#made a sandwich spread with it on sunday

[august--and-everything-after]

I've been sleeping on cottage cheese. It's so versatile.

[inkskinned]

we were drunk off mezcal and my dog had his paws crossed like he was fancy and we were giggling about it and i told you that with the sun coming back i can feel my fingers again and you grabbed my wrist and jokingly shook my limp hands while saying i have you i got you and i wanted to tell you i love you in that moment but it's actually just that it's spring and love actually seems like something that i can afford once in a while so long as i'm not overwhelmed by the crushing weight of having to do my laundry

i don't get so sad on sundays anymore and part of that is you but also part of it is that i've been watching a bird melodrama in the tree outside my window - first the robins had the run of it, then the doves. most recently a family of sparrows came through. the sky was pink today like a kiss, and i felt the pastel wrap in a warm piebald snake around my chest and hum herself into my bones

thank god for every person that forgives me for the depressive spirals i go on every winter without-fail like i swear there are absolutes in this world and it's stuff like. stoats go white in winter. the sun comes over the east. when it gets cold all parts of my soul go numb and the light can't pass through my iris without a tattoo gun. how many times can i tell a friend i'm sorry i wasn't talking to you, i truly wasn't talking to anyone

thank god i can feel my skin right now and you hold my weak little hand in your hand and then you flip it over so you can read my palm and you're smiling while you run fingertips over lines and read out my fate like it says here you like a good grillcheese sandwich and admit it you make salads by buying the pre-made spring mix and i have all your astrology shit memorized and i read your horoscope first when i'm checking my own even-though-i-don't-believe-in-it (but just in case) and i want to kiss you just to watch the blush spread in a tulip from under your freckles in that way it does, how you pull back and wrinkle your nose in laughter

thank god but today for the first time in a month i finally texted my friends back and actually made plans to hang out (how's that! barring disaster!) and i let my dog put his big muddy paws on my nice sweater and yeah actually when it's bad i always think i can't do that again. i can't crawl back up that mountain

but the sun touched me on the face this morning and we had a nice long talk about it and i said i gotta go the long way again huh and she nodded and shook back her solarflare hair and looked over to her moon girlfriend and she said you can do it. better things on the horizon.

[jyoongim]

~BLOOD & BLISS~

Human!Alastor x wife!Reader

Themes: 1930 based! Human!Alastor x wife!Reader, domestic life! fluff, smut, devotion, slight manipulation, mention of children, pregnancy,  blood, murder, secrets 

In this chapter: slow build up! Smut! Love-making, Creampie, slight breeding kink

this chapter is VERY long!!!

Chapter one Chapter three

Chapter two

The sound of voices filled your home as the ladies chatted in your parlor.

“Oh honey is that peach cobbler? Why you would think it was Sunday with the spread you made.” Agnise said as you came from the kitchen with the dish and placed it on the dessert table, causing all the ladies to turn to you.

You had finger sandwiches filled with ham, beignets, one too many cakes, banana pudding, sweet tea and lemonade.

You were in a baking mood and since it was just high noon, you kept it lite for today’s meeting.

You let out a laugh “oh it was nothin’. Thought we deserved a treat since the last time we saw each other. We housewives deserve a little sugar sometimes.” The ladies giggled at your comment.

Grabbing a sandwich, you took a seat by Rosie, “Now what were y’all talking about while i was in the kitchen?”

”Abi was telling us the Smiths youngest was found in bed with that scrappy gent that worked down at the mill” Rosie said, sipping her tea. You gasped, hand over your heart “Ain’t that girl engaged to um oh what that boy’s name?” You snapped your fingers trying to think

”David Johnson” Abigail snickered “Just know Old smith threw a fit. I heard her mother went crying to the church shouting. Ooooh must have been real bad”

Agnise chimed in “Also Harriet told me that Elaine is expecting…and it ain’t her husband’s” shocked gasps filled the room. “Elaine? As in love the church, has three youngins Elaine? Oh that poor woman I don’t know how she do it” Rosie shuddered. Abigail smirked “Yeah poor Elaine, so who’s the father?”

Agnise chuckled “Take a guess”

Literally you, Rosie, and Abigail looked to each other puzzled.

”Pastor Brown from the next town over”  Agnise said.

squeals and laughs erupted from all of you.

You shook with laughter as you took a deep breathe. “Ok ok enough of that. How have y’all been?”

Rosie was running a boutique, New Orleans finest clothes and it was really taking off. She talked about how some cheap fabrics came in and she ain’t have a clue what to do with them.

Agnise happily chirped about how her two oldest had got accepted in some fancy school on the other of town.

Abigail complained that she thought the maid was stealing her clothes, claiming too many of her fine dresses were missing out of her closet.

”Oh dear how is that handsome husband of yours? I was hoping to the man when I was coming in.” Rosie said smiling. 

Rosie and Alastor were the closest besides Mimzy. He often dropped by to have her make your clothes and tailor some of his suits.

”Oh you know how Alastor is” you waved your hand, “he set out early this morning to the radio station. We’re suppose to down to Mimzy’s club tonight”

Agnise and Abigail looked at you shocked “That ol rigity joint? Oh darling no. That man makes good money, why y’all going down there?”

You had met Agnise and Abigail when you were in school.  They were a bit more Polish than Rosie who didn’t mind a good time.

”I think that lounge is rather charming. The music is good.” You defended.

”Well enjoy it now, I had a dream bout fishes and you know what that mean” Agnise said, giving you a knowing look.

You blinked, then blushed, taking a sip of tea. “I don’t know what you’re talking about” you feigned dumb.

She smirked, red lips curling “You’ve been hiding news from us haven’t you?”

Abigail looked at you, “Are you?”her honey eyes roamed over your figure.

”Ladies no! I’ve told y’all me and Alastor haven’t discussed children. We don’t have time for that” you said pouting at their accusations.

”What man don’t want his own running around? The two of you been married for a few years now, i had half expected at least something.” Agnise said.

”Alastor has just settled in good as radio host. What kind of wife would I be if I just randomly suggested having a little one running around? No I couldn’t.” You gripped your cup, looking down.

You and Alastor hadn’t really discussed children. You figured you would wait a few years to get settled into your marriage before thinking of children.

With alastor’s career taking off, you didn’t have it in you to just spring the notion on him.

You didn’t mind. It was quite nice not having to clean and look after a baby.

BUT 

You did want to potentially have children with Alastor.

The house would be a lot livier and you thought Alastor would make a great father.

”Y’all ain’t getting any younger dear!” Agnise said “i mean unless there’s a another woman invovled”

Rosie let out a hiss, glaring at the woman “Oh shush that! Alastor wouldn’t do that! He loves his wife too much to even look at another woman”

Agnise shrugged.

Abigail patted your hand “Honey don’t listen to her. I am sure you’ll have a whole litter running around afterwhile. Not having children ain’t all that grand.”

You pouted. That did not make you feel better.

Rosie seeemd to pick on up your down mood and interjected

”We came to discuss books! Enough of this husband and children talk! So we left off at Charles securing the mistress!”

The little gathering went on without a problem, but the comments and conversation still bounced in your head. 

Alastor wouldn’t seek out another woman just because I haven’t…right?

You and Alastor’s intimate life was fine to your knowledge.

 The man wasn’t the most affectionate, but he did try. 

He was loving and gave you anything you wanted.

THATS what any wife wanted right?

Not having children didn’t seem to make him any less doting with you.

But you still felt that nagging doubt as you tried to reassure yourself.

”Bye now! Tell Nathaniel I said hello and Abi please just see if the maid took your dress!”you hollered from your porch, waving the ladies as they smiled and walked down the street.

You sighed. Rosie had stayed behind and was cleaning up.

”oh Rosie you’re a guest please let me” you said grabbing the dirty dishes.

”I’ve been here so much this is practically my home girl please.”she laughed as she grabbed the tablecloth and put in in the hamper.

”Those two are certainly a handful. Don’t take what they said to heart. They are just bitter their husbands don’t love on them like yours” she chided.

You hummed. Rosie was right. What did it matter that you didn’t have kids? That didn’t change anything.

”I know Ro but I feel like I’m failing as a wife. But i promise I’m fine I swear” you quickly said as she gave you a look.

She looked at the clock “Oh my well look at the time! Do give Alastor my love dear”

You gave her a hug and walked her out, waving her goodbye as she waltzed down the road.

You were now alone.

The house was quiet and you had cleaned up everything so you wouldn’t have to look at the mess in the morning.

You rolled your shoulders, sighing at the tension and decided a quick nap wouldn’t hurt as you wait for Alastor to come home.

—————————————————————————————————

The sun began to slowly set through the trees as Alastor ran a bloody hand through his hair, the brown strands slicking back as he breathed deeply. The man had put up quite a fight, but luckily Alastor could quickly deal with his little problem. 

He had planned to take his wife out for tonight, but with the way he was feeling, he would rather be in your embrace and sleep.

He would stop and get you your favorite flowers as an apology and maybe cook for you instead. A soft smile appeared on his face as he imagined your face as he came in with flowers and kissed your soft lips as he propose hell cook for dinner.

Soft jazz would be playing and after the meal he would ask you to dance. Peppering your face in kisses as you laughed at him, thinking he was silly.

And maybe afterwards, he could indulge himself in you. A shiver ran through his body at the thought of your face contorted in pleasure. 

Oh yes he was sure you wouldn’t mind why he came home late

He hid away his shovel in an old storage house and changed clothes.

Getting in his car, he hummed along to the radio as he thought of what to make for dinner.

—————————————————————————————————-

Alastor softly closed the back door as he slowly set down the flowers and groceries. He peeked his head in the parlor and found you sleeping on the couch.

He quickly made his way upstairs, hid his clothes in the back of your closet, showered, and went back down stairs.

He grabbed the flowers and slowly slid beside you, pulling you into his lap.

You snuggled into his neck, eyebrows scrunching, waking up ”hmmm Alastor?” you groaned as he snickered. He pressed his lips to your plump cheek “Seems my darling wife had a very long day. Seems I got caught up at work and didn’t catch the time. But…” he pressed the flowers to your nose as you took a deep inhale of the flowers, smiling “I do hope you would forgive dear.”

Your heart fluttered at the man, standing to put the bouquet in a vase.

You caught sight of the time and gasped “oh no! I can’t believe I fell asleep for that long, lord on high I ain’t got a single thing out to cook.” You went to make your way to the kitchen, but Alastor was quick to wrap his arm around you, pulling you into his lanky frame. “Don’t you worry about dinner darlin’ I got it. I had promised you a night out and forgot. So to pay for my offense Ill cook dinner and why don’t you go upstairs and put on something pretty  for me hmm?” He pressed a few soft kisses along the column of your neck, making your breath hitch slightly, before patting your ass to get you moving towards the stairs.

Once you made it back downstairs, the smell of dinner made your stomach growl.

Alastor was just setting th plates as you entered the kitchen. “Book club must have been something today, I see you baked a lot of goods today. Good thing I checked before thinking of making dessert” He turned to actually look at you.

Gorgeous is what he thought as he took you in.

You opted for a simple slip dress that fell just before your knees. How enticing.

 You accessorized with your pearls and even had your hair curled slightly.

He couldn’t help but wrap his arms around your waist and bring a hand to his lips, kissing it as he looked at you with utter devotion.

”My my don’t you look lovely dear” he whistled, twirling you around slowly.

You blushed and looked towards the stove “Dinner smells great Al, what did you make?” He ushered you to the dining table and pulled you chair out for you to sit before fetching tonight’s dinner.

Shrimp and grits in one bowl and jambalaya.

For dessert he took a piece of butter cake that you made earlier and chilled sweet tea and lemonade.

You moaned in delight as the flavor of the jambalaya burned your mouth. “Oh Al! You added a bit more spice this time but it goes good with the grits. oh i love your jambalaya.” You praised him.

You practically danced in your seat as you ate causing Alastor to chuckle.

”I never tire of your praise for my mother’s recipe my dear. I must say this cake might just be my new favorite” he said.

You decided to fill him the latest gossip you heard today from the ladies

”Rosie sends her love by the way. Oh you would not believe what Agnise told us today…” you started.

Alastor had a lazy smile on his face as you talked animatedly about todays gossip. He nodded along and even gasped at the details you shared. You made him swear he wont repeat it anywhere, including on the radio.

You took a sip of lemonade ”Agnise made a comment that she was surprised we haven’t had kids yet. Can you believe that woman?” Alastor tilted his head “I wouldn’t put it pass that one. Well what did you say?”

Alastor asked taking in your reaction as you pouted, swirling your fork in your grits before stabbing a shrimp. You sighed “I told her that we just weren’t ready. I mean you just got settled in at the studio good. Then the nerve of that woman to say that you were probably seeing another because I wasn’t putting out.” You mumbled that part, feeling  pinges of doubt start to rise in you as you looked at him.

Alastor scoffed “darling I only ever had eyes for you” he reached across the table to grasp your hand, thumb fiddling with your wedding ring. “Nothing will make me look at you different. To me, you’re perfect. You are much more than I could ever deserve” he smiled at you. “Do you want children darlin?” He asked.

You blinked, a warm blush crept up your cheeks “I-I mean it might has crossed my mind once of twice, but I-I dont know” you looked away, feeling shy.

Alastor grinned “I think you would make a wonderful mother my dear. Through I will admit having to share you i dont know about that” he laughed “buuuuut if having children will make you happy, who am I to say no?” His voice dropped an octave as he smiled at you.

You were shocked. You hadn’t thought that Alastor would be open to having children. But you didn’t just want to have kids because of social pressure. You wanted it to be something you were sure of…

”Its a big responsibility if we have children Al”you whispered. He hummed, shrugging “Dear I make more than enough that our children will have comfortable upbringing, besides Ill be there the whole step of the way”

That reassurance made your heart swell.

You smiled, a soft laugh bubbling out of your chest “Then I guess well see what happens then huh?”

You finished dinner, Alastor leaving the dishes to soak and you giggled as he dragged you upstairs. “Alastor! Hahaha dont you have work tomorrow?” You entered your shared bedroom and squealed as he lavished your exposed shoulders in kisses.

He groaned in response as he unbuttoned his shirt as his hands gripped at your hips.

”what do that have to do with us delving into the throws of pleasures darlin? Its been quite some time since I’ve paid you proper attention.”

Your back hit the duvet as he situated himself between your thighs. Your dress bunched at your hips, exposing your lacy garter. His hand toyed with the fabric, lips curling in a smirk “Were you planing to seduce me dear?” You shook your head as you curled your arms around his neck, pulling his head to meet his lips.

