#pickling crock

[madsciencepottery]

Back to throwing! This time it's a pickling crock

[leelaihardly]

"We were stumped thinking up ways to top ourselves with this year's Good Mythical Evening, so instead we agreed-"

"-to top each other!"

[shenanigans ensue]

[cubone-i-guess]

Many much more eloquent and experienced people have written about what makes a horror movie good or bad. Idk anything about all that, but I know that all I really want a horror movie to do, is trust me

[producewithamy]

ICEBOX DILL PICKLES (no canning needed)

ICEBOX DILL PICKLES (no canning needed)

The month of August before I have to go back to my classroom to work is a time of reflection. For me, it means jotting down notes in my journal about how the gardening season has gone. While I still have a couple months of harvesting, selling vegetables and flowers at the Skandia Farmers Market, and food preservation for our family – it is important to chart the lessons that I learned this summer…

[bubbles-for-all-of-us]

what about cutting Joel’s hair? it got super long and it was starting to piss him off (he hates when it goes over his ears too much) - but last time he cut it himself it was chopped to hell. so you offer to help??

I love these little concepts... 😫😫😫

Joel's been grumbling about it for a while. Though doesn't strike me as a man who complains about it much or even care but then again as he likes you and with Ellie starting to tease Joel that he reminds her of the human species from the ice age, he has gotten almost self-conscious about it. And it's the first time Joel thinks about the fact that he hates his longer hair, that it genuinely doesn't suit him.

So he locks himself in the bathroom. Shuffling through your stuff to find some scissors. Joel hesitates but then just goes for it. Cause its hair, like how hard can it be? Well, jokes on him. Cause the piece he cuts off is now sprung up awkwardly and panic rushes through his body. Joel feels like a kid who had acted on his intrusive thoughts and now he got himself in this pickle. Cursing under his breath Joel tries to fix it but it only gets worse. He's honestly a step from cutting all of his hair off when he hears a light knock followed by your voice.

"You good? I heard you cursing", you mumble and Joel is both relieved and scared. Relieved because well you definitely could fix this but scared because he has to let you in and show you what he has done and as a male over fifty well it's embarrassing to him. But Joel opposes the door, waiting for you to start laughing but instead he hears you gasp as your fingers move to his hair.

"What have you done?", you pull at the end gently, looking over the crooked cut Joel has given himself, "All the curls too... Miller you are in some serious trouble". You take the scissors from him, pulling him into the kitchen so you could attempt to fix it. "It was way too long", Joel blurs out almost feeling guilty, "You should have come to me", "I'm sure you have better things to do", you crock your head to the side, giving Joel an annoyed look, "I always have time for you. Now don't you move until I'm done".

The feeling of your fingers running through Joel's hair is heavenly. Now he feels silly that he denied himself a moment with you like this. He sees bits of his hair falling to the floor as you walk around, humming to yourself quietly. "Have I told you how much I love your hair?", you ask so casually and Joel's heart nearly laps out of his chest, "No..?!", he mutters, "It's so thick and the salt and pepper look...". Now that's another thing Joel is so insecure about as well. The grey hair that had sprouted. All this time he thought it was so unattractive but here you were telling him the opposite thing. Joel's silence makes you giggle. You know he's awful when it comes to receiving compliments. But then it's so fun seeing him squirm. Plus he deserves to know how seriously attractive he is.

"Okay, take a look for me", you hand Joel a little mirror, "I can make the sides even shorter if you want or...", "No, it's perfect", and it is. Joel hasn't had a haircut this good since before the outbreak. Shit, he doesn't remember the last time anyone but him tended his hair. And it suited him. It felt like you had ripped off a layer of the past with whatever you had just done. Joel turns to you quickly, "Thank you, this..", but you cup his cheek softly, loving the feeling of his prickly beard on your palm, "It was my pleasure, handsome". You look at each other for a while and it almost feels like this might lead to something more but quickly clear your throat, feeling the heat rushing to your cheeks, "Just don't run around town breaking hearts now", you tease, moving to clean the mess on the floor, "Why would I want someone else when I have you?"

[jimkinnz]

homunculus facts¡

try using the 5 finger method to remember the 5 most common kinds of homunculi in the north pacific region· the thumb for sloth <hitchhiking>' the index for greed <pointing at the things they want>' middle for wrath <obvious>' ring for lust <i shan,t say>' and pinkie for pride <same letter>•

envy and gluttony are obviously more common in the midwest•

strong smells waft from a crock left unattended in my corner of the lab• master is pickling garlic again•

in other news' i,m not as hungry recently as usual•

it,s because i,m eating rocks•

a grocery list blew under the door of warren,s place• that guy eats too much oatmeal•

[solidagotea]

i live in a pickling crock. kosher salt on every surface

[twofrontteethstillcrooked]

Full spread: 6 Oct. Suptober

Not for the first time, reality stabbed Dean right in the chest like a unkillable homicidal maniac would: he fucking loved Cas.

deancas first kiss, s13-ish au 🎃

"All right, let's see what we've got." Dean clapped his hands together and bounced on his feet. The long, new-to-the-cave coffee table was loaded from end to end. "Salsa and chips, yes. Sour cream and black olives?" He searched around. "Check." They were in a divided bowl shaped like a bat. "Pickle spears, yes, potato chips, yes, pirate booty, yes." He scooted two plates closer together; side by side, they looked like pumpkin spouses. "Little naans and hummus, check. Did I forget the spinach dip?"

Cas unwrapped a bowl that had been covered with foil. "It's here." He brought up a basket of brown cubes from under the table. "Along with this fake pumpernickel." 

Dean helped him make room for both. "Don't let Sam's snobbery rub off on you."

"I do not care about the authenticity of this bread," Cas said solemnly. "It was on sale, though."

"Nice." Dean approved of grocery clearance racks in a big way. "What else?"

From a bag on the saggy couch Cas took out an orange tray of dark purple cupcakes dusted with black glitter. "I don't know what this icing is supposed to signify." 

"It just looks spooky," Dean said, excited at the prospect of freshly baked sugar.

Cas squinted at the cupcakes and at him, but found one last spot on the table for the dessert.

"A full spread." Dean clapped his hands again. "This looks amazing."

"Oh," Cas said, going back to the bag. "I hope it's okay. I also bought plates and napkins. They seemed seasonally appropriate."

"Dude," Dean said, "these are awesome."

He hadn't even thought about plates and napkins. They already owned reusable plates and paper towels, and he was used to making do. He sat on the couch and beheld the glory of the bounty: the napkins were covered in a cackling skull print; in the center of each plate was a fanged mouth dripping cherry-red blood. He fucking loved Halloween.

He looked up at Cas and Cas's halfway worried expression, like he expected to be reprimanded for spending an extra ten bucks outta the bunker budget. Not for the first time, reality stabbed Dean right in the chest like a unkillable homicidal maniac would: he fucking loved Cas.

"They're perfect, honest," Dean said, because saying that other thing out loud was just… No. "Thanks for picking them up."

He reveled in the relief that flooded Cas's face and they spent a long breath gazing at each other, Dean's heart ticking like a murderer's metronome – and then someone knocked on the door frame and Dean nearly fell off the couch.

"Hello, Jody," Cas said, sounding forcibly welcoming. 

Suddenly the cave was full of people. Sam and Donna came in with clanking six-packs of Oktoberfest lager. Jody hefted in a crock-pot of chili so strongly scented Dean just knew it was gonna burn the hair out of his nostrils. She sat the appliance on the edge of the bar, and plugged it in under the neon Chevy sign draped with cobwebs. As if from nothingness, bowls and utensils materialized.

Jack staggered through the door with an enormous bucket of candy and a duffle on his shoulder that appeared to be filled with a toddler-sized bag of popcorn. "Mary said she'd teach me how to make kettle corn," he explained.

"I think you make that with unpopped popcorn, kid," Jody said, helping him divest of the foodstuffs. 

"Maybe she remembers how to make popcorn balls," Dean said, having only the faintest memory of those from his third October. 

"I do," Mary said. She'd appeared with a tray of sandwiches. "We'll work on it at intermission, if you want, Jack." Once the sandwiches were on the bar, she gave Dean a quick hug and moved on to hug Sam. "Thanks for throwing this gathering, by the way."

"Sure." Dean tamped down any bittersweetness about Mary not living at the bunker with them and chose to be content that she'd accepted the invite. He saw Cas standing way over on the other side of the room – so, as many as ten feet away – and went to be nearer. 

In that corner they beheld the crowd chatting and vying to fill plates and finding spots on the couch and in the matching recliners. Sam pushed the tv as far against one wall as possible and the foosball as far back against the other. It would be a tight squeeze for everyone to have a good view of the movie (Dean's choice: Quicksand III: Terror at Pleasant River) but no-one seemed bothered about it. The snacks were already a hit. 

"Aren't you going to eat something?" Cas asked.

