#rosy's special december

[iicarused]

##cant take my eyes off of you

valentine’s day special // vox x reader : alastor x reader : lucifer x reader : striker x reader

synopsis: it’s valentine’s day. the lead up, the present, the aftermath

beware: fluff, minor angst, establishment relationships (not for lucifer) // short hc’s

VOX

you have to tell him months in advance of what you want. if you don’t, he may not even think about the day. valentine’s day to him always seemed like a chore, but when you gave him a solemn gaze and a sweet smile — he couldn’t say no. all you asked for was a dinner together back in december, a gentle reminder and two months in advance. what you didn’t expect was how he was planning to go even bigger

while he didn’t ask you to be his valentine, he did plan a whole day of activities for just the two of you. it started off small as he didn’t want you to think much of it. it’s quite normal for vox to bring you breakfast in bed, especially since he wakes up much earlier than you

the key different was a rose on the edge of the tray. before you cod thank him, he was already out the door. it was a sweet gesture, and you believed that it was just vox doing something nice for the start of your day. although, more signs of him planning something started to show up afterwards: an outfit waiting for you in your bathroom to wear after your shower, a certain perfume set in place for you to wear, the entire penthouse being cleaned to the speck.

finally, you found a note left for you at the coffee table. “you rest your pretty face today and don’t worry about lifting a finger.”

vox came back not long after with a large bouquet of flowers and a bag of sweets in hand. “you really think i’m just going to allow you to settle for some lousy dinner?” finally admits through a laugh. “you deserve this whole day served to you on a silver platter.”

ALASTOR

you thought he forgot about it till you found a letter at the foot of your door. you still had a week before the day of love even came, but alastor thought about it very thoroughly on what he wanted to do and how to do it. the letter was sweet and genuine, the scent of his cologne lingering on the paper.

“my dearest, y/n.

oh, how i look forward to spending valentine’s day with you, or i hope you do accept this to be my valentine. a day that is entirely booked for just you and i, what a wonderful life to live. i hope by the end we are able to bask underneath the stars with our love stronger than ever before.

with love,

alastor.”

when the day came, alastor was at your door with 7 roses in hand. “the best for you, my dear.” while it wasn’t a large bouquet, you noticed how he wrapped it with a string, you noticed the paper bag wrapping, then you noticed the ends trimmed: he prepped it for you to either set it in a vase or to be hung and dried. the petals were already bloomed for you — it was a genuine gift

after, he took you out to cannibal town. not the most romantic, but to say it was more preferred than the other rings of hell is an understatement. on behalf of his close friend, rosie had prepped a table for you both on the gazebo. lined with flowers and vines for privacy

a mundane valentine’s day, but a well spent one with your lover. gentle kisses against your fingertips and the skin of your shoulder — his teeth grazing every so often just for a reaction.

by the end of the night, he has his cane playing some old timey tunes while he whisks you around in his arms. not only does alastor have a way with words, but he also has a way to sway you off your feet; quite literally too.

LUCIFER

“i was hoping you would be my valentine this year — totally fine if you decline — not that you have too but-“ “i would love to be your valentine this year.” and that’s how lucifer asked you on a date for valentine’s day. extremely nervous and was pulling at the hem of his collar, in high hopes that you would accept. after dedicating his whole life to a single soul, it is kind of expected that he would be nervous to jump back into the dating game.

most definitely had to ask charlie and/or got a little tipsy by the bar to chat with husk about it. more so, he blabbered about his nervousness and fears of what could happen — husk just nodded and hummed while listening to the king of hell freak out about a date — what if he can’t woo you?

finally settled for something simple and something that’s hes good at. he brought you to the castle for a lunch he prepared in the garden. “i got word from charlie that you enjoyed a strawberry shortcake.” lucifer sheepishly admitted through a proud grin.

a talker, a chatterbox, any other word in the english vocabulary of a man who talks your ear off. it’s almost funny because you know it isn’t word vomit, he just enjoys a chat and especially getting to know you. he questions are almost endless, his interest seem to go on forever, and somehow he doesn’t seem like an egotistical guy who just rules hell. he’s just some guy who loves ducks and getting to know someone on a deeper lever.

took you around the garden afterwards, introducing you to all his favourite plants and getting to know yours. his hand rests on your back for a majority, leading you around and allowing you to lead him to plants that pique your interest.

the entire day is just spent with you talking about anything and everything, honestly. from stories to old tales you heard throughout the years, it almost made you forget that it was only a date and not a lifetime of being together.

STRIKER

he has been working a lot these days. a whole lot. his attention span is very slim, and it is very evident how he tries to not show his irritation towards you. tired eyes always gaze over yours, almost like he’s not in touch with the world to really concentrate on you. sometimes you question why you’re still around — why he bothers to stop you at the door and tell you he’ll put more effort.

finally, the day you dreaded. you were on the path of grabbing a bag of chips and turning on a movie, but striker had other ideas. he came back home about lunch looking more clean — more refreshed than any other day you had seen him — a bouquet of dandelion’s and a gift bag in hand.

“sweet pea, you didn’t think i was falling out of love, did yah?” he was smug — he was smug until he realized you started to cry. “shit, sweet pea, i was jokin’!” he was by your side in seconds and had to calm you down. after a long needed conversation, you were ready to start the day. he wanted to tell you why he was busy, but that would mean spilling everything he had planned.

he admitted his faults, but his promises were never broken. on one condition, he was not allowed to speak or bring up any work related topics on this special day, to which he quickly agreed.

he took you out for lunch and dinner, but the rest of the evening was spent lazying around on your back patio with some country music playing. tennessee whiskey to be exact. he never stopped giving you kisses on your face either, his tail wrapped over your waist to keep you on top.

[svt-rosalie]

. . . ♡ ROSALIE ! ? 🏴‍☠️ SCENARIO ★ ﾟ๑

ׁ ׅ ୨ ❪ ATEEZ PRESENT, 2019 ❫ ୧ ⊹ ࣪

© 2023 , svt-rosalie rosalie masterlist!

warnings. rosalie being a fan girl, bts being rosie’s other group of older brothers, ateez is awkward babies, wooyoungie has a little crushhhhhhhh, horrible writing, spelling mistakes, bad jokes,

authors note. please bear with me…i have not written an actual scenario chapter in a WHILE, so this a practice for me sorry to do with ateez but it’s okay hopefully you guys like it

The stadium felt so small yet so big at the same time. The amount of people was the cause of this, Rosalie thought, it seemed as if the space the fans took up was the whole stadium and their screams were deafening.

The air felt thick as she and her band members made their to their assigned seats, chalking it up to the amount of people residing in the stadium and not the nerves racing through out her body like a cheetah through the jungle.

The group was heading inside after their interview that took place outside, glad to be out of the cold. The dress that Rosalie was styled in was a strapless red velvet textured skin tight gown with a slit down her right leg with a (uncomfortably big) bow on the back, though it was a gorgeous dress, it was not meant to be worn during December. She needs to remind herself to speak to her stylist about investing in some long sleeves.

Rosalie felt a sense of accomplishment for herself and her older brothers, they had a tough year and even though their leader could not be there with them, they were going to perform for him and for carats despite everything. Rosie was knocked out of her trance when she felt a tap on her shoulder indicating someone needed/wanted her attention.

“Ahh, Yoongi oppa!” She smiled brightly giving him a big hug, Yoongi patted her head in response with a laugh. Rosie knows he doesn’t like skin ship all that much but ignores his protest everytime and hugs him with all her might.

Yoongi lightly pulls away looking Rosie looks at him continuing to smile as happily as she can. “Quit the bullshit, why are you so nervous? I can tell something’s up?” Rosie shakes her head with a pout “No, nothing is wrong.”

That was the biggest lie if Yoongi ever did see one.

“You don’t have to lie to me.” He sighed and Rosie did as well. She looked around wondering if any of her group mates were listening in, doubting they could with how loud it was, she could barely hear Yoongi speak.

“There is just a lot going on at the moment and it’s hard not having Scoups oppa here with us.” She admitted.

Yoongi nodded in understanding.

“If you ever need me, you call me. I’ll always listen.” He said, rubbing his thumb across the top of her hand. Rosalie nodded with a smile before being interrupted by a loud voice.

“If you ever need us! Let’s clarify that.” Seokjin stated wrapping his arms around Rosie’s shoulders, Taehyung and Jungkook not too far behind him. Letting out a bright giggle that seemed to light up the room, she pulled the three other older boys into hugs.

“I’m so excited to see you guys perform!” She says excited.

“Well hopefully we do you proud, it’s gonna be a good one. We’re performing your favorite so don’t cry please!” Jungkook says. “You’re performing Mikrokosmos?” She squealed.

They all nodded laughing at her antics. “I’m gonna go find the seats we’re gonna be sitting in but i’ll call you guys if I don’t see you at the end! Okay?” Rosalie asked. “Sounds good to us, be safe and if we didn’t say it tonight you look gorgeous!” Taehyung said. Rosie pouts and puts her hands over heart nodding in thanks.

The boys in Bangtan always knew how to make her feel special. Yes, she has 12 older brothers and one situationship that has not been figured out yet that she can go to for advice and comfort, but having an outside perspective on situations that she doesn’t want to speak about with her members was always helpful! The seven boys always seem to know when she needs said comfort after all these years.

As Rosalie walked with her head slightly down to watch her feet to make sure she didn’t step on her dress, she didn’t notice the boy walking with their back towards her who was talking to his own group members.

“Mingi watch out!” A voice shouted and tried to grab at him before he ran into the 5’10 female but it was no use the two went down in a what looked like a bowling pin getting knocked down by a bowling ball.

Rosalie groaned in pain, “Yep, there goes the hip.” she says sarcastically.

“We are so sorry sunbaenim! We didn’t see you there and by the time we did Mingi accidentally hit you. We are so sorry again!” The voice of Yunho surfaced as they all bowed whilst the boy, Mingi, who knocked her down helped her get back up to her feet.

Rosalie waved her hands, “No, no it’s okay! I wasn’t watching where I was going either, I’m so scared to slip in this dress that I wasn’t watching straight ahead for other people.” She reassured the Ateez boys as much as she could.

“Am I going to have 13 people jumping me, because I just got off hiatus and do not want to go leave again.” Mingi mumbled to himself, but somehow Rosalie still heard and laughed loudly surprising all the boys.

It was a bit reassuring to them that she laughed and smiled, but that didn’t tell them if it was ‘oh your so funny laugh it’s okay they won’t hurt you’ laugh/smile or a ‘yes my 13 other members who could probably bench press you will hurt you for knocking their precious only female member maknae over’ laugh/smile.

“No don’t worry Mingi, it’s okay. I’ve gotten worse from my own members. Mingyu oppa acts like we’re in WWE and body slams me into pools, so I think I can handle a little tumble.”

All the boys nodded, glad that one of their favorite idols was okay.

“Well we’re very excited to see your performance Sunbaenim!” San said smiling brightly.

Rosalie couldn’t help but smile back, “Thank you! I’m so excited to see yours! I know the entire dance to Wonderland so I will definitely be showing my support for you guys tonight.”

It’s like Ateez just kept getting surprised by their sunbaenim more and more as they talked. First she jokes around with them like their long time friends, then she says she knows their recent comeback Wonderland, and she knows Mingi’s name.

Wait. . . she knows Mingi’s name!

“Oh, Rosalie sunbaenim do you know us?” Hongjoong asked.

“Of course I do! I’ve been an Atiny since your guys debut, I love your music and sound. I’ve been wanting to become friends with you guys for a while but my schedule and company haven’t allowed me the time.” She said subconsciously pouting.

Wooyoung couldn’t help but think “Wow, she’s pretty” in her stunning makeup that brought her best features and the dress that matches her curves so well. He was heaven in her presence.

“Oh thank you! You all are handsome too!” She said smiling proudly.

“I said that out loud.” Wooyoung said, eyes wide and mouth gaped open. His members laughed and clapped him on the back.

“Wooyoung hyung has had a crush on you since your debut—” Jongho says, or at least tries to before his mouth was covered by said person.

Rosalie’s eyes widen in shock, a red blush covered her face. Thank god her makeup artist decided to apply the foundation a little heavier tonight.

Wooyoung dragged Jongho away before the maknae could say anything more embarrassing saying his bye’s for himself and the younger boy.

The others that stayed laughed. “Well, we should probably follow them before Wooyoung takes out our main vocalist, but we’ll be cheering you on Rosalie sunbaenim.” Seonghwa says.

Rosalie nodded in understanding, adjusting her dress a little. “I’ll be cheering you guys on too! I’ll speak to my manager about getting in contact with yours so we can go to dinner sometime! I would like to become friends with you all if that’s alright!”

“Of course!” Mingi says a little too quick.

Rosalie couldn’t help but laugh again, “I’ll see you all shortly, it was nice to bump into you.” she says waving and bowing before turning around and walking towards her group knowing damn well most of them were watching the interaction and would definitely get questioned later.

Yeosang looked between all his members before asking “Did that really just happen? Rosalie sunbaenim wants to have dinner with us?”

San nodded in a daze “She was so pretty too! I hope we can become great friends with her.” They all nodded in agreement to his statement before walking off to find Wooyoung before he killed Jongho.

Oh, just you wait boys — that statement will become more true than you know!

taglist — @angie-x3 @alixnsuperstxr @allthings-fandoms @peachyaeger @sakufilms @aysxldea

click here to join the taglist!

[saintchaser]

regulus black had a lonely funeral; carnations scattered around a black coffin. orion and cygnus were carrying it, and in their eyes, there was a strange sorrow, a strange regret.

walburga and druella were trailing behind. walburga, solemn as always, mourned the spare son. druella mourned the lesser of the two brothers, the weak, the meek.

bellatrix was walking in front of them, her head high, her face dry. she was not going to mourn a traitor, she was not going to cry over a man that had ruined their master. she, however, allowed herself to grieve the young man that her cousin had been, aside anything else.

narcissa stood beside her, and her eyes glistened with tears. she clung to lucius' arm, as if it was the only thing that could keep her away from falling apart, from spilling away. she had loved regulus, she really had. she had seen deep within him. she had seen the boy he hadn't been allowed to be. she had seen deeper than the façade, deeper than the skull mask, deeper than the dark mark, etched into his skin, forever black ink, now, white.

maybe that was forgiveness. in death, there are no sinners. the dead are pure, the dead are forgiven. the dead would soon be forgotten. was the change of color something meaningful, or was it a mere coincidence?

was it death that united a family so distant?

regulus black had died in a cold, empty cave. the crisp air of december was biting at their cheeks, leaving them rosy and cold, the same way their hearts were. their hearts were red and alive, and regulus' was deep within the carcass that his body was; his soul, however, had ascended (had it? or had he been such a despicable person that no one would forgive him?)

it snowed on the night of regulus black's funeral. his headstone was simple, and it read the same thing that ot read for everyone else in the black family.

regulus arcturus black

1961-1978

he hadn't been special, of course. the noble and most ancient house of black knows no exceptions, even for those they were supposed to love.

regulus black died a lonely death. regulus black had a lonely funeral; however, in the dead of the night, a slender dog knelt beside the gravestone, white tulips in his mouth. a wolf howled in the distance, pained, a wail of grief and madness. the dog's body was pressed against the cold stone.

there was something holding him there, a pulse of the earth that kept him close to a boy he had once loved, to a man he had resented.

[hesbuckcompton-baby]

I'm Your Man - Robert 'Rosie' Rosenthal x OFC - Chapter 8

Masterlist | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 |-| Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12

AO3

Summary: After an encounter at Coombe House leaves Frankie and Rosie's relationship fragile, they seek to repair it when she is given leave for Christmas

Warnings: Language

Word Count: 6.5k (BUCKLE UP FOLKS)

Tags: @mads-weasley @xxluckystrike @curaheehee @footprintsinthesxnd @dcyllom @storysimp @latibvles @love-studying58

The sun disappeared as soon as it had come, and as the weeks rolled steadily into December the men at Thorpe Abbotts learned the truth of the great English winter. At sunrise, the grass lay encrusted with frost, but by midday the ice was washed away by downpours, leaving the fields a muddy marshland. Every day was dreary, cold, and damp, and Rosie was beginning to feel mocked by it, the outside world mirroring the misery he felt within.

Frankie was avoiding him. She wouldn't admit to it, but she hadn't spoken to him alone in weeks. Sure, she would sit with the Riveters in the pub or come to see them before a mission, but since their trip to Coombe House, he couldn't get her alone. Whenever he thought the chance had arisen, some pressing matter would suddenly arise that she had to attend to, and she was gone as soon as she'd arrived.

He missed her. He missed her so badly that it hurt - he missed her face being the first he saw after every mission, missed being able to tell her everything, missed making her laugh. Rosie didn't care that she hadn't kissed him anymore. He just wanted her back.

"Tell me what happened again," George demanded, perched on the edge of her bed, watching Frankie as she brushed the stubborn knots out of her hair.

Frankie sighed. "I have told you a million times already."

"I know. I'm just still trying to fathom how you could be such a fucking idiot!" She cried, grabbing one of her pillows and throwing it across the room, colliding with Frankie with a soft thump.

"Oi!" Frankie exclaimed, lobbing it right back, a shriek escaping George as it smacked her in the face.

"He's so obviously in love with you - has been for months - I just don't get it. Coombe House was the perfect opportunity. Bit of a snog and a shag, yunno."

"Jesus Christ," She muttered, shaking her head. "You're the one who warned me against getting too attached. I'm just... starting to think you were right."

