#look you can hire an actual sitter with this ->

[marc--chilton]

(mgv) the first few heats after giselle's birth leave house consumed with parental devotion. he is protective to an insane degree and if she isn't gone to stay with someone before his heat really kicks in, any and all energy that would have gone into sex instead goes to being feral over the baby. example:

house and their pup are curled up in a nest he has carefully constructed for Maximum Comfort + Hide, practically wrapped around her as they nap. wilson left earlier to go grab a snack house had asked for and got sidetracked while at the store (keeps finding stuff they may want/need/might like and it becomes a Whole Thing) so he ended up being gone for long enough that house dozed off. when he comes back and house hears the sound of the front door unlocking, his eyes shoot open and he's instantly growling -- he's not even really awake, just running on pure instinct while his brain struggles to catch up. it's enough that when wilson walks in and hears it he stops on reflex -- an omega, in heat, nesting, with a pup, growling? alpha weakness. shakes them to their blood even when it's their omega because when instincts run high like that. even those in bonded pairs will tread carefully because the omega will Not Hesitate. it's not until wilson hesitantly calls out to him that house shakes himself out of it ("rrrrmrrgghhrrr--" " 😰 house?" "--rrrmpp?"). then when wilson walks in with the snack and whatever other little tokens he found he plays it extra safe as an apology for being gone for so long; keeping his head bowed, placating notes in the scent he puts out, staying a respectful distance away from the nest until house explicitly permits him to come closer (house rolls his eyes when wilson hesitates to enter the nest even though he so clearly wants to)

[fluentmoviequoter]

Just a Dog Walker

Requested Here!

Pairing: Tim Bradford x grad student!dog walker!fem!reader

Summary: As Tim's dog walker, and nothing more, you grow close to him and Kojo. After protecting Kojo from a dog fight, you learn how Tim really sees you.

Warnings: dog attack, dog bite (r), fluffy ending. (Kojo is totally fine!)

Word Count: 3.5k+ words

A/N: More Kojo, what the world really needs.

“Sergeant Bradford, come to my office for a minute?” Wade asks.

“No,” Tim answers quickly. “Uh, sorry. No, sir, I can’t.”

Crossing his arms, Wade inquires, “Why not?”

A low huff is audible in Tim’s office, but Wade knows it isn’t him.

“Is yo’ dog under that desk?”

“No.”

“Let me amend the question. Is Kojo under the desk?”

Kojo barks happily, trying to push past Tim to visit Wade. Wade shakes his head, dropping his arms.

“Why is he here?”

“I’m working a double and I couldn’t leave him at home. What if he had run out of water or needed to go out?” Tim answers.

“You know, here in sunny Los Angeles, there are more people than I can count who are certified dog sitters.”

“Kojo doesn’t like strangers.”

“Just Kojo? Look, Tim, I get it, the bond between a man and his dog. But, there has to be a boundary, a separation somewhere. I’ll call Luna, she’s got friends with dogs and trusted, bonded employees who watch their dogs. Walk ‘em daily, train ‘em, do everything while you’re at work.”

“I can take care of my dog by myself.”

“Not while you’re at work, Bradford. He can stay for now, Lord knows he’s a better boy than you, but by the end of the week I want to know you’ve got someone to care for him.”

Tim grumbles, pushing his hands under the desk to pet Kojo. “I’ll take you up on Luna’s friends then.”

“She’ll call later.”

“You already asked her?”

“’Course I did. We have work to do. And, so you know, we can see Kojo’s paws under the desk. But nice try.”

“I tried, buddy,” Tim tells Kojo, passing him a treat from the container hidden in his desk drawer.

✯✯✯✯✯

Grad school is expensive, but since you don’t have the degree level you are striving for, you need a different job to get you through. Pushing 30 and being a dog walker isn’t ideal, but it’s paying the bills. One of your neighbors helped you open a business with proper insurance and licensing to care for the dogs of Los Angeles. 

Most of your clients live nearby, and you do your rounds twice daily, studying and attending classes between. One of your favorite clients has a friend named Luna, who you love. She gets you jobs, helps you out constantly, and is like a mother figure to you. You are forever grateful for her. So, when she calls, you rush to answer.

“Hey, Luna!” you answer. “How are you?”

“I’m good. How are you doing? Still working on your dissertation; making progress?”

“Slow but steady, yeah. What can I do for you?”

“This is actually something I can do for you. There’s a sergeant that works with Wade; he’s got a dog and needs someone trusted to take care of his dog while he’s at work. He’s been sneaking Kojo into the station and Wade had to ask him to stop.”

“Kojo? That’s an adorable name. But, yeah, I’d be happy to meet him.”

“Awesome! His name’s Tim. I will send him your number and have Wade force him to set something up.”

“Is Tim a little rough around the edges, typical cop type?”

“Not typical, no… Just- you’ll see when you meet him. He’s great, though, deep down.”

“I’ll try to remember that. Thanks, Luna.”

“See you Friday?”

“See you Friday.”

You sit back, writing the name ‘Tim’ on your dog-walking calendar. Another client would be great for your wallet, but it seems like this sergeant will take some convincing before he hires you. This is understandable, of course, because you wouldn’t let just anyone take care of your babies, and dogs are just four-legged babies. 

“Please be as great as Luna said,” you whisper before returning your attention to the research before you.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Yeah, I texted her. We’re meeting at an outdoor café tonight,” Tim says before Wade can ask. “But if I don’t like her or if Kojo doesn’t like her, I’m going to keep looking.”

“Got it,” Wade answers. “But you’ve got more double shifts in your future, so don’t take too long trying to find a ‘perfect’ dog walker.”

Tim nods, hoping he can find a way out of letting a stranger into his house to take care of his dog. He checked your name, and your business seems legitimate, but there’s no way of knowing. Luckily, he and Kojo are both excellent judges of character.

✯✯✯✯✯

Luna sent you a picture of Kojo, and you spot him immediately. The man sitting beside him, though, is breathtakingly handsome. You’re shocked that he doesn’t have female neighbors and friends lining up at his door, offering to take care of Kojo (and him). 

“Hi, Mr. Bradford?” you ask.

Kojo looks up at you and pants, his tail slapping against Tim’s leg.

“Yes. Nice to meet you,” Tim replies, offering his hand.

Shaking his hand, you glance down at Kojo. When Tim releases his grip, you squat and extend your hand for Kojo to sniff. He flips your hand up with his snout, stepping closer to you.

“I’m sure Luna told you that I’m a cop,” Tim continues, drawing your attention away from Kojo.

You sit beside him, lowering a hand to pat Kojo’s head. “She did, sir.”

“Then you know that if anything were to happen to my house during or after your visit, I could very easily charge you with any number of crimes. And I won’t tell you what I would do if something happened to Kojo while under your care.”

You can’t tell if his threat is legitimate, so you nod in understanding.

“Yes, sir, I understand. Kojo’s safety, and your home, of course, are of the utmost importance and I will do everything I can to do right by both of you.”

Tim nods, watching Kojo for a moment. “You’re good with him. He’s not always so welcoming with strangers; scared one of my girlfriends away once. So, I’m going to give you a chance.”

“Amazing. Thank you, sir. I promise you won’t regret it.”

“What do we need to do to get started?”

“I can offer you a few days free, as a trial run. And if you still want to keep me on afterward, we can discuss payment, sir.”

“That’s unnecessary. I need someone to take care of Kojo and you seem to be the best fit.”

“Okay. Then I will email you a link to create a client account and my website has a portal to pay. Luna mentioned that you work overnight sometimes, so if you needed me to do later or earlier visits, I can do that too, sir.”

“Sounds good.”

Tim stands, wiping his hand on his jeans before offering his hand again.

“Nice to meet you and I look forward to your email.”

“You, too. And thank you.”

Petting Kojo once more, you smile before walking away. You didn’t expect him to be so attractive, so you have to remember that he clarified you’re his dogwalker, and he doesn’t even really want a dogwalker.

Determined to make him see the benefits of someone caring for Kojo, you add him to your schedule before he even pays you. Money is no longer a concern; you’re already in love with Kojo, and now, you need to focus on not falling for his owner, too.

✯✯✯✯✯

“What’d you think about her? I know you hired her, but what’d you think personally?” Luna asks, standing in Wade’s office.

Tim shrugs. “She’s very polite. Seems driven, hard-working, responsible.”

“Well, now that you’ve read her resumé, have anything else to add?”

Tim doesn’t answer, and Wade guesses, “She makes you nervous?”

“A little.”

“What?” Luna exclaims. “She’s the sweetest!”

“Not like that, Luna,” Wade interjects. “Someone wasn’t expecting a pretty dog walker.”

“Oh. Tim Bradford, I wasn’t sure you still had it in you.”

“She is taking care of Kojo. Yes, she is beautiful, but this won’t go any farther than a business agreement.”

“Care to bet on that?” Wade asks.

“No,” Tim answers before leaving and closing the door behind him.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Hey, Kojo, Kojo,” you call, entering Tim’s house with the key he had made for you.

Kojo’s nails click on the flooring, rushing to greet you.

“Hey, buddy. You miss your dad? I bet you do.”

As you slide Kojo’s harness over his front legs, he licks your face, and you laugh, scratching his chest before standing to connect his leash. Kojo has quickly become your favorite dog. You visit several throughout the day, but Kojo is the sweetest and the most handsome.

When you return to Tim’s side door, it’s standing open. You know that you closed and locked it, so you pull Kojo’s leash tight, stepping back as you prepare to run.

“It’s just me!” Tim yells from inside. “Sorry, my hands were full, and I couldn’t close the door.”

Sighing in relief, you lead Kojo inside, closing the door behind you and locking it instinctually.

“Honey, we’re home!” you call.

Tim freezes in the kitchen at your teasing, borderline flirtatious tone. You remove Kojo’s leash and harness and put it away, following him as he runs toward Tim.

“Why are you home so early?” you ask.

“I worked all night,” Tim answers. “Thought you’d feel my absence through our connection.”

You chuckle at Tim’s flirting. After the second meeting, it became much easier to talk to him. Interestingly enough, Tim started the flirtatious tendencies. You tend to stick to business-related topics, but sometimes it feels like you’re just two friends – maybe more – and you forget you’re just his dog walker.

“Everything go okay at work, sir? Kojo, for one, had a great day.”

Tim says your name, a sigh more than anything. “I told you a week ago to stop calling me sir.”

“Sorry, sir- Tim.”

Tim looks away suddenly, turning his attention to the bags he carried inside while you were walking Kojo.

“Did you even wonder where Kojo was?” you ask.

“No. I know his dog walker is punctual… and a control freak.”

“Planning my day doesn’t make me a control freak!”

“You have it planned to the minute.”

“To accommodate you,” you grumble.

“Yet you won’t let me take you on a date.”

“You won’t ask.”

You fall silent, and when you think you took it too far, Kojo barks and makes you both laugh. Talking to Tim is easy, but no matter how much you love Kojo or think you could be more, you must keep everything in perspective. Tim is older, a police sergeant and you are his college student dog walker.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Hello?” you ask, answering your phone and rubbing your eyes as you look away from the computer screen.

“Hey,” Tim says. “I’m so sorry for the late notice but I’m going to be here overnight. Could you-“

“I’ll go over now.”

“Listen, it’s crazy out there right now. If you want to stay there, please do. I don’t want you out more than you have to be.”

“Tim, that’s not necessary.”

“Please. It’s not just for your safety; I’ll feel better knowing that you’re somewhere safe.”

“Okay,” you reply. “As long as you’re sure.”

“I’m insisting. Kojo is a cuddler, but that’s all you have to fear there.”

“Oh, you should have started with that. Kojo cuddles sound amazing.”

“Long day?”

“Not as long as yours. I’ll text you when I get there. Thank you, Tim.”

“Thank you. I’ll be back in the morning.”

“See you then.”

The drive to Tim’s house is short, but you hear several police sirens. Whatever they’re dealing with does seem (as Tim put it) crazy. Once you’re inside and the alarm is reset, you collapse on the couch and let Kojo cuddle up to you. You feel weirdly close to Tim, too, probably from being in his house. Falling asleep here is easy; you’re at peace, happy, and cuddled by a warm, loving dog.

✯✯✯✯✯

Waking up is not quite as peaceful. Tim is taking a picture, and when you grunt, he lowers the phone and smiles.

“That’s adorable,” he states.

“I’m quitting,” you murmur, throwing an arm over Kojo.

“You know, he didn’t even come see me when I got home? He’s a cheater, although I can’t blame him. It does look pretty comfortable.”

Ignoring him, you move closer to Kojo.

“Consider this my two hours’ notice.”

Tim chuckles, and the couch dips by your feet as he sits. When you sit up, he’s leaning back with his eyes closed.

“Are you okay?” you ask.

“Yeah, just tired.”

“Well, I’ll get out of your way so you can rest. Need me to come back later?”

“No, I’m here all day. If you want to stay, you can.”

“I have a paper to finish,” you lament. “But I appreciate it.”

“Anytime.” You’re gathering your things when Tim reiterates, “Seriously. You’re always welcome here.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you later.”

“Drive safe.”

✯✯✯✯✯

It’s cloudy in Los Angeles, like a bad omen. You’re considering taking Tim’s offer of staying at his house to work. Kojo is the last dog you visit, and you look down at him as he sniffs the base of a streetlight.

“Mind if I stay with you for the rest of the day?” you ask him.

Kojo’s tail wags faster, but he’s still more interested in the light than you.

“Sounds like a plan.”

Kojo picks his head up, continuing toward the corner as you lead him down the sidewalk. You see something move up the road and command Kojo to stop. Unsure if it’s a dog or some other animal, you wait a moment before walking again.

With your attention on the unknown shadow before you, you fail to hear a dog running up behind you. Kojo turns suddenly, and you don’t register what’s happening as you push him out of the way.

Another dog, about Kojo’s size, with no leash or owner in sight, is on top of you. Kojo is barking, trying to help, but you yell at him to stay back.

“Kojo, sit!” you yell over the other dog’s growling.

Your yell turns to a cry of pain when the dog’s jaw clamps down on your arm, his claws digging into your side.

“Get off!” you yell, your adrenaline giving you the strength to push back. 

Once you’re sitting up, you use your legs to free yourself from the dog’s grip. Kojo is behind you, unharmed, and you need to keep it that way. Flipping yourself on top of the dog, it releases your arm before moving its legs wildly, raking a paw across your face as it tries to move away.

“Go!” you yell harshly, moving enough to let it up.

Stomping your foot after it, you show the dog you’re in charge and wait in front of Kojo until it’s out of sight.

“Kojo, we have to go,” you say quickly, grabbing his leash and limping behind him as he leads you home.

Kojo focuses on getting you inside, and when you close the door and fall to the floor, he moves to your side. He whimpers, and you want to comfort him, but you are growing dizzy.

“You okay, boy?” you mumble.

You scream in pain when you raise your hand to check that Kojo is okay. After dropping your arm, your breathing grows shallow as tears stream down your face. Kojo whines again, and you want to reach for your phone, but your arms feel too heavy to move. Looking down, you suddenly realize the severity of what happened. Covered in blood and with no strength to call for help, you whisper an apology to Kojo and let your eyes drift close.

✯✯✯✯✯

Tim sighs as he turns onto his street. He’s ready to see Kojo and, if he’s lucky, you. When Tim sees your car in the driveway, he smiles and rushes toward the door. That happiness quickly disappears when he notices the trail of blood leading up the driveway. Walking to the sidewalk, he sees that it leads nearly to the corner. Racing to the backdoor, which has a large blood smear below a clear handprint, Tim keeps a hand on his gun as he unlocks the door.

Kojo’s whimpering greets Tim, and when he looks down, he sees that Kojo has blood on him. Kojo looks over quickly, and Tim follows his movement. Whatever fear he felt when he saw the blood on Kojo is multiplied when he sees you.

Pulling his phone from his pocket, Tim calls for an ambulance before kneeling beside you.

“Is Kojo okay?” you ask weakly.

“He’s okay,” Tim promises, leaning closer in a poor attempt to find the source of your blood. “What hurts?”

“What doesn’t? Did you check on Kojo? He seemed okay but I couldn’t make sure the blood was mine.”

Tim turns, running his hands all over Kojo. The blood is only on his fur, evidently not his.

“He’s fine,” Tim repeats, his voice breaking at the end. “You are not.”

“There was a dog free running and I- I didn’t see it. Kojo stayed behind me so I need him to be okay.”

Tears are running down your face again, mixing with the blood. Tim wants to wipe them away, but the clear claw mark over your cheek deters him.

“There’s an ambulance on the way, you’re going to be okay.”

“I’m sorry, Tim.”

“Don’t you dare apologize. Just stay awake.”

“Kojo- Kojo’s a good boy,” you mumble.

“He is. Can you please keep your eyes on me? The ambulance is almost here.”

You nod, and the last thing you remember is Tim’s apologetic look and a painful pressure on your side.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Tim, are you coming with?” Bailey asks.

Tim is staring at the bloodstain on his floor and up his wall. “I’ll be there soon.”

“We’ll keep you updated. She’ll be okay.”

Tim nods and waits for the EMTs to exit the house before he begins cleaning. He scrubs until every trace of your blood is erased from inside and on the door. After animal control captured the dog, several officers went out to find the dog's owner. Nolan promised to come by and clean the driveway, so Tim concentrated his efforts inside.

“Alright, Kojo, our turn,” Tim calls, letting Kojo into the bathroom to remove the blood from his fur. 

After Tim cleans Kojo and himself and throws away the blood-stained rags and cleaning supplies, he gathers his things to visit you in the hospital.

“I’ll be back with our girl,” Tim promises Kojo as he leaves.

✯✯✯✯✯

“I’m sorry.” You can’t stop the apology when Tim walks in.

“Stop apologizing. You kept that dog away from Kojo and I don’t- I can’t lose you. I walked in and you were covered in blood… I should have told you before that I care about you.”

“It’s my job to take care of Kojo,” you whisper.

Tim moves to the side of the bed, gently taking your hand. “You are not just a dog walker. I’ve been falling for you since the moment I laid eyes on you. The fact that you love Kojo solidified it for me.”

“I- I have feelings for you too,” you admit.

“They told me your pretty face won’t scar.”

“I barely even remember what happened.”

Tim sits beside your legs as he tells you, “Nolan and Celina arrested the dog’s owner. It wasn’t the first time he had done this.”

“Given a poor, unsuspecting college student thirty stitches while she’s just trying to spend the afternoon in her crush’s house? Oddly specific crime. What’s the code for that?”

Tim chuckles, gently squeezing your hand. “You can go home now. If you’re still up to spend some time in your crush’s house.”

“Tim-“

“Don’t tell me I don’t have to. I want to, need to.”

“I would love to spend time with you and Kojo. But I’m not sure I’m up for flirting today, handsome.”

“After the day you’ve had, just sit back and I’ll do all the flirting.”

“’Preciate that, sir.”