"In a sec." Dean leaned back into the corner and was happy when Cas joined him. "Do you mind sitting on the floor?" He crooked a smile at him. "I'll be down there too."

Cas shook his head, his eyes dropping to Dean's mouth in a way that made Dean's stomach flutter. "I don't mind."

Dean's willpower, his shame and pride rolled into one stupid ball, vanished at that exact moment; he kissed Cas soft and quick and Cas, without hesitating, returned the favor. They kept the corner from collapsing and stared at each other in sweet, quiet shock. 

"We all gettin' a smooch or is it just you guys?" Jody called out. She bit into a cupcake and chewed pointedly.

Now all attention was on Dean and Cas. Jack and Mary had stopped mid-chew to watch. Sam's eyebrows were all the way atop his head. Donna was grinning like a jack o'lantern. Jody kept eating her cupcake with an expectant air.

"Show's over," Dean told everyone sternly. But he softened the effect by threading his fingers through Cas's.

"Happy Halloween," Cas said, just loudly enough for Dean to hear, and yeah, Dean thought, it really was.

[drainxx]

Jan 27th 2024

Update after my family dinner!

I completed a 39hr and 28min fast

I chewed slowly and thoroughly

This was my omad

I restarted my fast immediately after

I took the longest time to finish eating of anyone but I didn’t feel deprived or even like I was going slow

I declined seconds

I drank a cup of water first

I didn’t binge when I got home from Shame of eating at all

I feel confident going into my next fast

And because I followed these basic guidelines, it wasn’t that big of a deal!

The whole meal together didn’t look to be all too many calories but I can’t be sure how many it was. If you guys want to try and guess to show off your counting skills, go ahead here’s what was in it:

It was just crock pot chicken on a bun (no sauce) and a small portion of coleslaw, and then dessert was one small scoop of vanilla ice cream on a “apple crisp” thing which was pretty much just baked apple slices in brown sugar with oats on top (small portion) oh and a quarter slice of a pickle (not shown)

(And thanks so so much your your guys’s input on my last post!)

[ughtoomanyfandoms]

Preacher’s Daughter (The Last of Us) - Joel Miller: American Teenager

PREACHER’S DAUGHTER American Teenager

series masterlist

Pairing: Joel Miller x OC

CONTENT WARNINGS: 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI, DEAD PIGEON unprotected sex, religious trauma, gore, violence, swearing, explicit content, sexual violence.

Word Count: 11.8k

Read on AO3 and Wattpad

PREACHER’S DAUGHTER American Teenager

NOVEMBER 2001

The blaze of the torch and heat of the flame is drowned out by the blaring of music through her headphones. Keeping a steady hand and a focused eye on the soldering work she was doing, the ambient noises of the jewelry shop became a distant drum in the background. She had worked her hands raw and rough from polishing and sanding all day, so she sought respite in the tedious soldering work on the jewelry piece she just started.

Finishing the soldering job, she quickly quenches the piece and takes it to the crock pot to begin pickling. As the song blasting through her headphones fades out, she can barely hear her name being called over the music. Quickly, she pushes her headphones from her ears and turns to see her boss waving for her attention.

“How long have you been calling my name?” She lets out with a chuckle.

“Don’t worry about it,” her boss responds with a smile. “I thought you were off at four? It’s a little after five right now.”

“Oh shit, I’m sorry,” she responds. “Totally lost track of time. I’ll start wrapping up and head out.”

Her boss gently tells her to lock up after herself and enjoy her night. Waiting for her piece to finish sitting in the pickle, she begins to clean up her work bench. Quickly locking up, she exits onto the streets of downtown Austin.

She’s walking for a little bit

“Lianne!” A voice calls out. Turning to see who called her name, she sees a bushel of brown curly hair bouncing its way towards her. The young girl is almost unrecognizable. Sarah Miller must have grown four inches since Lianne last saw her before moving to New York. She was no longer the little girl whom she used to babysit, but now has grown into a lovely young lady. Having only seen photographs of Sarah that she had received amongst numerous letters from the girl still could not prepare her for how tall the girl had gotten. While being away for college, her and Sarah still kept weekly contact with phone calls and being each other's pen pals.

“No way,” Lianne laughs out, finding herself already embraced by the tall girl. “Who is this beauty? Sarah Miller? You have gotten way too big.”  

Two men follow behind Sarah, and Lianne has to do a double take to realize it’s Sarah’s father, Joel, and his brother, Tommy. Her chest fills with a warm comfort as she sees the older man break into a smile.

“All three Miller’s?” Lianne exclaims. “What are y’all doing here in the city?”

“We were just makin’ our way to dinner,” Joel says with a smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

“Come with us!” Sarah bursts, excitedly latching onto Lianne’s arm.

Before Lianne can even think of a response, Joel is saying, “The more the merrier,” and Tommy is pressuring her to join them. Finally agreeing, she’s walking arm and arm with Sarah towards the restaurant.

The drinks are brought and set on the table, and Lianne immediately wraps her hands around the glass in front of her, the coolness soothing to her fingers. Joel brings his glass up to his lips, keeping his eyes on Lianne as she casually glances around the restaurant with the smallest smile on her face. As he sets his drink back down, his eyes cast down to her ringed fingers around her glass.

“You’ve got workin’ hands now,” Joel speaks as he notices the cuts and calluses on Lianne’s fingers. She looks at her worn hands and picks at the green metal shavings stuck beneath her fingernails.

“Yeah, being a bench jeweler is tough shit,” she says with a sigh. Lianne reaches over to Joel and flips his hand over, laying her own hand next to his. “But look, we match now.”

“Yeah,” Joel chuckles. “Being a contractor is tough shit,” his eyes sparkle as he throws her words back at her.

“Language,” Sarah warns, taking a sip of her drink. Lianne only smiles more as she nudges Sarah with her elbow.

“So you two still doing freelance work?” Lianne asks as she looks between the two brothers.

Joel opens his mouth to respond, but is cut off by his brother which doesn’t go unnoticed by Lianne.

“We’ve been trying to do as many jobs as we can,” Tommy begins to explain. “Joel here has been readin’ up on doin’ his own thing… Startin’ his own business.”

“Oh, really?” Lianne says with a raise of her brows. “Would you two do it together or would it be a one man show?”

“You know Joel doesn’t work well with others outside his bubble,” Tommy taunts his older brother.

“I wouldn’t even say I work well with you,” Joel mumbles into his glass, the smirk on Tommy’s face growing.

“Well,” Lianne interjects. “If y’all need a welder… I know a guy.”

“I will definitely keep that in mind,” Joel responds, his dark eyes twinkling at Lianne. After a moment of looking over the restaurant’s menu, Joel continues. “So where are you staying now that you’re back in Austin?”

“I just have a studio apartment outside of the city,” Lianne replies, looking up from her menu at Joel. She catches the slightest smile at the corner of his lips as she turns to look at Sarah. “Which y’all are more than welcome to come by any time. It ain’t much but the building has some fun hang out areas.”

This excites Sarah, the girl slightly bouncing in her seat. “Oh, yeah! That sounds so fun! Can we go, Dad?”

“You don’t have to ask him,” Lianne says as she gently nudges Sarah. “You can seriously come over whenever you want.”

“Aren’t you a big-city girl now?” Tommy asks. “I mean, you lived in Manhattan. Would’ve thought you’d be living here downtown.”

Joel stiffens at this, and he clears his throat in his brother's direction. Unphased and smiling, Lianne answers in her cheery voice.

“The city just wasn’t for me anymore,” Lianne begins. “As much as I loved it, I’d rather not be right in the middle of the hustle and bustle anymore, you know? It’s nice to work in the city, that’s not a problem. But it’s just nice to get a little bit away from it all and take a break. Plus, I don’t care for being around tall buildings that much.”

The waitress appears then, making Lianne grateful for the questions to finally not be about her as they order their food.

“What about you, Sarah?” Lianne starts. “What’s new? Talking to any boys or-”

“No.” She is immediately cut off by Joel and Tommy sharply answering the question for Sarah. She can’t help but laugh as she looks at the poor girl who just crosses her arms.

It was as if the connection between Sarah and Lianne never faltered. The space and time that was between them over the last three years seemed to be nonexistent as the two fell right into place with each other. It was as if nothing ever happened, and Lianne’s body was radiating with happiness as she found herself content being in the presence of all three Miller’s.

Dinner flies by, the four of them lost in conversations that became scattered in all dimensions. Laughter would fill the air, and Lianne and Sarah would lean into each other and try to cover their laughs. To feel at home with the Miller’s was a blessing to Lianne. Having been out of their immediate lives and the city of Austin for so long had created a bundle of nerves in her when she first moved back. But having been able to unexpectedly run into her favorite people within the few days she had been back had her at ease in an instant.

“So, are you having a graduation party?” Sarah asks, her eyes beaming. Heat rushes to Lianne’s cheeks, and she tries to hide herself by staring into her glass. She chews on her lip before peeking up through her lashes.

