#sorry mid post i got distracted

[erroticmania]

i have been nonsharing smtk for years except for my bestie who we see him as two completely different genders and it is so funny when we talk about him. different guy.

we should probably kill him and experiment on him. dont know.

anyways to me he's transgender of course . and biflexual cuz he is attracted to men women and the bag . i also see him as tatted and pierced because I AM CRAZY. I AM INSANE. hes also yakuza so it comes with the territory. i wish kr would stop being a pussy and show us his UNCLOTHED BACK i have designed a tattoo already (i am insane) but i wanna see wat they got cooking . anyways yeahs hes transgender & i thikn if he was exposed to xenogenders circa 2020 he'd be like. skullgender or something.

[ja3honey]

♡ 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐏𝐭.𝟒 | 𝐊.𝐇𝐉 ♡

【Synopsis】 : Hongjoong needed to show you how much he liked you. But he couldn't help but wonder how long he could dance around the fact you were his best friend's sweet, innocent daughter.

『Word count』 : 2.35k

-> Genre: Fluff. Romance. DBF.

Pairing: Dilf!Hongjoong x Park!Reader

[Warnings] : Making out. Nightmares. Slight unspoken trauma. Wet dreams. Flirtish texting. Flirting. Romance some spicy thoughts. mention of sex. mentions of fooling around. lots of staring and pinning. Hongjoong IS the standard. Fluffy, so very fluffy. Insecure thoughts. Reader fell first, but Hongjoong fell harder. Whoops.

Note: Sorry I didn't post last night, I wanted this to be longer, so i had to scrap and start again. But it's done now, hehe. Also, special tags to @mingis-prince @likexaxdaydream @itza-meee @dinossaurz @nopension @mysteriousrainsworld @therealcuppicake for interacting and loving this little series. ♡♡

Masterlist | Navigation | Part Three | Buy Me A Ko-Fi

Turning the key in the lock of your door, you sigh finally entering your quiet home. Chucking your duffle bag through the door and down the hall, you manage to kick off your shoes and lug the rest of your bags inside. You were sweaty, tired, and plan out annoyed right now. Sexual frustration was not something you needed but here you are. Once the ordeal in the car was over, Hongjoong helped you out of the car, tucking himself back into his pants before exiting the vehicle himself. he bid you goodbye saying he’d see you soon. How soon you didn’t know, but you were fearing to ask, becoming too busy with feeling his lips on yours as he pushed you up against the door of the car. You had hooked up a leg around his waist, moaning for more while his lips explored your jaw and neck.

‘Go home and get some rest angel.’ His words still rang in your head as you showered and hopped into bed. It was just past mid-day but you were so tired, you just closed your curtains and slipped straight under the covers. It didn’t take long for you to pass out, drifting off quickly into a dreamy land where all you could think about was Hongjoong taking you, tasting you. Loving you….

-

You had woken up in shock, your nerves feeling shot and hot. It was like all your senses heightened. You hadn’t realized you were having a nightmare until you managed to jump yourself awake. You raked your fingers through your hair feeling the sweat on your brow. This is odd, you thought. You weren't someone to have nightmares, then again you don’t think you’ve ever had nightmares. It wasn’t something your brain did, yet here you were, shaking, reeling over the images your cruel mind had painted. Hongjoong didn’t want you, he was just using you. He just wants to fuck you and leave. He wasn’t going to be with you after taking your virginity.

You felt so stupid. Of course, an older man with years of experience wouldn’t want you as a partner. He just wants some fun, a distraction from his life. You didn’t know how long you cried for but when you finally left your room you noticed the clock on your dining room wall read it was almost ten-thirty. You rubbed your swollen eyes, grabbing your phone off the kitchen counter. You yawned checking your notifications seeing your father asking if you made it back already then complaining you had fallen asleep without calling him. But what caught your eye were messages from an unknown number, the unknown you quickly found out to be Hongjoong.

‘Hey, I got your number from your father. Sorry if that’s weird’ - sent at 8:35 pm

‘I had a really fun time with you’ - sent at 8:36 pm

‘Would it be too forward to ask if you want to go out tonight? I can’t stop thinking about you’ - sent at 8:45 pm

‘Angel did you fall asleep?’ - sent at 9:48 pm

You felt your cheeks hurting at the last one, smiling brightly. It almost made you forget about the anxiousness you were feeling moments ago. You sat down on your couch, staring at the text bubble. You didn’t know how to respond. He wanted to go out? But where? Was he referencing a club? Or a fancy restaurant. Maybe he just wanted to catch a movie… do people his age go to see movies?! you cringed thinking just how childish you could be. Did he think of you as childish? Young? God, you were overthinking again. 

“Okay!” you huffed out, shaking the thought, while sitting straight up. You held your phone with two hands, tapping your thumbs on the screen, sending your thoughts before your mind you take it back…

‘You wanna go out? Where?’ - sent at 10:35 pm

‘No hello? I thought better of you princess.’ - sent at 10:35 pm

you blushed, locking your phone for a moment, and staring at the ceiling. You could practically hear him call you princess. The was his whispers so lowly in your ear while his fingers would be so deep in yours—a ding from your phone shattered your thoughts, looking at the bright screen you read a new message he sent.

‘I wanted to take you out to dinner. But honestly, I’d do anything as long as I get to be around you’ - sent at 10:37 pm

Your heart was jumping, thumping so deeply in your chest that you felt like it was about to burst right out. As long as I get to be around you.. that was the smoothest thing you’ve ever read in your life. He was so charming, a gentleman and you kind of forget that from all the interactions of him spilling filth in your ears. You tried to message back as casually as you could;

‘Dinner sounds fun. But won't everything be closed by now? We don’t have reservations.’ - sent at 10:40 pm

‘Don’t worry about that. Just dress nice and meet me out the front of your apartment building.’ - sent at 10:41 pm

You shut off your phone, practically jumping to your feet. Your nightmare was long gone as you picked out something to wear, deciding on a long pink sundress with little strawberries and a white corset belt to make it look a bit more classy. You found a matching colour shall, finishing your outfit with some white docks with frilly pink socks. You chose to pick them cause, let's face it, you couldn’t wear heels. You’d end up looking like a fawn just learning how to walk and break an ankle or your foot. 

Once you were finally finished you grabbed your phone, seeing it was about ten minutes since Hongjoong sent his message. You couldn’t wait another moment, locking up the doors as best as you could, running down the stairs since the elevator was down—yet again—getting to the exit in no time. You looked out onto the street, feeling the air nip the tip of your nose and eyes slightly water at the change of temperature. “God Doll, you look like you’ve run a marathon.”

“Haaaa.” You pant out closing your eyes. You could hear the older man chuckling at your antics. The way your hair was slightly frizzy. How your chest takes a large batted breath and your corset sits slightly askew. Your face was flushed and red, and his mind went south a tad. He shook it away for a moment, walking up to you. You finally opened your eyes, seeing the broad man was almost flushed against you. He had basic dusty almost black jeans on, one of those old man belts. The dark brown ones that have been worn for years, and no one knows where to get one other than fathers or elderly men. He was wearing a different black shirt. A looser one. It made him seem more relaxed and more… comfortable.

-

His car was nothing other than lavish and chic. You’ve never sat in such an expensive car. It felt like sitting in pure diamonds. The leather was soft, and the velvet on the chair detail was magnificent. The radio wasn’t playing, unlike the way you used it as a way to kill the silence in your car. But rather off, letting you and Hongjoong sit in a comfortable silence. His hand never left your leg as soon as you took off. Him driving is one thing, but him driving one-handed. You felt like you were about to melt onto the chair, and by the thin fabric you were wearing, you’re praying you didn’t.

“So are you taking me?” your voice came out a lot shaker than you would have liked but you tried to brush it off nonetheless.

“Somewhere special.” He cooed softly, lovingly squeezing your thigh.

“Special? We don’t need to go somewhere expensive and extravagant, you know.” You laughed. You didn’t need him to spend money on you, cause you knew if given the chance he would. He was just that type of person. He had bought your father over five hundred dollars worth of Lego one time because he wanted to. You still remember the look on your father's face, as if he was about to have a heart attack with how many boxes were stacked in his home office. 

“I want our first date to be lavish. I want to treat you like royalty. Is that too much to ask?” He grunts, briefly smiling in your direction before looking back to the road. You gulped, feeling a wave of butterflies dance in your tummy. Your fingers began tugging at the hem of your dress, feeling a red blush creep on your cheeks.

“Our f-first date…” that’s what he had said. He thought of tonight as a date. Not just hang out time with two friends. The car came to a stop, not noticing you were standing outside valet parking. He unclipped his belt, turning his attention to you with a cheeky smirk on his beautiful features.

“Of course, this is our first date, and I wanna treat my girl to an unforgettable night.” his words made you suck in a sharp breath, not even hiding the way his words affected you. His girl. His. Your heart was doing flips right now. You looked away from him for a moment, hoping it would help calm the racing thump in your chest. But your eyes caught onto the dimly lit restaurant. It was like no one was even here.

“It looks closed. Are you sure we can even get in now?” You had no clue what the time would be. But given you left your place around eleven and you’ve been in the car for about twenty minutes. You knew it was already much too late for anything to be opened. He just clicked his tongue, hopping out of the car, circling the bonnet and stepping in front of your door, opening it for you. 

“Like I said. Don’t worry about it.” he let out a hand for you to take, which you grabbed happily, letting you out of the car. He pulled you snugly against his body, using his free hand to pat down your ass, moving the fabric so he could fall nicely on your figure, he was so attentive, and observant. It made your heart so full of how caring he is. You walked to the front door, your arm snaked tightly with you. Your hand resting snugly on his bicep, you could feel the way his muscle tenses under your fingertip. You had to shake any unholy thoughts that were crossing your mind as you entered the empty restaurant.

There was a row of candles, leading into the building. You turned to Hongjoong seeing his smile had grown brighter, leaning down to kiss your forehead. “Well go on.” He let you go, letting you walk slowly down the aisle of lit red and black candles. All the tables were empty and unmade, chairs missing and most likely packed away but in the centre of the room was one table with a beautiful white cloth and a cute little dull lamp in the centre. There was a red curved couch hugging around the dark oak table, gifting anyone who sat down a more intimate setting. You felt tears begin to swell at the sight, no one had ever done something so romantic for you before but now that you mentioned it, your previous one and only partner probably didn’t have a single romantic bone in his body. 

“J-joongie..” You didn’t even notice the pet name as it slipped off your tongue. Hongjoong did, and god did it make his heart skip a beat. He wanted everything to be perfect for you. He wanted, needed to tell you how much he cared. Not just for the sex but for your company. He liked having you around. He loves hearing you laugh every time he says something funny. He loves the way your nose scrunches as the bubbles of the champagne tickle it. He loves the way you love food and describes all the joys and flavours and styles to cook. God, he was thankful now he didn’t give you a home-cooked meal. He would have been too afraid of your critic pallet tasting his mediocre dishes. 

His eyes would crease and smile at everything you say or do. And the outfit you wore made him fall for you even more. Your style was such an opposite to him, but yet it matched him perfectly, like two peas in a pod as his mother would say. If she was here, she would be yelling at him about ‘How have you not asked for to marry you already’. insecurities would settle in soon at that thought… You both like each other. Want to be with each other. And yet. You were his best friend's daughter. You were half his age younger. God, he wished he had met you on the street randomly. Maybe then the relationship would have been easier. Your father would most likely hate him. Heck, would he hate you afterwards? Seducing his older, very single, and very hot friend? 

Forbidden love…

And as the night drew on, you would shimmy closer and closer in the rounded couch until you were flushed next to him. He would talk about his work and his plans in life. And you were speaking about your own ambitions. And, of course, they had to match. Everything was so perfect. Right down to the movies you both liked and the music you both listened to. You were equals in every way.

The question that circled both your minds now was… how long could you keep this a secret?

[milla984]

With Neighbors Like These

Summary: Jack goes away for the weekend and Aaron and Reader can finally have some alone time (inspired by this concept)

Pairing: post season 12 Aaron Hotchner x fem!reader

Category: smut (NSFW, 18+, MDNI)

TW/CW: kissing, mutual masturbation, moderate dirty talk, penetrative sex, protected sex, established relationship, unspecified age gap, Hotch dealing with parenting issues, Jack is mentioned but not present

Word Count: 2k

The house was unusually quiet as you walked in, leaving your shoes at the entrance to proceed barefoot towards the small office Aaron had arranged for himself with a few retouches to the spare room in the back.

Despite having a key in case of emergencies and whatnot, like a very good neighbor, it was a common decision you’d only use it on specific occasions and mostly when Jack wasn’t around. A single soccer cleat lay abandoned in a corner in the living room; were it to happen on a regular day you knew the mere sight of it would have sparked a fierce argument, but this morning was different. 

The evening before a very concerned father had driven his fourteen-year-old son to the arranged meeting point, camping gear in tow, and Jack was now enjoying a two nights excursion somewhere in the local woods. You had a feeling that, conversely, Aaron wasn’t getting a kick out of the child-free weekend - confirmed by his rapid typing on the keyboard when you knocked on the wooden frame of the French door to catch his attention.

He looked at you and cracked a smile, still too focused on what he was doing. “It won’t take too long. I promise.”  

You dropped your purse under his chair and hugged him from behind, the scent of his aftershave filling your nose with pure delight.

“Feeling lonely, already?” 

“Why?!” he enquired. “I didn’t have to shout five times to turn off that damn videogame, last night… and nobody guzzled down half a gallon of milk directly from the bottle, at breakfast!”

“You’re also worried, I can tell,” you added and he shrugged, defeated, then went back to focusing on the screen.

He’d been working part-time as an FBI consultant for a law firm for about a year and you had never seen him putting his job before his kid: he was an active member of the PTA and even volunteered to chaperone whenever he could (something that many moms and other dads found incredibly hot, without a doubt). If he was working on a Saturday he was a hundred percent desperate for a distraction.

Your palms brushed over his shoulders and a delicate touch soon turned into a proper massage, kneading his muscles through the polo shirt he was wearing. 

“Relax. You’re too tense,” you mumbled. He had only shared a few unpleasant details about his life as a member of the Behavioral Analysis Unit in D.C. before he and Jack moved into the neighborhood; nevertheless, it didn’t take a genius to figure out his former employment as an FBI agent had taken a huge toll on both of them.

“I’m not sure I should have signed that consent form,” he confessed. 

“His entire class is with him and his teachers all have cell phones, nothing’s going to happen. Save for a few mosquito bites,” you replied. “And don’t get me wrong... but aren’t you being just a bit overprotective?!”

“Jack told me the same thing when I said I wanted to think about it. Except, he didn’t phrase it so nicely,” Aaron grinned and shook his head while he rose to his feet. “Sorry, enough with the family issues,” he apologized, “it’s a lovely Saturday morning. Have you got any interesting plans?” 

“I have. And they don’t involve homework,” you declared, and as you pushed his laptop to the opposite side of the desk he locked an arm around your waist, his expression reverting to a serious one.

“... so you’re a bad influence.”

The intimidating attitude he could pull off with a single stare never failed to make your legs turn into jelly. 

You lowered your voice to a purr. “You don’t even kn—”

His soft lips pressed onto yours stopped you mid-sentence. The fact he had a teenage son registered in your mind only as a foggy thought and the power he’d had on you since the instant you saw him jogging around the block was almost inexplicable.

“You’re right, no more homework. How about I take you out for lunch?” he proposed and the warmth of his breath on your skin ignited a fire you weren’t at all convinced you could control. Or would.

You hugged him tight, your bodies finally making contact. “How about we take care of something else, first?”

Aaron’s attitude towards romantic relationships exuded manners and consideration, the portrait of a gentleman from a different era, so the response to your suggestion came as a surprise: he’d always shown a preference for the intimacy of his bedroom, even though his palms stroking over your breasts to make your nipples grow stiff and visible through the fabric was the perfect sign he had no intention of wasting any time to move the action upstairs. 

Your tongues lustfully met in a second kiss, prompting you to let out an excited sigh as you blindly undid and removed his belt before letting it fall on the floor with a loud clunk. You reached for his zipper and he sighed in return but gasped a second later when you gave him a light push that forced him to sit down again. 

“Show me how you do it when we’re not together.”

Aaron’s eyes widened - confusion and stupor at the beginning, then the sheer thrill of the idea lit up his gaze. And made him hard entirely.

He sank into the cushion behind his back to finish unzipping his pants and pulling them down his hips so that his swollen erection was only contained by a thin layer of underwear. 

“You’re just going to watch?” he asked, locking eyes with you. You could have sworn that look alone increased the temperature in the room by a couple of degrees. “Doesn’t seem fair.”

You reached under the flowy dress to roll your panties along your thighs, letting them crumple around your ankles; you sat on the desk and lifted the skirt up to your waist, your feet resting on Aaron’s parted knees. 

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

He swallowed nervously but didn’t miss a movement of your fingers starting to draw circles around your most sensitive spot, guided by the aching tension in your belly; your mouth watered at the sight of his cock whipping free and he noticed, so he took his time to wrap his right hand around it.

You knew how to work his length, moving up and down in slow and long strokes as foreplay, nevertheless witnessing such a handsome man masturbating for you proved to be one of the most lascivious experiences of your life.

“I always think about you when I touch myself…” you confessed, and he held on to your ankle with his free hand while you rubbed your clit. 

“Are you trying to make me lose control?”

You nodded in confirmation and he growled. 

He was now coating his shaft and palm with the leaking precum, using only his index and middle finger to collect some of the slickness and spread it over the bulging head, the exposed glans glistening in the process. That was when he usually begged you to move faster, since his delicate skin was lubricated enough and increased friction meant pleasure - not pain.