George's smile dropped, and she swore she felt her stomach lurch. "Oh, Frankie, no-"

"What? Am I seriously supposed to just go for it knowing what will happen if he doesn't come back?"

Frankie hadn't uttered a word of this to her, but it was clear it had been plaguing her for some time. "I'm not supposed to be a cautionary tale, I'm supposed to be your friend. Which means I want you to be happy - find it where you can, don't just avoid it because of what happened to me."

Her entire face furrowed with her frown. "I'm just... I'm in too deep already. And I'm scared, George."

"Oh, c'mere," George sighed, rising to stand as she gestured for Frankie to come closer. Enveloping her in an embrace, her nostrils inhaled the always-lingering scent of engine oil. "I don't regret Curt. I miss him like hell and sometimes it feels really really shit. But I wouldn't trade the time I had with him to make it hurt less - if anything it's more special to me now. Don't hold back because you're scared it'll hurt later, because if anything does go wrong you'll regret it more than anything."

Frankie frowned, chin burrowed into the crook of George's neck. "You think so?"

"I know it."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The pub was packed as always, the sea of faces ever-changing with the constant stream of replacements. It didn't matter that it was just as busy as it had always been, the place felt half-empty with so many familiar faces missing. Rosie's Riveters were always guaranteed a table, their reputation as the 100th's finest flyers preceding them - boys would actually give up their chairs when Rosie came in, and he could never dissuade them, no matter how much he cringed at the attention.

Half-empty pint glasses littered the table, conversation and laughter flowing freely among the team, but Rosie couldn't help but let his gaze wander. She was usually here - usually posted at the same spot at the bar with George, hogging the space in front of the beer taps so they could always get the bartender's attention whenever they needed another round. But when he looked up now, their spot was taken by a pair of replacements who scarcely looked old enough to fly.

"Rosie agrees, dontcha?" Bailey's voice came, and it was as if he'd been forcefully dragged back to reality.

"Hm?"

"Brooklyn's better than Queens, ain't it?"

"Oh. Definitely," He nodded, attempting to be as subtle as he could as he continued to scan the room.

Suddenly, the piano in the corner started up, thumping out a raucous tune. He'd only seen it used once or twice the entire time he'd been at Thorpe Abbotts, but the nearing advent of Christmas seemed to be putting the Brits in much higher spirits. A crowd of RAF and WAAF staff had formed around the piano player, drinks in hand as they began to perform a sequence of rowdy old drinking songs, more yelling than they were singing.

The words were foreign to American ears, but the English seemed to know them all by heart, belting out sordid tales of prostitutes and the like in a jolly, musical fashion. The pilots seemed roused by the scene, and Bailey began to clap along to the beat in encouragement, grinning as he watched the crowd. There was a sense of joy in the air, enough even to make Rosie crack a smile, elbow resting on the back of his chair as he listened.

And then he saw her.

Frankie was leant against the lid of the piano, pint in hand, belting out the words with the rest of them, grinning as she sang. She was wearing her proper WAAF uniform, her hair curled tight beneath her chin, lips painted a deep red. He never saw her in dress uniform, and for a moment he was taken aback by how well it suited her. Before Rosie had formed any sort of plan for what he was doing, he had risen to his feet, and was crossing the room towards her, weaving his way through the crowd.

A hand seized his arm. George was certainly strong when she wanted to be, and she wanted to be now, dragging him sideways away from the group, gnawing at her bottom lip, her teeth coming away with lipstick stains.

"It's my fault," She stated firmly, speaking loudly to be heard over the music.

Rosie's brow furrowed in confusion. "George, what're you talking about?"

"It's my fault Frankie won't talk to you - I only just figured it out, I'm sorry."

His shoulders squared, a frown forming. "What do you mean it's your fault, what did you do?"

"I... I told her that I haven't been speaking to the pilots since Curtis Biddick died - you don't know him, but he was... kinda my boyfriend."

"Oh, George, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, it sucks. But I think she took it to heart, and now she's scared to get too close to you in case something happens."

"... She told you that?"

"Not explicitly, but I'm not an idiot. And I know her very well."

Rosie nodded hurriedly as he considered this, passing his weight from one foot to the other as he debated approaching Frankie. Sucking in a deep breath, he nodded determinedly. "George," He held her by the shoulders, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. "Thank you."

"Don't ever do that again."

"I am sorry," He nodded, hands held up in surrender as he backed away, turning on his heel to make a beeline towards Frankie. George watched him go, brow raised at the sudden spring in his step.

"Weird bloke," She muttered.

They were halfway through a frankly awful rendition of Three Jolly Rogues when Frankie heard someone calling her name. Her gaze travelled across the crowd, words trailing off as she noticed Rosie at the edge of the group, unable to penetrate the mass of people as he craned to catch her eye. Eyes widening for a moment, she instantly felt her heart begin to beat faster as she chugged the remainder of her beer, abandoning her empty glass atop the piano as she tried to shove her way through to him.

"Frankie!" "Rosie!"

They spoke simultaneously, words to rambled and quick to make out, especially over the din of the pub. "Let's - let's go outside, yeah?" Frankie called over the music, and he nodded in agreement. His hand on her back came as a reflex, an instinct as they moved towards the door. She didn't step away.

Stepping out into the night air was like running head-first into a wall of ice, the sudden cold almost making Frankie gasp, her breath erupting in a visible cloud in front of her face. The sheer number of bodies inside the pub kept it permanently warm, so much so that it was easy to forget they were in the thick of December. Sucking in a breath, she rubbed at her arms to generate some warmth, her uniform jacket offering little in the way of insulation.

Rosie opened his mouth to speak, but she got there first. "I'm sorry. I've been treating you like shit and you don't deserve it, I was just being a fucking coward and-"

"Hey - no, no, no, you're ok. George told me what was going on and I get it. I get it, ok?"

Her expression was contorted in something like fear. "You do?"

"Of course," A smile flickered across his face. Of course he did. "I have no idea how hard it must be for you to wait for us all to come back, knowing what can happen up there. But... I don't wanna sound selfish Frankie but I can't stand the thought of dying without us being friends. You make coming back worth it and I- ... I miss you."

Frankie was silent for a long moment, and Rosie braced himself for whatever she was going to say.

"Come to my house for Christmas," She said. His mind had been racing trying to predict her response. He had not expected that.

"... What?"

"I got a forty-eight-hour pass for Christmas, I'm going over to my Dad's house. You can't spend it with your family, and we've got plenty of room... Well. You'd probably have to sleep on the floor but-"

She trailed off as she realised he was laughing, her brow furrowing as Rosie chuckled, nodding continuously. "Yeah," He beamed.

"Yeah?" The corner of her lips curled upwards in that wonky smile he so adored.

"Yeah, I'll come," Rosie grinned, taking a step forward and enveloping her in a hug, arms wrapped tight around her shoulders and she instinctively reached around to hug him back, her head resting against his chest.

"That would've been really awkward if you'd said no," Frankie said, her voice muffled against his jacket. Rosie laughed again, and she felt the vibrations through his chest.

"I was never gonna say no."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

They took a train on Christmas Eve, each carriage so packed with servicemen and women on leave and families visiting each other for the holiday that they were forced to stand, shuffling awkwardly out of the way whenever someone had to squeeze past. The pair had nothing to do except for a single pack of cards, although it soon became evident that the lack of space forced them to stand so close that they could always see each other's hand, and every game rapidly became pointless.

"So George isn't coming? Or Ken?" Rosie asked, fiddling with his watch as they plodded steadily onwards through the countryside, plumes of smoke from the coal engine partly obscuring the view of the trees and fields outside.

"George's family lives down in Dover - though you'd never guess it from her accent," Frankie chuckled. "She's got a pass too, so she's gone down this morning. Ken got invited for dinner by the parents of those lads he's always looking after - he'll be over there tomorrow."

He nodded along as she spoke. It had been almost an hour since anyone had tried to shuffle past them, so they'd taken to sitting on the floor, legs outstretched as far as they could go across the dirty old carpet. "Say, how'd you and George meet anyway? I never asked."

"We were both working at RAF Docking from about the middle of '41. There were a lot more WAAF there than at Abbotts, so we didn't bunk together, but we just sort of stuck, I s'pose. She only came here because of me - I got asked to come 'cause of your manpower shortage, but she reapplied so she could come too. Good thing too, I'd have been fucked without her. I think we got a bit co-dependent," She smiled to herself as she spoke, and he couldn't help but mirror it.

There was not a single sign or announcement to indicate where they were on their journey along the way. Frankie had told him it was a part of the government's anti-invasion measures, so that any would-be invaders would be unable to find their way, but really it just made him paranoid that they had missed their stop. Nevertheless, the moment they pulled into their station, she was up on her feet, a sudden air of excitement about her as she scrambled to gather their belongings. Rosie followed her out onto the platform, trying not to cough at the puffs of coal smoke that filled the station.

"Not far now," She assured him, a suitcase full of clothes in one hand, a satchel of presents in the other. It was a surprisingly sunny afternoon, although the biting cold would have suggested otherwise, and he trailed after her as they descended the high street, Rosie's head turning this way and that to take in his unfamiliar surroundings.

Frankie breezed through the place with practised familiarity, letting out a huff as she realised she'd almost lost him to the Shakespeare memorial as they passed. He had become entirely distracted by it, peering closely at the engravings that lined the base of the statue.

"Oi! Don't go all tourist on me, flyboy - I won't be late for dinner," She teased, and Rosie held up his hands in surrender, scurrying to catch up.

He could tell they were close when her shoulders drooped, excitement replaced by a comfortable calm. They reached a row of short, terraced houses, set back slightly from the main road, the thin strip of shared lawn still wet from the morning's blanket of frost. Frankie had begun grinning as she approached the house on the far end of the row, a spring of holly tied to the knocker with a messy knot of string. She shot him a smile, knocking firmly upon the wood, before spying an elderly woman a few doors down, struggling under the weight of her shopping bags as she fumbled with her door keys.

"Let me help with that, Mrs Higgins!" Frankie called, leaving Rosie alone on the doorstep as she hurried to help the old woman, gently prying the bags from her grip.

"My, Frances, haven't you grown!" Mrs Higgins declared, beaming up at her, made tiny by her stooped shoulders.

"Not since I was twelve, dear," She assured her, helping her in through the door as she carried the shopping behind her. Rosie smiled, watching on with his hands in his pockets, and he wondered how he could feel nostalgic in a place he'd never seen before.

Suddenly the door to Frankie's house swung open, and he found himself faced with a red-faced man, peering down at him with a frown. "Can I help you?"

"Dad, that's just Rosie! Let 'im in!" Frankie cried from down the street, hurriedly exiting Mrs Higgins' house as she scurried to catch up.

Mr Bevan was a huge man in every sense of the word - so tall and wide that he practically filled the entire doorway, and it almost seemed a miracle that he and his daughter were even related. But the moment he heard Frankie's voice, his face lit up with such love Rosie wasn't sure he'd ever seen anything like it, unleashing a hearty, belly laugh as she ran into his arms, practically throwing herself at the man.

"Rosie? Who's Rosie?" Another voice rang from inside - a girl's voice, high-pitched and certainly familiar. "I thought you were bringing the pilot!"

"Rosie is the pilot!" Frankie called down the hall, chuckling as she broke free of her father's embrace. She ushered Rosie inside, piling her bags at the bottom of the narrow staircase. As he entered, a girl was peering suspiciously at him from the kitchen doorway. She couldn't have been older than thirteen, a crop of golden hair flowing from her scalp, and at her hip cowered another child, a little girl of about three of four, hair so blonde it was almost white.

"But Rosie's a girl's name!" The older girl protested.

He chuckled. "Well, in fairness, my real name's Robert."

"Alice, be nice," Frankie scolded gently, lifting up the smaller child with one arm as Alice's cheeks bloomed a bright red. He realised she must have been Jill, recalling her name from the phone call all those weeks ago at Coombe House.

The Bevans' house was inescapably narrow, the five of them struggling to pass each other as bags were brought in and Frankie's father bustled through to the kitchen to put the kettle on. But as she sidled into the living room, she let out a gasp, a grin creasing her cheeks.

It was a sparsely furnished place, but in all honesty there probably wasn't room for anything else. A thin pine tree was propped up in the corner, strings of tinsel and chipped old baubles hanging from its branches, and newspaper chains hung from the curtain rails.

"Oh, isn't this just wonderful," Frankie remarked as Jill wrapped her chubby arms around her neck in a sideways hug. She turned her head, nodding at Rosie, prompting him to say something.

"Oh! Yeah. Very nice, it's just like back home," He nodded in agreement, slightly tense under the eyes of strangers, even if they were both little girls.

"Rosie, d'you want a cuppa?" Mr Bevan's voice boomed from the next room. For a moment he panicked, staring at Frankie with wide eyes like a deer caught in headlights.

"Tea. Do you want tea?" She whispered, putting Jill down on the sofa.

"Oh, uh - Yes! Thank you, Mr Bevan!"

"Oh, bloody hell, it's Allen, son," He shook his head, carrying in a teapot on a tray to place on the small table in the middle of the room.

"Even the boys at the garage call you Allen, eh Dad?" Frankie pointed out, pouring a cup of tea and straining the leaves before passing it to Rosie.

"Reason I hired 'em," He agreed, lowering himself into one of the armchairs with a heavy grunt. Rosie accepted the tea with a smile, and had just brought the cup to his lips when Allen leant down and unstrapped his foot, pulling it off and propping it against the wall. He almost choked. Alice let out a snort that sounded remarkably like Frankie's.

"Christ, sorry lad," He laughed, red face turning even redder. "Probably should've warned you about that."

Rosie forced out an awkward chuckle, nodding along. Jill was sat beside him on the sofa, staring up at him with wide eyes, mouth hanging slightly agape. He smiled down at her, noticing Frankie as she smirked at the whole scene.

Their dinner was a meagre feast of beans on toast, and Rosie suspected they were saving everything else for Christmas Day, saving it up to put on a true banquet. He and Frankie had been relegated to the living room to sleep, and she took the sofa whilst he lay on a pile of cushions and blankets on the floor. It wasn't a house built to serve any more than three - after all, it had only ever intended to house Frankie and her parents.

He was staring up at the picture frames that lined the wall as she came in - messy childhood drawings on aged paper, a laboured scrawl captioning each one with things like 'Me and Daddy' and 'My House'. Frankie had been putting the girls to bed, and padded across the carpet with a sigh, the sofa springs creaking as she collapsed backwards onto them.

"Did you draw those?" He asked, pointing up at the wall.

She groaned, covering her face with her hands. "God, they're so awful, I keep telling him to take them down."

"No! They're great! I think it's really nice."

Frankie stared down at him for a moment. He'd changed into his pyjamas already, lying straight across the living room floor, blanket tucked under his arms. She began to giggle, cheeks flushed from the cool draft that filled the room.

"What?" He asked.

"It's only nine. You look like you've had mummy come and tuck you in for bed," She teased, unable to look at him without collapsing into giggles again.

"I'm tired!" He protested, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Yeah, yeah. So am I, to be fair. And - fair warning - Jill will be in here at five in the morning tomorrow to open her presents. She's so excited, I don't think she'll sleep a wink."

Frankie lay back along the sofa, feet propped up against the armrest as she draped a blanket over herself before reaching out to turn off the lamp. "They're sweet kids," Rosie spoke into the darkness.

"Alice is cagey around new people - just tell her a good flying story tomorrow and she'll love you. I think Jill loves you already. She doesn't talk much, but she'll want you to play with her toys, so you'd better do it," She instructed him, and he let out a chuckle.

"Alright. I promise."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Rosie was awoken by the thunderous sound of little footsteps barrelling down the stairs, a shriek escaping Jill as she streaked into the room, making a beeline for the sofa as she hurled herself on top of Frankie. She let out an agonised groan at the sudden weight, retaliating as she tickled under Jill's arms, eliciting a series of squeals from the girl.

He groaned, grabbing one of the cushions and pressing it tight over his head to dull the sudden noise. He heard Frankie laugh, and felt her warm breath against his ear as she bent down to whisper "Told you so."

It was a half hour before the rest of the family made an appearance, time which Frankie spent desperately trying to prevent Jill from tearing open her presents, insisting she had to wait for her sister.

"Just one? Please? Please!" She whined, feet dangling off the edge of one of the kitchen chairs. Rosie wandered in and the girl went suddenly quiet, nervously pursing her lips.

"Hey Jill, why don't you show Rosie your cars, yeah?" Frankie said, pausing mid-sentence to let out a yawn as she put the kettle on the boil. The child's brow furrowed, considering this, and when she looked up at him she spoke with the seriousness of a businessman conducting an important negotiation.

"Rosie, will you play cars with me?"

"Absolutely I will," He nodded, rubbing tiredly at his eyes. Jill grinned, pushing herself down from the chair as she scurried back into the living room. Rosie shot Frankie a glance, brow arched in confusion. "How does she have so much energy?"

"She's a kid," She shrugged. "I think they're all like that."

The cars were rusted and chipped, paint peeling off to expose the tarnished metal beneath, and Rosie couldn't help but suspect they must have been Frankie's years ago. He could picture her as a girl, playing with tiny tin cars on the floor of a garage somewhere whilst her father worked away fixing the real thing. The idea made him smile.

Jill made little whooshing engine sounds as she wheeled the cars around on the rug, occasionally ramming one into the table leg as she mimicked a crash - there was a groove in the wood from years of games such as this. Rosie found he did not know how to play with a child as small and as quiet as Jill, but he lined the toy racing cars up in a nice, neat row for her, quickly discovering the girl much preferred to destroy that work than admire it.

