#we'll feel better if we fucking cry!! even a little!! let's get it over with but nooooo what if something happens where we need to be ready

[izzy-b-hands]

My brain and eyes sitting here having me brimming with tears like: yes, we want to cry, crying would be helpful! A release of endorphins!

Me: Cool, let's cry then. I'm trying to make the tears actually...go, but y'all aren't letting them fall???

Brain (eyes are hostages essentially at this point imo): oh. Shit. you actually wanted that, huh? how about a stomachache instead even though you just forced yourself to eat enough calories to call it 'dinner'

Me: Can I at least cry while my gut hurts?

Brain: Oh! No. No, you can't :)

[evie-sturns]

𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐱 - 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨

summary: it's your special day, your 20th birthday! chris hasn't given you a present all day, and nothing seems to be going to plan, but he makes up for it later.

contains: public sex, smut, fluff, soft dom!chris, swearing, crying.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

8:54am

i wake up to chris planting kisses all over my face, a stupid grin painted across his face.

"chriss.." i groan, rubbing my eyes as i sit up in our double bed.

"happy birthday!!" he says, pulling me by my arms up onto the floor, im so unstable i stumble over.

my birthday has always been my favorite day of the year, everyones attention were on me, it was just going to be a stress-free day with my friends, my boyfriend and his brothers.

"shit." chris says, picking me back up, holding me in a bridal position. "you excited!!" he says, placing me back down on my feet

"love you chris." i smile, walking over to the wardrobe and pulling out the outfit ive had planned for days.

ive known chris for 11 years, he was my bestfriend until 1 year ago, when he became my boyfriend.

i strip off my pyjamas, leaving me revealed as i scramble through the shelves to find underwear.

i feel chris's eyes laying on me, "you feel elderly yet?" he says, breaking the comfortable silence.

i scoff "very."

"you look good for how old you are" chris jokes, walking over to my side.

i see his hand reach out, but he pauses instantly when the door rattles. "y/n!" i hear nick call out, i can hear the smile on his face.

"im butt naked right now nick, ill be out in a few!" i call out, chris shakes his head with a grin painted across his face.

"gross." i hear nick say back, slightly quieter this time.

"nick its 9 in the morning what do you take me for!" i say, pulling up my skirt, and readjusting my tanktop. i get on my toes, planting a kiss on chris's nose before unlocking the door.

im met with nick, a bunch of balloons in hand with matt standing next to him. their face light up as they see me.

"you're looking kinda wrinkly.." matt says, pulling me into a hug.

"do i actually look old cause you're the second person to point out my 'aging'" i ask, nick handing me the balloons

-

12:06pm

nick, matt, chris, madi, nate and i have been hanging around the sturniolos house for the day, i've spent the majority of the morning laughing, until a pile of wrapped presents from my friends appears in front of me.

i open them all, thanking whoever gifted it to me with a hug.

chris doesn't give me one though?

i brush it off, maybe he just forgot.

to make things worse, ive just been told madi and nate were both scheduled to leave at 1, both needing to go to nates final ice hockey game, which the sturniolos and i were going to skip.

"oh fuck, we better go madi." nate says, jumping up off the couch and grabbing his keys. madi's sighs before leaning down, squeezing me in a hug. my heart sinks a little, today was meant to be a day with my friends.

"love you y/n, we'll update you about what happens later!" they call out before the door swings shut.

-

ive been sitting on my bed for 2 hours, scrolling aimlessly on my phone as chris sits on the other side of the room at his desk in silence, the faint clicking noise from his keyboard filling the room.

today was meant to be perfect.

i feel my throat dry up as i let out a shaky breath.

ive never cried on my birthday, i've always been too distracted to even think about getting upset, but now, when today has just felt normal, the tears are building up.

i mean, it hasnt been a bad day. its just been too regular.

i feel a few tears fall down my cheeks as i stare at chris's back.

i try my best to stay silent, but a broken sob exits my mouth, i slam a hand over my lips. chris's head snaps back to look at me, his face drops. "oh shit.." chris mumbles before speed-walking over to me, throwing himself down onto the bed to face me.

the tears won't stop now, even with my failed attempts to make excuses up to chris.

"sweetheart please don't cry." chris says softly, holding me in a tight hug as my eyes dampen his shoulder. "talk to me gorgeous, i know you love your birthday you shouldn't be crying yeah?"

"i dont know.." i say in between sobs, chris stays silent, he knows im lying.

"i just wanted it to be perfect.." i sniff, chris rubs my back.

"can i show you something..?" chris says awkwardly, pulling away from the hug. my eyebrows furrow, "okay..?" i say. chris grabs my hands, pulling me up out of bed. he leans down and grabs a sweater from the floor, putting it on my body before taking my hand again.

he walks us downstairs in silence, he seems nervous. chris opens the front door, we walk towards his car and he opens the door to let me in. "ladys first.." he says, trying to lighten the mood.

-

we've been driving for about 3 minutes before chris breaks the silence, "i was meant to take you here later but.. you know." he says, tapping his fingers lightly on the steering wheel.

i nod, chris accelerates slightly as we drive up a hill, we suddenly come to a halt. chris clears his throat, as he turns off the car.

we're parked in a small parking lot on top of a hill, theres trees directly infront of us, the sunset just peeking through the leaves. chris grabs my hand gently, "uh chris?" i ask, he just kisses my lips "shh."

we go through the trees until we they stop, my jaw drops, theres a small picnic blanket, some flowers layed on it along with a note.

its the same spot where me and chris kissed eachother for the first time, 4 years ago.

chris has never been the romantic type, he finds it 'yuck' apparently.

"chris oh my god.." i say, chris is fidgeting with the ties of his sweatpants. i sit down on the picnic blanket, with a groan chris sits down next to me.

"i think this is the sweetest thing anyones done for me.." i say, wrapping my arms around him.

chris shakes his head "shut upp..." he smiles.

"no seriously, i might cry again right now."

"don't you dare." chris says with a small laugh.

a comfortable silence grows between us as the sunsets, i break it after a few minutes.

"we should fuck."

"what?" chris says, his head snapping round to look at me.

"no just think about it, 4 years ago we had our first kiss here, so we should hook up here!" i say, concealing my laugh.

"i meannn whatever you want" chris says, trying not to seem as eager as he actually is.

i pull off my shirt, discarding it on the picnic blanket. theres trees behind us, and a cliff infront of us, its pretty private.

chris helps my shorts off, before laying me down softly on my back, he places his hoodie down under my head as a pillow. "you comfy?" he asks, spreading my legs open wider. i nod, chris pulls down his sweatpants and boxers in one motion, his erection springing out.

he smiles, holding my waist with two hands and lining himself up with me, "ready?" he asks, maintaining eye contact. "very." i smile back.

chris presses his tip inside of me, i stretch around his size, reaching out a hand, chris grabs my it.

he finally pushes the whole way into me, a desperate moan escapes my mouth. "such a pretty noise yeah?" chris says, his voice hoarse as he starts to thrust into me, his tip brushing my cervix each time.

strings of moans and whimpers exit my mouth as i squeeze his hand tighter, chris keeps a firm grip on my waist. "so so good for me, squeezing my dick so well." chris groans.

with each thrust, the knot in my stomach becomes tighter, i arch my back off the picnic blanket, "fuck chris oh my god." i yell, "cum for me gorgeous, can feel you clenching..." he says, stumbling over his words.

with a scream of his name the knot in my stomach snaps, chris pulls out, painting my stomach with white streaks. "g-..good girl." chris says, flopping down next to me on the blanket.

-

we've been laying here for the past hour, laughing, talking and watching the moon. the summer air is warm on my bare body, we both couldnt be bothered to get changed just yet.

"you know.." chris says, running a hand through his hair.

"hm?" i ask, looking over to see his face, which is barely illuminated.

"we should make this a traditon, ya know? birthday sex."

---------------------------------———————————-

i really liked writing this, thank you for the request babe

[guccifrog]

WRONG NUMBER P13

matt sturniolo x f!reader

y/n's pov ☆

It has been exactly five hours since they discovered the mix-up. Chris, Jimmy, and Marylou decided to go check the police station to see if they could find any updates about Matt.

Me and Nick decided to go on a little drive in my car to clear our heads. As we were driving, I could feel the tension in the air. Nick kept looking out the window, lost in his thoughts, while I tried to think of something to say to make him feel better.

"Hey, you know, at least there is still a chance that this is some sort of mistake, right?" I said to Nick, trying to sound more optimistic than I felt. "They're working on finding Matt and getting this sorted out. We just need to have faith in them."

He looked over at me, his eyes red from crying. "Yeah, you're right," he said, his voice barely audible.

We drove around for a while longer, neither of us saying much. The silence was almost painful, but neither of us knew what to say to make it better. Finally, Nick spoke up, breaking the silence. "I keep thinking about that guy on the bed. How his family must feel right now. It's just…unbelievable."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. The image of that man, so peaceful in his sleep, haunted me. I couldn't imagine the pain his family must be going through, thinking he was gone when he was really just a victim of this horrible mistake.