“Actually,” Lianne starts slowly. “I didn’t graduate.”

“What do you mean?” Sarah asks.

Lianne doesn’t want to respond, the hesitancy creating a thickness in the air. “I dropped out,” she finally says, almost in a whisper.

“Wait, what?” Tommy asks, almost startled. “Why?”

Joel hasn’t brought himself the courage to elaborate on his reaction. To be shocked was an understatement, and he found a tingle of anticipation in his chest. He couldn’t take his eyes off the woman in front of him, watching the warmth wash over her cheeks. His intense stare didn’t help Lianne. He had adjusted from his relaxed state of leaning back in his chair to now almost sitting on the edge of his seat, arms leaning on the table.

Lianne didn’t want to tell them. The three people around her had been like family to her before she moved away, and they had all been so excited for her to move to the big city and create something for herself and her passion for jewelry. How could she tell them that she couldn’t do it anymore because, what? She was afraid? That she had been there that day in lower Manhattan? That her ex’s brother had been brought home in a box and she couldn’t bring herself to go to the funeral? She didn’t want to think about it anymore. That’s why she came back home. She couldn’t even begin to think of the attention it would bring to her in the conversation. She just wanted to keep the smiles on their faces, not wanting any sympathy from any of them.

All she can do is let out a long sigh as she tries not to let her eyes begin to tear up.

“It was a fun experience and everything,” she begins. “It’s just that it wasn’t really my year. It was just time to go home.”

A silence falls over the group, and Lianne can’t help but let the awkwardness of it claw at her skin.

“Plus,” Lianne adds with a smile, trying in any way to lighten the mood. “It’s warmer here in the winters. Didn’t think I had it in me to tough out another New York winter.”

After dinner, the group decides to head back to Lianne’s apartment to see it for the first time. Sarah is insistent that she rides with Lianne, and Lianne is more than happy to have her tag along. Parting ways, Joel and Tommy climb into Tommy’s truck and begin following Lianne in her little red sedan.

“God damn,” Tommy says on a sigh as he runs his hand down his face.

“What?” Joel asks, keeping his eyes on the car ahead.

“Lianne sure has… grown up,” Tommy replies, a smirk growing on his lips. “You know what I mean.”

Joel rolls his eyes in annoyance at his brother. “Come on, man. Don’t say shit like that.”

“Oh, come on,” Tommy presses. “You have eyes, man. You’ve seen her. All I’m sayin’ is that she got hot.” Tommy eyes his brother, trying to get some kind of reaction from him.

All Joel can do is scowl as his grip gradually tightens on the steering wheel. He and Tommy talked about girls all the time when it was just the two of them. But talking about Lianne like this just felt different to Joel. And what he hated the most, but would never admit, is that his brother was right.

“Sorry it’s kind of a mess,” Lianne says as she enters her apartment. Moving boxes still unopened are stacked in piles. Only a mattress with a pillow in the middle of the floor is on display, along with a green velvet couch alongside the wall. “I’ve really only been in town for a week, and I’ve been working a lot, so…” Lianne continues to explain as the Miller’s enter her apartment.

The three of them say their own “don’t-worry-about-its” as they enter the tiny apartment.

“Has your dad been helping you move in?” Joel asks as he examines the counters in the kitchenette area, running his hands over them.

“No,” Lianne draws out. “I haven’t told him I’m back yet, so it’s just been me and my boxes.”

Sarah takes immediate action, saying they’ll help her start unpacking right away. As much as Lianne protests, the Miller’s decision outweighs her own as they all begin digging through boxes. The girls take over the boxes full of clothes, while Tommy and Joel begin unpacking and assembling the little furniture that Lianne has. Soon, the kitchen cupboards are full of plates and bowls, and drawers are filled with silverware and miscellaneous supplies.

“Thank you guys so much for helping,” Lianne says, placing her hands on her hips, feeling accomplished with the hard work they put in. “There has to be some way I can repay you.”

“Mmm, you can’t,” Sarah says with a mischievous smile. “We won’t let you.”

Lianne places her hands on the young girls shoulders and begins pushing her towards the door. “It’s been so great seeing you all again,” Lianne says before she sighs. “You really have no idea… “

The three guests make their way out into the hall, but not before Lianne eagerly tells Sarah to give her a call whenever she wanted to get together.

Over the weeks, Joel had been in and out of her apartment. Making sure the counters were level, fixing a leaky faucet, even retiling her bathroom floor. He heard her complain about the humidity one day, and he was over there that night checking her air conditioning unit to make sure it was satisfactory.

Lianne turned down the volume of the radio as her car approached the Miller’s home, only for Sarah to immediately reach over from her position in the passenger seat to turn the volume up even louder, beaming a smile to Lianne. Sarah’s friends in the back of the car sang their hearts out as Lianne finally parked on the street in front of the house. The evening sun radiated its way into the car, bouncing off of Sarah’s curly hair.

It was surprising to Lianne that Sarah had kept the tape that Lianne’s group of friends from high school made in their shitty little garage band. Sarah loved it and had almost worn the tape out completely. What had Lianne almost in tears was that as soon as the tape began playing in the car, all of Sarah’s friends knew all of the words, too.  

The group of young teenage girls giggled and smiled their way out of Lianne’s sedan as they grabbed their shopping bags. Lianne smiled and waved to Sarah as she got out, but Sarah peered back in through the open window.

“You should come in!” Sarah invites with a bright smile. “Dad will want to say hi!”

Agreeing to come in for a few minutes, Lianne follows the group of babbling girls into the house. The aroma of sizzling ground beef and frying peppers instantly hits her.

Sarah has made her way to her father, kissing him on the cheek and saying hello as he works over the stove. Sarah says something to him, and his head turns in Lianne’s direction, his dark eyes taking her in and a smile forming on his lips.

“Hey, look who’s here!” He says. Sarah turns and leaves her fathers side, making her way upstairs to join her friends, but not before she waves to Lianne. “Have a seat,” Joel continues. “I was just finishin’ up dinner.”

“Oh, no. I don’t want to be a bother,” Lianne says, waving her hand in excusal. “I just wanted to pop in and say hi.”

“I’ve made plenty,” Joel persists. “I got a house full of girls to feed.”

“And you want one more to stick around?” Lianne teases.

“Eh, what’s one more,” he says with a smile as he pears over to her. “Besides, I’d like the company.”

Accepting Joel’s gracious offer, Lianne sits at the small table and Joel urgently brings a neatly plated dish to her.

“Hope you’re hungry,” he says with a smile as he returns to fix his own plate.

“Starving,” Lianne states. She relishes in the first bite, eyes closing as a hum leaves her mouth. Joel hears it and lets it ring through his ears as he brings his own plate to sit across from her at the table, and the slightest tingle shoots up his spine.

“How is it?” Joel asks her before even thinking about taking a bite of his own.

With her eyes still closed in satisfaction, she replies with, “So fucking good,” around a mouthful of food. Joel only chuckles, but can’t stop the thought of her saying those words as he… He tries not to relish in the thought, pushing it as far from his mind as he can.

“Sarah ain’t botherin’ you too much, is she?” Joel asks her, trying to keep his mind in the present. “You two spend a lot of time together. I’m sure you’d wanna spend your time hanging out with other people your own age.”

“Oh, God, no,” Lianne responds. “It’s nice having her to hangout with. Reminds me of simpler times.”

Lianne’s response stirs something in Joel, pulling at his chest. From the conversations they’ve had about her living in Manhattan and going to college, he knows there’s an unsolvable pain lingering in her. How she lights up about talking about being Sarah’s babysitter in high school and being in a band, and how she seems to almost disappear as she talks about college. He wants to beg her to let him in, to share that pain with him, let him take on some of it as his own.

“So things with your dad are…” Joel says instead.

Lianne let’s out a soft snort as she replies. “Questionable to say the least.”

“How so?”

“Well, I mean, you know, I grew up. The whole cliche college thing, being independent and finding myself. I separated myself from the church and he obviously did not take that well,” Lianne begins to explain. “After that he hasn’t reached out to me. And I guess I didn’t want to reach out to him either. But he called me after, in September… And I finally  let him know I was back in Austin. He’s wanting me to come back to the church, but I just can not go back there.”

“So you’re not going to church at all?” Joel asks, surprised.

“I wasn't in New York. But as happy as I am to be back in Austin, it’s been kind of tough. I started going to a new place a couple weeks ago. Just for some peace of mind I guess.”

“You just go by yourself?”

“Yep, just me,” she sighs. “There’s a sermon tomorrow morning at 8:15 if y’all would ever wanna join. But I totally get if that’s not your thing.”

“No, I’d love to,” Joel responds eagerly. “Me and Sarah. We’d love to.”

Lianne beams at him, and the two finish their meals in small conversations. By the end, Lianne has to excuse herself. Although she’s hesitant in doing so, she’s excited to spend the rest of the night with her friends. After helping Joel with the dishes, he follows behind her and walks her to her car at the end of the driveway.