”Hmmm lets keep the pearls and garter on” he grinned down at you.

”Nngh! Ah! Ah! Ha! Ah! Oh god!”you cried out as Alastor thrusted into you. Your fingers gripped at his hair as you moaned into his neck, kissing over the red bruises forming on his skin.

Fingers flexed on your thigh, keeping your leg pressed into your stomach. The only sound that filled the room were your sweet moans and his soft grunts and the slap slap of his dick burying into your cunt.

Alastor’s back muscles flexed as you raked a hand along his back, groaning as your nails left burning trails into his flesh.

”One more. You can give me one more can’t you darlin?” He asked huskily as he snapped his hips into yours.

Your body buzzed as your third orgasm approached. The pearl necklace that hung around your neck, bounced with your breasts as Alastor nipped at your neck. One of his hands crept up your chest to play with one of your nipples. Tugging and pinching the perk peak as your cunt clenched around him.

”I can’t wait to see you pregnant ma cher. All nice and round, carrying my child.”

A sharp pinch had you whining “These lovely tits of your full of milk god I can’t wait to taste it” his head shifted to your chest, his warm mouth taking the mound into his mouth. Teeth and tongue teased as his thrusts picked up pace.

”A-Al! Oh! Oh! P-Please!” You threw your head back in pleasure.

Alastor couldn’t help but let his twisted feelings take over, a hand wrapped around your throat, applying slight pressure as you whined.

He brought his face back to yours, nose brushing against yours as your swollen lips enticed him to suck and bite at them. He maneuvered both your thighs to be pressed against your stomach, giving him leverage to hammer into you soppy heat.

”You want me to give you a baby darlin? Hmm? Want me to fill the needy cunt of yours and spill my seed into you?”you moaned, eyes glazed with lust.

Alastor smirked “Use your words baby. C’mon” a harsh thrust made your toes curl.

”y-yes please please Alastor give me a baby!” You cried.

A wild look was in his eyes 

“Oh ill give you all the babies you want. I’ve wanted to see you swollen with my child since our wedding day. You’ll look so pretty baby. All filled with my cum and swollen. Yeeesss what a lovely sight you’ll make”

His thumb worked tight circles on your clit as your back arched into him as your orgasm ripped through you. Alastor slammed his lips on yours to swallow the loud moan that tried to spill from your lips.

He grunted as his hips shuddered. Chasing his orgasm as he rode yours out. With a hiss, his dick twitched and soon warm cream painted your gummy walls.

With a sigh, he coaxed his tongue against yours as he gave you a few more soft thrusts.

Panting and flushed, your legs fell limp as he pulled out and smirked at the mess he had made of you.  A white stream slowly pooling out of you.

Spent and feeling the blissful afterglow, you curled into the covers, wincing at the stickiness between your thighs. Alastor pulled you into his chest, kissing your forehead “normally Ill clean you up, but since were trying no need.” He brushed a curl out of your face as you began to fall asleep

”Alastor?” You said tiredly.

He hummed, as he ran his hand up and down your arm, admiring the red bruises on your neck and shoulder

”I love you”

He grinned as you dozed off.

”I love you too dear”

———————————————————————

Soooo what did you guys think??? Bit of a slow burn yes? we got a peak into what Alastor was doing hehehee

@nightshadelm @th3-st4r-gur1 @amurtan @lunaramune @southern-bayou-beau  @karolinda007-blog @simphornies @yourdoorisunlocked @nettaw @purplecatsandhearts @catherine1206 @jellibean2018 @thewinchestah @wonderlandangelsposts @alishii @readergirlstuff @missgurlsstuff @yuzurixx @darkovergrownforestnymph @dasimp777 @markster666 @alastorsgirl48 @alastor-simp @alastorsaries @preciousbabypeter @alastwhore666 @strawberrypimp666 @stawberrypimpsimp @queenariesofnarnia @peachedtvs @peachedtv @tpks @siiv3r @hazelfoureyes @okay-babe @aconfusedworld @chewbrry @altruisticalastor @yunimimii @dievia3 @alastorsdear @alastorsdarlingdoe @t0byisher3 @dennsfz @twismare @nanami1chu @yoongibabs @menthatilove @smoky000 @luzzbuzz @stygianoir @kiralaufeyson84 @for-hearthand-home @luzzbuzz

[peachdues]

HOUSE OF CARDS — NSFW TEASER

Sanemi Shinazugawa x Kyojuro Rengoku x F!Reader • Bodyguard AU

A/N: happy KNY Sunday!

In honor of the new season premiering tonight, enjoy a first look at the first threesome between Reader and her two bodyguards.

Hope y’all are ready to be sandwiched between these two — things are gonna get filthy.

Note that when you see (…) that means I’m skipping to another scene — I can’t give the whole thing away, now can I?

CW: explicit sexual content • MDNI • threesomes • spanking • unprotected sex • double penetration • discussions of creampies • spanking • slightly mean!Kyojuro but only in bed • teasing

It was wrong; you knew what you were doing was wrong.

You were his employer and he your employee. By all accounts, the only reason for his presence in your life at all was thanks to a contract and a hefty payment.

But he was there, and he was looking at you with a smoldering heat that made you go weak at the knees. He’d protected you, both he and Agent Rengoku had thrown themselves over you to shield you from harm without a moment’s hesitation.

You’d been lonely for so long, and Sanemi had been so surprisingly gentle and kind. How could anyone blame you for wanting a little comfort, especially after what you’d just gone through?

You needed it; craved it.

And truthfully, you wanted to be fucked stupid.

“Please,” you whispered, taking another hesitant step toward him, your resolve threatening to crumble if he did not respond soon. “Please, Sanemi,”

The bodyguard’s eyes remained locked on your face as you leaned in, your nose brushing his. Though he was still, you could see the rigidity which had settled over his limbs, could see the tightness in his shoulders as he worked to keep himself from reaching out and holding you.

But then Sanemi’s eyes flickered down to your mouth, and you knew he was going to give in. Before he could lift them back up to your heady gaze, you let your towel drop to the floor, exposing your nude body entirely.

—-

(…)

The handsome, scarred bodyguard had your back pressed against your headboard, his base flush against yours as Sanemi circled his hips, grinding into you so deliciously that your eyes took residence in the back of your skull.

It was wrong — so, so wrong of you to fuck your bodyguard and to let him fuck you, but the way Sanemi’s hips swiveled against yours, the way his bare cock dragged against your walls while he kissed your neck, felt so fucking good that you couldn’t stop.

“God, you’re fuckin’ perfect,” Sanemi grunted against your throat, his hands sliding under your thighs and pushing them up until you were spread against your headboard. The new angle allowed him to shift his hips, the blunt head of his cock pushing so deep it was nearly painful.

“Oh my —“ You choked off, unable to string together a coherent sentence while the walls of your cunt clenched harder around the Bodyguard’s thick length. “Sanemi.”

The door to your bedroom banged open, and Sanemi was quick to cover your body with his own, yanking you down and behind him, concealing you from sight as he assessed the threat.

The threat, however, was no stranger. It was Rengoku, leaning against your doorway, a strange mixture of anger and heat blazing in his golden eyes, an unsettling smirk pulling at his lips.

“By all means, don’t let my presence interrupt you,” he purred. Above you, Sanemi smirked back and his hips began to roll back into yours, even as you squeaked. “I just wanted to ensure Agent Shinazugawa was tending to your needs.”

Sanemi abruptly snapped his hips against yours and your head fell back against your pillow as you cried out. A lewd squelching began to sound, breaking up the thick silence of the room as he repeated the movement again and again.

“I think she’s taken care of,” his voice was rough as his hand came to your breast and rolled a hardened nipple between his fingers. From the doorway, Rengoku’s eyes narrowed on your chest, his mouth watering at the thought of taking one of your soft mounds between his lips.

“But by all means, Agent Rengoku, if you think you should inspect for yourself,” Sanemi trailed off as the force of his thrusts increased, the bed posts beginning to rock against your wall.

Through the daze that the scarred bodyguard had fucked into your mind, the implication of Sanemi’s suggestion settled. To your surprise, you clenched even harder around the cock currently threatening to bruise your cervix, a small whimper slipping past your lips.

“Oh?” Sanemi turned his attention back down to his beautiful employer, goosebumps erupting over his skin as he felt your molten heat tighten around him. “You like that idea, do you sweetheart?”

Sanemi’s rough thumb found the bundle of nerves between your legs and pressed, your moans turning to cries as you writhed beneath him. “You want me to stop so you can show Rengoku how good this pussy feels?”

Your head began to shake as tears gathered in the corner of your eyes. “Don’t stop!” You gasped, your nails sinking into the rocky muscle of Sanemi’s shoulders, as though to keep him in place. “B-both.”

Sanemi’s hips stuttered against yours as Rengoku’s breath caught in his throat. But you only repeated those damnable words once more as your hand flung out towards the doorway, beckoning.

“I want you both.”

———

(…)

You yelped as Rengoku’s hand made contact with your exposed backside, making you jolt in his lap, though the bodyguard’s other hand effortlessly held you in place, draped over his thighs.

The sting was momentarily chased away by a soothing rub, before he withdrew once more, bringing his hand back down on your other cheek, a resounding slap! echoing through your bedroom.

“You cannot hide such important information from us, Y/N,” Rengoku admonished, the contrast between the richness of his voice and the sting of his hand against the sensitive flesh of your ass making your thighs squeeze together as you squirmed in his lap. “We cannot do our jobs and protect you if you’re lying.”

You whimpered. “I couldn’t tell you — client confidentiality -“

Another smack, this time firmer, choked you off with a squeal, as Rengoku’s fingers squeezed your ass cheek tightly upon impact, a thumb rubbing circles over your reddened flesh.

“Our duty is to guard your life,” the ordinarily sweet-tempered protector warned. “The more difficult you make that duty, the harder your life will be when we finally get you home.”

But even as he said it, you felt his fingers inch closer and closer to the dip between your legs, to where the evidence of how thoroughly you’d been enjoying this side of your kind bodygurd was thoroughly coating your inner thighs.

He gave you one last smack, seeming to relish the way your ass jiggled with the impact, as he smoothed his hand appreciatively over the reddened curve.

“What do you think, Agent Shinazugawa?” Rengoku called jovially to his partner. “Do you think she’s learned her lesson?”

You did not hear Sanemi move from where he’d been leaning against your wall, watching Rengoku punish you, until you’d felt his fingers beneath your chin.

“I do,” he murmured, his voice rugged though his hands were gentle as he tilted your head, inspecting the small, bandaged cut across your cheek. The smirk on the scarred, ruggedly handsome face of your other bodyguard made your thighs clench all the more. “But I think it’s time we show her how grateful we are that she’s safe.

——

(…)

Rengoku readjusted his grip under your thighs, securing you tighter against his heaving form while also holding you further open, to allow the Bodyguard at your back easier access.

The movement stirred friction between where Rengoku’s coarse base was pressed flush against your sensitive clit, and you cried out, your cunt involuntarily tightening around the burly blonde’s thick length.

Rengoku swore. “Wait a moment, my flame,” he circled his hips once before pressing deeper into you in warning. “I promise we’ll give you what you need soon.”

Your responding whimper was cut off with a choke, as Sanemi realigned the tip of his achingly hard member at your entrance, already stretched and filled by Rengoku.

“God damn,” the scarred bodyguard’s voice was like gravel as he rubbed his head against your heat. “It’s gonna be a tight fit — tighter than before.”

Sanemi shifted forward to press his lips against the nape of your neck. “You sure you wanna do this, sweetheart? We can take turns.”

At your front, Rengoku grumbled, the sound rumbling deep in his chest as he leaned forward to tease along your throat with his hot mouth as you mewled.

You gasped at the slight prick of Sanemi’s teeth against your skin as he waited for your answer, one dainty foot twitching where it hung mid-air.

“Yes!” You squealed, hips involuntarily grinding down on Rengoku’s length. “Please — I need someone to move —“

Growling in response to your confirmation, Sanemi pushed his hips up, squeezing his cock past that first ring of hot, pulsing muscle. There was some initial resistance due to the simple girth of Rengoku’s length as his flame-haired companion waited with clenched teeth. Sanemi quickly readjusted his stance, widening his feet and thrust up once, sharp and quick, the movement allowing him to sheathe himself once more inside the molten walls of your vice-like cunt.

A cacophony of sighs and strangled moans escaped the three as Sanemi became fully seated inside of you, as the three adjusted to one another.

“Fuck, I can feel you, Shinazugawa,” Rengoku groaned. “God, you both feel —“ he shuddered, and your legs clenched over his forearms as you moaned. “So fucking good.”

—

(…)

Sanemi’s head was thrown back, a whine tearing from his throat. “Fuck, I’m gonna — I need to pull out.” Another sloppy jerk of his hips upwards made it clear how close he was. “Now.”

But you couldn’t stand the thought of losing the comforting warmth of Sanemi’s cock, nor when it felt so good stretching you alongside Rengoku’s as the men alternated their thrusts, your body bouncing with each pointed movement from where you were sandwiched between them.

You were on birth control and both men were already bare inside you; flippantly, you rationalized that you might as well get your use from it.

“D-don’t!” You gasped, one shaky hand leaving its clawed grip against Rengoku’s shoulder in favor of reaching behind you, settling on the rocky expanse of Sanemi’s waist, anchoring him there. “Inside — both of you!”

“Oh fuck,” Rengoku hissed through clenched teeth, his thrusts stuttering. “Y/N — hah — are you sure?”

Reflexively, your legs clenched harder where they were draped over the crook of the fiery Bodyguard’s steely arms.

You nodded, desperate. “I need it — I need you to feel you both.”

Both men’s heads fell back as they simultaneously groaned.

—

(…)

A sudden graze of teeth against your ear made you shiver violently as Sanemi tugged at your lobe. “You’re gonna have to be a good girl, Y/N, and ask nicely, if you want it,” his voice dark and rich.

The white-haired bodyguard punctuated his demand by nearly pulling his cock out entirely from your heat before he snapped his hips up, eliciting deep moans from both his fellow guard and you pressed between them.

A feral, mischevious glint sparked to life in Rengoku’s searing gaze. He shifted beneath you, pushing his leg forward to keep you balanced as he moved one hand away from your thigh and cupped your breast.

Your eyes flew open as Rengoku pinched roughly at your nipple. “You heard your Agent, Y/N,” he rolled your mound in his palm before his fingers repeated the torture. “You need to beg.”

dw Sanemi is gonna suck Kyojuro’s dick later

[t3a-tan]

How would human Oliver react to finding a borrower James?

