#if we had somewhere to store a cow

[sansaorgana]

Can you write a Buck x innocent reader? Not smutty but maybe Buck finds it endearing how innocent she is?

hiii, thank you both for the requests! this story is the longest one [almost 5k words xd] out of all those "short fics" 😂 because I decided to go somewhere else with the plot this time... 👀 the Reader finds Buck hiding in her barn after his plane was shot down but I don't specify what country it is exactly (one of the occupied ones) 💝 she is sweet and innocent and shy and she saves his life so, like, how can he not be crazy about her? 😁

my inbox is open for blurb/short fic requests for major cleven 🤗

The sound of the American and German planes above you was common these days but it terrified you each time. Living in the countryside had many privileges – like being away from the main bombing targets – but it also could get dangerous when the burning planes would fall down from the sky. Your father was standing outside and watching them carefully, making sure they weren’t coming too close because you’d have to evacuate quickly if they did.

You were standing inside by the window with your mother – both scared and hoping it would be over soon. Then, a sound of loud explosion made you startle as you squealed and hugged your mother closer.

“It’s over,” your father finally went back inside and held you both to help you calm down. “The American plane went down in the forest. I’ve seen the parachutes but it’s none of our business,” he reminded you both.

“If the Germans come, what should we tell them?” Your mother asked. You had never had a plane go down so close.

“We haven’t seen anyone,” he pursed his lips.

Your father hated the Nazis but he also wanted to survive more than anything else. He didn’t want to get involved in anything that would bring death to his family. However, he still hoped the Allies would win.

In the evening you went to the barn as usual to check on your cow and to close it for the night. You approached her and patted her neck to caress her gently. You usually preferred animals to humans. They were so quiet and calm and they didn’t start scary wars with bombing planes, tanks and rifles.

An odd noise made you look around, scared. You were easily startled at anything these days and usually it would just be mice so you tried not to panic.

However, you spotted a few mice nearby and they were not in the same direction the sound was coming from. And the sound was nothing any mouse would make. It was… breathing. Sharp, muffled breaths.

“H-hello?” You asked and you swallowed thickly as you approached the dark corner of the barn where most of the straw was stored.

Your steps were slow and careful and then you saw something moving slightly and you spotted a pair of eyes looking at you… a pair of human eyes without a doubt.

Your whole body froze as your heart skipped a beat and your hands got cold and shaky. There was a man in your barn and you were terrified, not knowing what to do. You wanted to scream for your father but you were scared of what that person would do. You could run away but what if he was faster and would catch you?

“Hello?” He answered in a weak, raspy voice. “Please, don’t be scared,” he added but you kept standing there, petrified. “Do you speak English?”

You swallowed thickly. He had to be an American, you thought. One of those that had been shot down earlier that day. You had heard stories of them showing up to people’s houses like that. The Nazis wanted everyone to contact them immediately when such things would occur.

“I… I do speak English, yes,” you whispered. “My dad’s an English teacher,” you explained and you finally gained the courage to approach the man.

He was sitting on the floor in the darkest corner of the barn and he was holding one of his arms as his face winced out of pain. He was quite young and you could see his golden hair under all the mud and straw.

“Are you alright, sir? You’re American?” You asked.

“American, yes. I’ll be fine, just… Water, please,” he pleaded and you bit on your lower lip, not knowing what to do.

You should tell your father, no doubt about it. But what if your father would call the Nazis? He didn’t like them but he didn’t like the prospect of being killed either.

“I’ll bring you something. You just wait here,” you told him and he nodded.

He was completely at your mercy now, you realised. He gave you his trust, because you could just run out of the barn and call for the Gestapo. He trusted that you wouldn’t do that. He had no other choice.

You sneaked inside the kitchen to make sure your mum would not see you and you grabbed a bottle of milk and some cheese. Then you took a bun out of the bread bin and you went back to the barn.

“Is milk okay?” You asked as you crouched down next to the man to hand him the food. “I also got you cheese and a bun. I’m sorry the bun is not really fresh.”

“It’s more than I asked for… Thank you,” he took the food from you and you watched him eat it like a starving man. You noticed him wincing once in a while and that his shirt was torn on his arm and lots of dry blood around it.

“What happened to your arm?” You asked, quietly.

“I fell down when I landed and I hurt it,” he explained.

“It doesn’t look good. It should be disinfected,” you pointed out.

“I don’t want to be a bother. I will sleep here… if you let me… and I will leave in the morning. I don’t want to be a problem for you and your family,” he promised.

You remained silent. You felt bad for that man. He shouldn’t be travelling in his state and he was an easy target for the Germans in his uniform, especially being slowed down by his injury.

“I have to go before my dad checks on me,” you told him and he nodded.

You closed the barn and went back home with a heart feeling heavy in your chest. You had to tell your father about it and if he’d want to call the Gestapo, you’d just beg him not to.

“Papa, there is something I have to tell you,” you started as he was sitting on the sofa and reading a book. He raised his eyes to look at you and so did your mother, crocheting on the rocking chair.

“What is it, love?”

“There’s an American in our barn,” you announced and your parents looked at each other, terrified. Your father closed the book loudly and put it away. “I gave him some food. He is hurt.”

“You talked to him?” Your father stood up and you took a step back, scared. You were afraid he would get angry at you.

“I’m sorry, he is hurt… And he was thirsty and hungry…”

“You gave him our food? We barely have any!” Your mother was not pleased.

“Just a bottle of milk, an old bun and some cheese!” You tried to explain yourself. “I can skip breakfast tomorrow morning for that,” you offered.

“Enough. No one’s skipping breakfast,” your father furrowed his brow as a deep wrinkle appeared on his forehead. “Let me speak to him.”

“Be careful!” Your mother stood up and followed you both to the front door as she watched you walk towards the barn. Your father was carrying a candle with him.

“I will go first and tell him about you,” you whispered. “He might get scared seeing you and I saw he had a gun.”

Your father nodded and you pushed the door leading to the barn carefully.

“Hello, it’s me again,” you started. “Please, don’t get angry.”

“I am not angry,” you heard a voice from the darkness.

“I brought my dad with me. I had to tell him, I’m sorry… But he won’t hurt you,” you promised. The man did not answer. “Can I bring him inside?”

“It’s his barn. You don’t have to ask me,” he told you and you waved at your dad to come inside.

The candle in his hands made the whole room a little brighter and now you both could see the American sitting by the wall better. 

“Who are you?” Your father approached him as he asked.

“Major Gale Cleven, sir. I was shot down earlier that day,” he explained. “Please, let me stay here for the night and I will leave tomorrow morning. I don’t want to be a problem.”

“You already are, son,” your father pointed out.

“Papa…!” You extended your hand towards him but he shushed you.

“If they find you in this barn, they will immediately know who you are. Come inside,” your father said and you widened your eyes. So did the American Major.

“A-are you sure, sir?”

“Yes, come,” your father handed you the candle and he helped Major Cleven to stand up and they slowly began walking towards the house. You closed the barn and followed them.

When they were inside, your mother was clearly unhappy but she didn’t say anything.

“Bring him some of my clothes. We have to get rid of this uniform and you have to take a look at his arm,” your father told her. “And you,” he pointed at you, “run him a bath.”

“I really don’t want to be a bother,” Major Cleven protested.

“That’s the least we can do to help any man fighting those monsters,” your father said and you sighed out of relief. For a moment you feared that he had lured the American inside only to tell you to call the Gestapo a few moments later.

You were proud to be his daughter.

You all went to sleep very late because of the hassle with Major Cleven. He was sleeping on a sofa, his arm was bandaged, he was washed and he had some of your father’s clothes on him. You woke up first and went downstairs to prepare breakfast for everyone but from the corner of your eye you watched the American asleep on the sofa in the living room which was connected to your small kitchen.

He was a handsome man and it was bringing heat to your cheeks. You had never expected to meet a real American pilot. Not here, not in this European village in the middle of nowhere. You thought of all the American things that you had known of – beautiful Hollywood actresses, pin up girls, Coca Cola, New York buildings… It all seemed more like a dream than a real place and this man sleeping on your couch was coming from it. It felt surreal.

You turned around to focus on preparing coffee and sandwiches with anything you could find in the fridge. You were so deep in your American daydream that you didn’t hear him waking up and walking inside the kitchen.

“Hello,” he greeted you and you jumped a little before turning your head around. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he smiled softly.

God, he was gorgeous. Like from a movie.

“It is fine. I am… How do you say it… tamid?” You stuttered out. You felt awkward not knowing how to say it.

“Timid,” he chuckled. 

“Timid, yes. I’m sorry,” you looked down.

“You don’t have to apologise to me. Your English is very good,” he assured you and your face lightened up at that compliment.

“How do you like your coffee, Major?” You asked.

“Call me Buck, please. That’s how friends call me,” he extended his hand.

“Buck? What does it mean?” You shook it.

“It’s just a nickname,” he explained. “And what’s your name, miss?”

“Oh, yeah, my name’s (Y/N). So, how do you take your coffee, Major?” You introduced yourself and quickly changed the subject.

“Black – no milk, no sugar,” he answered.

“Well, I’m glad because we don’t have sugar,” you chuckled softly. “We haven’t had it in a long while now,” you explained.

“Your family is very generous,” Buck took a cup of coffee from you and your fingers brushed for a brief moment. You felt butterflies in your stomach.

“My father is against the Nazis,” you told him. “He has friends in the local resistance, he will introduce you to them. But we have to wait for your arm to get better first.”

“Thankfully it looked worse than it truly was. Your mother is skilled with these things,” he gave you yet another dashing smile.

Was it an American thing to do to smile so much…? Either way, you didn’t mind.

“She is a nurse,” you told him.

“And you?” He raised his eyebrows and you looked down again.

What were you supposed to tell an American pilot? It felt embarrassing.

“I want to be a teacher like my father… But now I can’t study much, I have to help around the farm. We have our cow, some chickens and a small garden. We used to have a boy coming here to help us but he’s… Well, he’s been killed. It’s difficult,” you explained.

“I’m sorry to hear that… But hey, being a teacher sounds great,” Buck patted your shoulder and you looked up at him in disbelief. He still had that charming smile on his face as he sipped on his coffee. “It’s so good, thanks,” he winked at you, trying to cheer you up a little.

“Y-you’re welcome,” you felt your cheeks heating up and then you heard footsteps on the staircase so you went back to preparing sandwiches since your parents had already been awake.

Buck stayed at your place for a week to let his arm heal. In the meantime he had written a letter addressed to his British base that your father had handed to his friends from the resistance. Buck wanted his friends to know that he was alive and safe.

He was helping around the house and since both of your parents had their regular jobs in the town nearby, you would spend most of your days with him. He was helping you around the garden and with your cow and chickens. He was a funny and charming man and you couldn’t help yourself but to fall in love with him.

You were a shy girl from a small village, you were nothing like those stunning American girls you had seen in the magazines. Your English was not perfect and your stories were not even half as exciting as his. You knew very well that there was no chance that a man like Buck would ever even see you as a woman in a romantic sense. He was a gentleman and he always treated you with respect but nothing more than that.

One time when you were in the garden with him, you spotted a familiar German soldier approaching you and you panicked inside.

“Don’t talk to him,” you told Buck as you faked a smile at the soldier. “Hello, sir!” You greeted him.

“Hello, hello, I’ve been around, decided to check on you. I saw your parents in town and thought to myself you must be all alone here,” he leaned on the fence and squinted his eyes at Buck. “Who’s that?” He asked.

“My cousin,” you explained as your heart was pounding in your chest. You clasped your hands behind your back to hide your nervousness.

“Cousin, huh? Hey, cousin!” He called for Buck and he looked up but he didn’t say anything as you had told him. He couldn’t understand your conversation anyway. “What is he? Mute?”

“Actually, yes, he’s…” you lowered your voice, “...you know, not quite right. In the head, I mean. They sent him here to help around the house because his family is sick of him. His sister got married and she doesn’t want him around at that time, you get me…”

You felt awfully bad for this lie but it was the only way to explain why Buck wouldn’t speak a word. If he tried to speak your language, he would be immediately exposed as an American. He’d be taken to some captive camp and your family would be killed. Or he’d get killed, too. It depended on the German, really. And this one was known for being quite nasty.

The soldier looked you up and down and then he chuckled to himself.

“Sure, sweetheart. Well, have fun with your cousin then. See you around.”

“See you around, sir,” you waved at him nervously and you watched him walk away.

“What happened?” Buck asked quietly.

“Nothing. He wanted to know who you are,” you explained with a soft smile. “I told him we are cousins and that you can’t speak because you’re, well, slow,” you admitted with a shy giggle, afraid of his reaction.

Buck found it funny, though. He laughed and shook his head.

“And you came up with that lie on a spot?” He asked.

“Well, what else was I supposed to do? By the way, this German keeps coming around all the time and talking to me. I’m glad you’re here because every time he comes by when I’m alone, I get scared,” you admitted. “He’s like that with lots of girls ‘round here. He only talks but it’s still scary,” you gasped and Buck furrowed his brow. “I think he likes it when we’re scared of him. He asks questions and all that. He’s known for being a brute when things get serious.”

“Yeah, I don’t like it that you’re stayin’ here all alone,” he admitted with a nod and your cheeks heated up in an instant.

You were waiting for your father and Gale while sitting on the fence with your ankles wiggling in the air. You were worried about them because every time your father would visit his resistance friends, it could end badly. Especially now, when he was walking with an American by his side.

And as much as you wanted Buck to go back to his friends, you were also sad that it was time for you to say goodbye to him. You knew it was selfish, but you hoped he would stay for a longer time.

You saw them at the horizon and you sighed out of relief. You jumped back on the ground and ran up to them.

“And? And?” You asked, excitedly.

“We’ll talk inside,” your father gave you a scolding look. Buck smiled at you and you smiled at him.

In complete silence you walked back home and sat by the dining table together.

“Major Cleven leaves tomorrow morning,” your father told you and you faked a huge smile, although your heart broke. You really hoped you would get a few more days with him.

“I’m so happy for you, Buck,” you told him. “I wish you all the luck on the way.”

“Thank you,” he nodded.

“(Y/N),” your mother looked down at you while squinting her eyes. You had a feeling she had known about your crush on Major Cleven. “It’s time for you to check on the cow and lock the barn.”

“Yes, mama,” you sighed and left the table to go outside and straight to the barn.

After a while, Buck joined you.

“What are you doing here?” You asked him with a sad smile, trying to hide that you had been crying silently.

“Well, it might be my last evening but I’m still here and I want to help,” he told you.

“I can handle that,” you shrugged your arms. “I can handle everything on my own. I had used to before you showed up,” you added.

Buck didn’t say anything to that. He looked down and blushed a little. You looked away and focused on caressing the cow to calm yourself down.

“I feel bad for leaving you here,” he admitted.

“But what does it change?” You asked and he looked up, furrowing his brows. “I mean, really. What does it matter at all? You’re from a completely different world and I’m… well, me,” you swallowed thickly, trying to fight the tears forming in your eyes and ignoring your throat squeezing tightly. “I am just a village girl in the middle of nowhere, from some place you cannot even pronounce properly. I have never tasted Coca-Cola, never seen a Hollywood movie, only seen pictures in the magazines. I’ve never had lipstick or rollers in my hair. I’m less than ordinary. But it’s fine. It’s how it is here. And you…” you hesitated for a while before taking a deep breath in. “You’re from a different world. You’re so confident and so charismatic and so brave and so… American,” you chuckled through the tears. “So what does it matter that you feel bad about it? You have to leave. This is not your world. You would leave sooner or later.”

You tried not to look at him but his silence forced you to lay your eyes on him. He looked like a beaten dog and it made you feel bad.

“I’m sorry,” you apologised but he approached you and held your shaking hand in his. You looked up and he leaned in closer to your face but he visibly hesitated as if he had no idea if he could do what he wanted to do. Your heart was pounding in your chest. You couldn’t believe that it was happening.

You weren’t confident enough to give him a proper kiss. You only pecked his cheek delicately and he smiled gently at you.

“You’re such a sweet girl,” he raised his free hand to caress your cheek, “and none of the things you said were true. You’re not less than ordinary. You’re very special but you don’t even know that.”

“Me? Special?” You sniffed your tears back as you shook your head in disbelief.

“You’re a girl one in a million, I mean it,” he brushed your chin with his fingers. “I will never forget you.”