"This one's yours," She declared, holding out a chubby hand to present him with a tiny metal biplane, half of its propeller long since broken off.

"Why thank you," He grinned, accepting it gladly. They had been playing for a long time before Rosie realised he too had begun to mimic the sound of engines, lips pressed together as he tried to replicate the hum of his B-17.

Allan and Alice appeared after a while, and once the girls had opened their Christmas presents it was all hands on deck to prepare for their midday feast. The children were placed in charge of the bread stuffing, a charge they appeared to take incredibly seriously, and Rosie was presented with a pile of carrots and potatoes to peel. He sat at the table, dutifully toiling away, the kitchen gradually growing hotter and hotter as the chicken they'd bought from one of the neighbours slowly roasted in the oven.

The creak of a chair beside him caught his attention, and Rosie looked up as Frankie sat down, sliding a glass of sherry towards him. "Frankie, it's ten in the morning," He pointed out.

"If you're not at least halfway drunk by lunchtime, you're not doing Christmas right," Frankie shrugged. He noticed her father had already finished a glass. Taking a sip of her drink, she reached across the table, seizing one of the unpeeled potatoes from his pile, using a knife to whittle away at the skin. "You're very slow at this," She pointed out.

"Sorry, I'm not a practised potato peeler, dear."

She chuckled. "Guess we'll just have to train you up... Merry Christmas, Rosie."

He tore his gaze from his work, nicking the skin of his finger slightly with the blade, although he couldn't make himself mind. "Merry Christmas."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

A myriad of wonderful smells had filled the kitchen by the time they sat down to eat, his chair perched on a corner of the small table between Frankie and Jill. The girls had created little paper crowns for the occasion, crafted out of scraps of wallpaper and decorated with old buttons. Rosie's sat far too small atop his head, but he fought to keep it balanced on his scalp, replacing it every time it fell off. It was a simple banquet, but after the work they had put into creating it, he could've sworn it was the best food he'd ever eaten.

"This much like your Christmases in the States, Rosie?" Allen asked.

Rosie nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yeah. Good food and good company, that's what it's for, ain't it?"

"I'd offer to let you call your family, but we don't have a phone," Frankie admitted, reaching across him to take Jill's plate so that she could cut up her chicken for her.

"It's no trouble, really. This is all wonderful," He nodded again, and Alice snorted as his paper crown slipped off of his head, tumbling to the floor.

Frankie shot the girl a look, brow arched in warning. He suddenly remembered what she had told him the night before. "Say, I haven't told you any of my flying stories yet, have I?" It was as if Alice were a dog, the way her ears pricked, intrigue suddenly lacing her expression.

"No. You haven't."

"Please do!" Jill added, and her older sister nodded in agreement.

Rosie began to recount some of his most interesting missions - the narrow misses, the daring manoeuvres - every detail embellished for dramatic effect to such an extent that he was at times bordering on fabrication, and he could tell from Frankie's smirk that she knew not everything he was saying was strictly true. She was smiling at her father across the table, the two of them enjoying the utterly transfixed expressions plastered across the children's faces, so enthralled that they almost forgot to eat.

Any scepticism Alice had shown before was long gone, staring wide-eyed across the table at him, her cheeks blooming red as if she'd come face to face with her lifelong hero. Either that or she was developing a crush. Frankie was beginning to suspect the latter. When dinner was finished, the girl approached her as she was filling the sink with water to wash up, leaning over to whisper in her ear.

"Frankie - Is Rosie your boyfriend?"

"What? ...No, honey, I don't think so."

Alice's brow furrowed, a look of absolute horror painting her face. "What do you mean you 'don't think so'?"

Frankie chuckled. "You'll get it when you're older."

She rolled her eyes, golden curls bouncing as she gathered the dirty dishes, stacking them in an orderly pile beside the sink. Bing Crosby came over the radio on the windowsill in front of her, the faint drawl of the King's Christmas speech coming from the main radio in the living room. Her dad had taken off his false leg again, revelling in every moment he didn't have to wear the thing, and Frankie was elbow-deep in soapy water by the time Rosie reappeared.

"Where'd you go?" She asked, looking up as he came in through the back door, paper crown still balanced atop his head.

"Getting rid of leftovers - the neighbour took the chicken scraps for her dogs."

"Ah," She nodded, suppressing a smile as he sidled next to her, seizing the dishcloth and beginning to dry the plates and cups she had finished scrubbing.

"... Yunno. Alice thinks you're my boyfriend."

Rosie nodded, laughing softly. "I think Jill thinks we're married."

"Oh she loooves you," Frankie teased, knocking against him with her hip. "She'll be wanting you to put her to bed later."

She wasn't wrong. The adults sat around the living room that night, the children long since sent to bed. Empty glasses covered the coffee table as they held their hands of cards close to their chests, finally able to have a proper game - albeit a slightly addled one. The room itself smelled of sherry, and their cheeks were all flushed pink, laughing as they played, the radio still turned on in the corner, although nothing came from it but static.

They were having such a good time that they didn't hear the little patter of footsteps trailing down the staircase - didn't look up until she was stood in the doorway, a ragged old teddy clutched in her hands. Jill's voice came out meek and exhausted. "I can't sleep."

"Well, I'm not surprised, my lamb," Frankie's dad spoke warmly. "You ate a whole month's sweet ration today."

She rubbed tiredly at her eyes, and Frankie pushed herself up off the sofa. "Alright, let's go, eh?"

"I want Rosie to do it," Jill insisted, sleepy brown eyes looking back at him. "Please?"

Frankie glanced over at him, shrugging as if to say 'I don't see why not'. "Sure thing," Rosie nodded, grunting slightly as he hopped up from his seat. Jill grinned, clutching at the cuff of his sleeve with a tiny hand as they headed up the stairs together.

Returning to her seat, Frankie grinned, watching them go until they were out of sight. It was quiet for a long moment, and she reached over to turn off the radio. Her father cleared his throat slightly. "You never mentioned - how long have you been with yer fella then?"

She had been halfway through a last sip of sherry, and choked suddenly on it, almost spitting it back out. "Who, Rosie? No, dad, we're just-"

"Oh, bloody hell, petal," He shook his head, and she wondered how he could make a term of endearment sound so frustrated. "I'm not blind as well as legless."

"You've still got one leg Dad-"

"Don't gimme that. That lad's in love with you, else he wouldn't have crossed the bloody country on Christmas Eve to come eat old carrots with you. And you! Christ alive, you look at him like you used to look at Danny-boy from down the street when you were goin' out with him. Except worse."

Frankie let out a long, agonised groan, slumping so far back against the sofa cushions it was as if she were hoping to melt into the furniture. "Dad!" She exclaimed. "... He's American."

He snorted. "Bloody hell, didn't think I raised you to be a snob."

"No! Not like that! I just... he lives in America. I can't leave you, Dad."

"Oh, piss off, yes you can. You think I'll grow this feckin' leg back overnight through the grace of your presence, love? If I let you waste your life sittin' around here, then I've failed as a Dad. I've failed your mum, n'all."

"Don't say that," She shook her head, tears forming and clouding her vision.

"No. I mean it. If that lad is gonna make you happy you go with him, dammit. Gettin' to raise you has been the best thing that ever happened to me, but you're your own woman now, Frank. And I've got a couple more little-un's to deal with. Can't have you hanging around, there's not bloody room anymore."

Frankie laughed, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. Her dad made to stand, groaning as he put weight on his false leg, and she jumped to her feet to help him, but he raised a hand to her, and she had no choice but to back away.

"I love you, petal," He beamed down at her, pressing a firm kiss to her forehead. "And now I'm going to bed. Too much bloody sherry." She squeezed his hand, stepping out of the way so he could hobble past, grunting slightly as he hauled himself up the stairs.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

By the time Rosie returned, Frankie was lying on the floor atop the pile of cushions and blankets he had used as a bed the night before, staring at the pictures on the wall.

"You're in my bed," He pointed out.

"I got the sofa last night - your turn."

"No - no. It's your house, you take the couch."

"Look, Rosie, we are going back tomorrow and I'll not return you to the boys with a bad back. Make me look like a bad host n'all."

He let out a sigh. "Fine," It was dark in the living room, and she couldn't wholly tell what he was doing until she felt the blanket lift up, and he burrowed beneath it beside her.

"... What are you doing."

"Compromise," Rosie shrugged, their shoulders pressed together. "... Who's Danny?"

"Oh my God!" Frankie exclaimed, covering her face with her hands, voice strained in embarrassment. "How much of that did you hear?!"

"Just a little. I was waiting for Jill to brush her teeth. So?"

She sighed, arms dropping to her sides in defeat. "He was my boyfriend for a bit when I was seventeen. It wasn't a big deal, but Dad loved him so he brings it up all the time."

He chuckled, nodding. "You were right, by the way. I do like your dad."

"Told you."

Neither of them said anything for a long time, the room plunged into silence save for the sound of them breathing. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could make out his features, her head lolling to the side as she stared at him.

"Actually, I lied," He confessed. Her brow furrowed in confusion, watching as Rosie rolled onto his side to face her. "I heard everything."

Frankie did the same, the pair facing each other properly. "You sneaky shit," She teased, and he let out a huff of laughter.

She heard him take a deep breath before he spoke again. "Was he right?"

"About what?"

In the dim light, she could see his brow furrow. "You know what."

Rosie's hand moved to cup Frankie's cheek, but before he could make a move she had closed the gap, and he felt the warmth of her lips press against his, sucking in a sharp breath through his nose. The blankets rustled as she pressed herself against him, wrapping an arm around the back of his neck as he lifted his head up off the pillow, moving to hover over her, their lips never parting.

After a moment, she pulled away, and they both took a second to catch their breath. "Jill's probably gonna get up again in a minute. She's a nightmare to put to bed, I swear."

"Understood," Rosie nodded firmly like a man on a mission, peppering kisses from her cheek down to the crook of her neck as she squirmed, trying not to laugh as she planted a palm flat on his forehead, prying him away.

He sighed, and a bubble of laughter escaped her throat. "I'm serious! We will scar that child for life."

"Alright," Rosie huffed, lying back down beside her. He raised his hand to her face once more, her skin sticky with sweat as he pushed her hair out of the way, getting a proper look at her as best he could in the dark.

"Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?"

Frankie hummed. "No. Don't think so."

"You are beautiful," He mused, winding a strand of her hair around his finger. "Even in the dark - even when you smell terrible and I say I don't care. Which I don't, by the way."

She snorted with laughter, briefly pressing her lips to his once more. "Well, I also don't mind when you smell like shit."

"Aw, that's sweet."

A small voice came from the doorway, and for a second both of their hearts stopped, hurling themselves away from each other as they tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. "I still can't sleep," Jill protested, frown audible in her voice. Rosie felt the urge to laugh at the accuracy of Frankie's prediction, and she clamped a hand over his mouth to muffle the sound.

"That's ok sweetie, I'm coming," She called. The blankets rustled as she moved to stand, pressing her forehead against his just long enough to whisper.

"I told you so."

[hoesformatt]

RIYAH’S FREAK PARTY

THIS IS ME (chloe my queen) TO Y’ALL FOR 2000!!!

WE HAVING A PARTY UP IN THIS BITCH CAUSE THE FREAKS ARE PILING IN, GET YOUR DRANK WHILE THERE STILL IS SOME

but on a serious notes there are no words for me to say how much I appreciate the love y’all show me as a black writer on tumblr. I literally only started writing because I was deadass SICK AND TIRED of the same ass lame generic shit with the ‘gorgeous blonde locks’ and ‘red rosy cheeks’… cus i know you wasn’t talking to me… I know hoe shit goes in these fandoms so why would I leave my sisters alone in dark when they feel the exact same way I did? There were of course black writers before me but I wanted to put Riyah on it and be bolder than smoker moms with neon hair.

SHYTTT I HAD NO IDEA I’D BE HERE, I KNEW I WAS FUNNY, BUT I DIDNT KNOW I WAS THAT FUNNY. The fact that y’all choose to acknowledge and read my fics put y’all in a special place in my heart. I STARTED THIS BLOG 6 MONTHS AGO (november 2023) AND STARTED WRITING IN DECEMBER, LIKE THIS IS FAST AND CRAZY ASF. I love all the freaks and all the internet cousins 🩷🩷🩷

and a special shoutout to all my faves: @chrissturniolosbitch @love4chris @muwapsturniolo @luv4kozume @hearts4chriss @luhsexcbihh @mattslutt @nicksmainbitch @chrisgurlll @hysteria-things

[footprintsinthesxnd]

Just Friends?

Rosie Rosenthal x Y/n Summary: Y/n and Rosie had been friends ever since they were children. They did everything together and eventually Y/n ended up falling head over heels for her best friend, but she could never pluck up the courage to tell him, until it was too late. Warnings: heartbreak, unrequited love, childhood sweethearts

Y/n had known Rosie nearly all her life. Growing up alongside him in Brooklyn, New York, she’d instantly warmed to the curly, brown-haired boy that had bumped into her on the street outside her house. Her family was new to the area and Rosie’s family had instantly taken them in as a fellow Jewish family. From then the rest was history and they went everywhere together. Most weeks consisted of dinner at each other's houses, including family meals with each other's families on Friday nights.

Rosie had taken Y/n to her first jazz performance when she was sixteen and from then on the pair were hooked. It was their thing to do together and so any shows or clubs were often frequented by the pair. Rosie was a far superior dancer to Y/n, but she tried to keep up the best she could, allowing Rosie to spin her around the floor like she was the only girl in the world. It was moments like that when she was in Rosie’s arms that Y/n realised just how special Rosie was to her. She’d have done anything for him.

She’d been there for him during his time at Brooklyn Law School and when he graduated and joined a firm in Manhattan. It was one of the proudest moments of her life, seeing him become a lawyer. He’d always believed in fighting for what was right and now he was going to show the world what an incredible person he was. That night they’d spent time sitting on the roof of her family home, talking for hours as they watched the stars. It was the early hours of the morning before they snuck back inside and Rosie slept on her bedroom floor, to not disturb her parents. Y/n couldn’t sleep that night, instead listening to Rosie’s soft snores as she relished in him sleeping beside her.

She wasn’t exactly sure when she realised that she loved Rosie. Was it the time he’d taken her out to the cinema to catch a movie and they ended the evening with dinner and a walk home through Prospect Park? Or maybe the time that he’d taken her up to the top of his house to look through the night sky? They’d spent hours up there, lead on a blanket beside each other, pointing out the different stars. Or maybe it was on December 8th 1941 when he told her he’d enlisted? She’d cried herself to sleep that night, and many nights after that. The thought of losing him was too much to bear. The final straw was when she said goodbye to him before he headed to Laredo, Texas to learn to fly B-17 Flying Fortress. She’d nearly told him then. Nearly told him how she’d loved him for years and that he’d better come back to her, but she didn’t.

“I can’t believe you’re going on an adventure without me. We promised we’d always do things like this together,” she pleaded, clutching tightly to Rosie’s hand. “You promised me, Rosie.”

Rosie's own eyes were tearful as he pulled her in close, nuzzling his nose into her neck as he had always done when they were children. “I know I promised, Y/n, but this is the one time that you can’t follow me. It’s not safe for you and I want to keep you safe.” He looked at her sincerely, his large, blue eyes staring down at her with all the kindness and comfort he could muster as he fought his own emotions.

She knew he was only doing this because he felt a sense of duty and not because he wanted to leave her. If it was up to Rosie he’d never have left her side, but he couldn’t admit that not to Y/n. She was his best friend and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin their friendship before he headed off to war. What worried him more was that she would feel the same and that despite their love for each other he’d be shot down and killed in action, leaving her even more heartbroken. He couldn’t do that to Y/n, not his Y/n.

Neither of them could admit what they felt so instead, Y/n wished him luck and told him to be safe, and Rosie promised he would write. She saw him occasionally if he was home on leave, and they corresponded via weekly letters but she hardly saw him until she arrived at Thorpe Abbotts in late September 1943.

Y/n had finally had enough of trying to help the war effort back in the States, she’d signed up for the Red Cross when Rosie had enlisted but she wanted to be in the thick of it, to be alongside the men who were fighting for their freedom.

Her first experience of life on the base was the bear hugs she’d received from Tatty and Helen, her fellow Red Cross girls, who were ecstatic another woman was joining their team.

“We are going to have a lot of fun, don’t you worry,” Tatty reassured her as they stacked the crates of supplies into the Nissen hut being used as a warehouse.

“You can count on that,” Helen added, “There’s probably going to be another dance soon.” Helen smiled sadly, and Tatty and Y/n shared a sympathetic look. Y/n had heard that Helen had been sweet on Lieutenant Nash, whom she’d heard of in her letters from Rosie, she’d never met him but he seemed like a sweet man. She didn’t know what she’d do if she found out that Rosie was… she stopped herself before she worried herself into a frenzy. Rosie was fine, and he was somewhere here on base, she just had to find him.

Helen excused herself to go and collect some more boxes, while Tatty and Y/n continued stacking, chatting quietly amongst themselves. The first pilot Y/n met was none other than Major Cleven and Major Egan who gave her a warm welcome. They stuck their heads around the warehouse door, Major Egan smiling cheekily.

“Well, hello ladies, who do we have here?” He asked, leaning back against a stack of crates, his moustache twitching as he grinned at her.

Major Cleven stood beside him, a soft smile on his lips as he nodded towards her.