I'm happy with this one ^^

---

Oliver lived a fairly quiet life. He worked as a child psychologist throughout the week. On Thursdays he ordered a takeaway and would finish his leftovers on Friday, on Saturdays he went to the library to check out and return books, he tended to his garden every couple of days, and on Sundays he mowed some of his elderly neighbors' lawns.

Most mornings he had toast or cereal. Every other Sunday he had a full English. On Fridays he went out for a cream tea— scones with jam and clotted cream were his favorite after all. On Tuesdays he gave some jars of handmade jam around the neighbourhood, and sometimes a few extra treats if he made them.

He went to a local sandwich shop for lunch every day other than on weekends, where he always ordered the same egg salad sandwich. He always got cheese and onion crisps, always had a medium coffee, always sat in the same seat by the window.

He had a routine and he stuck to it.

To his coworkers he was known as a good worker; polite, well-received, compassionate. He wasn't friends with anyone though.

This didn't upset him in the slightest. He liked his quiet life, and whenever he got close to others they ultimately ended up discovering his past, rumours would spread, and then everyone would treat him differently again.

He had gotten used to the usual pitying looks when he was younger after he became an orphan— then the disturbed looks when he wasn't fazed by the loss at all. That passed. Now people presumed he had grieved already so it wasn't so difficult.

But then his cousins went missing.

Just a few months before he received his doctorate he got a call— an awful horrible and truly terrible call. It informed him that his uncle and aunt, his guardians, had been shot dead, and his two younger cousins had gone missing.

He graduated the year after instead.

But now he lived a quiet life. A quiet life, waiting, hoping to receive another call telling him his cousins were found alive. Rumours had initially spread saying he was responsible and even though he had been cleared by the police every time, people still talked about it.

So things were fine like this. Quiet. Sometimes a bit lonely, but nothing Oliver couldn't handle. He stuck to his routine and that was that.

Well… That was that until as he began pouring cereal into his bowl of milk, a tiny man fell out along with it. Oliver froze, staring down at the man in a mixture of shock, disbelief, and pure confusion. The man in turn, after right himself, stared straight back at him.

"...uhm… Hello there..?" Oliver wasn't sure why exactly there was a tiny man sitting in his bowl of shreddies soaked in milk, but he was sure that there was a tiny man there. As baffling as it was, it was better than a rat falling out.

Was this some form of mutated rodent? No. They looked entirely human all aside from their incredibly diminutive size. Oliver began cycling through every myth and fairytale he had read that might give him something else to go off of… though perhaps this was just a shrunken man..?

He received no response to his greeting— aside from a frightened look. That's fair, Oliver thought, I imagine it must be rather disorienting to fall out of a cereal box at half past six in the morning.

"Hmm…"

To remedy that fact, Oliver first considered picking the tiny man up with his fingers to get him out of the bowl…but on second thought, he wanted to avoid getting his fingers covered in milk. Instead he picked up his spoon, very carefully bringing it towards the man in order to scoop him out onto a dishcloth or something— though he stopped the moment he heard the tiny man cry out.

"Don't eat me..! Jesus—" The man exclaimed, splashing about in the bowl to get away from his spoon. Oliver shut his eyes for a moment as a few drops of milk splashed onto the lenses of his glasses. Opening his eyes again, Oliver's brows furrowed in confusion.

"Eat you? Why on Earth would I do such an awful thing..?" Oliver took off his glasses, wiping them off on his shirt and reminding himself to clean them properly later. Placing them back on his face, Oliver found himself looking down at the clearly shaken little man once more, taking note of the fear that was apparent in their expression and body language.

He waved the spoon slightly to bring the man's attention onto it again.

"I only intended to get you out of the bowl and onto a dry surface, as I'm sure it's not particularly comfortable steeping in milk and soggy cereal." He placed the spoon back down. "I suppose I should have asked permission beforehand though… My apologies. Do you require assistance?"

The tiny man went from looking horrified to seeming completely lost— Oliver wasn't sure why… he hadn't said anything out of the ordinary had he? He was working on not overcomplicating everything he said but it was hard when he was simply talking in the same way he thought.

"I-I…no?" It was spoken more as a question, but Oliver respected it nonetheless, putting his spoon down and moving away from the bowl. He opened his dishes cupboard, taking out a new bowl and pouring milk into it once again. He looked into the cereal box first this time before pouring shreddies into the bowl of milk just to make sure this wasn't a repeat incident.

He looked towards his previous bowl, seeing that the man had yet to move. Somewhat confused, Oliver walked back over, setting his new breakfast down onto the countertop just beside it before pulling up a stool, not yet sitting.

"Although you may do as you wish, I would prefer to clean that bowl and put it away sooner rather than later. Are you sure you don't need any help at all?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. That seemed to snap the tiny man out of his frozen state as they quickly scrambled into action and pulled themself out of the bowl, dripping milk all over the counter.

Satisfied, Oliver picked up the bowl, draining the milk into the sink before dumping the soggy shreddies into the bin. As much as he didn't like waste he didn't plan on eating a breakfast someone had been sitting in. He grabbed a paper towel before walking back over, offering it to the man.

They stumbled back away from his hand, but Oliver didn't falter— he even offered a reassuring smile.

"I'll clean the counter after so don't worry about making a mess. You may leave— though I suggest drying off first. Feel free, also, to wash off in the sink." He waited patiently, observing how hesitant the tiny man was to accept the towel. After thirty seconds had passed and the man had made no progress, Oliver tilted his head, pulling away slightly.

"Are you afraid of me..?" He asked, not offended in the slightest. Hardly even surprised either— considering the size difference it would just be instinctual to fear him, but he thought he was at least being calm and gentle enough to dissipate that slightly. The man met his eyes— his were brown. A nice deep shade of it, Oliver noted.

Although he sensed that they had a response hanging on the edge of their tongue, Oliver didn't get to hear it as they suddenly ran off. Although startled, Oliver didn't make any attempts to stop them, watching with some interest as they opened up a hidden entrance into the walls and quickly hid away inside.

Oliver stayed silent for a few moments after, processing the events that had just happened.

"..my name is Oliver, by the way."

[fanartandfanfiction]

The Saga of Meatball the snake, Chapter 2

“Today is Sunday, so I don’t have classes today, but I will tomorrow. You’ll be alone for most of the day.”

“Can I be your seeing eye snake?”

“I don’t think so.” Ominis smiled and extended his hand. “Come on, we’ve got to go see Melody.”

“Yay!”

Meatball slithered up and around his neck and Ominis pulled out his wand and headed towards the garden. Melody had said she was going to bring lunch and all he needed to bring was Meatball and himself.

“She’s here. She’s wearing a dress. Are you sure this isn’t a date?” 

“I don’t think so. Maybe she thinks it is?” Ominis replied.

“I don’t know, but she’s definitely one of the more attractive humans I’ve seen. Some of them are quite weird looking.”

“Hello Ominis! Hello Meatball!” Ominis was surprised when he felt arms around him. “Sorry, I’m a hugger. Apparently Meatball is too!” She laughed as Meatball coiled tightly around them, forcing them against each other.

“Let go of us at once!” 

“How about a ‘you’re welcome?’ Now you’re close to her. Doesn’t she smell nice?”

“Yes.” He answered in English, then blushed. 

“Yes what?” Melody asked, still against him due to Meatball.

“Oh, sorry, he asked if he could explore. Yes, but don’t go too far. People might be frightened to see a snake roaming around.”

“Oh, that reminds me! I have something for Meatball if he’d let us go.”

“A present?” Meatball said excitedly and finally released his hold. 

“I made you a collar! So that way everyone knows you’re a pet and that it’s ok.”

“Um, how is a collar going to stay up on a snake? He’s the same width all the way down, it will just slide around.”

“Um, hello? Magic! Meatball, would you like to wear a collar?”

“What’s a collar?”

“It’s kind of like a belt that goes around your neck, not tightly though. It just shows people that you’re a pet, not wild.”

“So everyone knows I’m yours?” 

“Correct.”

“Then yes! I’m excited.” 

“Alright, he’s excited about it.” Ominis smiled at Melody as Meatball slithered down.

“I even put a little tag on it! It says ‘Meatball, if lost, return me to Ominis Gaunt.”

“Where did you find a snake collar?”

“I made it! Fairly simple.” Melody hummed happily as she put the collar on Meatball.

“Would you mind telling me what it looks like?”

“Of course! I made it Slytherin green, and the tag is a shiny gold color. Meatball looks very dashing in it.”

“I wanna see!” 

“Um, he wants to see.” Ominis said to her. 

“Alright, I have a compact in my bag. Here you go!”

“Oh! I’ve never seen myself before. I’m quite a handsome snake. And the collar looks nice on me. Please tell her thank you.”

“He likes it and says thank you.”

“Aw, anything for my little Meatball. Alright, I’m afraid I didn’t bring anything too fancy for lunch. I made peanut butter and jam sandwiches, but I used lingonberry jam from my country.”

“Oh, where are you from?”

“Sweden. I think you’ll like it, it’s not too different from regular jam. Have a seat! I spread a picnic blanket out.”

Ominis sat down and she handed him a sandwich.

“Thank you.” He smiled at her.

“Of course! I love picnicking. I also brought chips, some drinks, and some cookies. And, um, a dead mouse for Meatball if he wants it. Don’t worry, it’s not in the picnic basket.”

“She’s so thoughtful!” Meatball happily flicked his tongue.

She pulled out a mouse from her bag and put it on a plate for Meatball. Ominis took a bite of his sandwich and was surprised at how good the jam was. “This is delicious! What kind of jam did you say this was?”

“Lingonberry.” 

“I’ve never had it, it’s wonderful!” 

After he swallowed another bite of his sandwich, he turned to her. “I have to ask. You seem very comfortable around snakes. Not many people would’ve picked up a snake, especially one of his size.

“Are you calling me fat?” 

“No, you’re just long! Longer than the average snake. He thought I called him fat.” 

“To answer your question, I had a pet snake growing up. My parents worked with exotic beasts and traveled around a lot. They found Bologna, he’d been raised by humans and his owners were killed and he was left alone. He would’ve died if my parents hadn’t rescued him.  He couldn’t be released because he’d literally never been without a human. So they brought him home.”

“I'm sorry, Bologna?” Ominis asked with a smile. 

“I was six, and that was my favorite food. Anyway, Bologna was the sweetest snake. He was always very careful around me. We were inseparable, he slept in my bed with me sometimes. I’m not a parseltongue, but I’ve always had a connection with snakes.”

“I can tell. I don’t know what it is, but when she touches me I feel a strange warmth.”

“He says he can tell, and that when you touch him, he feels a strange warmth.”

“Interesting! I’ll have to look into that.”

“So, Bologna, what kind of snake was he?”

“He was a boa constrictor. About 10 feet long.”

Ominis’ eyes widened. “I was picturing something much smaller.” 

“Nope! Bologna was a big boy. I miss him. He passed away a few years ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Truthfully, I’d considered getting another snake, so being with Meatball is really comforting. 

“You’re more than welcome to come visit him any time you’d like.” Ominis smiled. 

“That would be great!” 

They ate their lunch and chatted, getting to know each other. He learned that she dreamed of opening a beast sanctuary and that she spoke four languages. 

Meatball slithered up Ominis’ arm. “I want to sit with both of you. Scoot over by her.” 

“Oh please, you’re just trying to get us together.” 

“Of course I am. Now scoot!”

“Apologies, Meatball said he wants to sit with both of us and requested I move over by you.”

“You have the better spot against the tree, I’ll come move over by you!” He felt her sit beside him, legs touching. 

“You can put your arm behind me again if it’s more comfortable.”

“Oh, alright.” He gently moved his arm to rest behind her. His fingers brushed against the soft material of her dress. 

“So have you ever had any other pets?” Melody asked him. 

“My older brother had a snake, but he was an asshole.”

“Your brother or the snake?”

“Both.”

“I have a sister. We don’t get along. She’s older than me and a total snob. Aria used to tell people that I was adopted and that’s why I was so weird.”

“Why did she call you weird?” Ominis frowned. 

“Because of my fondness for snakes and other creatures. And I’ll admit, I was an odd child. I didn’t have many friends and I spent all my free time with the beasts.”

“That doesn’t make you odd. You’re just a caring person.”

“Truthfully, I always felt like I connected more with the beasts than people.” Melody said, stroking Meatball’s head.

“So you’re Melody, your sister is Aria…I’m sensing a theme.” Ominis smiled. 

“Yes, my mother is Harmony and my grandmother is Viola.”

“Is there a reason you all have music based names?”

“My grandmother was an opera singer.”

“She wouldn’t happen to be Viola Canti, would she?”

“Ah! You know her.” Melody smiled. 

“Oh yes, my family is big on classical music and opera. So are you a singer?”

“When I have to be. Every Christmas, my family comes together and makes us all sing. I enjoyed it when I was younger, but not so much anymore. Now it’s just stressful.”

“How so?”

“Well, when your grandmother is a world renowned opera singer, you’re kind of under a lot of scrutiny.”

“I could see that.”

“So tell me about you.” Melody said to him.

“What do you want to know?”

“I don’t know…things you like to do, things you don’t like, normal stuff.”

“Well, I’m quite the introvert, so I enjoy reading. I particularly enjoy putting in headphones and enjoying an audio book, though my wand does allow me to read physical books. I don’t like it when Sebastian drags me along on one of his crazy adventures, but he needs someone with a level head to go with him, otherwise I’d fear he’d never return.”

“How did you and Sebastian become friends?”

“We’ve been friends for a very long time. In our first year, after I was sorted into Slytherin, I was terrified that I’d be treated differently because I’m a Gaunt, and because of my blindness. But Sebastian sat beside me, broke a cookie in half, and handed one half to me. He didn’t treat me any differently than anyone else. He and his sister Anne were a lifeboat that first year for me. I’d made friends who didn’t care about my last name or my disability, and they helped me acclimate to life at Hogwarts.”

Melody was silent for a moment. “So why would people treat you differently because you’re a Gaunt?”

He hated this part. It always made things awkward and uncomfortable. “The Gaunt family is one of the most notorious dark wizarding families. They’re known for their viciousness and cold-blooded demeanor. So usually when people find out I’m a Gaunt, they turn the other way.”

“That’s ridiculous.” 

“I think so, but I also don’t blame them. I don’t like being a Gaunt for the same reasons.”

He jumped when he felt Melody take his hand. “Thank you for sharing that with me. I want you to know I don’t care about your last name. I think you’re a very kind person, and I won’t treat you differently all because of a silly last name.”

“Thank you, Melody. That means a lot.”

“Kiss her!” 