“I will never forget you,” you told him sadly, knowing perfectly well that it would be you who would truly mean your words for the rest of your life.

A man like Major Cleven would move on easily. But you couldn’t blame him for that.

It was the autumn of 1945 and you landed your first job in the local school. Since you weren’t qualified to teach regularly yet, you were supposed to look after the younger children. Either way, you were glad for this job opportunity which would bring your family extra money and some job experience for you.

You often wondered what Buck was doing. Had he come back home? Had he been caught? Killed? You didn’t want to think of that possibility. Had he met someone…?

You didn’t have his picture; you hated how you almost forgot some details of his face already or the exact sound of his voice. You promised to never forget him and you were sure you wouldn’t ever forget a man named Buck. But you couldn’t help forgetting all those little things that were making a real person and not a vague concept of an American you had known a long time ago and loved… Like you were an old woman telling stories to her grandchildren.

The bell rang and all the kids packed their bags before running outside. You were slower with your things as you had no things to be in the hurry for. You walked outside and took a deep breath in, enjoying the fresh, crispy air and the cool breeze on your face.

“Miss (Y/L/N)! Who’s that man?” One of the boys tugged on your cardigan and you looked down at him.

“Hm? What man?” You asked.

“That man over there! He looks like those American pilots I’ve seen in the newspaper!” The boy widened his eyes and your heart skipped a beat as you looked in the direction he was showing.

It couldn’t be him, could it?

You spotted a man leaning on the school’s fence. His golden hair was slightly ruffled by the wind, he was wearing sunglasses and chewing gum nonchalantly. What made him look like an American pilot the most was his leather military jacket, though.

“B-Buck…?” You whispered to yourself as you ran up to the man.

“Need a ride home, doll?” He greeted you with a smile as he pointed at the car behind him with his thumb.

“Buck…!” You screamed as you opened your arms and hugged him tight. He picked you up and spun you around as you giggled. “What are you doing here?!” You asked when he finally put you back down.

“You thought you’d get rid of me so easily?” He teased and you burst out in happy tears. “Shh,” he cupped your face and lifted it gently to make you look at him. “Hey, hey,” he took his sunglasses off and looked deeply into your eyes, “hey, I’m back. I’m fine. Are you fine?” He asked, worryingly.

“Y-yes,” you nodded through the tears. “I’m just… I’m just happy,” you confessed. “There was not a day I did not think of you…”

Buck smiled at that and brought you closer to his chest. You breathed in his scent and sighed.

“Please, tell me it’s not a dream,” you sobbed again. “Because I’ve dreamt it a million times before already.”

“It’s not a dream, my sweet girl. I promised I wouldn’t forget about you.”

“But you didn’t promise to come back,” you pointed out.

“I didn’t want to make promises I was not sure if I am able to keep. I didn’t know if I’d get out of this whole mess alive,” he rubbed your back and moved away slightly to look down at your face again. “Hope you haven’t married anyone in the meantime?”

“Are you crazy?” You laughed at him through the tears.

“I mean it, doll, have you met someone?” He asked and you shook your head. “Good. Because I really, really, really, would like to take you out on a date,” he told you and you felt butterflies all over your body.

But… It might have not been a dream. Yet it still felt too good to be true.

“Why me?” You asked with a more serious expression on your face and he furrowed his brows. “I mean, why? Why did you come back for me? I’m sure there are dozens of beautiful and kind women that would love to go out on a date with you. And you didn’t have to cross an Ocean for them.”

“Why you?” He asked as if he couldn’t believe the question because the answer was obvious. It wasn’t obvious for you, though. “You saved me. Your kindness, your generosity, your big heart – they saved me on that night. You could have left me there in the barn or call the Gestapo on me. You were terrified of me, I could see that. But you were too good to let me die, you were so brave. You saved me. And I’ve never met a girl as sweet and kind and beautiful as you,” he caressed your cheek with his thumb to wipe some tears away. “And I know you don’t feel this way about yourself, doll. But I’m gonna change that. I’m gonna tell you this every day until you believe me.”

“This is all very sweet, Buck, but… What I said back then, it’s still true. We are from two different worlds. The war might be over now but it doesn’t change the fact I’m just some village girl from Europe and you’re an American hero,” you shook your head.

“I’m not a hero,” he laughed softly. “And America is not that different, my sweet one. It’s not like in the magazines you’re reading. Anyway, I could stay here, too.”

“You don’t even speak the language,” you laughed.

“I’m a quick learner,” he shrugged his arms. “And I wouldn’t mind working at the farm while you teach. I just want to be with you,” he admitted casually as if he hadn’t just devoted his whole life to you and you only.

Your eyes widened at him. He really did mean that.

You threw your arms around him and let him spin you around once again as you giggled.

“Miss!” A whiny voice made you both turn around and look at the annoyed little boy. “So is he an American pilot or not? How long do I have to wait?!”

MASTERLIST || BUCK MASTERLIST

[writingoddess1125]

The Canary

Me and stupid shit again

Support on Ko-Fi, I'm poor

"Ah, 50k in debt for a linguistic degree you didnt get while working at a grocery store- Can't get any better then that!"

You had said that morning- Your sarcasm rolling off your tongue like a goddammit curse as you headed off to work.

And yet here you are now...

Your ass tied up on the floor of the grocery store while men armed to the teeth walked around talking- you felt oddly fortunate however, these guys were clearly grunts at the bottom of the food chain in terms of 'bad guys' hell they were speaking a language you had studied so you could pick up what they were saying as well.

You had been in the meat section when the explosion went off- The cow statue having saved your ass from being turned into a tube of ground beef, but now you were a hostage..

Greaattt.

"Hamil told us we needed the hostages, 6 of them exactly for this while they set up the explosives down the block.. we just gotta wait for the signal" The man said in the different language. You taking mental note of this-

You spot a little girl and her mother among your fellow hostages, your heart breaking at rhe sight as you saw the man approach her. Her mother clearly trying to undo her child's rope and get her to slip away down the aisle. However pausing when one of the men approached her and the girl.

"Hamil said Makarov gave us the clear so we could do as we pleased as we wait right?" The man said, one of his peers rolling his eyes in disgust and calling him dirty.

"Whatever we got some time to kill" He grumbled, beginning to undo his belt as he grabbed the screaming mother who was trying to shield her daughter away from the possible assault. You sitting up fully at this point and your brain going on autopilot.

"Woah Woah Woah Man! Got that weak of game you have to rape some Mom now?!" You yelled, the man pausing his actions. Tossing the sobbing women away from him and marching to you angrily fixing his belt-

"What did you say?" He hissed angrily flashing his gun at you. "I'll fuck your mother how about that-"

He said angrily, You took note of all the men now staring at you and not at the other hostages- Keeping them distracted... maybe enough for the little girl to slip away?

"I've already fucked your mom asshole- I have her saved as slip and slide on my phone" You say with a crooked grin- A few of the men snickering at your joke, Oh Fuck Yeah!

"What did you say!? Do you not see the situation you're in now?" He growled.

"Aww can't take a joke big guy? Come one gotta lighten it up somehow-" You see in your peripherals the girl slipping away as you chattered.

"Got a big mouth huh? Why don't we put it to use?" He chimed, you really wanting to turn this guy away from molesting you or anyone else.

"Listen it would be a waste of space- like if you throw a hotdog in a cave" You chimed, smiling as he looked ready to rip you apart but instead punched you across the face. OWWW!!

"Is it BDSM tuesday?.. Eh not doing it for me though big guy maybe rub your nipples and give me a wink?" You say, His friend who had called his dirty giving a hearty laugh at this.

The man glared down at you and spit in your face, clearly wanting to kill you in some way but needed you and the others for their plan. You pretended to taste it like a fine wine, Looking him in the eye.

"Oh?~ Cock flavored spit?- New Age?" You chimed making the man face red as a tomato in rage as his mate to the left laughed.

"Was this a little self yoga or did Unicorn overthrew give a hand?"

He smacked you with his pistol making you cry out-

Fuck that hurt!!

You defiently had a cracked bone somewhere in your face and the fresh taste of blood in your mouth didn't exactly help those feelings.

"Say something smart now!" He yelled angrily.

"A pistol whip!? What is this 1995? Give your balls a tug you tit fucker! Or are they so shriveled up you can't grab them?" You say with a smile, the man grabbing your collar and pressing the gun to your temple.

"I no longer care what Hamil wants! I'm killing this little bastard!" He screamed, you wincing at his breath.

"You can't! I don't want Makarov on my ass!" His peer yelled ready to pry him off you.

"Just put a sock in their mouth or something if they are bitching that much!"

"Well if you're gonna kill me so close a breath mint would be nice? You do realize Tiktacs aren't just a penis size right?" You chuckle nervously, you eyes catching a shadow moving behind the men now all staring at you. Their backs turned to the shadows.

"You know what- I'll shut up after one last joke? Eh?" You say nervously, The man yous been tormenting cocking his gun- you see a man silently stalk out, a skull mask covering his face as 4 others moved in perfect formation behind him.

"No more fucking jokes!" He yells, rage in his eyes.

"Okay- But I tried" You say cheerfully before closing your eyes. In seconds gunfire went off around you and quick screams surrounded you.

"Clear!" You hear sounded as you crack open your eye to take a peak.

"Holy fuck-" You sigh out and give a nervous laugh. Looking at the dead men now littering the ground as the soilders file into the area quickly-

The guy in the skullmask- The one who you spotted getting into position behind the guys comes to you and undoes the rope around your wrist in record time as the other men do the same to your fellow hostages.

"A medic will be here soon to check over your injuries" He said in a surprisingly deep voice- accident not lost on your either. He reached a hand down to either help you up or pick you up to extract you from the area.

You grab the man's vest quickly to stop him before he could, He stares at you hard in confusion.

"Listen, Those guys said that there were bombs down the block and were waiting for a signal. They have others- I can understand them and thwy said they followed someone name Hamil who talks to Makarov... I-Im a linguists and um.. can understand them" You say quickly, The masked man narrows his eyes at this and speaks into a radio on his side.

"We have info that more bombs are down the block- Scout the area and evacuate further" he said as he went back to helping you up. A quick thanks leaving your lips as you pulled off your work hoodie and passed it to the mother to cover her up.

The men escorting you out of the grocery store.

"Got to say, never seen a Canary get the best of those guys-" The Mohawk guy said with a smirk on his face, supporting a old man who clearly had a broken foot.

"Gotta use my gifts somehow- and Canary?" You shot back,

"Always fuckin' churpin" He said with a smile. A laugh now coming from you as you nod. Once outside the medics quickly swarmed all of you and prepared to take you all to the hospital.

You spot the masked guy again- Giving him a head nod. "Thank you Mr. Spooky!" You call out rather loudly- earning a amused glare from the man who rolled his eyes.

"....Your quips- Were... quite amusing.." He said calmly, You looking at the hardened man with a smile on your busted face- The others in his little boy band also cracking some smirks as they walked off finishing their jobs- which you assumed was down the block.

You give a bow of your head in a mildly dramatic flare. Wanting a shot and a nap at this point as the

"Glad my show went well"

Bonus!

- The little girl got out and went to the police that were waiting outside- explaining what you were doing and immediately getting checked over by medica

- TK141 had actually gotten to your location a little earlier then when you saw. However Soap had to stop everyone since he almost fell out at the cock flavored spit take.

- The whole team had been laughing on the inside or holding back laughter the whole time they heard you chirping at the men holding you hostage.

- The Nickname 'Mr. Spooky' will follow poor Ghost for the next few months-

[v3nusxsky]

hello, this is my first time asking here so im kinda shy... maybe can u do a emily prentiss x fem!reader where emily for some reason finds a cowboy hat and put it on to show reader and that turns reader on, then reader needs emily to deal with her... maybe smut if you into it ? thanks, also im following you for a little time and im loving your stories, bye angel

Reverse Cowgirl 18+

*Authors note~ I was unsure on which direction I wanted to take this due to writers block but I low key love it and the last word of the ask seemed to incorporate itself well here, I hope you love it*

Trigger Warnings~ roleplay?? dom em sub r daddy Emily cowboy hat reverse cowgirl position strap oral praise kink degrading kink

Prompt~ see ask^^^^^

It was so rare that you ever had time to spare from chasing serial killers all around the world, but thankfully today seemed to be a rare restful day. No phone buzzing at ungodly hours of the morning with the words "we got a case." No this morning you'd awoken to your favourite agent peacefully sleeping next to you. Your girlfriend, not that anyone else knew. These mornings were definitely your favourite. You often wonder how she gets away with looking so damn gorgeous but then again your too busy starring to care why, instead admiring her beauty.

A lazy morning with your love sounded absolutely perfect until your phone began buzzing on the nightstand. A silent pray for it to not be work, you answered the call to be greeted with an excited shriek form the one and only miss Penelope Garcia. "Pg!" You whined, "my ears Garcia, what do you need?" A little scoff made its way over the line, "you me JJ and Prentiss, shopping at noon. No excuses we need a girl day and I need to spoil my god sons. I'll text you the address, bye sweets!" And just like that she was gone. It wasn't a few seconds later, and your girlfriends phone buzzed too. Trying to contain your laughter as she attempted to wriggle out of the girls day, and her side glance at you while mouthing "traitor" before giving in and accepting that she needed to get up. After the phone call ended you promised if Emily got out of bed you could shower together, apparently that was all the motivation she needed.

After a shower that took twice as long as it normally would've due to Emily's wandering hands you finally secured breakfast and both left to meet the girls. Emily drove you both and honestly you'd be lying if you said her driving with a hand on your thigh didn't drive you insane, soon enough you were separating ways after a final kiss to avoid the suspicion. A part of you wished you could hold her hand in public or kiss her cheek but another part was too scared they'd try and reassign you to keep you both apart. You'd like to think Hotch wouldn't do that but you knew it was out of his control. Plus they didn't even know you were bisexual with a preference for women.

You'd be lying if you said you didn't have fun watching Garcia absolutely raid the toy stores and clothing shops while JJ insisted they didn't need anything since the absolute flood of gifts on six months ago. Garcia always won those arguments, finding some kind of loophole somewhere which made you giggle, Emily grabbed everything a coffee in order to slip a little I love you on your cup and every chance she got she discreetly joined your hands under tables. Small things like that made your heart yearn for her.

Now to end up in a sexy shop wasn't on your to do list but with JJ and Wills anniversary coming up it wasn't surprising she wanted to get him something or someone to unwrap. Garcia wondering off to another toy store left you and Emily waiting for JJ. Both of you pretending to look around separately while mentally compiling a list of outfits to get,

Emily even going as far to look at some of the strap ons. Seeing a cow boy hat in a sex shop was certainly something unexpected yet you still couldn't resist putting it on.

"Fetch me my horse daddy" you giggled adding a southern drawl into your accent causing Emily to spin around in confusion. There you stood with a cow boy hat on your head, going surprisingly well with your braided hair, and a riding crop in your right hand, "I believe I found my ride" you whispered before cheekily winking at the stunned woman. While you were putting it back where up I found the accessories you completely missed the raven haired woman buying a certain something and slipping away to hide it.

By the time JJ returned with her gift Emily was back looking at objects in the room as if she'd never left. The imagine of you being her perfect cowgirl never leaving her mind, all the ways she could fuck you in that outfit. On all fours her hand gripping and tugging on your braids as she absolutely rails you from behind. Oh and you'd be so good for her, you always were. Her sweet little cow girl. Unbeknownst to you a silly little dress up would result into an absolutely desperate Emily tonight.

The journey back to Emily's apartment was blissfully normal until you arrived. There she went to the boot of the car and grabbed a cow boy hat. The hat suited her so well and you found yourself to distract to try and find out where she got it from due to the sticky wetness now dripping down your thick thighs. "God daddy so big! I need you" you whined pitifully as she came to hug you from behind, purposefully rubbing her bulge into your ass. That was new. She definitely wasn't packing when you left this morning that was for sure. God she knew how to drive you absolutely wild.

Emily allowed you to practically drag her into the apartment and straight to the bedroom, secretly loving how desperate a simple had made you, before pushing you into the wall and claiming your lips with hers. It was lustful and needy as if neither of you needed oxygen to breathe. Emily's right hand crept up your body until it made its way to its rightful place, your throat. Now with the gentle squeeze of her hand you were begging her to take you already. The nerd becoming unbearable for you. And Emily wasn't handling the need any better than you.