Tim laughs as he exits the room to complete your discharge paperwork. You smile behind him, hoping you’re not dreaming, and you finally told him how you feel.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Kojo,” Tim chides. “Give her some room.”

“You cleaned all the blood?”

Tim gently directs your eyes to him, leaning close to remind you, “You’re more than just a dog walker. Worth the time, the effort, the love, all of it.”

“Love?”

“Yeah. Kojo really loves you.”

You laugh, quickly remembering that you have several stitches on your side.

“Careful,” Tim requests.

“Are you certified to help someone sit still while stitches hold their side closed?” you ask.

“Depends on the patient. You? Absolutely.”

Tim helps you get comfortable on the couch before walking to the kitchen to gather some water and snacks. When he returns, Kojo is cuddled up to your uninjured side.

“Really? Again?” Tim asks.

“I love you,” you say, completely distracting Tim as he kneels before you. “But I also think I really want to quit this time.”

Tim laughs, leaning forward to kiss your forehead. “That’s fine. I am looking for a girlfriend rather than a dog walker now anyway.”

“Care to see my resumé?”

“Memorized it last time.”

[waitimcomingtoo]

Dog Days are Over

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Synopsis: Tom hires you as a dog walker but ends up wanting more

Masterlist

“Coming.” Tom called when he heard his doorbell ring. He wasn’t expecting anyone, so he made no effort to look presentable before opening the door. Once unlocked his front door, he found you standing outside. You smiled awkwardly and gave a stiff wave. He quickly fixed his hair when he realized his surprise visitor was a girl and leaned against his doorframe in an attempt to look cool.

“Hi. Tom?” You asked him.

“Hi, yeah, that’s me. And you are?”

“Y/n. Your brother hired me to help you out. He said you were in desperate need of my service.” You explained. Tom shut his eyes in embarrassment and felt himself turn bright red.

“My brother? Oh my God. Look, you’re very pretty and I’m sure you’re very good at your job-“

“Slow down. I’m a dog sitter.” You clarified. “And walker. And some might even say whisperer.”

“Oh.” He smiled in surprise. “A dog sitter? Right. I knew that.”

“You thought I was a sex worker, didn’t you?” You said with a raise of your eyebrow.

“I did.” He admitted. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. They make a lot of money. If I had any of those skills, I’d be doing that instead. But alas, my talent lies with getting dogs to be obedient.”

“This was the strangest start to a conversation I’ve ever had.” Tom said, mostly to himself.

“You know what? Me too.” You laughed, making him relax and laugh as well.

“Why don’t I show you my dog and then we can discuss what I might need you for?” Tom offered and stepped to the side. You smiled shyly at him and walked into his house with him following behind you. You took a moment to look around his space to get to know him a little. He had photos of his family and his dog all around, as well as memorabilia from past films he was in as well. He disappeared into the other room for a second before returning with Tessa in his arms.

“So this is the woman in my life. Tessa. The only woman in my life.” He emphasized, making you look at him sympathetically.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. When did your mom pass?” You asked him as you pet Tessa.

“Oh, no. She’s fine. She sent me a recipe for cornbread this morning. I just meant I have no romantic prospects.” Tom quickly corrected.

“Oh. Okay.” You laughed awkwardly and looked to the side.

“Sorry. I feel like I’m talking so much. And that all the things I’m saying are insane and embarrassing. Are you also feeling like that?” He asked you through a nervous laugh.

“I’m not feeling anything except this coat. What shampoo do you use on her?” You asked in baby voice as you put your nose against Tessa and scratched her ears. She immediately warmed up to you in a way Tom had never seen her do before with a stranger. He smiled and looked at you fondly before realizing he actually had to answer your question.

“Oh, uh. Rain, mostly. Sometimes dish soap if she bumps into me while I’m washing dishes.” Tom answered honestly, making you crack a smile and look up at him. He smiled in relief when you found his word vomit funny.

“You hand wash your dishes? In this big ass house?” You laughed and looked around.

“I do. Is that weird? I feel like it keeps me humble. Like, if I ever started using my dishwasher, I’d become James Franco overnight.”

“I like that.” You chuckled. “I just figured you’d have someone to do that for you. You know, since you’re Spiderman and all.”

“I’m not one of those celebrities. I don’t pay people to wipe my butt and stuff. I’m just a regular guy.”

“Wow. That’s definitely the first time I’ve heard a “I’m not like other celebrities” speech.” You said sarcastically but playfully.

“Oh yeah? What are you, some kind of celebrity dog walker?” Tom humored you and put Tessa down. She immediately nuzzled up to your leg and laid down on your foot.

“You could say that.” You smiled coyly and bent down to pet Tessa.

“Oh. I was trying to tease you but I guess that’s exactly what your job is.” He laughed and bent down as well to be eye level with you.

“Yep. That’s how your brother found me. I was walking one of Ariana Grande’s thousand dogs and it bit Harry on the ankle out side of a Panera.”

“Oh shit. Tolouse?”

“Yeah. How’d you know?” You smiled in surprise.

“That’s the only one I know.” He sheepishly admitted.

“Honestly, me too. I just call “Toulouse” and make kissy sounds and they all come running. All 500 of them.”

“Kissy sounds?” He laughed in confusion.

“You know.” You smiled shyly and made kissing sounds to show Tom what you meant.

“Oh. I like that. See, this is how I call Tess.” He said and stood up. He then bent his knees a little and patted his thighs. Tessa stopped cuddling you to run to him.

“Ah, yes. The old crouch and pat. You know your stuff.” You smiled and stood up straight.

“I’m glad you approve.” He said as he blushed at the compliment, even if it was stupid.

“I do. I respond to the same call actually.” You joked.

“Good to know.” Tom laughed. You looked at each other for a minute and a silence filled the room for a little too long. It was surprisingly not awkward, just noticeable. Tom felt unusually comfortable with you and liked that Tessa did too.

“So what kind of services do you think you might need?” You asked to break the silence.

“Well, I travel a lot for work. So I need someone to look after her while I’m away. She’s a really good dog, though. She does all her business on walks which I try to do twice a day and she never bites or growls. Except at my brother. But he usually growls first.”

“She sounds great.” You laughed and gave Tessas chin a scratch.

“She is. She’s kinda my best friend.”

“That’s sweet. Have you had her a long time?”

“Since I was 16, yeah.” Tom told you.

“Aw.” You pouted. “She grew up with you.”

“Yeah. She did. Though neither of us got much bigger than we were when we first met.” Tom tried to joke.

“You’re the same size you were at 16?” You raised an eyebrow.

“Height wise, unfortunately yes. But fortunately I grew in other places since being 16, if you know what I mean.” Tom replied, immediately regretting it. You raised both eyebrows at him this time and looked at Tessa to see if she heard that too.

“Oh. Cool.” You laughed awkwardly.

“I wish I didn’t say that.” He admitted.

“I wish that too.” You nodded before an awkward silence fell. you stared at each other for a moment before Tom changed the subject.

“Let me show you around.” He offered and put his hand on your back to lead you around the house. He brought you into all the rooms and ended the tour in his pantry.

“And this is where I keep her treats and food. And her heart worm medication but that’s just a once a month pill.”

“Oh, sick. I’ve eaten a few of these. They look exactly like my gummy vitamins.” You nodded and tapped the box of medication.

“Do they work?” He genuinely wondered.

“Well, I’ve never had heart worm.” You shrugged.

“Wow. At least now I know they really work.”

“So is it just you that lives here?” You wondered and looked around again.

“My best friend Harrison lives here too. And my brothers occasionally stay over.”

“These guys?” You asked and pointed to a nearby framed picture.

“Yeah. That’s my family.” He smiled proudly.

“Woah. That’s a lot of boys. Bless your moms heart.” You chuckled and touched the picture.

“Yeah. She’s a saint for putting up with all of us. We did not make it easy.”

“You’re definitely the cutest.” You said without taking your eyes off the picture.

“Oh. Why, thank you.” Tom smiled in surprise and touched his cheek to his shoulder.

“I was talking to Tessa.”

“Oh.” His smile fell.

“I’m just teasing. I was talking about you.” You patted his shoulder before moving past him. Tom chuckled a little and touched his shoulder where your hand had been before going after you.

“So does anyone else occasionally stay over?” You asked, wanting to circle back to the “no romantic prospects” conversation.

“No. No one.”

“Hm.” You nodded and turned your head away from him to smile at the answer. No one staying over confirmed no girlfriend.

“What about at your house?” He asked you, wondering the same things you were wondering.

“I live in a flat above a bakery. So other than the occasional rat, no. No overnight guests.” You told him, knowing exactly why he asked.

“Oh my. Those wouldn’t be the friendly rats that can cook, right?”

“Unfortunately not. They’re the unfriendly kind that run across your floor in the middle of the night and scare the absolute shit out of you.”

“I bet you wish you had an overnight guest then. To help you fend off the rats.” Tom joked as he moved closer to you.

“Oh, absolutely. Everyone knows trapping and releasing a rat is at the very least a two man job.” You humored him. He laughed and realized he felt comfortable with you as if he had known you for years instead of just a few minutes.

“I don’t know about you, but I think this pairing has been a success. Do you think you’ll take the job?”

“I could definitely add Miss Tessa to my roster.” You nodded, making Tom first pump subtly.

“Perfect. Let me get your information then.” He smiled and handed you his phone to get your number. You gladly accepted it and typed it in, adding a dog emoji next to your name so he remembered.

“When can you start?”

“How’s right now sound?”

“That’s perfect. I’ll come and show you my usually routes.” Tom said and brought you over to where he kept Tessa’s many leashes.

“So how long have you been walking dogs?” Tom asked once you were stroking down the sidewalk together with Tessa pulling you.

“Five years. I started doing it during college for extra cash and then dropped out of college because I realized no matter what I got my degree in or what job was offered to me, I’d rather be with the dogs.”

“So you’re an animal person I take it?” He chuckled at your explanation.

“Big time.” You nodded. “But not enough to be a vet or a zoologist. Dog walker was the perfect solution for me.”

“You seem really good at it.“ Tom tried to compliment you.

“It’s really not that hard.” You pointed out, making him shut his eyes in embarrassment.

“Yeah. It felt like a stupid compliment as soon as I said it.” He admitted. You laughed and squeezed his arm, making him relax and stop feeling embarrassed.

“It’s okay.” You laughed. “You tried. It’s the effort that matters the most with girls. Trust me.”

“Oh really? Not the execution?”

“That’s important too. But I guess for me personally, I just want to know you’re trying. I don’t care if it comes out weird.”

“That’s good to know. I always come out weird.” Tom replied, then instantly felt regret.

“I didn’t mean it like-“

“I figured.” You laughed again and looked at him.

“We need to change the subject. What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?”

“Hm, that’s a good question. Maybe the time that someone told me once that they always felt listened to when they talked to me. And that resonated more than anytime I’d ever been called pretty.” You answered him.

“Well you probably hear that one a lot. I’d imagine it loses meaning after a while.” He said, making you smile shyly at the subtle compliment.

“It depends on who says it.” You said and looked over your shoulder at him as Tessa tugged you forward.

“Well, I think you’re beautiful.” He said as stopped walking. You stopped walking as well and turned to look at him.

“Gross.” You said, taking him by surprise.

“What?”

“Sorry. That just came out. I don’t react to compliments well.” You said and slapped your hand over your mouth.

“Oh. It’s okay.” He laughed and started walking again. You fell into a stride beside him again and relaxed when he didn’t find your reaction to the compliment too weird.

“What I meant to say was thank you.” You told him.

“Maybe I’ll be able to give you a better one once I get to know you a little better.” He replied, making you smile.

“It’s nice to have goals.” You said coyly.

“It definitely is.” He chuckled and never took his eyes off you.

“Tess, I think I may be in love.” Tom announced once you had gone back home. Tessa didn’t look up from her very busy and engaging task of licking her foot.

“I know I just met her. But come on. You can’t tell me you didn’t feel the chemistry.” Tom continued while Tessa kept licking her foot.

“Why are you getting so defensive? I didn’t say you had to call her mommy.“ Tom scoffed. Tessa stood up and tilted her head to the side.

“But I might.” He added with a cheeky smile. Tessa sighed and laid down on the floor.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. That was a bad joke.” He agreed while Tessa rolled over and laid on her side.

“Look, darling, I know change is scary. It’s scary for me too. But it can’t be just us forever, princess. You’ve been the only woman in my life for too long now. It’s time to add someone else.” Tom said gently as he bent down to pet Tessa. Tessa licked his hand and he sighed.

“You’re right.” He agreed. “I don’t even know how she feels. But I swear, Tess, there was a spark. I felt it. And I think she did too.”

Tom pulled out his phone and started to write to you. Tessa let out a little whine and stamped her feet.

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m texting her her work schedule. You’re getting walked every day from now on.” He told Tessa. Tessa shook out her body in response.

“I know you already get walked everyday. I was making a joke about how I’m gonna make her walk you everyday so I get to see her more. Keep up.” Tom said sarcastically. Tessa whined again and Tom felt bad for sassing her.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I won’t let her come between us.” Tom told her. Tessa laid down on the floor in response.

“What?” Tom laughed in surprise. “No. You have a dirty mind.”

Tom asked you to come over the next day for your first day or work. He spent the morning tidying up the house, then made it a little messy so you wouldn’t expect the house to be clean every time you came over. Finally, he heard the doorbell ring.

“Oh my God. It’s her. Be cool.” He warned Tessa as he smoothed his hair.

“Hi. I brought you muffins. I felt like I had to announce that immediately or else I’d be awkwardly holding this box and looking for an appropriate time to say I have muffins.” You said as soon as Tom opened the door. He smiled and felt himself relax when he realized you were just as nervous as he was.

“Aw, darling. You didn’t have to do that.” He said as he took the muffin box from you. You stepped inside and he helped you out of your coat. You felt your face heat up and he hands slid down your arms to take the coat off but didn’t see that he had a matching blush across his face.

“It was no trouble. I get them for free when the bakery messes up a batch.” You admitted.

“Oh, really? What’s wrong with these?” Tom laughed nervously and pulled out of the box.

“I didn’t ask.” You told him. You both stared at the muffin in his hand for a minute before caving.

“I’ll try it if you do.” He said.

“Okay. Deal.” You smiled and nodded your head. Tom took a bite and then handed the muffin to you. Instead of turning it around, you bit right where Tom’s mouth had just been. He took this as your first kiss and felt his face heat up.

“Not bad.” He shrugged after swallowing the muffin.

“Yeah. I guess we’ll never know.” You laughed and put the muffin back in the box.

“What bakery did you say these were from?”

“Destiny Bakery. I live in the apartment right above it.” You told him.

“I remember you mentioning that. I didn’t realize it was that bakery. I love that one. The couple that owns it has that cute little girl that’s always in the shop. Haley, I think.”

“Yep. Haley’s very sweet. I bring the dogs I walk by sometimes so she can pet them.”

“They seem like a cute family.”

“They are. They actually just had twins. They bring them around sometimes.”

“How long have you lived there?” He asked you.

“Ever since I loved to London five years ago.” You explained.

“Ah. So you’re not a native?” He smirked and folded his arms.

“Nope. But I’ve found my way around by walking all these dogs. I take it you are?”

“Southwest London.” He replied. “Born and raised.”

“That explains a lot.” You snorted.

“Oh yeah? What’s that supposed to mean, darling?” He said playfully and pretended to look offended.

“Don’t worry about it.” You teased back. You looked at each other for a moment and Tom felt his heart aching in his chest. He had it bad, and he wanted more.

“So I thought I’d join you on your walk today.” He said as he picked up Tessa’s leash.

“Didn’t you do that yesterday?” You chuckled.

“Yes.” He realized. “But I wanted to come again. In case you got lost.”

“If you’re available to walk her, how come you asked me to come over?” You questioned him with playful smile.

“I’m leaving for work in two days. I wanted to make sure you were comfortable with her before I left.” Tom quickly came up with something.

“I see.” You laughed. “Come on. Let’s not keep the lady waiting.”

You put Tessa’s collar on and walked out Tom’s front door with him right behind you. He showed you a different route he liked to take to make it seem like there was an actual reason for him to be on the dog walk other than him just wanting to spend time with you.

“So where are you traveling to?” You asked as Tessa pulled you along.

“Atlanta for some reshoots.”

“Ooo. Fancy.”

“Do you think you could look after Tessa while I’m away? It’ll only be for a week. Yeah could stay in my house if it’s easier.” Tom asked you.

“You trust me to stay in your house? We just met yesterday.” You reminded him with a surprised laugh.

“But you know my brother and you have a friendly face. So I don’t think you’ll rob me.” Tom said as he handed you an extra key to his house.

“What if I was planning on robbing you and you just gave me a key to your house and the exact time frame you’ll be away for?” You teased him as held up the key.

“I don’t think a robber would’ve brought me muffins.” He pointed out.

“Maybe not.” You laughed shyly and returned your attention to Tessa.

“So could you do it?”

“Sure. I can spend a week with this little princess in your huge mansion.”

“It’s not that big. But thank you. You’re the best. I’m so glad you almost ran over my brother.” Tom joked.

“Me too.” You laughed. You fell into a comfortable silence as you walked beside each other. Your hand accidentally brushed against Tom’s a few times, sending sparks through the both of you each time.

“Does all the traveling you have to do make it hard to do normal things?” You asked after a beat.

“I don’t know. Define normal things.”

“You know, like, date?” You said without looking at him.

“Believe it or not, that was hard for me before I was an actor.” Tom chuckled. “Having to travel a lot can’t really take all the responsibility for me not having a girlfriend. I was born with that problem.”

“Oh, okay. I honestly only asked that because I wanted to find out if you had a girlfriend but there’s no way to ask that question without it sounding like I was hitting on you.” You explained and still never looked up at him.

“Oh. So you weren’t hitting on me?” Tom pretended to be offended.

“Not in this particular moment, no. I was when I bit the same side of the muffin, though.” You replied. Tom stopped walking about he had thought the exact same thing. You stopped walking too and he realized he may be reading too far into things.

“That was a joke, right?” He asked you.

“Duh.” You laughed, making his hope crumble away.

“So if you’re not hitting on me, why’d you want to know if I have a girlfriend?” He asked as he started walking again.

“Because I can totally picture you forgetting to tell me you have a girlfriend and her coming over to find me in your house with your dog while you’re not there to explain that I’m just the dog sitter. And then she would break up with you because she thought you were cheating and you’d get framed as a dirty cheater in the media which doesn’t seem like an accurate character assessment at all and it would be all my fault.”

“Well I appreciate the concern for the possibility of that very specific scenario happening, but it’s impossible. No girlfriend will be walking in to find you.” Tom laughed at your genuine concern for a made up situation.

“Good.” You sighed. “And me saying “good” is me hitting on you, by the way.”

“I thought so.” He laughed at the joke but felt himself blush.

“I’m glad you caught that one because that’s about as subtle as I get.”