“No.”

Meatball curled tightly around both of them, forcing them to sit even closer. Ominis could smell Melody’s sweet perfume and feel her silky hair brushing against his skin. 

“Meatball!” Ominis chastised him. “Loosen your grip.”

“No.”

“Stop this right now.” He glared. 

“Gee, is it that bad being close to me?” Melody asked with a giggle.

“Oh! It’s not that at all. I just thought you might be uncomfortable being this close with someone you barely know.”

“Not at all. Besides, I’d say we’re friends now, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes. I’d like that.” Ominis felt a flutter in his chest. Someone was choosing to be close to him and they wanted to be his friend. That didn’t happen often.

“It’s so nice out today.” Melody sighed. “Ideally I’d just stay here all day, but the poachers are due to arrive about two.”

“How do you know that?” Ominis asked. 

“I have an insider. He gives me the info I need, and in return I DON’T kick his ass.”

“I suppose that’s a good bargain.” Ominis smiled. “Sebastian mentioned he’d gone with you a few times.”

“Yes, but we have different approaches. I prefer a more stealthy approach. Sebastian goes in blasting fire. I ask him to come in with me for the bigger camps, but most of the time I prefer to do it quietly and alone. This one today shouldn’t be too bad. Probably about 15-20 poachers.”

“That’s one of the smaller ones?” Ominis asked, surprised.

“Yep. The really small ones are easy. Usually 5-10 people. You could come with me sometime if you’d like.”

“I think I’d probably hold you back.” He smiled. 

“Up to you! The worst part is the trek through the forbidden forest. You never know what you’ll find there. Though sometimes I find some good potion ingredients. I bring them to Professor Sharp.”

“That’s kind of you.”

“I know he can use them, and it’s difficult for him to procure them himself sometimes. He often gives me healing potions. Also he kind of looks out for me.” Melody was silent for a moment. “My father…is absent a lot. He and my mother divorced and he spends all his time on expeditions. Professor Sharp is kind of like a father figure to me. I know it’s weird, he’s my teacher, but he looks out for me more than my own father ever did.”

“I think that’s nice.” Ominis gave her a reassuring smile.

“The first time he caught me coming back late, he was ready to give me detention, until he realized I was injured. He brought me to his office and asked what had happened. When I explained, I expected to get in more trouble. Instead he said, while he didn’t approve of what I was doing, it was a good thing and to come see him before I went out again. He’d give me all the potions I needed.”

“That’s nice that he helps you out.”

“Yeah, he’s not as bristly as he looks.” She smiled. 

They sat and chatted for a little while more before she looked at the time. “Crap, I’ve gotta go get changed and head to the forest. I had fun today!”

“Me too.” Ominis smiled. 

“Let’s do it again sometime. Alright Meatball, time to let me go.” She started to get up when Ominis grabbed her arm. 

“I know it’s silly, but would you let me know when you got back safely?”

“That’s not silly. I’ll text you.” She squeezed his arm, then used her wand to clean up the picnic.

“Alright, see you later.” He stood up and she pulled him into a hug. He was briefly overwhelmed with the closeness of her, her perfume, her warm hands, her soft dress. Then she pulled away and left. 

“You like her.”

“Oh hush.”

[newtonsheffield]

So obviously we're going to need a spicy sunday of the parent trap au kate and anthony having sex for the first time after they re-meet

Oh bless them. After nearly six years they’re definitely a little handsy. We have to remember that they’re also still only like… 27.

Kate could feel Anthony behind her, feel the tension prickling down her spine as his hand settled on her hip, pulling her back against his chest.

“They’re happy.”

His voice was deep, tickling her ear, the gentle hum of it bringing goosebumps to her arms as she nodded. “It’s probably not great parenting from us to put them in the same bed.”

Anthony chuckled, his arms tightening possessively around her waist. “Tomorrow I’ll get them bunk beds. That’s clearly what they’re angling for. If they want to share a room instead of Miles having the spare room, I’m fine with it.”

Kate nodded, the enormity of the afternoon, this night, settling in her shoulders. She wasn’t leaving London at all. There was still so much to settle and yet none of it seemed to matter. Selling the house in Bristol, bringing all of their things here, none of that seemed to matter. All that mattered was Anthony, with his arm wrapped around her, moulding their lives back together again.

“To be honest, he’s probably gonna need one of the spare rooms for all of his things anyway.” Kate hummed, spinning in his arms to look in his eyes.

He looked older than the day she’d left, his jaw more angular and his beard full now, rather than the stubble he’d left when they’d first met. He’d already taken his glasses off but they made him seem more mature, sensible and settled and grown. This version of Anthony was confident in who he was, he;d processed his grief and come out the other side, confident and focused on his growth, and his son. Their son. And something about that drew her in even more. Everything she’d loved about him was still there. His odd, stiff, sense of humour and his smile was just the same, boyish and charming. He was such a nurturer at heart, he always was and it was the unashamed way he showed it that had lead her to accept the proposal of a 20 year old boy as they stood on the dock, a cruise ship behind them.

“Hey, do you want to marry me?!”

She’d gaped at him then, “What?!”

He shrugged, grinning at her with his shirt unbuttoned and his bare chest shining int he sun. “I’m so in love with you, and I think this could be incredible. Marry me.”

“Yes.”

“So, I’ve also been thinking, that second little sitting room downstairs might make a nice little writer’s den.” Anthony was grinning at her now, his eyes shining, “I’m thinking like dark academia vibes. Huge big desk, leather sofa floor to ceiling bookshelves. We can pick it out tomorrow!”

Kate’s stomach fluttered, “That… sounds really nice actually.”

“I know it does! The smell of tobacco hanging in the air. Give it a bit of gravitas.”

“I don’t smoke?” Kate chuckled, “Have you taken up the habit?”

He rolled his eyes, “No, I was thinking a candle.”

“You… know about candle scents now?”

Anthony preened, his lips brushing hers. “I know about all sorts of things now.”

“Is that so?”

“It is.” He pressed against her until she was sandwiched lightly between his body and the wall. “Do you want to talk about how much I know about laundry now? That’s very impressive. Neddy’s little socks are always ironed.”

“I don’t want to talk about laundry.” There was an ache in her chest now, spreading through her entire body at the press of him against her.

“No?” Something dark flashed in his eyes and his lips brushed gently against hers, “Do you want to talk about what a good cook I am now? I’ve taken a lot of classes.”

“I don’t want to talk about that now either.” She let herself relax against him as her lips found his again.

It felt so different, and yet familiar, the press of of his lips against hers. His hands tightened on her waist and pressed her impossibly closer to his chest as their lips moved together and heat built slowly between them. His lips were a little rough and his beard scratched against her skin and it made her spine shiver against him. Anthony let out a low moan at the feel of her tongue against hers. Kate felt her hands twist themselves in the front of his sweater and she tugged him forward until his entire body was pressed against her.

Anthony’s hand slid to her thighs and he tugged her legs around his waist and she heard her own moan echo in the corridor.

“Fuck.” Anthony let out a sharp groan and his hips ground against her, “We shouldn’t have sex outside our twins’ bedroom.”

Kate nodded, but she squeezed her thighs around his waist and her breath came in sharp pants, “Right, we’re responsible parents now. We can’t have sex in the hallway anymore.”

He let out a gasp, and his eyes darkened and she knew he was remembering just the same way she was , “That was a good night though.”

“It was a very good night.”

He let out a grunt as he pushed off the wall and carried her down the hallway, fumbling at the door of the bedroom that had once been hers as well as his. The room that would be hers again. They burst through the door and it slammed shut behind them.

“Do you want the boys to wake up?!” Kate hissed a giggle rising in her throat as Anthony dropped her against the mattress as he tripped over her suitcase left at the end of the bed earlier. “Quiet.”

Anthony looked up at her through the hair falling in his eyes, “Sorry, I never like… done this with my kids down the hall.”

“Me either but I know enough not to wake them up.” Kate chuckled, tugging him forward by the waistband of his jeans.

Anthony leant over her, his knee nudging her thighs apart as his lips found hers again, rougher and deeper this time as his weight settled over her. She let out a loud moan helplessly and her hips bucked up against his before he pulled back, grinning at her. “I thought you said we were being quiet.”

Kate rolled her eyes, tugging his sweater over his head and then her own. His wedding ring and hers were hanging on a chain around his neck just as they had been a few weeks ago when she’d found herself pressed against his wet chest and her stomach had dropped and her body had seemed to remember exactly what to do. Exactly what it would feel like as she moved above him, under him. She hadn’t let herself do what she wanted to then but she let herself do it now. She let herself smile at him and slide the finger of her left hand through the ring and tug gently until his neck bowed to the pressure and his lips found hers again with a desperate moan.

There was a desperate fumble as the kiss deepened between them and Anthony shed the rest of their clothes until there was nothing left between them. He stared down at her, his eyes shining at her, a smile on his lips.

“You’re so beautiful.”

It settled in her chest and she let her fingers run through his hair. “I love you.”

His smile was so beautiful, “I love you too. Always did.”

Their moans mingled together as their lips met again and the rest of their bodies did as well. Anthony’s forehead fell against hers and his eyes screwed shut. A muscle clenched in his jaw as their hips rocked together slowly.

Oh Holy Fuck Kate.

She nodded against him, beyond words as their bodies met again and again and her hand stayed twisted in the chain around his neck holding them together. Heat was licking at her stomach already, warmth spreading deliciously through her as Anthony kept the steady rhythm between them. Anthony’s cheeks flushed and sweat slicked their bodies. This too felt familiar and different, the angles of his body different but not unsettlingly, it felt comforting, a sign of the growth they’d both gone through and yet they’d found each other again.

Her pleasure built slowly and yet it still caught her off guard as she tumbled over the edge, her body shivering gently against his but Anthony didn’t stop. His hands found her waist and legs tangled with hers minced quickly, rolling them until she was settled on top of him. Her shoulders heaved and her legs shook a little with the exertion as Anthony’s hands tightened on her hips.

“That move used to be your favourite.”

Anthony grinned at her, settled against the pillows smugly, one hand pressed against her stomach the other guiding her. “I still like it. The view is… still stunning.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t have it in her to say anything else as she tossed her hair back, bracing one hand behind her and snapping her hips down against him. Anthony let out a tortured moan and his eyes rolled back and they lost themselves in the rhythm again, moving faster and faster. She could see the red marks her fingernails were leaving on his chest, see the diamond ring shining on her hand and something in her chest burned for it, for Anthony. She could feel the heat of his body against hers, the roughness of his hands and the tension in the room was stifling and she felt her muscles coiling tighter again. Tighter and tighter. She felt Anthony’s legs start to shake under her and his hips bucked erratically. His hand tightened on the back of her neck, tugging until their lips met roughly, teeth clashing as they fell apart together.

Anthony’s arms crushed her to his chest as their bodies shook and sweat cooled between them, the smell of them hanging in the air.

“I missed you.”

Kate nodded, kissing his neck gently. “I love you.”

Anthony let out a content little noise, his eyes screwed shut. “I think I should keep the chain. You like that.”

Her laugh echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls. “It’s a bit sexy. I like sexy Dad Anthony.”

He opened one eye, scratching his beard, “Jesus, wait until you see my Birkenstocks.”

“Oh. Be still my beating heart.”

[gracev0609]

Sundays

Josh X Danny X Reader

Warnings: 18+ adult themes, minors DNI, polyamorous couple, m/m, f/m, a good amount of smut and a good amount of fluff. Boyfriend Josh and Danny, and Josh and Danny are boyfriends 🥹

Word Count: 1,700

@hearts-hunger GVF Halloween 🎃

You opened your eyes to find your bedroom still dark. It was gray, gloomy and cold, thankfully you were sandwiched in between two men. Your boyfriends. It had been a few weeks since starting to date both Josh and Danny, they were on break from tour and it was nice to have some normalcy again. Even in its new form.

The three of you laid in your natural states, Josh's head against your bare chest and one arm draped over the both of you, while Danny spooned you from behind. As you got your bearings you found that you could feel both men. Josh's hot length pushing into the supple flesh of your thigh,while Danny's is positioned perfectly between your legs right below your ass. You felt that ever familiar ache between your legs as you realized it was a Sunday with no foreseeable plans. Slowly you snaked your hand down in front of you to wrap your fingers around Josh's cock. You gripped him gently and softly stroked him as you simultaneously pushed your ass into Danny's hard on. You suddenly felt Danny's calloused hands grip onto your hips, pulling them close.

"Good morning beautiful," he rasped sleepily into your ear.

"Morning," you breathed back, " I want you."

Josh begins to stir, he lifts his head off of your breasts and gives you a sleepy smile as you continue to stroke him.

"What a way to wake up, damn."

Danny grabs his cock in his hand and spreads your lips, gliding himself through the wetness between your legs.

"Fuck she's so wet. You want us, huh babydoll?" His voice is still rough and gravely.

You breathed a soft, yeah, as you tilted your hips to entice Danny to enter you from behind.

His fingers gripped onto your hips as he slowly slid into you, inch by inch. You screwed your eyes shut as he stretched you out deliciously, muttering fuck under his breath.

With your eyes still closed you felt Josh shifting around on the bed in front of you before you felt the warm solid tip of his cock nudge against your bottom lip.

"Open up for me baby."

You descended down his length, gently bobbing your head in no rush to the finish line. Every movement still laced with sleep.

As Danny's thrusts become more intentional, you start sucking on Josh's length with more fervor. He gripped onto your hair and pulled you off of him.

"Slow down sweet girl, I don't want to cum yet."

Giving him time to calm down you were able to voice your enjoyment to Danny as he began fucking you harder, the angle of his hips making you feel incredibly full.

" Ah,ah ah Danny!" You moaned as he began hitting the sweet spot inside you.

Feeling like you had energy and no outlet you began going down on Josh again, taking down your throat as far as possible.

Quickly you popped off of his cock and said," I want you to fill me up."

Josh groaned and responded," Yeah baby I'll fill your pretty mouth up. I'm almost there."

"No! I want to be full of you both." You told him unashamed of the request you just made.

Once he realizes what you mean his eyes flick to Danny's over your shoulder.

"You heard her, fill her up."

Danny pulls your hips to his in time with his thrusts somehow fucking you even harder. The coil in your stomach finally snaps as he moans in your ear and you feel the glorious heat of his cum painting your insides.

He gingerly pulls his softening cock out of you. Before whispering into your hair," Lay on your back, keep it all in."

You do what you're told, and Josh gets settled in between your legs.