Before Y/n could introduce herself Tatty stepped in, “This is my lovely new colleague, Y/n who is off limits to the likes of you, Major.” She pointed her finger at the moustached Major who raised his hands in surrender.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Tatty. Scouts honour,” he saluted her, sending a wink Y/n’s way that had her blushing for the next hour.

“You’ll soon get used to that sort of behaviour around here,” Tatty assured her, finishing up with the last of the boxes. “Just ignore Major Egan, he’s nothing but trouble.” Tatty linked her arm through Y/n’s pulling her in the opposite direction to the Majors. “Those pilots are all the same.”

“Oh I can imagine,” Y/n laughed, “Don’t worry I already have my heart set on a pilot,” she mumbled her thoughts drifting to Rosie and his boyish grin.

Tatty turned to head, eyes wide and mouth forming a small ‘o’ as she waited for more information, “Well don’t leave a girl hanging, Y/n. Who is he?”

Y/n grinned, shaking her head stubbornly, “I’m not telling you all my secrets on the first day, Tatty. You’ll just have to wait.”

She could see Tatty rolling her eyes dramatically, but she didn’t say anything else. Y/n wondered how long it would be until she ran into Rosie and that was when she did.

He was strolling along in his class A uniform, his brunette curls bouncing as he walked, and a beautiful woman on his arm. Her blonde curls sat perfectly on her shoulders, her lilac dress hugging her curves perfectly. She looked so small and dainty beside Rosie. She was perfect.

Y/n felt the lump growing in her throat, her lungs growing tight with each short breath. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t be true.

Just as she was about to turn away from the scene, turn and run away from the man who had her heart, his dark eyes caught hers and he stopped in his tracks.

“Y/n?” He called out, a beaming smile spreading across his lips as he jogged towards her. Why did he have to look so perfect?

Before she could protest, Rosie had lifted her into his arms, spinning her around effortlessly. Y/n wanted to feel safe in Rosie’s arms just like she had all the other times he’d held her, she wanted to stay in his arms forever but the blonde woman behind him caught her eye and she pushed against Rosie’s chest. He placed her down quickly, his hands still resting on her shoulders.

“I didn’t know you were coming to England!” He exclaimed, clearly excited by the arrival of his childhood best friend. Y/n only wished she could be this happy.

“Well, here I am. Surprise,” Y/n replied, a strained smile forming on her lips as she tried not to choke on her words. She didn’t want him to realise that he’d hurt her, she didn’t want to make a scene. They were childhood best friends after all, they had no ties, no commitment to one another so why shouldn’t Rosie find himself a girl of his own? “I finally managed to persuade the Red Cross to give me an overseas position.”

“I’m so pleased you’re here,” Rosie pulled her into another hug, this one more gentle. She pressed her nose into his chest, inhaling the familiar scent of his aftershave. The aftershave that Y/n had first bought him for his eighteenth birthday, had been expensive but Rosie had always been worth it.

“I’m happy to be here,” she assured him, stepping back and eyeing the blonde beside him suspiciously. She had her eyes trained on the ground as she pushed the earth awkwardly with her shoe. Y/n cleared her throat, motioning to the girl who Rosie glanced at quickly, his arm coming to rest around her shoulders.

“Y/n, I’d like you to meet my girl, Elizabeth,” he grinned widely, looking between the women.

Swallowing her pride Y/n reached forward with a warm smile, “It’s lovely to meet you, Elizabeth.”

The girl grinned in return, her nervousness from earlier disappearing, “Call me Lizzy, please. It’s lovely to meet you too, Y/n, I’ve heard so much about you from Robert.”

Robert. Of course, she called him Robert.

That name seemed foreign to her after calling him Rosie for so many years.

Lizzy couldn’t have been a nicer girl. She was young, pretty, funny and seemed besotted with Rosie, and he was with her. Y/n couldn’t help the jealousy building inside of her.

It should have been her tucked safely under Rosie’s arm. It should have been her that Rosie kissed sweetly on the cheek. Why wasn’t it her?

Tatty coughed quietly beside her, drawing her back to the present where she realised she was staring at Rosie. Her cheeks blushed furiously which couldn’t have been missed by anyone there. She berated herself for making it so obvious, she’d hidden her feelings for so many years and here she was making it plain to everyone.

Lizzy smiled sympathetically at Y/n and she hated that Lizzy was being so nice to her. She wanted to hate the girl, but how could she?

Rosie seemed oblivious to the situation, still grinning between the women.

“We should be getting on, Y/n, we’ve still got some things to organise this afternoon,” Tatty beckoned her to follow and Y/n nodded thankfully. Thank goodness for Tatty.

“Yes, we do,” Y/n agreed, stepping back from Rosie and Lizzy with a small smile. “It was great to see you again, Rosie, it is, and it’s lovely to meet you, Lizzy.”

Rosie went to speak but Lizzy pulled at his hand, silencing him, “It was lovely to meet you too, Y/n. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other around the base.”

“Definitely,” Y/n agreed, and in truth, she didn’t mind seeing Lizzy around the base, it was seeing Rosie that would be the hardest thing.

Rosie’s dark eyes met hers, a warm smile on his lips as his eyes sparkled like they always had. His eyes always seemed to gleam when he smiled, something that had always made Y/n’s heartbeat a little faster. Why had he always had this effect on her?

Tatty’s grip on her arm tightened as she led Y/n away, keeping her steady until they rounded the corner. Y/n composure shattered like glass as she fell to her knees, lungs screaming to air as a broken sob fell from her lips. It felt like everything that Y/n had ever relied on, everything she had ever held dear had been ripped away from her in a matter of minutes, and all she had left were her memories.

“It’s Rosie, isn’t it?” Tatty asked, kneeling beside her and brushing the stray curls away from Y/n's face. “I’m so sorry, Y/n, I didn’t know…”

“No, no it’s… it’s not your fault. You didn’t know and I should…” Y/n sighed, wiping away the tears quickly, and taking a deep, shaky breath. “I should have told him how I felt a long time ago, I can’t expect him to just wait around forever.”

It was true, she’d had so many opportunities to tell him how she felt if only she had plucked up the courage. Now she would just have to live with her decision and try her best to be happy for him, after all, they were still friends. Even if it hurt like hell to see him with someone else at least he was still in her life. They could just be friends.

Tags: @georgieluz @docroesmorphine @major-mads @violetdaze25 @bcofl0ve @precious-little-scoundrel @blurredcolour @artlover8992 @b00ks1ut @xxluckystrike @hockeyboysarehot @groovin2beats @kmc1989 @ginabaker1666 @hesbuckcompton-baby

[andy-15-07]

Our life together

masterlist ! pairing: Sam Claflin x fem!reader

GENRE: fluff, love , family love

There are many things that you will not forget with your first born, the first tooth, the first step. Sam and I filmed every moment in the life of our daughter, Mary Rosie Claflin. Since our daughter was born, Sam took a little break from acting and I didn't take any break, not even during pregnancy because I'm a songwriter and most of the time I work at home.

Mary was born on Sam's birthday, he always says that I gave him the most beautiful gift in the world and that no one can give him a more beautiful gift than this, he became a father on his birthday.

It's December 15, that means it's the first Christmas with Mary who is almost 6 months old, all she did was eat, sleep and play with her daddy.

Sam and I did everything in our power to make the most beautiful Christmas just for our beautiful daughter and today her daddy will take the tree to decorate it.

While Sam and I were decorating the tree, Mary sat either in my arms or on Sam's hip, she pointed to the blue ornaments and mumbled something she understood, when the time came to turn on the lights, I amd my daughter was sitting down , with her on my lap.

When my dear husband plugged them in, Mary's eyes shone.

"Look who's happy when she sees the tree, our Mary is happy," says Sam and tickles her little foot.

"Of course she's happy, it's her first Christmas, the first time Santa comes to her because she was a very good girl, isn't that right Sam?" I ask him and put my head on his shoulder.

"It's very true my love, everything is new for her and we're here to make her the best Christmas ever." Sam says and kisses my temple.

When I look at our daughter, she looks so curious at what is happening in front of her, how the lights change color, and she reaches out to a pink globe, Mary tries to take it from the tree but she can't reach it and this does it to get upset and we expected her to start crying.

Sam was faster and took her from my lap, got up with her and started humming a song that I know will calm her down a bit.

"What happened, why are you crying Mary? Everything will be fine, mommy and daddy are here with you. What made you so upset? Hmm" his voice calmed her and she looked intently at her father, as if to say the most special thing on this earth.

I still haven't gotten used to these beautiful moments of interaction between Sam and our beautiful daughter. While I look at the two of them, my dear husband motions me to approach them.

"My love, everything is fine. We are here with you." I say to Mary and I approach her and kiss her on the cheek.

"Y/n thank you for all the good times we spent together and thank you for making me a father. I love you so much Y/n Claflin!" He tells me and kisses me, I put my hand on his cheek and prolong the kiss, Sam is the first to break the kiss and leans down and kisses Mary on the forehead.

"I love you too Sam Claflin!" I say and look at our most special gift in our life, Mary Rosie Claflin.

"And you our little treasure, we love you very much, from here to the moon and back." Sam says and puts his arm around me and the three of us hug.

How I got so lucky in life I don't know, but the only thing I know is that I have the most beautiful family in the world and I wouldn't give anything in the world to change that.

[e-dubbc11]

The Sweetest Christmas

Photos are not mine. They are courtesy of Pinterest/Google.

Pairing: Tattoo Artist Billy Russo x F! Reader

Warnings: None, really. Maybe a swear word or two. All of the fluffy bunnies and unicorns.

Word Count: 4.7k-ish

Summary: Little Anna Raven is just starting to understand what happens during this time of year and she’s very excited about the gift she asked Santa for. Billy has a special gift for you also.

A/N: This is for my lovely @jvanilly who probably loves this series more than anyone. She asked for more of The Sweetest Pain series so ask and you shall receive! (I also have more of Out of Left Field coming for you too.) Thank you for loving this series and to everyone else who loves this series. I just love writing for them. ♥️

Oh, one more thing…I realize some on my tag list may have fallen out of like with my Billy or just have fallen out of like with me or maybe you’re just goin through some shit, I understand. So even though I don’t want to, I plan on removing people on my tag list that I haven’t chatted with, haven’t commented or even thrown a ♥️ on my fics in awhile. I’m sorry but I don’t really want to waste your time if you’re not interested in them anymore or haven’t had the time lately, it’s ok. I do try and keep my masterlists up to date so you know where to find them, absolutely no hard feelings! ♥️♥️♥️

As always, thank you for reading!  I appreciate it so much and comments, reblogs are welcome and encouraged. Don’t be shy to tell me your favorite part. 💕💕 💕

The brisk December air stung your lungs as you walked along the sidewalk toward the tattoo studio. You pulled your winter hat back down to cover your ears as the wind smacked you directly in the face while reaching for the handles of Anna’s stroller.

The little squeals of excitement as you pushed her faster made you smile. She didn’t care that it was freezing outside or that you were cold, your little miss was having a great time. Her chubby little finger shot out to point in front of her and she turned to face you with her rosy cheeks to tell you something.

“Daddy!!” She yelled excitedly.

Anna recognized the Anvil Tattoo logo anywhere and it made your heart swell to see how excited she would get when she knew she was going to see her father at work.

It’s a good thing she was strapped into the stroller because she started to bounce up and down in the seat; she was so excited. Sometimes you wondered if she was excited to see Billy or excited for all the treats she knew she would get. It was probably a little bit of both.

The holidays seemed to sneak up faster and faster every year but especially now that you had an addition to your little family. This would be Anna’s third Christmas season and she was just starting to understand what it all meant.

It was getting easier for Billy too because this time of year had always been hard for him but now that he had a family of his own, the bad memories of being alone during this time of year were becoming distant ones.

And he loved focusing on you and little Raven. Anna wasn’t the only one learning all about holiday seasons and family traditions…Billy was too and ever since your first Christmas together, he liked it more and more.

“We’re almost there, baby girl. Are you cold?” You asked.

Little Raven shook her head furiously. “Let’s go, Mommy!”

She was really starting to talk more now, her sentences weren’t so broken anymore and she was like a sponge, picking up every little thing you said. She’s even picked up a few colorful words courtesy of her Uncle Frank but you knew it was only a matter of time before she started repeating those words.

You and your husband didn’t always keep your language clean around little Raven either but her Uncle Frank was a heavy influence on her, at times.

As you opened the door, a gust of wind almost took the handle right out of your hands. Strands of your hair were caught in your mouth as you tried to spit them out while still holding onto the handles of the stroller. Anna had started to giggle while watching you struggle to get the hair out of your mouth and eyes.

“Mommy can’t see.” She said with a wide smile.

Billy rushed from behind his desk to help you and to make fun of you at the same time. He pushed your hat away from your eyes to see them better and said, “Is it windy out there or somethin’?”

He bit down on his lower lip to try and keep from laughing.

“Well aren’t you soooooo funny, Mr. Russo. Keep it up and I’ll send your Christmas presents back.” You replied with narrowed eyes.

Billy cupped your cheeks, gazed down at you with his endless brown eyes, and smiled his million-dollar smile at you. That smile always made you feel better.

“My little firecracker.” He said as he gently pressed his lips to yours. “Ok, I’m sorry. You don’t have to use fightin’ words.”

You instantly felt warmer as the heat rushed to your cheeks and warmth spread across your chest. Billy’s slender fingers brushed down the side of your neck as he kissed your cheeks and your forehead.

Anna was turned around in her stroller watching the two of you as you kissed and caught you both off guard when she asked, “Daddy, what does Mommy taste like?”

Nothing like a toddler to ruin the moment but you couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Billy crouched down to unbuckle Anna from the stroller.

“Mommy tastes sweet like candy, little miss. And you know how much Daddy loves candy.” He said with a smile, staring into her eyes that were just like his then glancing up at you to give you a wink.

You bit down on your thumb as a smile stretched across your lips and you could feel yourself blushing.

“BILLY!!” You playfully scolded him.

He chuckled. “Oh she doesn’t know what it means, sweet girl.”

A deep voice boomed from the back of the room. “She may not know but the rest of us do, Bill.”

It was Frank.

“Now stop poisoning my goddaughter’s ears with your filth…Come here, sweetheart.” He said sarcastically with his arms outstretched.

Little Raven jumped out of her stroller and ran right to Big Raven who scooped her up and started to playfully bite her neck.

Anna let out a loud belly laugh.

“What’s Santa gonna bring you, little Raven?” Frank asked her.

Billy held you close to his chest, kissed the top of your head and said, “Go ahead, baby girl. Tell Uncle Frankie what you told Santa you’d like for Christmas.”

Anna smiled and eagerly said, “A JEEP!!!”

Billy told Frank all about Anna’s first encounter with Santa. She was nearly four and wanted to see how she would react seeing Santa for the first time. She had no fear…didn’t even turn around to look at you or Billy but went right up to him and told him she wanted a Jeep for Christmas.

For the past couple of months, Anna had been fascinated by Jeeps. She had seen a picture of Billy sitting in one from his time in the Marines and since then, she has not stop talking about it.

As Anna made her daily rounds to gather her snacks and stickers, Billy asked Frank if he wanted to help him put her Jeep together after Anna goes to bed on Christmas Eve.

The Castle family was coming over for dinner tomorrow night and you were looking forward to seeing Maria and the kids plus there was always a possibility of a show when Billy and Frank worked on anything together.

“A Jeep?!! Well, have you been a good girl this year?” Frank asked, picking her up again.

Anna nodded. “Yes I have Uncle Frankie.”

Billy loved to joke with Anna all the time, you did too but he did it pretty often and you accepted the fact that you were probably raising a sarcastic asshole but at least she would be a polite one and you didn’t doubt she would be able to take care of herself as she got older.

“You sure about that, little miss? Mommy said you didn’t eat all your vegetables last night.” Billy joked.

You cracked a smile and playfully slapped Billy on the shoulder. “Don’t tease her, Billy.” You turned your attention to Frank. “So, we’ll see you guys tomorrow night, right?”

“We’ll be there.” Said Frank.

“Great, see you tomorrow…” You turned back to Billy, wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him close for a kiss. “And I’ll see you later, handsome.”

“Does Mommy still taste like candy, Daddy?” Anna said with a wide smile.

Billy smiled warmly looking down at you and kissed you again. “Every time, baby girl. Every…time.”

**********

Flurries of snow floated down past the window in back of the Christmas tree. You couldn’t remember the last time it actually snowed on Christmas Eve.

Frank and Billy were just about finished with cleaning up dinner, each of them with a dish towel draped over their shoulders, and bickering with each other about where things go while you and Maria finished playing a game of chess.

Frank Jr. and Lisa played with Anna all night, they really did treat her like a little sister, and it was so cute to watch.

Maria wanted to give Anna her bath. It was a big help and she loved doing it because she sometimes missed having little ones around. Anna ran out of her room wearing her new Christmas pajamas and Maria chased after her.

You made sure to remind Anna to put out milk and cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer.

“Can I have one of those cookies?” Asked Billy.

Anna giggled. “No Daddy, they’re for Santa!” She exclaimed.

“Ok baby girl, time for bed. Now you gotta go to sleep otherwise Santa won’t come, so say goodnight to Lisa and Junior…” Anna gave them hugs and kisses. “And say goodnight to Auntie Maria and Big Raven.”

“Goodnight little Raven…you get some good sleep, yeah?” Frank said.

“Ok Uncle Frankie.” Said Anna.

You put Anna to bed, put out coffee and desserts and you and Maria waited for the show to start. Billy brought out the Jeep box, his tools, and he and Frank went to work while you and Maria sat back and watched.