"Do you think he was rich though?" I asked smirking slightly "Like, really rich? Cause he looked pretty comfortable to me. I mean, that bed was like a fucking cloud." Nick chuckled a little, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"I'm just saying, maybe after this mess is done, I'll go ask him to be my sugar daddy if he's still alive" I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"stop oh my god," Nick said giggling "What? your girl needs a little money to feel better" I said with a smirk. "You know, if he was rich, I bet he'd be more than willing to help a girl out." I glanced over at Nick, trying to gauge his reaction. He was smiling, I grinned satisfied that I'd managed to make him laugh.

We drove in silence for a few more minutes before Nick decided to break the silence again " I'm so mad we met in these fucked up circumstances, you know?" I smiled softly at him " Well at least we met, right? I mean, even if it's under these horrible conditions. Maybe one day we'll look back at this and laugh about it." He snorted a little "So real girl "

We decide to grab some coffee from Starbucks to clear our heads. As we sit there, talking about random things or scrolling through our phones, I take a sip of my coffee, burning the roof of my mouth. "Ouch, damn it's hot," I complain, blowing on the coffee.

Nick suddenly shoots up from his seat, staring at his phone with wide eyes "Oh my god" he says. "what? What is it?!" I ask him, my heart racing.

He looks at me with his mouth agape, trying to find the right words. " It's Matt…they found Matt!!" he exclaims, his voice cracking.

I feel my whole body go limp with relief. "They found him at a different hospital !" He hugs me tightly, tears streaming down his face. I'm crying too, unable to contain my happiness. We sit there in the Starbucks, surrounded by the noise and chaos, but for a brief moment, nothing else matters but the fact that Matt is alive.

"Do you know what hospital?" I manage to ask between sobs, clinging to Nick.

"Chris sent me the address, let's go," He says, already halfway out of the seat. I follow him, feeling a mixture of excitement and fear as we both know what we're about to face.

The drive seems to take forever, but eventually, we pull up to the hospital and spot Jimmy's car in the parking lot. Our feet are moving before we even have the chance to think, hurrying into the building.

We find Chris and Marylou in the waiting room, looking just as relieved as we feel. They jump up when they see us, and we embrace tightly, not wanting to let go.

It feels like we're all holding our breath, waiting for the moment when we can see Matt again. The nurse finally calls our names, and we follow her down the hallway.

Our steps slow as we approach the door, our hearts racing. The nurse pushes it open, revealingn none other than Matt lying in the bed.

He looks tired and pale. We all rush forward, surrounding his bed.

"Hey buddy, you're gonna be okay," Chris says, squeezing his hand. The nurse cleared her throat making us turn to look at her.

"The good news is that he's alive," the nurse started. "He's still unconscious, but he's stable for now. He'll probably be unconscious for a few days but don't worry he'll wake up" She paused for a moment

" However, he suffered severe injuries, There is a chance that he may never regain full cognitive function or the ability to walk."

The words hang in the air, heavy.

"come again?" Chris said, his eyes wide with shock.

"Oh God," I whisper, smacking my hand over my mouth. I feel like I've been punched in the gut. Can't we just have one good thing today?

"you're joking right?" Nick asks, his voice cracking. The nurse rolled her eyes before shaking her head no. The fuck is this bitch rolling her eyes for?

taglist ☆

@mattestrella @chrisfavoritepepsi @sunsetsturniolos @littlebookworm803 @sturniozo @sturniolooooo @athaliahxoxo @rac00ns-are-c00l4 @ev3rgreenxtrees @nonamegirlxsturniolo @crybabycat1 @mooniethesimp31 @ducksturniolo @ifilwtmfc @pepsiimaxx @sleepysturnss @lustfulslxt @ilovemattsworld @hrt-attack @flowerxbunnie @leprechaunbirthdaygirl @secret-sturniolo @iluvmeeen @that-general-simp @swangelss @familynotfandom @fuckshitslover @styles-sturniolo @lvr-111 @opheliaofficial07 @kiarastromboli @hearts4chriss

[byunpum]

They caught us | Part 3 |

Pairing: Neteyam x human reader

Tags: teasing, crushes, Smut and some dom-neteyam, Semi public, Size differents.

Warning: Pure smut, the characters have 20's

AVATAR MASTERLIST | Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3 | Part 4

And yes, Norm had kept his promise. He had tried to keep you two apart for at least the last week, but that was impossible. How was he going to keep you two from meeting, he had things to do in the lab, and you weren't little kids, you had to control yourselves. So he trusted that you would obey. But he was wrong.

It was mid-day, you didn't have much to do, so you decided to visit Kiri at the Mo'at hut. You stayed with the women for a while until you heard the voices of loak and neteyam. They had returned from a routine checkup. As you enter the hut neteyam notices your presence, and he smiles a little. The boy couldn't control his need to get his hands off you. So in one quick movement, he sits down behind you, and pulls you onto his lap. The boys didn't react, they knew you and neteyam had a relationship. Even mo'at, the woman was not interested in the act. Everyone went on talking and doing their business. You had some herbs in your hands, ready to mix them. When you feel neteyam come up to you and kiss the back of your neck. "Easy" you say with a smile on your face.

Neteyam knows you don't bother with the gesture, and keeps planting kisses on your neck. You just laugh, until you turn your head to confront him. "What do you think you're doing?" you look at him, and you can see his face. He had this face of excited, his eyes were dilated and fatigued. "Let's go to another area sweetheart" says neteyam in a low voice, close to your ear. "But I'm working here" you try to distract him. " Y/n I need you… I need to be inside you" he whispers, you are surprised by his words making some of your mixture spill out. You give him another look and stand up offering him your hand. "Mo'at we're going to get something… we'll be back quickly" you say, as you leave the hut. Neteyam's tail wagged back and forth.

You walk a bit, going to an area of the cave where there were no people. It was a place they used to store things. "Here… hey you can't say those things, and more so if there are people around" you say, being surprised when neteyam kneels down in front of you, taking your hips and turns you around to bend over one of the weapon box that was in the place. Leaving your ass in the air, neteyam lined up on your ass to rub his growing erection. "I can smell how wet you are…I imagine loak could smell it too. He looked very very eager" hearing neteyam's words cause you to move your hips back. Neteyam laughs a little, he knows about loak's little crush on you. And knowing that he is the only one who can have you fills him with pride.

"Why don't we take these things off" neteyam makes quick work of your pants, you had more comfortable clothes and even a navi outfit that kiri had prepared for you. But you knew that if you wore it, neteyam would be fucking you all around, so it was better to use your regular clothes. The pants went quickly down your legs to your heels, you two had to be quick… so neteyam decided to leave your panties on. The boy moves his erection closer to your clothed wetness and moves his hips, playing with you. "Nete… go ahead" you moan, following the movements of his hips.

He moves aside your panties, to play with your folds running his long finger along your already wet pussy. "You are so wet, how long have you been like this?" neteyam says as he inserts a finger and watches your walls close around it. "All morning" you cry out, the movements of neteyam's fingers filling you was overwhelming. It always was. "Wow…you are so ready" Even though you weren't seeing it, you could imagine the smile he had on his face. You felt neteyam pull away from you, you feel your panties try to adjust to your wetness and the chill of the wind hit you, making your arousal grow.

You listen as he is taking off his loincloth, it always amazed you how that tiny thing could hold his cock. And boy, it was no ordinary cock. You could feel it when he put it just above your lower back, it was hard and already had pre-semen coming out of its tip. " If you could see how far it goes… you are so small ma Y/N" neteyam's words sounded more like a moan, as he moved his hands around your waist and leaned back a little on top of you. Placing his hands just below your belly button. "Here…right here is going to make a big bulge mmm you're going to look beautiful" the more he talk the more he pushed you over the edge. "Just…" your words cut off, as you feel neteyam move your panties to the side and settle his cock at your entrance, Playing a little with the tip of his cock in your folds.

"If you don't get it inside now…." You scream, causing neteyam to give your ass a squeeze. "Or else what… you won't do anything" neteyam gives you a kiss on your back, as he starts to move in you. You gasp, This man starts at 14 inches. And it was never easy for you to take it. "Relax…easy. Let him enter" neteyam compliments you, gently caressing your hips as he continues to move forward. Slowly but surely. You're whimpering on the wooden box, some tears pooling on your face, it's a feeling of pain and pleasure.

When he finally gets to where his cock reaches inside you, he's only about some inches away from being all the way inside you, and just the thought of being able to get further inside you turns him on even more. They stay in this position for a while, until you move a little on his cock as a signal for him to start moving. Neteyam catches on quickly, and starts to slowly grind on you. He likes to watch his cock go in and out of your little pussy. Your moans, as he is filling you drive him crazy. One of his hands moves down to your lower stomach, rubbing the bump that was forming in your belly.

"Do you feel this?" says neteyam, in a husky tone. "Y-yes" you groan, you feel neteyam squeeze the bump, just as it was entering you. "Ahhh neteyam… stop…." You moan, it felt so good. " My little Y/N…you look so beautiful" he speaks in moans, he couldn't help but feel the build up of excitement in his own body. Neteyam still moving, but now at a faster and more constant rhythm. You were a sea of moans and low cries. You didn't want anyone to hear, you were in an empty area, but still several people came here looking for things.