Watching as his impossibly hard cock twitched with anticipation, leaking precum, he grasps himself at the base and runs his tip through the mess at your entrance. He visibly shudders. Then he pushes himself all the way into you. You can feel Danny's cum seeping out all over the two of you where you're joined together.

Josh blushes and confesses," Oh, oh fuck. I uh, I like that more than I thought I would. Fuck that feels good."

Danny chuckles from beside you," Both of you, sluts for my cum."

You and Josh reply at the same time," Yeah."

You both exchange a silly grin," Fill me up Joshy."

At that he begins to find his rhythm, reveling in the feeling of the extra lubricant.

He winds his fingers through your hair and tugs enough to make it sting. Wet slapping sounds fill your bedroom.

"Fuck baby, here you go. Fuckin take it."

His mouth falls slack as his orgasm takes him, filling you up with a second hot load.

The feeling sending you over the edge for the final time this morning.

"Oh my god!"

The two of you are left panting, chests heaving. After what feels like forever Josh pulls out of you. His fingers dance on your inner thighs as he peers at his and Danny's cum between your legs.

"That's so fucking hot."

Leaning forward he captures your lips in between his in a quick but heated kiss, and then does the same for Danny.

"Easy like Sunday morning, right?"

The three of you took showers and got dressed in comfortable casual clothes.

"Fuck I'm starving, do you guys want to go to that restaurant downtown that has those really good hash browns and cocktails?" Danny asked as he fluffed his hair out from the hood of his sweatshirt.

"Yeah, that sounds like exactly what I need right now," you replied, slipping your vans onto your socked feet.

"Could we also go to the craft store after breakfast?" Josh asked the two of you.

"Halloween crafts?" You asked excitedly.

A smile adorns Josh's face," Halloween crafts."

The three of you sat on their patio seating comfortably in the cooler morning air, it was gray and the leaves were beginning to show signs of change.

You sipped on your screwdriver, plenty strong to make you tipsy on your empty stomach. Quietly you watched your boys conversate, you felt content. Your body was sore and satisfied in the best way, your mind getting fuzzy from the vodka, a Sunday for the books.

"So, when do you think the fans are going to catch on to our relationship?" Danny asked, taking a large gulp of his screwdriver.

The sounds of a straw sucking the last remnants from the glass indicating that Josh had already finished his cocktail," Soon enough I'm sure. Some probably suspect it already. I don't really give a fuck, I love the both of you and I'm not going to hide it. Hate bound by fear will unwind, and all of that."

Chiming in," If you lose them because of your relationship status then they were never a true fan anyway."

Your waitress came back to the table delivering your breakfasts and took your orders for another round of drinks.

It was the afternoon by the time the three of you made it to the local craft store, you and Josh walked through the threshold shoulder to shoulder as Danny took up the rear. You were greeted by orange and purple displays, scary ghouls, and silly ghosts.

"Oh my God, I love Halloween!" You exclaimed.

You beelined it to a display with light up ghosts on sale, grabbing one and inspecting it. Josh did the same with the display of haunted houses.

"Guys we don't need any decorations, let's go look at what we came here for." Danny said sternly, knowing that you and Josh would mess around in this part of the store for at least an hour, leaving no decoration left to look at.

Danny guided the both of you to the other part of the store with a hand on each of your backs.

"Danny we aren't children, you don't need to round us up," Josh complained.

"No, but you do call me daddy." Daniel said smugly.

Finally you found the display of Halloween crafts and activities. You and Danny decided to get a ceramic ghost and pumpkin to paint and Josh found an intricately detailed Halloween coloring book.

"I want to grab a nice set of colored pencils while we're here." Josh told you as he wandered away from the group towards the art supplies aisle.

"What, Crayola isn't good enough?"

"No, it's not. "

Josh found a nice quality set and a new sketchbook which he added to the growing pile in his hands.

You persuaded them to wander throughout the rest of the store, stating there were seasonal items throughout the building. Taking in the rich hues of orange, burgundy, yellow and gold, it ignited a sense of childlike wonder. Even as you have gotten older you still harbor a soft spot for this time of year.

Finally you made it to the front of the store and went to the checkouts.

The three of you piled your treasures on the counter which consisted of your crafts, Josh's art supplies and a scented candle you picked up.

"Your total is $76.56"

Danny dug in his pocket to retrieve his wallet as Josh held his phone to the card reader," I've got it. This was my idea anyway."

Once you get back to your apartment you lit your new candle and put on a classic Halloween movie to listen to in the background. All of you gathered at your kitchen table to work on your spooky crafts. After a while you broke out of your concentration and looked around the room, Danny's face was inches away from the ceramic ghost working on painting small details. You looked over to Josh, he had his tongue poking out in concentration, carefully coloring intricate details of the haunted house coloring sheet. You were so incredibly happy, you were sure you would remember this perfect fall Sunday for quite some time.

Fin.

Next Story

[hero-deserves-to-be-happy]

12 years after the good ending of OMORI, Hero reflects on the unexpected turns his life has taken. He wasn't the same person he used to be and knew he would never be that person again. After such a devastating loss, he had truly believed he could never be happy again, but things were different now...

OR Hero finds healing and loves again (the abridged version).

Past Hero/Mari and Current Hero/Zoey (OC) Slice of Life, Romance, and Hurt/Comfort.

Rated G. Spoilers for OMORI and some discussion of canonical character death, grief and mourning.

Word Count: 4,950. Full Text Below the Cut. Link to the Work on AO3.

A/N: Both of us creators are passionate Hero/Mari shippers, but we are also huge believers that Hero deserves to be happy and that Mari would want him to be happy. He might not ever be ready to move on and might not ever want a romantic relationship like that again, but if he did, this story is just a little glimpse into what we hope it would be like. It's a delicate situation, and we hope this little story has done justice to his grief and the kinds of struggles he would experience in moving on while also realizing it doesn't mean he has to forget.

This story includes specific references to the other stories in the "When Sun Shines Again" series (particularly "Am I Ready For Love Or Maybe Just A Best Friend?"), but this should stand alone and work as a sort of abridged version and epilogue to everything else so reading the other stories is unnecessary. The cover is Mod Sprinkles' art with the title graphics free to use from Canva. Thanks for reading! ☂️

“I missed this, you know…”

With a flick of the spatula, Hero flipped the egg he was currently frying, but he smiled—turning to Zoey with warm, affectionate eyes. “Yeah, me too. It’s been too long. Sorry…” He sighed wearily as he stirred the sauce for his chilaquiles. “We used to have brunch all the time…”

His voice trailed as he thought of the pediatric PM&R residency that had been running him ragged for the past five years leaving barely any time for anything else. Gone were the days of making brunch every Sunday for his friends like he had back in college. Most days he couldn’t even find the time to make himself a sandwich.

Zoey chuckled as she tucked a piece of short red hair behind her ear. “I meant I missed you, Hero—not brunch.” As she leaned over the counter, her light, teasing laugh wrinkled her freckled nose. “I would have been perfectly happy picking something up from that bagel place down the street and just sitting here doing nothing. You didn’t have to cook for me on your only morning off this week.”

“I know, but I wanted to,” he insisted with a gentle smile as he met her green eyes. “I feel like I never see you anymore.”

“It’s okay. You’re a medical resident,” she replied in that matter-of-fact way of hers. “I don’t expect to see you.”

Hero sighed heavily. He supposed she had a point. Residency was…a lot. Truthfully, he felt like he didn’t see anybody anymore. Something guiltily coiled in his stomach as he thought about his missed calls from Kel or Sally’s dance recital he had had to skip out on. He had rescheduled on his parents about half-a-dozen times when they had wanted him to go through some boxes of his stuff they had found in their garage, and he had missed Sunny’s daughter’s first birthday when he just couldn’t get out of work.

Despite his best efforts to be present for his loved ones, he had to develop a code system to classify emergencies. These days it was nearly impossible to get ahold of him unless someone texted him “Tea Time” indicating they needed immediate assistance that just couldn’t wait.

It was Zoey’s idea, but she had never used it.  

If Hero was being honest, that made him feel particularly guilty. He couldn’t stand the fact that he felt spread so thin he didn’t have much left over to give her. She didn’t seem to mind though—usually shrugged it off with insistences that she was busy with her own career too, her dream job: building bridges as a civil engineer. Perhaps that was part of what worked for them. She was so independent—never needed what he couldn’t give her, but that didn’t mean he wanted that for her. He couldn’t help but feel she deserved so much better, so much more than what he had to offer…and not just in terms of his time and attention.

“You have to work again this afternoon, right?” asked Zoey pulling him out of his thoughts. When he nodded, she added, “Just don’t wear yourself out, okay?”

“I’ll try my best.”

As he turned to crack another egg, he caught sight of Zoey’s hard hat on the counter. “Do you have to work today too?”

She shrugged. “Technically no, but I said I’d swing by the building site.”

“In this weather?” Hero’s brow furrowed as he glanced out the window watching the violent pattering of the rain against the glass. “It’s really coming down out there.”

“It’s fine. I have an umbrella.” She waved her hand dismissively motioning to the corner where she had placed the familiar red umbrella she had let him borrow the night they officially met twelve years ago. It was hard to believe it had been that long. “Besides you know I don’t mind the rain,” she added with a smile. “And this helmet’s water resistant.”

“Nice hat,” Hero gently teased—the slightest twitch of a smile curling in the corners of his mouth as she playfully nestled the thick plastic rim into her short red hair.

“You really do love this hard hat, don’t you? You want to try it on or something?”

Hero laughed but shook his head. “I’m not sure it would look nearly as good on me.”

Zoey’s lips curved into a teasing smile. “Oh but everything looks good on you, Mr. Prince,” she quipped, and Hero couldn’t stifle his laugh at her use of the rather cheeky nickname she had given him back in their undergrad. He was honestly surprised it had stuck around this long—though these days she only used it when she was playfully teasing him. “Even those bright green scrubs. I’m going to miss them when you’re not a resident anymore, you know?”

Hero chuckled but sighed as he adjusted his shirt under his apron—medical resident green as Aubrey probably would have said. He had honestly forgotten he was wearing scrubs right now as he had been planning to change into different ones right before he left for the hospital, but they had been the only thing clean in his closet. He really needed to do laundry though he didn’t mind scrubs and definitely hadn’t minded the color. Still he conceded, “I think the lab coat will be better. Just a few more weeks of these. It’s honestly kind of hard to believe it’s almost over.”

Zoey chuckled then dryly teased, “What are you going to do with all that extra time?”

Hero tilted his head. “I have a few ideas…”

“Is one of them getting a good night’s sleep? Because I think you should bump that up to the top of the list.”

“Yeah…” he chuckled before giving the sauce another stir and flipping his eggs. That wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. Instead he felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he thought about his Mamá Alma’s engagement ring he had recently picked up from his safety deposit box at the bank. When his grandmother had given it to him years ago, he had honestly thought he would never use it, but despite his protests that he could never love again and her beautiful jewelry would waste away in a vault forever, she had just patted his cheek calling him ‘concinerito’ just like she used to do when he was a little boy and said, ‘El corazón hace espacio’—‘the heart makes room.’

For a very long time he hadn’t really believed that or at least, hadn’t really understood it, but, as unbelievable as it was, things were different now.

Zoey had been his best friend for over a decade, and he had loved her for years without realizing it or, rather, without being ready to accept it. Even though everyone they knew would have insisted it was a long time coming by the time he had finally asked her out for a cup of coffee three years ago, it still didn’t seem real. When Mari had died, Hero had genuinely believed he never would and never even could feel that way about anyone ever again, and truthfully, he had been planning to never really move on. But…there was just something about Zoey. To this day, he still couldn’t even begin to describe or explain the way he felt about her—the way she made him feel things he didn’t know he could feel anymore. The way her smile healed something in him. The way he could look into her eyes and see a future, a life he had never imagined was possible for him anymore. The way she made him believe he could be happy again—made him believe he could love again.

There was no one else in the world like her. She was brilliant, driven, and really spunky—a little rough around the edges but so empathetic, so much softer than she wanted people to know and an amazing friend. Back in college when he never would have imagined he would eventually date her, they used to stay up until all hours of the night making sandwiches and drinking tea whenever their fraternity and sorority hosted parties and they’d just talk for hours about anything, everything. She was so passionate, especially about bridges and her dreams of wanting to build them someday. Hero could have listened to her talk about it forever even though he didn’t know the first thing about engineering. Perhaps even more than that, she was easy to talk to too—had this way of seeing through him. It was vulnerable but safe. He found himself telling her things that he could never tell anyone else—things about himself, his life, his family, and his past: mistakes, regrets, fears, even his grief.

He’d never forget the first time he told her about Mari. It was the first time that he had ever told anyone who hadn’t known her about it, and he didn’t know what to expect, didn’t know what she would say. In his wildest dreams, he would have never imagined she would cry for him, hold him, tell him that she wished he had gotten to have his “forever” with her. He was so moved just thinking about it, and to this day, he could barely believe that someone could care that much, could love him that much after everything. It was more than he felt he deserved. And she deserved everything—deserved so much more than he had to give her.

He would give her anything, everything that he had to give—would do anything to make her happy, but he couldn’t help but worry it wasn’t enough. Even though he loved her in a way he had never believed he could love someone again, the truth was his heart was a lot more broken and bruised than it used to be. He was a lot more broken and bruised than he used to be. He just wasn’t the same person that he was before, but he desperately wished he could be that person for her, the kind of person she deserved—someone whole.  

“Hey, you okay?” she asked with a slight tilt of her head and a kind smile. Hero nodded.  

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just feeling a little sentimental, I guess.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to miss all the insane hours and marathon shifts?” she teased, and Hero chuckled, somewhat grateful she didn’t quite know what he was getting sentimental about.

“No. I’m definitely looking forward to having a normal schedule for a change and consistent days off.” Or so he hoped anyway…but he didn’t add that part. Instead he turned off the stove’s burner and poured his salsa over the plates of tortillas, then topped with fried eggs before he handed one of the dishes to Zoey.

“This is delicious,” she said between forkfuls as he took a seat across from her at the table. “Though I expected nothing less from you.”

Hero’s mouth curved into a bright but almost bashful smile as he scratched the back of his neck. “I’m sure it’s not that great. I’m kind of out of practice…”

Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes at him somewhat affectionately. “I can’t imagine what ‘in practice’ would taste like,” she quipped before she took another bite with a satisfied hum. “Do you ever think you could’ve been a chef in another life?”