Billy has always been very organized, everything has its place, his studio is always neat and clean so it didn’t surprise you when he removed everything from the box and started to group certain pieces together and separate all of the hardware.

But whatever Billy took out of the box, Frank picked up and tried to start fitting pieces together, he just wasn’t AS neat and organized as Billy was…it made you and Maria laugh all the same though. Even Junior and Lisa were laughing at their dad and uncle.

A few days prior, you mentioned to Maria that Billy was going to ask Frank to help him put the Jeep together for Anna. He thought it would be a fun project for the two of them to do together but you decided, behind their backs, to make a little bit of a drinking game out of it.

With the exception of Frank, no one knew Billy better than you did and no one knew Frank better than Maria.

You both knew how they operated, their mannerisms, their sayings, and just how they were when they interacted with each other so you traded sayings back and forth that you knew they would use on each other and every time they said one, the two of you would take a sip of your wine.

“That’s not where that goes, Frankie.” Said Billy.

Sip

“What are you talkin’ about?! Of course that’s where it goes.” Frank bellowed.

Sip

“Just hand me that piece over there, please! No, not that one…the one next to it!” Billy said, getting frustrated. “Oh we both know that you can’t put a sticker on straight to save your life, I’m doing that.”

Sip

“You tightened that, yeah? Show me…” Frank said.

Sip

“You two are enjoying this, aren’t ya.” Billy said with a furrowed brow and narrowed eyes.

Sip

You turned to Maria and asked with a smile. “More wine?”

Maria giggled with Frank glaring at her and shaking his head back and forth. You just smiled at Billy, only mocking him a little bit, “I love you!”

Billy tapped Frank on the shoulder, “I think you’re gonna hafta carry Maria outta here.” He said, his slight New York accent peeking through.

Lisa and Junior fell asleep on the couch while watching Christmas Vacation, two empty bottles of wine were resting on the coffee table next to small plates of half eaten cookies, and discarded wrapping paper from the kid’s gifts. It had been such a fun night with really good friends.

“Looks like you two are almost done…Anna’s gonna love that.” You said.

You watched as Anna’s father and godfather put the finishing touches on her Jeep, Billy took the stickers away from Frank, and made sure to charge the battery so it would be ready to go tomorrow morning. When you looked at the clock, it was a few minutes before midnight. It will be Christmas soon.

“There’s two celebratory beers waiting for you two in the fridge when you’re all done.” You said with a warm smile.

“Yeah? You sure you didn’t drink those too?” Frank joked.

Maria quipped back, “I make no promises.”

Billy was such a perfectionist. He knew his little girl would be riding around in it and even though it didn’t go really fast, he still made sure it was as safe as possible by double checking everything.

“Looks ready to go.” Said Billy.

Finally, Frank added a large red bow to the hood and an oversized gift tag that said “From Santa” and you handed Billy and Frank their celebratory drinks.

“Cheers, Frankie.”

“We did it, Bill.” Frank said, clinking the bottles together.

The clock said 12:05.

“So close, you ALMOST finished before Christmas morning.” You said.

Billy pulled you into his chest and kissed the top of your head. “Hey as long as we finished before the little miss wakes up, I call that a win.”

“Damn right.” Said Frank.

“Merry Christmas, sweet girl.” Billy said gazing down at you with his beautiful onyx colored eyes…Anna had the same color eyes.

He cupped your cheeks and smiled just before touching his lips to yours, you felt butterflies in your stomach as if it was the first time he was kissing you, and never failed to show you how deep his love was for you in that kiss. His kiss was always meant to be yours.

“Merry Christmas, handsome. I love you. And Merry Christmas, Castle Family! Wake up kids!Your dad and uncle Billy finished the Jeep.” You said, trying to keep your voice low so as to not wake up Anna.

“Looks good, Dad.” Said Lisa.

“Thank you, sweetheart. Your uncle helped too.” Joked Frank.

Billy couldn’t help but let out a little laugh.

After cleaning up all of the cardboard, Maria and Frank gathered their gifts and the gifts you and Billy gave the kids, and after a handful of goodbyes and thank you’s, they headed for home. Maria reminded you to take a video of little Raven’s reaction to her new wheels.

As soon as you closed the door, Billy’s lips collided with yours, his hands migrating from your cheeks down your neck to the buttons on your shirt as he parted your lips with his tongue. The man was still crazy about you after all this time and you were still head over heels in love with him.

“I’ve been wanting to do this all night, baby.” He whispered in your ear.

Your mouth split into a smile against his lips as he continued to kiss you, the scent of green soap still clung to him from working at the studio earlier in the day and you could taste the citrus from the beer on his lips.

His body heat was warm against your chest, the kisses he placed up and down your neck made your core flutter and turned you on. You wanted to have him right now.

As soon as you started to pull his shirt from his jeans, you realized you still had to put out the rest of Anna’s gifts. Breathing heavily, you pulled away from him even though it killed you to do so, it had been a little while since you and Billy had any alone time together. The holiday season had been a busy one.

“Billy…Billy…wait…” You purred into his ear.

You watched your hand rise up and down on his chest as he panted, trying to catch his breath.

“W-what is it, beautiful? I thought we were…uh, ya know.” He smiled and winked at you.

It was so hard to resist him when he looked at you like that, the desire he had in his eyes, and the way he touched you…he knew what he was doing and how hard it was to say no to him but you resisted.

You snaked your arms around his neck and pulled his face toward yours until your foreheads were touching.

“I’m so sorry, my love…we still have to put out the rest of Anna’s presents and fill her stocking.If we continue what we’re doing, you know that’s not happening so we really have to do that first.” You said, disappointingly.

Billy kissed you on the forehead again, he always did that to comfort you or to help you relax.

He knew this month had been draining on you both, trying to get everything done while trying to work and take care of a little one.

“Ok sweet girl, let’s get this done.” He said as he gave you a quick kiss on the lips.

You started to walk toward your bedroom.

“I’ll get the rest of the gifts from the closet…you eat the cookies and write her a note ‘from Santa.’” You said, pointing at the cookies resting on the little end table.

“Why do I have to eat the cookies?” Asked Billy with a sly smile.

You narrowed your eyes at him. “Oh please, you’ve been eyeing those cookies all night, Billy Russo. And I know all about how much you love sweet things.” You said with a wink.

“Well for the record, my love…I’d rather be eating you for dessert.” The corners of his mouth curled up into a wicked smile while he raised his eyebrows at you.

Feeling yourself starting to blush, you scolded him in a lighthearted tone. “Get to work, lieutenant.”

“Yes ma’am.” Billy replied.

Your second wind came at a perfect time, you managed to finish everything you needed to before going to bed and you relieved some of each other’s stress when you were in bed. Instead of rushing, like it had been with the two of you lately, Billy took his time with you.

He probably kissed every inch of your body, exploring it like he had when you first got together, telling you over and over how much he loved you and how you were the sweetest thing he’s ever tasted.

You probably had the most restful sleep you’ve had in the past three weeks that night, the bristles of Billy’s beard brushing against your bare shoulder as you drifted off to sleep, excited to see the look on your little girl’s face when she sees her new Jeep, and excited to give Billy his gifts too.

Little did you know, Billy had a special gift for you also that he could not wait to give you.

Christmas Morning

One thing that Anna Raven did NOT have in common with her father was being light on her feet. You had converted her crib into a daybed so she could climb in and out by herself which also meant she could rush down the hallway and burst into your bedroom whenever she wanted to.

And now that you were a mom, you were tuned in to when she got in and out of bed so when you heard her little feet hit the floor, you made sure you were covered.

You had fallen asleep rather quickly after last night’s after hour’s activities, Billy had also so he was still asleep when you heard the pitter patter of her tiny feet scurrying down the hall.

Although you were used to getting up early since becoming a mom, waking up early on a morning when you didn’t have to was difficult but waking up this morning was exciting. You couldn’t wait to give your husband and your daughter a nice Christmas.

The bedroom door knob turned and little Raven practically fell through the door, she was so excited. “Mommy!! It’s Christmas! Wake up, Daddy!”

Watching her smile almost brought tears to your eyes. “Merry Christmas, baby!”

Billy must have been sleeping hard, which usually doesn’t happen, because he sat bolt upright in bed.

“What?! What happened?!” He exclaimed and his head hit the pillow again as he fell backwards.

Anna grabbed your hand. “Come on, Mommy!” She said, trying to pull you out of bed.

“Ok, ok Anna…we’re up. Can you go wait out in the hallway for one minute, please? Then we’ll go see if Santa came.” You said, in the middle of a yawn.

Anna was jumping up and down, she was so excited. “Hurry, Mommy!”

She ran out into the hallway and closed the door behind her.

“Come on, stud…let’s go.” You leaned over and kissed him on the lips.

Billy’s eyes were still closed but a smile stretched across his lips. “Gimme one more kiss, sweet girl…please?” He pleaded.

Slowly, Billy opened his eyes, brushed a stray hair away from your eyes as you inched your face closer to his and smiled warmly before you gently pressed your lips to his once again.

“I love you so much, Billy…Merry Christmas, my love.” You whispered against his mouth.

“Merry Christmas, my little firecracker. I love you too…more than anything.” He replied.

You could hear muffled sounds coming from the bottom of the door as Anna’s little fingers darted into the room from underneath the door. “Puhleeeeease come out, Mommy!”

After quickly throwing on some lounge clothes, you told Anna to back away from the door so you could open it.

“Let’s go! We have to check your cookies too, little miss.” Billy said.

You and Billy quickly followed Anna to the living room. The Jeep looked even better in the natural light and Anna noticed it right away.

She let out a high pitched squeal and ran over to it. “Is this my Jeep, Daddy?!” She asked full of excitement.

“Well, let’s look at the tag…It says ‘To Anna…From Santa…’ It looks like it is, little Raven.” He said. “That’s what you wanted, right?”

Anna climbed into the driver’s side and put her hands on the steering wheel. She had pure joy all over her face and it made this moment better than you could have ever hoped for.

“YES!! It’s like the one you were sitting in, Daddy!” She said excitedly.

“That’s why she wanted a Jeep? I thought she just saw one while you were out one day, I didn’t know…” Billy said to you with a slight hitch in his voice, his shoulders dropped and he inhaled sharply.

You closed the gap between the two of you, gazing at his wild brown hair, his beautiful obsidian colored eyes and you leaned in to softly press your lips to his.

“Our little girl loves her Daddy.” You whispered against his mouth as he looked over at Anna and then brought his gaze back to you.

Billy wrapped his long slender fingers around the back of your neck and pulled you even closer until his lips crashed onto yours. His kisses always made you feel so loved and cherished, more than anyone ever has and no one else will ever have your heart.

Although it was a little difficult, Anna wanted to drive her Jeep around the apartment and after she did that, you let her take it for a drive outside the apartment in the hallway. She was having such a good time while you took photos and a few videos to send to Maria and Frank which they thoroughly enjoyed.

It was challenging not to go crazy buying gifts for her because she was so much fun to shop for but you didn’t want to spoil her too much. Her Jeep was her big present though and she received a few other new toys, books, and clothes.

Christmas morning had been so relaxing so far. Watching Anna open her gifts, playing with her toys and the three of you having breakfast together pushed the stress you felt all month further away, just as lying in Billy’s arms last night had done wonders for you too.

You loved your little family so much.

Sipping your coffee on the couch, you noticed Billy whispering in Anna’s ear. What was he up to? He gave you your presents already and you gave him his, though he could be sneaky when he wanted to be.

You smiled nervously as little Raven wandered over holding something behind her back and had a smile stretched across her face from ear to ear.

She stopped in front of you as you leaned down so you were eye level with her. From behind her back, she pulled out a small black velvet box.

“Merry Christmas, Mommy. It’s from Daddy.” She said leaning in for a kiss on the lips. You gave her a quick kiss and she said, “She does taste like candy, Daddy!” She was just tasting the peppermint mocha coffee creamer but you weren’t going to say anything.

“What is this?” You asked. “I thought we opened all of our presents?”

Billy's lips curled up into his perfect smile. “Well you have one more, sweet girl. It’s something I’ve been meaning to give you for a long time even though you said you didn’t need one.”

You still didn’t know what it could be so with slightly trembling fingers, you opened the box and inside was a beautiful diamond ring, an engagement ring.

When Billy asked you to marry him, he didn’t have a ring to give you and on your wedding day the two of you exchanged wedding bands but he promised when he had the money, he would buy you the ring of your dreams. You told him that you had a wedding band and didn’t need an engagement ring but that wasn’t good enough for him.

And now the two of you were both making more money, living comfortably, and providing for each other along with providing for little Raven. He could finally keep his promise and buy you the ring you’ve always wanted.

It was an oval solitaire with smaller diamonds all around the band which matched your wedding ring. You were left speechless, it was so unexpected and it brought tears to your eyes. He didn’t have to do this.

“Billy…you…really…” You said, swiping the tear away from your cheek. “It’s so beautiful, you really didn’t have to do this, baby.”

He stood up, his long legs took him right to you and sat down next to you on the couch. The mid-morning sun bounced off the top of the diamond and it sparkled against the ceiling as he took it out of the box and held it between his fingers. Billy doesn’t normally get nervous but his fingers were shaking slightly as his eyes darted from the ring to your eyes.

“Yes I did.” He replied. “What do ya say, baby? Can I still be your husband?”

A tear streaked down your cheek, both Billy and

Anna were smiling the exact same smile at you as you answered him.

“Of course you can, handsome.”

You almost didn’t finish getting the words out when his lips collided with yours, he slid the ring down your finger so it rested against your wedding ring.

They looked beautiful together.

Your thumbs brushed against Billy’s beard as he drew you in close again, he always kept you as close as possible and suddenly you were in his lap, his hands brushing the soft fabric of your t-shirt and migrating under the t-shirt to touch the supple skin of your lower back.

The two of you almost forgot Anna was there when she chimed in.

“Mommy, I already know what I’m gonna ask Santa for next Christmas.” She said with conviction.

Billy kissed your forehead. You looked at each other as if to silently say “Well this should be good. I can’t wait to hear this.”

“Oh really? Ok, so what are you gonna ask Santa for next year, Anna?” You asked her, taking a sip of your coffee.

She bit down on her lower lip, jumped, clapped her hands together and said, “Do you think he could bring me a sister?”

It took a minute before you could recover from the coughing fit after choking a little on your coffee.

“Y-you want a sister for Christmas next year, little miss?” Billy asked.

Anna looked at you and Billy with her beautiful brown eyes and replied, “Uncle Frankie said I should ask Santa for a sister next year.”

She was so innocent and you couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“I’m gonna kill him.” Billy said, also cracking a smile.

You laced your fingers with his, kissed him on the cheek, turned to Anna and said,

“Well baby girl, it can’t hurt to ask.”

Tag List: @mindidjarin @saintmurd0ck @wheresthesunshinesblog @rafaelakelley @idaoftheburningmind @snowkestrel @xdervyxccgh @mattmurdocksscars @fakehappy27 @music-indie-tv @fictional-hooman @kayhi808 @munsonownsmyass @gijos @celestialams @idek-what-to-put @anastasianeedstoread @ratsys @k-marzolf @nutmeg17 @rosaleenablack @vaguekayla @qu1etwolf @danzer8705 @fireeyes-on-teller-dixon-grimes

Others that might enjoy: @itwasthereaminuteago @fluffyprettykitty @jvanilly @imagine-a-fictional-boyfriend @russosafehaven @mrsbillyrusso @ittybxttykxttytxtty

If you’d like to be added (or removed from) my tag list(s) for the ever so handsome Billy Russo, just let me know and thank you again for reading! 💕💕💕 If I tagged you but you didn’t want to be, just let me know and I’ll never do it again.

[maxverstappensflatbrim]

Show Me Yours | Matty Healy [45]

chapter forty-five, act six: be my mistake

masterlist

December 25th 2017

Sniffling and rubbing her nose with the back of her wrist she pulls herself to stand, still clutching the letter in her left hand she rubs her eyes and makes her way to the door. She pulls her familiar red zip up tighter around herself, covering up the AM shirt she wears as her hand meets the door knob.

The breath is knocked right out of her as she steps back and stars out the front door.

“Hey…”

She doesn’t say anything. Just closes her mouth and swallows the lump rising in her throat.

His eyes cast down to her hand and he nods his head towards the crumpled paper, “You read the letter?”

“I just finished it.”

Matty smiles weakly as he looks at her, “And?”

“And?” She repeats the word right back to him in the same tone.

She can’t stop staring at him. It’s him, it’s really him, it’s her Matty. He looks so much more healthy now. His face has colour again, it’s bitten red from the cold and he’s hiding in his long coat to try and fight off the air. His hair has grown back, she’d seen a photo of him online a few days after he got out. He’d shaved his head. But it’s back a curly mess on top of his head now.

“And,” He says slowly, hands pushing deeper into his pockets, “What did you think?”

“You were right about one thing.” She tells him and he raises one brow, “You’re a dickhead.”

He nods and looks down at his feet as he closes his eyes. Allen nudges at Tommie’s hand, the one still clutching the letter and she looks down at him. 

It’s as if he’s asking her if he can see his owner. Knowing the pain she has been in and that Matty is the one who caused it.

Allen’s ears are down and his tail is between his legs as he looks up at her, she smiles softly causing his tail to wag and then she nods.

As soon as he has her approval he jumps at Matty, his ears perked as he slobbers all over him and almost knocks him to the ground.

“Hey, bud, I know, I know. I’m sorry.”

“Do you wanna come in?”

He follows her in, hangs his coat on the rack, lines his shoes up against the wall and then lets her lead him to the living room.