“Y’all do too much for me,” Lianne says with a smile as the two of them reach her car. “I really need to start repaying you guys.”

“We like doin’ it,” Joel responds, a fond smile appearing on his face. “If you need anything, just call me.”

Lianne’s car engine comes to life and she’s immediately rolling down her windows. Joel stands and watches in the driveway, his hands in his pockets.

“You’ll be able to go to church in the morning after being out all night?” He calls out to her.

“Yeah, don’t you know?” She says as she flashes Joel a smile. “I’m basically a pro at this.”

The downtown bar was absolutely packed. Lianne had fallen into step behind her three friends as they made their way through like a pack of sardines. Phoebe, the one leading the group, had begun b-lining straight towards the bar with Julien, the petite dark haired girl behind her, as soon as they stepped foot in the place. Lianne had grabbed Lucy’s arm, the friend right in front of her, and told her she was going to find a high table for the four of them to occupy.

Settling in on one of the stools, Lianne scans her eyes throughout the place, a content smile slightly forming on her lips as her eyes land on her friends. Her view is blocked gradually as a tall, light-haired man approaches the table with a friendly smile.

Phoebe was the one that always assumed the worst in a situation like this, but Lianne just reciprocated the smile.

“You here all alone and you ain’t even drinkin’?” The man says as he finally reaches the table.

Lianne shakes her head with a smile. “I ain’t alone,” she points to her friends who are finally making their way over to her from the bar.

“Well, what’s your poison?” The man says to Lianne. “Lemme get you a drink.”

“She’s driving,” Lucy says as she takes her place next to Lianne. “But you can get us drinks.”

The man smiles at Lucy, and turns to wave over a few of his friends. They kept their word and bought the next round of drinks for the girls, and then the next round, and then the next. At some point during the night, Phoebe and Julien had gotten up to do karaoke with a few of the guys. Phoebe and Julien, ever the life of the party, continued to be swayed with drink after drink from the man and his friends, becoming completely obliterated.

“Okay, okay!” Lucy shouts to get everyone’s attention. “The girls and I were having a writing session today and we want y’alls input. We were talkin’ about times where we thought ‘Oh, shit, we’re all gonna die.’” Lucy and the girls let out a few drunken giggles. “I wanna hear your ‘We’re all gonna die’ moments and feel inspired by your stories.”

Lianne nearly froze on the spot, her blood running cold and her stomach turning.

The guys begin talking immediately, stories about getting caught and running from the cops, riding broncos and nearly getting trampled to death.

Turning expectantly to Lianne, the light hair man questions her. “What about you, sweetheart?”

Julien groans from her spot next to Lianne, gagging exaggeratingly and the pet name. Lianne just laughs and falls into her friend’s side.

“I mean,” Lianne starts as she wraps her fingers around her cup of water. “The whole thing in New York. I thought the world was ending that day-“

“What, you mean the towers?” One of the guys asks, his words slightly slurring together. “We were all scared that day. That’s a universal experience.”

Before Lianne can reply, Phoebe is at her service.

“She was there, you asshole,” Phoebe snaps. All of the men’s eyes are on Lianne now. Her cheeks heat up and she wants to disappear, but Julien gently leans her head on her shoulder, keeping her steady in the moment.

“Oh, shit,” the light haired man says. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine now,” Lianne nods. “Looking back at it and knowing what happened, it’s kind of silly to think we were all going to die.”

A moment passes, stabbing Lianne in the gut.

“But,” she continues, changing the subject. “I used to have these dreams as a kid. They were always the same. Just a lot of fighting, blood, screaming. Mostly just men tearing each other a part. I had no idea where I was or what they were fighting about, but I knew I was fighting with them. Or against them. I just remember having the feeling that we were all going to die… and then I would wake up.”

There’s a brief moment of stillness amongst the group, when one of the men slowly let’s out, “Damn, that’s crazy.”

“You know, I might like you less now that y’all know me so well,” Lianne just let’s out a chuckle and clutches her drink. The conversations move else where, and Lianne spends the rest of the night mothering her drunken friends.

“What else is there to do ‘round here?” The light-haired man has to shout to Lianne over the noise of the bar, leaning in closer to her. “Me and the boys are ranchers out in the Hill Country, so we don’t come into the city too often.”

“Well,” Lianne starts. “What is it y’all like to do?”

Before she can get an answer from him, Julien has pushed up to her other side, breath reeking of alcohol and her eyes bloodshot. Lianne turns to her friend and a wave of worry washes over her at the morbid state of her friend.

“I threw up,” Julien says, trying to keep her eyes focused on Lianne. “Outside.”

Lianne runs her hand over her friend's long dark hair and turns back to the man.

“I think that means it’s time to go,” she says with a friendly smile. Before the man can say anything to try to get her to stay longer, she’s scooping an arm around Julien’s back and making her way to Lucy and Phoebe. Phoebe is in as equally bad shape as Julien, but as soon as the four of them are met back together as a group, Phoebe and Julien fall into a conversation of blissful laughter.

“Do y’all need a ride?” The tall man calls after her. “Or let me help y’all get to your car, at least.”

Lianne waves him off, insisting that she has everything under control as Julien drunkenly clings to her.

It would have seemed a nearly impossible feat to get all the girls to Lianne’s car, but after what felt like a full marathon they finally reached Lianne’s car. Helping everyone in, situated, and buckled was another near impossible task, like wrangling a gang of monkeys with their arms flailing about. Finally in the driver’s seat, Lianne turns the key to ignite the engine. Only silence is what’s to follow. She tries the key again, more sputtering and no roar of the engine.

“You’re fucking kidding me,” Lianne mumbles.

“What’s wrong?” Lucy says from the passenger seat.

“My car must be dead or something, it won’t start.”

“Does this mean we have to get out of the car?” Julien whines, throwing her head back against the headrest.

Unfortunately, Lianne helps the girls out of the car and back onto their feet. Not sure what to do and how to get her friends home, Lianne thinks about the offer that man had made her at the bar about taking them home. She more than considers it, but he’d been driving that night and it could all just be too risky.

Luckily having parked right by a payphone, Lianne dials the only number she has memorized and prays that they answer. After the fourth ring, the person on the other line picks up, taking a moment before speaking into the phone.

“Hello?” Answers a groggy voice, deep and raspy from sleep.

“Oh, shit. I’m so sorry, Joel, I didn’t mean to wake you up,” Lianne whispers in a rush.

“‘S all right,” Joel replies, his voice more urgent and awake now. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, everyone’s good. We were just leaving the bar but my car won’t start. I wouldn’t have called but I assumed Tommy would also be out drinking tonight, and you’re kinda the only other person I know in town.”

“Which bar are you at?”

Lianne tells him the bar, and he immediately tells her he’s on his way. Trying to rangle in the drunk group of girls, Lianne assists them all back to the bar. Stumbling and cackling the entire way, Lianne tries to direct her friends closer to the building in hopes of a bench for at least the inebriated girls can sit still without the possibility of falling over and getting hurt.

Lucy being the least drunk of them all, besides Lianne, is almost carrying Julien as they all near the entrance of the bar. Lucky enough, there is a bench out front. Annoyance sneaks it’s way into Lianne as she realizes the occupants of said bench are the same guys from earlier who had brought them all drinks. As the girls get closer, the broader of the men nudges his friend next to him and nods in the girls direction. The two on the bench get up and gesture to it, allowing Lianne to quite literally dump a drunk Phoebe onto the bench. Julien and Lucy fumble their way onto the bench as well, the three girls leaning into each other as their laughter is uncontrollable.

Lianne waves a thanks to the men who offered their seats, and they take that as a sign to initiate conversation. Zoning in and out of conversation, Lianne leaves it to her girlfriends to entertain the guys with their drunken chatter. After a while, the group is suddenly flooded in a white light of headlights as Joel pulls up to the bar. He steps out of the truck with a sense of urgency, but upon seeing Lianne’s smiling face, his shoulders relax and his once unknowingly clenched jaw drops lightly. Pulling the girls away from the guys, Lianne helps them up into Joel’s truck in a hastily manner, exhausted and just wanting to lay down.

“They give you much trouble?” Joel asks as he starts the truck back up. He looks over to Lianne as she puts her seatbelt on, watching her arms move across her body.

“These three?” Lianne asks with a laugh. “Nah, they ain’t too bad.”

She turns to see Joel has his mouth open as if to say something else, but no words come out. His eyes shift briefly to the group of men still standing outside the bar, just for a second. Lianne follows his gaze.

“Oh, them?” Lianne says in realization. “They ain’t too bad either. Bought the girls a couple of drinks and talked to us for a while. So much for a girls night.”

This made Joel laugh. Satisfied with Lianne’s answer, he puts the truck in reverse and reaches his hand to settle on Lianne’s headrest as he turns around in his seat. The proximity of his hand so close to her is enough to intoxicate her.