Hero chuckled lightly, but he shrugged as the slightest smile twitched in the corners of his mouth. “I wanted to be—back when I was a kid…” He paused, sighed. He knew she already knew that—already knew everything about him, but she didn’t seem to mind him repeating himself. He could feel her hand reach across the table to gently cover his until their fingers intertwined, until he looked up at her and met her bright green eyes—inquisitive but kind…and knowing as if she could see right through him and understood the bittersweet weight behind those words. As she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, he squeezed her hand and added, “But I don’t want that anymore...”

“Think you’d be even more stressed as a chef?”

“Probably.” His lips twitched before he took a bite of his chilaquiles. “And you’d see even less of me.”  

Hero couldn’t help but smile at the way she stifled a laugh as she caught his dry joke. Zoey tilted her head at him. “What do you want now?” she asked, as if she didn’t already know the answer.   

His cheeks grew warm as he thought of that ring again, but he dryly quipped, “A good night’s sleep.”

She laughed aloud this time—her smile reaching her green eyes until she bantered, “Well don’t set the bar too high. Gotta keep those wildest dreams in perspective, you know? Make them attainable.” Despite the dryness of her delivery, she couldn’t quite hold back her smile. As Hero laughed, her expression softened. “You really do deserve some rest, Mr. Prince. Just because you can function on three hours of sleep, doesn’t mean you should. It shouldn’t be a dream—it’s pretty fixable.”

“You’re starting to sound like Kel…”

Zoey shrugged. “I’ve always said Scotty’s got a lot on the ball,” she said using the nickname she had given Kel over a decade ago on account of his penchant for fixing things. “It’s good advice, and I’m not just saying that because he agrees with me.” The tines of her fork scraped against her plate as she finished the last bite. She stared at her empty plate with a thoughtful hum. “Maybe I should head out—give you some time to take a nap before you have to work this afternoon.”

“You don’t have to stay, but I don’t think I’m going to sleep if you go so…don’t leave because of that.”

Zoey smiled but sighed. “Wishful thinking on my part, I guess.

A loud crash of thunder clanged outside the window, and she frowned. “I had better get going though—head over to the site before the weather gets any worse.”

With a brisk nod, Hero rose from his seat to help Zoey clear her dishes. “I’ve got it,” he insisted, but she somewhat playfully wrestled her plate away from him with a pointed frown.

“You cooked. I can clean up.”

As she quirked an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms, Hero sighed. He knew this look. It meant there was no point in arguing with her—not that he was much of an arguer to begin with. Still, he gently insisted, “At least let me help. It’ll be faster with both of us.”

Zoey teasingly rolled her eyes, but she shrugged. “If you insist…”

Hero nodded, grabbing his used pans and utensils and joining her at the sink. It was a little like déjà vu to be honest given how often they had done dishes together back in college—though Hero would be the first to admit it was much faster and much easier with a consistently functioning dishwasher.

As if she could somehow read his mind, she quipped, “Well this is familiar…” as she rinsed off their plates in foamy, soapy water. Chuckling, he gently nudged her with his shoulder as reached for a sponge to start scrubbing the remnants of fried eggs off his pan, and she let out a breathy laugh. “Can’t say I missed dishes too much—though they were always more fun with you.”

“Pretty sure that was you actually…” His mouth twitched into a kind smile. “You always thought of great things for us to talk about to help us pass the time.”

He could feel Zoey shift beside him, and she sighed as she intently scrubbed at the stained rim of the saucepan. “You know, there actually was something I wanted to talk to you about today…”

Hero hummed glancing at her over his shoulder as he loaded the silverware into dishwasher. “Oh?”

“Yeah, I wanted to ask you something…But you have to promise me you’re going to be honest.”

“Of course,” chuckled Hero, but Zoey didn’t laugh.

“I mean it. Don’t just say it’s fine because you think that’s what I want to hear.” She paused, and Hero could feel his face flush. “I don’t want to cross a line.”

His brow furrowing, Hero stopped loading the dishes and turned to look at her—meeting her eyes. “Zoey…” His voice hitched, and he could feel his hands trembling even as he tried to calm his breathing. “Is everything okay?”

She nodded with a slight, reassuring smile. “Yeah. Everything’s okay. I just…” Her voice trailed. She wouldn’t look up from the saucepan she was cleaning. “Do you think I could visit Mari’s grave sometime…?”

Hero froze. Of all the things she could have said, he would have never expected that. She had visited there with him several times in the past, but it was always as support for him when he was going there anyway. She had never asked to make a special trip before. It surprised him, but it didn’t necessarily feel like a bad thing.  “Uh…yeah. Sure,” he stumbled running a hand through his hair. “I um…Gosh, I don’t know when I’m going to have another day off but when I finally finish up this residency and get a more consistent schedule I’m sure we can…”

“Hero,” she cut him off. “I meant, could I go alone? Would that be weird for you if I went to visit her sometime by myself?”

Something twisted in Hero’s chest. He didn’t know how to feel—didn’t really know what to say to that. It seemed so unexpected, but he didn’t think he had a problem with it. After all, Zoey knew a lot about Mari—not just from him but from Sunny and Kel too, even Aubrey and Basil. He supposed it could make sense that she might want to visit her…but the truth was, he really couldn’t understand why.

Unless…

He swallowed hard—biting down on his lip. He couldn’t even think it.

“Hero?” He felt her hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. “Just forget it okay? It was a silly idea. There were just some things that I wanted to say to her, that’s all, but if it’s weird for you, I don’t want to cross that line.”

“No. No, it’s okay. It’s not weird for me, if that’s what you want to do. It’s just…” His voice trailed. He didn’t have the words for what he wanted to say, the question he wanted to ask. In a way, he was almost scared of it—scared of the answer. The truth.

He had tried to avoid it all this time. While he had told her a lot about Mari, he had tried so hard to keep it focused on him and his grief—on how he felt when she died, how he had blamed himself, how it had wreaked havoc on his relationships with the people he had cared about most, how it nearly destroyed him and how he had never thought he could ever be happy again. But she popped up in his stories sometimes and he had told Zoey the most basic things about her that she was kind, smart, and talented, she played piano and was cheerful and warm, the kind of person you could always count on to be on your side or to brighten your day oftentimes just by smiling because when she smiled you would’ve sworn the sun shined brighter.

Zoey knew that he loved Mari, that a part of him would probably always love her. It didn’t seem to bother her at all, but it had been so hard for him to make peace with that in himself. Even now, there were times when he second-guessed himself, felt guilty that his heart was so broken and bruised—that he couldn’t give her everything that he felt she deserved. He desperately wrestled with the fear he wasn’t enough, with the feeling that it wasn’t fair to her that despite how much he loved her and would have done anything for her it would be impossible for him to ever say that she had been the one and only love of his life. He was terrified that she would feel slighted—that she’d compare herself to Mari and feel trapped in her shadow, feel like she was only a second choice or a last resort.

His heart ached when he thought about it—thought about how he could never be the kind of person that Zoey truly deserved: the person he had once been, in that other life before Mari’s death, but that person had died with her and no amount of healing could ever bring him back. There was so little he had to give anymore though he would give Zoey the world if he could. It was so hard to believe his painfully pieced together heart was worth much of anything—even though he loved her with every inch, every crack, every crevice, ever bruise and broken edge of it. He loved her more than he had ever imagined he would or even could love someone again. It wasn’t better or worse or more or less, just so different from the way he had loved Mari. He just wasn’t sure that was enough.

And now…he didn’t know if she was sure either. What else could she possibly want to say to Mari without him there than that she was just playing second fiddle, just taking her leftovers, just standing in as a last resort.

 “Zoey, I…” Hero’s eyes burned as the words got caught in the back of his throat, but he eventually choked out a rambling, probably incoherent, “You know I never wanted you to feel like you had to compare yourself to Mari. I…If I’ve ever done anything to make you feel like…like you—like you’re…like you’re only a—”

“Stop.” She cut him off firm but kind. Hero bit his lip, but he wouldn’t look at her. He couldn’t. “Look at me,” she said, but when he couldn’t bring himself to, her thumb traced gentle circles across his cheek. “Henry.”

He inhaled sharply, and something fluttered in his chest at the sound of his real name. She rarely ever used it—only when she wanted to remind him to stop being a “hero” and take care of himself or, he supposed, in times like these when she really wanted to get his attention. It had a weight and a gravity which was only intensified the minute he finally looked into her eyes and she said, “You have never made me feel like a second choice.”

He finally let go of the breath he was holding. In relief, his eyes fluttered closed, but he bit his lip. “I’m sorry…”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” she insisted. “You know how I feel. We’ve talked about this.”

They had. Multiple times. But that didn’t ever take away the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that “You shouldn’t have to…”

Swallowing hard, he took a shaky breath and turned away from her. His shoulders twitched as he stared down at his hands with a bittersweet smile. “I just…I want more for you.”

“More than the perfect man? I’d really like to see that…” she quipped dryly. “And I’m flattered, but I don’t think that’s possible, Mr. Prince.”

His mouth curved into a smile in spite of himself, but he could feel his face growing warm. “I’m far from perfect…” he sheepishly insisted, rubbing his hand across the nape of his neck. “And…” His smile faded. “I’m serious, Zoey.”

“So am I.” Her voice was matter-of-fact—honest, but an affectionate smile curved in the corners of her mouth. “There is no one else like you. You know I still field calls from my old sorority sisters asking how I managed to bag prince charming.”

As Zoey teasingly rolled her eyes with a shake of her head, an awkward, disbelieving chuckle escaped Hero’s mouth. He buried his blushing face in his hands as Zoey continued, “Of course, I never dignify that with a response, but…” She shrugged. “If I did, the answer is really, ‘I have no idea.’”

Hero laughed in spite of himself, feeling very guilty for it, but Zoey didn’t seem to mind—just chuckled lightly herself and smiled at him until her expression and her voice softened. “Jokes aside though I…I honestly didn’t think it was ever going to happen. Not that it couldn’t—just that…I didn’t think you were ever going to be ready.”

He nodded. The truth was he hadn’t either.

“No one would’ve blamed you if you weren’t. I definitely wouldn’t have…Moving on—being ready for that…that’s all you. That’s your choice.” She paused and met his eyes. “And you chose that—you chose me. And that means more to me than the idea of us being cosmically destined soulmates or the one and only love of your life. I don’t need that. I don’t even want it, and I don’t want someone who can give that to me. I only…want to be with you.” Shaking her head, she laughed at herself muttering, “That’s so corny…”  

Hero reached out his hand to her—pushing that one wild strand of hair out her face and pressing his palm to her cheek. “Mi vida…”

As she glanced up at him, he could only hope that the look in his eyes conveyed the deeper meaning of those words—conveyed everything he wanted to say every time he called her that. He didn’t use it often—didn’t really use terms of endearment much anymore. It felt wrong to call her the same things he had called Mari. He never called her ‘honey’ or ‘sweetheart’ or his most precious name for Mari, ‘Mi corazón’: ‘my heart.’ But Zoey and only Zoey was ‘Mi vida’—‘My life.’ She liked it well enough—thought it was a pun because of her name. Zoey. Life. His life. A life he never dreamed he’d be able to have.

“I love you,” he said, and her bright green eyes smiled at him.

“I know you do. And you don’t have to try to prove it to me by pretending Mari never existed.” She broke away from his gaze and glanced over his shoulder at the cluster of old photographs of him and his friends hanging on his living room wall—memories of that other life and who he had used to be back when Mari was alive. It had been Zoey’s idea to hang them up, and she said now exactly what she had said then, “Moving on doesn’t mean having to forget, Hero.”

His heart ached at those words, and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. He wasn’t sure how long he held her until she sighed, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. I didn’t mean to upset you. I won’t go.”

“No, I think you should,” Hero insisted. “I mean…if that’s something you want or need to do.”

“It is. But not for the reasons you think…” She sighed. “Not because I’m comparing myself to her or anything like that. I guess I just…I wanted to reassure her that I’d take care of you. That’s all.” She pulled away from him with a soft, affectionate, smile. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s…really good.” His eyes grew misty, and his voice hitched. “Thank you.”

Her smile brightened, and it reached her eyes. He knew that she understood those words meant infinitely more than what he had said.

“Hero…” she began. “You know I love you, right?”

He nodded, but he couldn’t hold back the smile that tugged at his lips. “Yeah.”

“Can I ask you one more thing?” she asked with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

“Anything.”

She tilted her head, pursing her lips together. “And you promise you won’t take it the wrong way?”

He swallowed hard—his hands beginning to shake again, but he managed, “I promise.”

Zoey took a deep breath—long and heavy. She stared at the picture of Hero and his friends in Faraway Park back before Mari had passed away—back before they were jaded, broken, before they had to learn how to be happy again. “Do you think she’d be happy for us?”

Hero’s chest ached, but a bittersweet smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He thought about the last time he had visited Mari. He had gone alone—stopped there after he had picked up his grandma’s engagement ring from the bank. He had wanted to know the same thing. It felt strange to look for that reassurance—to look for some kind of sign when he knew Mari couldn’t really answer him. But Mari had found a way. When he had told her about his plans—asked if she would be okay with that, there was strong gust of wind. It blew a twig off a nearby tree that hit him in the head. He had laughed. As if Mari was trying to tell him what a silly question that was—especially when he already knew the answer.

He hugged Zoey again—glancing off over her shoulder out the window where the sun was peeking through the clouds even despite the rain. As a certain warmth spread through his chest, he blinked the mist out of his eyes and whispered, “I know she would be.”

[becomingkatie]

Eclipse Trip 2024 || Burlington, VT

Burlington is one of the few places I think Ken and I could agree to move to. (I love Atlanta and would move back in a heartbeat but Ken won’t go south of here; I don’t really want to move time zones and go west.) My uncle and his husband live here (I always say “my uncles” but then people think it’s a big chunk of my family, but no it’s just the one couple) and we visited them once pre-pandemic. They showed us around and I talked for ages about moving up there. I still love it.

We originally planned to go to Ohio and do Cedar Point, but it’s not open this early in the year. So last April, a year out, we paid like $300 a night for a holiday inn express in south Burlington. It was completely booked, along with everywhere else. It was hands-down the busiest I’ve ever seen a hotel breakfast. Every seat at every table full!

I convinced Ken to agree to a glass blowing class and it was a highlight for sure! We made cups! It’s one of those crafts that I just don’t know how anyone gets into unless they have a family member who does it. Like, the entry into it just seems so tough. But a one-hour class was a really good insight into it.

On Sunday we scoped out potential viewing spots. We picked a park on the lake 3 miles from our hotel so we could walk there and back and not deal with parking. We were there around 4:30, so later than the eclipse would be the next day, but could still get an idea of where the sun would be in the sky when thinking of potential spots to sit and watch. It was funny, us and everyone else walking around, whispering because we didn’t want to share our thoughts about where we planned to be.