“You’re funny.” Tom laughed. “And pretty, as we’ve previously discussed. But that wasn’t a compliment because I know you don’t like that one. It was just an observation. And this was my long winded way of asking why you never thought about acting?“

“I don’t know. It just never appealed to me. I belong here. With my people.” You said and gestured to Tessa.

“You do belong.” He agreed. “I think she really likes you. She told me.”

“She better. I’m about to be her mommy of the week.” You said and bent down to pet her.

“I wish you were my mommy of the week.” Tom whispered as he watched you.

“What’d you say?” You asked as you stood up.

“Nothing.” He lied.

You circled the block and made it back to his house in under an hour, much to Tom’s dismay. But as he unlocked his front door, he realized your time together didn’t have to end.

“Do you want to come in?” Tom offered.

“Yeah. Sure.” You smiled shyly and followed him inside. He took Tessa’s leash off and she ran off, leaving you and Tom alone.

“I’ll put the kettle on. You can put on a movie, if you’d like.” He smiled softly at you as he went into the kitchen. You gulped and went into his living room and tried to look as normal as possible as you sat on his couch. He came into the living room with two mugs of tea and sat beside you. Your knees brushed and you both noticed but didn’t say a word about it. You pressed play on When Harry Met Sally, a movie that was safe enough to make him laugh but wouldn’t require you to sit through any uncomfortable sex scenes together. Tom smirked at your choice of movies and wondered if you were trying to send him a message.

“Are you cold?” He asked and held up a blanket. You nodded and he draped the blanket over the two of you. You took that at an opportunity to scoot a little closer to him so the blanket would fully cover the both of you. You exchanged a shy smile with each other before turning back to the movie. As the movie went on, you moved closer and closer to each other.

“Can I ask you something?” You asked him as one point. Tom gulped and kept his eyes on the screen so he didn’t look as excited to answer as he felt.

“Sure.”

“Do you do this with all your dog sitters?” You asked. Tom took a long sip of his tea before turning to you.

“Yes.” He said seriously. You laughed and nudged him a little as he set his tea back down.

“So since you asked me some personal questions, I need to know a few things about you.” He said and turned to you.

“Ask away.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?” He asked you.

“Really?” You laughed. “That’s your first question? You don’t want to know if I have a criminal record or anything?”

“I don’t care about that. It’s not as important.” Tom waved his hand, making you laugh again.

“No boyfriend.” You shrugged. “No criminal record either.”

“That’s good.” Tom nodded and turned back to the movie.

“Yeah. You should hope the person you have a key to your house to doesn’t have a criminal record.” You said teasingly.

“I meant the part about no boyfriend.” Tom replied without looking at you. Your jaw dropped a little but you said nothing and turned back to the movie as well. Tom snuck a glance at you and smiled to himself. You watched the rest of the movie and by the end of it, you were sitting right next to each other as you leaned into his side. He shut the TV once the movie ended just as you got a text.

“Shit. My shih tzu. I have to go walk my next client.” You sighed when you read the text.

“Oh. You have to go?” Tom asked with disappointment.

“Yeah.” You frowned. “I can’t be late. He’s a biter and very passive aggressive. The dog is kinda a bitch too.”

“How bitchy can a little dog be?” Tom chuckled and took the blanket off the two of you.

“You have no idea. You know when you’re on your period and you see a dog and it shoves its nose right into your snatch so everyone around you knows you’re on your period?”

“No.” Tom said after a long beat of silence.

“Oh, right.” You realized. “Well this dog points it out every month. Even though I’ve said nothing about the time I caught him eating a dirty tissue. And that freak knew it was used.”

“You’re right. He sounds like a bitch. I definitely don’t want to put you on his bad side. Here, I’ll walk you to the door.” Tom chuckled and got off the couch. He put his hand on your back and lead you to the door before opening it for you. You stepped outside but stood in the doorway to say goodbye to him.

“Goodnight.” Tom smiled softly as he leaned against his doorframe.

“It’s like 3 pm.” You said as you checked your phone.

“Oh, right. Good morrow, then? I don’t fucking know.”

“I like that. Good morrow, Tom.” You laughed. “Safe travels tomorrow, okay? Text me when you land.”

“I will.” He nodded. A comfortable silence settled between you as you stared into each others eyes. Tom took a chance and started to lean in, and you did the same. Before your lips could touch, Tom chickened out and stepped back.

“Well, bye!” Tom smiled and slammed the door in your face. He immediately cringed and covered his mouth with his hand. Tessa came into the room and sat and stared at Tom.

“Don’t look at me like that.” He groaned. “I can close. I just panicked, okay? She’s so pretty. What if she didn’t want to kiss me?”

Tessa laid down on the ground and rolled onto her side. Tom sighed and bent down to scratch her tummy.

“It doesn’t matter now. She’ll probably watch you this week and then get out of my life forever. There is no way I’m coming back from that.” Tom mumbled.

Two hours later, he came back from that. Your name came up on his phone and he immediately grabbed it to answer it. It was a tik tok video about a dog.

“Show this this to Tessa. It’s so her.” You had written. Tom smiled fondly at the text and let out a sigh.

“What can I say? She wants me.” He told Tessa smugly.

“She laughed. Thanks for sending it.” Tom texted you back.

“No prob. So what time should I come over tomorrow?”

“Is 10 good? I would like to see you before I leave.” He wrote back. His thumbs danced over the keyboard and he decided to add more so he didn’t sound so forward.

“To give you the run down on how the week will be.” He added. He stared at the text and decided to add even more.

“And to hit on you.”

You laughed when you read his text and decided to tease him further. You only hoped he’d get the reference.

“I’ll be there. Goodnight!!” You wrote back. He laughed at you making fun of him and felt better about not kissing you.

“It’s 5 pm.” He replied.

“I know. goodnight :)”

Tom smiled and held his phone to his chest. He liked the way things were going and couldn’t help but wish he wasn’t leaving for a week. He was getting somewhere with you and worried that leaving would stop the momentum.

“Good morning. I don’t have muffins.” You said as soon as Tom opened the door the next day.

“Good morning.” He laughed. “That’s okay. I made you some tea.”

“Oh, thanks.” You smiled shyly and accepted the mug. Tessa ran up to greet you and you knelt down to pet her.

“So she already ate and went out. She’ll probably want a walk around noon.” Tom told you.

“I can do that. I mean, I will do that. That’s my job.” You laughed nervously and glanced at the doorway. You couldn’t help but think of the missed kiss and found yourself feeling awkward around Tom.

“I should be home on Sunday morning. Think you’ll be all right here?” He asked and put a hand on your arm. You looked at his hand and let out a nervous laugh.

“Yeah. I think I’ll find your giant home very comfortable. Even if it’s ten times the size of my apartment.” You replied sarcastically to cover up how flustered you felt.

“Good. But if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me. You’re never a bother.” Tom assured you.

“Thanks. I will.” You smiled in return. You heard a car horn outside and Tom smiled sadly. He bent down to pet Tessa and give her a kiss goodbye.

“That’s my ride. I guess I’ll leave you guys to it.” He said and picked up his bag.

“Goodbye, Tom. I’ll see you in a week?” You said as you walked him to the door. He turned to face you in the doorway and felt the moment coming back.

“Bye.” He smiled softly. You found yourselves leaning in again but before your lips could touch, the driver honked his horn again. You jumped apart and Tom gave you an apologetic smile.

“Next time?” He asked you.

“Next time.” You agreed before slamming the door in his face to get back at him for the day before.

In the week Tom was gone, you had an ongoing conversation over text. You FaceTimed him often to let him see Tessa whenever he had breaks. Then, he started FaceTiming you even when Tessa was asleep for the night. To Tom’s surprise, you grew closer with him away. Your conversations went from being about Tessa to getting to know each other and by Saturday night, he couldn’t wait to get home to see you. He took the earliest flight Sunday morning just to see you sooner. When he opened his front door, he was disappointed when neither you or Tessa came to greet him.

“Well? Isn’t my girl gonna give me a kiss?” Tom called out. You heard this and felt your heart skip a beat. If he was going to be bold, you decided you could be too. You ran into the foyer where he was just as he was dropping his bag to the floor. You made eye contact and before he knew what was happening, you threw your arms around him and kissed him. The surprised look on his face when you pulled away made you realize you had completely misinterpreted the situation.

“You meant the dog, didn’t you?” You said as your arms slowly slid away from his neck.

“Yeah, I did.” He admitted. You gulped and stepped away from him and prayed the floor would just swallow you up so you didn’t have to live in this moment. To your surprise, Tom slipped an arm around your waist and pulled you back towards him.

“But I mean…” He trailed off and leaned in to kiss you again.

I’m dedicating this one to my dog! I miss and love you forever my sweet boy. Give your pets some love for me ❤️

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[miss-oranje-disco-dancer]

slippery when wet

pairing: post re8! chris x reader

cw: fingering, thigh grinding, thumb sucking, reader is frothing at the mouth (metaphorically)

summary: reader applies to babysit chris' child (he's rose's legal guardian in this one), and she's v into her boss. one day, she ends up in nothing but chris' shirt when her clothes are in the laundry.

a/n: title not inspired by the bon jovi album (doesn't really fit the vibe, despite having some bangers)

wc: 2.4k

“Jobs that don’t require a degree”. You type it into the search bar for the millionth time this week. Grocery store clerk, delivery driver, server, you’ve tried them all. And quit them all. You’re going to have to settle for working as a coal miner soon - and you’re a 21 year old girl who lives nowhere near a coal mine. 

Babysitter. You’ve done it before, when you were younger. In fact, as exhausting as the job was, you were actually pretty good at it. Maybe you could even get a referral from your neighbors. The job posting was on a local message board online. The pay looked like a sweet deal - top tier babysitter pay. Could probably hire a nice German or Spanish or Russian au pair and make your kid bilingual, but these parents chose to ask your town of American idiots to apply. Parent, singular - not even parent - you come to find. He’s her legal guardian, which probably means her parents are dead or in prison but you don’t think it’s appropriate to ask such invasive questions at your interview. Not if you want the job, at least. And you really want the job. 

The interview is surprisingly casual, which is good because it’s not like you own business attire. You expected this: a young woman with a tired - and very forced, almost pained - smile comes to the door holding the cranky child while the dad shakes your hand on the way out to spend the day with his buddies from college. Their attempt to quell their marriage problems by getting a sitter will not get them off their track to divorce.

But it doesn’t go like that at all. A man - older than you’d think a new father should be, but far from elderly - opens the door. (honestly, if he were elderly, then you’d be whatever the opposite of a cradle-robber is. A nursing home robber?). Mr. Legal Guardian tall, muscular, kind of intimidating, but also incredibly sexy. He could choke you out but you’d get wet if he tried. Actually, you’d probably soak his nice hardwood floors if he so much as touched you since all he’s done is shake your hand and you’ll probably need to change your panties when you get home. 

Either you’re good at hiding your feelings or he couldn’t care less about the fact that you’re trying very hard to keep eye-contact and avoid the overwhelming urge to look and see if you can tell what he’s packing through the pants he has on. 

“I’m Chris Redfield. Nice to meet you,” he says and you’re really hoping that you said your own name in response and not what you were thinking which was “Oh god, please fuck me, Mr. Redfield, I don’t care about the job anymore”. 

You’re pretty sure you kept that thought on the inside because he seems to think this situation is totally normal and ignores the obvious sexual tension - or maybe it’s just you and there’s no real tension. Maybe you need to buy one of those fancy Hitachi wands and fix the leaky faucet downstairs. You’d need money for that. Money… Oh, right, you can get a job! How convenient. 

You keep the conversation going because you want to hear him talk, you want to burn it onto a CD in your brain and play it on the car ride home. No, you’d crash if you did that. 

He tells you the baby girl’s name is Rosemary.

“That’s a pretty name. How did you decide on it?” Or did your wife choose it? Was the divorce bad? Or is she dead? 

“I didn’t. Her parents did. I don’t know if it was her mom or her dad’s choice,” he says, matter-of-factly. “I think it’s a good name, too,” he follows up with, “Mostly, everyone just calls her Rose, though.”

“It’s probably easier. I’d imagine it’d be hard for a baby to say ‘Rosemary’.” You realize you know very little about child development. “Can she talk?”

“Some. Only small sentences and she still pronounces half of what she’s trying to say wrong, but she usually gets the point across. She calls me ‘Dada’ because it’s easier to say than ‘Chris’.”

Is she gonna call me ‘Mama’? Does she need a stepmom… or whatever? Anyway, can you please, please have sex with me, Mr. Redfield? If you don’t get dick soon, they’ll have to institutionalize you.

You must’ve done way better than you thought because you got the job. You’re lucky that Rose is more well-behaved than most babies you’ve met. 

She does call you ‘Mama’, though. 

You bring a change of clothes to work every day because babies don’t know how to avoid making a mess of everything they get their little fingers on. Rose is pretty tidy for a kid her age, but her favorite food is ketchup, so half of your wardrobe is stained red by the second week of work. 

One day, she’s sitting in your lap holding a sippy cup of apple juice with a lid you were sure you’d closed, but as it turned out, it had not been screwed on right and the bottom of your shirt as well as your jeans end up soaked in apple juice. You only have yourself to blame. 

You brush off the issue to the kid because you don’t want to upset her, but you hate being sticky. She’s lucky she gets a bath. You don’t think Chris would appreciate finding you in his bathtub, playing with rubber duckies, unfortunately. 

Once Rose is in new, dry clothes, Chris walks in the door. Rose reaches out to him and he picks her up. He notices the wet patch on your jeans and you realize how it looks when he raises an eyebrow. 

“Did you piss yourself?” 

“No!” 

You’re about to explain the apple juice spill situation when Rose chimes in, repeating what Chris said, without any idea what she’s saying. 

The way he groans makes it seem like it’s not the first time she’s picked up bad language. “Those aren’t nice words. Don’t repeat them.” Chris tries to remain serious, but you’re both holding back laughter. 

“It’s just apple juice,” you clarify, “My fault, not hers.”

“Do you need new clothes?”

“In theory,” you say because you do, but you don’t want to impose. 

Rose yawns and Chris says, “How about you put her down and I will find something else for you to wear?”

“Okay,” you say because it’s shorter than, “No, no, you don’t have to do that.” Plus, he will inevitably insist that “Yes, yes, he has to do that.”

Rose is reluctant to go to bed without saying goodnight to ‘Dada’. Luckily, he joins the both of you in her bedroom, holding clothes for you. 

“Here,” he says, “I don’t have any pants that’ll fit you, but I think this shirt will probably go down to your knees.”

“Thanks,” you say, taking the shirt. 

“No problem,” he says, “Go change and bring me your clothes so I can wash them.”

You nod and walk into the hall bathroom. Chris is right - the shirt is about mid-thigh length, so as long as you don’t bend over, you’re covered. It was probably a bad day to wear a thong to work, though. Or maybe it was a great day to do just that. Glass half-full?

You find Chris in the hallway and you give him a slew of apologies and thank you’s because you feel bad that he’s doing your laundry. He dismisses them all kindly, but the look in his eye has changed - scrutinizing, yet amused. 

“Normally, I would say, ‘you’re free to go’, but -”

Am I getting punished? God, fuck, yes, please. 

“- You probably shouldn’t wear that out.”

You look down at your state of dress - or undress, depending on how you look at it. Yeah, you definitely shouldn’t go out like that.

“You can if you want,” he says, “but you’re welcome to stay at least until your clothes dry.”

“That’s probably a good idea.”

You’re standing awkwardly in his living room when he says, “You know you can sit down, right?”

You sit down next to him on the couch - an appropriate distance away, of course. There’s an awkward silence while you try not to stare at him. 

“Why are you so nervous? You’re acting like you’ve never been here before,” he says.

“For one thing, I’m not wearing pants right now. And, two, I’ve never been here while you’re here. I’m always here alone with Rose.”

“Do I make you nervous?” His smile says he knows more than you think. 

“No, not really.”

“Not really?”

You smile and nod. 

“Rose told me something she heard you say while I was gone…” “Oh shit. Did I swear in front of her? I try not to do that.”

He shakes his head. “She said, ‘Dada is sexy’, and as you can imagine, I was curious as to where she heard that…” He doesn’t finish his sentence, but his eyebrow is raised. He knows.

Your heart is beating out of your chest and you can feel your face flushing. 

“She must’ve heard that from someone else,” you lie. 

“Who else would’ve said it?”

“I bet most people think you’re sexy. I mean, look at you, it seems like the most obvious conclusion any normal person would come to.” You shrug, trying to play it off as if you didn’t just reveal yourself entirely. 

“So, you didn’t say anything about my attractiveness in front of Rose, but you do think I’m ‘sexy’? Am I correct?”

“Is this a trick question?”

“No, it’s a rhetorical question.”

You’d bolt out of the room if you had pants on, but now - wearing nothing but Chris’ t-shirt and a thong? It looks like you’ve already slept with him. 

You try to form a sentence, but much like Rose, all you can do is echo Chris’ words. “Do you think I’m sexy?” you ask. 

“Much more so than you were when I walked in - you know, with apple juice all over you.”

“So, you do feel the same way about me?”

“Correct.”

He looks like he’s thinking, considering next moves, but you’re already scooting closer to him on the couch. He hums in approval. He picks you up and puts you in his lap. 

“Do you wa-” He tries to say, but you cut him off with a kiss and he takes it in stride. One of his hands rests on the back of your head and the other is on your waist. His tongue is in your mouth and you think you can feel him getting hard, which makes you wetter than you already were, and now you’re really considering if this thong was of any use at all. Guess one more thing needs a wash. 

Chris reaches between your thighs like a psychic, though he acts surprised at how aroused you are. “Are you always this wet?”

“No, not always.” Liar.

“I’ll take it as a compliment then.”

As he should. 

His hands snake their way under your - his - t-shirt and find your tits. His fingertips brush your nipples and you absent-mindedly start to grind on him, longing for any friction you can get. You’ll ruin his pants at this point. Another load of laundry to do. 

He takes your hips and positions you on his thigh. 

“This should help,” he says. 

Out of embarrassment, you halt the movement of your hips. 

“What? It seemed like you wanted to get off and I’m not going to stop you.”

He acts nonchalant but it borders on teasing because you can see the amusement in his eyes. Maybe he’s not used to desperate little girls like you. 

You grip his shoulders to steady yourself - if you’re going to pathetically grind on this man’s thigh, you’re going to do it right - and you resume your back and forth pattern. You catch a glimpse of the smirk on his face and you let your head drop, not allowing yourself to look him in the eye. There’s no way you’d be able to continue like that. He lifts your chin, but it’s not to force your eyes back on him - he kisses you again, more passionately this time. Not romantic passion, the sexy, sloppy kind. You pull back first to catch your breath. Maybe it’s just nerves, but this whole thigh-riding activity is doing a number on you. Chris takes note of your struggle and puts his hands on your hips, taking on half of the work. Somehow, he does a better job than you, and if he’s this good at something so simple, you wonder about his other skills. 

“Suck,” he says simply, putting his thumb between your lips. 

In that moment, you discover your oral fixation - and Chris is observant enough to recognize it too. 