Clothing was torn from eachothers body before Emily gently lifted you so you could wrap your legs around her waist all while never losing your lips. A squeak of surprise flooded the room when your back hit the mattress, "Emily! Oh my gosh" you gasped, "what's got into you?" Perhaps it was a rhetorical question but she answered you anyway with a nip to the base of your throat, "you and that damn hat." You couldn't help but smirk, a harmless silly thing had turned her this needy for you.

Any reply you may have had died on your tongue as you felt her mouth creeping lower and lower until she met your needy cunt. By now your wetness was seeping onto the sheets, "god I need more" you whined impatiently, moving your hands to her hat to hold her in place. Emily was always talented in ever aspect of life, but the way she would plunge her tongue into your tight little hole and curl it just right was enough to drive you insane, but then when she would add two fingers and move her mouth to your aching bundle of nerves you honestly saw the stars. If there was one thing Emily prides herself on is how well you scream her name as she fucks you with her tongue. In fact she swears that she would spend forever between your thighs and die a happy woman.  Yet when your tugging her up for a break from the overwhelming sensations she still feels a little glee at what she planned to come next.

A few sweet kisses and some soft praises found you straddling her lap, the new strap on pressing against your soaking slit. "Please daddy" you whimpered only to be met with a shake of her head. "Nahuh angel, you're gonna ride my cock like a good cowgirl for me" she purred in your ear before helping swivel you around to face her legs. Then the hat was settled on your had before she finally slipped into your awaiting core. "Oh fuck yes so good, so big daddy fuck" you mewled as you slowly began to bounce on her cock. "God you're so fucking sexy, bend over cowgirl I wanna see how I spilt you in two."

The moment you finally bent so she could see how her faux cock moved in and out of your slippery hole she could've swore she almost lost her composure. But her patience was rewarded when soon all you were was a whiny mess hardly able to keep a rhythm. Hands gripped onto her thighs like a life line and yet you still couldn't do as you were asked to. "Such a pathetic whore for my angel, and you were being my sweet girl and yet now you can't even do what a common whore could. I'm disappointed Angel" she murmured placing her hands on your hips. A whine escaped you, "mm sorry daddy I be good girl mm sorry" you whimpered over and over until she finally took pity on you.

With a pace that was perfectly fast and rough Emily slipped out of your cunt, ignoring your whines of protest and flipped you on your hands and knees before slamming back into your needy pussy. From there on she kept a punishing pace. Her hands gripping your braids to steady herself as she attempted to burry her cock into your womb. And you came over and over for her that night until you were nothing but her little angel absolutely fucked dumb.

"Shhh sweetheart you did so good for me darling" she murmured in between kissing all over your face to distract you from her pulling out. "Such a pretty cowgirl for your daddy" was what caused you to blush like a mad woman. You knew the routine Emily would get up to get a cloth and clean the strap but you didn't want her to go. But you didn't have the brain function to do more than whine at her, trying to convey what you wanted. "Shh two seconds my love, we have to clean up then I'm all yours baby."

Two seconds was all it was, and then Emily was back in before allowing you to snuggle up on her chest as her hands threaded through your beautiful hair. "So proud of you sweet girl" she whispered not expecting you to whine and mumble "disappoint you" the clearest you could. "No angel, you're my good girl, I love you my little cowgirl, you did so well baby, now rest angel, I'm right here."

Word count 1880

[ranchstoryblog]

Nendoroid Claire Reminder: Where to order, release dates, when preorders close, and using the request form.

If you haven't gotten your preorders in for Nendoroid Claire just yet, time's running out! We've put together one last little info post with eeeeverything you need to know if you want to get your order in! Typically these things are pretty much made-to-order with very little shelf stock, so don't get left out and have to struggle with the aftermarket if you really want one!

When do preorders close?

2024/05/15 (JP)

29/05/2024 (EU)

No date listed on Goodsmile US, but Claire's page features the "Pre-Orders Closing" tag, so it's safe to say it'll probably be gone by the end of May.

When does it ship?

Both Goodsmile Japan's official page and Goodsmile Europe lists September, 2024.

Goodsmile US lists Q1 2025.

So if you absolutely want Claire the soonest possible, go with EU or JP. Including shipping, a member of our community ordering from the Japanese store to the US has said their total came out to $60.99. Another ordering from the US store had their price come out to $50.18. So if you're willing to wait, you can probably save a few bucks.

Listed Price

US - $42.99 - Goodsmile US Page

EU - €44,92 - Goodsmile EU Page

JP - ￥6,900 - Goodsmile JP Page

Goodsmile's store bills when the item is preparing to ship, not when the order is placed. So you don't have to have the money ready right now. Other storefronts will vary.

There is an exception if you use Paypal or Amazon Pay however, which will charge immediately.

Goodsmile Shop Exclusive: Golden Watering Can

If you preorder through one of the official Goodsmile shops, Claire will also come with this cute little golden watering can in addition to her standard green one.

Non-GoodSmile Retailers:

If you want to see if you can find a discount, lower shipping, or if you're already a figure collector and want somewhere that will do convenient things like combine orders to be shipped at a later date, there's a handy list of all of the ones that should be offering preorders for Claire here:

Note that these other stores won't come with the golden watering can.

The Goodsmile Request Form

If you're really hoping for other Story of Seasons characters to join Claire in the future, remember to make good use of the official request form. https://support.goodsmile.com/hc/en-us/articles/14948741690009-Product-requests-and-rerelease-requests

Probably the most key piece of info is to be specific about your request since there's some variations of characters in the series, and a few characters that share the same names. If you ask for the Harvest Goddess, there's at least 5 different ones, so mention the specific game. Similarly, If you ask for "Popuri," there's the original design from Harvest Moon 64, her alternate universe counterpart with a fresh new design in SoS FoMT, and the design from Island of Happiness.

If you want more info, we did a full write-up on the process in a previous post here:

and lastly, we'll close by sharing the promotional photos again! The tiny cow is so cute!

[itzkawaiiduh]

I'm interested on your Will's time period theorie. Can you explain more?

Hello anon! I'm glad you found interest in my time period theory, so I drafted this up-- it took quite a bit, so I hope you enjoy it! And anyone else reading!

Hi everyone! For a little background info about me before I begin: I'm Canadian, and the region I live around was heavily affected by the Great Depression so I have my fair share of knowledge about it! Also I have family that live out on a farm/middle of nowhere.

As we know, we have little to no information about William, and while understanding it is the first season, he is the only one we don't know anything about; everyone else we know some information about. This is purely theories, but what I piece together.

(The only thing I have to go off on is his final meal so bare with me!)

I theorize William is from the Dust Bowl/Great Depression era, narrowed down to somewhere in the US.

Will's final meal is peaches and water.

Peaches were a common and popular fruit in Georgia, USA. You can easily farm them and pick their fruit, storing them in a bowl and leaving them in a dining room. Georgia in the 1930s was a state heavily affected by the Dust Bowl. A glass of water is also an interesting choice, because why not try anything else if you've never seen or had it?

Implied in the final dinner episode (38), you can choose your final meals because it's what you would have wanted. (ex. Ada chose beluga caviar even if she never had it.) Everyone around William has full meals:

Montresor with beans, cornbread & meat,

Prospero with espresso & cannoli, and Annabel with tea and scones, and so on.

All of these are curated, expensive meals viewing their time periods.

So why the basic meal? Why does everyone else have full meals?

Well, in the 1930s, these things weren't readily available. Additionally, William didn't see higher delicacies like scones or caffeine, and the resources were not possible to make such a thing (also flour & sugar were like $2.00 and it was very expensive) so he chose something simple but filling, like a fresh peach and water.

Canned foods were popular in the 1930s! So him choosing a fresh peach over canned fruit is a possibility.

(But wait, he saw meat! Couldn't he tried that?)

Livestock in the 1930s was valuable, so selling cows, pigs and even sheep for meat would guarantee good money, but knowing Will's ethos he would pick something that wouldn't be an inconvenience; accommodating to those around him.

An extra theory as well! Had this bouncing around my head since my social studies class when we learned about the 1930s

Would it be an odd theory to say that he could have worked on a farm, or even travelled around?

Young men would travel farm-to-farm, looking to work there in exchange for shelter, food, and maybe some pay. (even though they were paid pennies and nickels, it was enough for them.) Maybe William travelled and met someone while out there, a partner, like an "Of Mice and Men" type of scenario. Being alone in the Dust Bowl is pretty exhausting, so pairing up with someone increases your chances of survival.

Perhaps his partner left him to starve in the middle of nowhere, left him behind in a storm, and so you're alone with your thoughts, you'd be confused: What did I do wrong? Did I take something that I wasn't supposed to?

And what's the first thing you'd like to do when you get home? Have clean water and a nice fruit you'd picked yourself, your own treat.

If you made it to the end, thank you so much! This will likely be edited/revised as more ideas enter my head.

Thank you for the ask, anon!

[trivialbob]

It's not yet noon, and this is already a fantastic day.

On Thursday I pedaled my bicycle downtown to work. When I bike I leave my regular wallet, with its many cards, at home. Instead I put cash, a Visa card and my driver license in a thin plastic case normally used for business cards. It fits my pocket better. If I lose it I don't have as many things to replace.

Somewhere in Minneapolis, on a busy road (with bike lanes) my wallet fell out of my pocket. I had recently been to an ATM, so there was over $100 in there. I felt awful. As soon as I noticed I shut off the Visa via a phone app.

I had my name and phone number on the case. You never know, there can be nice people out there. Using my label maker also makes me happy.

Early this morning, while at the dog park, my phone rang. A guy found my little wallet while he was bicycling and wanted to get it back to me. Quickly I left the park to meet him at a farmers market in Richfield, along the route I pedaled to work on Thursday.

We met up. He handed me the wallet. Everything was there!

I tried to give him some cash. "At least let me pay for your lunch today," I suggested. He refused the offer. He commented that the label with my name and phone number was a fantastic idea. He planned to do the same thing. Had my label maker been in my truck I would have insisted he take it.

When I got home I saw my neighbor spreading black dirt and grass seed in his yard. I asked where he filled his trailer full of dirt. He told me there's a composting facility a few miles from our houses that sells topsoil. It's inexpensive, he added, and they fill truck and trailers for you so you don't need to load it yourself.

Damn! Each year I usually buy ten or so bags of black dirt from a home improvement store. I use the dirt to fill holes one of the dogs dug or various low spots in the yard. Those bags cost $3 to 4 each.

The half yard of soil (it nearly filled my pickup truck bed) was $13. Holy cow, how had I not known about this place all these years?

I'll add some grass seed to the soil and spread it around the yard later today. For now I think I'll treat myself to a nice lunch then take a nap.

[sleepyfan-blog]

Farmer's Market

Author’s Note: This is the next fic in Joth’s adventures in the Astartes Husbandry AU! Thank you to @undeaddream for allowing me to borrow Riptide! First. Previous. Next

Tagged: @egrets-not-regrets @kit-williams @bleedingichorhearts @the-pure-angel

Warnings: none, please ask me to tag if something bothers you

Summary: You take Joth with you to sell things at the farmer's market.

You hum a little to yourself a small smile appearing on your face as you finish setting up the covered area that you were renting to sell your fresh produce, as well as the small chest of frozen cuts of goat and lamb goat meat. The other small chest holds some of the cow, sheep and goats’ milk that you have on offer as well as several dozen eggs. This was the first time that Joth was accompanying you to the farmer’s market, and he was hauling in the last of the containers of fresh fruit as you showed him where you wanted them displayed on the tables set up for customers to come up and choose from as they pleased.

You were hoping that one of the other World Eaters who lived in town would come by today, as you knew that Astartes were very social creatures. Joth’s separation anxiety was getting worse, and you knew that friendly interactions with fellow Space Marines would help him calm down, in time. 

Joth suddenly let out a quiet, wordless rumble as his helmeted face snapping in one direction, his previously relaxed body posture tense and alert. His tail, which had been wagging back and forth slowly had stilled completely and fluffed out. 

“Joth, you okay, buddy?” You ask, putting down the scale that you used to calculate how much your customers paid for certain goods down on the table before making your way over to him, your movements slow and deliberate, so as to not startle him. 

“... I can hear someone coming. Another Astartes.” Joth grumbles out as he rolls his shoulders back, no longer hunching a little to try and be slightly less gigantic.

“I told you that there were going to be other Astartes at this farmer’s market. I know that at least a dozen other vendors are friends with space marines, and I know a couple of them are bonded. Also, venues like this are quite popular with Astartes, as they are easier to navigate, than traditional grocery stores and supermarkets. You need to be able to handle seeing other astartes, and possibly interacting with them or you’re going home. What is it going to be, Joth?”

A low, unhappy whine left Joth as he shuffled over to where you were standing, hsi crimson eye lenses peering pleadingly down at you “Don’t send me away… Please…”

“I won't if you think that you can handle yourself around other marines. And I’m not punishing you, if I do send you home. We all get overwhelmed sometimes, and there is a lot going on in a place like this. More than a few of us regular humans can get overstimulated in a place with as much going on in it as this…” You pause for a moment, going up on your tiptoes and cupping one of his cheeks with your hand. The metal under your hand is warm and he leans into your touch, a soft purr rumbling in his chest “With your enhanced senses I imagine it can quickly become very overwhelming. If you do need to step away please tell me, and head somewhere quieter alright? Or back home, depending on how you’re feeling.”

“I… Very well. I will do my best.” Joth answered, shifting in place a little, still purring at your touch. 

“That’s all I ask of you, bud.” You murmur, gently patting his cheek again before asking “Was that the last of the fresh fruit from the truck?”

He nods “Yes. There are a couple of vegetables that escaped into the bed of the truck, which I will retrieve for you.” He lingers, still enjoying your touch before heading off. He’s still tense, but not as tense as he had been moments ago.

~

Joth returns with the escaped vegetables, placing them in the containers where they are supposed to go and sits down next to where you are watching as the market begins to fill up with customers of all ages and sizes. They certainly are a noisy bunch, but he leans into your side, the sound of your heartbeat and your subtle, pleasant scent keeping him calm and grounded. 

Another World Eater is making his way through the crowd. Despite the reputation of their legion, no one seems to pay him more than a moment’s mind. Then again, the other is mostly Blue and White with a couple of Brass accents. He does have slate grey horns and spikes, which marks him as a Chaos Marine. The brass rings on his horns are striking and shiny. The other World Eater makes his way over to where Joth is sitting beside his human, looking at the array of fine vegetables and deliciously sweet fruits for sale. 

“Are you looking for anything in particular, Riptide?” You ask smiling brightly up at the other Chaos Marine.

“Eli mentioned wanting peach cobbler for dessert, since it’s peach season. I came here as I know that your peaches are some of the best in the region.” Riptide answered, carefully picking up one of the pink and orange fruits with his claws ,delicately enough to not pierce the soft, fuzzy flesh. “I see you have a new foster? Greetings, Brother.” 

“Greetings Brother.” Joth rumbles, doing his best not to tense up at being acknowledged by the other marine. “We have fresh cream, to go along with the dessert. And-” He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath “Several stalls down there is someone selling good cinnamon and that earthy-fragrant spice whose name escapes me.”

“Frequently made into an alcohol-based liquid? Or mixed in with sugar? Ah! Vanilla. Yesh. I plan on picking up some vanilla and freshly ground cinnamon as well. I think I will take some cream as well. Do you mind reserving me a quart? I want to purchase the spices before coming back to pick up the cream and heading home.” Riptide asked, grabbing the peaches that he was intending on purchasing and bringing them over to be weighed.

“Sure thing! Let me just write that down, so I’ll remember.” You answer with a small smile, noting down Riptide’s order and weighing out the peaches. You tell him the price for both the peaches and the cream. He hands over the cash you asked for without complaint, and nods to both you and Joth “I should be back for the cream within the hour.” Before he headed off, carefully making his way through the crowds of baseline mortals. 

~

Riptide did indeed return within the hour for the cream that he’d purchased. It was a good thing that he had reserved the cream, as you’d sold out of the rest of it by the time that the World Eater returned for the ingredient that needed to be kept fridge-cold until it was used. You’d also sold out of most of the fruit you had one offer - you did have some berries left, but you expected to sell those by the end of the day. Your vegetables were just as popular, and you’d sold half of the meat you’d brought to sell today as well.