Ultimately, it was busy but not insane. We were still quite a bit south of downtown and the university campus, which I think was much more packed. We picked up bagel sandwiches to bring with us and had little portable camp chairs. We got there a bit before noon, and totality was at 3:26. I loved seeing all the dogs. The feeling of community during totality was really cool.

Now that we’ve experienced it, we both say we’d travel under 3 hours to see it again (not the 10 hours we traveled this time), or further if it was somewhere we had family or otherwise already wanted to visit. But we wouldn’t plan more eclipse vacations just to see more eclipses. We’re both really glad we did this one though!

The drive home took 12 hours instead of 10. Since the eclipse was a Monday, travel in was spread out between some people coming in Saturday and some on Sunday, but basically everyone left Tuesday and it was bad traffic. Then we stopped at Panera and discovered they changed the menu and no longer have any of Ken’s favorite items!

Overall a fantastic trip, even with the tough journey home. I’m not allowed to send Ken Zillow links to Burlington homes for a month - he’s convinced the vacation excitement will wear off, and with it my desire to move. But I have a vision of myself in Chelsea boots boiling sap from a tree in my yard to make maple syrup and I will not let go of this imagined Vermont Katie.

[cyb3rscoups]

Pretty Woman Attoye AU (pt ✌🏽)

NSFW MDNI 18+

Hope everyone enjoys and if you want to be tagged in future parts or works lmk in the comments ❤️

Full Collection

“Not possible.”

“Well why not Attuma?”

“We broke up yesterday. I’ll just have to go alone is all.”

Attuma sandwiched his phone between his ear and shoulder as he tucked his dress shirt into his pants.

“No no. That’s not good. Look, you gotta keep up some sort of appearance with this guy. I know some girls, I can set you up.” Namora spoke on the other line, already going into her phone.

“Namora all the girls you know are lesbians.”

“Not true..and I’ll prove it.”

“No need,” he shifted his view in the bathroom mirror to Okoye blowing bubbles in the tub, Rihanna blasting in her headphones. “I’ll figure something out.”

He hung up the phone, setting it down and securing the cufflinks to his sleeves.

“What are you willing to dooo?” Okoye smiled at him as she sang. “Ohh tell me what you’re willing to- Kiss it, kiss it better baby!”

She shouted and Attuma broke his stoic expression. His eyes softening as he smiled. Okoye giggled, blowing some bubbles in his direction as he turned to face her, leaning against the sink.

“Come in with me…water is still warm.” She lifted her legs, spreading them to hang over either side of the tub. “And look at that. There’s room.”

Attuma shook his head as he approached the freestanding tub. “No thank you. I’ve had my fill.”

“Oh please. You’ll never get enough of me.”

With a roll of his eyes, he ignored her sentiment. “When you’re finished, I ordered breakfast and we have something to discuss.”

“Another deal?” Okoye lit up and Attuma nodded.

“Meet me in the dining room.”

“Yes sir.” She mimicked a salute that made him chuckle as he exited the room.

———

Should she take the wig off? Let him see her under the layers? Or was it too personal?

Okoye stood picking at the hair, a wet wavy look that covered the tattoos on her bald head.

“What the fuck am I thinking about?” She scoffed, letting the hair fall down to her ass. “Ain’t coming out no way.”

When she entered the dining room, he was on the phone again, mumbling about some make or break deal.

In front of him was a plate barely touched. Was he waiting for her?

“We’ll talk about it when I get there. Goodbye.” He tossed the phone down, clearly agitated and trying not to let it burst.

“Work?”

“Mhmm.”

“Need a reliever?”

Attuma turned his head to take her in. She looked so soft, out of her element. He almost wanted to lean in a peck her lips to break his mind.

“No. Come sit. I didn’t know what you liked so I ordered everything.”

“Such a gentleman.” Okoye took a seat in front of a plate of bacon and eggs.

“Wait til you hear what I have to offer you. Stay the week.”

Maybe she still had some soap lodged in her ears. Maybe a piece of cotton from the Q-tip she cleaned them out with.

“Excuse me?”

“I have some business ventures this week. I’ll need someone to keep me company.” Attuma took a sip of coffee out of his mug as Okoye sat in shock.

Finally, he had rendered that sassy mouth of hers speechless. She stumbled for words in her brain. He wanted to keep her in this hotel and make her his escort for the week.

“Just until Sunday-“

“6000 dollars.” She blurted, clapping a hand over her mouth afterwards like she couldn’t believe such an amount had left her lips.

Attuma found her cost adorable. “4000.” He challenged anyway, a smirk adorning his features

“5500!” She shouted again with a squeal.

“Deal.” He held his hand out for her to take.

Okoye’s jaw dropped and her fork dropped from her hand. “Holy shit! Are you fucking crazy?!”

Attuma laughed heartily at her reaction as she sat stunned. “I’ll give you my card before I go. I want you to go shopping. Buy a dress for dinner tonight and then outfits for the week.”

“Shut the fuck up! No! This is outrage and I don’t want to hear it!” Okoye yelled with a smile on her face. Anyone outside the room would’ve thought she was pissed. Really she was ecstatic and this was her way of showing it.

“Well don’t make me beg you.” Attuma teased her as he stood from the table and went to retrieve his wallet.

———

Out of place wasn’t even at the surface of what she felt. Cheap, slutty, ashamed. Those were probably her top three.

“Ko-Ko, be honest. What did you expect?”

“I don’t know. I was hoping I’d come back with at least one thing you know but those bitches just shut me out! Wouldn’t even acknowledge the black card in my hand.”

Nakia sucked her teeth as she painted her nails carefully, blowing on the blue paint lightly. “Ain’t you ever hear of online shopping?”

“No girl. I need something within like 4 hours. Amazon don’t work that fast.”

The soft click of the door opening and then shutting caught her attention. “He’s here. I’ll talk to you later.”

She hung up the phone and sat up against the pillows, putting on her best pout and crossing her arms over her chest.

He turned the corner of the room, shedding his jacket. “You went shopping?”

“Well… not really.”

“What do you mean not really? Why do you look like someone stomped your puppy?”

Okoye sucked her teeth as his brows furrowed. Again, the gap between them slapped him upside his head as a sense came to him. He climbed onto the bed, taking one of her hands in his and fiddling with her fingers.

“What did they do?” He spoke softer, pressing his hand against hers in effort to compare them. She snatched her hand back with a scoff.

“Practically called me a gold digging whore. I’ve never had someone look at me so worthlessly before. It was sickening. I hated it.”

Attuma’s expression didn’t falter as her anger brewed up again. When she noticed he wasn’t reacting, she only grew more pissed.

“Are you even fucking listening?!”

“I’m thinking, sweetheart. Give me a minute.”

The pet name fell from him so easily, Okoye almost missed it. Sweetheart huh?

“They were mean to me, daddy.” She nuzzled into his neck, her hand traveling to tug at his belt and palm him through his pants. “They wouldn’t even give me a chance.”

“Stop.” He pushed her hands away. “That’s not needed. I’ll take you shopping regardless.”

———

By the end of the day, Okoye was drowning in bags. She bought everything the shop had to offer and almost maxed Attuma’s card out in the process.

“My feet ache.” She whined, flopping onto the couch cushion and kicking off her heels. People from the hotel continued to bring her bags into the room as she rested.

“No. Get up. We don’t have the time for you to slouch and complain.”

Attuma picked her up bridal style and carried her to the dining room. He set her down at the table clear of everything but a silverware set up.

“Oh come onnn. I’m sleepy, Attuma!”

“You don’t have time to be sleepy. Now let’s review what I showed you.” The man gestured to the set up.

Okoye didn’t move a muscle, allowing her eyes to close and her head to lull with sleep. Attuma sucked his teeth, gripping her chin up softly.

“If this is going to work. If you’re going to get paid, you have to cooperate with me. Do you understand me?”

“I’m your escort. Not your puppet.” She slapped his hand away with scowl.

Attuma looked her over, stubborn and tense. The door to the room clicked shut behind the last worker. “Need a motivator?”

“What could you pos-“ Her words caught in her throat as he started to tug his belt loose and undo his pants.

“Get up, slide your panties off, hold your skirt up.”

Okoye followed his instructions as his erection sprung free from its confines. Attuma sat in the chair she previously did and motioned her to come to him.

“Bend over.” He held her hips as she pressed her body to the table, excitement coursing through her veins and straight to her pussy.

Attuma spread her ass apart, getting a clear view of her waiting cunt. Next thing she registered was the glob of spit he was smearing against her and pushing into her walls.

“Ooh!” She squealed. “What are you doing?!”

“Shut up and come sit.” His hands guided her back up and sat her down on his cock slowly.

The stretch was nearly painful and she couldn’t help but wail at the burn.

“W-wait! Attuma!” She whined as he continued sliding into her.

“You don’t want to learn on your own….gotta give you a reason to. Shit, Ko relax a little bit.”

“You’re the one with your dick shoved up with no prep!”

“You’re awake though aren’t you.”

She couldn’t deny that nor could she deny how good it felt when she adjusted to his size and he started to move inside of her.

A soft clapping sound filled the area as Okoye slumped over to grip the table, the glass clattering together as it creaked.

Attuma tried his best to pace himself but fuck she felt so good. Nice, warm, and when he would hit her a little to the right, she was spasming around him so hard, he almost came inside.

Suddenly, it hit him. The condoms. He was free of one.

“A-attuma…” She whined and it snapped him out of his thoughts. “So big…”

“Mhmm..feel that?” He mumbled against her back, kissing the skin exposed from her top. “Too bad…You won’t cum.”

He stopped rutting his hips and Okoye let out another wail.

“Don’t do this to me, daddy please…”

Attuma grunted, snaking a hand up her back and into her hair, pulling it back so she rested against him.

“Where’s the dinner fork?”

“Are you shitting me?! Ooh!” Okoye yelled as he sent a striking slap to her clit and a soothing kiss to her neck.

This man. This man was an animal.

“You don’t get them right. You don’t get to finish. Now show me where it is.” He thrusted up to punctuate his miniature speech.

Okoye reached a hand out, grazing the right fork. She was rewarded with low growl in her ear as he resumed his pace.

“Good girl..” Attuma lifted her hips, slamming them down at an angle to hit her spot right on the mark.

“Keep going…” He grunted. “Salad fork.”

Okoye went forward, bracing herself against the table as she grabbed the damned thing.

“Mhm. That’s it…” He slowed his pace again, rolling his hips against her ass as he attempted to stave off his own climax. “Good fucking girl.”

“Daddy…” She whined, resting her forehead against the fabric on the table. The knot in her stomach was tightening at an almost concerning rate and she was afraid she’d burst any minute.

But she wanted to be good. Didn’t want to embarrass him at dinner after all.

“I-I know baby. I feel it too. One more thing alright?”

“O-okay..”

“Don’t wear any panties.”

@tvreadsandsleep @theeblackmedusa @pilesofpillows @xblackreader @mamajankyy

[evita-shelby]

Objection (part II)

Gif by @chimestims

Part 1 part 3

You hadn’t thought things through. You had wanted to cause a ruckus, but you didn’t think it would be this bad.

Magazines and gossip columns had made a fortune spreading word and photographs of the worst wedding of the century and none of them painted Grace and her family in good lighting. Ada said things were so bad that her family had to hire armed guards just to leave England.

You don’t have a big wedding, in fact it’s just a private thing at some chapel in Gretna Green.

You’ve never cared about things like that, you had the love of a good man and you could’ve married him wearing your Sundays best with only sandwiches at the wedding breakfast.

But Tommy has always been a romantic, so he spirited you off to Scotland and married you there with only a single photographer who had promised to never breathe a word to the papers.

And yet the next morning right there on the front page you see yourself standing at the altar with your husband.

MILLIONAIRE THOMAS SHELBY GETS A HAPPY ENDING AFTER ALL

“I’m going to kill that fucker.” Your husband groans when he reads the headline.

[overgrwn-flowers]

After Hours - Pt. 2

pt.1

A week had gone by and Colleague was still giving Civilian a daily coffee. After two weeks, civilian started baking treats for Colleague in return. In fact, sunday had become “baking night” for them. After Civilians first cookie drop —that’s what they called them— Colleague had left a note the next time he gave Civilian their coffee. This turned into full blown conversations between the two.

Civilian now stared at the yellow sticky note attached to their latest coffee cup.

Join me for lunch? It read in swirly cursive handwriting.

Holy. Crap. Lunch? He wants lunch. With me?? Civilian was baffled. Sure they’d grown very fond of Colleague. But lunch? That was a whole other playing field. There was deciding what to eat, of course. And then the matter of paying and conversation. Civilian could make it totally awkward and then Colleague would feel uncomfortable. They’d probably regret asking and the only joy Civilian found in this dreary office would be gone. Before their thoughts could run any farther, Colleague appeared at their desk. They stole a glance at there watch and holy crap it’s already lunchtime?

Civilian looked up at Colleague. He raised an eyebrow expectantly, “Ready?”

I guess it wasn’t a question

Civilian nodded and stood from their desk —gathering their things.

—

Civilian was in Colleagues car. His car. This was crazy. I mean, they hardly knew the man! They felt so awkward and like their heart was going to beat right out of their chest at any moment. Then Colleague spoke.

“So”, He glanced over at Civilian. “Any preferences?”

Colleagues voice was silky smooth like music to Civilians ears. They could hardly think, really. “Umm, no. Not really…”

“None at all? What about sushi?”

Civilian scrunched their nose almost subconsciously.

Colleague let out a light chuckle, “I’ll take that as a ‘No’”

Civilians face flushed pink with embarrassment and then fumbled with their fingers. “Um, I know this really good sandwich shop.”, It was almost a question and for a second Civilian wondered if they had even been heard.

“Where’s it at?”

“Up on twelfth street.”

Colleague smiled, “Sandwich’s it is.”

—

They arrived at the sandwich shop shorty. Before Civilian could even unbuckle, Colleague had made it to their side of the car and opened the door for them. Oh my.

“And they say chivalry is dead.”

Colleague laughed at that, placing his hand on the small of Civilians back and leading them to the door of the restaurant. They were sat by the waitstaff and ordered fairly quickly. Things were going surprisingly well and Colleague even ordered a sandwich Civilian recommended.

“Civilian.”

“Yes?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you call me by my name. It’s always ‘Mr’ with you.” Colleague cocked his head slightly and a lock of his dark hair fell in front of his forehead. How boyish.

“Well, I guess I just seem to be on the professional side. A corporate prude, if you will.”