“Good girl,” he says, removing his thumb from your mouth and using it to rub your clit. He really didn’t need the lubrication and he must’ve known that. Admittedly, you’re a bit disappointed when he takes his thumb away from you. 

“It seemed like you were enjoying that,” he says, rubbing his other thumb over your bottom lip. You open your mouth and hope he won’t make you beg for it. “You’re lucky I have two hands.”

He flips you around so that you’re sitting in his lap with your back pressed against his chest. He returns his thumb to your mouth before you can grab it and shove it back in there yourself. You are lucky he has two hands, you come to fine, when he begins pumping two of his fingers in and out of you while rubbing your clit simultaneously. You moan around the finger in your mouth and he can tell you’re getting close. 

“Gonna cum for me?” he asks. 

You hum and nod frantically as your orgasm approaches quickly. Your inner walls clench and release as you gush around his fingers. When you come down from your high, you notice that you’ve left a considerable wet patch on the couch and on Chris’ pants.

“Don’t worry. We can do another load of laundry after this one’s finished,” he says. He checks the time and then says, “It looks like we have about 25 more minutes until the washing machine’s done. What do you want to do until then?”

“Depends? How much laundry detergent do you have left?”

[shakespeareanwannabe]

As You Wish, Chapter 4

Summary: When arriving at Camp Silver Star, Abby Floyd was anticipating a summer of adventure with an ocean separating her from the three people she loved most: her mom, her Uncle Bob and her Aunt Natasha. But after a run in with Charlie Seresin, an extremely familiar looking and irritating camper in a different cabin, her summer plans take a turn that neither girl ever could have expected.

Trigger Warnings: reader's children are described as being blond with green eyes because genetics are wild and Jake's genes are strong, reader is canonically Bob's sister (though biological relation is never discussed), reader goes by Buttercup and is tattooed, arguing, cursing, reference to divorce, kids doing sneaky things, references to early child rearing, crying, Uncle Bob (because he deserves his own warning), Uncle Rooster and Uncle Javy (because they also deserve their own warnings)

Clifton, Texas, 10 ½ years ago

“Dude, what are you doing? Don’t stop!”

“I’m telling you: my vocal cords are going to start to bleed any second! I need to stop!”

“I swear to God, if you stop, I’m going to find an actual rooster and sneak it into your bedroom at the ass crack of dawn!”

Jake rubbed at his forehead with one hand as he took another lap around his living room, bouncing a screaming Charlie in his arms as he went. The last nine months had been…rough, to say the least. Though his grandfather had graciously opened his home up to his grandson, great-granddaughter, and their two friends, it turned out that securing a home was the least of his worries.

Grandpa Wyatt had quickly hired Jake, Javy and Rooster on as farmhands, their physiques and familiarity with rising early making them ideal candidates for the jobs, but Jake wasn’t entirely comfortable with leaving his baby girl with a sitter all day just yet, so he did what chores he could with her strapped to his chest, and spent the rest of the day in the office, doing administrative work with his daughter asleep in her Moses basket behind the desk. Between the physical and mental labour, Jake was ready to hit the sack early almost every night.

However, clocking out for the day didn’t mean that his day was done. Charlie wasn’t a fussy baby, not by a long shot, but she still required an amount of work that Jake hadn’t been expecting. Her first pediatrician visit had revealed that Charlie was slightly behind on her goal weight, which meant Jake had to get up for an additional feeding during the night. But Charlie didn’t like the bottle, and Jake honestly couldn’t blame her. She’d gotten used to breastfeeding from her mother for her first four months of life, and Jake knew firsthand that Buttercup was infinitely better than some plastic bottle.

On top of trying to get her weight up, the Seresin family had also been battling sleep regression, teething, colic, Charlie’s first cold, and delayed milestones. If the doctor was saying that Charlie should be crawling by 8 months, she was doing it at 11 months. The whole thing had Jake lying awake at night, staring at the ceiling, worrying about his baby girl, wondering how Buttercup had managed it all on her own, kicking himself for expecting her to manage it alone when he was deployed.

A loud, shrill shriek had him yanking his head away from his daughter as she sobbed unhappily, her tiny fist curling into his flannel shirt.

“C’mon, Charlie girl,” he murmured into her curling blond hair, pressing a small kiss to her head as he paced. “You just had your first birthday a few weeks ago. Can you be a big girl for your daddy and stop crying? Please?” Her green eyes glimmered with tears as she continued to sob in response.

“Rooster, please, man…” Javy groaned, half buried in a pile of Charlie’s toys that he had been shaking and tossing around in an attempt to get her to stop crying.

“My—”

“Rooster, I will buy you a new set of vocal cords,” Jake bargained as Charlie hiccupped before resuming her shrill shrieks. “Please, if not for me, then for Charlie. I need her to stop crying before she makes herself sick.”

Rooster whined before turning back to the piano against the wall. “You guys owe me so bad,” he grumbled before placing his hands on the keys and pressing out a familiar tune. “You shake my nerves, and you rattle my brain…”

Jake held his breath as the song came to an end, the air ringing with blessed quiet, punctuated by an angelic baby giggle. With a groan, he sank to his knees, his legs too tired to carry him the five feet needed to get to the couch.

“Thank god.” He hefted Charlie up to sit beside him on the floor, keeping his hand on her back as he sagged against the wall. “So, she clearly doesn’t like sweet potato,” he sighed, watching her crawl over to a sprawled-out Javy and snatch one of her toys from underneath his leg.

“You feed her sweet potato again, you’ll be the one getting the rooster in your bedroom,” Rooster grumbled, closing the piano with a light thud.

“You do that, and you’ll wake her up,” Javy pointed at the little blond baby currently chewing on her toy giraffe’s foot. “And then we’ll all be miserable.”

Jake fixed his oldest friend with a glare. “No shit talking my daughter, dude.”

Charlie’s head popped up at the shift in tone in her father’s voice, her green eyes searching the room until she found him, her face breaking out into a wide gummy smile. She pressed her tiny palm into Javy’s stomach and propelled herself to her feet, wavering unsteadily even as Javy’s hand automatically rose to cushion her back. Jake leaned forward, scrambling away from the wall to sit a few feet directly in front of her.

“Come here, Charlie,” he called, waggling his fingers at her, smiling back as she grinned. “Come on, baby girl, you can do it.”

Time seemed to slow down as Charlie looked towards him before taking a small, shaky step in his direction. Javy propped himself up on his elbows and Rooster turned on the piano bench to watch on bated breath as she took another step, then another.

“C’mon, sweetheart. You’ve got this!”

“Let’s go, Charlie!”

“Atta girl!”

Jake’s heart was in his throat, a feeling better than going Mach 10 racing through his body as his daughter took one last, final step before collapsing into his arms with a giggle. With a loud cheer, he scooped her up and paraded her around the room to the sound of Javy and Rooster’s applause before whisking her into the office and collapsing into his chair.

“I’m so proud of you, baby girl,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead as she cooed softly at him. He’d missed so much, and his heart panged when he thought about Abby and what he was missing from her life. His hand was halfway to his phone when he stopped himself, pulling it back to hold Charlie tighter against him. He’d tried before and he wouldn’t be putting himself through that again. He missed Abby, of course, but Mav had always told them that they couldn’t afford to be constantly looking backwards, that thinking would be the death of them, so he had to focus on the here and now, on the ranch, on the daughter he did have instead of on the one he missed.

“Da-da…” he looked down at the sound and smiled through the tears pooling in his eyes.

“Yeah, baby girl. Dada is here. And he’s not going anywhere. I promise.”

The Airport, Now

Charlie’s hands trembled around her passport as the camp bus pulled into the drop off lane of the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. She looked up as Abby gripped her wrist with a determined grin.

“Last chance to change our minds,” she whispered as the campers around them started to disembark with loud promises of keeping in touch.

“No,” Charlie whispered, handing the passport out to Abby. “I want to do this. I want to meet mum.”

Abby nodded, taking the outstretched passport and handing Charlie her own. “And I’m desperate to meet dad.”

“Remember, he’s going to meet you at the gate in Waco, so you’re going to have to bring your A Game right away.”

“I’ve got a five-hour flight in order to prepare,” Abby assured. “I’m more worried about you. Uncle Bob is meeting you at the security desk. Are you ready?”

Charlie nodded, a look of steely determination overtaking her face. “I didn’t cut my hair and let you pierce my ears for nothing.”

Charlie thought that Amelia was going to have a heart attack when she walked into the Brig on their last day of their punishment to find them looking identical, their hair the same length and an extra pair of Abby’s earrings studding Charlie’s ears. She’d nearly collapsed onto one of the beds when she heard that they didn’t want to return to their cabin, that they wanted to stay in the Brig. To her credit, she didn’t ask any questions, just shook her head and walked away.

Abby nodded, fiddling with her duffle bag nervously. “Remember, Uncle Bob will be taking you from the airport to meet mum at home. She—”

“Abby, breathe,” Charlie placed her hands on her sister’s shoulders and shook her lightly. “Dad is going to love you. And mum is going to love me. And they’re not going to figure out that we swapped until we tell them a week from tomorrow.”

Abby bit her lip and nodded. “I know. I just…I can’t wait to meet him.”

“I know…” she smiled back. “I’m so excited to meet mum.”

Abby smiled suddenly and tugged her into a hug. “I’m so glad I met you,” she whispered, and Charlie wrapped her arms around her, squeezing her tight.

“Me too.”

Abby pulled back, wiping at her eyes. “Okay. You need to get to the security desk. Remember, Uncle Bob will be waiting for you. Brown hair, tall, glasses.”

“And Dad will be waiting for you at the gate in Waco. He might have Uncle Rooster or Uncle Javy with him. You remember who is who?”

Abby nodded. “Rooster’s got the moustache. Javy has tattoos.”

“Exactly.”

The girls looked up as an announcement came over the loudspeaker, calling an Abigail Floyd to the security desk.

Charlie bit her lip anxiously. “I guess this is it.”

Abby grabbed her up in a hug again. “You’re going to be great. Call me whenever you need, and I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon!”

Charlie took a deep breath and headed off in the direction of the security desk. Coming around the corner, she saw him. A tall man in a pilot’s uniform, with brown hair and glasses, his blue eyes scanning over the crowd until he spotted her, his eyes studying her for a moment before breaking into a smile.

Charlie took a moment to compose herself, whispering under her breath in the British accent she had been practicing for weeks, “You can do this. You have to do this.”

“U-Uncle Bob!” she finally called out, her accent ringing true as she rushed towards him, tossing her duffle bag to the floor before launching herself into his arms.

“Whoa! Easy, kiddo!” Bob chuckled, gathering her into his arms. “I missed you too!”

“S-sorry,” she murmured into his neck, her arms tightening around his neck. “I just missed you so much.”

“Six weeks was a long time, huh?”

Charlie pulled back, sniffling slightly. “Yeah. It…it felt like a lifetime.”

Bob crouched in front of her, his brown eyes tracing over her features like an X-ray machine, and Charlie gulped. There was no way he could know she wasn’t Abby, right? They were identical, save for a few freckles here and there, and a scar that Charlie had on her knee. But nobody could remember the exact pattern of someone’s freckles, and her knees were covered, so there’s no way he knew.

Finally, he smiled. “It felt like a lifetime for me too, sweetheart.” He reeled her back in, hugging her tightly before releasing her and drawing himself up to his full height. “Now, come on. We’ve got to get you checked in and ready to go for our flight back home.”

Charlie woke with a start as she felt the plane touch down onto the runway, a smooth landing executed by a skilled pilot. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Even though Bob had been with Dagger Squad, like her dad and uncles, he was a WSO, not a pilot, so she was surprised to hear that he was flying passenger aircrafts after retiring, but Abby had told her all about how Bob had gone for his pilot’s license after retiring from the Navy and how Nat had helped him study and prepare.

Charlie gulped nervously. She had had the whole transatlantic flight to soothe her nerves over meeting her mother for the first time, to convince herself that her father wouldn’t be too disappointed in her for running away, to assure herself that her and Abby’s plan would work. She had a sister. And a mother. And an uncle and an aunt that she had never met before. The risk of her father’s disappointment was worth it in order to meet them.

As Abby had instructed her, she waited patiently in her seat until all the other passengers had cleared out before taking the duffle that was being pulled out of the overhead compartment by one of the flight attendants and heading towards the front of the plane, where her uncle was waiting.

“You ready to go see your mom?”

Charlie felt her cheeks flush. “Yes!”

Bob chuckled, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses. “Alright, sweetheart. Let’s go see your mom.” Bob shouldered the duffle and led her off the plane, through customs, and down to a town car that was waiting for them. “From the last text she sent, your mom is working in her office at home, and Nat is at work,” Bob informed her quietly.

Right. Auntie Nat worked as a kickboxing instructor now since she was given a medical discharge from the Navy. And mom’s office was at the top of the stairs, two doors down on the right. Both Abby and Charlie had drawn maps of their houses, ensuring to include even the slightest detail so that there would be no surprises. Charlie had studied the map multiple times a day, until she felt like she could walk it in her sleep, even though she’d never been there before. Abby had also printed her a map of the neighbourhood when they were given their computer privileges back, as well as a map of the London tube system, though she had assured her that she would never have to take the tube alone if she didn’t want to.

“Abby?”

She hummed as her eyes darted here and there, taking in the old buildings and the people. They looked the same as the people in Texas, just less plaid and cowboy hats, but they seemed so different to her. She’d only been to a big city a few times, preferring to stick to her small ranching town, so everyone seemed so busy, rushing down the street, their cellphones stuck to their ears.

“Abigail?”

Everything was so new, so shiny. She gaped as an actual, real life red double decker bus drove by their town car, and her stomach was knotted over the fact that they were driving on the wrong side of the road.

“Abigail Floyd, for someone who hugged me so hard you almost cracked my rib, you sure seem intent on ignoring me right now.”

Charlie blinked. Abigail Floyd. That was her. Well, not her, but who she was supposed to be, at least for right now.

“Oh. Sorry, Uncle Bob,” she yanked her British accent into place. “I was just…reminiscing. You know, about camp…and about how homesick I was.”

Bob smiled softly at her, his blue eyes twinkling behind his glasses. “I’m glad you had such a good time. I know it’s a struggle to be away from home for so long, but I knew you’d have fun and make friends.”

“I did,” she replied quickly. “I met some great friends, and I downloaded WhatsApp onto my phone so I could keep in contact with them. Is that alright?”

“I’m sure your mom will be fine with that. That’s why she got you the phone, after all. To keep in touch with family and friends who are in the States,” Bob’s voice twinged with…something. Perhaps a hint of regret or maybe even anger.

“Good. Because I really like this one girl,” she grinned. “We became best friends.”

“That’s great, sweetheart,” he smiled back. “You never know where you’ll find your best friend.”

“Like you and Auntie Nat, right? You met at Top Gun.”

“That’s right, sweetheart.”

Charlie grinned. “Now the two of you are basically brother and sister.”

Bob chuckled. “Yeah, we basically are. Maybe you and this girl will be like sisters too,” he replied, shooting her a playful look out of the corner of his eye.

She gave him a tight-lipped grin in return. Uncle Bob had always been strangely intuitive, she knew that much from Abby’s stories, but he was hitting a lot of nails on their heads right now and it was spooking her like crazy. So much so, that she hadn’t even registered that the car had stopped moving.

“We’re here!” she cried, scrambling to unbuckle her seatbelt and get out of the car, her uncle’s echoing behind her as she launched herself out of the open door and up the stairs towards the bright red front door.

“The door’s open, sweetheart, so you can go on in,” Bob called, grabbing her duffle and his suitcase from the trunk of the car.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she opened the door into the flat that Abby shared with their mother, uncle, and aunt.

The interior was exactly as Abby had described. Homey and cozy, but still posh. The living room to the left of the door held brown leather couches, lots of bookcases, and a few plants hanging from the curtain rod. The window seat was where Abby and their mother read, together and separately. Charlie knew that the kitchen was just on the other side of the living room, where her family ate dinner together whenever Uncle Bob wasn’t flying.

But Charlie wasn’t interested in any of that, no matter how comfy it looked after a long international flight. No, her sights were set on the staircase in front of her, which she climbed slowly, her legs trembling with each step. She could picture Abby’s map so clearly in her mind: the first door on the right was the bathroom, the second was mom’s office, and the third was Bob’s bedroom. On the left came mom’s bedroom, then Abby’s, then Auntie Nat’s.

Charlie stepped onto the landing of the staircase, her eyes locked on the door of the second room on the right, which was cracked open just a touch. Her heart pounding in her chest, she slowly approached and, with a ringing in her ears, she quietly pressed the door open and walked inside.

There she was.

Charlie dashed at the tears that were welling in her eyes at the sight of her mother. Her mother. She wasn’t some imaginary figure anymore. She was solid flesh and bone. For years to come, Charlie would be able to picture the way her eyes scanned over the screen in front of her, the way her hair was piled up on top of her head, the way her slim fingers danced across the laptop keys, the way her buttercup tattoo peeked out from the neckline of her shirt. They weren’t images conjured up by her lonely mind anymore. They were real. She was real.

“M-Mum?” she whispered.

Her mother almost jumped out of her chair. “Oh my…Abby?”

Charlie swallowed hard as she nodded. “I’m home.”

“Oh, honey, I missed you so much!” Buttercup scooted her wheely chair across the floor and pulled her into a hug, and Charlie felt herself melt as she hugged her mother back just as tightly.

“I missed you too, mum,” she whispered.

“Six weeks is just way too long, love. I don’t care how much Auntie Nat raved about this camp, six weeks of you being across the ocean is just way too much for me.”

“I agree,” Charlie nodded into her shoulder. “I don’t want to be away from you for that long ever again.” She sniffled as she felt her mother press a kiss into her hair before pulling away.

“You won’t be, love. I promise.” Buttercup’s thumbs gently stroked away the tears from her daughter’s cheeks before tugging her into a hug again. “I meant to be finished with this chapter before you got home so we could spend the rest of the day together.”

“That’s alright. Is it coming along?”

Abby had filled her in on how their mother was a relatively successful author, Charlie even recognizing a few of her book titles from her bookshelf at home. Their mother’s writing was part of why Abby felt that their parents would fall in love again when they had to meet to switch them back. Buttercup’s current, more adult story was about a military man meeting and falling in love with an artistic woman, falling apart, and coming back together to live a happily ever after, and it had Abby convinced that their mother still had feelings for their father.

“I’m struggling, baby,” Buttercup sighed. “These two clearly love each other, but I can’t seem to figure out how to get them back together.” Buttercup looked up and smiled at her. “But they don’t matter right now,” she shut her laptop with a click. “What do you say you and I go out for lunch? You can fill me in on everything that happened at camp. I want to know everything. Six weeks is just way too long and I just know that you have stories to share.”

Charlie’s smile was so wide, it hurt her cheeks. “I’d love that, mum.”