Out of nowhere you heard some voices, this made you nervous. Making you try to stand up. But neteyam's hand stopped you and squeezed you on the wood. "Stay quiet" said neteyam, while continuing to fuck you from behind, you could hear the dirty noises that your cunt made when it hit neteyam's cock. The boy didn't stop, standing up a little to see who was coming. He could see from a distance how two people were standing near some boxes.

Neteyam bent down fast, and lay on your back, but never stopped fucking you. Even the simple idea of them watching him fuck his pretty girlfriend was pushing him over the edge. His thrusts were harder and faster. You placed your hand over your mouth, to prevent them from hearing your moans. But the noise caused by the wetness of both of you was inevitable.

"Do you hear something?" says one of the men, he was close but quite far away from you. " mmm I don't think so" says the other, taking several cans of food from one of the boxes. "Yeah, it's something like…you know" the man laughs nervously. "You're imagining it. …. Let's get out of here" the other man starts walking back, but the other is not convinced. He knows he's hearing something. So he decides to investigate a bit. "Dude…let's go" says the man at the exit. As he watches his friend walk back into the cave.

As the man was getting closer, there was neteyam all over you…fucking you like an animal in heat. He was biting your shoulder, to keep him from moaning. You knew you were going to be bruised the next day but you didn't care. The pleasure was pure ecstasy, you were about to come and you could feel neteyam coming because his thrusts were sloppy and changed rhythm. The man followed the noise and came closer to you, the adrenaline of being discovered took over your bodies, because just when the man was only 6 feet away from discovering you, Neteyam releases his cum in your pussy and you could feel it.

Neteyam released his cum inside you, pumping a little more, so that you would reach your orgasm and you did, your hips moved in sync with Neteyam's as you both came down from your heights. The man heard no more noise, and stopped. He looked around the area some more and decided to turn back to his friend.

"I told you it was nothing," says the man, as he watches his friend walk over. They both walk away and leave the cave alone. But there you were, feeling his cum run down your inner thighs, and neteyam's soft cock was inside you. Neteyam was lying on your back, making sure no one was in the area. "Next time, I want to do it in my family hut," neteyam says, kissing your shoulder.

I hope you like this part. I'm not very good at writing smut, but I do my best. This would be the last part, but I will be writing more about neteyam, and other characters. Remember that the message box is open, so if you have any ideas, all of them are welcome.

Neteyam's wives: @heesoftiefreak @vviviivvivivivvivivivi @grierpilots @lucero-ksb-blog @lanadetails @inutheangel @sirywiliams @nuttyrebelflower @dollyplayhouse @dallyanywww0 @xoxobabe @slut4sluttybooks

[itspeachyp0p]

The brainrot I have for tattoo artist! Eren is unreal

Notes. Gender neutral! Reader, suggestive, light smut, MDNI.

Tattoo artist! Eren who keeps a sketchbook, pencils and pens on hand for when he gets a new design idea. He gets inspiration everywhere and has versatile style.

Tattoo artist! Eren who’s wall is covered in the most badass designs mixed with cute ones like Sanrio or Studio Ghibli. If past clients let him he keeps copies of the art to hang up.

Tattoo artist! Eren who has a few old stick and poke tatts littering his skin mixed with the professionally done ones on his arms and right calf.

Tattoo artist! Eren who used to practice doing tattoos on Mikasa and maybe two on Armin before he chickened out. He purposely did a shitty one on Jean after the two had some stupid argument over if the tats Eren did on Mikasa were shit or not.

Tattoo artist! Eren who started flirting with you when you came in to schedule an appointment and was set on getting you in his chair.

Tattoo artist! Eren who chuckled when you're so indecisive about where you want to get inked first and goes over every spot from most painful to least. He even tells you about numbing creams to help.

Tattoo artist! Eren who calms you down when you get nervous on the day you’re getting inked, and pulls a few strings to get the private room for you. "Just take a few deep breaths for me, sweetheart. It won't be so bad" is all he tells you in the gentlest voice when putting his gloves on.

Tattoo artist! Eren who gives your thigh a teasing squeeze, def feeling you up a but masking it as just checking out the area to size your tattoo right. He goes through three size choices, running his latex clad fingers over the skin of your thigh.

Tattoo artist! Eren who’s so damn close to touching your ass as he asks you which size of tat you want and waits so patiently for you to decide.

Tattoo artist! Eren who rubs little circles on your hip to soothe you when you start to cry and say it hurts when the tattoo gun starts etching out the design. "Shh, shh, don't hold your breath. You don't have to watch, just lay there and close your eyes."

Tattoo artist! Eren who tries so hard to distract you with talking, little massages, and even lets you hold onto his arm that's resting on your hip but he's thinking about how pretty you look with tears rolling down your face and wonders if he could make you cry in a different way.

Tattoo artist! Eren who tells you with praises about taking it so well and being good when you say you need a break and teasingly asks if a kiss would make you feel better.

Tattoo artist! Eren who's caught off guard but complies when you say yes and he places a few kisses on your face before asking to kiss you on the lips. If you say yes again, you'll be rewarded with the softest kiss, fleeting to tease but it makes you feel better.

When it's done and wrapped, and aftercare is talked over Tattoo artist! Eren gets your number and a date with you later once you're not sore and hurting.

Tattoo artist! Eren who weeks later is holding the underside of your knees as he fucks you nice and slow on his art table in his apartment, so careful not to dare ruin his ink on your thigh while he ruins you.

Tattoo artist! Eren who gets his own high from making you cry for different reason, servicing all your needs when he comes to your place from a long day. "I know you have one more in you, c'mon sweetheart, cum one more time for me."

Tattoo artist! Eren who would be so jealous if you ever attempted to let someone else do your other tattoos if you want more. He wonders why you would ever consider someone else when he's right there and will do it for you.

Let's be real, we know Eren is a lil possesive, Tattoo artist! Eren kind of thinks of his work on your tattoos as a way to make it clear you're in a relationship. "Someone else?? No, no way, I'll do it. Let me get my stuff and we'll head to the shop."

Reminder that requests are open .ᐟ

[forever-rogue]

ok so maybe Steve's at work doing his nurse thing when who shows up in the emergency room and didn't even call to tell him that she was hurt? his favorite girl, that's who.

hmm?

AN | More Nurse Steeb!🥺🥺 This can be read as a companion piece to this, but also as a stand alone!

Warnings | Mild Language

Pairing | Nurse!Steve x Fem!Reader

Word Count | 2k

Masterlist | Nurse Steve, Steve, Main

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You were dreading this moment. You really, really didn't want to be here. The temptation to just turn and run away was so high. It would have been so easy to just leave and go home…but the shooting pain in your arm told you that was an even worse idea.

The hospital was big…so maybe you wouldn't see him at all. Right? Right. Or that's what you were hoping for. The odds really were slim to none and yet… Maybe you didn't even need to go to the ER. Maybe you could just call and schedule a regular appointment with your doctor…

"Fuck," you sighed heavily as you looked between the entrance and your car. You had to do it. There was no way you could get out of this one.

Trying to collect your remaining dignity, you walked into the hospital and up to the counter. The woman behind the screen looked at you for a moment, recognizing you but not quite placing it.

"I-I think I did something to my elbow," you explained, tears already welling up and threatening to run down your cheeks, "I fell and it's stuck at this weird angle and I couldn't move it. Every time I try it hurts so bad."

She peeks over the counter before noticing the odd placement of your left elbow, "oh dear. Well, we'll get you right in with the doctor. First, let me get your name please."

You nodded and told her your first name and hesitated for a moment. She waited for you to go on and you sighed before giving her your last name, "Harrington."

And…realization hit her. She knew exactly who you were. You, him, and the disgustingly cute story of how you'd met in that very ER were well known around the hospital. You gave her a sheepish smile as she scribbled a few things down, "go ahead and take a seat. I've got everything here, honey."

"Thank you," the older woman's gentleness already made you feel better, despite your current predicament, "and umm…could we not tell him yet? Or at least don't put me in his wing?"

"I'll do my best," she promised with a knowing wink. You nodded softly before padding over to one of the stiff plastic chairs, careful not to irritate your arm further. 

A heavy, tired sigh escaped your lips as you closed your eyes for a few moments of solace from the piercing fluorescence of the hospital lights. A dumb little part of your brain even dreamed that maybe you'd get home without him knowing anything.

Doubtful.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Well," the doctor, an older man with a calm aura - which did nothing to help your nerves - was almost silent as looked over your x-rays and studied the findings, "you've got yourself a dislocated elbow."

"No," you groaned as you looked at the ceiling. How could you be this clumsy and unlucky?

"Yes," he pointed at your arm, still stuck at an awkward angle as if to prove his point, "and that is nothing to scoff at."

"Umm, how do I fix it?" you asked softly, trying to ignore the throbbing, "can it be fixed?"

“Oh yes,” he seemed unphased by your question, as your panic had increased, “most of the time it can be corrected without surgery-”

“Without? S-so you mean you there’s a chance I would need surgery?” your lip trembled with effort as you tried to cry, “what are the odds?”

“The first thing I’m going to do is to try and set it back into place and then we’ll immobilize the arm for now,” he looked up at you for a moment and saw the distressed look on your features, “meaning you’ll be in a sling for some time. It’s imperative that you keep as still as possible for now. In a few weeks we’ll see how it’s setting and how your range of movement is. And onto physical therapy.”

