without pretence, just being who we are. One for the other, as always."

Crowley smiled softly and replied, "You know what, Angel? You're absolutely right and..."

Aziraphale interrupted, chuckling softly before saying, "I hope it didn't hurt too much to say that."

Crowley, feigning offence, stood and said, "Too bad, I was going to offer you lunch at the Ritz, but you just ruined it."

Aziraphale, in turn, stood up and said in a slightly pleading tone, "I take back what I just said. I promise I won't make fun of you again and mmph".

Crowley had just closed his mouth with a tender kiss, then stepped back, holding out his hand, "Sometimes you're too adorable for words. Come on, Angel, let's celebrate this beautiful day."

The angel took his hand and they walked to where the Bentley was parked. 

As they walked hand in hand, the demon told himself that it was indeed a beautiful day.

Not perfect.

Just beautiful.

Just like them.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Ineffable Growing Love series : here (After season 2)

Ineffable Husbands masterlist : here (Before season 2)

[strwberri-milk]

hi! if it's okay can i request a jealous reader who gets like all mad and sarcastic to Kaeya (insecure deep inside), and his reaction because this random pretty girl was flirting and trying to make a move on him :)

im writing this in class or at least beginning it in class bc my prof told us to write stuff but i do everything early so i dont care and this is my stuff im writing hes a cavalry captain so thats close enough considering what im meant to do lol

You never have any reason to not believe in Kaeya. He's dont nothing to make you feel like you need to distrust him, knowing that he's always got you on his mind judging by the amount of things he brings you just because he was thinking of you, or the way he tries to slip into bed quietly after long days to avoid waking you.

Not only that, but he's always draping himself over your body, finding ways to make you embarrassed or show off his love for you. It's not a bad thing to him as long as it shows people that you're his and he's yours and for the most part, it works.

"Captain Kaeya!"

The two of you turn to see someone running at you - someone he seems to sort of recognise you think by the way his face shifts into moderate contemplation.

"Yes? Is there a problem?" he asks, knowing he's technically on shift right now but he just couldn't resist taking a stroll with you when he saw you leaving your shared house to run some errands.

"No, nothing like that. I just wanted to give you this."

They present to him an envelope, their name scrawled on the front of it. Kaeya inspects it quickly through lithe fingers, clearly unimpressed by the little sigh he gives.

"And this is?"

"A confession," they breathe out, clearly anticipating his response.

It's at this moment Kaeya suddenly remembers he's missing a warmth at his side and you yelp a bit as you're pulled into him. He presses a kiss to your lips before returning the mail to sender, smiling brightly at you as he ignores them.

"Unfortunately for you, my heart has already been stolen away. I don't intend to get it back," he purrs, making you roll your eyes.

He's ignoring them even more, vaguely hearing an apology stumble out of their lips before they run off as he presses another kiss to your face.

However, that didn't mean people still didn't try their damnedest, especially when at one of the taverns of the city. Kaeya tended to frequent Angels Share, meaning he was one of two stunning gentlemen there people wanted to sink their claws into.

Diluc's aloofness and almost coldness from focusing intently on his job made it difficult for people to broach his barrier, instead choosing to hone in on the seemingly free-spirited Captain.

You didn't go to the tavern too often, finding it was more fun to fill your time with something else and Kaeya was also just clingy enough that he made you fill your time with him. It meant that he was also drinking less now so as far as you were concerned it was a win-win situation.

But of course, this had to happen one of the few times the two of you decided to go get drinks as a couple. You weren't mad, but it was clear to him that something was wrong as you almost stormed out in the most polite manner you could manage, now staring him down in the living room.

"Hey, can we at least talk about this before you go and cool off without me? I'd at least want to know what I can do to make you feel better," he tries again, reaching for a hand only to be rejected.

"Why don't you go hang out with Claire? I'm sure she'd love more of your attention," you retort, avoiding his gaze.

"Who - you mean the woman hanging off me when you came to the bar? Why would I want to be with her right now?" he asks, puzzled.

"Are you sure about that? Because you looked pretty damn happy to be sitting there with her and all her beauty just shoved into your face! She looked this close to kissing you and you didn't do anything about it!"

Kaeya looks very confused, not even sure if the two of you were recalling the same incident. Yes, there was someone who made herself very welcome on his lap, no, he was not going to kiss her.

"Your hands were on her shoulders! Are you trying to tell me that you were trying to-"

"Push her off? Exactly that," he sighs, coming back to your side despite the fact that you turned your back to him.

"You know it's only you, don't you? Why would I go look for someone else when you're right here, waiting for me to come home?"

You know that he's got a point, still feeling a little stubborn as you keep your arms crossed and stay facing away from him. He doesn't let that deter him, instead slinking his arms around your shoulders and pulling you into chest.

"Come on, you're really going to tell me that you still don't believe me? That you don't know how much I love you?" he murmurs into your ear, beginning to trail kisses down your shoulder.

"Do I need to show it to you?" he asks, eye looking up at you from where he's bent over.

"Show me what?" you ask a little shakily, gasping when he pulls you in for a rough kiss.

You feel him shove you up against a wall somewhere, lips chasing after yours hungrily. He refuses to even breathe too long without you and you're convinced he's stealing the air out of your lungs to fill his own but you also know it doesn't matter because he's here, he's real, and he's in love with you.

"It's always you," he mutters against your lips, giving you a dazed look that's always so characteristic of him when he looks at you.