Joth had stayed quiet for the most part as he watched the baseline humans go by. Occasionally he would let out a little warning rumble when someone tried to sneak a piece of produce into a pocket to steal, which was part of the job you had asked him to do - which was to make sure that no one stole from your stall without resorting to violence. 

It was remarkable how fast would-be pick-pockets returned their potentially ill-gotten gains when a space marine growled at them. You were happy to give discounts to those who were running low on money and were hungry, they just needed to ask. 

“You ready for the cream, Riptide?” You ask as the large white and blue marine made his way over to you. 

“Yes, please.” He answers with a nod. 

You pull out the quart of cream and - 

Joth intercepts you, gently taking the jug from your hands and standing up, walking a couple of steps over to hand it to Riptide “Your cream, Brother.”

“Thank you. I hope that the two of you have a lovely day.” Riptide answered, and you could hear the grin in his voice as he headed off, likely back home.

Joth huffed a little before going back to sitting on the ground and leaning into you, a pleased rumbling purr starting up in his chest.

You chuckle a little, patting his helm. As far as posturing for a chaos marine went, that was fairly subtle. You’d let it slide, as Joth has been very calm and careful in his interactions with the public and hasn’t so much as hissed at a single person once. You stay at the farmer’s market until the last of your produce and meat have been sold, whereupon you - with Joth’s help - break down your stall and head home for the day.

[littlebluentebook]

Alastor x Reader pt.6

A/N Oh my goodness! I didn't expect the story to get this much attention! Im going to do some sort of second story where Alastor and the reader are in hell. If theres no objections I'll also feature some helluva boss characters (just to advance the plot!)

I am very sorry for not updating! I went out of town, nearly broke my hip, got sick, and started a new job all in the last 2 weeks. I should be able to post once every three days now :)

Thank you to everyone reading the story! I love sharing my ideas and feel free to reach out if there are any stories you want to see!

TW-Animal Blood(?)

Chapter 7

You woke up in Alastor's arms. It wasn't on purpose! You both had agreed to split the bed, pride getting in the others way. Apparently, somewhere in the night you each reached for the other. Not minding the extra warmth, you fell back asleep. There was no point in moving away; you liked him, he was comfy, and kept you warm. The second time you woke up, the sun was bright and the bed was empty. Worried you checked the clock to make sure you hadn't overslept to open the shop. You had forty five minutes to get the store open. Not as much time as you would have liked, but also not anything too out of your range.

"Ah! My sleeping beauty, glad you're now awake!" a voice said from the doorway. Alastor? You thought he had left. "Come now! I have made us breakfast."

Alastor could cook. Breakfast tasted like it was picked up from a five star restaurant on the more expensive side of town. Over breakfast he told you that he was unable to leave such a beautiful person alone and you needed the rest from the previous night. He actually didn't leave you at all that day.

He sat talking with you in your shop keeping well mannered company. Alastor would never admit it, but he absolutely loved listening to you talk. He spent so much time talking on the radio it was nice to finally be listening to others. He never really cared for sewing but asked you questions about how you did certain things and complimenting your stitch work. He also would assist you while you worked; measuring, flipping things right side outing grabbing fabric as needed. He liked feeling useful to you and watching you work on something you were passionate about.

:Thank you so much for your help today Allie."

"Allie?" He tilted his head like a puppy hearing 'no' for the first time.

"Yeah! Like a nickname," you beamed at him. Alastor mulled the name over in his head before deciding it was okay when it rolled off your tongue and into his ears. No one else could ever be allowed to call him Allie aside from you.

"Hmmmm. Alright" He was at a loss for a nickname truly just wanting to call you his. "Why don't we go and fetch ourselves dinner. I know the most exquisite place!"

"that would be lovely!" Your demeanor was much calmer than your racing thoughts. First, Alastor had stayed the night and made breakfast. Secondly he spent the entire day with you. And now he wanted to take you to dinner! You felt like a romance character from the books you had read and heard stories of.

He had helped you close the shop, took your arm in his (it was the only way you two ever walked together) and he led the way to the restaurant.

It was a nice place with candles and flowers on the table. There was a live band playing softly to entertain guests as they dined.

Alastor was sweet and kind with you, he made excellent recommendations about what drinks to try and meals to order. You both split a cake together for dessert. The night was wonderful, absolutely perfect! The only thing that there you off was the way in which Alastor ordered his steak.

"Alastor!" you had whisper-yelled "that cow is so undercooked I can still hear it moo-ing in the fields. Do we need to have the waiter take it back for just a moment longer?"

"Haha oh no darling! I just enjoy my cut of meat like this. It holds so much more flavor!" You gave him a quizzical look swearing you had just seen blood dark as your wine pool on the plate.

When your night had come to an end, Alastor had walked you home and kissed your cheek. It had left you red and blushing thinking about it as you slept.

The next morning you had awoken ready to start your chores. You folded the blanket and pajamas that Alastor had borrowed and cleared a drawer for the items to reside in. Today you had a new activity you hadn't done in years.

You walked down the stairs leading to your shop and to the circular display table at the center of your shop. Grabbing the wilted flowers and vase you got to work and put them in your oven to dry them out. You loved keeping gifts, flowers were beautiful but difficult to keep but you made it work.

The entire day you were all that was on Alastor mind. He simply could not get enough of you despite spending the entire day together before. He was talking to his mother about the feeling and how he had never experienced it, unsure of what to do he was searching for advice. His mother was not helping the situation, she merely laughed at him. "Oh Al, why don't'cha go onna date together and court the poor thing!" What if you didn't like him back? What if he made a total fool of himself. His mother could sense his worries, "well whoever can put up with ya for a full day definelty doesn't not like you." She pinched his cheeks and went back to cooking for the both of them

[starlightsearches]

Ok Eddie ask.

It’s ok if you don’t want to do it but yeah.

So I’m in my 20s but I’ve never been kissed. Like never even held hands with someone romantically. Can you do one with Eddie x reader who is embarrassed about her lack of experience and feels like it’s impossible for any guy to be attracted to her

Enough

AN: First of all, friend, I am so so so sorry that I've been holding on to this request since June. I was not ignoring you—I just wanted to make sure I did your request justice. We, and many others, are in the same boat, but you don't need Eddie to tell you that you're worthy of so much love 💖

Also, big thanks to Irma (@theold-ultraviolence) for helping me so much with this story!

Warnings: sexual content so 18+ only but no smut, lots of body-image/confidence issues from reader's POV, writing this did make me cry a little bit tbh, angst and then hurt/comfort and then a little fluff to make up for it, language, idiots to lovers, boners, swimming, Eddie is friends with Robin and Steve but no events from S4 are mentioned, and I think that's it.

You can tell Eddie's scowling behind the frames of the heart-shaped sunglasses he found on the floor of your car, his nose scrunched up with distaste at the scent of chlorine and the baked asphalt of the parking lot.

"It's too hot for this, babe."

You shift your bag from one arm to the other, trying to catch a breeze under your cover-up.

"That's the whole point of going to the pool, Eds."

You'd found Eddie in a puddle-like state, laying on the floor of the trailer with three different fans pointing at him, curls brushed up off his neck and spilling across the carpet. It hadn't taken much convincing to get him into your car, but a public pool would obviously be a harder sell.

He tugs at the waistband of his borrowed swim trunks—the ones Steve had thrown in his direction the second you walked through the door of his big-ass house. He'd said something about the Hawkins pool over the general racket before heaving a cooler into his arms and leaving with all his children in tow.

"We could still go to record store," Eddie pouts, pulling at your wrist, "or the movies. You know? Somewhere with air conditioning."

He bats his ridiculously long lashes, and you almost fold, fingers curling into fists with the effort it takes to resist his dumb, huge, baby-cow eyes.

"Come on," —you nudge him with your elbow — "it'll be fun."

Eddie doesn't look convinced.

The place is already packed, even though the day just started, filled with moms fanned out on lounge chairs and their screaming spawn. You pick through the crowd, all the way to the chairs Steve and Robin have saved for you in a shady corner at the back.

The kids are already in the pool—you can catch the sound of Mike yelling past a mouth full of water when Max dunks him under—and it looks like Robin and Steve are headed that way.

"Took you guys long enough," Robin scolds you, pushing her sunglasses into her hair while you set your bag down.

"Sorry, I had to go get my swimsuit."

Your hands tremble at the hem of your baggy t-shirt, but you play brave, lifting it up over your head and shaking your hair back into place.

Robin whistles jokingly as she smears some of your sunscreen over Steve's shoulders.

"Woah. Is that new?" Steve asks, looking at you with furrowed brows and trying to dodge Robin's slick fingers poking at his face.

"I've had it for forever, Steve."

You're lying through your teeth. Fucking three hours at some mall six towns over and about a hundred potential breakdowns in dressing rooms at five different stores—it had taken all your will power to find a swimsuit you actually, honest-to-god, liked. Now you're wondering if all that effort had been wasted.

You'd felt so good looking in the mirror back at your house. The colors looked nice on your skin, the cut was flattering—but Eddie's hardly glanced in your direction, already flopped down in one of the empty chairs with his nose tucked into the newest Stephen King.

Robin and Steve run off, taking quick little steps on the sizzling concrete before jumping into the pool—two splashes echoing in quick succession—as you sit on the chair beside Eddie, pulling one of the spare towels across your lap, feeling stupid and small.

It's your own fault. You'd put too much hope in a dumb piece of fabric.

Pining for your best friend is as painful as it is fruitless. You'd sworn him off before, swallowed your feelings like a chipped tooth. You'd park outside the trailer and promise you wouldn't go all gummy when he used all his fucking Munson charm on you. But you were shit at keeping those promises, and Eddie was too big of a flirt—and too clueless—to know you were dying inside.

Whatever. It wasn't just Eddie, anyways. There'd never been any guys who wanted to get to know you—not any more than they had to before asking if one of your other friends was single. And you could handle being alone, even if you hated being lonely. You'd had plenty of practice.

Eddie waves his hand in your face, blocking out the sun. The look he gives you says he'd been trying to get your attention for a while.

"You there, sweetheart? Our kid is calling."

You can hear Dustin shouting from the edge of the pool, waving his arms wildly. A couple sunbathers shoot you a glare, like you're the one who's screaming, and you return the dirty look.

Eddie sighs, dog-earing the page he just finished before offering you a hand.

"Shall we, m'lady?"

You take it, your palm cold and clammy despite the summer sun. He starts heading for the pool immediately, almost losing his balance when you drag him back in the shade.

"Eddie, you gotta sunscreen."

Maybe it's just the first sign of sun burn, but you swear Eddie's cheeks turn pinker. He grabs at the collar of his favorite Dio t-shirt. "I was just gonna wear this."

"In the pool? The chlorine will bleach it, Eds." He just stands there, chewing at his lip. And, thinking back, Eddie's always been pretty modest around you. When you'd spend nights at the trailer or when he was working on his van—even when he'd step back in the room after a shower—he'd always have a shirt on, the damp fabric sticking to his shoulder blades or stained with grease.

You're about to offer your own shirt when he drops your hand, pulling the at the collar and lifting the fabric over his head.

Fuck. Eddie bares his torso and you're lucky he can't see you past the shirt bunched up around his head, because you're staring, and it's obvious.

You hadn't thought much about Eddie shirtless—because any skin-to-skin contact in your daydreams was a good sign you needed to get the fuck back down to Earth—but you'd been missing out. He's not particularly toned or anything, but the patch of dark hair that grows just under his belly button has got your mouth-watering, and his skin looks warm and soft. He's just so fucking pretty. Shaking out his curls, Eddie tosses the t-shirt onto a chair, and you try to pretend it's his tattoos that you're so invested in, and not the other kinds of marks you'd like to leave on his skin.

"You got the sunscreen?" he asks, voice quiet.

Looking him in the eyes would be like lighting a match over a gasoline spill, and your throat is too tight to speak. You grab the little bottle from the top of your bag, squeezing a bit of the lotion into your hand.

Eddie scrapes his hair off his shoulders with one hand, fingers tangling in his own curls. It's stupid to be jealous over something like that. It's stupid, but your teeth still sink into your lip hard enough to sting.

"So should we start with my back, or . . ." Eddie tries a laugh but it doesn't quite land. There's something in his expression that you can't read.

"Uh, yeah."

If you thought the view from the front made it hard to be normal, the back is a hundred times worse.

"Oh my god."

The words slip out, and you can't bite them back. Eddie glances at you over his shoulder, fingers still caught in his hair.

"Are those- are these ones new?"

He knows what you're talking about; the tattoos take up the entire span of his back, stretching down past the sharp edge of his shoulder blade. You trace one thin line of the wing crossing just under Eddie's neck—skeletal and webbed like a bat.

He laughs hesitantly, and his skin jumps under your finger.

"Uh, kinda, yeah."

"Cool. That's really cool."

God—you're so hungry for him it's made you faint, and stupid, made you forget how to speak like a person.

You smear the lotion over his neck without any warning, and he shivers, shoulder blades pressing together, bat wings flexing as his skin grows taut.

"Sorry," you mumble. His skin's still warm, even after the lotion sinks in. You make another pass, this time over his shoulder and down his bicep. His arms are surprisingly toned; you feel the hard flex of muscle under your fingers.

You can't think about how it would feel to grip at those arms while he drove into you, fucking you hard and fast, tongue caught between his teeth and curls sticking to his cheeks.

You stab the sharp end of the sunscreen bottle into your thigh and grit your teeth against the pain. You've got to stop touching him before you do something you regret.

Eddie's uncharacteristically quiet as you move your hand down to his waist, massaging the lotion in as quickly as you can so there's no time to think about leaving scratch marks down his back.

Fuck, you need some kind of intervention. Maybe a divine one. It's actually a little pathetic to want someone this badly.

"All done?" Eddie asks, but he's already stepping away from you without waiting for an answer.

You chase after him, hopping over a couple stretched out over a towel just to keep up with him, the sunscreen still open in your hand.

"Eddie," you grab at him by the shoulder, but your hands are still slick and he slips away, almost to the edge of the pool before you catch him again, "we still gotta do your front—"

You don't mean to look down. You're just following the line of his gaze when you see it. And you may be inexperienced, but you're not stupid.

Eddie's dick is so hard it's about to split the seam of his trunks.

You're skin is burning when you look him in the eyes again, jaw flopping open and snapping shut without any words coming out. You've got the image of his dick imprint burned in your mind, but it feels like he's the one seeing you naked.

He's got the same look on his face he did the time he accidentally backed into your car trying to pull away from the trailer, too busy arguing with you about the tape you put on to look where he was going. Then he shoves you hard on the shoulder, and your feet give out underneath you.

You don't get a chance to take a breath before the water swallows you up.

The drive back home is quiet. Eddie doesn't even try to fiddle with your radio this time, even if you'd let him put on what he want without slapping away his hand.

The trailer appears in your windshield, and he still hasn't said a word to you. You throw the car in park, leaning your head back against the hot leather seat. Your shoulders sting from the sun and the chlorine has made your skin tight.

"So," Eddie asks, "should we talk about . . . it?"

It would be good to hear a name. If you knew who he wanted so badly you could nudge at all the gaps between who you are and who Eddie craves until they became craters and you could learn to finally get over him.

It would also hurt like a bitch.

"If you want to," you tell him. His hair's still a little wet and frizzy, and the sun's made his freckles stand out more.

"You mean, you're not . . . uh, mad?"

"Why would I be mad, Eds?"

He's got that guilty look on his face again, long fingers playing around with the mirror on the visor so he doesn't have to look at you, lips pressed together and silent.

"I mean," —you'll talk if he doesn't want to, rambling to get it over with— "we were at a pool, you know, and there was a lot of . . . skin. So what if you were watching somebody and-"

"Wait," Eddie's hand lands on the bare skin of your thigh, just above your knee, and you flinch at his touch, "what do you mean somebody?"

You want to push his hand away—put indifference on like an armor and shrug all of this off. But Eddie's always been your Achilles' heel, and you can't pretend around him. Your vision wavers when you meet his eyes.

"Do you really not know?"

Everything about him is soft, eyes turned down at the corners and his mouth a tender frown when the tears start to fall down your cheeks.

"Baby, baby, don't—" Eddie tries to wipe the tears from your cheeks but you do push his hand away this time, gripping the steering wheel just to steady yourself.

"I'm sorry," he tells you, and you can feel the hurt in his voice like knives between your ribs, "I won't bring it up ever again, I promise, just please—" Eddie's voice breaks, so quiet and small you hardly recognize it.