“I’m really wet for you,” you teased him, your own desire pooling at your core, but his reaction threw you off balance. 

“Stop, please… stop,” he whimpered, “this is not…”    

His ragged breath made it difficult for him to articulate his words. “I need you.”

You gestured at the purse that was still under his chair and he handed it to you; sharing the house with a teenager meant Aaron had grown accustomed to some of his clean t-shirts randomly disappearing from his drawers and wardrobe, so you both knew nothing out of the ordinary could be hidden among his personal stuff. 

He stared at you, entranced, as you retrieved the small box you’d carried with you and tore one of the foil packages open. 

“A little closer, maybe…?” you joked, and when he stood up you bit your lower lip in anticipation. He kissed you lightly on your forehead as you unrolled the latex down his hardness, then you pinched his chin and smiled at him.

“Better?!”   

He whined again. “Not exactly.”

You grabbed him by the nape of his neck, speaking softly to his ear. “Make me come. I can’t wait anymore.”

The uninhibited request seemed to have flipped a switch in him: the sound of a pencil holder spilling its content made you laugh as Aaron enthusiastically raised your legs in the air and held them to his chest, so he could start rubbing the tip of his cock up and down your folds.

It was torture but he was damn good at it.

When he managed to get himself covered in your arousal he slipped the bulbous head past your entrance. “It’s so big…” you muttered.

Truth be told he wasn’t that well-endowed and you had nothing against it, since you’d never been keen on painful sex, still you welcomed him with a loud moan once he buried himself inside of you. Even a gentleman from another era didn’t mind a bit of flattering and appreciation of his manhood. 

He wasn’t as vocal, though, but his deep groans reverberated in his throat in a manifestation of primal, untamed passion; he looked so solemn it drove you insane, his brows furrowed and tiny droplets of sweat trapped between his short hair, almost as if he was directing all of his energies into screwing your brains out.

When his thrusts grew slower but more intense you wriggled your legs free and locked them around his waist: with a last, fierce grunt he twitched several times and you closed your eyes to enjoy the moment, which was always the biggest turn-on for you.

With your eyes still closed you welcomed the pressure on your lips, a not-so-subtle invitation to take his index and middle finger in your mouth; you sucked on them alternately, happy to oblige, tasting traces of the salty precum. You clawed at his forearm when he brought the wet digits to your clit, rubbing and drawing circles just like you’d shown him before.

“Aaron… I’m…” you mewled, grabbing a fistful of his hair as you - indeed - came with his throbbing cock still inside you, lungs pleading for air and inner muscles clenching around him.

He collapsed on top of you, the additional weight making you realize how harsh the desk’s smooth surface was on your back, yet you cupped his face and stroked his flustered cheeks with your thumbs. 

“I missed you so much,” you breathed out as soon as you were able to.

He pulled out and started to fix his clothes, and before he got rid of the condom he planted the sweetest kiss on your lips. “I’m sorry about the other weekend. Jack wasn’t supposed to play, last minute change of plans—”

“Don’t be sorry, I know you love going to his games,” you said, propping up on one elbow to straighten yourself as he stood in front of you. “Besides, you wouldn’t want to disappoint your biggest fans, would you?”

He was still heaving a little and looked at you with a pensive pout. “... what?!”

“I mean, you’ve seriously never noticed…?” you locked your hands behind his neck as you tried to come up with a good imitation of the cooing voice of the soccer moms who you knew swarmed the sidelines every time he was present.

“Aaron, can you help us move the coolers? Aaron, we need to rearrange those chairs! Aaron, come here and have some cake! We made it for you ‘cause you’re such a good dad and it’s soooooo hot!”

He laughed, the vibrations in his ribcage making your breasts jiggle, then he gave you his best smile to date. “You’re jealous?!”

You shrugged, holding him closer. “No. To be honest I don’t even blame them, you are a good dad. Which is very hot, by the way.”

“Thank you,” he laughed again as he wrapped you in his arms to kiss you one more time, forcing you to close your eyes and get lost in his tender embrace. You muffled a surprised gasp when he playfully nipped at your earlobe with another heart-stopping smile. 

“But just to be clear…” he added, his voice dropping to a whisper, “it’s usually cookies, not cake!”

@hornyhornyhimbos

NB: I don't really have an Aaron Hotchner fic taglist 'cause I usually write about Spencer Reid but if you wish to be tagged in future Hotch-centric works (SFW or not, who knows?) you can either send me an ask or leave a comment below.

[theskit]

Stickers AU

Anyone linking here from the previous posts or wanting to use the links on this post to go back/forward to the other parts and not wanting to spoil the surprise stickers, after using the link, click on my blog name to go to the actual post, as direct linking takes away the readmore cut. I'll take this out and fix it if I can find out how. Sorry!

Part 6

《Prev Next》

Danny floated along as he caught his breath. Okay, so jump scaring the Red Hood *might* not have been the best plan he'd ever come up with, but man, was it funny!

It was getting kind of late, though. He should probably start making his way back to the hotel. Any more vigilante pranks would have to wait for another time. Good thing the conference was on a long weekend. He had one more night to try his luck before they left Monday afternoon for the drive back to Amity.

Pulling up the map on his phone, Danny started making his way back. Just over halfway there, he jolted to a stop, catching sight of a rippling back shadow. Batman's distinctive silhouette was marked briefly against a building wall before being almost lost again in the perpetual dimness of the city rooftops at night.

Well, well, well, looks like he might have the chance to bag all the bats and birds of Gotham in one night, leaving tomorrow to hunt down in Bludhaven for Nightwing.

Eeeeexcellent. Danny pulled himself straight in mid-air, steepling his fingers and druming them together in classic Evil Villian style, grinning in a manner that would have shown entirely too many teeth had he been visible.

Now, this would require *true* stealth if he wanted to both get a sticker onto Batman's utility belt, as well as help himself to a batarang or two. Because Ellie was right, there would be no greater souvenir from his time in Gotham than a batarang from *the* Batman himself.

Choosing a sticker and prepping it, Danny sidled up to where Batman was staring down at a building that was probably not as vacant as it looked if it called for that much concentration. All the better for him if Batman was distracted though.

Moving by inches, carefully controlling his breathing so as not to make a sound, Danny made it to Batman's side. Batman was... probably? right handed, most people were, so he was gunna make an educated guess that the sharp throwing objects would be on the left side of the belt.

Getting ready to make the grab and stick, Danny nearly jumped out of his skin as Batman moved his arm and draped his cape over the space where Danny was standing intangibly right next to him, in a gesture that seemed more ingrained habit than conscious thought.

O-KAY! Time to go before Batman had a chance to recognize that there was no one where he very obviously expected someone to be. Robin, maybe?

Thoughts to think another time! Moving with all the speed and precision he could muster while his heart was still attempting to leave the city without him, Danny swiped one hand through a series of belt pouches while the other oh-so-gently tapped a sticker to the front buckle.

Not even stopping to see what it was he'd swiped, Danny made a quick exit, stage left, do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Batman was jolted out of his concentration when he felt a nudge at his belt as his cape settled against his side once more. Whirling to the left, he scanned the rooftop but saw no one.

Which was entirely unexpected as his instincts were *sure* a small presence had been snug up to his side, like a young Dick or Tim when they got tired or a bit overwhelmed while on patrol and wanted to hide in his cape.

But neither Dick nor Tim, or even Damian (though Damian had never actually done so) was small or young enough to have done that in *years*.

A quick inspection found his belt pouches missing a handful of batarangs, some candy he kept on hand to help soothe distressed children, and the extra just-in-case comm unit. As well as the addition of a glowing sticker, much like the one currently decorating the batmobile, somehow placed on the buckle despite him neither seeing or hearing anything.

@mygood-bitch99 @stargazer-luna @easily-broken-by-emotion @dolfay @britcision @cyber-geist @is-this-even-relatable @alcorbearson @fisticuffsatapplebees @thegatorsgoose @my-mom-calls-me-rat @some-rotten-nest @crystalqueertea @meira-3919 @wandererofthestars @seraphinedemort

[antlergrave]

i don't think i posted this here yet have i

this is kind of like concept art of the EMH analog horror/cursed game website thing i was thinking about doing a few months ago lol

not all things shown below are final. things will still change

the style of the atmosphere will be kind of inspired by VibingLeaf, The Walten Files, and those creepy 2000s games we all used to play back then. If you've watched any of those videos or played those games, you can kinda see where im going from there.

I wanna make this as unnerving and creepy as I can. I'm not going easy on y'all

I was also thinking of breaking the videos up into separate "gameplays" instead of one full long video where the protagonist (you) investigates what's going on in the website and documenting the stuff happening in the games.

In this AU, you, the protagonist, used to love watching EMH fitness videos back in your early teen years (the trio makes it big and become well-known fitness instructors that they make their very own website where fans can play their games lol)

The EMH trio mysteriously left the internet without a trace in the mid 2010s and nobody knew what happened to them. A few years have past, you are now a young adult and the EMH trio's whereabouts still remain unknown. You decide to revisit their old website to (hopefully) find anything that may be useful evidence to their disappearance, but got distracted by what seems to be a virus infecting the site.

^^ not complete yet. i'll work on it💀

These will NOT be playable to the public (im sorry😭) they will only be programmed to tell the story. they're basically mock games that only lead to one ending, showcasing all the glitches and viruses happening.

If you guys have any advice/recommendations etc. on good programing sites and all that stuff, feel free to tell me. I'd love to hear it :))

[periludic]

" Distraction "

Qiu and Tamarack partners with the MC for a school project, they didn't get much done (It was the MCs fault)

📌 Pairing: Step 1 Qiu/Tamarack x GN!MC (Separate)

📌 Basically just Qiu and Tama admiring the MC

📌 OLNF brain rot, I'm making an AO3 fic of this next. (Thank you to whoever commented on my last post for this suggestion)

Qiu "Autumn" Lin:

Lets be real this kid needs a lot of help with school stuff, he'd probably be decently good in school if he tried but he doesn't

And to be extra real, he picks you every time to be his partner (he doesn't have a favorite he swears)

Mrs. Murray wouldn't allow that though, "give chance to others" she says. She deals with a lot of kids complaining that "Qiu always chooses (Name)!! Thats unfair" (god bless this woman) and Qiu frowns the saddest frown whenever this happens

But whenever Mrs. Murray does allow it, you bet that Qiu has the silliest, brightest, blinding smile ever stuck on his face

He likes you a normal amount (He lies to himself)

I don't think he'd be too serious about the project, but he does contribute and help you whenever he can

He doesn't pay much attention to it either, he's just happy to be there with you

But can you really blame him for spacing out mid-conversation when you tuck your hair prettily over your ear and how you look absolutely stunning when you're focused or when you have the cutest reaction ever at getting an answer right?

No. No you cant.

He pays more attention to you than your actual project, its cute but come on.

If you ask him why he's staring, he'll probably laugh it off and scold himself, thinking it was impolite of him to do so

But he's not afraid to admit the reason to why he was staring at you!

Its common sense, you're just too pretty. He can't help himself.

If you do start stressing out over the project however, he'll offer to do the rest for you

"I'll be more than happy to!!" he says, and you know. You just know that theres nothing inside that air head of his

It might take him a moment or two or three to understand the question but its worth it

He will do anything as long as its with you

Tamarack Baumann

No Mrs. Murray, she refuses to do the project if her very best friend isnt her partner

Tamarack would absolutely riot if Mrs. Murray got in the way of you being her partner for a project

She will be using her best puppy dog eyes and pleading voice thank you very much

Its against the law to object Tamarack, Mrs. Murray should've known better

Unlike a certain someone, Tamarack actually pays attention in class, and is good at memorizing without taking notes!

And unlike a certain someone, she's not as nice when it comes to not being your partner

Mrs. Murray allows it most of the time though, since you and Tamarack are new to the town and is still adjusting.

Most of the time.

Tamarack is very biased when it comes to you and everyone knows it (she has said so herself, in front of the entire class)

With Tamarack as your partner, you can rest easy!

She remembers your lessons well, and understands the questions fairly quickly

But sometimes she just can't help but to admire you. How can she not?

She's convinced that you came straight from a fairytale book, you're just so charming and adorable it's almost unfair!

Call her out on her behavior and she'll be more confused than a very confused person

Like. Yeah?? She's admiring you?? So what?? Its the logical thing to do? Its not her fault you're gorgeous?? Duh??

She'll give you a million reasons why you're so eye catching if you're not convinced

Please stop her.

I'm serious.

She'll go on and on for hours.

--

📌 sorry if my english grammar is off <3 english is not my first language

[jxckchxmpi0n]

can you please do "I'm not moving, your lap is comfortable" with ethan? btw i love your writing and i love love love ethan landry 😍

AHHH thank you so much!! That means a lot to me- I also love Ethan Landry such a cutie pie <3

In Your Arms

Ethan Landry x fem Reader | m.list

summary: You and Ethan are hanging out. He's playing games as you get an idea.

warning: none. All fluff

word count: 1.0k

Did not proofread.

This is super short. I'm so sorry! But I do hope you like it ♡ (those on Instagram voted for this one to be posted tonight)

You and Ethan were in his room chilling, Tara and Chad were having a date night, which let you have the apartment to yourselves. All your homework was done, and you had nothing better to do, so while Ethan was playing some game, you scrolled on your phone.

As the time passed, you then came across this account where this girl annoys the hell out of her boyfriend, but in one video, she just crawled in his lap as he played games, and she just sat there.

So, this idea popped into your head. What would Ethan do if you did that? Getting up from the bed, you stretched for a moment, then pulled your shirt down. It was one of Ethans,and it was always your favorite one to wear. It ended mid thigh for you, which Ethan never complained about.

As you walked over to the side of Ethan, you placed your hand on his shoulder so he knew you were there. "Hey baby! How are you doing?" His voice was soft and raspy he was getting tired but you knew he'd be on for another few hours.

"It's good." You were short in your answer as you were distracted with his game. He hummed for a second, "fuck this fucking level" you felt his body tense under your hand. "I'll be done here soon, I promise." he turned his head to you, then kissed the inside of your arm.

"No, it's okay. There's no rush," You raised your hand and brushed a few curls out of his face. He looked at you, questioning if you were sure. A soft smile took control of your lips as you thought about your plan.

Not saying anything, he still looked at you. You turned to him more and then picked your leg, swinging it over his leg. "Baby what, what are you doing?" He grabs your hips to support your body. As you sat down, you moved a little, which gained a soft groan for him.

Your arms wrapped around his shoulders, and your legs hung on both sides of his body. One of his hands rubbed your back while the other rubbed your leg. He was confused and worried for a moment, thinking something had happened.

"I just want to sit with you," your voice muffled as your face was tucked into his neck, "you can keep playing." You kissed his jaw and then moved again to get more comfortable.

"Are you sure? I feel like something is up?" His hand making small circles on your back.

"I'm sure," your breath brushed against his neck, causing goosebumps. Leaning down, he kissed the top of your head. He then got closer to the desk and slowly let go of you so he could continue to play.

As time passed, you began to get tired. Ethan had played more than four rounds at this point, at some point he'd take some breaks to rub your leg, give you soft kisses, and whisper how beautiful you looked, or how much he loved you.

Your heart beating faster after every comment, but at some point, he got tired of playing and realized he just wanted to cuddle with you. "How you doing, baby?" You heard him turn off his PC but didn't move one muscle, your body and mind already half asleep.

"Mmmhh," no words could be formed, your response only sending vibrations through his neck. He felt himself chuckle at you. He was madly in love.

"Here, come on, let's move to the bed," his hand laid on your leg as his other ran through your hair softly.

"No," your voice was heavy and raspy. You couldn't help the soft smile on your face as you opened your eyes and saw him looking down at you.

"No? How come?" He moved his hips up for a second to adjust himself, his arms wrapping themselves around your waist to pull you closer. Brushing what few pieces of hair that were in your face, out, and softly kissed your jaw.

"Because I say so. I'm not moving. Your lap is comfortable. " Your arms tighten around his neck. He could feel you lightly dragging your fingers through his hair. He can slowly feel his body getting tired. He didn't answer right away because he had a point. Having you sit in his lap was the most comfortable thing ever.

"Baby, as much as I want to stay here with you, though, my this chair isn't built for cuddling," his voice was barely above a whisper, he looked down again and realized you were fully asleep. Your eyelids moving like you're dreaming, your hands had dropped from his hair resting on his shoulders.

"God, you're so beautiful." he kissed your cheek and jawline once more, and then, in a slow motion, he pushed himself backward in the chair. With one hand around your waist and the other supporting your leg, he grounded his feet and stood up.

Losing his balance for a moment, he found his footing, standing still for just a moment to make sure the sudden movement didn't wake you up. Your eyes were still shut close, taking slow, deep breaths.

He walked over to your side of the bed, hoping to lay you down. As he was about to lay you down, your grasp on him tightened, "it's okay. I'm just laying you in bed. " As if you understood him, you let go of his neck, then crawled your ways into the covers.

Ethan tucked you in, then walked to his side, turning off the last bit of lights off. He crawled into bed with you. Your eyes opening and closing as you come in and out of sleep.

He throws his arm up so you can crawl into his arms, your head laying on his chest. The soft feeling of his heartbeat echoed in your ear. Sleep soon to take him with you, but not before it's too late, he leaned down again, kissing your head.

"Goodnight, my love." Within a few seconds, his eyes were closed along with yours. The warmth of your body with his was everything he needed. Your body felt perfect next to his.