“Physical therapy?” alright. This had to be some sort of cosmic joke. The last time you were in the ER was when you’d broken your ankle a few years ago. That had almost ended up with surgery and absolutely had required physical therapy, “oh.”

“It’ll be okay, Mrs. Harrington,” he insisted, “I’ve seen these before and while inconvenient, rest assured you’ll make a full recovery.”

“I-”

“I’ll send in the nurse and have them set you up with a sling and the dos and don’ts and talk to you about painkillers,” he gave you a pat on the opposite shoulder, “I’ll see you back in about two weeks. Any questions you have the nurse will be able to answer.”

“Okay,” you nodded and slumped your shoulders as you watched him go. Steve was going to lose his mind when he saw you, “fuck me.”

After a few minutes of terse silence, a few gentle knocks came at the door. You confirmed they could come in and regretted your decision as soon as you did. It wasn’t just any nurse that happened to be assigned to you. It was your husband.

“Steve?”

“Baby?”

“I-” he’d all but dropped your charts and came over to you, his hands finding your face as he studied you. He’d read over your chart to read the doctor’s diagnosis, but had neglected to read the name. Otherwise he would have known it was you. As soon as you looked in those big, soft eyes all the unshed tears rolled down your cheeks, “I-I fell.”

“Honey,” he closed his eyes and let out a small sigh, whether of stress or relief you weren’t sure. He tenderly brushed away your tears before placing a kiss to your forehead, “it’s okay. I know it hurts, but don’t cry…please. I’ll take care of you. I’ll make it better.”

“It hurts so bad, Stevie,” you wanted nothing but for him to wrap you up in his arms, but were also terrified of hurting your arm further, “I’m so stupid, ‘m sorry.”

“You’re not stupid and there’s nothing to be sorry for,” he gently shushed by putting a finger to your lips, “I’m glad you came in, okay? I know how stubborn you can get, my clumsy girl. But I’m here to take care of you.”

“I asked them not to send you,” you sniffled, laughing ever so softly as he shook his head in amusement. He tutted, but it was nothing but warm and affectionate, “didn’t want you to worry or panic.”

“It is my job to take care of you,” he insisted softly, “both here in a professional capacity and everywhere else as your husband and best friend. Will you tell me what happened, angel? How did you hurt yourself so badly?”

“You’re gonna laugh,” a pout settled on your pretty, soft lips and he couldn’t help but press a kiss to them, “it’s silly.”

“I won’t laugh,” he promised, “scout’s honor.”

“You were never a boy scout, Steve.”

“Still counts.”

“Does not-”

“You’re stalling,” he insisted, already guessing your little ployl, “just tell me what happened, baby.”

“I was in the backyard and I went to move one of the lounge chairs off the deck and one thing led to another and I lost my footing and slipped and tried to stop my fall with my hand and then hit my elbow and the thing I knew it was lots of pain and I couldn’t move my lower arm,” you replayed the events in your head and silently cringed at yourself, “and I came here.”

You looked up and found Steve’s brows knitted together as he kept his eyes on your chart. He was silent, but then you could see the subtle shake of his shoulders. You used your good hand and slapped his arm, “Steve Harrington, you’re laughing! Don’t laugh at me, you said you wouldn’t!”

“Honey, honey, honey,” he took your hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze, “I’m not laughing at you…I’m just amused by the situation.”

“You wouldn’t be laughing at another patient!”

“Other patients aren’t my wife,” he put a finger under your chin and turned your face up to meet his, “and I love you more than anything, so it’s affectionate teasing.”

“You’re lucky I love you,” you huffed, but there was no malice behind your voice, “now make it better…please.”

“I will,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to your cheek, “I promise I’ll make it better, sweetheart.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Ugh,” you sighed for what felt like the millionth time as you tried to move around to get comfortable. You were exhausted - tired and worn out from your accident and the excitement of the day, but sleep had proven to be elusive. The worst part of all, there were only certain ways you could lie down to keep your arm still and without causing too much pain. None of the positions were working. Steve was lying in bed next to you, attempting to read but you were sure he wasn’t doing much reading from all your huffing and puffing. You turned your head and gave him an apologetic look, “sorry Stevie.”

“It’s okay,” he promised as he dog-eared his page and snapped his book shut, setting it on the nightstand, “I know it’s difficult to adjust to, baby. Let me try and help.”

“This sucks,” you huffed before looking over at him, both of you breaking into a fit of giggles, “I’m never doing anything else again for myself. It’s proven to be a bad idea.”

“I’d say the broken ankle worked out pretty well,” he grinned as you looked at him in confusion, “more or less. I got to meet the girl of my dreams right there in the ER.”

“And to think, if I hadn’t broken my ankle we’d have never met,” you said, touching his cheek with your good hand and giving him a soft smile, “the injury sucked, but the man I got out of it is pretty amazing.”

“Who knows,” he shrugged with a small smile, “maybe something good will come out of this too. You’ll just have to get better first. That means listening to me and taking it easy and -”

“Asking for help,” you finished softly, “I will, Steve. I will. But I have a request for when this mess is all healed…”

“Go on, I’m curious now…”

“Can we get a dog?” you asked with wide, curious eyes as his face softened. Of course you would use this for something like this. Truth was, he wanted a dog too, but it just never had been the right time, maybe now that dream would come true, “pretty please, Stevie?”

“We’ll see,” he promised and you could tell what he meant, which only caused your smile to grow, “we’re focusing on you first.”

“Fine,” you agreed happily, “but right now I just want to sleep.”

“C’mere,” he got out of bed and came over to your side, gently helping to move to the side he occupied just moments earlier. It was warm and smelled like him, which was immediately comforting. He adjusted your pillows and fluffed them, making it so you could lie on your side, but keeping your elbow propped up so you wouldn’t jostle or hurt it, “better?”

“Much,” you agreed as he slid into bed next to you, “and now I can sleep facing you. That makes me feel better.”

“Me too,” he promised softly, “plus, the view’s pretty fucking stunning.”

“Steve,” you playfully chided him, “I look and feel like a mess!”

“A beautiful, wonderful, amazing mess,” he joked, “that I love so very much. I promise it’ll be okay, angel. I’ll take care of you, yeah?”

“Yeah,” you leaned in as much as you could and he met you halfway, kissing you softly and gently, “I love you so much, Steve Harrington. You’re my savior, I swear.”

“I love you, clumsy girl,” he whispered against your lips, “I’ll always take care of you. I swear it.”

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

Arranged! bruce trying to be a good husband

Bruce leaned down and stroked your cheek with the back of his hand. Your skin is soft. It feels like velvet. And you're crying. Something hurts. And he's not sure if it's his sins or your father's.

He shouldn't. He knows he shouldn't as soon as your eyes flutter open and you look up at him, "You're home."

"What were you dreaming about?" he asked. Maybe while you were groggy- before you had time to wake all the way up-

"I don't- I'm not sure," you murmur, rubbing your face with your hands as you sat up. Pulling your feet up so he could sit down.

Bruce sat, absently tucking the blanket around your legs. You'd been dozed off long enough the fire was burning low. The library was getting chilly. "You were crying." He could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen you cry. And they were all in the last year. Because of him.

"I didn't know."

"Are you alright?" he asked. "I mean- really alright? Not just- I mean. To make me stop talking to you."

"I'm fine," you murmur, wrapping your arms around your knees. Folding yourself together until you can rest your cheeks on the tops of them. Watching the embers in the fireplace. Annoyed that there was no good way to paint them. No way that you liked any way.

"Hn."

For a long moment, Bruce watched you. Maybe he should have let you sleep- let your mind work over whatever it was working on. "If this is fine I'd hate to see what not fine looks like."

"Bruce-"

"What can I do?" he asked. If it was a problem he could fix- something to make it better. Anything. He doesn't understand you. But- he knows you've been in hell. Hormones and hard decisions and then the death of a surrogate parent. He can't- couldn't do this. Not and keep soldiering on. Not alone.

"I'll handle it-"

"I don't even know what it is," he urged. He wanted to make you look at him. But he can feel the walls. The distance you're keeping in place.

"I'm just- tired."

Bruce frowned. You'd been tired for a long time. Pleading exhaustion or headaches. "Things are going to be quiet for a while," he said slowly. "How about we take a trip-"

"Where do you want to go?" you asked, lifting your head gingerly. "I'll call Carolina and-"

"Where do you want to go?" he countered.

"I don't-"

"Come on," he cajoled. "Paris, Rio, California, Toronto, London- fucking Tokyo... Anywhere."

"I don't know," you answer. "Maybe to see the Spanish Riding School... Father said he would take me when I was little."

Bruce smiled a little and stood, leaning down to kiss your forehead. "We'll leave tomorrow. First thing."

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Nightlife 18

Warnings: dubcon, noncon, touching, coercion, manipulation, violence. Proceed with caution.

Note: I know what you’re thinking, why the fuck are you doing this? Well, you wanted bouncer Lee and I did too. Also, short!reader, not sorry.