"Please don't stop being my friend."

Eddie's crying now too, little sobs that shake his shoulders. He looks so young when he wipes his nose on his arm, hurt plain on his face.

"It's not that, Eds," you tell him, taking his hand, and it doesn't hurt this time, "it's just- why me?"

"What?" He looks genuinely confused. You drop your eyes, watching the way he twines his fingers between yours, and your stomach drops.

"I'm not . . . pretty."

The words feel hollow, half of the story you're trying to tell. It's a part of it, but it's only a part, at the shallowest level. It's that you've never felt pretty enough, funny enough, nice enough.

You've never been enough for anyone.

"Seriously? Sweetheart, how can you even say that?"

You shrug, sniffling. Eddie cups your cheek with his free hand.

"Baby," he tells you, shifting close, "you're so fucking pretty to me.''

It's like he's removed a stake from your heart. You know Eddie well enough to know that he means it, and he means more.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Eddie laughs a little, seeing you smile. And that makes you laugh too.

"I think you're pretty too, Eds."

Eddie kisses you for the first time from the passenger's seat in your car. He tastes like sunscreen.

[mixotrophics]

Supermarkets and intl farming corporations are evil I think: international trade, refrigeration, and the race for the bottom

nowadays we have refrigeration, freezing, and fast-moving vehicles with these technologies installed. This means that it's now possible to move perishable goods over longer distances.

Up front, seems pretty cool. You can get mangoes in Norway and saltwater fish in deeply-landlocked places. There have been benefits to some people too. Primarily this is with fisheries for desirable catches with a restricted geographic range and no real farms. For example, Nephrops norvegicus is a crustacean that lives in cold water. It is known as scampi† or langousteen when sold as food . As a shellfish, it spoils incredibly quickly, and so is primarily sold in two forms: frozen, and live (to be killed immediately before cooking). Neither of these options would be possible to sell to far-away locations without modern tech, and french desire for high-quality nephrops was the main thing keeping many individual crustacean fishers in Scotland afloat financially (until Brexit happened, and customs slowed down trade enough that live nephrops weren't able to be sold to france, so the fishers had to sell frozen ones for less profit and it's been very not good and pushed a lot of people into poverty , Brexit, babey )

but the Big Thing here is that a lot of foods are not geographically restricted in a way we can't overcome right now. A lot of things can be just fine living somewhere else, but just can't swim across the ocean to get there, etc. Quinoa farms in england, olives in california, cacao in africa, potatoes almost ubiquitous. So when something can be grown wherever and technology means we can ship perishables around the planet no-prob , big supermarkets can now choose where they get their goods from a wide range of options.

And where do they pick? They pick to buy from the cheapest places; the places where environmental + workplace safety regulations don't impose more costs, where the workers are underpaid or enslaved and their wages don't mess with their boss's bottom line. The way a country can attract a big company (and its money) is by crushing unions, allowing slavery, and so on. If a government enforces environmental regulations or minimum wage etc, then the big company moves its operations to a different country. This is the race to the bottom, where countries gain jobs by disenfranchising their people. Sometimes, "structural adjustment programs" and the like are used by companies to say: Hey, financially-struggling country, we'll pay you a bunch of money in exchange for some land & for implementing laws that reduce workers' rights.

& in countries with better workers rights and environmental protections, jobs evaporate into thin air as supermarkets by goods elsewhere.

Who benefits? only the higher-ups in these companies, buying goods at the lowest possible cost, and then selling them at a huge profit margin in countries where the living costs are different. Buy one chocolate bar in exchange for the money a cacao-picker may earn in a day of backbreaking labor.

-

I live in a less-populated country where low-density urban centers are surrounded by farms.

On the bus ride to the hospital i saw fields of oilseeds, edible brassicas, strawberries, potatoes ... sheep and cow pastures ... forest-banks grown lush from the high-latitude midnight sun, full of wild edibles.

In town center there is one store that sells local goods, only meat.

I go to the store and the produce is sourced from despotic regimes and countries implicated in human rights abuses and forced labor. fresh vegetables cost money people don't have. health issues from insufficient nutrition are chronic and frequent. the supermarket CEOs have multiple mansions.

-

the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte established ABasteCer markets, land in prime (town central) locations where proprietors could bid to run the market; certain important foods such as fresh vegetables would be sold at a fixed, lower price, while buying the goods from farmers for a higher price, while others would be sold as normal. While the fixed-price foods didn't have a profit margin, the proprietors didn't have to worry about rent , & the unfixed foods provided enough of a wage for them.

Local farmers got paid more, exploitation elsewhere avoided. Lower prices meant poor people could buy important foods, nutrient deficiency dropped.

i wonder how much fighting it would take for such a thing to be established elsewhere in the world . Shall we?

-

† note that if its Cheap then they're probably lying and selling you intensively-farmed Litopeneaus prawns ... these are implicated in ecological problems such as mangrove destruction.

-

World Hunger: 10 Myths. Frances Moore Lappé and Joseph Collins, 2015.

[fountainpenguin]

You said on your Off the Rails post that Gary's still living with his mom in the Red and Gold AU and that if we remember her, we know that's bad news. I don't think I remember hearing much about Gary's mom. What's going on with her?

She's not shown up much for you guys, but she's in Pink and Gray & just generally haunts the narrative, playing into why Gary clings so tightly to Betty and why he feels like he has nowhere else to go after the Pixies and Betty dump him.

So... Elaine is not kind to Gary. She's a witch who doesn't totally understand why she is what she is... only that she knows her son was also born one. She and Gary are both genie-descended witches, so they share the same weaknesses: burning in water, vitamin D-deficiency, extreme claustrophobia, and growing extremely lethargic after sunset.

POV, you're trying to take care of your firstborn and bathing him is a huge struggle because he's in pain and screaming and you know perfectly well you're hurting him but what else are you supposed to do?

I like to think Elaine knows the scrappiest little basics about witch biology, but mostly through human friends who've trialed and errored with her. She gets a lot of details wrong... But somewhere in there, she IS trying to look out for him and keep him safe.

In Chapter 3 of Pink and Gray, we know Gary's parents are getting a divorce and that he was on his way to live with his mom when the Pixies nabbed him. 8-year-old Gary lists off things about her that stress him out, including how she regularly tells him he's never allowed to date when he's older because he might not come back before dark.

Elaine's vision: He's younger and less experienced than I am, and I don't even go outside after dark. If he passes out behind the wheel of a car, he's going to die. Gary: I'm pretty sure it's not good that she's keeping me inside all the time and doesn't like when I make friends.

He also specifically refers to H.P. as "rescuing" him from his family situation and is pretty blinded by his attachment to him and Sanderson, compared to Betty growing increasingly uneasy as she ages and starts putting the pieces together that the Pixies aren't... sweet or unselfishly motivated.

Shout-out to the Gary POV later in that chapter being "omg, he's only going to keep one of us and I HAVE to make sure that's me" and also "If Sanderson thinks I'm a happy person, he must've been spying on me for a really long time." Okay, buddy.

Man, I forgot how much I love Child Gary. And also H.P. being the actual worst all throughout this story. He's SO bad and uncensored in this one compared to some of his other appearances and that's honestly partly why I stopped this story, and why I probably need to up rating when I pick it up again... No one in this 'fic is okay.

Here's a Pink and Gray scene I'm excited to get to someday. Gary and Betty are 16 years old:

“This doesn’t look like the grocery store,” Gary said quietly, peering out the window. Oh, sweet summer child… Of course that’s exactly what he’d say at the end of a three hour drive, never questioning their location until it slowly dawned like lifting sun. Betty pushed in the brake, rolling the truck to a stop on the pebbled drive. The three ducks rustled their wings and swaggered away. She spat out a curl of hair and switched the car off. “No.” The ducks kept quacking. For another few seconds, he remained silent. Then, quavering, “Betty…? This house is super-duper big and fancy. It has pillars along the front, and a giant metal star hanging next to the door. There aren’t cows or pigs, but there are horses and ducks. This looks exactly like a place my mom would buy.” “Funny how that works, right? It’s getting dark. Let’s go ring the bell.” She popped the door, only to be greeted by a blast of warm wind that almost blew it shut again. Dust swirled across the driveway, scuffing the hems of her white capris. Gary had been right about the horses… she could smell them even from here. His fingertips had left burn marks down his seatbelt strap, knuckles so white they were practically translucent. Betty noticed this when she came around to open his door. Gary stared straight ahead, feet still planted on the floor. Even with the spilled milkshake down there. “Oh. Ohhh my goodness. No. No, no. Please don’t make me go in there. Can we cancel this? I think we should cancel this. Did I forget to mention I haven’t seen my mom since I was eight? If nothing went awry in the plan, she still thinks I’m dead.” “Gary, come on. Don’t assume the worst of everything or your brain will freeze like that. We came all this way; we should at least say ‘Hi.’” When his dismayed eyes shifted over to her, Betty’s pixie-cold face almost cracked. Gary gazed up at her like a toddler, blinking drops of sweat from his eyelashes. “Betty, I don’t want to do this.”

Elaine was very overprotective of Gary, but didn't make him feel loved; in fact, he felt ignored and mistreated. Here's a scene I like from "Looking Back," where post-130 Prompts-arc Gary is still pretty broken about stuff:

Gary stares through him, his eyes focused on something nonexistent on the other side of the classroom. "I… I should call my mom. It's been a long time. Can I borrow your phone, Crocker? She has my number blocked." [...] "That's not going to help," he says to Gary (as bluntly and as gently as he simultaneously can). "Elaine's a nutjob, and not in the sensible 'can be reasoned with' way like yours truly." Elaine. The woman doesn't deserve to be called "Gary's mom," even in his head. Just the thought of her heats his face. He doubles down. "You told me years ago not to let you do that again. Calling her up's about to be a one-way ticket to Shattered-Heartsville."

By the time he's nearly 18, Gary wants his mom back in his life. He's tried to initiate contact, but it goes badly every time and even Crocker knows she's bad news. Extremely specific found family Happy Peppy Gary-Denzel Crocker dynamic, my beloved... "If time heals all wounds and Timmy froze it for 50 years, why didn't it heal me?" Gary breakdown, my beloved... Crocker projecting his affection for his estranged half-sister on Gary, my beloved... Crocker "Hey, what the Fairies did to me and what the Pixies did to Gary was pretty f'd up, actually" my beloved...

Idk! The core of Gary's character (to me) is that he's extremely paranoid and has major trust issues, and he's been this way ever since he was a kid. He's one of those abused kids that grew up hyper-aware of his surroundings and knew how to avoid making noise or leaving evidence of what he's doing. His mom generally tried to keep him alive, but he had an unstable home life that, in his view, lacked love.

And of course, his loneliness and clinginess set him up perfectly to come crashing done after the Pixies lose interest in him & Betty moves away from Dimmsdale and asks him not to move in with her and her boyfriend, hence the Purple Train story arc...

Man is associated with fire; is it any wonder he crashed and burned?

The children yearn to rotate Happy Peppy Gary

Anyway, all this to say that in the Red and Gold AU, Gary does still live with Elaine through his teen years and young adulthood. But on the upside, Betty and Kenny never lost their parents! And Kenny never gets sentenced to Burger World, so... y'know. That AU's working great for them!

The inherent cruelty of "Gary gets to be happy only in the AU where Betty is in agony & Betty only gets to be happy in the one where Gary is suffering at home"... yikes.

To this day, I've still never written Gary and Betty actually being, y'know... happy. oh no.

I guess I did write them finding Norm's lamp one time and they had the brilliant idea of rubbing it at the same time "so they'd have 6 total wishes," which... did not go to plan, but I never came up with good things for them to wish for.

"Why don't you just write them both happy?" / "Why would I do that?"

Bonus Pink and Gray WIPs that are Gary-related, but not connected to his mom... They just make me laugh...

This conversation about sterility, friendship, and love:

“You’ve actually known for nine years?” “Yes. Does being sterile bother you?” Gary scratched his fingernails against the Head Pixie’s desk. “I don’t know. I know it shouldn’t, I know it’s good and noble to adopt orphans and stuff, and I always assumed Betty and I were going to adopt at least one kid anyway if we got together, but it kind of does bother me.” “Ever since I was infected with Wolbachia, I’ve been sterile myself. I understand what it’s like.” “That’s different, sir. You have your pixies.” Gary held his elbow. “Betty said she didn’t think I could be passionate if we tried to be romantic.” H.P. turned and looked behind him. Then he looked at Gary again. “Wait. Are you still talking to me? About emotions?” “Kind of.” Gary tensed his shoulders. “Mostly I’m trying to be logical about this. Do you have advice about what I should tell her?” “Well.” H.P. placed his hands along the rim of his desk. “Would you be passionate?” “I think so. I’m passionate about everything. How can I prove it to her? What would you do if you were me?” “Probably things in the bedroom that aren’t appropriate to discuss aloud,” H.P. said, going back to his writing. Sighing, Gary said, “We’re not married. Stop thinking we’re married. What do you and Anti-Cosmo do to stay friends?” H.P. froze. After three sharp seconds, he looked up. “What?” Gary tilted his head. “I’ve known you for almost a decade, sir, and I’ve noticed that you seem to have a very close friendship with the High Count. Don’t give me advice from your marriage with your ex-wife. Give me advice from your relationship with him. That’s the one that’s lasted, after all.”

Gary meets Timmy, who's riding on his mom's motorcycle (and yes, Gary calls her Mom... Everyone calls her Mom).

Two enormous turquoise eyes peered up at him from under the brim of a rosy pink hat. Gary couldn’t hold back his gasp. “Why, hello!” he greeted, leaning forward. “I’m Gary! What’s your name, little turkey?” The small boy ducked his head, burying it in his mother’s puffy sleeve. Still, he said, “I’m Timmy Turner. Do you like pink?” Gary blinked. Then it dawned on him. Betty’s umbrella. “Oh! Well, this isn’t really… my…” Timmy’s eyes threatened to water. “I do! In fact, my very favorite shade of pink happens to be the exact color you’re wearing right now.” The little boy rubbed his cheek with the back of his wrist. “Heh heh. Does… does anyone ever tease you about how you like pink?” Gary smiled. “Aw, those meanies don’t know what they’re talking about. They don’t mean to hurt anybody’s feelings, and their teasing doesn’t bother me. Pink is absolutely my most favorite color, and no one can stop me from liking it. Boys can like pink, and that’s okay!”

Fun fact! Gary's child design for Pink and Gray is directly based on Imaginary Gary-

- with the implication being that 4-or-5-year-old Timmy based Imaginary Gary on Happy Peppy Gary after meeting him in this scene! ... Ironically...

Man, thinking about the OG script of the Musical again... Would that have been silly if we had two villains named Gary in the same episode or what?

Can't stop thinking about Gary and Betty being chill with I.G. after he came out as an imaginary friend... Can't stop thinking about them turning on the Pixies because I.G. told them to... what was that...

[ceasarslegion]

Alright I just watched a disastrous date go down at the restaurant I was in (woman getting the cold shoulder from the wait staff after asking if her date left while she was in the restroom) so now I gotta know your ramen story, pretty please ☕️ ☕️

LMAO???

Alright so uh, sit down for this one I guess.

Picture me a few months ago. It was still warm out, I was a bit lonely, I go on tinder. I end up striking up a nice conversation with someone who seemed very similar to me. Third culture kids have very unique lifestyles so when we find each other we tend to cling, especially when that person grew up in the same general area you did and came from the same general parent culture. This was what got us talking in the first place.

The guy seemed nice, okay? Articulate, funny, approachable, and easy to keep a conversation with (which is rarer than the diamond itself for the tinder population, who communicate so little it makes me wonder if I missed a telepathy patch somewhere). So I thought hey, why the hell not, right? Let's go to dinner.

I'm a really big meat-eater who can and has eaten everything from chicken hearts to beef tongue and I enjoyed both of them. My dad's side of the family are cattle ranchers in a province only known for two things: oil and beef. I grew up in the part of the middle east that consumes some form of spiced meat in every damn meal, snack, and candy. I was doomed from the start, bro. No part of me could even be vegetarian. I order my steak blue rare at the places that let me. I drink tall glasses of milk with every dinner. I buy family sizes of meat cuts at the grocery store for myself.