[jaegeraether]

Sunsets and footballers (Part 70)

Lucy Bronze x Reader (57) / Alexia Putellas x Character (27) & Jordan Nobbs x Leah Williamson (13)

Masterlist (other parts here)

Join our WOSO Discord chat! Link in bio :)

((**2.5k**))

I recommend reading the last 5+ parts first!

((**Sorry for the lack of posting. Life and... procrastination getting in the way. I'll try to post more, starting with smaller chapters. Much love! Jae.**))

Jordan hadn’t realised that she’d instinctively sought the comfort of Leah by grabbing her hand until she felt a soft squeeze. Realising, she dropped Leah’s hand just as quickly as she’d grabbed it and tried to not look at her. It wasn’t too difficult though, as the room in front of them was much more interesting. It resembled the size and structure of a warehouse space, though it was set up for content. There were different areas for interviews, photos, videos, there were different sports brands moving throughout, clothes overflowing racks, and so much more. The pets were great to see –Blu whined from her arms and his head darted around, his eyes overwhelmed and excited not only by the amount of people, but by the pets too. He loved to play, though his stamina was awful. This is one thing she missed most about not having Leah around. Those two were always playing together.

“You’re alright, mate,” Leah calmed as she stroked his head while tucked up against Jordan’s chest with one of her arms. Jordan relished the feel of Leah’s arm brushing up against her chest lightly as she pet him.

“Madness, right?” Beth chuckled excitedly. Of course she was in her comfort zone.

She spotted Viv and joined her across the room.

“Are you just going to keep standing there?” Jen asked in her amused, wondering tone.

Jordan had no idea and so Leah jumped in.

“Where do we even start..?”

Jen pointed across them and to the area set up with tables of food and drink. Standing right in front of it was the person you’d always expect to find near the food. The pair chuckled when they saw her stuffing her mouth. “She’ll sort you out.”

Jordan shook her head and she couldn’t help the smile cross her face as she wandered over to the food table followed closely by Leah.

“Hey, mate.”

Lucy turned around mid-chew. Her eyes lit up as she saw them both. She gulped down her bite and gave them a little hug while she did so, with a pat for Blu. “Hey you two. You came! I really didn’t think you would but YFN knew you would.”

“Of course we would,” Leah laughed.

“What’s happening?” Jordan asked. “You’re usually eating but you look like you’re stress eating at the moment. Feeling guilty?”

Lucy gave a sheepish grin, having been caught. Jordan had known her for so long. “Just a bit-”

Jordan’s expression had her rolling her eyes as she looked over towards YFN. “-a lot. I didn’t expect it to become what it has. I just wanted to distract her so I could organise her birthday next week.”

Lucy’s expression was obvious regret as she watched her. Jordan followed her eyes to where YFN was. She was sitting at a table with piles of paperwork and her laptop in front of her. Sitting next to her was Alex Scott, though YFN was talking to some Lumos employees who nodded and left. She was obviously organising everything and Jordan always loved to watch her in boss mode. She seemed very tired, though, but that didn’t stop the smile lighting her face. She looked over at the trio and her face lit up from its weariness. She waved at the group as her attention was quickly taken up again by someone else.

“Are you hiding?” Leah asked.

Lucy shook her head and grabbed the plates of food she had on the table in front of her.

“Just stress eating,” Jordan laughed as the trio wandered over to join the table.

“I didn’t want… this,” Lucy grunted. “It just got so out of hand. Everybody jumped on board like the tavern dinner.”

“Have you even spoken to anyone about the birthday plans yet?” Leah murmured as they got closer.

“Only a few. I was hoping you two would distract her so I’d have a better chance to. I’ve been hovering because I feel like someone’s going to run into her. Now be quiet about it… oh and don’t mention Ridley.”

The pair didn’t have a chance to question that before they reached the table and instead shared a look. They each greeted the pair at the table and unsurprisingly, Leah fell straight into conversation with Alex from her seat next to Jordan. The pair were close, though never in a way beyond friendship. Truth be told, she enjoyed seeing Leah interacting with her friend.

“I missed you,” YFN groaned into her as they hugged and then acknowledged Blu. “Hi little man. I missed you too.”

“I missed you more,” Jordan admitted as she held her for longer than she expected. She really did miss her friend. YFN held her until Jordan released first with tears in her eyes that she tried to cover.

“Got a bit carried away, did we?” YFN asked as Lucy put the obscene amount of food down in front of her with a kiss to the temple.

“I know you like options… think of it as tapas, little one.”

She rolled her eyes with a smile that only Lucy brought out of her. “That too, but I was talking about you hoovering. I saw you eating your feelings, Luce. Or rather… inhaling them.”

Jordan chuckled as she placed Blu down on the chair next to her and watched as Lucy wrapped an arm around YFN, holding her softly. It seemed Lucy was still very much feeling guilty and protective of her injuries, and Jordan felt a pang of empathy in her chest. She was still so broken, and she could see her wince at each wrong movement, though she did try to hide it. For Lucy’s sake, she imagined.

“Do you need somewhere to stay tonight?”

Jordan felt Leah shift next to her, having heard the question, and somehow, she knew she was listening to her response. Jordan wasn’t sure what brought out the sudden pride in her as she responded.

“Blu and I are actually staying with Leah tonight.” She said, smiling at Leah who paused her sentence just to smile back and share a moment. Enough was enough. Jordan wanted her. She knew that. And although unexpected, tonight she wanted to show Leah just how much she still cared for her. She felt ready.

Jordan turned back to the couple in front of her. Lucy nodded, her eyes flickering between the two. Though YFN was smiling kindly and… knowingly. Like she already knew.

YFN POV

“Sounds perfect.” Silence hung for a second and as she usually did, YFN broke it to keep the conversation flowing. “Did anyone explain to you two what’s happening here?”

“Nope.”

“Okay so Lucy sort of took the opportunity to ask around to get some people interested in meeting up today and introducing them to our company but it seems things have gotten a little out of hand…” Lucy looked apologetic as YFN’s eyes flickered around the room, making sure everything was running smooth. “So everyone is getting involved as much or as little as they like. Before you do anything, there’s our legal team over there dealing with legality when it comes to us posting content et cetera. Then there’s the photography over there… interviews there… tik tok content there… Nike have set up there… Adidas there… there’s several clothing or sports brands set up to promote themselves and find new brand ambassadors but they’re under strict instructions to not approach anyone, I want only the interested footballers to approach them instead.” She looked over to the booths set up. “Though they have been pretty sneaky with their little signs…” she chuckled as she watched one of the sports drink brands holding up a board saying ‘JOIN THE DARK SIDE LJ’ as Lauren laughed from afar. “Food and drink over there… let the lads there know if you want anything and they’ll get it. Lots of hungry women here… and I’ll be doing the pet interviews over here starting again soon, just having a little break for now. Oh and the podcast.”

“So you are starting the podcast?” Leah asked.

“I think it’ll be a great weekly thing to do to keep up with current events and have guest speakers.”

“Thanks for throwin’ my name out there,” Alex grinned at Leah. “I think it’s great. We’ve been chattin’ about it a lot and I think YFN, Jill and I are going to each bring something different to it. We were going to start today if Jill can get here.”

“She’s coming from Manchester?”

“Have you looked around? People are comin’ from everywhere. It’s crazy.” They shared a laugh at that as they couldn’t help but look around the packed room again.

“How did you even manage all of this?” Leah asked.

“Well we spoke to a few of the girls who were over last night-”

“-you mean the whole Arsenal team?”

“Basically. And they messaged around and then it sort of became this. To be honest, I think it was just perfect timing being everyone’s day off and most of the girls didn’t arrive until just before you two. Everyone was sleeping in and word was spreading. I’ve just been trying to stop the bleeding all morning. More food. More table. Backdrops. Cameras. Film equipment. Luckily our staff is so properly vetted – they’ve all jumped in feet first. I was worried we’d be drowning for a second, but everything’s going well…”

“You’re doing an amazing job…” Lucy murmured to her. Her heart fluttered as she leant into her a little more. She knew she’d be sleeping well tonight.

“Thanks, Luce. Thank you for getting everyone together.”

She was saying that for Lucy to know that she did appreciate her effort, and to try and take some of that guilt away of course.

“I’ll give you more notice next time…” She joked half-heartedly.

“I’d very much appreciate that,” she laughed in response as her phone vibrated. She looked down, wondering if it was Joe again, excited with her updates. But it wasn’t. Her eyes widened as she answered.

“Hey… did you get my messages?”

“Sí,” Alexia responded almost normally. “I would like to come.”

YFN had been trying to get in contact with her all morning and had invited her to their little open day of course, thinking it might be a welcome distraction. She never thought she’d say yes, though.

“Okay… um…” She turned to Lucy who took her key from her pocket and gestured to the phone, knowing exactly what she was going to ask. Her Lucy. It was these little things that made her adore her so much. “Okay, Lucy is on her way to get you. She’ll be there soon!”

“Okay. Can I bring Chiquito?”

YFN hesitated. Ridley adored Chiquito more than anything. He was a mini Ridley. Her little man. She’d left him with Alexia which confirmed what YFN already knew. Ridley was completely and utterly in love with her. “Uh… yes of course you can bring Chiquito. Everyone has brought their pets actually. I’ll be doing pet and player interviews if you’d like to but we’ll discuss it when you get here.”

She shared a look with Lucy whose thinking lines appeared on her forehead at the mention of Chiquito.

“See you soon, Blau.”

“See you Ale.”

She hung up and Lucy tilted her head in question.

“She sounds… surprisingly okay,” YFN murmured.

Lucy frowned. So did she. They both knew that was bad. Alexia had shut down her emotions which meant one thing… she would break.

Lucy sighed and leant forwards, her lips finding YFN’s, her hand cradling her cheek. The softest of kisses.

“I’ll be back soon, little one,” she said as she kissed her forehead and stood. “You all look after her, please. She’s fragile and refuses to believe it sometimes.”

YFN managed to slap her hip as she walked away, and Lucy was unable to stop herself from looking over her shoulder at her as she was leaving. She smiled when she caught her eye. It should be illegal to look that good, YFN thought.

Her attention was drawn back to the table at the eyes that were avoiding her. She sighed. “Lucy said not to mention Ridley, right?”

Their faces answered the question.

“Of course she did. That woman… hm. Well, because Alexia is coming, I feel like you all need to know what’s happening so we can all help the situation because I can’t exactly move quickly and people are bound to harass Alexia because it’s… well… Alexia.”

“Did something happen with them finally?” Alex asked.

“You know Ridley?” Leah asked Alex.

“The hot bisexual? Impossible to not when everyone is talking about her. You know how the girls are when a hot new single women enters our world,” she laughed. “And I sort of put two and two together with those photos online of you all at lunch the other day. They looked very friendly.”

“At lunch?!” Jordan asked.

“I handled it…” YFN murmured. “They took them down but a few people know. Anyways… please keep it to yourselves, just take this information and try to make Alexia feel comfortable…”

“They finally did it then?” Leah asked.

“I’m… not sure. Ridley is gone. That’s all.”

“Gone?”

“Gone. There’s a good chance you won’t see her again. She… does this. She doesn’t get close to people. She stopped by last night and said goodbye about 3am. I’ve been awake ever since. Alexia is still in her apartment with Chiquito.”

They didn’t say anything.

“So be kind to Alexia please and don’t mention it… and try to steer conversations away from relationships. They nodded, understanding and already empathising. She saw Jordan look at Leah with longing and then hiding her expression.

They spoke for a little longer, and others came over to the table to chat and introduce their dogs. Eventually, her phone started buzzing again.

“Lucy’s calling…” she murmured, wonderingly. She answered the call.

“Love, Alexia has someone coming from Spain and they’ll be there soon-”

“-i’m sorry,” Alexia cut off, presumably from the passenger seat of the car. “I didn’t tell her to come. I didn’t know she would come-”

“-hey, that’s okay!” YFN responded with a laugh. She wanted Alexia to be comfortable and give her everything she needed right now. It was a positive sign that someone had come to be with Alexia when she needed it. It meant she’d been talking and opening up. “The more the merrier, and more won’t hurt looking around at this place already.”

“You don’t understand. Little one…” Lucy’s voice faded out as YFN realised why they were so nonchalant about the situation. Across the far side of the room, one of the Lumos workers entered, gesturing the new guest inside the content warehouse.

She’d be lying if she didn’t say that her heart skipped a beat at the little figure of Ona Batlle entering the room.

[bel1ewrites]

Hi! I was wondering how you would feel about a smut request about Jealous Sam using a remote controlled vibrator, like where it’s the reader’s birthday and Sam had a little “challenge” for her where the reader had to wear the vibrator and she’s really competitive so she accepted, sorry if this didn’t make any sense, and if it’s too vague I completely understand, thanks!

a/n: tysm for this request, it got me out of my little slump. Sorry about the delay of this post, I know I promised to get it out earlier but I ended up having to meet up with a friend.

Birthday Challenge (Samantha Carpenter x Reader)

Description: It's impossible to say no to her.

WC: 2k

Warnings: smut, voyeurism, top!Sam, bottom!Reader, alcohol, Sam's lowkey an asshole in this

SAMANTHA had a tendency to get competitive. You’d figured this out fairly early in your relationship after a mini golf date that ended in her apologizing profusely for throwing your ball into the water after you’d won, swearing she didn’t know what had come over her. She took any opportunity to turn anything into a competition, no matter the stakes. 

With this in mind, you knew it shouldn’t have come as a shock when she proposed a challenge of sorts on the night of your twentieth birthday. 

“Oh come on,” your competitor huffs, holding the special little gift out to you like a prayer. “Don’t be a wimp.” Her tone has an edge to it, a teasing little lilt that tugs at your resolve. 

“I am not wearing that to dinner!” you persist, glaring at the purple lace and small black device in front of you. The vibrator is bullet shaped and no more than three inches long, smooth silicone coating the outside and creating a matte look. She’s standing like a guard in front of the bathroom door, preventing you from entering your bedroom to get ready for the night. 

The two of you have reservations at six and you can’t afford to be late, having scheduled them three months in advance. Deep down, you know what the outcome will be: either you’ll have to agree to play her little game or you’ll be forced to miss the dinner she’d promised to pay for. 

She dangles the material in the air, pinched between her thumb and forefinger, her eyes full of humor and a shit eating grin plastered across her face. You can feel the clock ticking, each second taking little bits of your willpower and destroying it bit by bit. With a loud groan and a stomp of your foot, you rip the gifts out of her hands and push past her, storming into your room and dropping your towel. 

She watches you with the eyes of a hawk, making sure you put the vibrator in its proper place and getting momentarily distracted by your naked and dripping figure. Exasperated, you step into the material and slide it up your legs, feeling the slight bump of the object nestled against your clit.

“Happy?” You sass as you grab your bra from the bed and clip it on. 

Sam’s pupils are dilated when you look up at her, shoulder leaning against the doorframe and eyes trailing up and down your body. “Very.” She wets her lips. 

—----

By the time you both make it to the restaurant and are seated in front of a perfect view, you’ve forgotten about the whole incident. There’s too much going on for you to think about it, the clinking of forks and the sunset falling over the horizon. Sam pulls your chair out for you as you sit, grabs your shoulders from behind and bends down to kiss the top of your head like a perfect gentleman. 

She’s wearing a new suit you haven’t seen before, dark red and expensive looking. Almost black waves fall down her back and over her shoulders in effortless union to frame her face perfectly. 

Your dress matches the color of her suit, material ending at mid thigh. She’d insisted on buying it for you a while ago; as soon as she saw you step out of the dressing room she was reaching into her back pocket and pulling out her wallet. It has a low neckline that exposes a healthy amount of cleavage, the thin straps keeping it from baring your chest to the world. It’s backless and somehow both form fitting and loose at the same time, expensive silk rubbing pleasantly against your skin. 

“This place is nice,” you smile, placing your elbows on the table and propping your head up on your hands. 

“It is.” Sam agrees, eyes falling to your lips and then lower. 

You’re about to tease her for looking so enraptured by your tits, but before you can the waitress appears out of thin air, pen and notepad in hand. She smiles warmly at you, then at Sam. “What can I get you both to drink?”

You expect Sam to answer first, but she doesn't, which results in a little gap of awkward silence until you decide to break it. “I’ll take a Manhattan and a water.”

She writes your request down. “And for you-”

“Whiskey,” Sam cuts in. “Neat.” Her jaw is tight, muscles shifting as she messes with the rings on her right hand. You have no idea why she’s glaring at the nice waitress and you feel a ping of sympathy for the woman who quickly walks away with her head down. 

“What was that about?” you question wearily. 

Sam scoffs. “She wants to fuck you.”

Eyebrows lifting in disbelief, you choke on your breath as she moves her hands under the table and stares at you. One of her eyebrows is raised as if she doesn’t trust that you’re unaware of the obvious one sided eye-fucking that went on between you and the waitress. 

Once again, said woman materializes out of thin air with your drinks and places them on napkins before you. She tucks the tray under her arm and unexpectedly rests her empty hand on your bare shoulder, making you jump slightly. Alarms go off in the back of your mind when you see Sam lean back in her chair with a smirk on her face, eyes dark and on yours.

“Would you like any appetizers, sweetheart?” The waitress asks, squeezing your shoulder lightly. Oh. 

“Yeah, sweetheart,” Sam mocks, voice low. “Do you want any appetizers?”

“Um… I-” you’re cut off by an unexpected vibration. It only lasts for a few seconds, but it has you jolting in surprise. A little gasp escapes your throat. 

“Are you okay?” the stranger with her hand on your shoulder questions with worry. 

“She’s fine. We’ll have the baked brie with all the shit on it,” Sam answers for you, dismissing the waitress with her tone of voice and taking a pull of her whiskey. 