Part of The Club AU

A long moan slips from between your lips. Your dewy cheek presses to the bedspread as your thigh clench, throbbing from inside as the swirling stirs your wits. You clutch the edge of the bed, gasping as Lee laps loudly behind you.

“Mmm, darlin’,” he murmurs against you, dragging two fingers along your leg. You quiver and he chuckles, the rumble rolling through you, “just relax…”

He lets the last letter drawl out as he places his mouth against your ass and nips at the tender flesh. His fingertips circle your hole and you squeeze your muscles tight. He purrs, teasing you as he prods and rubs you.

“I said… relax,” he pulls his fingers asay and you hear the wet noise if his mouth sucking, “I just wan’ make you feel good, baby.”

He touches your ring with slobbery fingers, spreading his spit around as he pokes against the resistance. You hiss and he once more pinches your cheek with his teeth. He hushes you as he dips a fingertip slowly into you.

You yipe and throw your head up at the intrusion. You slap a hand on the mattress, the bounce urging him further in. He sucks on your flesh, a welt forming with the pressure as he buries past his first knuckles. He wiggles in you, slipping back and in again. He works your hole, loosening you with short but gentle thrusts.

You tremble, the pressure mingling with the burn of his invasion. You never felt anything like that. It's painful yet delicious. It's only the shock of your own shame that keeps you tense. You've never done this before, never even thought of doing it.

“Lee….” You wisp, “you said… wait… we'll wait…”

“We gon’ wait,” he snarls against your ass, rocking his hand as he presses a second finger against your hole, “this ain't… ain't nothing. Just a bit of fun.”

“Please…” You gulp and your eyes roll back as you bite your tongue.

“That's it, kitten, you like it, huh? Gonna purr for me, ain't ya?”

His breath fans damply over your flesh as you grasp at the blankets. Your back arches and your toes curl. His other hand creeps up and tickles along your folds, slick as he fingers glide between them. He finds your clit, rubbing lightly as he adds to the flames licking at your core.

You hold your breath as the pressure boils and quakes in you. You drop your head and cry out, spasming as the tension unties. Your legs go slack and you heave into the mattress, murmuring as he coos sweetly against your skin.

He slips his fingers out, little by little, and moves to lick you again. He twirls his tongue around, still teasing your clit. He hums and raises his head, resting his chin on the cusp of your ass.

“Ya ain't so sad now, are ya?”

You shudder, unable to speak as your mind lay in pieces. As good as it feels, there's still a part of you afraid of it. The way he never really asks, but does as he pleases.

🌸

“Got a big surprise for ya,” Lee swings your arm as he clings to your hand, “ya excited?”

“A surprise?” You wonder as he walks you down the pavement to the curb.

“Can't spoil it. You just get in and see,” he winks and kisses your forehead. He stops and looks you up and down, “you look so good, my blossom flower.”

“Oh,” you glance down at your red coat and pale blue jeans, “I do?”

“You always do to me,” he grins, “but I think I know something suits ya better.”

You blink at his cryptic words. You don't quite get what he means. He opens the car door and you get in. You buckle up as he shuts it and goes around his side.

He flips on the radio, bopping his head to The Ronettes as he drives. It's a sunny day despite the cold. You watch the city pass outside the window and try to enjoy it. The shadow of your shortcoming never really leaves, it just fades into the background.

As the car pulls into a lot, you stare curiously at the bookstore in the corner of the plaza. You like books, that's a nice surprise. Lee gets out and stretches. You undo your seatbelt and follow him, keeping a hand on the car as you stare at the shop.

You set off across the lot without a second thought.

“Wow, wow,” Lee staggers after you and catches your hand, “where ya off to?”

“Oh, I was…” you turn back, “I thought we were going to look at books.”

“Maybe after,” he chuckles and he gives a dramatic look to the storefronts along the stretch of pavement, “anything else catch your eye?”

There's a hobby shop for a game you don't play and a butcher's. None of it really interests you. He tuts and squeezes your hand tighter, pulling you across the lot.

You look up as he approaches the store at the far end and plant your heels as you see the word ‘bridal’ in curly cursive. Oh!

“Lee, you don't mean…”

“Well, we gotta find you something pretty to wear, don't we?” He lets go of your hand and drapes his arms over your shoulders instead. “I'm not very superstitious. I don't mind a sneak peek.”

“I… I… maybe we should wait,” you sputter, heart beating wildly.

“Wait?” He pulls away completely, “for what?”

“Well, I don't know,” you glance at the windows. The dresses are so pretty but they all seem too much for you. “It's fast is all–”

“Well I'm darn serious about you,” he crosses his arms, “ain't you serious about me?”

“Um, y-yeah, but I just… I just flunked out and I'm still figuring things out.”

“What's there to figure out? You and me, that's all there is.”

“Right, but… but… what if I'm not ready?”

“Not ready for what? Not ready to be mine? Huh? Not ready for me to take care of ya? Sleepin’ in my bed, living under my roof… you been doin’ all that.”

“I'm sorry, I'm not… sorry, sir, it's just… I'm young. It's all new.”

“Young? You're grown. And it's new to me too. I ain't never married neither.”

“You haven't?”

“No, think I been waiting for you,” he softens, “come on, darlin’, I made an appointment and everything.”

“Uh, okay,” you gulp and face the bridal shop. He grabs your hand again and tugs you forward.

You're greeted inside by a woman in all black. She's pretty and elegant and older. You notice how her eyes skim between you and Lee, curious about your relation.

“We're gettin’ married,” he supplies, “appointment for Bodecker.”

“Oh, yes, Mr. Bodecker,” she smiles, “of course, can I take your coats?”

You let her take your red coat and he hands over his jacket. You’re led down a long hall, glimpsing other women standing before mirrors in ivory and pearl. Your stomach flipping and flopping.

You enter a room of your own, hangers lining the walls and a few hung on a rolling rack by the low podium before the mirrors.

“We chose a few pieces to your specifications,” the consultant explains, “if you wanna have a look, we can get you in one.”

“Go on,” Lee nudges you and sits on the bench.

You inch forward, letting the consultant take the lead. You keep your hands to yourself and eye the dress with the little flounce at the hem. She notices and unhooks it.

“This one first, follow me,” she waves you along with a gentle smile.

She hangs it inside a changing room and lets you know you can ask for help. You enter as she closes the door and you undress slowly. You step into the dress but can't reach the buttons.

The consultant enters as you reticent call. Her name is Grace, you read it on her name tag. She turns you to face the mirror as she helps button the back.

“Just you and your fiance?” She wonders.

“Mhmm,” you nod.

“That's alright,” she assures, “it's about the dress, right?”

You shrug as she gets the top button done. She looks at the mirror as you try to avoid your reflection.

“You look gorgeous, hon, why don't we go show him?”

You let her take you out, watching your feet as you walk the hallway back to the large room. You hear Lee suck in air as Grace takes you to the podium. You step up and she arranges the skirt around your legs.

“Wow,” is all Lee can say, “looking like the girl of my dreams, darlin'”

[spopsalt]

The way Hazbin Hotel deals with war is so immature.

It's framed as this super cool badass thing, like Alastor says "Alastor! Quite a pleasure to meet you! Quite a pleasure! I'm going to end your fucking life." and "Adam! First man, next to die!" Ahaha, how cool. Making badass one-liners during a fucking war, and literally Vox says "This is better than sex! I'm so hard right now!" while watching the war, ah yes, mishandle a serious topic for a bad joke. Super funny.

Even Sir Pentious death is treated as some haha funny death, because death during war is sooooo funny, right?

I mean there's like a few second thing showing the conquences of war where Charlie says "This bloodshed could've been avoided if I convinced Heaven to work together. I took a hotel and I destroyed it! I know I could've done better, better instead of letting you down."

But then just a little later it turns the war was actually a good thing! Lucifer literally says, "Hey little lady, why the frown?" Ah yes, why are you frowning after a fucking war? Then he says "In the first 10,000 years, you're the first one to change things in this town!" Then everyone encourages her afterwards, and she's perfectly cheered up! Not only is this insensitive, it makes no sense for Charlie's character? Isn't she supposed to be really sweet and sensitive? She literally sobbed over Angel forgiving her, and now she's completely fine after a fucking war because her friends encouraged her? How did she get over war in less than a minute? I feel like one of these things are not like the other

Then it turns into some happy go lucky song about fixing a hotel! Like how you can just easily fix it, and you have no time to mourn the conquences of war! I kid you not a lyric literally is "No time for crying! We've gotta lot of work to doin'!" "Make the best of what's in ruin!" "It's as easy as can be!"

Then we see two people celebrating war! I kid you not the lyrics are, ahem "After the battle! Masterless cattle! Overlords hanging by a thread! With a bit of bravado, maybe tomorrow! We'll be the top of the heap! While the rest of Hell's pissing! Alastor's missing! Fled with his tail between his legs! The nature abbhors a power vacuum it leaves room for you and me!"

Ah yes, what an amazing way to handle war.

[ot9snumber1]

POLY!MISAMO POLY!MISAMO

im here!

yk me and bondage we just go together..

sub!momo getting tied to the bed bc she lost a bet of who could go the longest without touching themselves, sana and mina playing with her until she gets whiny and crying mess because of overstimulation..