His hand fiddles in his pocket for a few moments before he brings out a wrapped gift, “I uh-” He pauses and just slowly holds his hand out, “Merry Christmas-”

“Matt-”

“Please.”

She nods and takes it from him, “Wait,” He reaches out and clasps both of his hands around hers. She freezes, “Don’t open it yet.”

She nods, voice quiet, “Okay…”

Her eyes glance down and he lets go quickly. She realises her mistake and tries to reach out for him but he turns away.

“How-How have you been?” She asks him.

He nods and pushes his hands further into the pockets of his trousers, “Good.”

It’s a lie. They both know it.

“Do you want a drink? Something to-” She curses and then runs into the kitchen, he follows her quickly pursing his lips to try not to laugh when she brings out the burnt pizza.

She sighs, dropping the pan onto the stove and leaning back, “You never were a good cook.”

She hits his arm as he lets out a giggle and allows a smile of her own to show for just a moment. He studies it, from the way her eyes have that special little sparkle to the way her cheeks become rosy as they stretch. 

“How have you been?” He repeats her question back to her and she stands a little straighter.

“Good.”

“Really?”

She nods, giving him another small smile, “I’ve been good.”

“Keeping busy?” She nods, “Adam told me you’ve been helping Phoebe.”

“Her first album came out a few months ago.”

He nods, “I listened. Could see you in a few songs.”

“I helped with guitar.” She tells him, a smile brightens her face for a few seconds as she thinks of Phoebe. Some colour returns to her cheeks. When the smile falls again she looks paler than before.

“I saw what happened with Braun.”

She sighs and stops picking up the dog toys scattered around her living room to fully face him, “You want a drink?”

“Please.”

She walks for the kitchen and he follows after her as she reaches for two cups and sets them down.

She grips the handle of her fridge, “Preference?”

“I’ll have anything.”

She nods and grips a bottle of fanta, he purses his lips. Not his favourite and she knows it.

She pours two cups and passes one to him as she leans against the kitchen island, peering out her back window into the frosty air of Christmas day.

“Jamie and Adam both kept me updated on the court case.” She nods slowly. She knew one of the guys would be telling Matty. Of course they would. “I’m sorry nothing came of it.”

She shrugs, “We came to an agreement. I get half the writing credits and they get to keep the song under their name.” She scoffs, “Doesn’t matter, he still has my book.”

“You were forced to an agreement, there’s a difference.”

“It was either that or be harassed by his American fangirls because of what I did.”

She looks down and Matty blinks at her slowly, “What you did? You say it like you did something wrong.”

“He seems to think I did.”

Matty shakes his head and then moves from where he’s leaning against the wall to grab her hands, he bends his knees to meet her eyes. “Please don’t let him make you feel guilty.”

She refuses to look at him, eyes still staring out the window. 

Tommie has always been full of guilt. It’s one of her biggest issues. Guilt for leaving behind her family. Guilt for never being a good daughter. Guilt that even with all this money and influential power she can’t change issues in the world. Guilt for things out of her control. 

It isn’t a hard task to make her feel guilty about something. She probably already does.

“Baby, look at me please.”

The moment the old name is coming from his mouth her eyes have snapped to meet his. Her brows furrow and her eyes gloss over with stars. “You did nothing wrong.”

“Did you want kids?” She shakes her head and he nods at the same time, “Did you do what you wanted?” She nods and then he shrugs, “Nothing wrong. You did nothing wrong.”

“Then why do I feel so dirty?”

His shoulders deflate, his eyes soften and brows draw together as he quickly shakes his head. “You’re not.”

He can’t believe this. That she’s been alone with these thoughts for so long. Without anyone. Without him.

“Can you do what you said in the letter?”

“What’s that?”

“Hold me.”

His arms are tugging her into his chest the moment the two words leave her lips, one hand on her back the other pressing her head into his chest as his eyes close in bliss.

He has been waiting to feel her touch for months, years. He’s never felt so alive. It’s like there’s oxygen in his lungs once again. Like he can finally breathe.

“Tommie, I just want to say-”

“No.” She shakes her head quickly, her arms tighten around his waist, “It’s Christmas, let’s just be Baby and Roddy today.”

He nods and squeezes her a little tighter when she mumbles, “I missed you.” Her hands grip his shirt, knuckles turning white, “I missed you so much. Will you stay?”

“Only if you want me to.”

“I need you to.”

He nods again, “Then I will. As long as you need me to.”

An hour later Tommie is curled up on her sofa with a knitted blanket thrown over the top of her. Matty relaxes further back into the cushions, her head in his lap. He lets his hands run through her hair, twisting and twirling strands around his long fingers.

He’s missed her hair. He’s missed the way she’d always need to be near him. He’s missed that little crinkle on her nose. And her crows feet in the corner of her eyes. And her one dimple that always shows when she smiles. And her laugh. And her snort when she laughs. He missed the way she’d mouth the words to her favourite films. He’s missed hearing her hum the song stuck in her head all day. Missed feeling her fingers drum a beat on his thigh as she’d try to get inspiration. Missed trying to sneak peeks of her poetry or songwriting when she wasn’t paying attention.

He’s missed touching her. A soft hand on her shoulder, a squeeze of her wrist. Any kind of contact. Matty didn’t think it was physically possible to feel pain from missing someone but he has. An ache deep in his stomach, the pit of his heart. An ache that came from his guilt and loneliness.

“Where are you staying?” She asks, bringing him from his thoughts.

“At home.”

“Alone?” She shifts closer to him, hand curling under his shirt and pressing into his warm stomach.

He gasps at the cold touch but it’s worth it at the mischievous smile she hides into his thigh. There’s five things he’s missed all in that one moment. 

“If you need any help- anything, you’ll come to me, right?” She lifts herself off of him to look at him better, “You won’t suffer in silence. I know I probably won’t understand but I can try to help.”

He wraps his arm around her and pulls her into his shoulder kissing her hairline and letting his lips rest there. He wants to feel her as long as he possibly can, at least until he messes up again.

“You’re already helping.” He promises, “This is the healthiest I’ve felt since leaving.”

“Who picked you up?”

“G.”

“Have you seen the rest of the guys?”

He nods, “I have.”

“Ross?”

“Yup.”

“Ads?”

“Yeah.”

“Jam-”

“I’ve seen them all.” He laughs.

“What about Denise?”

“Last week.”

“You waited until last week?”

He nods, “She wasn’t happy. But I was just so- so scared.” She takes his hand that he's buried into her red locks and holds it between both of hers, turning it over to trace the lines of his palm with her eyes, “She did everything for me to not go down the same path as her. And I did. I did knowing the struggles and the things she had to overcome.”

“Doesn’t matter what you did, as long as you fixed it.”

He scoffs and she rises to sit on her knees. They push into his thigh and she moves his face to look at him, “You’re a good person, Matty.” She lowers her voice and leans so close their foreheads touch, “Please believe in that.”

She closes her eyes as she takes in the feeling of him.

Matty lifts his chin, his nose pushes against hers. Resistance. He should stop. Should think of her nose as a shield. A form of protection against him. He doesn’t stop.

He pushes forward connecting his lips with hers in a soft kiss as he pushes upwards. Her hands fist his curls and just as she lifts one leg ready to straddle his waist he’s stood from the sofa and pushed her aside.

“I-I… Tommie.”

She lands with a quiet ‘oomph’ on the plush cushions of her sofa. Falling between the mountains of pillows and throws.

“Matt, it’s fi-”

He’s shaking his head and begins walking to the hallway. By the time the shock and embarrassment wears off and she forces herself after him he’s got both shoes on, with his hand reaching for his jacket.

“Matt.”

“I have to go.” He tells her as he pulls his long coat over his arms. He tries to fasten the buttons, but his hands shake and she reaches out to stop him. She claps her hands over both of hers, dropping them to his sides and then gripping the coat to keep him close.

This time it’s his hands that cover hers, both of them engulfing hers smaller ones as he pries them from his jacket. He can’t look at her. But he can't tear his eyes away from her face.

“Matt?”

“I’m sorry.”

taglist

@thereisaplaceintheheart, @indierockgirrl, @sofaritsalrightt, @julezs-bl0g, @eaglestar31, @sophinthealpss, @noacfemcel, @if-my-heart-bleeds, @befrwime, @fallingforel, @sexorchocolateorpillowsorclouds, @3terna15unshin3, @1975sophie1975, @thesocraticjunkiewannabe, @littlesoldierelleora, @procrastinatinglikeapro, @beatr2x, @byyourside28

-let me know if you want to be added :)

[vs120shound]

ADVISORY/NOTIFICATION

(Yes, this applies to you, SF aficionado! You!)

TIME TO VOTE!

For Your Top-10 Favorite SF Websites of All-Time!

Ballots accepted throughout the balance of November and into December with a "polls closing" advisory before Christmastime approaches. Compiling will begin and announcement of the Top-10 by January 1, 2024! If there is robust participation (voting), we will expand the list to a Top-25.

No, Char Elizabeth, Baby.Bloodlust (Eliza Salvatore), here, was never captured by a website specializing in the Smoking Fetish. But she is gorgeous and these SF websites have been bringing us all content of this caliber or thereabouts -- by video and photo and GIF -- since the mid- to late-1990s. It is time to pay homage to them, regardless whether they are still active today or closed up shop more than 10 years ago!

OUR GUIDELINES

As articulated in our initial posting/advisory/notification on July 11 (modified on November 10, 2023):

Voting by web-masters/web producers/authors from tumblr; webpage owners from YouTube; and significant, well-established contributors/uploaders/authors from Smoking Fetish Kingdom. Own (oversee) a tumblr SF-content webpage and you can vote; we’d encourage it. Please do consider participating. This is for you all!

Weighted voting from our brand: One vote each from vs120shound, lostlighter23, vs120shound-2 and lostlighter23-darkside

Ballot (informal; voter will type it up and list vertically or horizontally, whichever) will have voters list 10 outstanding SF websites to receive votes (don't ask for the criteria we are seeking; completely subjective; vote for the site with the sexiest SF models or best smoking; or the most posts of videos/photographs/GIFs; or anything your little SF heart desires). Votes to be valued at one point for a 10th-place vote, two points for a ninth-place vote … increasing by a point until the No. 1 vote earns 10 points for the tallying up.

Will use tumblr Chat function and tumblr e-mail (Messages on our Dashboards) to collect votes

Believe Chat is not activated for communication between 2 folks on tumblr unless each is “following” the other, or one is “following” the other but not necessarily both of them connected to each other. Still not sure.

Friends on SFK are being invited to take part through the PM feature. Friends of our brand on tumblr will receive Chat or Message/tumblr e-mail invitations to cast votes for the Top-10.

The Announcement of Our Project On July 11, 2023

The official vs120shound ballot (votes from lostlighter23, vs120shound-2 and lostlighter23-darkside private for now; public later for release during the announcement of the voting results):

No. 10

Twinkles Little Stars (TLS) / Light My Fire / Smoking Sweethearts -- Kentucky, U.S.A.

"Sassy" (real name: Shauna). Web-master/web producer for LMF site (Honorable Mention for Top-25 all-time Favorite SF Models list)

No. 9

Colight Photography -- Oklahoma, U.S.A.

Nadja, one of the shinning stars for Ed Luisser, web-master/web producer of Colight, an SF Hall of Famer in the Pioneers' Division (No. 18 for Top-25 all-time Favorite SF Models list)

No. 8

SmokinStyle -- London, U.K.

Promotional display on the defunct website, Trevor Spiro web-master/web producer

No. 7

Smoking Models -- Florida, U.S.A. / Smoking Erotica --Florida, U.S.A.

Stacey, part of the glorious stable orchestrated by Austin, web-master/web producer (Smoking Models)

Lindsay Lee from Smoking Erotica (Florida, U.S.A.), sister site of Smoking Models

No. 6

Smoking Sweeties -- Spain

Rosy, one of the leading SF models for Fran, web-master/web producer (No. 24 for Top-25 all-time Favorite SF Models list)

No. 5

SmokeVision -- Australia / Women Smoking Culture / Light Up Time / Models Up Close

Marina immigrated to Australia from Easter Europe for the formerly de-activated site that was dormant for a few years, added fresh SF websites then made a glorious return

No. 4

Smoking-Models -- U.K. / Elegant Smoking

Jamie Leigh, one of the early stars for S-M and Elegant Smoking who was not shy at revealing herself in a NSFW way for James, web-master/web producer (No. 15 for Top-25 all-time Favorite SF Models list)

No. 3

Random Snaps -- Australia

Laura, one of the radiant Super Stars for Tony P., web-master/web producer for the de-activated website (No. 1 for Top-25 all-time Favorite SF Models list)

No. 2

USA Smokers -- Arizona (Tucson), U.S.A.

Quinn, one of the sensational actresses/models for Clif, web-master/web producer (No. 3 for Top-25 all-time Favorite SF Models list). Quinn retired from the SF biz a few years ago and moved out of state

No. 1

Specialized Videos -- Michigan, U.S.A.

Courtney, perhaps the most gorgeous SF model ever (No. 5 for Top-25 all-time Favorite SF Models list). A popular and busy SF actress/model for the self-de-activated site. Video from Juniorjunior of Smoking Fetish Kingdom with the intro to "Close to the Edge" (1973) from Yes. Here we see Courtney's zany personality on display

Carmen, an intense Newport 100s Girl -- once had proclaimed she smoke no other brands, though she did consent for shoots with different brands a couple of times -- for Scott, web-master/web producer for the defunct website (No. 16 for Top-25 all-time Favorite SF Models list).

LET THE VOTING BEGIN! . . .

Looking forward to seeing who you all favor the most!

[charlesslut16]

-Matching cristmas pyjamas-

summary : you and liam wear matching christmas pyjamas and have adventures...

PAIRING : liam lawson x fem!reader

WARNINGS : none

note : Hope you like it lovies!

december masterlist ; masterlist 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The air was infused with the spicy scent of cinnamon and pine, and the twinkling lights danced merrily, casting a warm glow on everything around you both.

Liam Lawson, your boyfriend, and you were immersed in the holiday spirit, sporting matching Christmas sweaters and pants adorned with playful reindeer and snowflakes.

The vibrant colors mirrored your excitement for the festive season.

They strolled hand in hand through the bustling Christmas market, reveling in the joyful atmosphere. Liam's eyes sparkled with delight as he pointed out the various stalls showcasing handcrafted ornaments and delicious treats.

The air was filled with laughter and the melodic tunes of holiday music, setting the perfect backdrop for your day.

With rosy cheeks from the chilly air, you stopped at a hot chocolate stand, eagerly wrapping your hands around the steaming mugs. Liam's smile was contagious as he watched you take the first sip, a marshmallow perched on the edge of your cup.

"How's the cocoa?" he asked, his eyes full of anticipation.

"Absolutely perfect," you replied, smiling back at him. The couple lingered, savoring the warmth of the hot chocolate and each other's company, enjoying the simple joy of being together.

Your next stop was an ice-skating rink nestled in the heart of the market. Liam laced up your skates with care, his fingers brushing gently against his girlfriends, sending a delightful shiver down your spine.

As you glided hand in hand across the glistening ice, your matching sweaters, matching pants and laughter painted a picture of pure happiness.

Liam, ever the adventurer, spun you around gracefully, his laughter ringing in harmony with the joyful holiday tunes. With each glide, you felt more connected to him, as though both were dancing to the rhythm of your love.

After your ice-skating escapade, you found ourselves in a cozy corner of the market, surrounded by festive decorations. Liam's eyes lit up mischievously as he spotted a booth offering personalized ornaments.

The couple eagerly stepped up, selecting a delicate glass bauble adorned with their names entwined in a glittering script. The first family ornaments of many to follow.

Watching as your names were delicately inscribed, Liam whispered in your ear,

"A memory of our tree, just like each moment with you, is a cherished memory in my heart."

My cheeks flushed with warmth, and you leaned into him, feeling an overwhelming rush of love.

"You always know how to make everything magical," you murmured, wrapping your arms around his waist.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, you made your way to a cozy café adorned with fairy lights and garlands. The scent of freshly baked cookies and gingerbread greeted you, inviting the couple to savor the delights of the season.

Liam's eyes sparkled as he savored a gingerbread cookie, a sprinkle of sugar dusting his nose.

With a mischievous grin, you reached out and gently wiped away the sugar with your thumb. Liam chuckled, reaching for a dollop of whipped cream from your hot cocoa, and playfully dabbed it on your nose.

Soon, the couple were both covered in sugary delights, laughing like carefree children.

As the evening drew to a close, you found ourselves sitting by a crackling fireplace, enveloped in the warmth of your shared affection. Liam took your hand, his gaze soft and filled with tenderness.

"Today has been perfect because I spent it with you," he said, his voice filled with sincerity.

Tears welled up in his girlfriend's eyes as you leaned in, resting your head on his shoulder.

"You make every moment special," you whispered, feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the love you shared.

The day had been a symphony of joy, laughter, and love, woven together with the threads of your matching sweaters. And as you basked in the glow of the holiday lights, you knew that the memories of this day, wrapped in warmth and love, would forever hold a special place in the couple's hearts.

[copperbadge]

Radio Free Monday

Good morning everyone, and welcome to Radio Free Monday!

Ways to Give:

dryadgurrl has had to move house suddenly and unexpectedly after almost a decade in their home; they were laid off in January and haven't been able to find unemployment especially since most gig economy jobs require a car, and after being given notice they needed to vacate their home, the expense of moving ate up the rest of their savings. They're in stable housing but don't have enough to cover both bills and groceries; you can read more and reblog here or support the fundraiser here.