After a few moments of silence on the drive, Joel finally asks, “Where am I taking you to?”

“Everyone’s just staying at my place,” Lianne replies. “So you can just take us there. Thanks again for picking us up.”

The three girls in the back are still lost in delirious conversation, Lucy barely hanging on to consciousness as she attempts to keep up with Phoebe and Julien’s intensity.

“Y’all have fun tonight?” Joel says with a smile as he looks at the three in the back through his rear-view mirror. He’s answered by all three of the girls at once, each trying to talk over each other as their hands move in dramatic storytelling. Joel’s smile widens as he looks at Lianne, who closes her tired eyes in a soft laugh.

Eventually parking in front of Lianne’s apartment complex, Joel gets out of the truck and begins helping the girls out, careful not to let them fall from the truck. Lianne has Julien’s arm draped over her shoulder as she helps her to up the stairs to the front of the complex.

“Do you need help gettin’ them up there?” Joel asks.

As Lianne insists that she’s got it under control, Phoebe leaves her spot from Lucy’s side and latches herself onto Julien, almost knocking the trio over. Lianne let’s out a loud laugh with Julien, and Joel can’t help but lean against his truck and smile.

“Thank you so much again, for everything!” Lianne calls over her shoulder as she approaches the front door of the building.

Joel just waves. He can’t help but chuckle as he watches the four try to meander their way up the steps and into the building. It isn’t until he sees the door close behind him that he hops back in the truck and drives away.

Lianne has thrown Phoebe and Julien onto the mattress, which now thankfully has a bed frame thanks to Joel.

“Lianne,” Phoebe starts. “That man is hot.”

“That man is old,” Julien says, her lips curling up in partial disgust.

“That’s, like, the perfect combo,” Phoebe responds. “Plus he obviously wants to hook up with you. Who the hell wakes up at three in the morning to pick up a bunch of drunk girls?”

“Don’t put that in my head,” Lianne groans as she tucks blankets around Phoebe. “Joel’s a gentleman.”

“Yeah,” Phoebe mumbles as drowsiness consumes her. “A hot gentleman.”

“An old gentleman,” Julien pipes up from her spot next to Phoebe.

“Y’all just shut up and leave Lianne alone,” Lucy says from her spot on the couch. “Just be grateful we aren’t still sitting stranded at that bar.”

Lianne can’t help but think about how quick Joel was to come to her and her friends aid that night. She even found herself questioning if he was worried or not when he had found them there at the bar. She thinks again of how his hand was so close to her in the truck, how his hands gripped the steering wheel, how the crinkle of his eyes melted her to the bone. How she often catches his deep brown eyes peering up at her from behind his lashes, and how those same eyes could look while he…

A pit of fire lights in her gut and a shiver runs down her spine. Tossing and turning and being surrounded by bodies built an irritating frustration in her. Finally getting up, and knowing damn well she had to be up early for church - with Joel - she found herself in her kitchen and losing herself to a bottle of whiskey. The whiskey that Joel had gotten for her as a housewarming gift.

Picturing Joel in his Sunday best for tomorrow’s sermon made Lianne want to rip her hair out. It was the one thing that was completely out of character for Joel, but it was still so domestic, and that’s what was driving her crazy. He was going tomorrow because she had asked him to.

And he hadn’t hesitated on saying yes.

The sunlight burning her eyes, even though they’re shut, wakes Lianne from a terrible sleep as she lets out a long groan. Slowly, she lifts her head from the table, not daring to open her eyes in the bright sunlight. Rubbing at the back of her neck, she looks at the oven to check the time.

“Shit,” she mutters as she jumps up, pounding in her head bringing her back down to her seat. She forces herself to get up and heads to her small bathroom, quietly hurrying around her knocked out friends. She roughly pulls the brush through her hair and rinses her mouth with mouthwash, the sharp minty flavor making her gag over the sink.

Sneaking back into the main room, she pulls a blue velvet wrap-around dress out of her closet and quickly ties it around her. From the coat hanger, she slips into a burgundy blazer which also happens to be velvet. Too worried about the time to bother with the conundrum of wearing two items with the same fabric, she quickly slips on a pair of flats and pulls her long hair out from her blazer.

“Velvet on velvet,” she hears Lucy say from the couch. “That’s hot.”

“Shut up,” Lianne teases. “Go back to sleep, I’m going to church.”

Not needing to be told twice, Lucy salutes to Lianne and rolls back into a peaceful sleep. Envious, Lianne grabs her bag and glasses and heads down to the street below. It isn’t until she’s outside, head pounding and sunglasses barely doing their job at blocking out the sun, that she remembers last night. Her fucking car is still at the bar.

“Shit,” she says again, more urgently this time. Running a hand through her hair, she begins to run to the bus stop at the end of the street. Fighting back the need to expel the liquor from her gut, she waves down the bus just in time. Out of breath and trying to hold herself together, she leans against the metal pole in the bus aisle, the coolness helping relieve her nausea as she leans her forehead against it.

“You look like crap,” Sarah says as she examines Lianne. Having gotten off the bus and hiking her way to the church, the wind had Lianne’s hair ran through by the time she got there. Dehydrated and sweaty, she was barely making it up the steps to the church.

“Hey, now,” Lianne huffs out as she reaches Sarah and Joel. “I crossed mountains and oceans to be with you here today.”

She hears Joel let out a chuckle, which finally allows her eyes to drag over to him. Just like she suspected, his Sunday best. A soft white button down tucked into a pair of dark jeans, covered by a black suit jacket.

“Oh, Joel,” she almost hums. “You even went through the effort of doing your hair. And I look like this.”

He lets out a loud chuckle as his cheeks turn red from the compliment. “Come on, you look real nice, Lianne.” He says it with a sarcastic smile, but still can’t help the heat that rises to his cheeks.

“Whatever,” Lianne sighs, making her way between the pair. “I need to sit down.”

Making their way into the church and grabbing a seat, Lianne can’t help but to feel that little bit of longing pulling at her heart. Being surrounded by a room full of faces that she doesn’t know, yet still expecting to see her father up at the front of the aisle. The thought is dizzying, but she grounds herself in the seat next to Sarah and pushes away the longing before it turns into pain.

Throughout the service, hymns are sung, and the constant up and down has Lianne almost bent over, gripping her knees as she pushes herself to stand. The swirling pit of her stomach making her want to heave each time she stands.

Singing along with the hymnal choir, Joel doesn’t utter a sound, purely focused on hearing Lianne sing next to his daughter. He becomes so intent on her voice that it almost becomes the only noise he can hear. Lianne tries not to notice his intense stare, but nevertheless his gaze causes her cheeks to flush.

At one point during the service, Lianne looks to Sarah to whisper something to her, but the poor girl has leant her head against her father’s shoulder and dozed off. She looks up to Joel, a warmness in her eyes. He just gives an apologetic shrug, but his eyes soften as he looks at his sleeping daughter. A bubble begins to grow in Lianne’s chest as she watches how Joel looks at Sarah, a kind of bubble that she is still unsure of.

Sarah had called earlier that day. A few weeks ago she had given Lianne a coupon to their favorite restaurant in hopes they could go together. Sarah was able to catch Lianne on the phone during her lunch break to set up a time for the two of them to go get dinner tonight. And that’s where Lianne was headed right now.

Stepping off the bus, Lianne made her way through the warm summer air and felt grateful to be back in Austin. The summers in New York were nice, but the wind in the city was the death of her. The still warm air of the western night clung to her skin and carried her to the Miller’s house. Reaching the door she let a rhythmic knock make it’s way through the door. In the stillness that followed, she hesitated to knock again. As she decided to try to ring the doorbell, the door was pulled open by a freshly-dressed Joel, wet hair combed back. The fresh scent of his shampoo wafting over Lianne, almost making her dizzy.

“Oh, hey,” his eyes warmed into a smile. “What’re you doing here?”

Lianne’s eyes sparkled as she smiled in response. “Sarah called earlier. Her and I were going to get dinner at that restaurant we like near the city. I told her I’d come pick her up after work so we could go together.”

Joel’s brows knit together as he looks over his shoulder back into the house. “Sarah ain’t home tonight,” he says, turning back to Lianne. “She’s at a friend’s house for the night.”

“Oh!” Lianne starts to rummage through her bag and pulls out a slip of paper. “Well, she gave me this coupon that’s only good for a while and she suggested we go tonight.”

Joel lets out a low chuckle and rubs at the back of his neck. “Of course, she did,” he mumbles.

Lianne pauses for a minute and chews at her lip before sending a squint towards Joel. “Well, what are you doing tonight? I still have this coupon, and I’d hate for it to go to waste.” She smiles as she flicks the coupon through the air. “Come on! My car’s in the shop, so if you fly, I’ll buy.”

“Sure, why not,” Joel shrugs with a smile. He has to stop himself from immediately walking out the door with her, trying to take his time getting his keys and locking up.