Buttercup pulled her into another hug and kissed her hair. “Go get changed and I’ll meet you downstairs in ten minutes.” Buttercup smiled as she pulled away from her. “I missed you so much, baby. I love you.”

Charlie’s heart sang in her chest. She knew, of course, that her mom thought she was talking to Abby, but it didn’t matter to her. Her mom loved her, it didn’t matter who she was directing those words to. No one would be able to take them away from her. They would echo in her mind for an eternity. She’d heard those words from her father a million times, and they meant the world to her, but from her mother? They were sacred, special. They felt like a gift she hadn’t know she was going to receive.

“I love you too, mum,” she whispered, hugging her tight before racing towards the bedroom Abby had marked out for her on the map.

She finally had a mother, and she wasn’t going to miss a second.

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[howlsofter]

Nextdoor i.

part two , part three

John Wick moved in last year but you’re just home for the summer. He hires you to dog sit for him while he’s on business trips but it doesn’t take long til you’re pushing the limits of your “professional” relationship.

Words: 4.6k

Tags/warnings: nsfw, age gap, John is 28 and fem protag is 22, weed, masturbation, nothing too intense in this one, more plot building and some yearning

My mom introduced me to him in his drive way. Waved him down and asked him to wait. She hurries into the front door and yells my name up the stairs.

I’m in bed, cozy under a soft blanket and just a little high from the gummies in the side drawer. Her call echoes into my silent room and I huff, shoving my phone into the soft covers and scrambling up to grab some sweatpants. I decide my tank top is acceptable for whatever she needs help with and I rush down, knowing she’ll just yell again if I take too much time.

I slow my footing as I hit the door, seeing him standing there in a dark suit. He was tall beside my mother, clutching a black bag and giving me a small wave. I walk out to where my mom has already returned, waving back to him shyly and brushing the hair back from over my shoulders.

He was handsome, dark hair parted in the middle and falling past his ears, a scruffy but neat short beard. I stop with some distance between us, even more nervous now as he looks down at me.

“This is my only daughter,” she nods to me and I step up, meeting his outstretched hand.

I try to clear my throat as discreet as possible. “My name’s Jamie,” I try not to stammer, gripping his larger hand in a solid shake then returning my arms to my sides awkwardly. His hands were soft, firm, and rough against my clammy ones. Drowning in fear like I’m attending my first job interview.

“Actually, she’s only here for the summer, but she loves dogs,” she tells him like I know what they’re talking about.

He looks to me as she speaks, eyes flickering down at what I’m wearing. It was quick, I only caught it because I was staring him down. His tie loose and hanging from work, too button undone and hair just a little messy. He didn’t look too old, maybe not even thirty. Definitely 26 or older. Out of my dating range, most likely, but a girl can fantasize.

“I have to leave on business often, but I have a dog named Daisy and my previous sitter moved back home for the summer.” He tells me, opening his stance as he speaks.

“Ahh,” I drag the edge of my Birkenstock against the hot concrete, looking at his slick black business shoes, “I see… you paying?”

He chuckles, looking to my mom, “of course. Generously. I’m John, by the way.”

“Then I humbly accept.”

“Why don’t you text so I have you saved, and when I need a sitter I’ll hit you up.” He opens his jacket, flicking out his business card between two fingers and giving it over to me. I glance at it then nod, tucking that hand behind my back and swinging backwards onto my heels.

“Cool, I’m free like anytime so…” I shrug.

My mom swoops in to save me, “well, isn’t that just perfect? I hate to take up too much of your time Mr. Wick, you have a great evening now.”

He smiles to my mom, so genuinely he could be one of her own.

“You’re never a bother, Dixie,” he responds politely, she shoos him as she begins stepping away.

“You love to flatter me,” she chuckles, calling behind her. I follow my mom in, stealing glances of John walking up to his front door, tucking his jacket back to retrieve his keys from his front pocket.

“Handsome, isn’t he?” My mom teases me once the door closes. I replay our interaction in my head a thousand times over, did I seem too weird? Too young? “Hellooooo,” my mom coos, walking to the kitchen. I’m following her blindly, shaking my head to clear my thoughts.

“Yeah, uh, he was nice.”

“He’s been renting out of there since the start of the year, a widower, I hear.”

“How’d she die?” I ask too quick, my mom pulls out the baking sheet.

“I don’t think it’s anything interesting, she was sick or something.”

She loves to gossip, my questions are expected by her. Why wouldn’t I want to know the details of everyone else’s lives?

“Recently?”

“Two or three years ago… maybe? Such a shame, I don’t think he’s too old.”

I swallow and excuse myself up to my room.

Two the three years, that’s more than enough of a grieving period, I think. He seems gentlemanly, maybe the type to never marry again.

Entering my room, I realize I’m still holding his card. I flop onto the bed and grab my phone, holding the card out from my face in wonder. Its basic, white background, sleek black lettering.

John Wick

His number was on the back with his official title. It doesn’t mean anything to me, but it sounds important. I open my messages app, copying the numbers in carefully.

I compose several starter messages.

Heyyyy

A far too devious amount of ys, I delete them and try to stay casual.

Hey it’s Jamie the neighbor, lmk if u ever need a sitter

Good enough. I send it before I can overthink, immediately exiting the app.

I thought he might reply to acknowledge me, but my phone was dead all week. I purposefully avoided him outside. It was easy enough, he was hardly in the front yard. A strict schedule. He’d leave early in the morning, sometimes even earlier. Probably for breakfast, or coffee, more likely. He seems like a man who would drink a black coffee in the morning and skip lunch.

He comes home at the same time every evening. 6:04pm sharp. I watch him sometimes, I can almost sense it now. Peering out my window at 6:03 to his black Ford Mustang, he climbs out with more work to bring home each evening.

It’s extremely boring here. My old friend’s parents have moved away so no one else is home for the summer. My old plug is though. He never moved. He’s in the same nice house he’s been renting since I was in high school.

I tell my mom I’m running to Target.

For what?

I’m stir crazy. Maybe some socks.

She leaves it and I’m picking up an ounce. I do stop by target first, for the lie and for fun. I some socks with spiders swimming with pool floaties.

My mom loves them when I show her. I wait until they’re in bed to slide outside and grab the weed from my car. I bring it up inside as slow and careful as possible. It takes me minutes to open and close each door, cringing at every squeak. I set about a gram aside and grab my small bag of paraphernalia. Slipping onto the back porch I relax in my mother’s backyard area. She has flower and a tree out there, an outdoor table and some chairs. I unpack my grinder and rolling papers and get to work on rolling myself a nice little joint.

I pack everything up before I’m sparking my lighter, lounging back in the chair and looking up at the sky through the tree.

I take a few long puffs, holding it into my chest before exhaling the cloud of smoke into the branches. A few more drags in and I hear it. A patio door sliding open and the soft clicks of excited dog paws scampering across the backyard pavement. I lower my hand to the side of my chair like they could see me through the fence, holding my breath too. My joint continues to burn slow, seeping up in a small stream of thc.

It’s John’s yard, I’m praying he just lets the pup out but his footsteps aren’t hard to identify in the silence of our yards. I curse under my breath, heart beating quick.

Weed is legal in New Jersey, but the thought of John knowing it’s me is what’s so shaking. He won’t let me watch his house now for sure, he probably thinks I’m some young irresponsible trouble maker. I’m in college, I’ve never gotten in trouble, I just like to smoke weed.

Putting it out won’t stop the smell, I decide, hesitantly hitting it again. I hold the smoke in for as long as possible before blowing it in the opposite direction of John’s. I am at mercy of the wind, so I can’t force the scent in any which direction.

My phone lights up on the table and I freeze, seeing the contact I had labeled as Mr Wick light up in my notifications. I have to be in trouble with him. I breathe out the smoke I’d been holding for awhile now, grabbing up my phone to where I could read the text.

I’m leaving tomorrow, 11am. If you meet me before I can show you where all her stuff is.

Relief. I wait a minute, so it doesn’t seem like I was too available. I don’t know why I’m playing these games when he’s on the other side of the fence. I can hear him following his dog around, his footsteps heavy on the grass.

Yeah I’ll be there like 10:30?

I reply carefully, I keep going over it, not sure if I sound normal or not. I send it anyways and he replies almost immediately.

Great, thank you.

I’m still nervous, like he’s going to come over and reprimand me. The soft click of his sliding door assures me that I’m in the clear and I can finish off my joint in peace. I save the roach and sneak back into my room, stashing it in my sealed metal water bottle before I’m crashing into my bed again.

My mattress is soft, it’s so familiar and comfortable. I press one of my pillows in my chest, laying still and thinking about how stoned I am. My limbs are heavy and sensitive, just like my eyes as I slide them close.

Falling asleep immediately always felt like a waste of a high.

My emerald green throw tickles my skin as I slide into the covers. I settle in restlessly, the covers cradling my body delicately as I begin running my hands under my shirt. My core is warm but my hands are chilled from the wind. Body already trembling, I flinch away from it. I hate the feeling, but I find myself continuing to run my hand over my ribs as they heat up, the curve of my hip bone and just under the dip of my waistband. It feels good, my skin is just as soft as my finger tips, I press over my panties, just for a moment and squeeze my thighs together. A hum of pleasure verberetes through me and I think - it would feel better if John was doing this. Those strong looking hands, tall figure arched over me. His middle finger would feel endlessly better stretched up into me than two of mine ever did. My leg muscle tenses thinking about, pressing my heel into the bed. And that deep voice he uses when he speaks, would he be silent during sex, better yet, talk to me, low, sultry. In his fucking business suit, telling me how good I’m being.

I’m still not really touching myself, unmoving, it feels so dirty but I can’t stop my mind.

Finally, I yank my hand up, tucking myself into bed and pulling up a YouTube video.

I show up at 10:30 sharp, wearing a hoodie and some workout shorts. I didn't want to dress too nice since I have nothing else going on all day, but wearing a tank top again felt desperate.

John seemed like he had been idly waiting, I wonder if I should’ve been ten minutes early. I see him through the glass of the door as he strides over to allow me in.

His eyes skim over me as I pass by him, just for a moment. It's hot outside, he wants to ask me the question I always get.

Aren’t you hot in that?

The clothes are oversized; I push the sleeves up slightly, or they'd be hanging past my wrists. They're probably his size. John shoved his eyes away from me, towards a side hallway to the garage.

"The dog food is out here,” he begins leading me out. “He gets one scoop, and then just a can of wet food mixed in.” He shows me the dog food container and the cabinet where the wet one is. Guiding me through the kitchen, explaining that he doesn't care if I eat anything in the house, but he doesn't keep many snacks.

His house is the same size as mine, but the minimalist decor makes it feel bigger. There’s hardly any decoration, a few pictures. The furniture is black and new looking, his tv is large and takes up the entire side of the wall across from the couch.

In a pause, he turns to me and asks, "How old are you?"

My expression changes before I can catch it, startled. "22." I answer quickly. It’s such a normal question but for some reason the tips of my ears are burning.

John bites back a smile. “I only ask because," he gestures to a small area with a bar set up, whiskeys and assorted spirits lined the shelves, "you can help yourself. You're only next door, anyways, so I don't have to worry about you drunk driving home…" he almost begins to ramble, "so." He cuts himself off, pressing a hand to the table.

"I have cameras in the living room," he uses his other hand to point to one. Right beside a propped-up picture frame was a black home camera. "I just have it to check on Daisy when I'm working. It doesn't record, but if I check it, it lights up. It's the only one besides the doorbell."

I take mental note, and he gives me a key to the backdoor. "Last thing. I know you are staying with your parents, so if they start to annoy you, feel free to spend the night here. I have a spare bedroom upstairs.”

I thank him and leave out the front door with him. Waving him off after giving me the rest of daisy’s schedule.

It’s easy, daisy is a sweetheart and John texts me where’s his extra towels are. He hot tub hooked up to his back porch, it’s nice and clean but he said he hardly uses it.

Lucky me.

Day two of watching the dog and I’m spending the night. Creeping around the house like he’d click on the camera any minute. My large shirt covers my bikini as I go through my tote bag on the island. I try to touch the least amount of things as possible. It’s not hard, there’s not much to mess with. The camera isn’t pointed towards the kitchen, it angles to half the living room, the side of the couch, getting a nice potion of the backdoor where daisy likes to splay.

I already made sure the hot tub was out of view. He said I could use it but the thought of him catching me is embarrassing.

It’s the evening already, the sun setting back and the heat receding. Daisy sits at my feet as I make sure I grabbed everything I need from my house. Once I feel content, I take my bag and spare towel and head to the back, Daisy following on my heel.

She lays down in her spot as I peel off my tshirt, reaching into my bag for my joint and lighter. There’s an ashtray back here, I take mental note. Nothing of his smelled of cigarettes. A few steps in, I prop my phone up against the side of the hot tub and the wall, playing a new YouTube video while I continue to sink into the warm water.

I spark up and relax, listening in to my 3 hour long video essay mindlessly.

I wonder what John’s room looks like, is it just as empty as the rest of the house? It’s a rental but you’d think he’d want some semblance of of himself. Would just sheets smell like him? What did John Wick smell like? I haven’t been close enough to notice. His living room smells… new. Clean, like some just vacuumed.

When the hot tub gets boring and I’m sufficiently stoned I put on some music instead and climb out. I hate being wet, grabbing up the white fluffy towel and wrapping it around my torso.

I spend a nice amount of time rubbing on Daisy. She’s such a good girl, waiting patiently for me the whole time. It also gives me time to dry, so I’m not sopping wet when I do go back in. I go ahead and shower in the spare, keeping my hair dry. I change into comfy clothes, a new tshirt and some sweatpants, and I exit the bathroom.

I walk the halls slower, taking in the few frames that are there. Daisy, mostly. I look for his ex wife, but there’s none hanging up. I can guess where the master bedroom is from the layout of my house, arriving at his door with caution. It’s shut closed, menacing. Carefully, I reach out and turn the black metal off the handle. It gives way easy, slowly swinging open even after I release it.

His bed is large, a black fluffy looking confronter tucked into the low bed frame. Multiple black pillows sat up at the top. Still no decor, I slip in, my heart rattling in my chest. His closet door is mostly open, sunlight strewn into the bedroom illuminated the business suits hanging up.

Without further consideration, I fall onto the firm mattress. It gives way under me, soft, cradling my body as I stretch out. I moan in relaxation, digging my face into the material. It smells like man. A subtle cologne, salt, cedar maybe like shampoo. It’s so comfy that I close my eyes and choose to stay. John probably does this exact thing after work. Or maybe he’s occupied in his study hours before he’s wrapped up in bed.

I inhale deeply and push myself up, lingering around near his master suite bathroom. He has no bathtub like my parents, but he has a large rain shower. I don’t dare step in, it feels so off limits, leaning into the frame. It’s white and plane, it almost felt like a hotel bathroom. A luxury hotel.

When I’ve had enough, I retreat back to the spare room. The sheets smell like cotton fresh detergent and the blankets are soft beneath my body.

I urge to touch myself again, I wish I could in his bed. No. No. My thoughts are sinful, the guilt turns me off and I’m back to YouTube videos and heavy marijuana sleep:

I only spend the night the night twice. The second time on Thursday. He wouldn’t be back til Sunday so I was in the clear, it gave me time to wash my sheets. I follow the same slow routine, relaxing in the back with a joint, stringing out on his bed comfortably.

I had put all my stuff up, packed so I don’t have to worry about it in the morning and I can focus on cleaning. I pull John’s pillow into my chest, it smells even more of sea salt. It’s a more specific scent, so him, pheromones maybe that make hum quietly to myself.

Being high just boosts my bubbling hypersexuality I seem to suppress.

I could picture him fucking me into this bed. I would scream into this pillow, inhaling him every time I gasp for another breathe. I bet his cock is as pretty and well kept as he is. Cut, for sure, and long maybe. I’d let him use me to relive his stress after work, or maybe he’d be too tired and he’d fuck me sloppy and needy for release.

I don’t move from the bed. So comfy in my little ball and stuck in a cycle of distracting thoughts.

I started awake when I hear Daisy bark, disoriented as I peered around John’s room. Fuck, I had not meant to fall asleep here. I scramble up, rushing to the stairs to see John, pushing through the front door. I didn’t want him seeing me come from his room. I shut the door quickly, turning the handle before it closed so it would make less sound. I hurry to the guest room and toss some pillows around and pick them back up just as John as making his way up the stairs.

“Oh, sorry, wasn’t sure if you’d be here.” John speaks from the hallways, he can see you through the open door as you put the last pillow back in place.

“Mr. Wick, I’m sorry, I’ll clean up right now.”

“No, it’s okay. They sent me home early but I forgot to warn you. I’ll take care of it.” He approaches the guest room, leaving his suitcase at his closed door.

“Hey, uh,” he raises his shoulders intensely, biting his lower lip. His pause grows my anxiety. The threat of being caught looms, and he hadn’t even opened his door yet. “Next time you,” he coughs, “smoke. Could I buy some off of you or something?”

Oh. My mouth curves up into a smile. Mr. Wick wants to buy some weed off of me?

“Yeah, how much would you want?” I ask, sitting up straighter. It’s odd, suddenly having this hold over a grown man. I could scam him so easily.

“Like… a gram, maybe. Not a lot.”

“You know,” I press my tongue to the roof of my mouth, wondering if I’m crossing some unspoken line. He crossed it first, I think, asking your worker for drugs is not very professional, “you could just smoke with me next time? If you want.”

His eyes dance over me for a moment, trying to find the line I’m stepping on.

“Sure, if that’s okay?”

“I offered.” I reassure him. He nods, moving past the subject and stepping back.

“I’ll let you finish up whatever, let me know when you’re heading out,” he turns out and finally heads in his bedroom. My sudden high drops into my stomach, fuck, I left his pillows fucked up.

I ignore it, pretend everything was perfect as I finished stripping the guest bed and throwing him in the wash. He tells me he’ll finish the rest, eyes lingering on me downstairs in the kitchen. I try to return the key but he tells me I should just keep it for now, he’ll probably have to leave again soon. He’s quieter now, watching as I gather up all my things and wave myself off.

That night I text him, balancing the joint on my knee as I typed out a short offer for him to join me. I wasn’t sure if he’d be asleep by now, 11pm, he must be tired from his early flight. I had taken a midday nap to fill my time.

Despite my speculations, John replies telling me I can come over. I sneak out the back yard and walk to John’s front door. He’s waiting to greet me, black sweatpants, a white undershirt. His hair is wet from the shower and he’s wearing some funky socks. He pushes the door open enough for me to walk in and I accept, gliding past him. I’m also in my sweatpants and a big tshirt, as always. We’re almost matching.

“I rolled us a joint,” I tell him proudly as he pushes the rolling door to the outside. I don’t waste much time, easing myself into the chairs out by the hot tub and pulling the joint from my sleeve. My lighters in my pocket, I toss it onto the glass and it makes a soft clicking sound as it hits.

He follows me out slower, giving a minute to pet Daisy before he settles beside me. He picks up the joint, pulling it closer to his face to examine it. He inhales that gas and hands it back to me, “excellent roll,” he commends with a chuckle.