Anon linked to a fundraiser for ladyyatexel/Xel, who needs to raise about $700 to pay rent on the 15th; Xel is currently unemployed and needs funding for medication in addition. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here; Xel is also offering commissions (available at the tumblr link) and selling buttons and prints through an KoFi shop.

mid-nighttiger linked to a fundraiser for a friend, Katherine, a cosplayer (501st and Rebel Legion, among others) who was in a serious car accident and has had a gofundme set up for her medical expenses; you can read more and reblog Mid-Nighttiger's post here or support the fundraiser here.

shrewreadings linked to a fundraiser for artist and wildfire management student katy-l-wood, who caught COVID and needs some help to pay this week's bills; you can purchase from their shop here or support the fundraiser here.

chingaderita's partner's family house recently caught fire and completely burned, killing his grandmother and causing extensive property loss; they're raising funds in part to help support their partner, who is understandably in a bad place emotionally and isn't sure his jobs will take him back after taking time to deal with this, and they're also in need of money for medications. You can read more, reblog, and support the fundraiser here.

Yvette is a disabled single parent displaced from her home by flooding, and her cat Yumi has had to undergo $4K in emergency surgery; she is recovering well, but needs follow-up care that is difficult to afford on top of the surgery costs, even after help from a friend. You can read more and support the fundraiser here.

Recurring Needs:

rilee16 is raising funds to cover utilities after having to use bill money to cover rent and late fees; Rilee also needs to be able to pay for medication. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here.

gwydion's very elderly car broke down in late October; the repair, to a cooling hose, has cheap parts but expensive labor, and ate most of zir budget for the month. Ze can't do without a car, being disabled, but can't afford to replace it either; ze's raising $280 to help cover bills and the repair. You can give via PayPal here.

gwydion linked to a fundraiser for Squirrel, a good friend who has recently lost his job and needs to raise about $800 to cover bills and food; Squirrel has had a lot of interviews and believes he will have an offer but won't start work until December. You can give via paypal here.

gwydion linked to a fundraiser for a friend, whose dog Rosie needs medical care, dental work, and special food; you can read more and give here at gofundme.

And this has been Radio Free Monday! Thank you for your time. You can post items for my attention at the Radio Free Monday submissions form. If you're new to fundraising, you may want to check out my guide to fundraising here.

[kwebtv]

Terry Carter (born John Everett DeCoste; December 16, 1928 – April 23, 2024) Actor and filmmaker, known for his roles as Sgt. Joe Broadhurst on the TV series McCloud and as Colonel Tigh on the original Battlestar Galactica.

Carter acted in numerous television series, specials, and theatrical films. Carter was a regular cast member of The Phil Silvers Show (popularly known as Sergeant Bilko), appearing as Pvt. Sugie Sugarman in 91 episodes between 1955 and '59. Carter played boxer Rosie Palmer in a 1964 episode of the ABC drama Breaking Point. In 1965 he was the only black actor to have a role in the World War II drama Combat! in the season three episode "The Long Wait". He is best known internationally for his co-starring role as Colonel Tigh in the popular science-fiction TV series Battlestar Galactica. He was originally cast as Lieutenant Boomer, but was cut following a roller skating accident that fractured his ankle. After replacing Carter with Herb Jefferson, Jr., producer Glen A. Larson instead offered Terry Carter the role of Colonel Tigh, second in command of the ragtag fleet of starships, giving the series the distinction for the time of having more than one regular African-American character in the principal cast. Carter also starred as Dennis Weaver's partner, Sergeant Joe Broadhurst in the detective series McCloud for seven years.

In 1975, Carter started a small Los Angeles corporation, Meta/4 Productions, Inc. for which he produced and directed industrial and educational presentations on film and videotape for the federal government. Carter was president of Council for Positive Images, Inc., a non-profit organization he formed in 1979, dedicated to enhancing intercultural and interethnic understanding through audiovisual communication. Under the council's auspices, Carter produced and directed award-winning dramatic and documentary programs for presentation on PBS and distribution worldwide. (Wikipedia)

[pedrito-friskito]

three…two…one… - dieter bravo x fem!reader

❄️’tis the season❄️

summary: you and dieter throw a new year’s party.

word count: 2.8k

warnings: MY BLOG IS 18+, MINORS DNI, smut, fluff, unprotected p-in-v, dieter’s dirty mouth, mentions of drinking/drugs/classic dieter things, this is SUPER SELF-INDULGENT AND I DON’T CARE BUT I LOVE THESE TWO SO MUCH AND JUST WANT THEM TO BE HAPPY OKAY THAT’S IT THAT’S ALL

a/n: the beginning of this fic genuinely made me laugh out loud when I wrote it. thank you all for the love and support always (I’ll make a sappy new years post separately) and I know I’m a day late, but enjoy! (also special props to @mandoblowmybackout for giving me the pizza idea 😏)

“I wanna throw a party.”

Well, that’s definitely not what you were expecting.

“What did you just say?”

Dieter pauses, head snapping up, eyes flicking from where they’d been trained on your bare tits up to your face. His eyes are bloodshot, pupils blown wide, and his cheeks are rosy, a slick of sweat at his temple. “Huh?”

He’s stoned. You both are, truthfully. The last few weeks have been a blur of cardboard, tinsel, and red wine, flitting from one house to the next. You were Dieter’s plus one to a slew of holiday parties (which went much better than your Halloween escapades had, mainly because it was time spent with Dieter’s actual friends, people he trusted, not a bunch of strangers trying to get on his good side) and, in a not-so-shocking twist, a Christmas party thrown by your closest pals. 

They had been more than shocked when you announced you were bringing Dieter fucking Bravo along with you, doubly shocked when you told them you were moving in together. It was something to get used to, the talking about him, the calling him your…boyfriend? Partner? Something like that. But up until now, you’ve been so used to keeping it hush hush, reducing your relationship to what it had been, not what it’s turning into. And your closest friend had a keen eye on Dieter, knowing exactly what had gone down at Halloween.

“You’re sure moving in with him is the right thing?”

“There’s nothing I’m more sure of, trust me.”

She’d tilted her head to the side, stared at you a long moment. “You seem happy. Almost too happy.”

“I am,” you said, barking a laugh. “I’m really fucking happy.”

Parties, friends, a quick appearance by your parents — which Dieter had handled with such composure you had to restrain yourself from sticking your tongue down his throat in front of your mother — and the end of the era that was your apartment. You were officially moved out as of Boxing Day, the 27th of December was spent at a work party, and now…you’re officially living together.

The end of a long few weeks, both of you dead on your feet and desperate for a little reprieve, Dieter had declared it a night for celebrating. A healthy-sized joint had been shared on the balcony, reminiscent of the first time you’d set foot in his condo, and you’d swapped smoke, shotgunning between heavy giggles and tired smiles.

“I’m really happy you’re here, baby.”

“Me, too.”

Realizing this would be the first official meal in your now shared space, you spent nearly half an hour trying to decide what to order. Dieter had pouted at that, telling you he wanted to cook you something, but he’d nearly tripped over his own feet coming in from the balcony and almost ripped the curtains down in the process, and the last thing you want to do your first official night is have to call the fire department or an ambulance.

You settled on a giant meat lover’s pizza with extra cheese, bottles of root beer, garlic sticks, the works. You ate sprawled on the rug in front of his fireplace, licking grease from your fingers, watching old episodes of Family Guy, and Dieter’s Stewie impression made you laugh so hard you nearly spewed root beer out of your nose.

It was perfect.

After the pizza had been demolished, things took a turn. It had started innocent enough, the pair of you cuddled up on the couch, your head tucked under Dieter’s chin, his arm wrapped securely around your waist. Something else came on tv, but you were barely paying attention at that point, Dieter having tipped your chin in his direction, hungry kisses that tasted vaguely of pizza pressed to your mouth.

One thing led to another, and before you knew it, you were sprawled on the chaise end of the sofa, stripped of all your clothes. He’d started with your knees hooked over his shoulders, face buried between your legs. He’d pumped you full of three fingers, lips sealed around your clit, mumbling into you the whole while.

“Pussy tastes so fucking good, baby,” he rasped, curling his knuckles, making you keen. “God, you’re so good for me, aren’t you? Taste like a fucking dream.”

You’d cum so hard you saw stars the first time, your head thrown back on the couch, hands buried in his wayward curls. He’d worked you through it, lapping around where his fingers were splitting you open, pulling them out only to replace them with his tongue.

Dieter growled when you yanked at his shoulders, clawing at his t-shirt until he scrambled up the couch, shoving his lounge shorts down over his ass, pulling the hem of his shirt up and over his head. He dropped onto his elbows a second later, covering your mouth with his as he slid into you, both of you stark naked, thrusting so hard the couch slid across the hardwood. You were lost in it, chasing Dieter’s mouth, arms hooked around his shoulders, keeping him close to you.

And then—

“I wanna throw a party.”

He starts laughing, clearly realizing that he said the words out loud, but his pace doesn’t falter. He grins broadly, leaning up on his knees slightly, letting his hands skim along your shoulders and down over his chest, squeezing at your breasts, thumbs swiping your nipples.

“A party, baby,” he continues, glassy eyes raking down your body, trained on the spot where you’re joined together. “New Year’s, yeah? Wanna celebrate this.” He punctuates the word with the drop of his thumb, a slow drag over your clit. 

You make a choked sound, back arching slightly. “My pussy?”

The corner of his mouth quirks. “Something this good should be celebrated,” he says, swiping at your clit again. “God, you feel amazing, you know that? Fuck, I love you.”

“Dieter.”

“The New Year, baby,” he says, eyes flicking back up to yours. “Your friends, my friends, the people we actually give a shit about. Let’s celebrate it. This. Us.” He runs his other hand up your side, curls his fingers around your ribs, rubs a harder circle around your nerves. “Get all dressed up, drink champagne, the whole thing.”

You laugh despite it all, sliding your hand up his arm, squeezing at his bicep. “I’m used to New Years in my sweatpants.”

“Wear whatever you want, baby girl,” he purrs, leaning down and nipping at your lips. “I’m just gonna peel it off you at midnight anyway.”

+

You think he’ll forget, that you’ll wake up the next morning and his sudden desperate need to throw a party would have subsided, but you instead wake up to an empty bed. At eleven in the morning. Supremely uncharacteristic of Dieter, who usually lays in bed until the last possible moment, trying to keep you hostage every single morning.

Snagging one of his t-shirts off the bed, you pad out of the bedroom to find him perched at one of the barstools. He’s got his laptop open in front of him, a giant mug of coffee in his hand, and his phone pressed to his ear. “Yeah, hi, do you guys do those little fuckin’ pigs-in-a-blanket things?”

You just burst out laughing.

Two days later, and the condo is full of friendly faces. It’s by far your favourite party you’ve been to with Dieter, made all the more special that you’re throwing it together, in the home you both live in. You make the rounds, play hostess, resist the urge to go hide in the bathroom. You love the holidays, really, but the constant stream of people, the small talk and the drinking and the late nights, it’s weighing on you.

But when you saw the spark in Dieter’s eye as he called caterers and made drink menus and decided on a guest list, you couldn’t say no.

You still haven’t had time to unpack, and all of your boxes are shoved in the guest room, but even that doesn’t stop it from feeling crowded and overwhelming. You’re stopped by a few friends, remnants of your old life mixing with your new one, and you’re grateful, having a quick conversation before someone else is calling your name, pulling you away.

It’s quarter to midnight when you know you need a moment, and you excuse yourself from the people you’d been talking to and head straight for the bedroom. Your dress feels too tight, the necklace you’d worn with it making you want to claw your head off. Heaving a breath, you toss it onto the chest of drawers, reaching for the zipper on your dress as you head into the closet.

Toeing off your shoes, you reach for one Dieter’s t-shirts, the fluffy jacket you’d thrifted for him, a pair of leggings. You’re halfway into the leggings when you glance over and see the Mandalorian armour he’d worn on Halloween. It’s piled on the floor, the jumpsuit wrinkled and pieces of metal scattered. 

The helmet is now sitting beside his Oscar in the living room; your idea.

You already know the closet is going to be a project, a complete reorganization if you are gonna fit anything besides your underwear in with Dieter’s things (something you doubt he would mind). Pulling the leggings on all the way, you reach for the armour, gathering the pieces of metal first, stacking them on the shelves beside a pair of custom Crocs you know you’ve seen Dieter wearing around the apartment. 

The jumpsuit is next, and as you pull the fabric up off the floor, something tumbles out of it. Your eyes track it as it falls to the carpet. A little black box, perfectly square and shiny on top. You cock your head, putting the jump suit to the side as you sink down and reach for it. It must be a watch or something, but you realize as your fingers close around the box that it’s too small to be a watch, that it’s the perfect size for—

“Holy shit.”

Your breath stalls in your throat and for a moment, you pause. 

Should you open it? There’s a chance that it’s not at all what you think it is, but there’s also a chance that it is one thousand fucking percent exactly what you think it is.

What if he has a plan? Wait…then why was it in the Mando suit? Was he planning to ask at Halloween, before everything went down the way that it did? When had he bought the damn thing?

Your mind is a flurry of questions, a tiny voice screaming at you to just open the damn box! until you hear Dieter’s voice, snapping you out of your reverie so hard you have to shake your head.

“Baby? What are you doing back here?”

You nearly drop the box, shrieking as he steps into the closet before you have a chance to drop the box, hide it, put it back in the jumpsuit, anything. “Fuck, D, you scared me!”

He stares at you a long moment, eyes jumping between your face and the box over and over and over again. “Whatcha got there?”

You’re caught red-handed; there’s no getting out of this one. “I was putting your Mando costume away.”

Dieter chuckles, takes a half-step towards you, the closet door swinging shut behind him. “I can see that.”

“I was just putting it away,” you say again, and he takes another step towards you, until he’s close enough to put a hand on your hip, “and this fell out.”

“Oh, it fell,” he repeats, and his free hand moves to cup yours, the box held aloft in your palm. “It’s been there for a while now.”

“Did you forget you had it?” you ask, and there’s a crack in your voice you’re not expecting, a new sort of desperation crawling up the back of your throat. Is this actually fucking happening?

Slowly, Dieter shakes his head. You bottom lip trembles as he leans in and kisses you softly, squeezing his fingers around yours, around the box. “Not for a second.”

Realization sweeps through you, and you wince. “Oh god, you were gonna propose at midnight, weren’t you?” When he doesn’t answer, you take it as a yes, groaning. “Oh fuck, I fucked it all up, didn’t I? Fuck, Dieter, I’m sorry, baby, I’m—”

He kisses you again, cutting off your words as he pulls you against him. He plucks the box from your hands, snapping it open, and all your breath shoots from your lungs in a gush, knees nearly giving out underneath you. It’s beautiful, salt-and-pepper diamond winking back at you. Rose gold, flanked by two tinier diamonds on either side, an interesting octagonal cut that catches the light from every direction.

“Oh my god.”

“After the Halloween party,” he says, his voice dropping low, “I was gonna get McDonald’s on the way home. I was gonna get you a strawberry milkshake and put the ring on the straw, and then I was gonna write my question on a napkin and give it to you.” He gives a little chuckle, and his hand is at the small of your back now, holding you close. “Obviously, that didn’t work out how I planned it.”

There are tears in your eyes, thick and crawling up the back of your throat. Happy tears, the happiest you think you’ve ever felt. “No, it didn’t,” is all you can manage to mumble out.

“Then, I was gonna do it that day when you gave back the keys to your apartment, but you were so sad, and it didn’t feel like the right time. And then you agreed to this stupid fucking party, even though I knew you didn’t want to, and I thought now, but this—” He plucks the ring out of the box, reaches for your left hand. “—this is better.”

Vaguely, you can hear the sounds of the party, people yelling that the ball is about to drop, that it’s almost midnight, that the New Year is almost here.

Dieter smiles, and it’s a smile that’s now familiar to you. It’s love and it’s light and the man is beaming. “You know you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, baby. And I know we’re not easy, or conventional, and maybe people are gonna say this is way too fucking fast, I don’t know. But I know that I love you, and I wanna have a life with you.”

People are counting down now, shouting the numbers as they tick by. Your heartbeat is in your ears, thumping loudly with every second that passes.

10…9…8…7…

“Y’know, I’m supposed to get down on one knee for this,” Dieter murmurs, but you’ve got a death grip on his shoulder, refusing to let him move.

6…5…4…

“Ask me.”

He grins.

“Will you marry me, baby?”

3…2…1…

“Yes.”

Happy New Year!

Dimly, you hear the celebrations in your living room, the whooping and cheering of your friends. Your heartbeat is still thundering, and your hand is shaking as he slides the ring onto your finger.

A perfect fucking fit.

As soon as it hits your knuckle, your arms are around his neck, mouth seeking his, knotting your fingers in his hair. You can feel his smile, a broad grin against your lips as he crushes you to his chest. It’s tight enough to lift you off your feet, your legs automatically lifting around his hips as you kiss him.

His tongue tastes like champagne, and you’re drunk off the feeling of him, the taste of him, the new foreign weight of the ring on your finger. Holy fucking shit. The kiss is just as sweet as it always is, but there’s something about it that feels different now, something more intense, new territory for the two of you to suss out together.

Dieter carries you out of the closet, and it’s only then that you realize you’re only half-dressed, in the leggings you’d thrown on and your bra. He’s got one arm around your waist, other hand pressed between your shoulders, and your lips don’t break as he walks towards the bed and lays you out on the mattress.