Colleague smiled again. Gosh— that smile. “Do you… know my name?”

Civilian averted their gaze, “Umm, well.” They sighed and looked back at Colleague, “If I’m being honest… no.”

“Ahh I see. That’s ok, you can call me -Civilian Name-“

Before Civilian could respond, their waiter came and gave them their food. They decided to take a bite of their sandwich to avoid further conversation. They felt bad for not knowing Colleagues name.

“Civilian.”

“Hm?”

“This sandwich is absolutely delicious.”

Civilian couldn’t help the smile that spread across their face.

—

Another week went by and Colleague and Civilian were still making their exchanges. Their co-workers had long noticed and Civilian couldn’t help but feel embarrassed whenever they heard gossip about the two. They really tried to pay the others no attention but it was hard. Especially when they had gone to such lengths to avoid their co-workers. A dozen prying eyes followed Civilian as they left the office. They also worried about the things that were being said about them. It doesn’t help that they had never talked to the others or tried to at least be acquainted with them. However, Civilian didn’t blame them. Nothing interesting happened around the office. Like, ever. So, when the opportunity arises, of course the others are going to talk. It’s basically free entertainment. Something a little juicy to keep them going throughout the day. Civilian stepped out of the elevator and began their walk home. Perks of living in a big city: it’s walkable. They really liked walking so it wasn’t too big a deal. Especially after being cooped up in an office all day everyday. Before going home, Civilian decided to stop and get take out. After all, the groceries in their fridge were scarce and they were really craving some Chinese.

The sun had long set and finally civilian was on the last stretch to their apartment. They just had two more blocks to their home and then they could finally relax. Civilian had gotten to an alley and was walking past when something caught their attention.

Slam

They stopped.

Another slam and a scream

What the heck

Everything in Civilians body screamed at them to keep walking. This didn’t pertain to them and it wasn’t any of their business. However, curiosity killed the cat. They set their precious Chinese take out Down and slowly back tracked towards the alleyway. Spotting a garbage can, they decided this would be a sufficient hiding spot. Civilian couldn’t see very much of what was going on but could hear almost everything. They could hear punches being thrown and prayed that what they heard wasn’t blood splattering against the concrete. This was so stupid. What were they gonna do anyway? Fight some random guy?? He clearly had some experience fighting. Civilian peaked their head around the trash can to steel one more glance at the action. Sh*t. Was that villain?? The Villain. The cities most dangerous and feared individual?? Civilian was an idiot indeed. They decided now was the time to get out of there. SLAM. Before the could even move— a body landed right beside them with a wheeze.

THUNK

THUNK

THUNK

Oh no

Villain was slowly walking toward Civilians hiding spot. Sh*t Sh*t Sh*t. They curled up against the wall as much as they could. Foolish as it was, Civilian hoped that maybe, just maybe, Villain wouldn’t notice them.

They were wrong, of course.

Before they could even think, they were slammed up against the wall. Their feet dangled off the ground and hot pain spread all throughout their body. Villains grip on their arms strong and unrelenting.

“Mind telling me why you’re here and who you work for, sweetheart?” Villain crooned

His voice silky smooth. Like music.

Civilian couldn’t breath. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t do anything. They were panicking. Villain pressed them harder when he got no answer. All Civilian could do was whimper and try not to burst into tears. He let one hand grip Civilians chin and forced them to look at him.

“Open your eyes, sweetheart.”

Civilians heart beat impossibly fast. They opened their eyes and tried not to let tears fall down their cheeks. Villain squinted at them. Amongst their panic, Civilian couldn’t help feel a sort of familiarity about Villain. His dark hair, his eyes, the way his voice ran like velvet in their ears.

“Sh*t.” , Villain mumbled.

Civilians eyes widened, “-Civilian Name-?”

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

I hope this makes sense 🗿

If the naming of colleague/villain got confusing basically: Civilian refers to him as colleague in their head and they don’t know he’s a villain until the very end. “Civilian name” is just that. It’s his civilian name… or at least the one he goes by.

Anyway, thanks for reading 🥴 I can’t tell if I like it or not. I like it in my head but putting it on paper (or online) the way I want is annoyingly tricky.

[raccoon-eyed-rebel]

Nina.

Do you think you could ever see Walter taking up baking? Like, just as a way to supplement the coffee shop? He's already worked to perfect his machiato, so he'd maybe like to try his hand at choux?

Could you imagine him greeting me at the door with a gorgeous pumpkin spice eclair, letting me know the gingerbread is in the kitchen? And he feeds me the bun and gives me the biggest grin as he asks how I like it while I'm licking the cream off the corner of my mouth?

And maybe we don't make it into the kitchen for the second pastry for a little while? What might that be like?

(I've been watching The GBBO finale if you can't tell...)

Oh I can ABSOLUTELY see Walter baking... I mean; we're already going to see him cooking...

For some reason I also really imagine he'd be like really into baking bread.

And don't you think you're getting anywhere near his precious sourdough starter he made from scratch... Sometimes you think he loves that bubbly jar of yeast more than he loves you. Which is okay, because it's what gets you that sunday morning breakfast sandwich.

Think herbed goat cheese spread, spinach omelet, avocado, tomatoes, on a fresh, lightly toasted sourdough bun...

Alright so now that you have that image in your head...

[heroes-feasting]

Stuffed Egg-Battered Toast

“There’s nothing more comforting to a comfort-obsessed halfling than the warm intermingling scents of vanilla, maple, and walnuts filling their home.” - Heroes’ Feast, p. 120

French toast is a staple of Sunday Brunches everywhere, and it’s easy to see why. This fried breakfast bread is easily customized with whatever you want. Syrup? Eggs? Fruit? It’s all fair game to this tasty toast!

Taking a swing at its own version, Heroes’ Feast’s Stuffed Egg-Battered Toast looks to change it up by putting its toppings inside, rather than on top.

With each slice stuffed with mascarpone, walnuts, and a truly questionable amount of vanilla extract, your kitchen and taste buds are surely going to be treated to that homely vanilla smell that halflings crave so much.

Check out below for my notes on the results and for tips and tricks when making this yourself! Get Heroes’ Feast here: https://dnd.wizards.com/heroes-feast

Prep: 5 mins    Cook: 25 mins    Total: 30 mins

Ingredients:

4 ounces (½ cup, 120 g) mascarpone, at room temperature

¼ cup (25 g) walnuts, finely chopped

2 tsp. (10 ml) pure vanilla extract*

4 (1-inch-thick) slices of brioche or challah

2 eggs

½ cup (120 ml) whole milk

¼ tsp. (2 g) kosher salt

2 tbsp. (30 g) unsalted butter

½ cup (120 ml) maple syrup

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting**

* That uh… sure is an amount of vanilla for a ½ cup of mascarpone.

** I used chopped strawberries instead.

In a small bowl, stir together the mascarpone, walnuts and vanilla. (I forgot to take a picture of this each time I made it. L.)

Use a thin knife to cut a 2-inch-long slit through the side of each slice of brioche, creating a pocket.

Gently open the pocket and spoon 1 tbsp. of the mascarpone mixture into each slice.

TIP: As mentioned in the “cook’s notes” section, the bread is very delicate and tears easily- so take extra caution when opening and stuffing the pockets.

Alternatively, the notes mention that you could use ½-inch slices and spread the mixture between them like a sandwich. However, I worry about its structural integrity while dipping it in the egg mixture or flipping it in the frying pan.

But, since stuffing each slice is a pain, it might be worth going with the sandwich method.

NOTE: Only stuff the slices if they’re cut 1-inch-thick. ½-inch and even ¾-inch slices are way too thin and will tear.

In a pie dish or shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and salt.

BEFORE DIPPING the slices, melt 1 tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Dip two stuffed slices into the egg mixture, turning to soak both sides and letting any excess batter drip back into the bowl.

TIP: You only need to let each side soak for a few seconds. Any longer than 5 makes the bread mushy.

Place the sides in a skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Use a spatula to transfer the toasts to a warm plate.

Repeat to cook the remaining two stuffed slices.

Meanwhile, warm the maple syrup in a small saucepan over low heat for a few minutes.

TIP: The “cook’s notes” section mentions that warmed marmalade can be used to replace the maple syrup.

NOTE: I misread the instructions for this step and cooked all four slices at once. To fix the uneven browning, I flipped the lighter parts to the middle of the pan for about 20 seconds after cooking each side.

NOTE: To save on dishes, I chose to not warm my syrup.

Top the toast with strawberries (and/or confectioners’ sugar), drizzle with the maple syrup, and serve.

Overall, this recipe has one thing really working against it: the vanilla extract.

Personally, I found the filling to be inedible with 2 tsp. of vanilla extract in the mascarpone mixture. The alcohol in the extract doesn’t have enough time to cook out and leaves everything with a distinctly alcoholic taste. 

This would be fine if other flavours used in the recipe complimented the taste of the alcohol or if the taste was expected (like an alcoholic french toast). Unfortunately, nothing here works with it and, being a breakfast food, it isn’t expected. So, it ends up overwhelming the toast and making it unappetizing.

My solution to this was to cut back the vanilla extract to ½ tsp. The taste was still a little strong, but there was an improvement. If you’re planning to make this at home, consider cutting the vanilla back even further, or try using vanilla bean instead to skip the alcohol entirely.

It’s also worth mentioning that the mascarpone makes these very rich. Interestingly, I found that the syrup and strawberries really helped cut the richness. You’re still only going to eat one though.

Finally, as mentioned in a previous step, although the structural integrity might be questionable with the sandwich method, it might be worth it just to skip spooning the mixture into the pockets. The mess it creates really makes you wonder if it’s worth it.

All in all, the unaltered recipe gets a 2.5/5, going up to 4/5 when the amount of vanilla extract is reduced. Still losing points for the remaining alcoholic taste and messy and needlessly difficult construction.

[blackberrysummerblog]

WIP Wednesday!!

Thank you for the tags, @cutestkilla and @palimpsessed! I’m still working away on my fic for erotic gropefest (and thank you too to everyone who liked or reblogged my post from that on Sunday, it was really great to get the encouragement 🥰)

Soooo I’m working on two things other than that, but mostly still my crucible marriage AU, so that’s what I’ll post an excerpt from today. This is still at the garden party reception, after Simon and Baz have, uh, finished up in the mudroom. I almost posted the bit with Mordelia that’s referenced here, but maybe this scene with Fiona has more value. Thanks for reading; tags are under the cut! (Sorry if I tagged anyone who already posted, I continue to be a tumblr fail)

Simon

Baz’s hair is gleaming in the sunlight, and I want to kiss him again until all these people take the hint and leave. I can’t imagine why his dad wanted to throw a party in the first place, except I guess it’s tradition, and tradition seems to have a stranglehold on these old-money families. What a way to live.

Merlin, Baz’s bratty sister is talking to Fiona after all—I’d thought she was just making idle threats. But no, she points right at us, and then—shit, she’s crossing her wrists behind her back. I didn’t think she’d noticed that, but Mordelia doesn’t miss a trick. A slow smile spreads over Fiona’s face as she turns to look at us and takes in my expression. She knows I know that she knows, and she’s going to give us hell over it for sure.

———————————————————————————————————-

As much as I try to avoid her, I end up bang across the table from Fiona while making a pass at the buffet, and I can’t help thinking she’s made sure it happened. “Hello, Simon,” she says loudly, voice dripping with feigned delight. “Haven’t seen much of you today.”

I try to look nonchalant. “I’ve been around.”

Unfortunately, this only gives her the opening she’s been looking for, and Fiona’s not one to leave an opportunity unpounced upon. I swear she and Baz are the spitting image of each other, the way one eyebrow arches nearly to her hairline. “Been tied up, have you?”

“I wasn’t tied up,” I hiss furiously, leaning across the table. So much for playing it cool.

I have my plate in both hands, and Fiona grabs my arm with shocking speed, dragging it forward until I’m forced to either give in or spill my food everywhere. “No rope marks, at least,” she concedes, examining my wrist below my rolled-up cuff. “Honestly, the state of you, Chosen One,” she accuses, smirking. “You’ve gone red as a dragon. It’s no concern of mine what Baz does to you.”

To me. Like I’m a possession to be used as he sees fit. Merlin, I can feel the heat building inside me, the uncontrolled danger of my very existence, and bloody Fiona Pitch is just standing there looking at me with that smug—

There’s an arm around my waist, and then Baz rests his chin on my shoulder and sighs. “Is this hedge witch bothering you, love?” He stands up straight and pulls me closer so he can kiss the mole on my right cheek; I can feel that he’s smiling as he does it, and I relax, leaning into him. I realise then that Fiona is still holding my arm; I’m stuck between them like the filling in a Pitch sandwich. (A Pitchwich.) (Merlin, I hate myself.)

“Your Simon and I are just having a nice little chat, aren’t we, dear?” Fiona purrs. She doesn’t look the least bit sincere.

“For Crowley’s sake, Fi. It’s our reception; could you put your claws away for one day?” Baz sounds exasperated, and not at all intimidated. I’ll have to ask him how he does that—his aunt is well terrifying.

“It’s fine,” I say, and thank magic, my voice doesn’t shake. “I was just getting a snack.”

Baz’s eyes graze over my heaped plate. “For how many mountain trolls?” he teases, stepping back. “Snakes, Snow, I don’t know where you put it.”

Before I can retort, one of the twins grabs Baz’s hand and drags him away, babbling something about a missing lizard—Christ, that’s what this party needs, reptiles on the loose. Fiona hauls me forward again, smiling so innocently that I know she’s about to say something incredibly mean, and she doesn’t disappoint. “I don’t care what he does to you, Snow, but don’t go getting any ideas about reciprocating, do you understand me?” For half a moment, I think she’s talking about what we did in the mudroom, but then I realise she’s still on about what she thinks we did in the mudroom. She doesn’t want me tying up her precious nephew. “You’re not in charge here, Chosen One.”

I yank my arm free at last, spilling some sticky toffee cake onto the white tablecloth, but I don’t care. I still have plenty. “Get stuffed, Fiona.”

That startles a laugh out of her, and honestly sometimes I think Baz’s family might be all right if they didn’t hate my living guts. Still chortling, Fiona wanders off, leaving me to stare sullenly at my depleted stash of cake. There will probably be more if I want some later, I think. Maybe I should go back and grab a couple more pieces, though.

@thewholelemon @raenestee @thehoneyedhufflepuff @captain-aralias @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @letraspal @shrekgogurt @dazed-squid @ileadacharmedlife @ionlydrinkhotwater @sailorblossoms @aristocratic-otter @facewithoutheart @rwithoutaspoon @onepintobean