“Thank you, sir,” I put it between my lips, cupping away from the wind trying to light it evenly. I’m mostly successful, but it’s going to canoe at some point. I huff it a few times and lean back in the chair, pulling my legs up criss cross. John takes it from me, he’s leaning back too in the metal chair, legs pushed out.

He takes a breathe of it in, exhaling with a small cough. He suppresses more, clearing his throat before hitting it again and passing it back.

“Do you mind if I play music?” I ask and nods. I set my phone up and shuffle one of my Spotify playlists.

“Was Daisy good for you?” He asks, Daisy lays out by his feet.

“She’s perfect, I think you already knew that.” John laughs a little harder than I think he would if he wasn’t high, reaching down to scratch Daisy.

“I haven’t smoked weed since college,” he admits after a beat of silence.

“How long ago was that?”

More silence as he thinks, “about 5 years, maybe.”

Not as far away as I thought, I take another hit, it hasn’t started canoeing, go me. He’s 26 at the very youngest, but he seems pretty high up in his corporate job and there’s the chance he started college late, so maybe 31?

“I’m 28,” He said I like he could hear me thinking, “almost 29.”

“Old man.”

“I knew you’d say that,” I pass it back to him.

I talk about movies. John only plays them on flights but he hardly pays attention. TV shows? He hasn’t watched tv in three years.

Since his wife died. I fill that part in on my own.

I want to ask about her but I know it’s a touchy subject. He doesn’t even keep photos of her up.

“What do you usually do now?” He asks when it’s too hot to hit, a little roach. I set it on the glass.

“I usually stash them for a roach bowl when I’m out of weed,” I admit. Probably kinda gross now that I think about it. “Then I climb up in bed and,” touch myself, and think of you, “watch YouTube til I pass out.”

“I napped earlier so I’m not tired yet.”

“Same.”

“I don’t usually nap.”

“I do.” He chuckles and shakes his head.

“I wish.”

“Do you want to watch a movie then?”

I show him Kill Bill. He settles on the unused couch first, carefully pressed to the side to give me more than enough room. I settled on the couch with my legs folded into me. I leave a few inches between us, stealing glances at the way he’s strewn out beside me. He’s a large man, at least six foot but lean and strong looking. He has to work out, I can see his arm muscles flex as they’re crossed over his chest. He’s actually enjoying the movie, I was hoping he would. He got up to grab popcorn and I eased into our shared space carefully.

It’s easier when he comes back with it, I don’t give him the room to place it between us so he sets it on his leg near me. I let my eyes crawl over him every time I reach over to grab some. I could slide over into his lap right now, slide my hands under that tight white shirt. Help him relax.

I’m too high to dare, my hands are shaky just thinking about it. John notices when I go to grab more but he doesn’t say anything.

I do allow myself to shift closer, trying to do it unnoticed. I pressed my thigh against his. He doesn’t move but I catch his eyes darting to my leg, moments later.

I beg him with my eyes, to touch me, pull me closer. He doesn’t dare.

We get through the whole movie without me poucing on him, I yawn. Still high but not as much as earlier. He thanks me and I leave for the night. Going home I felt empty, he’d let me almost touch him. I climbed up in bed and I’m immediately rutting up against my hand. I wonder if he’d touch himself thinking of me, not that I’ve given him much material in my comfy clothes.

Maybe if I could get him into that hot tub. I imagine him, shirtless in his swimsuit. Damp and pressed to his thighs, pushed down to his hip to expose his cock, just above the warm water. I press two fingers into myself, flattening out on the bed and moaning under my breath. I want to grind against his thigh, come on his fingers. I come quick, and hard, laying shaky and exhausted in my small bed and going to sleep.

[chussyracing]

what has been happening in the world of motorsports?

it's very long, so all updates and rumours are under the cut

DRIVERS (and others) MARKET

Esteban will leave Alpine at the end of the year (he will confirm his future in f1 „soon“)

Checo Perez got a contract extension in RBR for 2025 and 2026 (meaning that yes, he will be in the team for the first year of new rules)

since there are whispers about Newey already being signed for Ferrari, there are also rumours about Enrico Cardile looking at potential offers (like the one from Aston Martin) as his role could be diminished by Newey coming

very much a rumour (by DailyMail as well) but Ollie to Haas has been confirmed by them

Yuki extended his contract with RB for 2025 season

FIA passed the rule that drivers can be 17 to achieve Superlicence needed for outing in F1 and the only person it could probably apply to right now is Kimi Antonelli who turns 18 in August, so we may see him in an F1 car sooner than that (on the other hand it can also apply to the FP1 junior outing as well)

another thing that supports is are quotes from Toto (that they told Carlos they want to focus on young drivers and he understood) and form James Vowles (that Carlos is their main target for signing)

there are also unconfirmed rumours that Williams offered Carlos a 4 year deal (2 years with 2 years extension possibility) and that the deal could get announced around Barcelona GP

Guanyu is rumoured to look into Alpine seat possibility (remember he was in their junior academy)

Horner cleared up that the new contract extension for Checo is not actually 2 year but rather 1+1

Sauber (or rather Audi) signed Stefano Sordo as performance director in preparation for 2026

Adam Kenyon has been promoted to Head of Aero of Williams and according to James Vowles he has been with he team since 2021 and was “quietly promoted” in March this year already, they just didn’t announce it with a lot of noise

there are reports that Ferrari dropped the negotiations with Newey around Monaco and since he visited Aston Martin factory

Helmut Marko confirmed that if they cannot find a seat for Liam Lawson for 2025 he has a clause in his contract making him a free agent open to all the teams

Montoya said that Logan already has been told he won’t continue racing for Williams in 2025 and this is what is behind his bad results this year (but when does anyone listen to what Montoya says anyway)

OTHER SERIES

Jamie Chawdick became the first ever female to win an Indy NXT race (after also becoming the first female pole sitter)

after Este speaking about getting dead threats, the same happened to Theo Pourchaire in IndyCar for a crash during Detroit GP (Arrow McLaren stood behind him, the same cannot be said about Alpine)

on the other hand… um. he was hired after David Malukas got injured and he was supposed to drive for the rest of the season, and now they fired him and hired Nolan Siegel instead after he apparently just posted about being excited to drive this upcoming weekend (nobody speak to me about how Ferrari treats Carlos for not extending his contract when you see this please)

Marc Marquez will join Bagnaia in Ducati for 2025 in MotoGP

Arthur Leclerc won his first race with his Scuderia Baldini and rest of the team in GT3 series (with a car sponsored by LEC which based on his race suit is his personal sponsor)

Ferrari won 24 hours of Le Mans AGAIN for the second year in row, this time with car #50 and car #51 coming in p3 for a double podium (Nyck de Vries was p2 with Toyota, Ferrari #83 was running in contention for a win or podium at least until the engine died, Alpine suffered double DNF with both cars)

JUNIORS

McLaren reserve driver Hirakawa tested MCL36 yesterday

Jack Doohan did his FP1 session for Alpine in Esteban’s car in Canada and coincidentally Bruno Famin (Alpine TP spoke about him being on their list for the 2025 Alpine seat)

Ollie Bearman will be doing another FP1 session in Nico’s car in Barcelona for Haas

Jak Crawford tested 2022 Aston Martin car

Kimi Antonelli tested W13 in Barcelona

Kacper Sztuka was dropped from Red Bull junior academy after just 4 race weekends and there is a real concern if he will be able to finish the season without the financial backing that the F1 backing brought him

RULES AND FUTURE OF F1

Red Bull Ring will have temporary gravel traps between T9 and T10 (so it would avoid track limits trauma from past two years in F1 but it would also stay safe for MotoGP)

F1’s revenue increased by 45% in first quarter of 2024 in comparison to 2023

the 2026 rules were announced by FIA: cars will be narrower and shorter and lighter, DRS will be replaced by MOM (manual overtake mode) which just sounds like push to pass tbh as it gives you more energy for some time, there will be new aero modes – basically active aero parts (so again similar to DRS but both on front and rear wing and those will be manually activated and it won’t be depended on how close you are to the car in front) and there are new safety measures with stronger hoop after Guanyu’s crash in Silverstone and better/more lights for visibility and of course no front wheel deflectors thank god, there will be less ground effect and less exhaust engine power with electric engine adding more power

FE also will get some new rules: new gloves with better protection (after a series of hand injuries with current generation of cars) and same rules as in F1 about superlicence were updated

side note many F1 team principals apparently already protested certain parts of the new rules (and also some drivers, Lando said that fans can forget about more than one team running for a victory with new rules and George said it could be dangerous with crazy speeds on straights and very slow ones in turns)

also Domenicali admitted that these regs might be the last with hybrid cars, instead they would focus on 100% sustainable fuels and better “traditional” sound and lighter cars in the upcoming years after that

oh and Newey spoke about the new regs as well and said that FIA was “heavily influenced by one or two manufacturers” when making 2026 technical regulations

and Mercedes and Renault are against alternations to the agreed engine regulations for 2026

Ferrari tested the 2025 Pirelli tyres in Mugello last week

FIA is thinking of doing two sets of testings (instead of just three days like it was in recent years, doing 6 of them instead) which would probably be 3 days in Barcelona and 3 days in Bahrain for 2026 as the teams would need to collect more data with the new regulations coming into place

F1 TEAMS

the investigation against Stake Kick Sauber F1 Team in Switzerland was dropped “after determining that Sauber’s international presence and the inaccessibility of Stake’s services in Switzerland rendered the sponsorship compliant with regulations”

formulauno reports that Ferrari’s Imola upgrade package cost them about 35% of development budget, so more big changes were meant come in Silverstone but the team pushed forward and is expected to bring them in Barcelona already (so maybe new floor? maybe diffusor area where we lose a lot to RBR?) – this upgrade package could be fit to both cars depending on how they do (and if they can do 3 copies)

Mercedes should also bring new floor to Spain with more gains expected from them, Red Bull, VCARB and McLaren are also expected to bring some upgrades

Williams had a fanzone in Montreal and opened another in Barcelona

Red Bull is apparently asking for legality check of the front wings of Mercedes (and probably McLaren and Ferrari and there is a speculation that Aston Martin has a similar front wing in works)

there are speculations about Renault dropping out of F1 after rumours that Alpine is asking for possibility of Red Bull Powertrains as their engine supplier from 2026 onwards

speaking for Alpine, they had some upgrades that obviously helped them quite a lot, but according to Esteban, they have been swapping one chassis (the older one) that is 3kgs heavier and he had it since Miami and he expects them to swap it for the rest of the whole season…

Zak Brown was saying how RBR is toxic right now and he expects more people to leave them

Mercedes is under a wave of criticism because they kind of erased Lewis’ trophy from Chinese sprint from this year on social media (person opinion: I don’t think it was purposeful maybe but definitely very unfortunate under the current circumstances)

slight drama with Alpine (again) from Canada: despite starting much lower with the overweight chassis and grid drop penalty from Monaco, Esteban was running in front of Pierre towards the end of the GP and the team asked him to swap with Pierre who was behind, Esteban didn’t want to but after a lap or so he let Pierre in front, at the end of the race when Pierre couldn’t catch up with Daniel in front, Esteban asked if they can swap back like usual and got negative response

also McLaren could have won the race in Canada and fumbled it because they didn’t call Lando to pit although he was in front of the pit entry when the safety car came out (so it wasn’t bad luck with safety car as some fans called)

RB or VCARB or whatever will be changing their name again because it is pretty confusing right now (Horner said that when they called Yuki about his contract extension with RB he was hopeful for a second that RB means Red Bull)

it is in the stage of rumour for now BUT Alpine is apparently looking for a way out of the deal with Renault as it is open secret they make the weakest power unit out of all factory teams and instead is looking for a new engine supplier to become a customer team (also there is a rumour that this and the fact that Flavio Briatore has been linked to the team are the main reasons that Esteban was looking for a way out), there is also a real concern of selling the team (to Andretti for example) but  Renault CEO said that won’t be happening

F1 DRIVERS

Charles invested in Chrono24 which is marketplace for luxury watches (funny side note: Christiano Ronaldo invested in the same company last year)

Charles was the first torch bearer of Olympic flame as it passed through Monaco, making him second F1 driver to do so after Lewis (and Nico Rosberg was there in the crowd to watch Charles lol)

apparently Lewis is staring in Camilla Cabello’s new music video

Charles will be taking part in Jules Bianchi karting marathon in September

Carlos will have a special edition of a cap for his home race in Spain

Max will have a special helmet for Barcelona, Red Bull Ring, Spa, Zandvoort and Monza which is fully orange as “they are European races with a lot of orange fans” (…bro. monza… um)

Max said he was contacted by teams in WEC for a possibility of him taking part in 24h of Le Mans in a hypercar, Pierre also said he would like to do it one day but remains focused on F1 now and Charles also said it could be something he would like to do after F1 because it calls for a lot of training he cannot afford with current 24 races long F1 calendar

gentle reminder that Checo will have a 3 places grid drop penalty in Barcelona because his team purposedly told him to bring the damaged car to the pits although they knew it would be considered driving under unsafe conditions, just because they were afraid of it ruining Max chances of winning

apparently Kelly Piquet had to post about receiving hate online and Max also spoke out about it under her post (no comment)

Jacques Villeneuve had some pretty brutal things to say about Daniel Ricciardo (mostly that he doesn’t belong in F1 right now and is taking up space for someone talented) and Daniel answered that he probably hit his head too many times

oh also Charles’ issue in Canada was system one, not engine one which is why they remain optimistic with his pool of used engines, on the other hand the issue was up to 80 horse power units and about 1.5s per lap so…

Charles won the overtake of the month trophy for his pass on Lewis from the outside in Miami

Charles posted a new vlog on YouTube (and I have yet to see it AHH)

Carlos revealed in an interview that he has co—owned a burger restaurant with his friends for a year now (Boogie Burgers)

Liam Lawson recorded a song in the studio (it is unknown to me if he is on the vocals or guitar as well tbh but… damn these drivers are just collecting sidequests at this point)

Valtteri Bottas won a 114 km long gravel cycling race (fun fact: there is an incredibly funny headline I didn’t screenshot talking about Carlos getting inspired by Valtteri’s win as a fellow driver without a seat and buying a new bike)

OTHER F1 RELATED UPDATES

the Apple original F1 movie with Pitt will be released internationally on 25th June 2025

Canadian GP organizers were called to stewards after track invasion after the end of the GP (but there were other issues which Stefano Domenicali had to apologize for: flooded parts of the facilities, fans who paid tickets getting a fence in front of them covered by black cloth, fans being sent home on Friday with information that the sessions were cancelled)

F1 wants to involve AI more in the industry and we already saw AI made trophy for the Canadian GP (and apparently last Merc post about Doriane is labeled as made by AI too)

Stuart Pringle spoke up as a Silverstone managing director about the lack of sales for the tickets and mentioned that after years of Mercedes dominance as a British team with a British champion, the Red Bull dominance has hurt them the most (but as everyone else spoke up, it might as well be their sketchy prizes tactics)

Barcelona had a live roadshow with multiple drivers doing donuts/showrun in f1 cars (Carlos, Checo, Jack Doohan…)

F1 Exhibition will also visit London after being successful in Madrid, Vienna and Toronto

FIA launched a new campaign focusing on preventing concussion

[space-invading-pigeon]

Monsters AU, anyone????

If you haven't already guessed it, Steve Harrington is my comfort character and almost everything I write lately has to do with him. But I love myths and monsters, so I mashed them up.

Steve is a werewolf; not always, but an incident when he was four changed him. His mother blames herself for his accident and tends to stay away from him, too overcome with guilt to even look at her son. Unfortunately, of all things, he was changed into a pack animal, and the loss of his mother's comfort has a negative effect. He's withdrawn, aggressive, unable to get comfortable in his own skin, all before even starting kindergarten- his only relief is when his mother hires an old friend to watch him. Her friend is from the supernatural world: the oldest son of a family of vampires that have lived in the United States since they stowed away on the Mayflower.

Steve and his new babysitter are instantly bonded: Steve goes back to being a sweet, albeit clingy, little angel, and his sitter is always more than happy to indulge him and shower him in love. Life is really looking up for Steve, to the point that he secretly refers to himself as "Stevie Munson," and dreams up a world where Wayne is his pa, instead of his actual father. But life is rarely kind to Steve, and soon his beloved Wayne has to leave town for an undetermined amount of time because of a "family emergency." Steve is heartbroken that he isn't allowed to go with him.

As if losing his sitter isn't enough, Steve's mother dies in a robbery-gone-wrong on Steve's ninth birthday, five years to the day after the attack that changed him. Richard Harrington can't be assed to take care of his son in her stead, and hires another sitter. Claudia Henderson (human, through and through) decides on her first day that Steve is as much her son as Dustin, and that only solidifies when she discovers that the poor baby her late husband attacked years ago was actually Steve. Dustin (a born werewolf as opposed to Steve, a changed werewolf) decides that Steve is his brother immediately, and it's like two puppies have found each other. Steve is protective, loving, and maybe a little bit possessive of his new brother, but Dustin has love to spare. As he grows from toddler to kid to preteen, he acquires more and more friends: first, Will Byers, from a family of light elves, who is shy and artistic and never cuts off one of Dustin's excited rants, even though they're both seven and Dustin's grasp of engineering is on par with a college undergrad. With Will comes Mike Wheeler and his older sister, Nancy, both of whom are descendants of the great Valkyrie. Nancy is a little more.... ethereal than Mike, because their Valkyrie blood is more prominent in women, but they're both stubborn and snarky and have a weird obsession with the Byers boys, but Dustin swears that they're both very nice. Lucas Sinclair comes around soon after, and he's really the only friend of Dustin's that Steve has actually met. He's a soft-spoken kid until he's comfortable, and then he's quick witted and so loyal that Steve actually thinks that maybe he's a werewolf, instead of a chimera.

Steve refuses to meet anyone else in Dustin's friend group; he says it's because he's too big to be around Dustin's friends, but it's actually because he doesn't think that he can be around them without lashing out for taking his baby brother away from him.

When Dustin is eleven and Steve is seventeen, Chief Hopper- the only Berserker in Hawkins- adopts a little witch named Jane, although she answers more to El than she does Jane. Soon after, Max Mayfield moves to town, and Dustin's little group of friends adds the banshee to their ranks.

Finally, Steve agrees to meet his friends, lovingly dubbed "the Party" by every member of it. They're wary of Steve at first- Richard Harrington is the most outspoken anti-supernatural in town, and they didn't know that Dustin's Big Brother Steve the Werewolf was actually Steve Harrington, so almost all of them are sure that they'll be harassed in their safe space. Steve is quiet for a while, yes, but Will and El take to him immediately, and Steve is weak for people who look at him like he's worth something (it's why he's such a pushover for Dustin and Claudia; they love him unconditionally and he will do anything to make himself feel worthy of that) so he adopts Will and El into his little family almost immediately.