No word of a fucking lie, my mom kept this baby book writing down milestones and personality quirks with me, and under the section that says "my favourite food is..." it just says "MEAT: ALL" underlined 3 times. I was meant to be some kind of obligate carnivore but god decided to curse me for my hubris by placing my soul in the body of an omnivorous ape.

Anyway. I suggest ramen for dinner because it's a good crowd pleaser thats really hard to fuck up for a first date. I mean, who doesn't like noodle soups? I usually order it with pork belly, but I was really craving beef that night so I ordered beef ramen with extra beef and a fried egg on top with a cup of green tea

Apparently, this was an issue.

I thank the waiter and he heads off with our orders. I am greeted by a facial expression i can only describe as "moral fury disguised as vague disappointment."

I immediately start getting an earful about how disgusting it is to eat animal flesh and how I should be ashamed of myself for promoting "speciesism" while calling myself an anti-racist. "Speciesism" was a term I have never heard before that day, and I still think it's fucking stupid to compare eating meat to full-blown racism.

I start pointing out that I have no issue with how he decides to eat, but it's a massive overstep of personal boundaries and a very presumptive and self-righteous move to act like he had any right to tell someone else how to eat. Plus, the shit he was spouting about livestock rearing and byproduct sourcing were straight up untrue and made up by PETA. Plus, I hate to break it to him, but cows are not humans. They aren't. They just aren't, and if he can't understand that then he shouldn't be taking care of them and he definitely shouldn't be acting like he should.

I am not the most held back individual when it comes to these things. I have a big blunt mouth and I don't have much of a concept of a filter. I acknowledge that about myself and try my hardest to only argue things i have immediate credible evidence for, because I know that I always come off as emotionally-charged because of my big blunt mouth. But oh, oh boy. Oh man did he not like that.

The argument keeps escalating and escalating until our food gets served. He decides to make a very exaggerated barf gesture at the beef and egg in my bowl. C'mon, bro. But you wanna be petty? Alright, I can be petty too. I looked him dead in the eye while I picked out chunks of only egg and beef with my chopsticks and ate it. I made constant comments on how good the meat was and how much I loved the texture and juiciness of it. He gave me a very charged silent treatment the whole time.

We mutually ghosted each other after that night.

[southernbluebellereader]

OK quick thing before I forget

Like let's put on our thinking caps for two seconds because collectively we have like 1.5 brain cells. What if, somehow, someway on God's green earth Lt. Simon "Ghost" Riley makes it out alive and he's like retired or he's like on reserve now because he's about to expire from the military. And like he either moves back wherever he lives, or moves somewhere else, and he goes back to being a butcher because that's the only thing he really knew before joining the military - or at least that's what he's most familiar with. It passes the time, keeps him doing something instead of aimlessly doing nothing. And he keeps contact with whoever from the task force is still alive (I'm gonna assume that they're also somehow alive).

But like what if there's like a little grocery store of butcher shop moment, where you come in about once a week on Saturday mornings asking for outlandish cuts of meats or whatever. And all of the sudden you start asking for animal bones and animal fats to make bone broth and tallow.

"You want what now?"

"You have any bones or extra animal fats you don't need?"

Simon looked at you for a moment, then nodded. "How much you need?"

"How much do you have?"

The corners of Simon's lips curled upwards slightly, "Let me check." He disappeared in the back of the shop for a few minutes. About ten minutes later, he comes back out with two bags, one with bones, the other with fat, "I got about 2 kilos of cow bones and 2 kilos of beef fat."

"I'll take both. How much?" You dug in your bag and pulled out your wallet.

"No, need."

"No, let me pay."

"No."

Not giving in, you pulled out a few bills and placed them on the counter. You then took the bags from him, thanked him, and left. Before you exited the butcher shop, you waved back at Simon, "Thanks again, I'll be back next week."

It all happened to fast, Simon narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched you get into your car, then at the money on the counter. What the hell just happened?

But guess he was going to start saving the bones and fat he would normally get rid of until next week.

A week passed and he was expecting you, and there you came. He had even more bones and fat saved for you. He always asked you not to pay, but you always left a few bills on the counter for him, which he put on the side to eventually give back to you. When? He didn't know.

It was a ritual. Like clockwork. He looked forward to seeing you. He'd find a reason to go to work every day.

[yesyourstalker]

I don't know what part this is. I wrote this at 6 am

Slight NSFW mostly implied

_______________________________________________

Ikkan: Neta... Hey you ok?

Neta: yeah.... .. I'm fine I'm just waiting for him to leave completely..... He's such an asshole!!

Ikkan: hey come here.... Don't let him get to you okay? He doesn't know anything about you, your life and you never tried...

Neta: yeah.......he never got to see how amazing I am

Ikkan:oh you're so humble.... He doesn't know what he's missing come here [kiss] also you look good baby.... Look a lot happier... [Kiss]...Hehe...more relaxed...[kiss]

Neta: hehehe.....[kiss]

Ikkan: softer.......and warmer............

Neta:.......[smiles].....

Ikkan:........*sigh*.....[kissing]

Neta: We're alone

Ikkan: yeah we are...heheheh

Neta: no cameras

Ikkan:....... .... You want to slow dance like we used to. Remember during our first date?

Neta: oh........ Ok

Ikkan: what what did you think I was implying?

Neta: nothing nothing it's stupid come here. Let's dance just the two of us away from the commotion.

_______________________________________________

Koi: so you must be my granddaughter... I've heard so much about you. You have straight A's, your captain on your turf war team, you play second chair

Cirrina: actually I play first chair now

Koi: wonderful!... Look at all that confidence and pride amazing... Oh look at me being so rude. Hi my name is koi koi you can call me Grandma Koi, grandma, admiral koi is also an option. I'm a former CEO now head of the advertisement for tech company venton industries.

Cirrina: weren't you the company that started out with game cards and now he's home consoles and arcades? You guys made jump squid right?

Koi: That's the one. I also dipped my foot in farm life raising krill herding sea cows some experience in going produce

Cirrina: I have a houseplant that I bought from the grocery store. I had to change its pot twice and it's taller than me now...oh I'm also skipping the grade and heading straight to high school next year.. My guidance counselor says if I'm good I can maybe even start college classes early. I'll get ahead of everyone else.

Koi: ohhh impressive... So proud to have you as a granddaughter. I see so much of myself in you. I can just tell you're going to be as powerful and successful as me.

Cirrina: I hope I do.......Grandma admiral koi.

Merv: they ran out of wine but I did snatch up the shrimp puffs They're not that bad..... Hello, who's this?

Koi: *ugh* ..... Hone... this is our granddaughter... Remember Neta told us about

Merv: ohhhhhhh nice to meet you.. you must be cirrina.... You're just as pretty as the picture he gave us. Nice to meet you sweetheart.

Cirrina: awww thank you........ Ikkan told me about you. He used to be a farmer. He told me you had acres of strawberries and would first place for best decal 3 years in a row. That's very impressive. You must know a lot about agriculture

Merv: that's correct! Wow you're really something!

Koi: I know! Ah! I just want to pick her in a bag and take her back to haddaido!

Cirrina:hehehe You're too kind..

Koi: well we have to go We're trying to find our kids. I know your uncle is somewhere.. do expect some presents to be in the mail for you sweetie. You just stole our little hearts.

Cirrina: ok bye....hehee

Mizole: You're a snake. You know that?

Cirrina: You've had spinach between your teeth the last 2 hour shut up.

_______________________________________________

Mahi: you think that is going to be mad when we bring this?

Warabi: what's so bad about it? It's just wine?

Mahi: when he expected us to bring drinks He expected it to be in bottles Something you just place on the table make it look nice

Warabi: Oh come on the parties like going to be over in like 4 more hours. We need something like this, that's why I bought five.....for the party

Mahi: We're definitely not going to use all of this. He just wanted one in the apartment

Candi: If he says anything I'm not involved.

Mahi: Baja! Help us bring this in

Baja: ok uhhh what is this exactly

Warabi: its for the party trust me

Baja: ok....

_______________________________________________

Neta: so yeah apparently I've been a captain for the military for 7 years and they didn't tell me- what the hell is this? what happened to the bottles of wine you were supposed to get??

Warabi: didn't have any I just so we just bought the barrel of wine. Five of them. I feel like that's enough right?

Neta: get a little too much where we even going to put this

Mahi: we can just put in the back and have waiters fill up cups

Candi: or you can just have all the guests fill up their own cups

Ikkan: That's not a bad idea...

Neta:....*sigh* ....... Yeah okay that's fine..... I'm gone for 2 minutes and y'all turn this into a keg party

Baja: You've actually gone for 45 minutes

Neta: ............ Just set up the barrels....

Ikkan: hehehehe...... Tonight is still early. Come on, let the guests have a little fun.. it'll be funny seeing some of these producers get drunk off their ass.

Koi: I hope one of them isn't you honey

Ikkan: mom! Uh hah.....wooow so good to see you!...... Neta didn't tell me.... He was inviting my parents. Mmmmm

Koi: well I think it would be nice to spend the holidays with my two boys this year...... I actually came here to see my granddaughter and also talk to my son-in-law. We had a conversation about installing a small arcade original in his original store to keep the traction going once his other store opens.

Neta: Yes we do need to talk more about that I also wanted to talk to Noji about buying vending machines as well, let's walk and talk. You look beautiful by the way Koi. Merv is a lucky man

Koi: you damn right it is... You know how long it took me to convince him to come here. I swear he thinks he bursts into flames interacting with people.

Ikkan:......*sigh*......

Warabi: what were you two doing for 45 minutes?

Ikkan: fuck off

Warabi: hehehehehehe going to tell your mom on you

Ikkan: Warabi!

Warabi:[wheeze]

_______________________________________________

Mahi and @fish-at-fish-fish-resort or caught stealing one of the wine barrels

[spaghettificationandpretzels]

The Reaper and the Death Angel Part 64

Thank you to everyone who has made it this far. Is everyone happy that they're getting an extra chapter?

Part 63

Series Masterlist

Contains: All the fluff, so much fluff, happiness, smut.

5.3 K words

Comment if you want to be tagged/removed or follow #the reaper and the death angel.

“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognise how good things really are.”- Marianne Williamson

"Audrey, honey, I can't understand screaming. You've been fed and changed and you've had a good nap so why are you yelling at me." You did your best to calm her down but it seemed futile.

"She wants Sam that's why she's crying. I grew her and she only wants her daddy." Ima sounded amused, not angry.

"Well he's at the store little one and he'll be back soon, can you stop screaming please?" You knew it wasn't going to work but you were getting desperate.

"She's three months old y/n, you can't reason with a baby."

"I can try Ima, nothing else will work." Audrey didn't want to listen to reason, she wanted her father.

"Are you ready for the party?" No one had told you or Jax anything and you were worried about what Billy and Opie had planned.

"I have no idea what's going to happen, how can I be ready for that?" You knew it was going to be fun, regardless of the fact that it was happening close to Charming and not some faraway destination like so many bachelor and bachelorette parties.

"It will be fun, Sam and I loved our joint one. I think you two will love what the guys planned." She sounded excited.

"Yeah, I can't wait. I just hope Gemma can handle the kids." It had gotten better between Gemma, Sam and Ima since Audrey's birth but things were still a little cold.

"Nero will be with her, Billy told me he set up stuff for them to do while we have fun. They're getting three days away to wherever we're going, they can't complain." You and Ima both knew that was wishful thinking, Gemma could always find something to complain about.

Ima smiled, "None of that matters, you and Jax are getting married in two weeks and we want all the focus on you."

"You're not going to give me anything?" Everyone had been very tight lipped about what Ope and Billy had planned, you couldn't get anything out of anyone.

"Nope, you'll just have to wait and see."

****

Everyone loaded in cars, splitting off into the bridal party and the groomsmen with Billy driving you, Ima, Abel and Audrey. You knew where you were going an hour in when you recognised the route to one of Anvil's safehouses, "I know where we're going so are you going to let me in on what's going on?"

"Nope, you'll just have to wait." Billy sounded so smug, he had clearly planned something big.

"Will there be cows mummy?" Abel's eyes hadn't left the farmland outside the window since everyone had left Charming.

"I'm not sure little man, the last time I was there, there were cows next door. Maybe Grandma can take you to the dairy up the road." It was a lovely area so at least Billy and Opie picked somewhere quiet.

"Only if Addie can come too." Abel adored her, he followed her around, doing his best to help, it was adorable.

"Of course Addie can go, I'm very grateful you're looking after her for us." Ima and Sam had embraced Abel's curiosity with open arms, he did keep Addie entertained.

You ruffled his hair, "we're almost there sweetie, I'm sure you'll love it."

****

By the grace of God and amazing traffic, everyone arrives at the same time. It was even nicer than you remember, the spring causing the garden to grow lush while the river trickled in the background. The forest at the edge of the sprawling farmhouse was a twitter with birds and there was a gentle breeze in the air. Abel rushed to his father the moment you unbuckled him from his seat.

Jax lifted him into his arms and walked over to you, pressing a kiss to your lips before looking around, "wow, this place is nice."

You smiled, "just wait until you see where we're going for our honeymoon, it leaves this place to shame."

The group followed Billy up the short driveway to the house and Billy stopped before the door, "Welcome to our farmhouse, don't let the looks deceive you, his place is a fortress. The happy couple get the main bedroom and there are four other couple rooms but other than that you are free to pick where you sleep as long as the y/n's side and Jax's side mix, most of you should be able to have your own room. We'll talk about our weekend once everyone's settled."

The door opened and the group headed in, taking in the exposed beams and natural light that was the inside of the huge house. You took Abel's hand and pointed to the left and smiled at Jax, "we're down this way my love."

Ima and Sam followed you with Audrey with Billy hot on your heels, "There are three rooms and a nursery in this wing of the house. Ope and I already set up the nursery. It's right between the main room and one of the bedrooms so looking after the little ones won't be a problem."

You smiled and turned to look at Billy, "wait, does that mean we'll be sharing a wall?"

Billy rolled his eyes, "yes, so please keep it down. I don't need to know about that part of your life."

You chuckled, "I make no promises, you might need earplugs."

Abel paused, "why mummy?"

You looked at Jax, who shook his head, "Uncle Billy doesn't want to hear as jumping on the bed while he trying to sleep is all." Jax sounded as smug as ever.

Abel looked deep in thought, "Ok daddy."

Jax sighed, life was good.

****

Juice sighed and flopped onto one of the couches, "This place is huge, what do you use it for?" Once everyone had settled in, the group moved to the main room on the ground floor so Billy and Ope could explain the events for the weekend, Gemma and Nero went for a walk with Abel and the baby so it was just the main wedding party. 

Billy smiled, "Forest training and target protection. If a team can protect a property this big, they can do anything." 

He and Ope shared a look then Opie spoke, "Bill and I buried various parts to something somewhere. You all have the next twenty four hours to find them. It's going to be the bridal party vs the groomsmen, the winners are the ones that find the most parts, the losing team cleans up after the wedding." 

You turned to Jax with a smile, "my team is going to kick your team's ass, your going down peach butt." 

Jax smirked, "not a chance darlin." 

The groups had already slipped off, ready to run off but Billy stopped them, "There are hints hidden everywhere, to get a clue to the location of the hint, you're going to have to answer a trivia question. First question, why does the bride stand on the left side? Option one, so the groom can fight off other men with his sword arm or option two the right side represents strength and godliness while the left is weakness." 

Juice's hand shot up and Billy smiled, "it's one. I learned it in one of my computers game." 

Billy pulled a slip of paper from his shirt and handed it to Juice, "your hint." 

Juice read it and his face fell, "I have no idea what this means?" 

Billy's smile grew, "then you gotta hand it off to the bridal party." 

Angela flapped her hand and Juice passed it to her, before smiling and whispering in your ear. You stepped closer to Jax and pressed a kiss to his cheek, "you are going to lose so hard Teller." 

Without another word, your group raced off, Ope and Billy following and Jax stood there slacked jawed, "well, follow them." 

You landed in the flower meadow while everyone waited for the next hint. It was Opie's turn to speak, "The bachelor party oriented where? Ancient Rome, Medieval England or Sparta."

Your hand shot up, "It's Sparta." You thought for a minute, "the hint is Sparta?" 

Opie nodded, "yep."

An idea came to you, "The Hyacinths, check them." Your group only had a few seconds head start before everyone started looking. Upon getting level with the flowers, you noticed that they here in carefully hidden pots instead of in the ground and when you lifted the pot, there was a small piece of paper underneath it, "keep looking."