I LOVE YOU!! always the first to save me <3

YES OMG :( misana intentionally made the bet with a drunk momo because they knew she would never ever last. even if sober momo swore she would never lose a bet (jihyo's competitiveness totally rubbing off on her), there were some things she just couldn't resist.

just as they thought things couldn't get any better (or worse, for momo), mina was out celebrating a friend's birthday and sana was out for another graff photoshoot.

in short, momo didn't even last a day.

sana was the first to tease her, sending her a selfie from the dressing room. she was only wearing the lingerie set mina bought her a while back with a very expensive necklace accentuating her cleavage. too bad you're not here, love. would do anything for you to eat me out rn :(

momo takes deep breaths and takes a cold shower. she just responds with a thumbs up emoji, making sana laugh. momo isn't a fool. she knows when she's being tricked. even if mina tried to get her to break the bet, too.

i don't think i ever sent this to you. thought you'd like it.

momo thinks she could implode at any given moment now. she stares at her phone, frozen as she stood still in the doorway to their shared room. mina was Evil. capital E.

the video mina sent seemed to be hastily recorded. the phone must've fallen over before mina hit record, because all she could see was the ceiling of the bathroom. not that she needed to see anything, anyway. she recognized the scene almost instantly.

"ah—fuck, fuck me right there!" mina moaned. momo felt herself blush, unable to click off the video. it was when momo had bought her current favorite strap and couldn't even wait until they got home to test it out.

momo takes another cold shower, but that didn't help either. her girlfriends were just far too stubborn to let her win just this once.

we'll be home soon <3 sana texted. momo felt happy at that, dreaming of being able to cook for them again, cuddle, kiss, et cetera.

until sana followed her message with a video of mina sucking on her tits.

that was momo's last straw.

"f–fu—ah!" momo whined as she inserted another finger into herself, barely being able to hold her phone. she tried to focus on rewatching the video over and over—but just the sound of sana's sultry voice commanding mina to do what she wanted was sending her into overdrive.

they wouldn't find out, right? if momo was just careful enough...

sana laughs maniacally when she steps into the bedroom. she didn't even need to walk closer to see the big damp spot on it. "mina!" sana calls out as she ran down the stairs to reunite with her girls. "i think our little momoring owes us something."

momo's heart drops. she'd never been more scared and turned on at the same time.

momo tries closing her legs again, the feeling of sana's fingers in her and vibrator on her clit just felt like too much. sana slaps her thighs lightly, forcing her to hold them open. "take it, slut. isn't this what you wanted? to be used?"

sana returns to overstimulating momo while mina pinched and sucked at her nipples. momo let out a high-pitched whine, tears streaming down her cheeks. "mff—fuck! please, i'll be a good girl i swear—"

"should've thought about that earlier, no?" mina teased. "you know how she is." sana hums, smiling in satisfaction when momo cums for the umpteenth time. "can't think about anything but fucking and being fucked."

both sana and mina laugh at that. "yeah. our baby is just a filthy–minded freak, hm?" mina coos as her fingers trail down to replace the vibrator sana held against her clit. "shit!" momo cried out, throwing her head back and wanting nothing more than to hold their wrists in place. (too bad her wrists were the ones being held in place. there was nothing prettier than sana's necktie restraining momo from doing anything but cry, in mina and sana's opinion.)

"answer." mina says lowly, slapping her cunt. momo whines again, her voice raspy from how much she's screamed so far. "y–yes! j–jus' a freak for you two."

sana chuckles again, curling her fingers in momo. "atta girl."

[lloyd-007]

Summary:

Spider Socorro gets shot instead of Neteyam. But he lives, part 1. @ele-sme from what we were talking about. Also sorry for any miss spelling or grammar.

Spider didn't remember jumping into the sea, one second he was at the bay escaping with Neteyam and Lo'ak when one of the avatars failed his gun towards them, Spider remembers the adrenaline kicking in at the moment when he saw Lyles egg-headed ass firing at his bro- friends his friends. Spider forgot everything in that split second, everything happened so quickly yet so slowly. Spider still feels how his heart tightened when Lyle shot at the with no mercy in his eyes. During the months Spider spent with them in the forest Spider thought that he managed to at least get to know him, the others and his clone dad but now he can see it was all a sick evil lie.

He'd never gotten to know the true them, they had lied to him, just like everyone else. A horrified expression appeared on his face, Spider's eyes widened his mouth shot open as he yelled at them to get out. Then... nothing. Nothing comes to his mind.

Spider was now all alone. Or so he thought.

His mind was very vague but every few minutes he'll catch something, like a glimpse of someone or hear voices- no. Crying. Yes crying. Slowly his mind focused on his surroundings, he was laying down on something hard. It was cold, very cold. Spider swore it felt like spikes. His breathing clenched while his senses came back for just a second. His eyes open a bit. His face instantly became distorted from it.

"SPIDER! Hold on oh shit shit-" he knows that voice, suddenly a massive hand, bigger than his face cradles his head. Spider hissed back in pain due to the action.

"Fuck! They used one of their big guns! NO' Oh fuck-"

More scenes came back at that moment. Someone else was there- no a few more people were there.

" Dad, please tell me he's gonna make it! Oh great Mother oh no". Kiri. That was kiri. Spider looked up at her, his vision clears up enough to see her eyes all teary and scrunched up, her mouth was trembling. Her hand was over his wound trying to stop the bleeding, while another one, Neteyam was there his hands were trembling. His face was nothing like he's ever seen before, his once brother was frantic just like kiri. He was numbing little "nos" to himself while fat tears fell from his eyes which were full of regret. Spider didn't manage to hear much of what he was saying but he did her one thing.

" oh please great mother, I'm sorry I'm sorry for being a bad brother just please don't take him".

"LET ME GO- MAMA LET ME GO!".

He didn't need to look up to see who was yelling he recognises that voice anywhere.

"Lo'ak please-"

"NO, THEY NEED TO PAY LET ME GO- I"

Spider couldn't focus on what he was saying next. His breathing suddenly became faster, more raspy. His eyes shot open, Kiri sprung into action her face leaning down while her hands tried to cover his wound. Neteyam jumped in as well. His hands stroked his left hand. He didn't realise it before but Jake was talking to him. Spider didn't notice him before, he didn't even notice he was right in Infront of him. It was his hand on his cheek, gently stroking it, whispering to him.

"Hay! Look at me! Okay?! Your gonna be alright ! Everything is fine, we're gonna call norm and he'll have you all better in no time and..".

Spider knew he was lying. He watched as Jake struggled to say anything. Jake looked away for a moment, guilt covering his face. Spider felt his breathing tighten at that moment, his eyes were beginning to close them. Spider squeezed Neteyams hands and he squeezed them back.

" I want to go home" was all he could say. Jake looked back at him. His eyes were teary.

"yeah, yeah of course kid. We'll take you home."

Spider didn't remember what happened next when his vision became blurred, his head was spinning, everyone around him became fuzzy, and his world began to turn black. Spider didn't want to go, he didn't want to leave, unfortunately, now he has no choice. As his world slowly crumbles into the dark endless void he looked up past Jakes alert eyes into the sky his ears vaguely picking up what they were saying.

“ Spider!-“

His eyes closed.

me after traumatising Spider again^^

[andysorbit]

Dinner (M)

CEO!Doyoung x fem housewife!reader

Warnings: daddy kink, snowballing, fingering, some angst?, sex against a counter, light dirty talk

"I didn't get a chance to pick up your order from Target," You say quietly.

Dinner is awkward. That's the only thing you can count on for sure these days; sitting down for dinner with Doyoung will be quiet.

You stopped eating on the sofa together, you stopped laughing together, and his job became more demanding, so you stopped cooking together.

"It's fine. I was really hungry, so uh... I definitely preferred this over some shirts and socks. Thanks, Y/n," Doyoung says with a smile.

You've been married for only three years, yet it feels like a lifetime. It's gotten boring. He's boring.

"When did you stop falling in love with me?" You ask him.

Doyoung looks up from his empty dish, "I- what?" he says incredulously.

"What am I doing wrong? I cook, I stopped working, I... I'm giving you everything you want but you're clearly not happy with me. What am I doing wrong?" You press as you try to stop the tremble in your voice from breaking through.

"That's just it... you're doing all of this, and I know you don't want to... I didn't know how to approach the situation, but Ten told me how you're really feeling... I thought you'd be happier... I still love you, Y/n, I'm just embarrassed."

Doyoung drops his head down for a moment and sighs,

"Everyone else is happy with their husbands, and I was stupid enough to think I could tame you into living a lie, and I'm sorry. I'm really sorry," he says.

You watch him stare down at his plate, and you frown, "Tame me?" You say incredulously.

He nods,

"Yeah... tame you. You're wild and busy and social, and I... I put you in a cage and pretended like I gave you a say in it... you don't deserve this, but I still love you, and I've never stopped. I was just..."

Doyoung shakes his head and looks back up at you. He obviously wants to cry but he pushes past it.

"I was afraid you had started hating me and I think that... having this really awkward and boring marriage is better than talking about it and hearing you tell me you that want to leave me because you've finally had enough."