At first walking side by side to Joel’s truck, he beats her to it and opens the passenger door for her, even offering his hand to help her step up into it. This most simple and kind gesture has butterflies stirring in Lianne’s stomach that she tries not to let spill out.

The ride to the restaurant was relatively quiet, Joel’s radio of old country music softly filling the air. At the restaurant, the conversations consisted mostly of their days at work. Joel had been finishing the decking on a new house in an up and coming subdivision. Lianne had been working on a custom chainwork piece for a client of the shop.

They exchanged their own stories of the scars on their hands, either getting bashed by a hammer or burnt with a torch. Reminiscing on younger days with Sarah, and how she was still a die hard fan of Luanne’s old high school band with the girls. It was even decided between Lianne and Joel that the band of girls would play together again at Sarah’s next birthday party.

Having had enough of the dim atmosphere of the restaurant on such a beautiful day, Lianne had convinced Joel to stop at the ice cream shop next door for dessert. But it was Joel who suggested they sit on a bench outside at the nearby park to eat their dessert as they watched the sunset. And that’s where Lianne found herself now, spooning out her ice cream and soaking up the golden sun.

“It’s been real nice having you back here,” Joel finally says. It’s a thought that he’s been keeping to himself over the weeks Lianne has been spending with him and Sarah. For a moment he felt selfish that Sarah was absent tonight, and that he got to spend this night just him and Lianne. Keeping it subtle, Joel continues. “Sarah’s missed you quite a bit.”

Lianne smiles as she scoops out another spoonful of ice cream. “It was a really hard decision to come back home,” she starts. “But now the more I’m here the more I feel like I made the right decision.”

Joel gives her a knowing look. His gaze never leaves her, and her skin prickles with the intensity of his stare. She finally turns to meet his gaze to see his eyes squinting in curiosity.

“Go ahead,” she lets out. “Ask away, I’m an open book.”

“Why did you really decide to come back home?”

She turns away from Joel, squinting into the sun as it starts to set. “I had been living with my boyfriend - my ex, now -  and some friends in the city when the planes hit. I lost a few people that I knew that day, and my ex lost his brother and things between us started to get really bad. After September I started to really go downhill. My grades got worse, I could barely leave my apartment. I couldn’t really eat or sleep. By the end of October I just couldn’t do it anymore. I just wanted some normalcy.” She glances down at her ice cream before looking to Joel to say, “And I feel really normal with you and Sarah.”

Joel’s fingers twitch with the want to run his hands through her hair and hold her. He compromises by laying his hand and the bottom of her neck. Her skin can’t help but burst into red flame at the contact of his rough hand.

“Well, like I said,” Joel says after clearing his throat. “It’s been real good having you back around.”

Lianne smiles back in response, happiness blossoming in her chest. She scoots closer to Joel and rests her head on his shoulder. The happiness in her chest spreads to Joel, blossoming just as much as he rests his head on hers.

The post-dessert drive is spent in a relaxed quiet, the hum of the radio consistent under brief small talk. Not quite ready to say goodbye to her and return to the silence of his home, Joel had offered to fix them a few drinks back at his place, which Lianne of course accepted. Apparently he can make a killer Olde Fashioned.

Having been sipping on her drink that Joel had made her, she sets the half full glass down on the coffee table that sits in front of the couch. Joel sure knows how to make a strong drink, the liquor causing a warm buzz to flow through Lianne. Leaning back into her spot on the couch, Lianne suddenly realizes just how close the two of them are together on the couch.

He’s just a reach away, and she finds herself only half listening to what he’s briefly saying. His elbow is perched on the back of the couch and he rests his head against his closed hand. Lianne could get lost in his deep and dark eyes, and she finds her gaze fighting to stay on his eyes and not become distracted with the movement of his mouth.

Letting what little liquid courage she consumed take control for a moment, Lianne swiftly moves forward to gently press her lips to Joel’s. He becomes rigid, frozen by the gesture and it has Lianne pulling away quickly, a hand raising to her mouth.

“I- I am so sorry,” Lianne says in a hushed tone, dread rising from her stomach which pushes her to rise to her feet. Panic begins to spark in her, moving her feet forwards and away from the couch.

She doesn’t feel Joel move from his position on the couch to immediately tail after her, catching her arm when he gets closer. Turning her towards him, she lifts her gaze to meet his, his brows slightly knitted together as he stares intently into her. His hands slowly come up and rest on either side of her neck, and he’s still just staring at her, and it’s killing her. She wants him to say, “Hey, it’s okay. Happens more than you think.” Or, “I appreciate it, but there’s no way in hell.” She just wants him to say something, to say anything so that she can be free of his grasp. Slowly, he pulls her into him and encapsulates her lips with his own. Soft, sweet, but underneath it all, full of need and hope. Only after a moment does he pull away to look at her, his eyes drifting to her lips, needing them again.

“There was no way in Hell I was going to make the first move with you,” he whispers as he lets out a small chuckle.

Before he can say anything else, Lianne is grabbing his shirt and pushing her lips back to his. His hands make their way to tangle in her hair, pulling her even closer into him. The push and pull of their bodies becomes dance-like, slowly moving towards the stairs with Lianne’s full intent to get Joel up them.

Joel isn’t just nice. He’s not just a gentleman. He is a man who is able to say no. And he isn’t saying no right now.

“I want to take this slow with you,” he whispers as he holds her face in his hands. His eyes roam her face, trying to take in every little detail and figure out what she’s thinking. She’s looking at him with hooded eyes, and he swears his heart stops in his chest.

“I think we’ve taken it slow enough, Joel,” is all she has to say before he’s crashing his lips back onto hers. His name falling softly from her lips makes him weak in his legs, his arms, anywhere that once stood strong melted by a single breath.

The two of them had managed their way to dance their bodies through the living room, up the stairs, and into Joel’s bedroom. He tried apologizing for the mess, but Lianne had fervently replaced his words with her lips as she moved her hands to feel him.

It might have just been the drink Joel had fixed her, but she felt drunk in the presence of him alone. A wave of confidence came over her, flaring a sense of urgency within her. She needed him to see her. She needed to show him how good she could be for him, how soft and ready she was for him. Reaching out, she brought his hands to the bottom of her shirt. She looked back up to see his soft gaze on hers, a look of almost uncertainty in his eyes. Lianne nodded to him, encouraging him that she wanted him to undress her. Slowly, he lifted the hem of her shirt and pulled it up and over her head. As soon as he went to toss it to the floor, Lianne was unbuttoning her pants and discarding them to the side. Standing, she was again met with Joel’s soft gaze, his mouth softly ajar and his dark eyes furrowing in anticipation. His breathing had hitched, unnoticeably, for just a moment as his heartbeat grew louder. Slowly, Lianne reached behind her to unclasp her bra, her fingers gingerly pulling the straps down her shoulder and tossing her bra onto the floor.

“Jesus,” Joel sighed, his jaw becoming slack and his eyes becoming soft. He gently reached out to graze his fingers over her collarbone, slowly dragging his hand down her side to rest on her hip. “You… you are going to be the death of me.”

Lianne smiles, trying to hide the blush that rises in her cheeks. Joel silently began to work on undoing the buttons of his shirt. Lianne finally reached to him and helped him tug it off, letting her eyes trail over his exposed skin. With no fabric to cover him, the quick rise and fall of his chest only became more apparent to Lianne as she observed him.

Lianne gently set her hand on his bare chest, feeling his heart race under the warm skin, and she smiled. She watched as Joel’s tongue darted out to quickly wet his lips, and she didn’t hesitate to wrap her hand around his neck to pull him closer to her. His rapid breaths fanned against her face, making her stomach drop in anticipation. She slowly leaned forward to drag her lips across the skin of his neck. The scent of his cologne still lingered on his skin, and Lianne inhaled deeply, wanting to drink all of him in. She finally began to press soft kisses along his jaw, trailing them lower to the pulse point in his neck.

One of Joel’s hands landed heavily on her waist and he wasted no time rubbing encouraging circles over her hip with his rough thumb. She hummed against his skin, pressing her chest against his. Trying as best she could to keep her hand steady, she trailed her fingers down his chest, slowly finding her way to the buckle of his belt. Joel shivered lightly, the grip on her waist becoming tighter. She slowly began to undo the buckle, watching his eyes for any sign that he wanted her to stop. His eyes remained focused on her working hands, until he finally pulled them up to meet her eyes, his mouth parted in an attempt to keep his breathing steady. Seeing the expression on his face, Lianne gave him a small smile before finally unbuckling his belt and pulling the zipper down. She pressed through her hesitancy, and unknowingly held her breath as she rested her hand over his pants. Joel’s breath hitched and his hand slid around her back to hold her tighter to his chest. With her face now hidden in his neck, Lianne couldn’t see his reaction, but took the firm pressure of his hand on her back as a sign to continue. She palmed him gently through his pants, listening to the little puffs of air that rushed out of his nose as he kept his breathing calm, planting sweet kisses onto his neck and shoulder.