Kozik let out a shout then paused and turned to Billy and Ope, "which way is the river?"

Billy smiled, "behind you." 

The groomsmen rush off, Jax kissing you before he left but you stayed still, "keep looking, there are more pots."

Frank hopped up, "half of us should go, that way we don't get behind." You nodded and the bridal party split off. 

In the distance, Happy paused, "wait, some of us should go back. There might be more clues."

Jax stopped and looked towards the field but it was too late, he could see everyone move to one flower while half your group raced past him. Jax squinted his eyes and saw you pull something from the ground before you jumped up and ran towards him. He still maintained his head start as everyone reached the river but that did stop you from gloating, "we already have one piece and another clue. You're going to lose."

"You haven't won yet darlin." 

****

The river netted two clues for your side and a handful of wooden parts wrapped in soft black velvet for both sides, but before the group could run off back to the house to look for the next part, Billy and Ope called lunch.

"Abel and Addie are back at the house and we've made sandwiches for everyone. We expect you to get along for the next hour or you'll all be in trouble."

"Shut up lieutenant Russo." You didn't mean for it to come out but it did.

Billy's eyes went wide, "Hey, I'm on your side."

"Well it doesn't feel like it Bill." Frank was covered in mud from when he and Hap figured out one of the clues and went digging by the river rocks and he wasn't having it.

Ope laughed and rubbed his face, "come one everyone, I'm sure we can get along for any hour."

You sighed and walked over to Jax, looping your arm around his while smiled down at you as you headed back to the house, "are you having fun darlin?"

You nodded, "I am, a total blast. Are you?"

"Yep, you're still going to lose." He sounded so smug.

The walk back to the house was a leisurely mix of banter and laughter and Jax was wearing a smile from ear to ear, "everyone's getting along great."

That much was true, everyone was so happy, "well marriage was originally meant to join tribal groups so I guess that's what we're doing."

"Yeah, although I'm worried you were right about Juice and he's going to be stolen from us." Jax pointed over to where Derek, Frank, Travis and Juice were walking together, deep in conversation.

"I keep telling you, it's only a matter of time before he jumps ships and comes to hang with us, we are cooler after all."

Jax looped his arm over your shoulder and pulled you close, "Your friends are cooler than mine, those are fighting words darlin."

"Well, you do wear matching vests so that's pretty cool." You knew that would get a rise out of him.

"Oh, you're asking for it now."

You did your best to suppose your smile as you replied, "begging actually."

Your conversation stopped in its track as Abel saw you in the window and came running out before jumping into Jax's arms, "did you have a good morning little man?"

"Yes daddy, we went to see the cows and Grandma got us ice cream." He still had chocolate on his face.

"Is that right? Do you have room for lunch?" Your chest filled with warmth, Jax was a good father.

"Yes daddy." Jax put Abel down as you walked inside and you could hear Addie's telltale babble that she gave every time Sam held her.

"I'll go get us some food before it's all snatched up." Jax shot you a smile and you headed to the kitchen, walking by Sam as he fed his little girl.

"I missed her." He looked so happy with Audrey in his arms.

You shook your head, "You've only been away from her for a few hours."

Sam sighed, "you know Ima and I knew you and Jax knew she was a girl."

Your eyes went wide, "what, no I didn't" That was a bad lie.

"We're not mad, I'm amazed you and Jax kept it a secret." Sam's eyes hadn't left Addie's face the whole time.

"It was the hardest thing I've ever done." You reached out and grabbed her little hand and she let out a happy little shout, "She is such a happy baby."

"I know. Is it bad that I want to bite her little legs, they look like bread buns." You laughed and Addie looked for the sound, her curious brain trying to take everything in.

"No, I still want to bite Abel sometimes. It's totally normal." Audrey pulled back from the bottle and wiggled in Sam's arms.

Sam took her tiny hand and she wrapped it around his finger, "I gotta go feed myself, you wanna hold her?"

Before you could say yes, Juice appeared from nowhere and reached out, "I'll take her, it's my turn and I've already had lunch."

Sam sighed and handed Audrey before walking to the bench and yanking some sandwiches off the plate, "I look forward to kicking your ass."

You shook your head, "nope, I'll be kicking yours little brother."

You got yourself and Jax some food then went back to the couch where Jax was sitting with others, "thank you darlin."

"You know, since the next clues are in the house, I don't think you have a chance." To be fair, the last clue meant it could be anywhere and it was just going to be the luck of the person who found it.

Jax smirked, "You wanna bet?"

"Yeah, I do." You leaned in close and pressed your lips to his cheek, "but remember Jackson, I win no matter what."

****

You were deep in conversation when Billy announced that lunch was over and the game was back on. You split off from Jax with a kiss and headed to the roots seller, the pickle jar on the last clue hinting that the next thing was either there or in the kitchen.

It seems Happy had the same idea because he was hot on your heels, "Shouldn't you be looking in the laundry? You're the one that pulled the clue with the basket on it?"

He huffed, "I sent Kozik, plus, we all know I'm not going to leave a mess of your supplies."

You snorted, "like that's going to matter when I kick your butt."

You raced down the stairs and all but kicked open the door before going over to the shelves to start looking. It was clear there was nothing in the jars but the dust had been disturbed. Almost at the same time, you and Happy bent over to look at the bottom of the shelves and you smiled as you saw the symbols drawn on the wood in chalk.

"What do they mean?" Happy either didn't know or was a good liar.

"That's for me to know and you to be sad about." You gave him a friendly shove to get closer to the shelf he was standing in front of as the pieces fell into place, "you wanna hint?"

He stood there stoically, "what's in it for you?

"You get me the piece that your side has" Happy shook his head, "fine suit yourself."

You walked over to the old bread box in the corner of the room, brushed off the dust and opened it before reaching in and pulling out another wooden piece, "We've only got to find four more pieces, then my side wins. But just to make it a fair fight, there might be another clue by the window."

You ran up the stairs while Happy rushed over to the window, finding a small hay bale drawn in the dust. Just as you reached the stairs, you turned to gloat one last time, "You better pick it up Lowman, have you ever seen how much mess wedding guests make?"

Happy chuckled and yelled up the stairs, "we're all delighted for you y/n, you deserve the good things."

You shook your head, "you can't sweet talk me." Without another word, you shut the door behind you and raced off to the next run down the next clue.

****

It had all come down to this, there was only one piece left. In the last few hours, not only had a few more pieces been found but also some strange black bags hidden.

The sun had just started to set as you all gathered in the forest with shovels in hand. Jax's side was up by one but as Opie had informed everyone, the last piece was the largest so it was worth more.

You and Ima had just finished digging around one tree stump when a shout from Derek brought you over, he had found it.

"AH HA, suck it Teller, we win." Something about the way everyone was looking at you made you suspicious.

Jax pecked your cheek with a smile, "That you did darlin."

The group gathered around and sat down and handed you and Jax their finds while Billy smiled at both of you, "now you just have to put it together." With hugs and thank yous exchanged, you and Jax took your sweet time to walk back to the house before heading to the bedroom to put whatever it was together.

"Do you think everyone was in on it?" Jax must have picked up on something.

You shook your head, "no, but I think everyone knows what it is." You took his hand and sat crossed legged on the floor before unwrapping everything. Now that you could have a good look, you could see the detail that went into everything. Someone must have told someone about the flowers featured in the wedding because they were caved all over the deep brown wood in amazing detail.

Jax opened the small bags with a strange look on his face as he pulled something out of each on, a set of instructions, tiny screws, a screwdriver, a paintbrush and a small bottle of glue. He handed you the instructions and you read over them with a growing smile, "It's a keepsake box."

Jax could tell how much love are care went into each piece and as you and Jax put it together, you realised that every person in the wedding party was responsible for something about it. Whether it was Happy's welding style on the hinges, Lyla's brush strokes on the wood stain or Angela's artistic talents in the engravings, everyone had done something.

It didn't take long to put together but it was something once it was finished. There were many drawers and doors of different sizes, little hidden compartments and one last door that sealed the whole thing. Altogether, it was utterly beautiful, "wow, this is amazing."

Jax smiled, "yeah, it is." He leaned across and pressed his lips to yours softly, pouring every ounce of love into the kiss.

You placed your hand on his chest and Jax pulled away, "everything ok darlin?"

You nodded and took the box in your arms, placed it somewhere safe and then returned to the floor and sat in his lap, "yep, I just don't want anything to get damaged."

Jax smiled against your lips then wrapped his hand around your thigh and pulled you closer, "I guess I have to pay up since I lost out bet."

"You do. What do you have in mind?" You could feel his cock hardening against you.

"I have a few things in…."

KNOCK KNOCK

"HEY YOU BETTER BE READY TO HELP WITH DINNER, IF YOU DON'T HELP YOU DON'T EAT." Sam's footsteps were gone before you could respond.

Jax sighed and dropped his forehead to yours, "Come on darlin, we'll pick this up later."

****

"I cannot believe you made me help at my own party, it's very rude." You didn't really help that much, many hands made light work and dinner was on the table in a flash.

"You kinda made the bed darlin, it's not like we didn't have fun." Jax was as smug as ever.

"Mummy, can we Addie have tatoes?" Abel was always asking what he could share with Addie, it was enough to melt anyone's heart.

"No sweetie, she can't because she's too little but thank you for asking." You turned to Kip, "speaking of, can you pass them here please?" Kips passed you the bowl and you gave yourself a spoon before Jax took it from you and gave himself a heaping pile.

"We should do this every year." Jax almost said it to himself, "not like this and it doesn't have to be at the same time but we should all go away together for a few days."

You shook your head, "wow Teller, I never thought you'd be one to suggest that. What's next, you're going to propose we go skiing?"

Jax huffed, "none of us want to end up on a mountain with a bunch of rich people. I mean, I'm sure we can all swing a weekend away."

Billy smiled, "I think that's a great idea. Maybe next year we can head to The Berkshires. Anvil has plenty of houses there and there's a lot for us to do."

"That would be cool, we can all go hiking." You blinked, even Happy was in on it.

You sighed, "alright, it's settled. We'll all go away together once a year. When did we all get so domesticated?"

Jax laughed, a hearty belly laugh and everyone followed, and each time it died down, someone started it up again. It took Addie's cries for attention for everyone to stop and Sam sighed as he lifted her from her chair and brought her into his arms, "sorry little one."

Bobby sighed and slapped his legs like a grandpa, "I'll go get the dessert, that way we can all be in bed by nine like the adults we are."

You shook your head, "I'm not going to respond to that."

Sam screwed up his face, "Eww, we don't need to know that."

You huffed and held up your hands, "Hey, I didn't say anything."

Sam sighed, "sure y/n."

Thankfully, Bobby walked in with his arms loaded and placed the trays on the table, "well, tuck in."

****

"Goodnight sweetie, if Addie cries, someone will come a help her so you don't need to worry." Abel was sitting on the bed in Jax's lap while you read him a story with Addie fast asleep in her crib.

"Ok mummy, but I can still help?" Jax chuckled, you both knew Abel slept like a log, he wouldn't wake up if she cried.

"Sure little man. Mummy and I are going to go to bed now but we're just across the hall ok?"

Abel nodded, "ok daddy. I love you."

Jax kissed his templed and tucked him in as you reached over to turn off the light, "goodnight sweetie, daddy and I love you very much."

Abel gave a yawn and settled in, "goodnight mummy, I love you too."

The moment you were back in your room, Jax was slamming you against the door with his lips on yours, "pick up where we left off?"

You nodded, "yes, please. I think I was collecting my winnings."

Jax's fingers were already buttoning your top, "yeah you were so what can I do for you darlin?"

You pulled him to a kiss and nipped his lower lip, "You can do all the work while I lay there and enjoy myself."

Jax smiled against your skin, "I'm all about the service beautiful."

Jax removed your clothes piece by piece with tenderness, pressing his lips to every new bit of skin he had revealed. As he pulled your jeans down, he dropped to his knees so he could kiss your bare skin then wrapped his hand around the edges on your panties and pulled then slowly. Once you were naked, you pulled him up, held up a finger for him to stay in place, and walked backwards towards the bed before getting comfortable, "strip." Jax smirked and rushed to remove his clothes, "slowly my love."

He huffed, "you're lucky I love you." His pace slowed and his ego only grew as he watched you drink him in, "you like what you see?"

You nodded, "I do, please keep going." Jax's muscles rippled as he took off his pants and you shot him a smile as the boxers followed.

"Can I come and fuck you now?" You were too busy admiring his hard dick to quip.

Jax sighed and took a step towards you with determination, then the door swung open, "y/n, do you want me to…" Billy locked eyes with Jax, then with you, utterly unfazed by the nudity, before looking Jax up and down, then, he turned to you, gave you a solid nod and left.

"What was that?" Jax wasn't the least bit embarrassed.

You were doing your best to hold back the laughter, "I don't know but I think he approves and by the morning everyone is going to know what you've got going on."

Jax closed the distance to the bed and climbed on top of you, "does that mean I get the final seal of approval?"

You nodded, "Oh yeah, but you are never going to live this down, they're going to be talking about your dick until we're old and grey."

Jax shook his head, "I bet you're loving this?"

You leaned in and nipped his neck, "yep, but you better get up and lock the door, just in case someone else wants to rub it in."

Jax's head fell on your chest as he started to laugh before he popped up and flicked the lock, "happy darlin?"

You smiled and stretched your hands out, "yes, now I think you have a debt to pay."

Jax swaggered back over and climbed on top of you again, "I do, so just lie there an be good and I'll make sure you enjoy yourself." Jax took you in a kiss and you threw your leg over his hips as one hand slid down your body while the other held your face. He pulled back from the kiss and tilted his head, "I think everyone is back in their rooms fasts asleep so unless you want them to get an earful too, I'd stay quiet."

You kissed him in response as he pulled open your leg to her access to your centre, Jax moaning when he found you wet. The kiss didn't break as he circled your clit slowly and he nipped your lips when you let out a whimper, "don't make any noise darlin, those sounds are mine."

You nodded aggressively, hoping it would encourage him to continue and Jax fell for it because moving his fingers from your clit to your entrance and swallowing your moan as he slid them inside you. His thumb found your clit as he deepened the kiss and started to rock his hand against you, his fingertips barely brushing your G-spot with each shift of his hand.

You went to match his slow pace but Jax stopped you, "hey, you wanted me to do all the work darlin, there's no need for you to do anything but relax." You sighed and did as he asked, then Jax smiled and kissed you hard. His pace was measured, not too slow, not too fast but just enough to be maddening. He watched your face carefully and picked up speed each time he saw you adjust to the sensations, "remember, don't make a sound."

"I won't, I promise." Jax took you into another kiss, this one much softer and then changed the position of his hand to touch you in a way he knew would make you see stars, after that it wasn't long before you were biting your lip to keep in the noise as you hurdled towards the edge. Jax pulled Jax as close you could, burying your face in his neck to stifle your whimper as you clenched around his fingers.

Jax worked you through the orgasm then removed his fingers and sucked them into his mouth with a moan, "you taste like heaven, sadly I think if I wanted more of that, you'd make too much noise so I'm just going to give you my dick instead, that way you can bite down and keep yourself quiet." You went to say something and Jax shook his head, "what, you wanted me to do all the work."

You sighed and pulled him into a kiss before pulling back just far enough to speak as you threw your legs over his waist, "well then get it to." Jax settled between your legs then grabbed his cock and ran it up and down your slit, "please."

"That's all I needed to hear." He slid home with a soft groan and rocked his hips slowly. He held himself up on his elbow and kissed across your face before landing on your lips, the kiss deepening as his hips picked up speed. Despite your best efforts, you couldn't stop the sound from leaving your chest and it only seemed to spur Jax on. But you weren't alone, Jax was grunting in your ear like an animal as he pushed you closer to your peak.

Your fingers dug more and more into his skin as your legs started to twitch and Jax's lips moved from your lips to your neck to suck bruises into your skin, "come on darlin, I can tell how close you are." Jax's tone was tight, signalling he was just as close as you and he shifted his weight to take your hand in his as he placed it on your clit, "touch yourself for me."

You were powerless to deny him and with a few circles of your fingers, you were aching off the bed while your sunk your teeth into his shoulder to stifle the sound. Whether it was the sting from the bite or the squeezing of your centre was irrelevant as Jax pulsed inside you, his hips still rocking gently as your orgasm slowed.