The second her hand leaves your shoulder you shakily reach for your drink and chug it, the pleasant warmth taming your racing heart. Your face is almost as red as your dress when you place the empty glass back on the table and throw mental daggers at your cool and collected girlfriend. All she does in return is grin as the vibrations come back. 

“Cut it out,” you grit, hands gripping the sides of the table, legs crossing tightly. She’s got the bullet on a low setting, but it’s pressing into you perfectly and your eyes fight the urge to close. 

It gets stronger when Sam turns it up and tells you to look at her. “I think I’ll tell her about our little secret the next time she comes back,” she husks, sitting up and leaning forward to put one hand over your tight knuckles and keeping the other out of sight. “Let her know who you belong to, y’know? Or I could just make you cum in front of her.”

You fold your forearms over each other on the table and drop your forehead to them. Doing this in the middle of a restaurant feels dirty, it feels wrong. Nevertheless, you still find yourself humming quietly as your clit throbs, waves hitting you and making the muscles in your lower belly clench, a heat settling there and a buzz starting to fall over your mind. You aren’t sure if it’s from the alcohol or the pleasure. 

“Dirty girl,” Sam chides, clicking her tongue and turning off the vibrator after over a full minute of stimulation. Shame floods through you when you realize that you didn’t want it to stop and that you feel all empty and achy without it. Sluggishly, you lift your head up and put your hands in your lap as Sam flags down a waiter and orders you another Manhattan. 

“I’m starved,” the devil across from you groans. “Are you hungry, baby? God, where is that damn brie? Why don’t you read over the menu.” 

As if she’d summoned her, the waitress pops back up seconds later with the brie and Manhattan in hand. Apparently she learned her lesson the last time, because she barely says anything as she takes your orders, rushing away as soon as possible. Sam seems pleased by this. 

“Hey, question,” she begins, munching lightly on the appetizer. “Do you think you can cum quietly before she gets back?”

Scraping forks and clinking spoons and light chatter fill the space around you as you shake your head violently. “Samantha, no. Please let's just-” the vibrations begin again and your jaw drops slightly. “Just fuck me when we get home,” you whisper urgently, tone slowly turning to a whine. Wriggling against the chair and pleading with your eyes, you watch as she simply sits back and observes. 

“I don’t know about you, but I think we should do this more often,” she says conversationally, finishing her whiskey and upping the strength of the vibrations. “Wow! This thing has patterns too?”

Suddenly, the bullet begins pulsing in time with your clit. Each wave hits you in the perfect spot. It’s quick and precise and you’re dripping and panting and no one knows. You can’t help the uncontrollable moan that comes out of you, all quiet and needy and music to Sam’s ears. No one but her can see the flush of your cheeks and the way you shift forward slowly. No one but her knows she’s the one making you bite your lip and breathe heavy through your nose.

Hot. It’s too hot in here, you’re sweating and shaking uncontrollably. To anyone else it must seem like you’re having a stomachache; only you and your conniving girlfriend are aware of the pleasure coursing through you and its filthy, in all honesty. It’s filthy. 

Sam runs a hand through her hair and watches you and ultimately decides she’s discovered a new kink when she catches herself wishing the waitress would come back and see you all desperate for her and only her. She can see that you’re on the edge, reading you like an open book and knowing you need a push. 

“I wish you could see yourself right now,” she groans when you roll your hips slightly. “I don’t even know how to describe it. You’re all desperate and you’re biting your lip so hard I think it might bleed and I want nothing more than to just fuck you on this table in front of everyone.”

Her rambling is flooding through you, each word like a lightning strike in your stomach that makes you feel all warm and tight. You can tell she’s having a hard time not throwing caution to the wind and just bending you over the table by the tremor in her voice; it makes you put your head down and whine. 

Body taut with anticipation, you focus on the overwhelming feeling spiraling within your lower abdomen. “Sam,” you whine out before the pulsing vibrations running through you finally break the tight coil and you cum with the taste of her name fresh in your mouth. 

Sam watches you go tense and shudder through your orgasm, quickly turning the strength of the vibrations down to the lowest level and allowing you to ride it out. She bumps her leg against yours under the table to anchor you while waiting patiently for you to get through the aftershocks. 

Slowly, you pick your head up from the table and uncross your legs uncomfortably, startling when the silicone shifts against your overstimulated bundle of nerves. Sam’s looking at you with unadulterated adoration all over her face, she’s reaching her hand out over the table in a silent request for you to hold it and you do. 

Footsteps sound behind you, the waitress showing up just in time to witness the dark flush on your cheeks and your chest and your shoulders and the still slightly glazed over look in your eyes. Sam is beaming at her. She’s sitting there all smiley and nothing close to how she was earlier. It makes you roll your eyes. 

“Thanks!” She calls after the woman who says nothing and keeps her gaze on the floor the whole time she’s placing the food on your table, scurrying away ASAP like a scared child.

[sportswriters]

nope, no favorites around here - j. drury

pairing: jack drury x female!reader | f, slight a | co-workers to lovers | wc: 716 | warnings: mentions of jack fighting on the ice

welcome post!

y/n’s part of the medical team of the carolina hurricanes. she has a great relationship with the players since it's her job to do check-ups before and after the games.

one fine day, she almost collapses while watching jack getting into a fight with the opponent. the crowd is loud, the guys on the bench are shocked and impressed at the same time. jack dropping the gloves mid game? that's rare. she hates it.

“i don't care if you won, i don't care if it hypes up the crowd, i don't care if it's normal in this sport. are you freaking dumb?”

she's distracted until she notices jack watching her with a smug smile on his face, not even slightly offended by her rant. y/n freezes.

“sorry, shouldn't have gone that far.”

“it's alright, it's a valid worry to have… as someone from the medical team.” jack absolutely knows there's more to it, but he's having fun. she's adorable.

“of course.” she nods. “medical concerns only.”

at home, she starts overthinking about her relationship with jack, wondering if people might be seeing too much. i'm kind and attentive to everyone, right? oh, no, what if they think jack's my favorite? that's awful!

the next day, she goes to work completely self-conscious of her own actions. she greets everyone trying not to be suspicious as she almost sprints to her office. she takes care of the paperwork from the previous day and take notes of what the boss left for her. when practice time arrives, the players come around to do a quick check-up before going to the ice. she has other doctors with her, but somewhere inside she knows jack is going to her cubicle.

he does. jack walks peacefully to his favorite doctor assistant — knowing that there are a few others available —, but what catches him out of guard is how professional she’s acting. well, of course she always does her job correctly, but never this cold, this far — far from him. y/n does every step of the check-up carefully, trusting she’s great at hiding her thoughts from her expressions. they seem to be eating her up inside, that’s why she looks so focused on not messing it up.

“you alright? you look restless,” jack asks, genuinely concerned.

“all great, just got a lot on my plate today,” she replies, eyes on the clipboard with his informations. “good practice, jack. don’t come back here anytime soon.”

y/n turns her back at him to hide her frown, regretting her words. she just needs him to leave so she can breathe properly.

“thought i was your favorite patient.” he tries to lighten the mood. he really doesn’t want it to end that fast, but regrets it a second after, because when their eyes meet, she’s terrified.

“what? nope, no favorites around here. i treat every player equally. have you heard something about it?”

“hey, don’t worry, i was kidding.” jack watches her posture relax. “i promise to do my best only to come here to see you, is that okay?”

y/n freezes. what the hell is going on, right now?

“look, i like talking to you, alright? i’m not a fan of pain and bandages as well, i just don’t mind coming here when i know i’ll be seeing your pretty face.” jack decides to keep talking, afraid you’ll make any assumptions. “and i don’t want you to overthink that i’m giving mixed signs. so, y/n, i’d really like to take you on a date if you allow me.”

“yes. wait.” she covers her mouth then her face in embarrassment. jack softens, his smile grows bigger.

he waits patiently for her. in fact, he’d love to cup her cheeks on his own hands, but that’s hopefully for another day.

“i mean, yeah, it would be nice to go out with you,” she answers, holding a smile as best as she can. “but now i think you should go. wouldn’t wanna mess the queue and get me fired, right?”

he chuckles. there she is, the y/n that got him infatuated.

“of course. see you later, then?”

“don’t even dare getting a scratch on purpose, you hear me?”

“even though you’re adorable when you’re worried?”

“get out of my face right now!”

[kitashousewife]

iwaizumi hajime doesn’t consider himself a nostalgic person.

but when summer crawls to an end? he’s feeling it for sure. every good memory, every long night for the last three months floods his mind. he finds himself longing for the early summer feeling of freedom and excitement, dipping his toes into a few months of bliss.

so, to mourn the time gone by so soon, iwaizumi has spent the last few days on the beach.

his broad shoulders shine in the sun, golden brown and littered with freckles. his cheeks, littered with freckles of their own turn to face the sun. he’s rotated to his stomach, deciding to rest his eyes while he suns his back. after this, maybe he’ll run into the ocean.

he’s trying everything in his power to make time slow down.

iwaizumi pouts when he rests his forehead on his hands, face nuzzling the fuzzy towel beneath him. he knows he’s being ridiculous, he knows his last year of university will start on monday whether he wants it to or not.

the beach is fairly empty today, which he assumed. everyone has slowly entered into their post-summer routines, leaving him to his thoughts, save it be for the few other people trying to pack in as much as they can during these last few days of summer. the sound of waves seem distant as iwa attempts to filter through the nagging thoughts of productivity.

he sits up, muscles flexing as he rises to his feet. the light blue shorts hugging his legs are pulled back down to his mid thigh before he walks into the water. he allows the waves to push him and pull him lazily, enjoying the steadiness of it all.

iwa is conflicted. sure, he quite enjoys not having anything to do besides hit the gym, call his friends and family, and take care of himself. but really, you can only spend so long at the gym (despite his best efforts of course) and when your loved ones live across the world, phone calls and facetimes can be limited. at least once he’s in school he will have a routine, a little more structure, and many more things to fill his time. that can’t be all that bad, people thrive on consistency and schedules!

he so strongly wishes that wasn’t true as he trudges back to land. despite wanting to be a beach bum gym rat without responsibilities, iwa knows that isn’t him.

a sad feeling creeps into his stomach as the sun begins to fall slowly. he packs up his things and takes one long look at the ocean. i’ll be back, he thinks. i can always come here to study, he shakes his head, almost laughing at how completely untrue that is. when he begins to walk home, the end of summer blues hit hard. to soothe his hurt, he decides to order a pizza for himself tonight. an end of summer, beginning of his last year celebration.

when he shuts the door to his apartment, he’s got his phone pressed to his ear between his shoulder, both hands full of his belongings. after he sets them down, iwa swears he hears something on the other side of the wall. pulling the phone from his ear, sounds of the pizza place’s hold music becoming a little less painful as he listens for the sound. as soon as he puts it back to his ear, he hears it again.

just as he hangs up to call the building manager, he hears something fall over, followed by a very disgruntled sound, and the front door slamming shut. about three seconds later, there’s a knock at his door.

iwa’s heart beats a little too quickly for someone with his stature, answering the door alone. when he checks the peep hole he sees you, arms crossed and lips pulling into a small pout.

“hello,” he opens the door just a bit, enough to show part of his body. really he’s a little embarrassed at the state of his apartment, but realized as well that he is still in swim trunks.

only swim trunks.

you notice, eyes going a little wider at the absolutely gorgeous man in front of you. tan body, muscular biceps and messy hair. before you get too distracted, you remember why you came over here.

“h-hi, i just moved in next door. i wanted to say sorry for all of the noise,” you wince as he nods. “i wanted to ask, do you have much experience building furniture?”

iwa is sure you’re embarrassed, but he can’t help but smile just a little bit.

“i have a little,” he opens the door a bit wider. “do you need-“

“yes!” you light up, thrilled that you’re finally getting some help. “come over, whenever you’re free. i would really appreciate it.” you wave, giving iwa possibly the prettiest smile he’s ever seen before turning on your heel to walk back home.

he shuts the door, snatching up the t-shirt on the kitchen counter before slipping it on and heading out the door once more. he decides that pizza can wait. who is he to not help someone in need?

“oh wow, you’re fast,” you open the door and motion for him to come in, and iwa’s cheeks turn pink. you introduce yourself quickly, he returns the favor, and he follows behind you to the living room. spread out are different parts and instructions, and based on the photo on the box, it appears to be a coffee table.

“the website said it would be easy to set up but i’ve been trying for thirty minutes,” you sit on the floor and sigh. iwa joins you, grabbing the instructions.

“it never is,” he thinks back to the absolute nightmare it was setting up his bed frame. “did you move in today?”

“this morning,” you nod, grabbing one of the many boxes in the room. “do you mind if i unpack? would that be rude?”

“no,” he says a little too quickly. “i would do the same thing. i hate having my things in boxes.”

you laugh, and his cheeks turn pink again. he cringes, knowing if any of his friends saw him right now he wouldn’t hear the end of it. sitting here in a pretty girl’s apartment, stinking of salt and sunscreen in a pair of shorts and some random old t shirt.

“how long have you lived here?” you’re in the kitchen now, moving different cups around with a furrowed brow. iwa is beside himself, he can’t believe someone this cute is going to be right next to him every day.

“about three years,” he tightens one of the screws, making amazing time building it. he almost wants to slow down so that he can stay longer, but he won’t bother you.

“that’s good to hear,” you move the now empty box to the corner. “i don’t want to have to move again any time soon.”

i don’t want you to either, he thinks.

the two of you talk while he finishes building, getting to know each other. you learn where he’s from, what he’s studying, and vise versa. you two chat about school and before you know it, your table is complete.

“oh my gosh, thank you!” you give him a tired smile. “can i pay you?”

he snorts. “no, don’t worry about that. i’m happy to help.”

“can i at least get you dinner? you have no idea how much this helps me.”

he stands in your kitchen for a moment, before nodding.

“that would be fine,” you smile at him.

“i’ll order a pizza, does that sound okay? i haven’t been to the store yet,” he nods, and you pull out your phone to call them.

iwa forgets his summer blues for an evening. each minute he spends with you, the longing feeling in his stomach is replaced with excitement. instead of mourning the summers end, he welcomes every opportunity coming to him in the new season.

as he eats pizza with you on your living room floor, he can’t help but smile. after three years, he finally has his first real “college” experience.

and when he goes home, he thinks of any excuse he can to get you over to his place.

[gaspshichat]

pearl quotes !!

i write down a lot of pearl quotes and sometimes share them in her discord server. i've decided to put every single one i've gathered into one tumblr post. i will reblog the most recent addition every saturday with any new quotes that i have acquired. you can also send me quotes in my ask box or my dms on twitter [username is gaspshichat, like usual]. no guarantees that they'll be added though!

a lot of these quotes are sus and very out of context. that is part of the point! if pearl wants me to delete this, i absolutely will

[before it gets asked, karn is her bestie boyfriend]

~|•🌙•|~

pearl: before we do that let me restock my balls

~

pearl: ooh there's things happening on the ser- A BEACON ????

~

pearl: don't thank me because i didn't approve of it

~

pearl: i hope you guys understood what i said because i didn't

~

pearl: "you killed a frog?" yup! it was for science......let it be known that is a terrible excuse in real life

~

pearl: "do you take iron tablets?" i have them!

~

pearl to keralis: well you're a letdown but i don't talk about that

~

pearl: fix ai, make them breedable

~

pearl: i got the double p! please don't acronym that

~

pearl: "do you use slabs in terraforming?" *zooms in on a slab she used for terraforming* no

~

pearl: "don't sell yourself short" it's okay i'm tall

~

pearl: they don't bite! much..

~

pearl: doc owes me child support!

*long, stunned silence*

cleo: ....okay….

~

cleo: so keralis did the kidnapping, and you did kidnapping by proxy

pearl: ...no

~

pearl: it was a heart of mutton. it was creepy

cleo: it was a meat heart :D

~

cleo: i want to mail horrible things, like animals, to iskall

pearl: oh! that's horrid

~

pearl: "you charge your other mats rent?" yes

~

pearl: i don't know if this is lag or if my balls are just popping in really slowly

~

pearl: these balls ain't going away

~

pearl: let me move my balls aside for you

~

pearl: hello ♪

karn: is it me you're looking for ♪

pearl: no ♪

karn: oh :(

~

pearl: i don't need a big, strong man to kill me

~

pearl: turn down the thing you need to turn down...you know what it is

~

karn: i fractured the world from what i can tell

pearl: ..bruh

~

pearl: what does the button do?

karn: THE BUTTON SHUTS THE DOORS ON US AND SPAWNS A BUNCH OF MOBS

pearl: i pushed the button hehe

~

pearl: cleo made the child

false: ...the child?

pearl: yeah :D it's a bebe

~

pearl: "why are there beach umbrellas at the post office?" *long pause* maybe it's because of all the water?

~

pearl: you caught me mid construction

gem: i know >:3

~

pearl: he's letting his babies loose

~

gem: look at you up there. you're adorable *punches her*

pearl: aH-

~

pearl: i am greatly navigationally challenged right now

~

pearl: i got too comfortable with hermitcraft actually working

~

pearl: ah! moist!

~

pearl: anyway that's completely distracted me away from my really passionate rockies

~

pearl: we have pickles to do !!

~

karn: let's not sit on the balls

pearl: 🤨

karn: *holds up cat toys*

pearl: oh- *starts laughing and hides her very red face*

~

pearl: just shove it in

~

pearl: how do you know what brimstone tastes like

karn: i've lived quite the life

~

pearl: give it a suck

~

pearl: our feet are not equal

karn: why are you bringing our feet into this ??