Will and El adore Steve: El insists that he's a big, fluffy puppy, and her descriptions have never been wrong, so it makes the entire Party warm up to him. Will is painfully shy, and the speed with which he warms up to Steve is unheard of; but Will quite literally glows when Steve shows up, and even once he's calmed down the air around him glitters with his excitement. Steve takes to them both; at first, Dustin is over the moon at this.

Next to warm up to Steve is Lucas, a few weeks after Steve joins the Party. He's frosty toward Steve at first, but at a group movie night he watches Steve jump out of a dead sleep to jump out of a window and slam into a tree, face first (apparently, he'd been having a dream about a cheese monster trying to eat his toes). Then, Jonathan and Nancy, who both watch Steve with the kids and decide that, yes, they do have a crush on the sweet, dumb dog that's joined their ranks. Nancy asks him out first, though, and Steve is flustered enough that he agrees (and is almost instantly smitten with her). Mike refuses to warm up to Steve; the guy can't even breathe right, as far as Mike is concerned.

The longer that Steve and Nancy date, the angrier Dustin gets. He feels like he's being left behind. Steve spends more and more time with Nancy, at her behest. Neither of them realize how unhealthy their relationship is growing to be, just how the relationship between Nancy's parents are. Nancy demands that everything be held to a certain standard, and Steve does everything he possibly can to meet that standard. It isn't until Nancy dumps him- a very nasty affair that has Steve avoiding everyone except Dustin- that they actually grow as people and become something healthier to each other. (Just like in the show, they get into a fight at a party, and when they revisit it while sober, they fight again; Steve is hurt and wants to know if she really thinks he's bullshit, and Nancy won't give him a straight answer. He's upset and he can feel himself losing control of himself, so he walks away. Nancy leaves town on an overnight trip to get some info with Jonathan, and when she comes back, she spits vitriol at a panicked, concussed Steve. She does a lot of growing up after that, but she never actually apologizes for hurting Steve, although he frequently tries to "make up" for his own mistakes.

Max joins the group soon after that, and gets along with Steve almost immediately. She's a young banshee, and a part of her lore explains that she screams; she can't control when, how long, or even how loudly she screams, and as a result her step-brother (a human named Billy) is incredibly abusive. He belittles her for her Screams, and isn't afraid to shove her around (never where their parents can see: if Susan caught wind of it, his father Neil would hear, and Neil was not a man to cross). When Max meets Steve, and watches how he picks on the Party using their own species(he calls Lucas "little lion man," Will is Sunshine, Mike is Paladin Shithead, and Dustin has always been pup) while still encouraging them (Steve encourages the kids as they grow and develop these new abilities, never belittling them for their struggles, but showing them that it's okay to mess up. She doesn't know that it's because Steve had no one to do that for him until his mother died and the Hendersons were brought into his life). She's afraid to open up to the guy, right up until, in the middle of a crisis situation where Max is forced to use her powers on purpose for the first time, Steve throws himself in the line of fire to protect the Lucas- and by extension, the whole Party- more than once.

Steve protects her from Billy when he tries to "pick her up" (read: drag her home by the hair without regard for her safety), allows Billy to beat his ass because the alternative at the time was to chase him away until no one was around to protect Lucas, and then, with a whole concussion, does a full shift and defends the children from these strange alternate hellbeasts that were summoned by some crazies at the Hawkins Laboratory for Scientific Witchcraft. The guy even praised her for Screaming on purpose, calling her a hero. Max is soon just as attached to Steve as any other.

In the summer after breaking up with Nancy, Steve gets a job at the mall. He meets Robin, who seems for all intents and purposes a simple human being. She's quirky and goofy and she smells like the ocean after a storm; Steve loves her very quickly, but something in him keeps him from actually developing a crush. Robin is his beloved other half, his soulmate, the yin to his yang, whatever else means that she completes him. She calls him Dingus exclusively, and Steve knows that if he ever heard it while he was shifted fully, he would be rolling around like a delighted puppy. He learns later, after they've fought for their lives and suffered and survived, that Robin was born a normal human, but after the most traumatic experience of her life, she was transformed into a siren.

After the mall, Robin is inducted into the group. She keeps an eye on the kids while they're at school, partially for her own sanity, but also for Steve, who is beside himself at the prospect of his babies being out of sight for so long (he gets like this after every Upside-Down interaction, he loves those kids and he can't stand the idea of losing the family he's built for himself). By the end of the first month, Steve is desperate to meet this guy his kids keep ranting about, Eddie Munson, and it's just because he's worried about them, not because he's afraid of losing his spot as their Big Brother or because the name Munson struck a chord in the back of his mind(for whatever reason).

Without the kids knowing- except Max, because she saw him going up to the Munson trailer. She would never bring it up to the Party unless Steve did first- Steve goes to meet this Eddie Munson and maybe scope out the competition a little. Instead, he meets a pasty boy with unfairly attractive hands and full lips and the warmest chocolate eyes and-

His mooning over this pretty boy is cut short when a man with a painfully familiar face peers in from the kitchen, meeting Steve's eyes with a surprised, "Stevie?" The greeting is enough to make Steve tear up, and he starts freaking out because why is he so happy that this guy knows him, and he's ushered into their little home and onto an old, well-loved couch. Eddie is gushing about finally meeting the Stevie Harrington, he's been told all about him from Wayne through the years. Eddie asks him why he's never seen him at school, and Steve mumbles about being home-schooled ("I won't let people see my mistakes so easily," Richard Harrington drilled into his head from the moment Steve was old enough to go to school). Wayne is flustered and standoffish for all of three minutes before Steve is smothered in more paternal affection than he's received since he was seven; it clicks in his brain when Wayne calls him Stevie again, that he used to wish and beg the stars to change him into Stevie Munson, not Harrington, and that Wayne was his best friend for three years.

Eddie is smitten with this strong, pretty, downright fluffy boy that showed up on his doorstep, even more so when Wayne Munson (easily most comfortable when left alone in quiet) spends almost an hour fussing over and showering him in praise. Steve becomes a regular fixture in the Munson household, after that. Wayne spends weeks explaining the different types of supernatural creatures that have made their homes in Hawkins and the surrounding area, explaining Munson family history, and Steve finally has someone to walk him through everything about werewolves (Claudia tried, but she was really only parroting things she'd picked up as she raised Dustin, not any formal education. Steve never knew that it was a special thing to achieve a full shift; that particular afternoon had Eddie calling him a sweet little pup for a month).

********

I'm too lazy to spend another two days puzzling out how I want the rest of the show's plot to align with this au. I have it in my wips folder but this is already suuuuper long. My bad, pals

[anthroposeen]

tmagp 15 relisten notes!

episode 15 spoilers below the cut!! be warned!

celia:

- potentially the worlds most balanced and well maintained person, considering the way she handled herself around her coworkers and in uncomfortable situations. its unnerving to me to have a character be so seemingly well balanced

- she's hired a sitter to watch jack, meaning georgie is not watching him as previously thrown around by the fans

- she's very calm when facing down lady mowbray and her hunting dogs, and is called "different" and strange by her -> further confirmation that celia is not from this universe

sam:

- picked out tickets for 'the pillowman' for his 2nd date with celia. unlike sam, i did look into this play, which was written by a man named martin (may we never escape the same-name curse) and is has a theme surrounding the question, "what price do we pay for freedom of expression" (taken from the play's website). i think this is definite foreshadowing into the themes of the podcast or sam/celia's arcs specifically (what price do you pay for knowledge? for autonomy? for recognition?)

- sam seems a bit cold with alice throughout their interaction, not really engaging with her or trying to have any banter with her like normal. i think this is reasonable, considering he told her he wants to not discuss his relationship with her and shes interrupting him and celia, but i wanted to point it out since we last saw him in a bad mood with gwen. the guy seems a bit down and out

alice:

- her invitation to sam and celia is interesting to pick apart, and ive split into two interpretations of the invitation. on one side of the coin, i think she genuinely wanted to hang out with them, even as the third wheel, and she wanted to show off her brother's talent. on the other hand, she could be using the show as a resource to divide sam and celia and throw a wrench in their date plans. i think the first interpretation makes sense, and its the assumption im working off of to understand her character/motivations, and i think its evidenced by her checking the times to confirm the show happens after their date.

- seems to be very thrown off by celia having a baby, which of course speaks to alice's own relationships and expectations (anytime someone my age has a baby i'm thrown off), but also gives an idea of how celia presents herself at work. she must not speak of her personal life at all for no one but sam to know about jack.

- she meets a drowning victim in an alley after the show, and tried to help her. the fact that she seems unsure of whats going on means she doesn't actually know about the ins and outs of the fears/powers. so she may know the OIAR's deal but she doesnt seem to clock this as a supernatural event. this places a limitation on what alice knows

gwen:

- we can assume that lady mowbray is the external that lena wanted her to contact, and though she seems in control of the situation, she's uneasy when mowbray mentions she's ate recently. meaning she can be professional, but still isn't ok with the situation at hand

incident:

- the caller is ex-military and described lady mowbray as "not seeing people anymore, just assets" with "gun metal gray hair"

- he describes the feeling of staring down the barrel of a gun, and knows the sound of a head shot without looking

- mowbray has control of her hunting party and seems to have some influence over the man narrating, but i think thats a sign of him already being marked by the power she serves

- despite the man successfully hunting his coworkers and winning that race, he was still prey for her, with none of the rest of her party partaking in the chase (this is interesting since the hunt was a group activity in the TMA universe, with hunters preferring to work with a partner)

- the music indicating that mowbray is near is so well done and actually gave me goosebumps, i really enjoyed that it sped up the closer she got to her target, similar to the jaws theme almost. it added amazing tension!!

new characters/new introductions:

- lady mowbray, an avatar of sorts that seems to serve this universe's hunt/slaughter adjacent power. she's also an OIAR external and may know the bouchards

- alice's brother!! i was realy surprised we got to meet him (horrible awful news for him, im so sorry you're doomed mate you seem really chill)

- the drowning victim. i think that this woman is from the TMA universe, (a tape recorder clicks on to record this segment! which has only happens at the magnus institute in this universe!) and she may be from a vast/sea domain in the fear apocalypse. she's definitely experiencing a psychotic break, and i think she likely teleported/transported across dimensions like celia did. but theres also a possibility that she came from the institute, since we heard movement from the location (though im certain she isnt the error)

glitches/lies:

none

extra comments:

- you can faintly hear the hunting theme music play when mowbray is talking to celia and commenting on her being peculiar

- i think the incident is clearly hunt-related, but the caller being ex-military and using so many military phrases/metaphors throughout the incident does make me think it could be a connection between the hunt and slaughter, but im very cautious to try and reason how the powers work just yet

- i think the tape recorders will be an indicator of when we're dealing with someone/something from the TMA universe, and it may draw correlation to that world building in those specific scenes, but this is a hunch

- this is my favorite incident so far, as ive always been a very big fan of the hunt in TMA, and this is the closest tmagp has gotten to the power! i love mowbray's character so far, i can really get behind the cruella de-ville meets queen of hearts vibe she has going on and i really enjoy the melodrama she commands

[marsgod]

DO YOU ALL REMEMBER STAFF!READER TURNED DEMON??

Well.. what if a teacher was born a demon? And because they’re from hell and all, they are a bit oblivious to the customs of Earth and always tend to confuse, concern and scare others, especially the students

I think I’d like demon!staff!reader to be true neutral, not good or bad, nice or mean, just neutral

Like imagine them going, “Back in my day as a demon child, my babysitter would try to douse me in holy water when I act up. Heck, they even tried to cut my horns with an axe, haha! They’d never succeed though,”

“What the f…”

- underrated staff anon

i’m so sorry this took so long🫠 I just put a bunch of my thoughts and how i think this would go!!

⇢ Twst x Gn! Demon! Staff! Reader

⇢Warnings; Platonic relationships. gn! reader, Staff! Demon! Reader, exorcising mentions, slight religious themes ig

I imagine that demon! reader is new to school with humans, they were transferred from “easy” juvie (easy as in, the juvie kids committed multiple acts of arson and just acts that’d generally get a mild death sentence) in hell to NRC in the human realm.. Quite a big difference in educations, we’d all say.

So, when you, with sharp teeth in a seemingly permanent, joyous yet sadistic grin with slitted eyes that watched everyone’s every move, a bit of unnaturally tinted skin and a fucking tail that couldn’t be mistaken for a beast of any kind’s.. Nobody was “surprised” surprised, but it definitely scared the crap out of any new or unadjusted students.

You giggled, voice sounding guttural as you chortled at Ace and Deuce, most of the other teachers beside you not looking as pleased or impressed with whatever shenanigans the freshmen were getting up to.

“-aha! This reminds me when I was just a little baby, my house sitter would tie me up and attempt to break off my beloved horns~“ You let out another tired giggle, calming yourself down from your fit, “He couldn't actually ever get it to work, you humans are quite lucky demons have a good sense of humor!”

The teachers are pretty indifferent, they don’t care but they don’t not care about you being a demon. It’s not like you can’t be a teacher, just- Uh.. Should you be a teacher here..? They, Vargas and Trein especially, always hear about the well enough concerning methods you’d use at your last school.

Crowley doesn’t know how to act, or how he should act, he really doesn’t need to be put on a fucking demons shitlist of all things, a demon that would’ve beaten his ass long before being hired if not for the fact ‘Demons have a great sense of humor’ and that humor is sadistic as, in short, hell!

Moving onto students, the freshman, Idia, and Kalim are scared shitless of you, which isn’t a surprising feat, I’m going to be honest here.

What is surprising, however, is the fact that Azul, Riddle, and slightly Malleus is.. I wouldn’t say they’re scared, but more timid? Azul is intimidated by the damn horror stories that made up your last school, Riddle just thinks your terrifying for any of the all the above reasons, and Malleus isn’t exactly used to seeing someone that can beat his ass for fun if you wished. Malleus keeps it respectful though, just a bit more timid or quiet if possible.

[sugar-omi]

It just hits so different when Cove tries to flirt with you??

Like when Baxter does it you get used to it pretty quickly or learn to expect it because that's just how he is.

But even when you can physically see how Cove is mentally preparing himself to say something, your first guess wouldn't be a compliment since he doesn't do it often or in ways you didn't expect.

Like one of my favorite Cove flirt attempts is the one in road trip. And even then it's done in such an amazing way "people having [your specific eye color], is something I like". I distinctly remember my reaction when I read that conversation the first time, I fucking screamed and didn't know how to handle it.

Then there is the more unique way of calling you cute, through a game of hangman!!!

complimenting you through fish names, etc.

or when you talk about hypothetical merfolk encounters and you ask him why he's so sure that you would choose with the merfolk "Isn't it obvious?? You're amazing, [...]"

be it a word of praise, adoration or simply making you feel treasured when Cove flirts, it's just adorable it makes me cry.

I love all of Cove's flirts but 13 year old Cove is a different level because it's just so cute how flustered and careful he gets about it.

not forgetting to mention that complimenting someone's eyes is just my favorite type of flirting~

please I love cove taking the initiative so much, that's why I love when he asks MC on a date when you're not dating like if he did that id ACTUALLY scream

cove: wanna go on a date-

me: *slaps hand over mouth to cut off scream*

cove: ...😟❓️

me: *muffled* sorry, continue....

LIKE PLEASE IM NOT OKAY I LOVE WHEN HE FLIRTS SM HES SO CUTE N I LOVE WHEN HE JUST SHOWS LET ALONE SAYS HOW MUCH HE WANTS/LOVES MC LIKE AJHAFJAHAG

also I love telling cove I'll be the mermaid and invite him into the sea bc I think he makes him so much happier than you think like if he could heads actually be purring idk what to tell you

STEP 4/ADULT COVE WOULD PRVLY FLIRT W YOU SM MORE TOO??? I mean, not that much since he spends most the time draping himself over you or following you like a puppy, but he compliments you as soon as you wake up, will walk up to you while you're making lunch and tell you some silly fish compliment like in the happiness moment

surprises you w gifts/flowers and goes "for my lovely partner" or smth like that and he even puts on a nice shirt n pants (don't look down you might see flip flops okay)

if you have kids or a Lotta pets (listen I pet sitter 3 dogs and 2 birds I was OVER IT OMG how do yall have so many pets???) and you're just so tired after taking care of everything, cove will hire someone for the night or call for a friend to come hold the fort down if necessary

and will take you on a nice date

maybe not even anything fancy since he usually does this pretty impromptu, but who says a movie and eating at a burger place or getting takeout from your favorite restaurant thats abt to close up for the night while sitting in the car to eat isn't fun or nice?

will flirt w you when you're old too

"you're so beautiful"

"stfu I just had hip surgery"

"absolutely gorgeous is that a new gray gair?"

please hit him 😐

[zeb-z]

sw au Leo and Vegetta and Foolish OH MY

Leo! Foolish finds her as a toddler on Coruscant, the day the Jedi temple burns. He’s just an aide to his senator then, barely hired due to staff shortages caused by the war. She’s upset and alone and largely ignored by the rest of the people minding their own business on the lower levels. Foolish scoops her up, gets her some water and something to eat, and waits to see if anyone comes back for her. No one does. From then on, it’s him and Leo against the world.

She sits in on a lot of meetings she shouldn’t be in, is around for a lot of busy work involving information she probably shouldn’t be privy to. But that’s okay, because she’s hardly noticed half the time, and the other half it’s easily excusable - Foolish couldn’t find a sitter on such short notice since the last one quit, she’s hardly interrupting, it’s good lessons for her to learn if she’s going to step into power one day, or even just a raised eyebrow and a ‘are you really going to tell me how to raise my kid?’.

Rarely is Leo actually told to wait somewhere else with one of Foolish’s aides, even rarer is she forced to stay home. She never stays behind whenever her Pa has trips to other planets, especially to Coruscant, unless it’s an extremely extenuating circumstance that’ll last a few days, and Roier is able to watch her. When Foolish is elected Senator, and has far more responsibilities that require him to be present on Coruscant, and no longer can rely on Vegetta, he tries harder to find trusted caretakers that Leo could like - it takes half a year for him to give up entirely. As much as he doesn’t want his child around the nest of spiders that is the Imperial center, he’s not wrong in it being a learning opportunity. And his enemies know of her existence anyways - she’s much safer at his side. And that’s where she’d prefer to be. However, this does make it rather difficult to make friends her age - as if her role as a senators child wasn’t isolating enough.

Leo is adored and doted on, just absolutely spoiled, because Foolish has the connections and the money to do so, so why shouldn’t he? Especially because they didn’t start out that way, with credits to burn and a taste for finer things.

Vegetta is a sculptor, who’s branching out into architecture after gaining enough fame and wealth to be comfortable. Him and Foolish meet very early on, where everyone else always seems to meet - everyone of importance, anyway - at a high end party during Ascension Week. Young Leo bumps into Vegetta while looking for her dad, and he helps her find him, and they strike up a polite conversation. At the next party, one of the ones Leo is at home asleep for, because it’s a later in the night, champagne and under the table spice, kind of Ascension party, they bump into eachother again, bonding over something that isn’t just the usual greetings and well wishes, and the rest is history.