Jax's head dropped to your chest and kissed your skin before rolling off you and taking you with him, "so is my debt paid?"

You sighed, "oh yes, most definitely." Jax pushed himself up and pecked your cheek firmly before getting up and getting a rag to clean you off. Once that was done, he returned to the bathroom to get you both some water then climbed into bed with a smile.

"Is anything planned for tomorrow?" He sounded satisfied.

You shook your head, "no, just an easy day."

"Well we could always…"

"YOU TWO BETTER BE DONE AND NOT BETWEEN ROUNDS, I GOTTA FUCKING SLEEP."

You slapped your hand over your mouth to stop yourself from laughing as Billy's voice came through the walls, "SORRY RUSSO."

Jax shook his head with a smile, "I guess you couldn't stay quiet enough."

You slapped his shoulder with the back of your hand then settled on his chest, "I'm not going to respond to that," you pressed your lips to his Abel tattoo, "goodnight beloved."

Jax's hand came up to stroke your hair and his chest rumbled with a content groan, "goodnight darlin."

Part 65

@camelia35 @withmyteeth @watercolorskyy

[schrijverr]

I Dig You 6

Chapter 6 out of 8

Robin is tentatively excited for her first internship: an archaeological dig in the Netherlands, where she has been studying. However, when she gets there, Steve is there too. The dick of their uni that she now has to work with. Great. But being stuck digging for six weeks makes people bond and maybe he isn’t too bad. Maybe he can be her friend.

AKA an archaeology interns, modern, enemies-to-friends stobin au

On AO3.

Ships: none

Warnings: none

~~~~

Chapter 6: Town

Steve vetoes the bikes, claiming that if they want the true wandering experience, they’ll have to use their legs. It’s a jock statement, but Robin goes along with it for the vibes, grouching that the next time they have an adventure, they’re using bikes.

It’s not until Steve laughs: “Okay, Robs, next time we’ll bike,” that she realizes how presumptuous that was, though Steve doesn’t seem to mind, which relaxes her a little.

The camping is not too far, but also not too close to town, so they have to walk over a country road there. A country road here basically means no sidewalk, bike lanes on both sides and cars that drive a little too fast than is legally allowed. So, they’re walking in the ditch.

Robin keeps her head to the ground, a habit she has developed as an archaeologist, unable to stop herself from looking for finds. Steve seems to suffer from a similar predicament, since they nearly get hit by an angry biker when he spots a cool rock and goes to grab it.

Neither of them know what the man yells at them as he swerves, but they giggle about it when the shock wears off. Then Robin agrees with Steve that the rock is very cool and totally worth becoming roadkill over.

There are a lot of corn fields around, however, there are also cows, which Robin forces them to stop at, because she fucking loves cows. In her humble opinion, they are the coolest.

Steve sighs as they look over the grazing cows and says: “I miss home sometimes, even though it kinda sucked.”

“Yeah?” Robin asks, unsure if she is capable of having this conversation. “Had a lot of cows?”

“God yeah, cows and God that’s all we have there,” Steve laughs. “Truly fucking Bumfuck, America, you know?”

“Not really, didn’t grow up religious. We had a petting zoo we went to each year in primary school,” Robin says. “The pigs were huge, one girl nearly got crushed once. It was brutal.”

Steve snorts loudly at that and shakes his head fondly. “Pigs are mean bastards. They know malice. Cows don’t.”

“I know right!” Robin agrees excitedly. “Cows are unable to form thoughts and that makes them the best.”

“I like chickens more,” Steve says.

“Blasphemy,” Robin exclaims, clutching non-existent pearls, which makes Steve laugh again.

“Chickens are evil and stupid, which is the best combination for any animal, who can’t easily do a lot of damage. Like a cat. Forcefully contained rage.”

“That only makes them more scary,” Robin argues.

“No, that makes them perfect,” Steve rebuts.

“You’re a weirdo, Harrington,” Robin informs him. “I’ll keep an eye out for chickens on this road to hell you have us on.”

“It’s like a half an hour walk to town, you drama queen,” Steve says.

“That’s twenty-five minutes too long,” Robin replies, deliberately dramatic as they continue on, leaving the cows behind.

They don’t see any chickens, but they do see more corn and a lot more horses than should be reasonable for the town size. The two of them can agree that horses are just evil and cannot be trusted.

The town itself exists of a likely population of about 4.000 people and has two churches, one protestant and one catholic. There is one big road with local stores that is connected to the one square in town.

The square is also the place that holds the Albert Heijn, which they are more familiar with. Robin has noticed that there were a few places to eat there, but Steve insists they eat somewhere else than the one place they already know.

However, one look at Google Maps informs them that unless they plan to walk far out of town on the opposite side to the camping they’re staying on, there isn’t another place they can eat.

“We can go to the fries place and get to go,” Robin offers as a compromise when Steve starts to frown, obviously having his mind set on it.

“Yeah, that can work,” Steve says, brightening at her solution. “We should first pick where to eat it, so our food won’t get cold.”

“What happened to wandering?” Robin asks. “Isn’t a lack of planning part of wandering?”

“I didn’t say wandering, I said adventure. You can plan in an adventure. Plus, cold fries are disgusting,” Steve retorts, wrinkling his nose.

Robin is pretty sure the word ‘wander’ was used in Steve’s pitch, but she also doesn’t like cold fries and it was more to tease anyway, so she gives in pretty easily and zooms in on a random green spot on the map, declaring: “That place looks pretty good.”

“Then that place it is,” Steve declares.

Together they go over to the fries place where it becomes clear that the owner has never needed to speak a word of English in his life. He’s old with a red nose and a smoker’s voice, loudly talking with customers, who are likely regulars, since tourism doesn’t exist this far out.

He greets the two jovially when they enter and Robin knows a bit of Dutch, but this guy has the heaviest accent she has ever heard, though while she can guess that he likely asked what they wanted to order and some comment about the day, the weather or them, she has no clue what he actually said.

Steve gives him an apologetic smile, thankfully speaking for both of them as he says in a broken accent: “Ik spreek slecht Nederlands.”

The guy frowns and replies: “Wa’ zedde nou? Waar komme ge dan vandaan?”

“What?” Steve asks.

“Wat. Jij. Hier. Doen?” the guy asks.

“Oh, internships. Uhm, stage?” Steve answers.

One of the other guy yells something and the man behind the counter laughs as he replies. Robin is feeling a lot like a two headed sheep in a cabinet of curiosity, so she anxiously hovers behind Steve like some sort of shadow monster, content to not be a part of the interaction.

Steve gets the man’s attention again, before the whole local population can become a part of the conversation and add their two cents while they stand there awkwardly. “Kannen wij eten krijgen- kopen?”

“Ja, zegge maar wa’ ge wilt,” the guys says, before realizing he’s being incomprehensible for them again. He corrects himself with: “Oh, ik bedoel. Wat wil jij eten?” talking slowly, loudly and

“Twee keer friet,” Steve says then turns to Robin asking: “What snack do you want and do you want a sauce?”

“No sauce,” Robin says, they primarily offer mayo with fries here and she doesn’t like it. “And chicken nuggets if they have them.”

“Alrighty,” Steve says, then turns back to the guy adding: “One- een met mayo, een met niks. Een keer bitterballen and een keer kipnuggets?”

“Ik heb ‘t, ‘n keer friet, ‘n keer frietje met, bitterballen en kipnuggets,” the guy repeats. “Kom eraan. Hebbie contant of pinnen?”

Robin has no clue what the guy is saying and she can see that Steve doesn’t either. However, the last part they understand; money. Steve holds up his card and repeats: “Pinnen.”

“Ga je gang,” the man says, gesturing to the little machine on the counter.

Steve holds his card up to it and it beeps, Robin doesn’t think that either of them knows how much he has paid until the man hands him the receipt and tells them something that likely means wait, since he naturally can’t magically have their food already.

What follows next are a few of the most awkward minutes of Robin’s life as the local population tries to talk to these new curiosities (namely them), while neither of them really speak each other’s language.

Robin has never been good at this and all of her language knowledge is from books and Duolingo, who didn’t have accents. She can make out one word out of every ten.

Steve, however, seems more at ease under the scrutiny, trying to talk with his hands and feet as much as he can to have some semblance of communication while they wait. He also seems to have a good enough grasp on the language to catch more than Robin does, something that surprises her, despite having noted it before. She wonders what that is about.

Then the guy calls out to them, yelling: “Oi, toeristen, eten!” two words Robin does understand, because they’re pretty simple, tourists and food, pretty good description, if she’s honest.

They go to get their food and the guy waves at them as they leave. They say goodbye and get a: “Houdoe!” back, a locality Robin guesses, since it’s completely unfamiliar.

The town isn’t big, so the park isn’t far despite not being near the square, relatively speaking. So, they make their way down the back street, looking at the shops there. There is naturally a hairdresser, a few bigger brand stores as well as some local ones. There is a fancier looking restaurant with a coffeeshop next to it and a doctor’s office next to that.

Robin can’t help but point it out to Steve, saying: “Look, you can eat, get high, make a dumb decision and then go to the doctor for it.”

Steve follows her finger and snorts: “Don’t remind me. Do you know how long it took me before I realized coffeeshops don’t sell coffee?”

That makes Robin laugh, she herself never went out looking for weed – it isn’t her thing and she doesn’t want to do it alone, so she never did. She learned what coffeeshops here meant, because a fellow student shared an awkward experience of trying to order coffee at one of them.

“Don’t laugh at me,” Steve squawks, though he’s laughing too. “I asked a very nice looking old lady about where to find a coffeeshop and she looked scandalized. I got a whole lecture and a bible from her. I don’t even know why she carried a bible with her.”

His explanation only makes Robin laugh more and she calls him a dingus. It’s nice to joke around with someone and she suddenly remembers the sad thoughts she had actually managed to forget for a second.

In an attempt to banish them as quickly as they came, she asks: “Did you ever smoke weed?”

“A few times with Tommy, but the charm wore off after a while. He gets familiar when high and it’s uncomfortable,” Steve says, wrinkling his nose.

Robin has the distinct displeasure of meeting Tommy a few times – though mostly seeing him from a distance – so she can imagine. “That sucks,” she sympathizes, because getting unwanted attention sucks. As a lesbian she kinda knows about that.

“Yeah,” Steve agrees, though with a shrug, like it wasn’t that big a deal. Robin doesn’t want to pry and isn’t sure how to ask about it, so she stays quiet. Steve breaks the quiet by asking: “And what about you? Ever smoked?”

“Nah, that’s bad for you, like with your lungs. If you develop a more permanent cough, you can see that on your ribs and that’s for forever,” Robin says, sounding anxious about it. She has always been someone who thinks of the worst case scenarios.

“Valid. Pot brownies are way nicer anyways. And pot cookies. Julia makes great ones, she got the recipe from her grandma apparently,” Steve says.

“Her grandma?” Robin repeats incredulously.

“Yeah, she says that her grandma was a hippie, used weed before it was even legal here,” Steve tells her.

“That is wild.”

“I know right,” Steve agrees. “But that is a no to buying weed?”

“No, unless they sell cookies. They don’t sell those, do they?” Robin asks, sounding horribly naive to her own ears, though Steve isn’t a judgmental person. If it hadn’t been him, she’d have faked her way through this whole conversation.

“Nah, though there is a bakery thingy that does, I think. I haven’t really looked into it,” Steve shrugs. “I think we have to go left up there.”

“Alright,” Robin says, trusting him blindly. He hasn’t gotten them lost so far. “So, what are bitterballen anyway?” she asks.

“You haven’t had one? How long have you been here? They’re on every terrace!” Steve exclaims, practically scandalized.

“Do I look like I go to terraces?” Robin shoots back, not even ashamed about it to get her dunk in.

“Fair enough,” Steve says, though it’s not mean. “I just can’t believe it. They’re so good. Want to try one?”

“First tell me what the fuck they are, dingus,” Robin says, it’s easier to ask that knowing that Steve is a picky eater too.

“It’s basically a croquette, but then a little ball. So a ball of shredded meat in bread crumbs that’s fried,” Steve explains. “I was skeptical about them, but they’re very nice.”

“I might try one,” Robin says tentatively.

“Yay,” Steve cheers as they round yet another corner, finally arriving to their destination.

The green spot on the map turns out to be a playground. It has two soccer goals, a seesaw, slide merry-go-round and a couple of swings as well as picnic table and a zip line.

Spotting the goals, Robin says: “I played soccer as a kid. We had this goalie on the team, Beth Wildfire, this other girl slid into her leg and the bone came out of her knee. Six inches or something. It was insane.”

“Jikes,” Steve winces. “No soccer for you.”

“It wasn’t me!” Robin protests, following Steve to the picnic tables and taking a seat across from him. “I was totally fine. I never played much anyway, I was always too busy with the flowers that bloomed on the field. My mom hoped I’d be a star player, but my dad loved that I was a free spirit in tune with nature, but I stopped soccer anyway. Wasn’t for me. Especially when we got older, at some point the changing room becomes more uncomfortable.”

“That sucks,” Steve sympathizes and this time it is her turn to shrug. It did kind of suck, but she got used to being hyper-aware when changing with other girls around. Life of a lesbian, you know?

They pull out their fries and attack, both of them hungry after the day of manual labor. Robin wrinkles her nose at the mayo on Steve’s fries, they’re absolutely lathered in it and she doesn’t know how he’s not gagging.

It’s the fact that he’s willingly eating that, that makes her cautious about the bitterbal he offers for her to try.

However, in the end she is curious and they look harmless. She doesn’t mind fried stuff, nor bread crumbs and the inside doesn’t look slimy, which are all wins. So, she trades a chicken nugget for a bitterbal and is pleasantly surprised that it is good, like Steve had claimed.

“I don’t lie,” he says smugly when she informs him of that.

“Don’t get a big head, Harrington. Your hair is too big already, if it gets any bigger to match your new big head, you’d be ridiculous,” Robin snarks.

“My hair is perfect,” Steve pouts, running his hand through it.

“Yeah, unnecessarily perfect. We’re digging all day, I don’t know how it’s not a sweaty mess at the end of every day,” Robin complains.

“It’s because it’s full of secrets,” Steve tells her with a smirk.

“Was that Mean Girls? Did you just quote Mean Girls at me?” Robin asks, disbelieving.

“What? Like it’s hard,” Steve smirks back.

“And that’s Legally Blonde!” Robin exclaims.

“Robin, I fucking love teen girl movies, how have you not realized this?” Steve asks.

“Because you’re continuously surrounded by assholes like Tommy, who wears toxic masculinity like it’s some sort of battle armor a girls like Carol, who would unironically say that a man telling her ‘I love you’ is gay, or a priss like Nancy,” Robin explodes, because she doesn’t know how else to express feeling guilty for all the assumptions she made.

“I’ve kind of stopped hanging around most of them,” Steve shrugs. “But that is a recent development. Those movies were kinda guilty pleasures, but I’m starting to embrace them.”

“As you should, they’re masterpieces,” Robin says. “And it’s kinda not my place and I didn’t know them, but good for you for stopping hanging out with them. They always looked mean and not very good friends.”

“They weren’t, just all I had, until I got here,” Steve shrugs, popping a fry into his mouth. Then he randomly asks: “Wanna go of the zip line with me when you’re done?”

“Of course I wanna go of the zip line, who do you take me for? Someone who doesn’t know how to have fun?” Robin replies immediately.

Steve lights up and he looks a little surprised, like he’d expected her to shut him down. Robin doesn’t get what about her made him think she wouldn’t want to, but then again, a lot of people shoot down her ideas, even when they’re good and not weird, so she gets it too.

“Hell yeah,” he cheers and starts eating quicker, something Robin mirrors immediately, now also excited for the zip line. Maybe they can see how high they go. She hasn’t been on a swing in forever.

~~

A/N:

Cows and chickens are my two favorite animals. I fucking love farm animals (but that may be due to the fact that I love farming, lmao (no im not really a farmer I just study it and grew up around it))

I put a lot of work into writing the fries guy’s accent, even though a lot of people reading this don’t even speak Dutch, so wouldn’t even notice if it was normal Dutch, but I am a perfectionist weirdo like that xp

Personally, I don’t fuck with drugs (which is also why I won’t be embarrassing myself in an attempt to write them being high lmao), but my sister does and she indeed has the recipe for weed cookies from my grandma, shout out <3