Wanting more, Lianne pulled away and let her hand fall away from him. Before she could begin to sink to her knees, Joel pulled her close to him again, hands cupping her face as he hungrily pressed his lips to hers. In swift movements, he had her spun around and on her back on his bed, hovering over her as they both moved their way to the top of the bed. Joel settled between her legs, placing his palm on her stomach to trace up to her chest. Lianne’s heart pounded heavily in her chest, and she was aching for him, almost begging him with her eyes to just do something. To do anything.

Joel was suddenly on her, fingers tracing over her nipples and palming her breasts before connecting his lips to her skin. Lianne let out a heavy sigh, running her hand over Joel’s shoulder to the skin on his back to hold him closer to her. His teeth began to graze her sensitive skin, causing her back to arch up off the bed and press into him. Continuing his movements, he shifted his intentions to her other breast, closing his eyes as he wet her skin with his mouth. His free hand began drifting down her stomach as she moved beneath him, his fingers tickling over her skin. Finally reaching her underwear, he cupped her through the fabric. Uncontrollably, her hips stuttered upward to press further into his hand, and he groaned into her chest.

He murmured sweet phrases into her skin, unbeknownst to Lianne as her heartbeat drummed loudly in her ears. Continuing to trail kisses across her chest, Joel pulled the fabric of her underwear to the side, finally touching her with no barrier. He groaned as he dipped a finger between her warm folds, gliding it up and down along her core. Swirling the tip of his finger around her, Lianne let out a stifled whimper as her hips began to grind desperately against his hand.

Bringing his face up to rest beside hers, Joel kissed her tenderly on her temple before murmuring into her ear, “I want to taste you.”

Lianne didn’t say anything, silenced by the feeling of his fingers against her until he pushed for a response by whispering her name in her ear.

“Need to hear you say it,” he whispered. “Tell me what you want.”

“Anything,” she replied breathlessly. “Please. Do whatever you want to me.”

“You sure about that?” he murmured, only getting a nod in response. He let out a soft chuckle before saying, “That’s all I needed to hear.”

Joel spread her legs apart, fingers digging into her skin as he held her thighs against the bed. Joel let out a deep moan that echoed through the room as he took in the sight of her before him. To Lianne, his movements were a slow torture as he leaned down, pressing sloppy kisses onto her hips, moving to the inside of her thighs, until his hot breaths were finally fanning across her core.

The moment his tongue was on her, fire raced through her veins and she knew there was no going back after this. A sigh of relief slipped from her lips, and her head tilted back as he licked a long stripe up the entire length of her. A muffled but raspy groan vibrated against her as Joel pressed messy kisses against her. Finally gaining enough willpower, Lianne looked down and gasped at the sight of Joel’s eyes already on her, watching her reactions to him.

“Taste so fuckin’ good,” he mumbled against her, causing her to twitch at the feeling of his lips brushing against her clit. He continued his circular motions until she was moaning his name, her thighs tensing against his hold, her muscles screaming to hold him against her.

She whispered his name repeatedly until it didn’t even feel like a word to her, but more of a prayer. His tongue continued to relish in her, until she was begging for him to let her come. Joel moved his hands to grip her hips tightly, lips and tongue working together to make every muscle in her body tighten until she was gasping. Lianne had latched her fingers into his hair to pull him impossibly closer as his mouth moved against her.

“Joel,” she groaned, only earning a hum in response as his movements never ended. “Fuck, Joel, I’m-”

He moaned eagerly into her, and that was all she needed to be thrown over the edge and into her orgasm. Her body was on fire, vibrating against him as she trembled against him. Joel’s hands held her hips steady with a deadly grip, never letting go until she began to relax into the mattress.

Still gasping for air, Lianne reached down and pulled Joel to her, melting her lips against his. His growing cock brushed against her thigh, the fabric of his underwear scratching her soft skin. She reached her hand down between them, slipping her fingers into his waistband to feel him. He gasped at her touch, eyes following her hand down to where she touched him. His eyes were deep and dark as they returned to look into her own, causing the fire to ignite once again in the pit of her stomach. She needed him. She needed all of him, now.

With quick movements, Lianne hastily shuffled out of her underwear, Joel following suit and shuffling out of his own. She could see him now, letting out a soft gasp as she took him in her hand again. Lianne moved with the intent to flip onto her stomach, but Joel stopped her by catching her hips with his hands.

“Just like this,” Joel murmurs, kissing along her jaw. “Wanna look at you.” Heat rose to her chest, her heartbeat increasing with his soft words.

Joel’s hand came up to rest against her hair, gently taking a handful of her hair to get lost in. His eyes were pleading to her as he nodded to her, giving her all control over him. Slowly, she brought him to her, sliding his member in between her wet folds. A mumble of curses left Joel’s lips at the sensation, and he rested his forehead on hers to steady himself. She lifted her hips beneath him, her eagerness escaping her as she bit into her lip. Slowly, she began to push the tip of him into her, watching Joel’s face for any sign of hesitancy. She grips her other hand onto his shoulder in anticipation as his fingers tighten their grip in her hair. His eyes met hers, and he could see the fire within them and the flush of her cheeks. Without thinking, he pushes himself fully in her, the two of them gasping at the sensation of their bodies connecting. She pushes her chest up into him, drunk on the sensation of the stretch that he’s created within her.

“Christ,” Joel huffed, letting them both get adjusted to the feeling of their bodies connected. Lianne wrapped a leg lazily over his waist, urging him to continue, while Joel equally as lazy ran his free hand down her side to palm at her flesh. Slowly, he pulled back from her before pressing back into her, catching her gasp with his lips. Her hand moving to his hair was the silent confirmation he needed to continue, pulling almost fully out of her before moving into her only slightly harder, beginning a tender and steady pace.

His hand that was tangled in her hair moved down to grip the base of her skull, his thumb resting on her jaw as he rocked his hips into her. He whispered gentle praises into her skin, making her skin burn. Still sensitive from her previous orgasm, liquid heat spread through her abdomen and curled in her veins, turning her entire body into a mess beneath Joel. He took his time with her, pressing kisses anywhere he had access to, his pace only picking up slightly. He finally stretched a hand down to where the two of them connected, rubbing needy circles into her clit. The sudden motion had her tightening around him, causing small grunts to leave his chest.

“That’s it, baby,” he murmured as he watched where he slipped in and out of her. “Takin’ it so well.”

Small curses left her mouth and she gripped his arm tightly as she felt herself nearing her end. She was overwhelmed with his essence, feeling him everywhere so perfectly connected with her. His fingers on her clit pressed harder, causing her head to spin before the coil in her stomach snapped. All air left her body, her back arching off the bed and further into Joel, his name barely a whisper falling from her lips. Her orgasm rocked through her body to the bone, all feelings fleeting as her vision blurred and her legs went numb. Joel’s pacing stuttered and he had to grip the pillow next to Lianne to keep from ripping into her flesh. After trying to hold out to help her come back from her high, he urgently pulled out and painted her skin with his spend.

Breathless and sweaty, Joel all but fell onto her, resting his head on hers as her hand weakly raked through his dark hair. Joel had tried apologizing for not asking her where he should finish, but she only chuckled at him, the vibrations of her chest radiating into his, causing him to laugh quietly as he nuzzled into her neck and kissed a mark into her throat.

The two laid there trying to catch their breath, completely blissed out to form any sort of thought. Joel had rolled onto his back, pulling Lianne into his side. One hand played gently in her hair, while the other pulled her leg up to his waist to trace delicate patterns into her skin. Lianne’s hand had come up to his chest, reciprocating the act of dancing patterns into his skin. Her movements slowed and her body became heavy while Joel continued to run his hand through her hair as he watched her drift to sleep.

The morning sun slowly began to creep its way into the room, lingering around the blissful state of the night before. The two were still fast asleep, both on their stomachs. Joel had one arm tucked under his pillow, the other outstretched for his hand to rest against Lianne’s back, their legs wrapped over another to keep each other close.

Joel had woken before her, eyes blinking open at the sight of the sleeping woman before him. She was facing away from him, but after last night he felt the freedom to gently run his hand up the bare skin of her back to land in her hair, gently playing with the ends. The motion had softly awoken Lianne, and she stirred gently as she turned against her pillow to face Joel. A beam of light slowly began to inch across her face, and Joel once again found himself breathless.

“Hi,” she said with a smile, barely above a whisper. Joel couldn’t even try to stop the smile that snuck onto his face.

“Hi,” he replied gently, taking the time to brush the hair from her face and behind her ear. He nestled himself closer to her, pressing kisses to her shoulder. Moving her arms from under her pillow, Lianne reaches out to him and pulls him closer to her. Joel gently pushes her to roll onto her back as he hovers over her, leaving kisses along her neck as he begins to nestle between her legs, becoming oblivious to the world and to time.