Early into Foolish’s role as governor for his planet, on a day like any other, Vegetta leaves on some sort of trip, purely business. This in and of itself isn’t unusual, neither is the lack of contact for a few days at least - as much as Foolish loves his boyfriend, he’s not the clingy type, he understands that they are both busy people, and he trusts him implicitly. He picks up their weekly hologram call without a fuss. “Don’t worry, mi amor, I’ll be home before you know it. Tell Leo I love her, and miss her very much.” Then he misses the next weeks call. And the next. And the next. A missing persons report and follow up don’t seem to go very far, despite the strings Foolish tries to pull - every sign points to the classic case of an upper class affair, where the guilty party can easily change their face and name to chase after someone else - according to Imperial Law Enforcement, at least. Foolish is introduced to Jaiden soon after, his first Ascension week without Vegetta in a long time. He’s certain this isn’t coincidence.

Roier! Son of Vegetta, pilot with a dream, you know his whole thing. He meets Foolish and Leo through Vegetta, and is adopted in very quickly. He stays around even after Vegetta disappears, still calls Foolish his father and Leo his sister. They try to make it to most of his races, somehow managing to blend in with the crowd without making a fuss of his status, even on the most backwater planets. Roier usually makes it to Ascension week parties at the minimum, enough to keep appearances, and to keep an extra eye on Leo. As much as everyone knows Leo as Foolish’s child, Roier is very often forgotten - which is a good thing. It means he can get away with the racing he does.

Leo meets Vegetta young enough to hardly remember much of a time before him, but she’s old enough to remember when he left. Per Foolish’s advice, she doesn’t read gossip rags, and doesn’t pay any mind to whatever she may hear along the grapevine from spending so much time around socialites and politicians. She’s learned enough to know that this is the game that is played, and that entertaining conversation doesn’t always mean honest conversation. Late nights back at home, when Roier is also over, they like to point at different stars and wonder if that’s where their father is at now. On one planet, he’s lost on a hike and is still wandering. On another, he’s finding inspiration for his next major construct in the zen of nature, and left his com (and ship key) behind. On this one he’s fighting dragons to get the greatest treasure to gift to his children. That one, he found a portal that took him back in time, and he has to fight as a knight of the Old Republic. Something fantastical that’s keeping him from coming home.

Roier teaches Leo to fly! After the first few lessons, Foolish lets Leo pilot if they’re just flying around their home world, and sometimes lets her handle part of take off when ascending out of the gravity well to reach hyperspace. Leo Taxi! :’)

[fbfh]

But what if Francis got his gf pregnant to babytrap her? Cuz he doesn’t want her to leave him.

AAAUGH. the noise I just made was inhuman. thank you so much for this one anon fr fr. (reader and francis are both aged up to 18+ for smut)

no bc it's when Lois finds him fucking you on the kitchen counter that he first gets the idea. the boys had barely gone to sleep when Francis absolutely jumped your bones. you thought it was going to be another one of his usual impromptu makeout sessions paired with flowery ramblings about how incredible you are, how you shine brighter than the north star, how you're the most amazing girl he's ever met, and you're not even a girl, you're an angel. which yeah it did start out like that, then one thing lead to another and his hand was down your pants. next thing you know he’s kissing your neck and he has you pinned beneath you the way he likes and he's telling you he loves you while he hits that spot inside you over and over. you're millimeters away from cumming when the front door closes. Francis doesn't stop. he keeps going and going until he hears Lois behind him.

"Francis!" He finally realizes she's there, and looks up in a panic. "Are you kidding me?! What's the one thing - the one thing I told you when this started?" she demands rhetorically, gesturing at you in reference to when you started sitting for them.

"Don't fuck the babysitter!" Lois finishes. You scramble away from each other and you begin to apologize. All the rage drops from her face as she turns to you.

"Oh, I'm not mad at you, sweetie." She turns back to Francis. "YOU, on the other hand..." She gives him the lecture of a lifetime. It feels like it lasts forever, but eventually, she's said her peace and they watch you pull yourself together and grab your stuff so you can go home. She had a feeling this was going to happen, that Francis would end up falling for whoever she hired. between that and how hard it is to keep a sitter, you already lowkey have her approval. she could see this coming from a mile away, she just didn't think it'd be so soon. she meets you at the front door and hands you your cash for the night. before you can sputter out more apologies, she cuts you off.

"Really, I'm not mad at you. This isn't your fault." You relax a little. "At this point, we should just get him neutered, make it a lot easier on everyone..." You laugh and she sends you on your way. She turns back to Francis. He's ready to get yelled at again, but she just looks at him. She's quiet. This is almost worse. She's quiet when she does talk, but he can tell she means business.

"If you break that girl's heart, I break your neck. She's good for you, Francis, don't mess this up." He looks relieved. "And one more thing. Don't get her pregnant."

he blinks, then laughs.

"I'm not going to get her pregnant."

They both go to bed shortly after that. His brothers all pretend to be asleep even though they heard everything. They can press him for details in the morning. In spite of his best efforts, Francis can't sleep. Not even when he drowns his pillow case with the bottle of body spray he got in the same scent you use. Get you pregnant. He's not going to get you pregnant. He could, of course. In theory. But why would he? So he can see a little bump grow on your tummy where you're carrying his child? So he can see you all cute and pregnant and dependant on him for nine whole months? So you can raise a precious little baby that's half him and half you and be bound together irreversibly for the rest of your lives?? Huh. That doesn't sound so bad, actually. And you'd look cute pregnant. God you'd look cute pregnant. He lays awake, thinking about it so late into the night. When he finally does fall asleep, he dreams about it. It's only for a few seconds, but he can see you clear as day with your sweet smile and pretty eyes all round with his baby, your baby, and when he wakes up his mind is more than made up. He kind of has to now, right? He absolutely does. All it would take is a few holes poked in a condom and boom, dream come true - a dream life where you're tied to him forever and ever. You're coming over later this week, and he makes a mental note to make sure he knows where a safety pin is before then.

[cassioppenny]

so uh post apocalypse legends unova idea that takes place in the far future

after the events of bw1 hil went searching for n and one day gets sucked into a wormhole while riding reshiram or zekrom. probably decided through a question asking if the player thinks truth or ideals are more important when your creating your character or something.

anyway hil gets amnesia and forgets basically everything but their name and the only part of their previous life they still had was a light/dark stone in their bag.

they wake up to a little girl named m who seemed to be living in the forest hil crashlanded in by herself. hil decided to have her tag along with them because a) leaving a child alone in the post apocalypse is a horrible idea and b) something about her is weirdly familiar to hil

the two of them meet the laventon of the game basically ress. ress is a researcher who wishes the find the truths of the worlds secrets. she speaks very monotonely and robotically and is generally extremely blunt. after hil helps her capture the starters (squirtle, fennekin, treeko) she offers to hire them to help her with her pokedex project. because it's the post apocalypse it's extremely hard to get your hands on technology so you're back to paper pokedexes and handmade pokeballs.

she takes you to the underground city neobassa that was made from abandoned subway tunnels. it's the jubilife of the game and where hil and m live. in neobassa there's many people who can meet like chili's descendent who runs a restaurant, the city's mayor who's elesa's descendent, and also kid your age named gris who works part time at a store.

there's something oddly familiar about gris to hil but they can't put a figure on exactly why. hil tries to befriend gris but they're initially not very excited by your company. they eventually open up a bit to eachother eventually and become good friends. they are also the one who gives hil bounties to go on since their store has a request board. they're also m's baby sitter. their boss is hugh's descendent

south of neobassa is the scraper forest which is where castilia city was. all of the building have been overgrown now looking more like a forest than a city

the purple, red, and yellow areas i don't have a lot of ideas for but basically imagine those areas but fucking destroyed basically. i do have an idea for a scene where hil finds the remains of their old home. maybe they find a note from their mother or something that'd be pretty funny

in the north east in the kingdom of plasma where the people worship n as a god live. other than neobassa it's the only place they has people actually living in it. it's very medieval in design and the residents fully believe that the reincarnation of the hero king n will create a new world

most members of the church live in the kingdom of plasma but there are certain individuals who live in other parts of unova. these are the wardens of this game. im not sure what their title is but they basically serve the same purpose.

some of them that i can remember are:

viola descendant who's the warden of a unova gogoat. he mostly spends his free time painting the hauntingly empty streets and overgrown buildings of the scraper forest

clay descendant. i forgot what pokemon she's in charge of but she was a former bounty hunter who was forced into becoming a warden as punishment for attempting to assassinate the church's leader. she spends most of her time finding cool treasure from the ruins instead of actually doing her job

grimsley decedent who's in charge of an unovan sharpedo. forgot literally about everything else i made about them oops

a certain blue haired man named james who suddenly appeared with no memories of his past. he's in charge of an unovan pikachu evolution. aka the pikachu line i gave to neela i originally thought of the concept for this lol. his closest companion is a skitty

a man who seems to have some sort of history with ress. i forgot what pokemon he was in charge of but he's a reckless man who charges head first to whatever he decides to do and has an idealistic worldview. his name is col. james thinks he's annoying as hell

there's ten total but these are the ones i remember since i had this idea since like april and most of the lore is written in notebooks i lost and my brain. the leader of the church is a man commonly referred to as V. much about him is shrouded in mystery other than he was the one who fortold the prophecy of the reincarnation of n remaking the universe. he's seemingly interested in hil after learning they fell out of the sky one day however he keeps his identity a secret instead having his wardens try to convince hil to join them. also V has the opposite stone

so uh yeah!! uh autism be upon your something idk if anyone wants to ask any questions go ahead

[twittercomfrnklin2001-blog]

When a Stranger Calls

The critical consensus on Fred Walton’s WHEN A STRANGER CALLS (1979, TCM, Prime, Peacock, Tubi, Plex) is that nothing in the latter part of the film is as good as the opening 23 minutes, in which babysitter Carol Kane receives repeated calls from a man asking, “Have you checked the children?” Some have even suggested that nothing could stand up to that opening segment, though I’d point out that PSYCHO (1960) doesn’t exactly fall apart after the shower scene.

The problem seems to me that as a first-time feature director and writer (with Steve Feke), Walton lacks the skills to get beyond that one good idea, which had served as the basis of his and Feke’s popular short, “The Sitter” (1977). The opening works because Walton knows how to stage small, detailed scenes, use environmental sound to generate tension and capture strong performances like Kane’s. The scene following that segment is so clumsily written, however, with the murdered children’s father (Carmen Argenziano) spitting out flat exposition, that it actually makes Charles Durning look bad. Durning, the police detective sent to the house originally, has become a private detective. When the child killer (Tony Beckley) escapes from the mental ward to which he had been sentenced, Argenziano hires Durning to find him. Fortunately, that weak scene is followed by a memorable acting duel between Durning and Rachel Roberts, as Beckley’s psychiatrist. That pattern persists throughout the film: scenes that refuse to work, like a poorly staged chase through a mission for the homeless, alternate with beautifully acted work by Durning and Coleen Dewhurst, as a woman who attracts Beckley’s attention in a downtown L.A. bar. At least, Walton has a good sense of atmosphere, The L.A. locations he uses create a bleak urban hellscape that make confinement to a mental institution seem almost preferable to life on the outside.

Along with Kane, Durning is good and Dewhurst quite amazing. When wasn’t she? She can capture a character in the way she lights a cigarette, and the film suffers from her early departure. Beckley would improve as a director, doing good work on the comic slasher APRIL FOOL’S DAY I1988) and the TV sequel WHEN A STRANGER CALLS BACK (1993) that pits a stalker against the now-empowered Kane. There was a remake in 2006 that represents 87 minutes (plus previews and ads, another reason I’d rather stream movies at home) Danny Housley and I will never get back.

[bluejaysandblackbats]

If There’s Nothing Missing In My Life…

Fandom: DC Comics, Superfam

Summary: Newly-emancipated popstar and child actor, Conner (screen name: Lucky) navigates high school and stardom on his own.

Chapters: 14/?

Characters: Conner Kent, Lois Lane, Roxy Leech, Rex Leech, Lois Lane, Clark Kent, Hillary Chang

Additional Tags: Highschool AU, Celebrity AU, Conner Kent Needs a Hug, Conner Luthor, Lex Luthor is Conner’s Parent, Teen Angst, Angst, POV First Person, No Powers AU, Conner Kent-centric, Bisexual Conner Kent, POV Conner Kent, Protective Lex Luthor, Child Celebrity AU

Chapter Fourteen: Court Date

By December, I was saddled with an unshakeable sadness. I took my finals early and flew to Metropolis for court. It felt like a blur. I can’t remember what I said, but I know I couldn’t look up the entire time I spoke. Whatever I said must’ve been convincing because my dad whispered to his lawyer and asked to approach the bench. Our lawyers talked to the judge, and the judge said something that I didn’t understand. Or maybe I didn’t hear it. I looked over, and my dad stared straight at me. He mouthed something at me, and I stared, waiting for him to repeat himself. “Understand?” Dad mouthed. I shook my head. I hadn’t slept in two days. I was jetlagged, nauseous, and—.

“Young man,” the judge called. 

“Yes, sir,” I answered. 

“After speaking to your birth parents, Mr. Luthor has decided not to contest the unsealing of your adoption records,” the judge explained. I swallowed hard and nodded. The judge made a few closing statements, and she let us go. I stood frozen as I watched Dad’s lawyer collect his things. Dad left before I could thank him, and I stepped into the hallway alone. I sat on a bench outside, waiting for a ride to the hotel. I wanted to shower, change clothes, and get something to eat without feeling awkward. I hadn’t eaten since I left. 

I barely got in the room when Rex called me. I thought it was a problem with the album or something, so I answered. “Hello?” I answered. 

“Well?” Rex asked. 

“What do you mean?” I asked. 

“How’d it go?” Rex questioned. I scrunched my nose as I tossed my suit jacket over the couch.

“That’s personal, Rex. Some things don’t need to make the news,” I replied. “Is that all? I’m about to hop in the shower.” 

“Nope… But if you ever—.” 

“Goodbye, Rex,” I interrupted. I hung up, showered, and dressed for lunch. I didn’t expect any other calls, so I ordered a big lunch. I was halfway through a bowl of mac and cheese when I received a call from Clark. “Hi… Hey, Clark.” I held the phone between my ear and shoulder. 

“I um—. Are you eating?” Clark questioned. 

“Yeah, but um—. Do you wanna meet me?” I asked. I told him the name of the restaurant. 

“I’m down the street from there, but actually—. Lucky, I’d prefer it if we spoke in private. When are you leaving?” Clark asked.

“I’m not sure. I wanna stay until I can talk to my birth parents, but I’ve gotta get home before New Year’s… Why? Do you wanna meet at my hotel?” I questioned. “We can have dinner.” 

“Okay. We can do it tomorrow night,” Clark replied.

“Tomorrow night’s good. Are you bringing Christopher?” I asked. 

“No, we’re gonna hire a sitter,” Clark answered. I tried scarfing down my nuggets, and Clark heard me. “Should I call you back?” 

“Nuh-uh,” I answered.

“I’ll talk while you eat. I saw your last few posts. Are you teasing a single?” Clark questioned. I swallowed hard and took a sip of lemonade. 

“Oh, um—. You know what? I can answer that on the record. I’m posting a Caesar cipher this Friday with a special message about the album,” I replied, “I wanted to do something fun this time because this album is a bit—. It’s a little dark.”  

“Lucky, I wasn’t calling for a—.” 

“I know, but you and Lois are the only people other than my dad who don’t have an ulterior motive for being nice to me. You’re just nice,” I smiled as I finished eating.”I want you guys to be the first to report it.” 

“Lucky? How are you feeling? Today was a big day, and—.” 

“I thought I’d feel more… I thought I’d cry or something, but I—. I don’t feel anything. I guess I’m—. Maybe I’m in shock. Off the record, I get to meet my bio mom and dad, but I—. I don’t know if I’ll see them before or after I get my records. Clark, you were adopted. Right?” I asked.

“I was,” Clark answered. 

“So, you get it. Don’t you? I mean—. I—. It’s different, but I’m sure you understand why I’m so confused,” I stammered. I couldn’t word things the way I wanted to. 

“Lucky, I want you to understand that you’re the person you were meant to be. Who you were raised by didn’t change anything,” Clark replied. 

*

I couldn’t sleep until the morning, and I slept until a phone call woke me up. “Hello?” I answered. 

“Luck, can you do an interview while you’re out there?” Rex asked.

“When did you schedule it for? I need to be out of here by the twenty-eighth,” I replied. 

“You’re gonna be there for nine more days?” Rex questioned. “And the interview is on the twenty-first.”

“Yeah… I wanted to do a few things before I leave,” I explained, “And okay… I’ll be there. Just text me the info… And Rex?” 

“What, Kid?” Rex asked. 

“Take Roxy someplace nice. It’s the holidays, for Pete’s sake,” I whispered before hanging up. This time of year, my dad and I would sit in front of the fireplace, watching our favorite movies. We always slept in the living room during the holidays. It was like a thing we did. I’d sleep on one end of the sectional, and he’d sleep on the other. Sometimes, I would wake up, curl up in front of him on the couch, and wait for him to wake up. Sometimes, Dad would reach forward with closed eyes and mess up my hair, joking about how much he missed having hair. Those memories were tainted with the kind of pain that made my insides ache. 

I couldn’t control myself. I started crying. I cried so hard it made my stomach sick. I threw up in the hotel bathroom, still crying as I thought about the last time I spoke to Dad. I wondered if he hated me for taking him to court twice. I showered to calm down and got dressed for dinner. I tried to call Dad because I was scared. I was so nervous I couldn’t think straight. Mercy answered the phone for him. I knew that meant he didn’t want to talk to me. “Hi, Lucky,” Mercy answered.

“Mercy, where’s Dad?” I asked. 

“He’s in a meeting,” Mercy replied, “How are you, Luck?” 

“I’m—. I wanna talk to Dad. Can you—? I know he’s not in a meeting. I wanna talk to him,” I replied. Mercy said something that I couldn’t hear.

“I’ll take the call in private,” Dad answered. There was silence for a minute or so, and he sighed. “Conner, what did you want to talk about?” 

“Hi, Dad… I—. Why did you change your mind?” I asked. 

“Because they’re your parents… Maybe they can give you something I can’t—.” 

“Dad, why can’t we have a nice conversation?” I snapped. I called to say ‘thank you’ but couldn’t after he said that. “It’s the holidays—.” 

“We had an agreement, Conner. Meet your family and let the year finish out. Then, we can see where your head—.” 

“Fine. Fine… We won’t talk then. I don’t know why I thought this would be a pleasant conversation. I feel like I’m talking to a child—.” 

“Watch it, Conner,” Dad warned. I wasn’t as angry as I was hurt. I longed for the way things were before the adoption bombshell. 

“Whatever, Dad,” I muttered, “I gotta go.”