~

pearl: i could give you the australian bestie word-

karn, oblivious: alright

pearl: -but it's not pg

karn, realizing: ahhh

~

karn: it's a mental thing, you see

pearl: oh

karn: yes, i'm mentally stuck here

pearl: i see

karn: yes, i'm in a position where i don't want to leave-

pearl: that's very intense for a friend

~

karn: it's just as sweet as you

pearl: don't butter me up

karn: too late!

~

pearl: i'm flee with extra flee

~

karn: you okay, my dear?

pearl: *sobbing*

~

pearl: did you pee in the ocean?

karn, instantly: yes

~

pearl: stop wasting your bullets!

karn: sorry ☹️

~

pearl: did you think his ass was his face ????

~

pearl: in what realm is a butthole a face ????

karn: *trying to explain*

pearl: babe :I

~

pearl: take that you stupid ass robot

~

karn: on the count of three. one-

pearl: *starts blasting*

~

pearl: stupid ass spider

~

pearl: a butt is clearly defined by two cheeks, a hole, and a tail!

~

pearl: [karn] is very special. in multiple ways

[hockeyboysimagines]

F*ck me like I’m famous

Chapter 4

Warnings: Sex, implied sex, talks of sex, alcohol, language.

Hello friends! Here is chapter 4. Sorry for the delay. As I said in the chapter I just posted for Sway I’ve had a ton going on. Hope this is worth the wait!

Enjoy🤍

“Hey Josie.” Vince called from his living room “Are you ready? We have to leave like…10 minutes ago.”

“Yeah I’m coming!” She called.

“You did that last night already!”

“Vince!” She yelled from the bathroom.

He giggled and stuffed his feet into shoes, grabbing his keys from the table next to the door. He was having the time of his life.

She had made good on the phone sex and dirty texting multiple times over last night, until the early hours, which was part of why they were running late today. He also might have caused a distraction in the shower, but that was a minor detail.

He had some autograph signing thing that would kickstart the celebrations for the week, and he was planning to meet up with friends for drinks later on. He was so excited to show her off to everyone, if they ever got there.

He heard her shuffling and then coming down the steps and turned the corner.

He paused and smiled “Damn.” He said giving her an appreciative once over “You look hot.”

“Really?!” She asked brightly, glancing down at her dress “It’s not too dressy or boring?”

It was pale green, falling mid thigh, with a floral pattern on it, paired with black wedges. Her long hair was loose and wavy, and he almost considered taking her right back upstairs. But then he remembered this week was not only about him, but the community as well.

“Not at all. Oof. You’re in for it later.”

She blushed and waved him off, taking his extended hand and they made their way to the car. The sun was shining down on them, a beautiful perfect day to start a beautiful perfect week.

“Where are we going exactly?” She asked from the passenger seat, turning to put her purse in the back. He smiled a little at how comfortable and natural she looked in his passenger seat before he answered.

“I have an autograph signing.” He said, turning the key in the ignition and backing out of his driveway.

“Ooooooh. An autograph signing? Fancy.” She said side eyeing him “How many body parts do you think you’ll sign?”

He rolled his eyes and nudged his chin at her “I can think of one I’d like to sign later.”

“No I don’t think so. The pen is way too big.”

He burst out laughing and shook his head “Okay you win. So how was your first official day in Canada?”

“It was good. I spent most of it with this hot guy.”

“And how was your first official night in Canada?”

“Average.”

He gasped and reached over grabbing her thigh and squeezing it. She screamed and slapped his arm “I’m kidding! I’m kidding sheesh.”

“Okay so let’s try that again.”

“My first official night in Canada was amazing.”

“Better. Just means I’m gonna have to one up myself tonight.”

She chuckled and watched the Canadian countryside zoom past outside. She was having so much fun and it hadn’t even been 24 hours yet. Being here, although in a country she’d never been to with people she didn’t know, felt so normal, like she’d been here before. She wasn’t nervous, or awkward or anything like that. She felt at peace.

It was so nice.

“So when does the cup actually get here?”

“Friday. That’s when the fun begins.” He waggled his eyebrows “And there’s a ton happening that day. Are you excited?”

“Me? Are you excited? It’s your big day.”

Josie didn’t know Vince when he won the cup. She hadn’t seen the game, watched the moment, or even knew anything about how he and the team had gotten to that point. But what she did know was that if anyone deserved this week, it was him.

“Of course im excited, but i want you to be having fun too.”

“I’m just happy to be here and watch you do your thing.” She said, smiling widely and reaching forward to squeeze his hand.

Josie spent most of the signing hanging out behind him with his mom. She’d been friendly the day before, but she could tell her guard had been up and with good reason. Vince was a highly successful professional athlete, who had a lot at stake in life. She didn’t blame his mom for being wary at first.

But now she had truly warmed up and they were talking and laughing like old friends.

“What are you telling her back there, because whatever it is you can be sure it’s a lie.” He called over his shoulder.

“Most of it sounds pretty on brand.” Josie said smiling at him “So I’m inclined to believe her.”

He made a face and turned back around, but the thought of her being close with his mom brought a small smile to his face that stayed there the rest of the afternoon.

As the line wound down, and the last few pictures had been taken Vince turned to her and waved her forward. When she reached him he gestured to a lady he’d been talking with.

“Josie, this is my mom’s friend, Sheri.”

Josie reached forward to shake her extended hand “Hello. Nice to meet you.”

“And this is your-?” Sheri asked, looked at Vince expectantly as she let go of Josie’s hand.

“This is my girlfriend.” He said simply with a smile, hand on the small of her back as he gave her a gentle push forward so she could shake the woman hand.

Girlfriend.

GIRLFRIEND.

The word made Josie want to jump for joy, scream, ugly cry and kiss his socks right off but then she remembered they were in public so she just smiled, feeling a redness come to her cheeks. They chatted with for a minute when Vince’s mom called her name and Sheri walked away.

Josie turned slowly to look at him “Girlfriend?” She asked quietly.

“Is that okay? I didn’t really know what else to call this.” He gave a small laugh.

“I mean-yeah. It’s okay.”

“I really wanna kiss you, but we’ve already been on the cover of one newspaper.”

She giggled and smiled at him “You can make it up to me later.” She waggled her eyebrows and he gave her waist a small squeeze.

**********

“So you’re here with Vince?”

Josie turned to find a dark haired girl standing next to her and frowned a little, leaning away from her.

The day had gone great. Better than great. She’d had so much fun watching him do his thing and interact with members of his community. She’d also really enjoyed being introduced as his girlfriend.

They’d met up with a few friends of his that she hadn’t met yet for drinks at what Vince called “The best bar in Lindsey” and it was still great.

“Uh, yeah?” She looked across the bar at Vince, but he was absorbed in a conversation and didn’t seem to notice. She looked back at the girl who was staring at her, one hand braced on the bar top.

“You must be his new fling of the week.” She said off handedly, glancing at her and then over her shoulder where he was standing.

Josie felt a twinge of annoyance. She wasn’t a confrontational person, and the last thing she wanted to do was cause a scene in front of his friends in a country she was visiting, but she wanted nothing more than to back hand her. The smug smile on her face had sparked an irrational rage that Josie wasn’t sure she’d even had in her before today.

“What are you talking about?” The question came out more rude than she’d anticipated but it didn’t seem to phase whatever her name was.

“This week it’s you, last week it was someone else, and next week it’ll be- hi Vince.”

Josie looked behind her to find Vince was there, frowning at the girl she was about to beat up.

“I was just talking to your new girlfriend of the week here and I-“

“Yeah well stop talking to her.” He turned Josie abruptly, and steered her across the room and out the front door of the bar.

She waited until they were some feet away until she said very quietly “Who was that?”

“Just a girl I know is all.”

She stopped walking, which caused him to stop and she crossed her arms, head turned to the side “Wanna try that again? But with an actual answer this time.”

He sighed “I hung out with her one time at a party last summer. Nothing happened, she wanted more and I just didn’t see her that way and she’s been dragging my name through the mud since then. She does this every time she sees me out with anyone.”

“I see. She said there was another me last week? Is that true?”

Vince’s mouth fell open and he looked back at the bar in outrage before he turned back to her “She said that? Josie I swear, I haven’t been with anyone else since I met you. I can’t believe-“

“If you have been it’s okay. I wasn’t your girlfriend so I can’t really get mad.”

It was true. She hadn’t been his girlfriend last week so he was able to do whatever he wanted. But it didn’t mean it would hurt any less if he had.

“I swear to you. I am not talking or hooking up with anyone else. And fuck her for saying that to you.” He gripped her hand “You believe me right?”

She stared at him for a few minutes. She did, she didn’t think he’d fly her out here if he was hooking up with girls at home, but her guard with him was up a little for the first time. It had definitely brought down her mood, and made her feel a little bit weird about the whole thing.

“Josie?”

“I-I believe you. But why would she say that?”

“You don’t believe me I can see it all over your face. She’s jealous obviously.”

“Jealous of who? Me?”

He rolled his eyes “Of COURSE she’s jealous of you. Your beautiful and smart, and your here with me and she isn’t.”

She shrugged and looked at his hand, which was still holding hers. He gave it a squeeze.

“I promise you. There’s no one else.”

Josie pursed her lips and looked at him “Okay. I believe you.”

He glanced over her head and then around the street. It was empty and then he smiled.

“Come on.”

“Where are we going?” She asked as he tugged her along by the hand.

“You’ll see.”

Before she even knew what was going on they were tangled up in the driver seat, attached at the lips.

“Oh my god this is so risky.” Josie breathed out as Vince stuffed his hands underneath her shirt, hands sending goosebumps across her skin.

The car was cold, but they had fogged the windows up in less than two minutes. Their make out in the bar had now spilled into the front seat of the car.

“Shhh it’s fine just kiss me.” He said quietly, pulling her down to his level and pushing his tongue in her mouth. He had a hand on either side of her hips, fingers brushing her bare legs until he had her skirt pushed completely up.

He reached down, fumbling around on the side of the seat looking for the lever to move the seat back, and finally found it, yanking on it a little too hard because it sent both of them flying backwards with a squeal, followed by laughter.

“Jesus Christ.” He mumbled against her neck pulling on it again and lurching them forward. Josie was crying with laughter until he gave a large push and they flew forward, Vince’s elbow hitting the steering wheel, horn blaring.

They both jumped expecting it to stop but it didn’t.

“What the fuck?!” He looked around her, smacking the horn several times, the loud sound cutting through the night. Josie felt her face burn for the amount of embarrassment she was about to feel when someone came over to investigate why the horn in the car was sticking, and found them both in the drivers seat, half dressed.

He finally punched it and it stopped, and he glanced up at her before resting his forehead against her chest.

“This just isn’t meant to be.” He picked up his phone and checked the time “But I can have us home in 10 minutes.”

*********

The rest of the week in Lindsay passed by slow enough to enjoy it, but too fast for it to be over. Every morning she woke up she got a little more sad. She was having so much fun and by Thursday evening she only had 3 days left and it had begun to weigh on her. She never wanted this trip to end, and as it inched closer to Sunday she was reminded that she would be going home alone.

“What’s wrong?” Vince asked as she plugged in her phone and laid next to him.

She glanced up “What? Oh nothing.”

“Liar.”

She rolled her eyes and sighed “Nothings wrong. Just bummed that I have to go back to St.Louis soon is all.”

“Yeah.” He nodded and sighed “Me too. But let’s just enjoy our last three days together, and then we’ll go from there.”

She frowned “What’s that mean?”

He pursed his lips and turned on his side to face her “Well. I was going to suggest maybe we take a trip, a vacation if you wanna call it that, before camp starts in September. If you can get off of work and everything.”

“A trip? Where?”

“To a place where all you have to wear is a bikini.”

“Vince!”

“What?” He said innocently, letting one hand trail up her bare leg “Can’t a guy have dirty thoughts about his girl in a bathing suit.”

A slow smile spread across her face until it was so wide her face might crack “What did you call me?”

“My girl.”

She wanted to kick her feet and squeal “I like that. Being your girl.” She ran her fingers through his hair, nails scratching his scalp. He leaned up to move his lips across her jaw until he reached her mouth, hand traveling up her thigh to the band of her underwear on her inner leg.

He was slotted between her legs, pelvis grinding up against hers as he kissed her slowly. He floated a hand up her shirt, resting it on her waist.

Before she knew it her shirt was gone and he was unhooking her bra big hands roaming everywhere. Every nerve ending in her body was a live wire, as his lips left hers and moved down her jaw towards her neck. She tugged at his shirt, prompting him to reach behind his head and pull it off in one quick movement.

She marveled at him as he hovered above her. Everything about Vince was thick, broad and muscled. Her hands roamed from his lower back up to his chest, scratching her fingernails across his skin. His mouth crushed hers, hurriedly kicking his boxers down his legs and tossing them aside.

She was shaking underneath him, cheeks red, goosebumps across her skin as she took a page breath in, the bones of her ribcage rippling underneath her skin. He stopped for a minute to really look at her.

“Goddamn your beautiful.” He whispered, eyes never leaving hers. Her blush deepened but she just pulled him back down by the chain to kiss him. Slower this time, her fingers moving down his back, nails scratching his skin, causing him to shiver. He sat back, hooking a finger on either side of her underwear and pulled them down her legs, leaning back over her and pushed a finger inside her causing her to gasp.

“That’s the prettiest noise I’ve ever heard.” He pushed another finger inside, moving them in and out, hooking them ever so slightly as he kissed her. She gripped the sheets, balling her hands into fists.

His lips brushed over her neck, eyes flicking up to meet hers as he pulled his fingers out, moving up her body and bracing himself between her legs.

“Tell me what you want.” She reached down, guiding him towards her. His head tipped down, stray hair falling into his eyes. She pushed it out of the way and bucked her hips up to meet his. She closed her eyes dreamily as he slowly pushed inside her, body arching up to meet his. He was so big, so broad as he moved above her, finding her mouth and kissing her slowly, methodically.

Vince splayed a hand across her ribcage and pulled her right leg up over his hip, lifting her clear off the bed. She let out a moan as he pushed deeper than before, hitting a new spot that had never been hit before.

“Vince I-“

He let out a breath, abdominal muscles tightening as he pushed faster, leaning down to kiss her desperately as he did. Her heart felt like it was about to explode out of her chest as a crippling, toe curling orgasm made its way through her body, sending shockwaves from her head to her feet, her entire body flooding with heat. She felt like she couldn’t breath as Vince gave his last few pushes with a groan and leaned down, head resting in her neck. His breath tickled her skin and she could feel his heart beating through his skin. He pulled out and laid next to her, chest rising and falling as he tried to slow his breathing, and he turned to smile at her.

“Your amazing and I-“ He stopped and cleared his throat “And your amazing.”

He’d almost said something crazy, but she thankfully hadn’t seemed to notice as she began to rummage around for her shirt and slipped it over her head before collapsing next to him. She rolled on to her side, eyes closing sleepily and hooked one of her legs with his, and promptly fell asleep.

**********

The cup arrived early the next day, and Vince had jumped out of bed like the house was on fire. He was showered, dressed and putting on his shoes by the time she had come out of the bathroom to get dressed.

“How fancy is this anyways?” She asked rummaging through her suitcase “Like should I wear a dress or pants or-?”

“Whatever you wear will be hot, but I like that one.” He was pointing at a yellow dress she had hung over the back of a chair in the corner of his room. She’d bought it and never worn it, tags still hung from the arm of it. She smiled.

“Perfect.”

There was already an entourage outside when they left the house, many friends and family had gathered in his driveway to watch the cup be handed to him. Even though Josie had no idea what was going on she was still excited to watch him pick up the cup. She googled it the night before and apparently within the hockey community it was a huge deal, so because it was big to Vince, it was to her. He gave her hand a squeeze before he released it and made his way over to the keeper of the cup to shake their hands. His mom spotted her and made her way over.

“You look nice.” She said commenting on her dress.

Josie looked down “Thanks. Vince picked it.”

“Well he did a great job. It’s so special you’re here with him for this, it’s his greatest achievement.”

“I didn’t know him then, but if it’s important to him it’s important to me.”

She smiled at her and gave a small laugh “You are important to him. I hope you know that. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t.”

Josie smiled and looked back at Vince as he picked up the cup and lifted it over his head and cheers erupted around him.

It was going to be a great day.

[ozarkthedog]

Congrats on the big milestone!! 📷 Been thinking a lot about Javi P smoking cigarettes. Something about the way he holds them makes me 🥵🫠 Please work your magic! @mothandpidgeon

thank you, moth!! and thanks for indulging my javier obsession and driving me up the fucking wall. now have a javier shotgunning blurb as punishment. (sorry the og ask got fucked so i had to make a new post)

18+ mdni. Javier Pena x afab!reader. shotgunning. wrote this with DBF!Javier in mind.

His fingers taste of coffee and ash as he slips two between your lips.

The worn pads of his fingertips slide over your tongue; he chuckles from deep in his chest when you lathe at his digits. "What a natural-born cock sucker." The cigarette he's smoking bounces up and down between his plump lips.

Warmth blossoms in your cheeks; still, somehow, you hold his unyielding stare. "Keep those pretty lips open for me, Gaitita." he grits with a rough tone from years of chain smoking. 

He takes a long, winding drag, keeping his keen eyes trained on you like he was in the middle of a stakeout. The orange tip glows white hot like the flame that burns between your legs before he plucks the cigarette from his lips with his free thumb and forefinger.

Smoke pours into your lungs as he slots his lips over yours and exhales the bitterness down your throat. Your lungs burn from the acidity, but his smooth lips are a lewd distraction as they glide softly along your own. He groans deep in his chest when he licks into your mouth and claims another untouched part of you.