He says and stands up, "I'll clean up tonight. You go and relax. We can talk and figure something out tomorrow but tonight I just wanna be with you. I need you to smile and mean it. I don't wanna be the reason you feel this way. We can talk just... please don't leave me."

"Leave you?" You say softly, "I could never leave you. I love you too much. I just need to feel like we used to."

He begins clearing the table, "I wanna... I wanna fuck you like I used to. Don't you miss that?" he reaches out with his free hand to take yours. His eyes search yours and you smile, "Let's work together and get done faster. We'll have more time together." You say and Doyoung shakes his head,

"Fuck the dishes, fuck everything. Just... come here," he says as he pulls you up to your feet.

He presses a warm kiss to your lips and you melt against him, "How could you think I don't love you?" he mumbles against your mouth, "I always brag about how smart you are and you've been such a little dummy."

He taps your forehead and laughs before kissing you again.

His hands ease down your back ever so slowly.

You chuckle, "I... I'm sorry," You moan as his hands grip your ass. "I'm sorry. Don't you apologize. Don't you dare," he says.

You lose yourself in the feel of his hands gently kneeding the softness of your body. "Doie... I'm not glass. Come on," You pant.

Doyoung brings a hand up to softly caress your face. His eyes are scared and wild, "But it's been so long Y/n. I... I feel like I'll really hurt you." he whispers.

"I can tell you if you do. Don't limit yourself before we've even started. Just please... get out of your own head." You tell him with a reassuring smile.

He leads you into the kitchen, "I want you right here." he whispers as he presses you against the counter and his hands grab at your thighs. "We haven't done this since..." You trail off with a gasp as he separates your thighs.

"Since my promotion and you.... were my naughty little secretary who just couldn't control herself and needed to be fucked. That was ages ago... back when we could've gotten into so much trouble if my father found out what I was doing to you," Doyoung's fingers ease your nightgown up.

You had stopped looking good for him so long ago and the hemline of your gowns had gotten lower.

"And you tease me with these long fucking nightgowns..." he trails off and ruts himself against you.

You perk up, "You like my nightgowns?" You ask him.

"God... you look so good in them. So beautiful and lush... you're always such a pretty little thing," he replies.

You palm him through his pajama pants and tease his cock slowly, "You always found the weirdest things sexy... I was going for a sexless marriage look," You chuckle.

Doyoung laughs, "You think someone like you could ever pull off something sexless? You're a fucking goddess, Y/n. Even when you're trying to be otherwise, you're sexy." He crushes his lips against yours and kisses you so greedily that you whine into his mouth.

He breaks the kiss and eases a hand between your thighs, "Is this pussy still mine? Huh, baby?" he asks softly. You nod eagerly, "Of course," You whimper, "Still belongs to you, daddy. Take it... please," You plead.

Doyoung's eyes are intense, nervous, and loving as he slides his hand into your panties, "So wet... fuck, babe. Does that feel good?" he moans against your mouth. You nod, "Daddy... God, yes. I love it," You whine.

His fingers tease your clit softly, "S'been so long since I got to feel this wet little cunt... have you been making yourself cum without me?" he asks. "Yeah, daddy... but... I think a- fuck... I think about... your... fingers and I cum so... so fucking hard, daddy."

Doyoung smiles, "You still think about me," he says more to himself. His fingers speed up before slowing down again. You want so badly to tell him that no matter how difficult things become for the both of you, he'll always be a reason for you to touch yourself.

You try to tell him but the words bind together like wads of cotton on your tongue, so instead, you just whimper his name. "Gonna take this pussy right here... are gonna give it to daddy? Huh, baby?" he says as he cups your pussy in his hand. You nod and writhe against him, "Please... daddy, please," Your whines draw him in for a hot open-mouthed kiss and you both wrestle to get the drawstring of his sweatpants undone.

As you push his pants down, he brings your hand down to stroke his cock slowly. You nod again, too drunk on the taste of his mouth dancing across your tongue.

He pulls back and grabs you by the back of your neck,

"Tongue out."

You obey and watch as he pools spit to the front of his mouth before he drops a fat wad of it into your mouth.

Your body shivers and you swallow with a satisfied hum.

"God... you kill me," he groans.

He grips your left thigh and you wrap your leg around his waist. You pant as he slides into you, "Daddy... yes."

Doyoung fucks into and as your hips collide, he unbuttons your nightgown to expose your bare tits to him.

He gives them a slap before squeezing them, "Still daddy's little slut? Huh? Are you still daddy's little fuck toy, baby?" he grunts.

You kiss him, "Yes, daddy!"

He stretches you just right and your eyes meet with his. You watch him drop his gaze down to where his cock is sliding into you and his eyes flutter shut, "That's my girl... gonna cum for me?" he gasps.

Once again, you nod and he snakes a hand down to finger your throbbing clit,

"My little whore. Cum for me."

Your thighs shake and you grip his shoulders, "Daddy, daddy, daddy... fuck!" You cry out.

Doyoung eases out of you and pushes you down to your knees.

"Keep your mouth open and look at me, baby... just like that. Good girl," he says as you do as you're told. He strokes himself desperately and his eyes dance back and forth between your eyes, your mouth, and your tits.

It doesn't take him long to cum and as he does does, he slides the head of his cock into your mouth, "Don't swallow yet... just hold it there."

You savor the taste of his cum as he pulls you back up to him. His tongue pries your mouth open. He licks into your mouth as you share his cum. You body tingles and he hums as you both swap it back and forth; he keeps you close to him and it's just like old times.

His hand grip your ass as you both become more and more grounded. He smiles and licks into your mouth once more before you both swallow what's left.

"I love you," he says, "I never stopped. Never will stop... I couldn't even if I wanted to. Do you understand me?"

You nod, "I love you too." You whisper back.

End note: thank my sativa vape for this one

[agi-ppangx]

hi lovely 🫶🏽

are you going to make a part 3 of the pregnancy fic? like maybe the boys making sure that you were okay 24/7 and they're always making sure you have with you any food that you crave?

overall just being really chaotic and caring uncles :,)

please don't have to feel pressured to do it 💓

hii !! thank you for this idea ^^ i wont lie, i was kinda struggling and im not sure if this is what you wanted, but at the same time i had so much fun writing this haha hopefully youll like it, please let me know if you enjoyed<3

part one | part two

feedback and reblogs highly appreciated🫶🏽

since you and minho told the boys about pregnancy, they haven't stopped talking about it on a daily basis. they called at least four times a day to ask if you were doing okay or if you needed anything. they even created a separate group chat to only talk about you and the baby, worrying over you 24/7. you appreciated their efforts, it was really cute when they pinged you at a random hour with a question "uncle no 5: @/mother🫡 have you eaten anything today????? we know you've been craving mcdonalds lately so we bought a few happy meals and we're on our way to your apartment !!! see you soon".

that's how you ended up in the current situation - on your couch, minho running some errands in the city, felix and jeongin on both your sides, and twelve happy meals in front of you. "how did this happen…?" you asked, dumbfounded. "i thought you said a few happy meals". you whispered the last part, trying to process all of it. "yeah, i mean, we didn't really know which combination you wanted so we chose, well, twelve," felix stated and jeongin added a quiet "ta-da", both of them smiling awkwardly. after a long moment of silence, you suddenly started sobbing, the hormones taking over. the boys looked at you, confused and scared at the same time - did they do something wrong? "yn, what's- what's going on? are you okay?" jeongin stuttered, not being sure whether to hug you or leave you alone. he made eye contact with felix, silently debating what to do and gesturing vividly over your crying figure. "no, it's just- i can't eat all of this and it makes me sad, because you bought it for me and-" you were starting to ramble and felix had to place his hands on your shoulders to ground you. you looked at him and started taking deep breaths with his help. after you stopped hyperventilating felix spoke softly. "yn, it's absolutely fine, we're not mad at all. just eat as much as you want and we'll take care of the leftovers." you nodded but the tears didn't stop. "i'm really sorry, i appreciate your efforts and i would love to eat all these happy meals but it's just too unhealthy for the baby and i don't want the food to harm it" you began again, the hormones making you feel guilty. "we get it, yn, it's totally okay, don't worry. and please stop crying, it breaks my heart," jeongin said and wiped your tears. you giggled at that a little, feeling a bit better. you took one happy meal and started eating fries. "is there anything else you were craving lately that's maybe healthier than mcdonalds?" felix asked suddenly and you took a moment to think about it. there was one thing, way better than fast food. "cherries, i was craving them for the past few days" you mumbled. "okay, cherries it is" felix stated and took his phone to send a message to the group chat.