The phone on the bedside table rang violently, snapping Joel back into reality. He lets out a defeated groan, and Lianne chuckles at him as he begrudgingly pulls himself away from her to reach for the phone. Before he can even say hello, the voice on the other end is talking rapidly.

“Oh shit, Sarah, I’m so sorry,” Joel says, bolting from the bed. “What time is it? I’m on my way right now, I’ll be there soon.” He hangs up the phone and tosses it onto the bed. He moves from the bed and tries to find some clothes before explaining to Lianne. “I forgot she wanted me to pick her up at 8.”

“What time is it right now?” Lianne says, eyes wide and she makes her way to slip her underwear back on.

“Almost 8:30,” Joel replies flatly.

“Shit,” Lianne mutters, shaking out her shirt that was crumpled on the floor. “I gotta work at 9.” After shoving her arms in the sleeves of her shirt, she turns to face Joel. “How do you wanna do this?”

He thinks for a minute, zipping his pants before replying. “I can take you home first if you want, then I’ll go get Sarah.”

“My place is on the other side of the city. You said you’re on your way right now, won’t that take too long?” Lianne questions.

Joel lets out a deep sigh as he looks at her, chewing the skin of his thumb as he thinks.

“Don’t worry, I can just take the bus,” Lianne says assuringly as she slips her pants back on.

“Hell no,” Joel says firmly. “I’m not having a nice lady spend the night and then expect her to take the bus.”

“So you want me to pick up Sarah with you?” Lianne asks, her brows raised in surprise.

Joel only nods silently in response.

“Won’t she ask questions?” Lianne asks.

“She doesn’t have to know anything right now, not if you don’t want her to,” Joel says, making his way to the bedroom door, but stopping to plant a quick kiss to Lianne’s forehead. “We’ll figure it out.”

Lianne can only nod, grabbing the rest of her things as she follows Joel down the stairs and out to the truck. The ride to get Sarah is silent, not even the radio is on to cover up the rapid beating of Lianne’s heart. She never felt uneasy like this the mornings after, but it felt as if she was doing the walk of shame right to Sarah, which made everything so much worse.

Pulling up in front of the house that Sarah had stayed out, Joel didn’t even bother getting out of the truck, just blaring on his horn. Lianne had moved to unbuckle herself and move to the back, but Joel had stopped her and told her to stay in the front.

She wants to rip her hair out. She wants to bang her head into the dash in front of her. Dread keeps building and building and wants to push its way out of her at the idea of Sarah getting any idea of what happened. Her heart won’t stop pounding in her chest, but looking out the window and seeing Sarah’s sleepy yet smiling face puts her slightly at ease.

As Sarah gets closer to the truck, she finally sees Lianne in the passenger seat. Her face scrunches in confusion, but only for a brief second, before waving to Lianne and crawling into the back of the truck.

“Hey, girl,” Lianne says to Sarah over her shoulder, trying her best to keep her voice steady.

“Hey,” Sarah smiles. “What’re you doing here?”

Lianne catches Joel’s eye for a moment as she turns back around to face the front. Joel puts the truck in drive and begins to drive away.

“Well, you ditched me last night on our date,” Lianne teases. “So I had to take your old man before that coupon expired.”

“Did you spend the night?” Sarah asks.

“I had some drinks last night. Thought it was best to just sleep it off.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, and Lianne found it to be better to tell her just a teeny bit of the truth. Sarah had given her an incredulous side-eye from the back seat, her brow arching in a suspicious look.

Sarah had kept the ride entertaining with her stories from the past night, keeping the ride across the city full of various conversations. Joel had finally pulled up in front of the small jewelry store Lianne worked at, and as soon as she stepped out of the truck Sarah was scrambling to get to the front seat of Joel’s truck.

“Thanks for the ride,” Lianne said with a smile, peering back in through the truck window.

“Anytime,” Joel calls back. “And thanks for dinner!”

Lianne gives a small wave to him as she reaches the door of the shop. “Anytime,” she replies, the small smile never leaving even as she disappears behind the door.

Next to Joel, Sarah lets out a loud huff.

“What?” Joel asks, impatience in his tone.

“It’s like I’m invisible,” his daughter responds dramatically. Joel doesn’t respond, just rolling his eyes as he puts his truck into drive, pulling away from the store and letting the memory of last night with Lianne linger in his mind.

[yandere-writer-momo]

Monster F-er Anon back at it again! (Cue Evil Laugh)

Baki Boys as Batman Characters?

I can see either Retsu or Doyle as Poison Ivy (Both have the Suave and would look fabulous in green)

Or Doyle as Clayface or Catwoman (Man can disguising himself so well and knows how to fight in heels) I think it’s hot for a man to fight in heels 🤭

Kauro as Two Face?? (Mob Boss)

Jun as Bane?? (Another Suave Man)

Jack as Batman and Baki as Robin (I would laugh hysterically if this is the case)

Pickle would he Killer Croc (Stinky Boi would live in the sewers)

I’m not sure about Katsumi, but maybe he’s just a police officer (Who wants to impress s/o and is trying to work his way up to ask her out)

Kureha as Scarecrow? (He’s beautiful, but likes to experiment with patients with his fear gas?) or maybe Mr. Freeze? (He’s a doctor too)

Either Darling is Catwoman or a Psychiatrist at the Asylum (Not a Harley Quinn situation!) that just wants to help these men

I can’t think of anyone to be Joker

Darling as Catwoman.

Hanayama as Two Face.

Oliva as Batman.

Jack as Red Hood.

Baki as Red Robin (he started as robin).

Retsu as Phantom Stranger.

Sikorsky as Mr Freeze.

Gaia as Clayface.

Yujiro as Joker.

Pickle as Killer Crock.

Emi as Harley Quinn

Doyle is Poison Ivy.

Katsumi is Nightwing.

Kureha as Scarecrow.

Jun as Bane.

[theloveinc]

i feel like at barbecues.. kiri is always given the job of making the dip, and does a damn good job at it :)

no because why does it always make me laugh to think about kiri as the cream cheese in the crock pot guy...

LMFAOOO he spent his whole 20s slathering kewpie mayo on everything only to finally be scolded about pulling himself together and actually learning how to make good sauces and dressings (probs by both you and bakugo)...

so by the time ppl are hosting more formal pot lucks for their families and stuff, he knows what he's doing w/ a dip. Never too creamy, too loose, too salty, too anything. Always perfect!!

(and I also like imagining him as good @ side dishes too. competing w/ bakugo abt who makes the best pickled veggies or double fried karage..... it's always a tough choice!!!)

[crabanarchy]

getting on meds has given me a truly insane drive to start pickling things. I live in a 1-bedroom studio that 3 people live in and im looking at $200 pickling crocks on amazon and drooling. Im boiling vinegar at 2 in the morning. Im having a meltdown over tannins

[clatterbane]

The latest pickling experiment underway: dilly beans made with thawed-out commercial frozen green beans!

It seemed worth a try. You need to blanch fresh green beans for a few minutes anyway, to neutralize weird bean chemicals. Those are already blanched, and they stay crispy enough that it might work.

I haven't tried any from fresh green beans in years, and...that never turned out well before. Every batch I have made before molded on the top. Probably because the blanching does essentially pasteurize them, wiping out the natural lactobacteria hitching a ride on basically any kind of produce.

One way to get around this, I guess: mix things up!

I have certainly known people to pickle corn and beans separately, but never together like that. Guessing that probably is an extremely old combination, for some people. Throw in some squash, and you'd have some Three Sisters mixed pickles.

My Nana regularly did make dilly beans alongside the crocks of kraut and brine dill cucumbers. Guess she really liked that flavor profile too. No idea how she kept the beans from molding.

My original workaround thought was to try laying maybe a cabbage leaf in on top, as good as it is at fermenting itself. They're also great to help keep anything else from floating up to mold.

But, I decided to go one up this time, and fish a donor starter piece of leaf out of the last still-working batch! I had enough already out, so that jar got a couple of layers anyway. Plenty to go around.

I had expected the radish skins to leach a bunch of color, but not enough to turn the brine so pink!

That hopping active cabbage did almost immediately cloud up the top of the new brine. Taking that as a promising sign

Otherwise, that's got fairly standard dill pickle type seasonings. I did throw in another of those little frozen homegrown chiles, a big clove of garlic halved, and a pretty big sprig of fresh dill tucked down in the middle. Since I'm using dill from the store and don't have any seed heads, I also threw some dill seeds in the bottom with the peppercorns, mustard seeds, allspice, bay leaf, and a few of those nice Assam tea leaves for extra tannins to help keep things crispy.

Now in what I suppose is turning into the Pickle Drawer. I guess we'll see how this turns out. With any luck, it (a) won't go moldy, and (b) won't turn too strange a texture. I'll be counting this as a success if it does manage to meet those criteria. But, we'll see.

[rhapsodomancer]

apparently eating pickles before bed time prevents ssri-related night sweats, which makes sense because of the electrolytes

but even if it's a crock of shit, i'll gladly take an excuse to eat more pickles