When he pulls back, you can't help but move with him, like his shadow under the mid day sun. He places the burning cigarette between his lips before cupping your face with his two giant hands.

"Wanna try smoking it yourself?" Smoke slips from his lips as he brushes a thumb over your cheek. "Those lips were made to be wrapped around something." 

Ozzie’s 11k birthday sleepover

[rhoorl]

Delta Landscaping | Chapter 13: Pike's Place

Series Summary: In this AU, the boys of Delta Force start a new business post-Colombia. 

Series Masterlist | Chapter 13 A03 Link

Word Count: 6.6k

Previously on As the Mule Falls: The Miller brothers had a heart-to-heart. Tio Frankie left Dallas and made his way back to Tampa by way of Atlanta (and met someone on his flight). The Neighborhood Watch descended upon a skating rink for some Star Wars-themed birthday fun. Frankie had to leave a little early for…reasons. 

In this Episode: Benny gets an earful from Cousin Joel. There’s a full house at the gym to help train Benny. The neighbors set up another party - cue a Neighborhood Watch group chat. The Pikes close on their house and move in. Obligatory corgi scene. Benny gets a bit flustered as we meet someone new.

Chapter Warnings: Marcus Pike comes with his own warnings - we get domestic!Marcus, dad!Marcus, wingman!Marcus, supportive brother-in-law!Marcus. (Can you tell I have a soft spot for him). Cousin Joel makes a cameo. A little flustered and shy Benny along with a distracted Fish. David being David. A few Spanish phrases are scattered throughout. While I try and keep all of the OCs somewhat neutral regarding physical descriptions (I’m still learning, so I’m not always good at this!), a new OFC will be described more specifically (especially in episodes to come). Two characters have V names. Marcus’ wife’s name is Victoria. Her sister’s name is Vanessa.

*Cue the theme music and roll opening credits*

Sunday

Will had just poured himself a cup of coffee when he heard a soft knock at the door. He wasn’t expecting anyone over so early. Benny was still sleeping and it was too early for Santiago and Frankie to show up. He thought maybe it was Lucille stopping by with some treats, so he padded over to the front door, pulling a T-shirt over his head on the way.

When he opened the door, he saw Olivia with Diana balancing on her hip as she held a couple of gift bags in her hand.

“Hi Will, sorry I didn’t interrupt anything did I?” She smiled, trying to be discreet as she looked past Will and into the house.

Will cleared his throat, “Ah, no…just me. Hey there, princess,” he brought his thumb up to rub Diana’s cheek, eliciting a little giggle from the toddler. 

“Oh ok. Sorry, I don’t mean to disturb you. I kind of forget that other people aren’t up at like 5 in the morning every day like me,” she laughed softly. “Um, anyway, I meant to give you boys these,” she handed the bags to Will. 

“You didn’t have to get us anything, Liv. Thank you,” Will smiled as he looked through the bag of Star Wars-themed party favors, including some Lego mini-figures, stickers, and candy.

“You’re welcome. Don’t tell David, but I snuck a little something extra into your bag,” she winked.

He tilted his head to the side and peeked back into the bag, pulling out a couple of Polaroids. One was a candid of the four guys, laughing and having a good time. A small smile came over Will’s face; it had been so long since the guys all looked so carefree. The second photo was of Will with his arm around Katie’s shoulder. He looked at her as she threw her head back in laughter at Benny who was mid-story.

“Thanks, Liv, this was nice of you to bring over.” He murmured as he looked at the photos, his eyes crinkling as his smile grew wider.

Olivia regarded him for a moment, wanting to say more but also didn’t want to pry. “Well, I’ll leave you. I have to go deliver a few more of these. Got any fun plans for today?”

“Nah, just hanging out probably. I don’t know how you do it, Liv. I’m worn out from yesterday. You’re a superhero,” he laughed.

“I have my days, don’t let the cuteness fool you,” she motioned down to Diana, who played with her pacifier. “Say hi to the boys for me.”

“You girls have fun delivering your goodie bags,” he winked at Diana.

As he walked back to the kitchen to microwave his now lukewarm coffee, he plopped the gift bags on the counter. He pulled out the two Polaroids, looking at them before grabbing a couple of magnets and placing them on the refrigerator. 

Monday

“What do you mean you signed up for a fight?” Joel demanded, the tension in his voice palpable.

Benny winced, pulling the phone away from his ear before putting it back, “I…I just kind of did it on a whim,” he said weakly like a little kid being scolded. “Besides, it’s too late to get out of it now since we’re only a few weeks away.”

He paced around his kitchen, chewing his thumb as Joel continued to lay into him for making such a rash decision. After a while, Joel calmed down.

“Bean,” Joel sighed, “I wish you wouldn’t do this shit anymore, man.”

“Yeah. Sorry, I was just…mad and I wasn’t thinking and one thing led to another and I called Herb and here we are.”

Joel paused for a moment. “When’s the fight?”

“Middle of next month.”

“The actual date Bean, when is it?” Joel asked tersely. 

“Um…I think…hold on lemme go to the calendar, Will wrote it down,” Benny trailed off as he walked toward the refrigerator and flipped the calendar to the following month. “Why?”

“If I can swing it I’ll come.”

Benny stopped, a big smile coming across his face. “Wait, really? Y-You don’t have to do that man.”

“I’m not making any promises, we got a shit ton of deadlines and I’m waitin' on these goddamn permits to go through.” Joel pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Oh ok, sure…no, I get it.” Benny replied flatly, he didn’t want to get too excited about the prospect of Joel visiting. He couldn’t remember the last time Joel went on a vacation so he was tempering his expectations. 

Benny proceeded to throw out a bunch of dates, explaining his training schedule and what his plan was before Joel cut him off.

“Hey Bean - look I gotta go, I just got to the site. Send me a picture of the calendar so I can see all the shit you just spouted off. I’m not gonna remember everything you just said.”

“Yeah, you got it. Hold on…ok sending it right now. Hey J, no pressure or anything man, I know you have Sarah, but I’d really like it if you came.”

“I know Bean, I’ll try. Talk to you later, bud.” 

Joel hung up the phone as a text message came through. He opened the photo and zoomed in, cursing the fact that part of him knew he needed to get glasses. Rather than look at the calendar, his eyes were drawn to a photo stuck to a magnet on the refrigerator. Pinching the photo to further inspect it, the shadow of a smile came across his face.

“Where’s Fish, I thought he was supposed to meet us here,” Will looked over at Santiago as he, Benny, and Connor got out of Will's Jeep and walked up to the gym. 

Santiago shook his head and shrugged. “He’ll be here.”

“I thought he was usually done with his meetings by now, that’s why we picked this time. He’s good, right?” Will furrowed his brows.

“Yeah, isn’t it coming up on a year?” Benny followed up.

“Oh shit, you’re right,” Santiago brought his palm to his forehead. “Fuck…yeah it’s next week, we’ll have to figure out something to do for him. But no he’s all good. I promise I heard from him yesterday, briefly. Turns out that girl he met doesn’t live here. She was here for the weekend and flying back this morning.”

“So he’s going to be in a real great mood then huh,” Benny scoffed as he adjusted the strap of his gym bag on his shoulder. 

“Don’t worry about him, he’ll be fine. He knows you need him. Plus, this will be a good distraction because otherwise, he’ll be in a pissy mood,” Will reassured his brother.

“Yeah and none of us want to be around a pissy Fish,” Santiago smirked. “You ready to go bud?” Santiago looked over to Connor, grabbing his shoulder.

“Yeah, happy to help however I can.”

David: Goooood morning! Anyone down for a 4th of July pool party tomorrow?

Megan: You offering? Have you asked Ty already?

Ty: Yes. All good. Figured we could do something kind of small. 

David: And we HAVE to invite the guys. It’s a pool party after all. Need to see some wet Frankie hair again 🫠

Olivia: 😂

Katie: OMG David. 

David: Oh come on, like you’re one to talk. Will in trunks isn’t too bad either. Hell, all of them. Alexa: Add one of each to my cart.

Ty: After the twins’ party I think I’m now Team Santiago 😉

Melissa: I can bring food, just tell me what I should plan for.

David: Damn ok. Wasn’t quite ready for logistics yet…I was still thirsty buuuuut anyway. I’ll shoot you guys over my thoughts later. I need to sit with my mood board for a bit.

Megan: It’s a Fourth of July party - isn’t that enough of a mood?

Ty: you know who you’re talking to right? 🙄

Lucille: Count on me to make whatever you want.

David: Love you Lulu ♥️ Katie - you’re in charge of texting Will so he can tell the guys.

Olivia: Why don’t we just add them to the group chat?

David: ARE YOU CRAZY?! This is my safe space.

Marcus was beaming as he bounced Mariella on his lap and watched Victoria sign the last in the giant stack of papers. 

“Well, Victoria….Marcus, congratulations, you’re the proud owners of 306 Mule Fall Court,” Ethan smiled as he got up and shook hands with the couple, giving Nicolas a high five. “

Once Ethan handed over the keys, the family posed for a quick photo for his Instagram and then made their way to their SUV. Marcus unlocked the doors as Nicolas hopped in, grabbing his tablet so he could go back to playing his game. Meanwhile, Victoria worked on buckling Mariella into her car seat. She handed the toddler her milk bottle and closed the door, surprised Marcus was right behind her.

“Baby, you can’t sneak up on me like that,” she smiled as Marcus cupped her cheek and leaned in for a kiss.

“Congratulations Mrs. Pike, you finally have your dream house,” he smiled against her lips, his thumb rubbing her cheek. 

“Hmm..well, Special Agent Pike,” she wrapped her arms around Marcus’ neck. “Our first night in the house is going to be a little bit different than our first place, huh?” She winked. 

Marcus chuckled, reminiscing about their first apartment together and the rather eventful night they had christening their first shared space. “Vanessa can’t get here soon enough so she can watch the kids, I need to take you out on a date. Speaking of, when is she getting in?”

“She texted she’s only a few hours away. Hey tomorrow, I figured we could maybe do a barbecue or something since we won’t have much of the kitchen stuff unpacked.” The corners of her mouth curled up as Marcus rolled his eyes and shook his head. 

“I guess that means getting the barbecue set up is among my first orders of business today then, huh?”

“Yes, and our bed,” she winked and then froze as she realized where she was. “The kids…fuck…the kids…it’s so hot Marcus, get in and blast the AC,” she abruptly turned around and opened the door as Marcus ran to the other side of the SUV to turn it on.

Katie was walking back to her office with her second coffee of the day. She figured now was as good a time as any to text Will and see if he and the guys wanted to go to David and Ty’s party. 

Katie: Hey! You boys have plans for the 4th?

Will: No, not really.

Katie: No?! Figured it was a big day for you all.

Will: It’s a complicated day.

Katie furrowed her brows at Will’s responses. He was normally curt, but he seemed especially abrupt.

Katie: Oh ok. Well, David is having people over and you guys were my responsibility on the phone tree to invite.

Will: Nice, ok yeah. I’ll check with the guys in a bit and get back to you? We’re at the gym.

She breathed a bit of a sigh of relief but chastised herself for not stopping to think that he may actually be busy.

Katie: Yeah sounds good.

Will: Get back to work Kat 😉

Frankie rolled into the gym about an hour late, having missed all of the cardio and weights.

“There he is!” Santiago clapped his hands as Frankie walked towards the ring. He came in for handshakes and hugs with all of the guys, including Connor.

“You good Fish?” Benny cocked his head to the side, taking in how Frankie’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Frankie cleared his throat, pulling his hat off and running his hair through his curls. “Yeah man, I’m good. Are you?”

“He’s better now that you’re here, Fish,” Will clapped his brother on the shoulder. “Now the fun begins!”

“Yeah, let’s do it,” Frankie went to put on some sparring gloves, not seeing the looks all of the guys exchanged. They were all walking a bit on eggshells trying to gauge Frankie’s mood. 

It turned out that sparring with Benny was exactly what Frankie needed; he was able to get out some of his frustration while giving Benny a worthy opponent. 

“C’mon Ben, you have to try and dodge me. The guy is going to be walking all over you if you don’t pick up your feet,” Frankie panted as he ducked around Benny’s punches. 

“Atta boy Benny, show that old man what’s up!” Santiago yelled with a cupped hand around his mouth.

“Fuck off Pope, I want to see your ass in here,” Frankie muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Can’t, doctor’s orders,” he called back, looking over to Connor with a wink. “Couple of neck surgeries and shit knees,” he tilted his head forward, showing off his scar.

“Aka he’s old,” Will smirked as Connor stifled a snort. 

Meanwhile, Benny locked in a decent combination, pinning Frankie to the ropes as he tapped out. 

“Good, Ben. Wanna take a break?” Franke huffed. 

Benny nodded and he and Frankie took off their gloves, sitting on the side of the ring as the other guys brought them water.

“Oh, since we’re all here,” Will started, “Katie said there was some Fourth of July party tomorrow. We’re all invited.”

Benny, Frankie, and Santiago looked between each other and then back to Will.

“D-do you guys not celebrate the Fourth?” Connor asked.

“It’s…” Benny started.

“Complicated,” Santiago finished as Frankie pointed towards him in agreement.

“Oh, so you guys don’t want like … a lot of attention or whatever?” Connor looked between the four men. “If it makes you feel any better, it’s really more of a pool party than anything else. Ever since that one year, Ty won’t let David shoot off fireworks,” he chuckled to himself.

“Are there…uh…other people who set off fireworks in the neighborhood?” Will crossed his arms in front of him as Benny side-eyed him.

‘Uh, yeah. I think Aria’s neighbors are the ones who do it now…but they live a few streets over.”

“But it’s still probably loud huh?” Frankie mirrored Will’s body language as he looked over at his friend.

Connor straightened up, sensing the tension coming off from the guys, especially Will. He was unsure what to say, not wanting to upset them.

“Ironhead isn’t one for loud noises, hell, none of us are any more,” Santiago spoke up, seeing Connor slightly relax.

“Oh, I hear ya. Ms. Olivia always gets mad because the twins get woken up….I dunno my mom and her always end up talking about it and reading what people are saying on Facebook,” he laughed. “I can ask Mom if she knows if anyone’s going to do fireworks. That way you guys know?” 

“That’s nice of you man,” Benny brought the boy in for a half hug. “We may decide to leave a little early but I think we’re all down for a pool party aren’t we boys?” He looked around and saw them all reluctantly nod. “Well that settles it,” he smiled.

“Alright Ben, let’s get back to it, you’re not done,” Frankie slapped Benny across the chest and then motioned toward the weights.

As Benny, Will and Connor made their way over, Santiago quietly pulled Frankie to the side. “Everything good hermano?” 

“I’m ok,” Frankie muttered as he took the tape off his hands. 

“You gonna see your girl again? Or was it just a weekend thing?” He brief smirk quickly replaced by a look of concern. “Sorry, Fish.”

Frankie sighed, “All good man. I’m going to see her again…at least I hope I can see her again. We uh…didn’t really talk a lot about it,” he let out a soft chuckle, rustling with the back of his hair where it poked out from his cap.

“Ah mano, I’m sure you didn’t,” Santiago winked, eliciting a reluctant smile from Frankie. “You don’t have to tell me all about it now. But seriously, how long’s it been? I figured after finally getting some you’d be less of a dick.” He dodged a playful punch from Frankie, who got him into a headlock.

“Nico, can you help me with that box?” Marcus pointed to the trunk of his SUV as his son eagerly nodded.

“Dada, I big helper too,” Mariella waddled over making grabby hands up at Marcus’ knees for him to pick her up.

“Ah muñeca, yes, you are a big helper too, here,” he handed the little girl an empty plastic bag which she happily took as she trotted up the driveway to her mother.

“Mama I’m a big helper!”

“Wow! Look at that!” Victoria smiled as the family worked on emptying the SUV with their first round of belongings. “Babe, when’s the moving truck getting here?”

“Should be any minute now,” Marcus checked his phone.

“Doggie!!” Mariella yelled as she started running down the driveway, with Nico on her heels.

“Hey, hey, be careful,” Marcus chased after them, scooping his daughter up and redirecting Nico away from the sidewalk as a woman and her corgi approached. “Sorry about that! They both love animals,” he called over.

“Oh, it’s ok! He’s friendly if they want to say hi,” she smiled, motioning down to her dog. 

Marcus walked down the driveway with Mariella on his hip and Nico holding his hand.

“This is Bucky, say hi Bucky,” she looked down at the dog who excitedly looked between all of the new people. “I’m Megan by the way….I live a few doors down, the one with the basketball hoop,” she motioned over her shoulder.

“I’m Marcus,” he reached out to shake her hand. “This is Mariella and Nico…my wife Victoria,” he nodded behind him as Victoria made her way down the driveway.

“Hi! Are you one of our neighbors?” Victoria asked with a warm smile. 

“Yeah, I’m kind of the unofficial welcome wagon,” Megan chuckled as Bucky looked up at her and whined. “You too buddy, you’re part of the committee too,” she winked at the couple. “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt you all if you’re moving in. I’m sure you have your hands full.”

“Oh it’s ok, we’re waiting on the moving truck, and then my sister,” Victoria said as she reached down to pet Bucky, who rolled over on his back as the kids giggled.

“He hates attention as you can tell,” Megan laughed. “Hey, I know it’s probably a lot and you may already have plans, but we’re having a Fourth of July barbecue tomorrow if you all want to come. All the neighbors will be there. We just had some guys move in a few weeks ago, they’ll love to no longer be the new kids on the block,” she winked.

“That’s so nice of you, thank you,” Victoria smiled. 