“Happy New Year, baby,” he says against your lips, still smiling, and so are you. You’re on Cloud 9, champagne high, over the moon, walking on air, every fucking cliché you’ve ever heard in your life.

You clasp your hands behind his neck, fingers automatically seeking out the ring on your left hand, rubbing you thumb over the diamond. “Happy New Year, Dieter.”

He gives you one last lingering kiss, your whole body tingling with it before he pulls away.

“You wanna go tell your friends?”

You shake your head no. “Not yet. I want us to celebrate it first.”

He nods, an understanding look in his eye. “Wait here,” he whispers, grabbing your left hand, bringing your knuckles to his lips, kissing your ring. “I’m gonna go kick all these fucking people out, and then I’m gonna make love to my fiancée, you hear me?”

“I hear you.”

That beaming smile is back, and it sends a flurry of butterflies through your stomach. “I love you, baby.”

“I love you.”

As soon as the door clicks shut, you can’t hold back anymore. It’s that little girl moment, the kicking feet and the squealing and blushing so hard you think your cheeks are on fire. You can’t stop staring at your ring, and you just hope Dieter moves fast out.

—————

if you’re curious what the ring actually looks like, my inspo is HERE.

[stevetonyweekly]

SteveTony Weekly - December 23

This week’s list is a day early -- if you didn’t see the holiday posting schedule, we’re gonna have two lists this weekend and next: 

Regular Weekly List - Dec 23 

Holiday Special ft Long Fic - Dec 24 

Regular Weekly List - Dec 30 

Best Fic of 2023 - Dec 31 

Lots of recs to get you through the holiday season--enjoy!! And be sure to leave a comment/kudos for your author. 

~ 

In Trouble Deep by FestiveFerret, SirSapling

"Whoever did this has a reason, and Stark needs to be with someone who can protect him. He won’t exactly be able to protect himself like this.” Fury looked at the baby consideringly. “No, it’s you, Steve. Besides, he likes you. Suck it up, soldier, you’re stuck with him.”

remember to remember me by xWinterDreamsx 

“Look at me. Look at me.”

Tony looked. He looked and he felt, for a moment, that this can’t have been the first time he got lost in those blue eyes. It felt familiar, in a way he didn’t understand.

Snowed In by ashes0909

“Are you flirting with me, Tony? Because this feels a lot like arguing and we argue a lot. Have we been flirting this whole time?”

Hot Chocolate by ashes0909

The hot chocolate that currently warmed Tony's hands still reminded him of Steve, because these days everything did. 

Insulation Inspiration by ashes0909

“It’s rare to get a blizzard this bad but I remember…” Steve chuckled again, shifting so he could brush a kiss on the top Tony’s head, but he didn’t continue.

So, Tony prodded. “Yes…? Vague memory alert. You know I’m all about instant gratification. Don’t leave me hanging. What do you remember?”

Blanketed in Snow by ashes0909 for betheflame

“I know you’ll say this isn’t the best time for me to point it out, but I mentioned needing a survival bag in this car last month,” Steve greeted.

“And yet…” Tony quirked up a half smile. “Pointing.”

Unwrapped by ashes0909

Steve waited by the tree like a present wrapped in red satin and rosy cheeks.

Steve still can’t believe how long it took for him to notice. It wasn’t a secret really, just something that no one had cared to ask...it honestly took Rhodey pulling him aside and pulling out an old photo album, before Steve really understood.

Tony Stark was a Bucky Barnes fan.

(aka The one where Tony is the biggest Bucky Barnes fanboy, Steve is a supportive boyfriend, and Bucky is perplexed by it all.)

"Free to Good Home" by Captain_Panda

"Oliver and Company" AU.

There's a great big world outside the box.

the world spins madly on by goodmorningbeloved (3799steps)

This isn’t about the beginning.

This is about the bullet that slices through Steve Rogers’s heart, neat and clean, and leaves him for dead in the dust. This is about the gun that suddenly feels cold, colder, in Tony’s hand as he lunges to his feet and lurches forward, screaming and screaming.

_

Or, Steve and Tony meet again in the afterlife.

a properly scholarly attitude by goodmorningbeloved (3799steps)

“You’re.” Steve takes one look at him and stops after this one word—or two, technically, he’ll fight Tony to the death on that debate—because his boyfriend’s behind a pile of books with a pair of thick frames drooping low over the bridge of his nose, just at the right angle to emphasize his thick lashes and— and— Tony has glasses?

From the Ground Up by ohjustpeachy

Tony and Steve broke up years ago and Tony never quite got over it. When they finally see each other again at Pepper's wedding, Rhodey convinces Tony this might just be his second chance.

the sun rises back home by goodmorningbeloved (3799steps)

“Now, how’d a big guy like you get all the way in here, huh?” Tony doesn’t have to bend down too far to run his finger through soft golden fur. It’s not that the tower is built to actively keep out strays - Tony knows Bruce and Natasha take turns nursing stray cats that come around - but dogs this size don’t usually manage to squeeze past the back gates, especially one that looks bigger than the standard golden retriever.

You Could Stay by tinystark616

Steve doesn't expect Tony to go on a mission with him now that he has a daughter to take care of. Tony doesn't expect Steve to take care of him after they save the world. They're both wrong.

Or,

Two moments where Steve and Tony choose to stay together, during and post the events of Avengers: Endgame.

The Ghost of Christmas Present by ashes0909

Steve was hoping he could get through the holiday season by staying alone in his apartment and not talking to anyone. But then Tony Stark happened.

Jingle All the Way by ashes0909

The helmet lowered and Tony smirked. “You mentioned they seemed festive.”

Reasons Why We Ended It by ashes0909 for ohjustpeachy

This was the fifth time he’d seen Tony since they broke up, and it was easier every time...but that was hard, in and of itself.

Premier by JehBeeEh

“One hour and we can go home,” Tony reminded him when his lips left Steve’s brow and moved to the tip of his nose. “Happy will go straight from here to the back entrance where our SUV is waiting.” He finally joined their lips and Steve sigh into the kiss.

“One hour,” Steve repeated quietly as he felt the truck inch forward to its position at the start of the red carpet.

"death by coffee" and other search queries by goodmorningbeloved (3799steps)

In which Steve's feelings are hopelessly obvious through his Google searches. JARVIS decides to step in.

[moondustpugh]

Written in the Stars

Joseph Quinn x Fem!Reader

Summary: You are a believer in fate but after getting your heart broken, you had stopped believing it. Until you met Joe. Suddenly, it got you questioning if fate is real or not.

Author's Note: I truly enjoyed going back and re-editing this story and re-publishing it. As per requested by everyone, I will be re-publishing Permanent December. It's my very first Joe fic series, so it's very special to me. Anyway, thank you for the support with this series! :)

Wordcount: 2.2K

part one - part two - part three - part four - part five - part six - part seven - part eight - part nine - part ten - epilogue

London, United Kingdom.

“Sofia? That’s the same name as Sofia!” 

Sara chuckled softly, pulling her ten year old daughter closed to her side. She brushed her brunette hair softly as Sofia said, “It is me.”

Sara chuckled again as she heard that small gasp, making Sofia giggle quietly too. 

“But what happened to the Prince and the Princess?” 

“Rosie, don’t be dumb. Isn’t it obvious? The story is about mum and dad.” 

Rosie pouted at her older brother as her warm brown eyes turned into puppy dog ones before burying her face on Joe’s chest. She sobbed quietly as Joe cooed her and pulled her close in his arms and brushed her brown curly hair. 

“Francis, what did I tell you about being mean to your little sister, and we don’t call anyone that word.” You told your six your old son, who was sitting next to you.

Francis hung his head low, his curls falling down his forehead as he let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, Rosie.” 

The fireplace warmed the living room that all of you were sitting in. Snow was falling outside as Christmas approached the city of London in just a few days. The kids had been wanting to hear a story before bed and all night long, your four year old daughter had been repeatedly asking you to tell her a nice love story about a Prince and a Princess. Wes and Sara had dropped Sofia off at your house for the weekend since they wanted to go on a nice weekend getaway alone. You honestly didn’t mind since Sofia was such a sweetheart and very mature for her age. She loved to help you bake in the kitchen with Rosie, while Joe would watch television with Francis or play video games in the living room. 

“It’s okay.” Rosie pouted as Joe smiled down at his daughter, who was sitting on his lap. 

Rosie was a Daddy’s girl. Always had been since she was born. You always wondered why she was so attached to Joe even when she was just a few months old. As she grew older, you could see why. She looked like her father with those brunette curly hair and big chocolate button eyes, and she was starting to be like him too. Everywhere Joe went, she would instantly follow him, ask him questions about his job and how she could also be in the movies. When she was around two, she had given you the hardest time every time Joe had to fly to the States to do some interview or shoot a movie. Rosie would always stay by the window and wait for Joe. She would ask you a million times every day when Joe would come home. 

“Sweetheart, he’s gonna be here by Friday.” You would tell her. “In the meantime, why don’t you help mum bake some cookies, yeah?”

That was how you and Rosie had gotten closer. Through baking. She certainly still chose to hang out with Joe most of the time and even go with him on movie sets, so she could see how his movies were made. But you were glad that you had found something that you and your daughter could do together. Francis, on the other hand, was always next to you. He was always interested in what you do at work, asks you questions about how to make friends at school because he was a shy kid and sometimes, he would even ask if he could just stay home instead. You worry about Francis sometimes because he always had a hard time making friends at school. So, you always tried to understand him, but you also wanted your two children to get along since Francis always loved to tease Rosie. 

“Mum, what happened next?” Rosie asked again, her eyes then turned to gazed up at Joe.

Joe cleared his throat and said, “Well, one year later, they got married and then after that, they moved to London with your Uncle Wes, Aunt Sara and Sofia.” 

“Your mum was pregnant at that time with Francis.” Sara added. “She had the hardest time in the hospital.”

Francis gazed up at you and asked, “How come?”

“You just wouldn’t get out.” You chuckled, poking the tip of his nose lightly. 

“She was in the hospital for 18 hours.” Joe continued. 

“And you, my darling…” Joe tickled Rosie on her side, making her giggle and held onto Joe’s hand. “You were just too excited to get out that you were two days early.” 

Rosie clenched her small fist into Joe’s shirt as she tried to stand up on his lap. Rosie wrapped her tiny arms around Joe and hugged him tightly, making Joe smile and held her in his arms and softly rubbed her back. 

“Such a Daddy’s girl.” Wes commented, making everyone chuckle softly. 

“I love mum too.” Rosie pouted, laying her head on Joe’s shoulder as she yawned.

“I think it’s time for bedtime.” Sara got up from the sofa. 

“Yeah, I’ll put her to bed.” Joe got up from where he was sitting and went down the hall to set Rosie down for sleep. 

Joe set Rosie on her bed gently and pulled the covers over her, tucking her in as Rosie gave him a sweet smile and said, “One day, I want to have my soulmate.”

Joe laughed softly, kissing her forehead. “Not until when you’re 40.”

Rosie pouted at Joe’s little tease. “Goodnight, sweetheart. I love you.”

“Goodnight. I love you too, Dad.” Rosie smiled, closing her eyes and hugging her little stuffed teddy bear that was next to her. 

Joe stared at his daughter for a moment, brushing her hair softly. Tonight, looking back at his journey with you, he couldn’t help but think about something he read the other day in Sara’s bookshop. Sometimes, he still couldn’t wrap his mind that he has this family. That he has his beautiful family with you. It made all the wait and the complicated situations before seemed all worth it. 

“Dad?” Francis appeared at the doorway in his pajamas. 

Joe looked over his shoulder and got up from where he was kneeling. “Hey.”

“Mum said it’s bedtime.” Francis reached for his hand. “D… Do you think you could tuck me in?”

“I thought you said you were getting too old for that?” Joe raised his brow. 

Francis shrugged his shoulders and looked down at his feet. “Maybe… not.”

A small smile slowly tugged on Joe’s face as he picked up his son. Francis laid his head on Joe’s shoulder and said, “Dad?”

“Yeah?” Joe set Francis down on his bed and tucked him in. 

“Do you think… Will I ever make friends?” 

Joe looked down at his son. You and Joe had talked about this, and Joe knew how worried you were that Francis felt lonely at school. Joe could see it in Francis’ eyes too that he felt lonely and insecure over the fact that he was the only one who was always left out in school, especially during team activities because no one would pick him to join the group.

“Of course.” Joe reassured him. “You’re a wonderful person, and I know someone will see that. You know I was the same way before? Then, I met your Uncle Wes and ever since then, we were inseparable. Just like your mum and your Aunt Sara.” 

Francis’ expression suddenly lightened as he gave Joe a small smile. “Thanks Dad. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Joe leaned down to kiss Francis’ forehead before making his way to the door. “Oh, and if they don’t want to play with you, you always have me.” 

Francis smiled at his father before closing his eyes and went to sleep. Joe quietly closed the door behind him and made his way back to the living room, finding you and Sara talking to each other. 

“That sounds heavenly.” Joe heard you murmur to Sara. “I’m sure you two will have so much fun.” 

“Yeah, I think we kinda need it, you know?” Sara grinned. 

“Maybe you two will have too much fun.” You nudged Sara, teasing her as she felt her cheeks heat up. 

“Please.” Sara laughed softly. “Maybe.”

You gasped softly, surprised that she actually agreed. Your eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah, I think it’s time.”

You let out a small squeal as you pulled her into a hug. “Then, definitely have so much fun.”

Sara laughed and turned to where Sofia was sitting on the sofa. “My sweet, come here.”

Sofia put her book down and walked over to where you and Sara were. You watched as Sara kneeled down in front of her and smiled. 

“We’ll be back in two days. Be good to your Aunt and Uncle, okay?” 

“Of course, mum. I love you.” Sofia smiled, giving her a hug. “I’ll miss you and dad.” 

Sara smiled, hugging her daughter. “We’ll miss you too.” 

“Okay, I think we have to go, darling.” Wes chimed in as he knelt down in front of Sofia also and pulled her into a hug. “I love you, darling.”

“I love you too, Dad.” Sofia smiled, giving both of her parents kisses on the cheek. 

“C’mon. I’ll put you to bed.”  You reached for Sofia’s hand. 

“It’s okay, Auntie. I can do it myself.” 

You raised your brows at Sara as she looked at her daughter proudly. You couldn’t help but chuckle and nodded your head. Sofia truly was so mature for her age, and Sara and Wes did raise her very well. You felt Joe’s hand on the small of your back as you both walked Sara and Wes out the door. 

“Well, you two have so much fun.” You gave them both a hug. 

“Thank you.” Wes smiled. “And thank you for taking care of Sofia.”

“Of course. She is so precious, and the kids love her when she’s around.” You said.

“Okay, well, we gotta go.” Sara and Wes gave the both of you one last hug before making their way to their car. 

You took a deep breath and closed the door behind you. You raised your brow at Joe when you saw him looking at you with his adoring eyes. 

“Come here.” Joe reached for your hand. 

“Why?” You laughed, sliding your hand in his. 

“Just come on.” Joe nodded his head towards the direction of the kitchen. 

You watched as he stopped in the middle of the kitchen and left you there as he walked over to the speaker and played a slow song for the both of you in a low volume.  

“Can I have this dance, miss?” Joe bowed his head at you with one hand reaching for yours. 

You laughed, shaking your head as you took his hand. You gazed up at him with a smile on your face, your eyes locking with his chocolate button ones. 

“That story was romantic, wasn't it?” Joe asked you the same question he had asked you back in New York when you heard Mr. Cheng’s story but this time, he was referring to your story with him.

You hummed softly and said, “It really was.” 

“You know I remembered something earlier. Something I read at the bookshop.” Joe murmured. 

“Yeah?”

“Did you know in Korea, there’s this thing called “In-Yun,” which means fate.”

“Oh god, Joe.” You laughed softly, shaking your head as the both of you continued to dance. 

“No, hear me out.” Joe chuckled. “They said that In-Yun is fated paths that entwine two people together throughout their past and future lives and they said even just a brush of a shoulder with a stranger, they said that it must mean they mean something to each other in their past lives. Then, they said that if you had married your soulmate, it’s said to be the result of 80,000 layers of In-Yun in over 80,000 lifetimes.”

You grinned, shaking your head. It had been so long since you and Joe talked about the whole “fate” thing. It also had been a while since you thought about it. You were just surprised that Joe still thought about it until now, especially that you were the one who loved to believe in those things before. 

“So, do you think we have 80,000 layers of In-Yun because we’re married?” You asked.

“I told you once that every path I tried to go to away from you, it always leads to you no matter what.” Joe murmured, the expression on his face turned into something serious. “Whether that’s in our past lives or in the future lives, I know no matter what the situation was, my heart will always lead back to you.” 

You smiled, stopping on your feet for a moment and leaned in to kiss him softly. “80,000 lifetimes.” You grinned. “That’s a lot.”

“Yeah.” Joe grinned. 

“I believe it too.” You replied. “I always have.”

“I love you so much.” Joe whispered.

“I love you too.” 

You grinned as he leaned down to kiss you deeply. You smiled through the kiss as he pulled you close to him, wrapping your arms around his neck. Whether that was an invisible red string that connected you and Joe together or because you two have 80,000 layers of In-Yun in over 80,000 lifetimes, you knew that your path always had led back to his heart too. Pulling away from the kiss, Joe set his forehead on yours as you both continued to slow dance blissfully in the middle of your kitchen. 

“Your past and mine are parallel lines. Stars all aligned and they intertwined.” -Taylor Swift, All of the Girls You Loved Before

The End. 

********

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