"It'll always be you, okay?" he reiterates, hands resting on your hips.

"Okay," you say softly, laughing a bit at the smile on his face.

"There you go. Remember that for me, alright hon?" he responds, kissing your cheek.

"I will."

[rorywritesjunk]

(Birdie will get a post like this once more of her story comes out. Also this got long on accident so it gets a cut. It's Buggy having some self doubt as always. But we've also seen Buggy as an adult with Sunny so he kind of grows out of this self doubt with his relationship)

Buggy isn't really feeling it when his birthday rolls around. He got a little too drunk at Sunny's birthday two months previously, made a comment about how hot the barmaid was and wondered what she looked like underneath those clothes, out loud mind you, in front of Sunny, and even though he apologized profusely and she forgave him, he still felt terrible about it.

And it was the day before his birthday and Sunny insisted he needed to drop her off at this certain village for the day which he did. He would do anything for her to make up how he acted. He gave her whatever berry he had as well, insisting she treat herself ("Honey, it's your birthday tomorrow" she said as she tried to hand it back to him. "Yea, well, then buy me something nice!" He insisted as he refused the money.)

And Sunny was gone almost all day. Buggy was worried, not that something happened to her but what if she... Just got tired of him and left?

She was so specific that it had to be this island she goes to on this particular day, the day before his birthday. Was it planned? Was his birthday present a divorce after almost two years of marriage? He felt it would be justified. Sunny would be better off marrying someone else anyways.

So he decided to celebrate early with a bottle of rum with himself. He shut himself away in the bedroom with it, figuring he was alone now that the love of his life decided she was tired of him.

He was halfway through the bottle when the door opened and he heard the sweetest sound: her voice.

"I'm back! I got things to make you dinner tomorrow." Sunny told him as she shut the door. "And your birthday present, of course."

When she saw him sitting on the ground, back to the bed as he slumped forward, she paused for a moment. "Buggy?"

"I thought you were gonna leave me." He sniffled. "I'm a terrible husband."

Sunny sighed and walked over to him, taking the bottle of rum out of his hands and moving it out of reach. "That's enough of that. Anyway, you'll never guess who I ran into in town, Buggy. I saw Kuro again! He dresses so sharp, you know. I like to think I can have bragging rights over helping pirate captains with their wardrobes."

Buggy could only listen, feeling more and more miserable. Of course Sunny would meet someone she knew. She knew as many pirates as Buggy but she got along with them (even if some asked to marry her). Kuro being in town was another stab in Buggy's heart. She was going to leave him for Kuro.

"Hey, do you want your present now or tomorrow?" Sunny asked as she turned to look at Buggy. He wasn't paying attention to her, which was a surprise. She walked back over and knelt down in front of him. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"My birthday is tomorrow and you're divorcing me!" Buggy whined. "I'm a terrible husband, I don't deserve you! You-You're leaving me for Kuro, aren't you?

"Wait, what? No!" Sunny stared at him in shock. "Why would you think that?!"

"B-Because you wanted to come here and- and he is better looking than me!" Buggy's hand grabbed the rum and brought it back over to him. He took a few more large gulps before Sunny managed to pull it away from him again.

"I'm not divorcing you!" Sunny insisted. "Buggy, is this about my birthday?" He nodded and grabbed the bottle back from her. Sunny sighed. "Honey, I told you it was fine. It was a dumb thing but that's not the dumbest thing you've done or said around me." She gave up trying to take the bottle from him, instead choosing to stand up and step back from him. "I wanted to come to this island to get to this town for a specific reason. Kuro was just a surprise."

"D'you think he's more handsome than me?" Buggy sniffled. Sunny rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Kuro is handsome, honey, but I think you're more attractive than him." Sunny told him. "Now, I'm going to show you your birthday present, okay, because maybe you'll calm down."

Buggy rubbed his eyes and looked up at her as tears streamed down his cheeks. This was it. She was going to do something dramatic like take off her wedding ring and throw it down at him, laugh about how she would go off with someone else. To his surprise and relief, she did no such thing. Instead, Sunny pulled her shirt off and turned to show him her shoulder.

Her skin was still swollen, a little bruised, but his jolly roger was clear as day, inked onto her right shoulder forever. It was shiny from the ointment, a little irritated from her shirt even, but it was there. Buggy's jaw dropped and he stood up way too fast, the alcohol hitting him and causing him to lose his balance and fall against her. Thankfully she caught him, steadying him on his feet as he reached up to touch the tattoo.

"You can't touch it, honey." She said as she pushed his hand down gently. "Not yet, anyways. It needs a few weeks to heal."

"You're not divorcing me?" Buggy managed to ask, voice wavering as he looked up at her with large, watery eyes.

"No, Buggy, I'm not divorcing you." Sunny kissed him on his forehead. "Don't think like that, okay? I wanted to surprise you with this because I love you so much and want you to know I'm committed to you. You're the only one I want."

He dropped the bottle of rum and threw his arms around her, tears gone as he hugged her tightly. "I love you sooooo much, Sunny babe! So much, you have no idea! And and you got me tattooed on you, that means you're going to love me forever, right?"

"Yes, yes, I'm going to love you forever because I got this tattooed on me." Sunny chuckled as she hugged him back. "Now, get yourself cleaned up for dinner. I need to get started on it."

Buggy held onto the hug for a moment longer, wanting to let her words sink in. She loved him, wasn't leaving him, and she would love him forever. For him, that was the best birthday gift.