“Yeah, here let me get your number,” Megan pulled out her phone and handed it to Victoria who eagerly entered her contact information.

“Hey, I'm thinking we can get started on Melissa and Danny's backyard the day after tomorrow. I wanted to swing by Home Depot, get a few things, and drop it off so we can just get started right away on Wednesday. Anyone wanna come with?” Santiago asked the group as they were walking out. Frankie was busy checking his phone and not paying attention.

“I, uh, I should get home. I told Lulu I'd help her with some stuff … I'm getting lunch out of it,” Connor chuckled.

“Damn, don't go eating all of the empanadas, she said she'd save some for me. And she probably made something special for you now that you’re back, Fish,” Benny laughed, his face scrunching up when Frankie ignored him. “Fish?”

Frankie looked up from his phone, “Hmm? Oh … ah yeah…sure,” he gave a tight smile.

Will furrowed his brows, looking away from Frankie and focusing his attention on Connor. “How about I drive you home and these three can head to Home Depot? It'll be easier probably with your truck Fish.”

“Hmm, sure yeah that's fine.” Frankie’s lips twitched as he checked his phone again.

“Okay,” Santiago cut in, trying to cover for the fact that Frankie was clearly distracted and had his mind elsewhere. “That settles it, see you back at the house Will.”

“Babe, I think Santi and the boys are going to drop off some stuff … you going to be around?” Melissa walked into the living room, putting on her earrings as Danny played a video game.

“Uh ok, cool,” he paused the game. “You not gonna be here?”

“No, I…uh…I have to go grocery shopping for tomorrow. I told David I’d bring something.”

“Ooo nice, what did you decide on?”

“Ah, I don’t know yet. I figured I’d go to the store and see what speaks to me.” 

“Any instructions I need to know for the guys?”

“Nope, they should be outta here before you know it,” she walked over to the kitchen counter to grab her crossbody and keys. “I’ll be back, love you!” 

“Ok. Hold tight, let me go check and see where she wants the stuff,” Santiago instructed as he jumped out of Frankie’s truck and bounded up the driveway.

“Looks like the neighbors are finally moving in,” Benny observed, looking at the passenger side window.

He recognized the family from the other day. The husband held onto a little girl while a little boy played with a plastic golf club set. He spotted the wife coming out of the house with one of the movers. 

“Yeah, that moved pretty fast, huh?” Frankie responded absentmindedly as he tapped on his phone.

“Fish, look, I don’t wanna pry or anything….but is everything ok? I've never seen you on your phone this much and it’s kinda weirding me out,” he laughed.

Frankie put his phone in his lap and took a deep breath. “I ah…I kinda met somebody,” Frankie looked up sheepishly.

“Well, that’s obvious Fish,” Benny smirked.

“It’s moving kinda fast,” Frankie twirled the curls sticking out of the back of his hat.

“It’s ok, fast can be good…well…not in some cases, but you know what I mean,” Benny snorted as Frankie groaned.

Santiago tapped on the passenger side window, motioning to Benny to roll it down. “We just missed Melissa apparently, but Danny’s gonna open the gate to the backyard and we can just set everything back out by the shed. We’ll figure it out later.” 

“Sweet. Let’s get to work, I wanna get home and take a shower” Benny clapped his hands, getting out of the car and waving to Danny. “Hey, man!”

“What’s going on guys? Lemme go open the gate real quick and I can come help!” Danny held up a key as he walked to the side of the house.

“All good man, take your time,” Santiago shouted back as he unlocked the bed of Frankie’s truck.

The guys started unloading a few things and followed Danny into the backyard, missing the arrival of another black SUV at 306 Mulefall Court.

“Tia Nessa!! Papa! Tia Nessa is here!” Nicolas’ face lit up as he saw his Tia Vanessa park and get out of her car. She placed her sunglasses on her head and opened her arms up for a hug.

“Oye mi corazón!” Vanessa knelt on the ground, bringing her nephew in for a tight hug. “Ah, I missed you. Everything going ok? You helping your mama y papa?”

“Si, Tia Nessa, I’m helping,” he smiled back, “I’m really strong…look,” he flexed.

“Ay dios mio, wow!” She laughed before turning her attention to her little niece. “Oh! Look at you walking mi chiquitita!” she clapped her hands as Mariella made her way over. She picked the little girl up and twirled her around.

“Hey Vandy,” Marcus greeted her with a warm smile followed by a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Thanks, Buck, happy to be here,” she smiled, rubbing his arm with a tight smile. Even before he was “officially” her brother by marriage, Vanessa always had a soft spot for Marcus, the two sharing a sweet, unspoken bond. 

“I like your hair…in the light it looks…purple?” He reached towards the end of the hair sticking out of her claw clip.

“Thanks, had a bit of a crisis so I dyed it,” she chuckled. “Look at yours! I don’t think I’ve seen your hair this long in a while! And with this scruff?! Vic must be losing her mind,” she winked.

“Ha,” a slight flush washed over his face as he cleared his throat. “I’m gonna need you to take care of this before I go back to work on Wednesday,” he said as his hand ruffled through his curls.

“Please don’t cut it too short,” Victoria walked up with a pout before embracing her little sister with a tight hug and a huge smile plastered across her face.

“We won’t go as short as normal, right Buck?” Vanessa winked. “Just shape it up a bit.”

“Ah, I am so excited you’re here!” Victoria squeaked. She was about to bombard her sister with questions about the drive and what she packed, but she got distracted by some movement in the yard next door. “Oh, hi!” She waved at the group of men making their way towards a green pickup truck in the neighbor’s driveway.

Vanessa followed her sister’s gaze, checking out the group. She took a particular interest in the taller man in the bunch. He had a black backward baseball cap on and a T-shirt that fit snugly around his biceps. Their eyes locked briefly and she sucked in a breath as he gave her a lopsided smile. She then noticed his soft, kind eyes that were the prettiest shade of blue. She heard one of the other guys exchanging pleasantries with Marcus, who had walked over to greet the group.

“Damn, I didn’t realize the landscapers were gonna be so hot,” Vanessa whispered to her sister with a smirk. “You have any projects planned?”

“They aren’t landscapers,” Victoria laughed and pulled her sister close as she gave her the rundown of the men. “And the one in the black hat? That’s Benny. He lives a few houses down with his brother...who I don't see.” She side-eyed her sister, who was absentmindedly biting her lower lip as she watched Benny and the rest of the guys chat with Marcus. “Want me to go introduce you?” she waggled her eyebrows, playfully bumping Vanessa in the shoulder.

“No, Vic. Don’t make it weird,” she turned to face her sister. “We have unpacking to do and I am desperate for you to show me around this beautiful house!” 

“I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to help you unpack a box or two,” Victoria smirked.

Vanessa rolled her eyes and knelt to get to eye level with her nephew, “Nico, you wanna help me get some stuff out of my car and then show me your room?”

“Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” Nicolas jumped up and down, running over to Vanessa’s SUV as Marcus walked back over to his lawn.

“That must be the sister,” Santiago motioned over with his eyes as the guys grabbed another load from the back of the truck. 

Frankie noticed Benny try and steal glances behind him. “She’s pretty,” Frankie commented, looking Benny up and down trying to gauge a reaction. 

Benny nodded and cleared his throat before hopping up onto the bed of the truck to continue unloading. His eyes looked past Frankie, finding hers once again from a distance. It had been so long since he’d approached a woman and he felt uncharacteristically nervous. He shook his head to collect himself before jumping down from Frankie’s truck to help Santiago carry a bag of soil.

As they walked up the driveway, his eyes quickly cut over just in time to see her leaning into the backseat of her SUV to grab something. She was wearing workout pants and an oversized T-shirt and her hair was casually up in a clip. Benny’s eyes trailed down her body, lingering for a moment on her ass as she bent down. He felt his pulse quicken a little bit, a thrill he hadn’t experienced in a while.

“You into girls with dark hair now?” Santiago chimed in, pulling Benny’s attention.

“What?” Benny cleared his throat, his brows furrowed as he regarded a smug Santiago.

“Just an observation. She’s not your usual type.” He used his lips to point back towards the driveway next door. 

“What? I…uh…” Benny tried to play it off with a laugh, but Santiago exchanged a knowing look with Frankie.

“Psst, ven aquí,” Victoria whispered to her sister as her husband and son went upstairs to drop off some of the bags from Vanessa’s car. 

“What’s up?” 

“He’s hot, right?” Victoria asked with a smirk.

Vanessa furrowed her brows, “who?”

“Benny, silly. C’mon, you have to admit he’s like super hot, right?” 

“I didn’t realize you were looking, hermana. I figured out of all of them you’d be most interested in the curly-haired one in the hat who kinda looks like Marcus ow-!” Vanessa laughed as her sister playfully slapped her arm. 

“You know what I meant tonta.”

“Don’t give me that look,” Vanessa narrowed her eyes.

“I’m not giving you a look. I’m just surprised. He’s not your usual type is all.”

“Who’s not who’s type?” Marcus asked as he came around the corner.

“Nothing. It’s nothing. C’mon, there’s still a bunch of stuff in the trunk,” Vanessa turned on her heels as Marcus winked at his wife.

“Meddling already and I just got here,” Vanessa muttered to herself as she walked back outside to her car, stepping over some of the toys scattered on the front lawn. When she reached her car, she took a deep breath and collected herself as she waited for her trunk to open.

Moving in with her sister and brother-in-law wasn’t something she had on her mid-30s bingo card, but here she was. She was grateful to them for their generosity, even though it still made her feel inadequate and a bit like a charity case. For the past six months, she felt like she was floundering and was hopeful a change of scenery could give her the reset she so desperately wanted.

She stacked a couple of boxes, struggling a bit to carry them but she was determined to not drop them – especially since she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of the guys next door. Her mind was elsewhere as she walked up the driveway, cutting up into the lawn as her foot caught something. Then, everything felt like it was happening in slow motion.

“You gonna keep staring or are you gonna go and say hi?” Santiago peered over to Benny as he watched the woman walk back to her car. “She’s clearly going to be a neighbor, welcome her to the neighborhood,” he waggled his eyebrows as Benny shook his head and averted his eyes.

“Nervous to go talk to a girl? This is unlike you Benjamin,” Frankie smirked as Santiago snorted.

“Ha ha very funny,” Benny rolled his eyes, taking a deep breath and looking as she struggled with a couple of boxes she had stacked on top of each other.

His hands twitched, wanting to run over there and help her, but he also didn’t want to offend. Thanks to his ex, he second-guessed everything. Benny’s eyes again raked down her body as she walked with the boxes stacked high; he smiled to himself to see her determination. And then, it felt like everything stopped and happened in slow motion. 

She didn’t notice the golf club lying haphazardly in her path. Her shoe caught it and Benny instinctively took off in her direction, knowing he was too far to do anything. She stumbled, unable to recover her footing, and fell forward as the boxes tumbled, scattering their contents onto the lawn. 

“Vandy!” Marcus shouted as he ran out the front door. 

“Fuck,” she muttered to herself as she got to her hands and knees, hoping that no one else saw her fall. Then she heard a couple of heavy footsteps running up the driveway.

“Are you ok?” She heard an unfamiliar deep voice, noticing the Southern drawl.

She turned her head to see the man with the black cap towering over her. His eyebrows were knitted with concern as he bent down, offering his hand so she could stand up.

“Uh, y-yeah,” she gave a weak smile, mesmerized that his eyes were even more beautiful up close than they were from a distance. When he smiled at her, she felt her knees go weak, it was a miracle she was able to stand. “I…um…I’m usually not so clumsy,” she laughed nervously pausing when she looked down to see he was still holding her hand.

“Vandy, are you alright?” Marcus ran up in a huff and brought his hands to her shoulders to steady her. 

Benny dropped her hand and ran it down his mouth and across his jaw, finally resting it on his neck as he watched.

“Yeah, I’m ok, just startled me more than anything,” she reassured her brother-in-law. 

“Sorry, Nico had stuff everywhere, I should have had him put it all away…”

“Buck, it’s ok. I’m ok,” she smiled.

“Here, let me help y’all pick this stuff up,” Benny cut in, realizing he was just awkwardly standing there. He bent down to start collecting the items which consisted of a lot of knick knacks. 

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Vanessa crouched down, embarrassed that the man is getting to see her Funko pop collection scattered across the lawn. But he was working so quickly to help that it brought a smile to her face.

Marcus observed this encounter with a smirk. It had been so long since he’d seen her smile like that and he was amused, even though he knew Victoria would chastise him for gawking. 

“Here, I can take this in for you,” Benny smiled as he picked up one of the newly repacked boxes

“Uh, t-thank you…”

“Benny. I’m Benny,” he smiled and Vanessa felt the butterflies erupting in her stomach.

“Vanessa.” Her eyes locked on his and she thought she saw the faintest blush coming across his face.

“Benny lives down the street Vandy, with his brother Will,” Marcus chimed in.

“Oh, nice,” she smiled tightly, hoping that Marcus wouldn’t make it awkward but she saw that glimmer in his eye. Bless him, he tried over the years to set her up with friends but it never quite worked out.

Benny cleared his throat, “Yeah, we’re just down that way,” he motioned down the street with his chin. 

Benny and Vanessa stayed looking at each other like time stood still. Neither was sure when they last took a breath.

Marcus, meanwhile, happily played the bystander watching the back and forth like it was a tennis match. When he realized neither of them was going to say anything, he cleared his throat. “So, Vandy you gonna keep us standing here holding your stuff or are we heading in,” he smirked.

“Shit, yeah, sorry. Ah, here I can take that.” She motioned to the box but Benny pulled it back.

“Nuh uh, I”ll take it. Lead the way boss lady,” Benny winked letting her walk in front. He couldn’t help how his eyes swept down her body and as he was admiring her ass his view was blocked by Marcus who stepped in front of him with a smile. Benny cleared his throat and got in line behind him.

“I was wondering where you all we-,” Victoria’s eyes widened as she saw her sister and husband walk back into the house followed by Benny. She crossed her arms and rested her weight on one foot, ‘Wow Benny, you’re just a jack of all trades aren’t you,” she winked as Benny laughed.

“Here Benny, it’s up this way,” Marcus nodded for Benny to follow him upstairs. 

Vanessa winced as she rubbed her knee, thankful she fell on grass and not the pavement. “You fell? Are you ok? Let me grab my kit real quick…” Victoria trailed off.

“Calm down Nightengale, I just tripped on the lawn,” Vanessa rolled her eyes, straightening up when her sister gave her that look. “Ok, I fell. But it’s not a big deal. I’m more embarrassed than anything.”

“So you pulled the whole damsel in distress thing to get Benny to come over, huh?” She waggled her eyebrows.

“You and I both know I’m not coordinated enough to pull that off…clearly,” Vanessa chuckled. 

Just then the sisters heard some laughter coming from the staircase as Marcus and Benny walked down the steps.

“Got another load or two maybe, you good to help?” Marcus looked over his shoulder.

“Oh you really don’t have to do that,” Vanessa started to follow before Victoria grabbed her by the arm.

“Can you stop? Let him help you.”

“I can do it myself,” Vanessa huffed.

“I know you can, but accept the help sometimes,” the deeper meaning behind the words was not lost on either sister.

A few moments later, there was laughter and commotion at the door as Marcus came back through with Benny and some additional helpers.

“Got the whole thing unpacked, Vandy. Look at how fast that was thanks to our neighbors,” Marcus winked as he made his way up the stairs. Benny was right behind and gave her a shy smile as he walked by.

A good looking shorter man with curly hair was next. He had an air of confidence and seemed like the kind of guy who would coax you into bad decisions. “Hi, I’m Santi…that’s Frankie,” he nodded behind him. The man with the baseball cap smiled as he followed the group upstairs.

When they were alone, Victoria snorted, trying to contain her laughter.

“Stop it,” Vanessa rolled her eyes. 

“Ok ok, I won’t say anything,” Victoria smirked. “But, how are you thinking of repaying him for his kindness ow-” she ducked as Vanessa threw a cleaning rag her way with a laugh.

“Uh oh, that can only mean trouble,” Marcus called down as heavy footsteps made their way down the stairs. “Can’t leave those two alone,” he winked at Benny.

“This is a beautiful house,” Santiago remarked, taking a look around.

“Thanks, I’m excited to make it ours,” Victoria walked over to Marcus, wrapping her arm around his waist and looking up at him like he personally hung the moon in the sky.  

Santiago looked at Benny, who readjusted his hat, looking down at the ground nervously. “You all coming to the party tomorrow?” 

Vanessa looked at her sister and brother-in-law with a confused look. “You guys have been here a couple of hours and are already getting invited to parties. Wow, that’s a record,” she smirked.

Benny snorted, his eyes meeting hers.

Victoria ignored her sister’s quip and looked at Santiago, “We’ll all be there. Will you?”

“Yup, we’ll be there, won’t we Benny?”

Benny cleared his throat, “Ah y-yeah, should be fun!” 

“It’s a…um…pool party,” Frankie offered, gesturing towards Nicolas who had just walked into the kitchen with his little sister holding his hand.

“Pool party?! Yeaaahh!” The little boy cheered as everyone laughed.

“Well, we look forward to it. Should be a grand ol’ time,” Marcus smirked.

Next Time on As the Mule Falls: We are headed to another neighborhood party - when you have David as your defacto neighborhood social director, expect lots of fun. The boys have some complicated feelings about being the center of attention because of the holiday. Prepare for some Will angst, some Pike smut, and more cuteness with Benny and Vanessa.

A/N: We’ve got a lot of storylines cooking now! In case you missed it, I made a Delta Landscaping Bingo card to keep track of all of the PPCU character references. Based on the plans I have for this series so far, you can make a “bingo” three ways. Not to add additional reading, but my little Frankie series Turbulence gives a bit more insight into what he was up to over the weekend. There is a part 4 coming out soon and after that the story will be weaved into DL. I’ve got a few other surprises up my sleeve 😉

Thank you so much for reading and supporting this story. 

I forgot to post a chapter mood board earlier this week, so here it is...

Taglist: @goodwithcheese / @gemmahale / @trulybetty / @noxturnalpascal / @periodtsparadox / @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin / @maggiemayhemnj / @mysterious-moonstruck-musings / @avastrasposts / @meveispunk / @chaoticfestninja / @beboldbebravethings / @casa-boiardi / @katw474 / @linzels-blog / @laughing-in-th3-purple-rain / @pimosworld / @lynnchun / @anoverwhelmingdin /@lilmizmoz / @pedrit0-pascalit0 / @titlee78 / @noisynightmarepoetry / @inept-the-magnificent / @perennialdoll247 / @for-a-longlongtime / @readingiskeepingmegoing / @harriedandharrassed / @musings-of-a-rose / @anavatazes / @sherala007 / @midnightraain / @partyofone3413 / @inthedarkestnight / @millennial-teenybopper / @csarab615 / @darkheartgatita / @southernbe / @weho2kcmo / @itspdameronthings 

[weretheones]

All You Got | Part 10

Part 10: A Reminder

Plot: Daryl Dixon hadn’t known much beyond anger and loneliness his whole life, until he found family at the end of the world. Everything he grew to care about was ripped away the day the prison fell; so when he recognized you, an enforcer of his loss, hiding in that cabin, he almost pulled the trigger. But after you end up saving his life, he couldn’t find the indifference to leave you for dead, even if you’d been on the Governor’s side. (Mid-Late Season 4)

Series Masterlist | AO3 Version

Paring: Eventual Daryl Dixon x Reader Word Count: 3.2k Warnings: typical twd content. mentions of death. mentions of prepping game? A/N: hi hi. another late post. very late. im sorry! life has been so distracting lately and without getting to much into it, I felt like I needed a break from writing to fix my relationship with it (to be healthier, yay). feeling better now <3 hope ur all doing well mwah.

Dawn's slow wake was infectious. Early light stretched through the backseat windows, and the moment it warmed the tips of your fingers flattened across the smooth pleather your muscles began to stir. 

Morning?

Your heavy hand, also half asleep, rubbed your eyes until you could make out Daryl’s figure. He sat in the same spot as you’d left him last night, as if time hadn’t moved since. 

“Daryl?” 

Your voice was groggy. A slow call into the air that, other than the muffled birdsong, was mute. That numb hand, now tingling with every move of your fingers, raised just above his shoulder. In the rearview mirror, you caught his swollen eyes flickering up and down, from your puffy morning face to that hand, outreached and hovering behind him. 

Hesitation won; you pulled back, letting your touch fall on the smooth seat beside you, instead. When you tried to meet his eyes in the mirror once more, they’d fallen. 

“You didn’t wake me up." 

His eyes didn’t lift, but he nodded— a heavy, slow nod. The rest of him moved with that same lethargic pace. He grabbed his crossbow from the driver’s seat and let his hand rest on the door handle for a breath. An inch, he turned back, just barely that you could see the tip of his nose breakthrough that curtain of dark bangs. Not enough to meet your eye straight on. 

“I’ll be back soon.” 

His voice was like sandpaper. Rough and dry, those few words scratched away the confusion you woke up with until it exposed a familiar ache of guilt, simmering underneath. But it was distant this time. Diluted. Not like the boiling hot burn you were used to— no. It wasn’t your guilt lingering. 

It seemed that tie to Daryl, wrapped around your heart, hadn’t loosened much since the fight. 

A few things had changed since then, though. Most notable was that empty feeling in your gut. Hunger. You got out of the car a few minutes later, only glancing at the patch of woods Daryl had walked into before you opened the trunk and grabbed a granola bar. It wasn’t much, but it would soothe that hollow spot.

The sleep calmed you, too. That stinging pain from the memory of Daryl’s sharp words had dulled. Sympathy always had a habit of taking root after the fact, and it was certainly nurtured by the look of regret he was practically drowning in this morning. If you couldn't already feel it, his little quirks, seemingly suffocated out by his timid remorse, told you enough. As the days passed on, and you saw the raw bits of his time and time again, he became less obscure; with him, it was the little things, like the way he chewed his thumb when he was thinking, or how he let his eyes linger far longer than he did his words. 

But he could barely look at you now. 

In fact, you couldn't recall him looking at you since standing on that side of the road last night. And that realization was colder than the morning breeze rushing through your hair. Daryl had always kept his eye on you, whether it had been to assess you in the beginning or, as the days slipped into weeks, to make sure you were okay; it didn’t matter much if it was the guilt shifting his gaze away from you, it still made your heart ache. 

You sucked in a deep breath, holding that crisp air in your lungs for a second too long. It helped a bit. There was a lot you wanted to say, even if the night’s rest had calmed that fire inside of you. There was a lot you wanted to fix, more accurately. But Daryl wasn’t here, and he wouldn’t be here for however long 'soon' proved to be. 

The hood of the car was cool underneath you. You sat on top, leaning against the windshield. He said he’d be back, and you didn’t doubt that— if he wanted to leave, he certainly wouldn’t leave a bag of food, an extra flannel, and other supplies behind. Not when the nights were growing longer and the air sharper. No, if he wanted to sneak off, he should have done it before sunrise. While you were unconscious. If there was any hope for a clean break at this bruised, but ironically loyal point in your alliance, that would be it. 

Fortunately for you, Daryl didn’t seem the type for messy goodbyes. 

The sun inched closer to its peak. 

An hour passed like that. You on the hood of that car, with nothing but that random magazine you found under the driver's seat and the chirping birds to keep you company. The same hood Daryl had worked under just a day ago— it felt longer. 

The trees rustled and your head snapped up. Fingers wrapped around the handle of your knife as you steadied your breaths, waiting for something to emerge. 

As you hoped so, Daryl did. 

Whatever had peeled him out of the car so early hadn’t proved troublesome; his long-sleeved flannel was clean of dirt and blood. The morning light rippled through red and yellow leaves, drifting down to his long, brown hair. It was damp, darker strands sticking together to frame his sharp cheekbones, shadowed by the early morning light and his rough scruff. The second he broke through the tree line, those hooded eyes were finally caught on you. You still sat on the hood, taking in a deep breath as the tension lifted off your chest. 

“Hey,” you offered. 

He was standing awkwardly a few feet away, but he managed to give a soft nod of acknowledgement back. 

A string of three squirrels hung from his weaker shoulder, his heavy bow strapped around the other. Uneasy fingers traced along the woven string as each of you seemed to wait for the other to say something first. 

Neither of you did. 

You— well, you had never been good with awkward tension. Daryl didn't seem so well-versed, either. He stood there a few seconds too long, unsubtly rocking his weight from one foot to the other before his eyes finally shifted off your unsure expression. 

"You, uh, you were hunting?" 

It was only then the silence broke. Although, from the sound of your messy speech, the awkward silence might've been easier to bare. 

"Mhm," he hummed. It was lower than usual. Thickened from a lack of sleep. "Thought we could save some'a those cans." 

"Y— Yeah. Good idea." 

The silence slipped back in. It was maybe even worse than before that small back and forth that felt more forced than anything else. As if it'd just put a glaring spotlight on that discomfort between you. 

Thankfully, Daryl finally looked for distraction in something other than that stiff expression you had. 

The car’s door creaked open and he reached down to the foot of the passenger’s seat, where he’d left his backpack. You slid off the hood. If he’d glanced back at you then, he would have seen the subtle distress begin to mark your features. He’d always been a bit on the quiet side, a man of few words, but there was something about this type of quietness— the type that invaded even his actions— that picked at your heart. It was attentive. Apprehensive to make any move. It reminded you of the cabin, that morning after you patched up his shoulder. After you came back shaking and numb from the sight of a familiar body torn to shreds. 

As you lingered by the side of the car, he finally pulled something out. And then his eyes met yours. You managed not to feel that usual warmth at your cheeks when he caught you watching him— which was often. Though there hadn’t been much warmth this morning, anyway. Not in the brisk air or the sweater you wrapped around yourself. Not even between you and Daryl, which felt the coldest until he held the familiar fabric— his poncho— toward you. 

“’S cold.” 

Your eyes flickered between it and him, but you didn’t hesitate to accept.

“A bit,” you mumbled. 

Overtop your sweater, the poncho was heavy. But the woven fabric was warm, too; a layer that settled across your torso, growing thicker with every breath. 

His hand went back to the string, positioning it higher on his shoulder. He nodded toward the trees. “You, uh, ya wanna go for a walk?” 

That piqued your attention. You glanced up at him, softly biting his lip, and took a second to realize he’d truly asked what you just thought he did. It was fittingly awkward, the way you stuttered out your agreement, but Daryl didn’t seem much bothered by it. Maybe he was used to your hesitations. Maybe he was just distracted by his own. 

You ventured into the woods. Sticks broke under your steps, and oddly, his too. There was a thought to ask him where he was leading you, sans car and backpacks, but the silence had finally grown comfortable for the first time in hours. You didn’t want to break that, also. 

The trees were sparse. A crisp breeze snuck through the gaps of bare branches, rustling the dry leaves that scattered the path. Daryl seemed to have a destination in mind, following a set trail laid out in nothing but his memory. Thankfully, he had a good one. 

“Finishin’ what y’all started?” 

A bit too good, at times. 

It wasn’t much longer until Daryl’s pace slowed. At that point, the air became sharper. Fresher. The leaves rustled, caught in a shifting breeze that brushed your ankles. That familiar twinge of damp earth and moss filled your lungs, and you could hear the rushing river before you even broke the tree line. 

The water was painted the same bright blue as the sky, with threads of silver passing through. It was beautiful. Gushing overtop dark, flat rocks and sparkling under the sun’s direct beam. The forest circled the bank, free sunlight dabbling the soft moss and drying the rocks that narrowly escaped the stream’s path. You stepped forward, careful to avoid the last of the summer’s flowers underfoot. Even under your blood-stained shoes, you could feel the damp ground cushion your weight. It was soft. Relaxing. 

“I found it while huntin’,” Daryl said. 

“It's beautiful.”

He had a ghost of a smile. Something small and shy. It seemed considerable, coming from a man like him. 

“Ya hungry?” 

You nodded. 

Daryl was quick at work to set up a small fire beside the short waterfall's bank. He began to prep the squirrel, too, but his movements slowed down as instruction seemed to creep in. His eyes caught the curiosity lingering in your own, and his hands reduced to a pace that must’ve been borderline tedious for a hunter as experienced as him. The soft sounds of the forest were a peaceful backdrop to his few sentences: how to skin the animal properly, what parts to remove, and which were the best to eat. Stuff like that. Stuff that you knew a bit about, here and there, from living on the road the last few months. But Daryl knew a lot more than you— or anyone else you’d known since the fall— ever did. 

You followed along as best as you could. This time there was no overt distraction of tanned skin or grease-coated fingers. Just the flutter of the wind tickling his bangs and making the small fire flicker, which was captivating in a different way. Softer. You could still hear the rumble of his voice, still thick with fatigue. 

The squirrel’s blood ran stark red— like Daryl’s had in the cabin— but soon enough the smell of cooking meat filled your nostrils and those bitter moments drifted away with the breeze. He passed you a leg as yours started to itch. That scab at your thigh was crumbling away, now. Just as the one on his shoulder was forming. 

The meat was hot. Bland, but you’d had worse before. Daryl was well practiced at cooking over a campfire, and juices ran down your chin at the third bite. After a few more, the meal was done and the bones landed in the short flames. 

Despite the fire, it was still cold. The air had that sharp, damp bite to it, and it carried a chill this close to the running waters. You buried yourself deeper into Daryl’s poncho and tried to listen to the noise. The soft coo of animals starting their day. But it was hard to ignore that burning look directed at the side of your face; Daryl was staring at you. The soft curves and edges of your side profile, stark against the moody forest behind. Even if his eyes fidgeted, and he tried to pay attention to the tall trees and soft waterfall instead, he found himself drawn back to you, over and over.

He told himself it was the guilt. 

“‘M sorry,” he said abruptly as if to alleviate it. Even if he hadn’t merely mumbled it, it wouldn’t really work. He already knew that. 

But on the other side of the rock, sitting closest to the river’s bank and watching him over your shoulder, you thought his nerves made the apology feel all the more genuine. Although in the time you’d known him, Daryl didn’t have much problem with sincerity. Vulnerability, sure. But even his most awkward, stiff moments of comfort had been soaked in devoted honesty and care. 

“I know,” you sighed, then turned to face him properly. “After everything that’s happened… I get why you snapped.” 

He cleared his throat, but his words still came out rough, “Nah. I was a dick.” He looked down. “N’ ya don’t deserve tha’.”

You paused, a bit shocked by his instance of wrongdoing. It was only then that the feeling of guilt in your gut solidified, right as you realized just how deep his remorse ran, past the strange insomnia and wandering hunts. 

“Oh." You blinked softly. “Thank you.”

It was quiet again. A look between the pair of you, carefully held from his soft eyes to your delicate expression. You weren’t sure what you were waiting for now, all you knew was that look he had about him was enticing. 

The overwhelming burden of that heavy tension lifted, and the only remnants could be seen in Daryl’s stiff shoulders. Something was still there, trapped deep in that big chest of his. You didn’t pry. A part of you already knew he was working up to it. He just needed patience. 

A few seconds later, it finally came. 

“I dunno if ‘m ever gonna forget wha’ ya did.” 

Daryl’s admission caught you off guard. But, it was fitting. His apology, his anger, his pain— it all led back to the prison, and that aching, undeniable fact that it was you on the other side of the fence. 

“I never asked you to,” you replied, your eyes falling to your fiddling fingers. “I know I won’t.” 

He cleared his throat. “I wanted to. Would’a been easier.” 

“What? Being my friend?” 

Daryl’s eyes were soft again, but something new laced that pretty blue, too. They flickered between your parted lips and expectant eyes. 

“Yeah,” he rasped. 

“You saved me. And more than that, you took care of me and...” You shook your head and took another breath. It was a surprisingly difficult admission— to explicitly acknowledge the immense gratitude you had for him. For his heart; the generosity and compassion it held, even after he'd lost so much. “You did all that knowing what I’d done.” 

He was quiet, waiting for you to continue. 

“I still don’t know why you did.” 

If he had an answer, he didn’t give it. You looked down again. 

“But that's why I could trust you. You gave me a chance.” 

A chance. That was asking a lot these days. 

He shrugged. “I couldn’t jus’ leave ya there.” 

“You could’ve. It's like you said— a lot of people would have.” A bittersweet smile curled your lips. “Even after we got even, you never had to stay.” 

Memories of that first night, waking up half confused, half terrified, snuck in. Daryl had been so adamant about helping you once— only once. That was it. And yet, here he was, still all you got left in this world. 

“I thought ‘bout it a lot.”

“Leaving?” 

He couldn’t say it, so he nodded instead. 

“Why didn’t you?” 

“Jus’ never felt right.” 

You swallowed, then offered a timid smile. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t leave.” 

“Me too.” 

The stare held between the two of you dug deeper as the seconds passed by, a steady slip from heartfelt reconciliation into delicate suspense. 

Daryl cleared his throat. 

“Ya really think they’re still out there?” 

He was still staring out to the water ahead when you turned his way. His bottom lip was slightly pinched under his teeth, chest rising in even but deep breaths. He afforded you that same patience as you did him, waiting for you to answer. 

“I think so.” 

“Why?” 

“It can’t all be bad.” 

That drew his attention. You could almost see him bite back the bitter comment at the tip of his tongue. A knee-jerk reaction that he was smart enough to hold back. 

"I know it feels like it is." You swallowed the small lump in your throat and hoped you didn't sound patronizing. And maybe you did a little, but you remembered the hopelessness after losing your brother. And you remembered needing something— anything— to hold on to again. “But there is good out there.” 

His eyes flickered across your face, even glancing down to that poncho of his, wrapped around your torso, before finding a warm home in that sweet look you had.

“Yeah,” he sighed. “Maybe ya jus' gotta remind me sometimes.” 

Your cheeks were warm, and that gentle smile you had quickly turned bashful. 

“You already know,” you retorted. 

He raised an eyebrow. 

“If you didn’t, I’d be a corpse rotting outside that cabin.”

He blinked, attention faltering a second until he was locking eyes with you once again, only now with a soft curl to his lips. That tender look in those pretty blues just about made your head spin; something shaved away his rough edges, shaping a soft, caring man under that burly surface. 

If you had been worried about that spark of a crush being stomped out, the new bloom of warmth in your chest quickly reaffirmed it.

“I don’t know if we’re ever gonna find them, but we might as well hope.” 

Daryl's stare was filled with an attentiveness that almost made you blush. The fight felt like distant history when he looked at you like that. 

“It's not like we have much else to do.” 

“Guess not,” he agreed.

And then that silence slipped back in, but there was a newfound comfort to it, even softer than it’d been before the fight. The air between you seemed to warm and heavy tension drifted away. In its place, a whisper of compassion and intimacy settled, instead. 

That feeling lingered far longer than the silence did.

-> part 11

A/N: awww reconciliation<3 I hope this was a satisfying one, it was (again) challenging to write lol. still not sure if I loveeee it, but I think its sweet.

if you’re reading this, thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. please feel free to leave feedback, it helps so much and I love to read it. have a lovely day <3

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