"uncle no 5: guys

uncle no 5: you have a mission

uncle no 5: buy some cherries for @/mother🫡 and come to her and minho hyung's apartment

uncle no 5: also, we have around 11 happy meals to eat

uncle no 1: what the fuck do you mean by 11 happy meals ???

uncle no 5: come and find out ;) bUT DON'T FORGET THE CHERRIES"

after around an hour you heard banging at the door. you wanted to get up and open them, but jeongin was faster. you saw five men at your front door, each of them with a box full of freaking cherries. "hi yn! how are you feeling? are you okay? did- did you cry?" changbin bombarded you with tons of questions as soon as he placed his box on the coffee table in front of you. "i'm fine, don't worry, but- i thought you would bring maybe a kilogram of cherries and not five boxes…" you replied, looking at the fruit in you living room. "i mean, don't get me wrong, that's really thoughtful of you, but what i'm gonna do with all these cherries?" you muttered, getting up and examining the boxes. you noticed on the side of the box that one of those was eight kilograms, which meant… "where did you even get forty kilograms of cherries?" you exclaimed, astonished. you didn't know if you were happy because of the support or if you wanted to murder them for buying forty kilograms of cherries for one pregnant woman. they remained silent as they smiled awkwardly, caught off guard by your reaction. as you were standing in the middle of the apartment, you heard key jingling at the door and you saw minho enter the room a moment after. he stopped in his tracks as he noticed the chaos - twelve happy meals, five boxes full of cherries and seven men in his living room as well as his pregnant partner standing around the coffee table. "what the hell…?" he looked you in the eyes, dumbfounded. "anyone want to explain this to me?" minho continued, looking around the room and then taking a few careful steps in your direction. "yn was craving some food so we bought it for her…" jeongin started, unsure. minho examined the room once more and then he shifted his gaze at you. he opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something but then closed them and simply brushed it off with a wave of his hand. he made his way to the kitchen to take something to drink and in the meantime you gestured at the food and clapped your hands. "okay boys, let's eat!".

there you were, an hour later, munching on some cherries and all of the boys, including minho, sitting around you on the couch and the floor, finishing their happy meals. they placed all of the toys on a pile in the middle of the coffee table and suddenly hyunjin spoke. "hey, we can keep these for the baby. you know, when their older they can play with them, right?". minho jumped at his words, clearly not happy about his idea. "absolutely not, i'm not gonna let my daughter play with 12 plastic minions" he almost shouted and you gave him a warning look, but it was too late. "wait, what? you're having a daughter?" seungmin asked and shifted his shocked gaze to you. "um… surprise?" you revealed and saw the boys jump from joy, shouting and hugging each other. you peeked at minho, his face was almost as red as the cherries the boys brought and he was fidgeting with the hem of his hoodie. when he sensed your gaze at him, he mumbled a faint "i'm sorry". in response you pecked his lips and smiled widely at him. "it's okay baby, that was actually a smooth way to reveal the gender. unplanned, but certainly smooth," you smirked and minho chuckled at that. you took his hand and watched the chaos together, feeling blessed to have such amazing people in your life.

[modernperplexity]

Chapter Rating: E (18+) Minors DNI, mention of alcohol consumption and substance abuse, fluff, angst, sexual tension.

Word Count: 5,634

Pairing: Frankie x f!reader

Chapter summary: A glimpse into Francisco's past, You meet the guys, and Santiago (that meddling little shit) gets his way you'll see ;). This time we'll see soft and sexy Frankie, that's all I'll say for now.

A/N: Hey y'all! Chapter 4 is finally here! As always, my inbox is always open to chat/suggestions/ questions etc. Please feel free to comment/reblog. I love hearing from you! Also, please excuse any typos you may encounter.

If you'd like to join the tag list click here :) or let me know in the comments.

Happy reading loves!💜

Series Masterlist

Chapter 3 / Chapter 5

Chapter 4: Whiskey Sours & Sweet Confessions

“Are you shitting me!?” Ashley's eyes glazed over with pain and rage, “Are you fucking shitting me, Francisco!?” She slammed the mini zip lock bag on the dining table, her rage hung heavily in the air between them. 

Frankie’s silence was deafening as he stared at the bag in defeat unable to tear away his gaze from the evidence Ashley had discovered. His mouth went dry, his voice caught somewhere between self-loathing and guilt of the choices that led him to that very moment.

“OH!.. So you have nothing to say?!” Again, there were no words in response to her confrontation, “God, you are so.. so-” She stammered, her voice quivering with indignation.

“Just say it.” Frankie surrendered, one hand covering his eyes, seeking brief solace from the heat of her anger. 

“-Pathetic! I don’t know why I am even surprised anymore! This is so like you!”

The words stung as they reached Frankie who was sitting at the small dining table. Ashley’s yelling had prompted a sharp cry from Camilla who was only 8 months old. The guilt of losing Tom, the money, and the casualties of that mission haunted Francisco. He hated who he became but couldn’t fight the shadow that loomed over him. Ben had his boxing gig, Will went into overdrive at the VA, Santiago up and left for months at a time, and Frankie, well, he’d come back and dove head first into his only escape; the only thing that kept his body from feeling heavy.

“Ash, I’m s-” He could barely get a word out.

Ashley raised her finger to his face, the anger burned brighter in her eyes, her words laced with pain. "You promised!! Frankie!! You promised that things would be different. That we’d have a better life! But instead, you left me alone, responsible for everything, to care after your fucking kid..”

“Look, you can insult me all you want. I know I’m a piece of shit and I deserve it, okay!?” Frankie’s hands raised in defeat, “I deserve it, but don’t talk about Camila like that ..she’s your daughter too!”

“Well!” A slow clap accompanied her judgemental scoff, “look who finally decide to act like a father that actually gives a damn!”

"I... I never meant for it to come to this, Ash," he finally managed to say, his voice trembling. "I know I've fucked up- repeatedly. But please, believe me when I say that I never stopped caring about you or Camila."

Ashley turned away, her tears flowing freely now. "You have a shit way of showing you care, Frank. Time and time again you prove me right, I can't trust you. I can't keep playing this game."

She ran her fingers through her hair as she stared out the kitchen window “This isn’t what I wanted, Frank. I didn’t want this life, You left me alone in this, meanwhile you’re out there spendng the little money we have just to feel whatever the fuck it is you need” she paused, no longer being able to hold back tears, before she let out what she had wanted to say for the past few months, “I’m done... I’m done with you! We both know none of this is gonna change.”

“Ash, I’m sorry..I’ll get help this time, I promise.”He reached out a hand, desperate to bridge the evergrowing chasm between them.

“Don’t. touch. me.” she pinched the bridge of her nose, and drew a sharp breath “Get the fuck out”

Frankie’s eyes went wide, his words failing him once more.

“GET OUT!!” Ashley managed through her anger, tears now streaming down her face as she threw out a bag of his things and slammed the door. 

Frankie dusted off the steel green amo box he had stored on his top closet shelf. His hands hesitated to reach the latch. It wasn’t often that the box saw the light of day. In it, Frankie held pictures he didn’t want around the house but that he knew someday Camila would ask for. Pictures of him and Ashley from the night they met, of Ashley’s pregnancy which Frankie begged to take- Ashley who always begrudgingly complied. 

He looked through the old mementos and photos as his hands began to shake. One of Ashley and Cami at the hospital, Camilla’s newborn hat, and the tiny plastic medical ID bracelet among other things. He hesitated knowing what lay at the very bottom of the box. A dainty silver ring that he had bought a few weeks after he found out Ashley was pregnant but could never bring himself to give to her. It seemed like the obvious next step after having a baby.

Frankie always wanted to be a father. When he found out about Ashley’s pregnancy he was terrified but excited nonetheless. Reality hit him hard when the hospital bills came in, one after another. Money was tight and tensions were high between them before he lost his license and only became worse afterwards. Pope’s offer for the Lorea mission was insane but it offered him a chance to provide for his struggling family. A way to prove that all that time in the army and special ops wasn’t wasted. It was a weapon to fight back the voice inside his head that deemed him useless.

It had been a couple of days since Ashley had reached out. Should he respond? Did he even want to? The memories of seeing Camila for the first time, wrapped in a hospital blanket, so tiny and fragile, flooded his mind. The promise he made to himself to protect his little girl at all costs lingered. Now, he faced the difficult question: should he allow the woman who had abandoned him, who had heartlessly left Cami, back into their lives? Would he be selfish as a father if he refused to let Cami see her mom? Ashley had the potential to trigger him, but perhaps she had changed... or had she? His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a knock on the door, breaking the cycle of contemplation that had consumed him since he opened the box.

“Texted the boys, they’ll meet us at the bar in an hour” Pope pried the door open a bit more when he saw the pictures scattered on Frankie's bed, giving Frankie a knowing glance while he leaned on the door frame, “You good?”

Frankie paused, that period of his life brought on a plague of complicated emotions, “Yeah...I uh- I’m fine”

“What are you going to do?” Santiago glanced over to the phone beside the box on Frankie’s bed.

Frankie dragged his hands over his patchy beard, “I.. don’t want to think about that right now”

“Good. Drinks on me, we’re celebrating tonight!” 

“We got our pilot back boys!” Ben cheered from the corner of the bar. The “unhappy hour” neon sign provided a dim blue light over the booth where they sat.

“It’s been a long winding road, man. We’re proud of you, Fish!” Will clapped Frankie on the shoulder and handed him a glass

“Never met anyone more deserving..You belong in the sky” Ben added with a genuine smile, glad to see his brother happy again.

Frankie chuckled, “I still can’t fucking believe it. I get to have my wings back!” He sighed with deep relief “In all seriousness, I can’t thank y’all enough. You all had my back when I lost sight of everything that mattered”

“Hey, that’s in the past. You’re our brother, we’d do it all over again- no questions asked” Santiago replied.

Ben nodded in agreement and took a sip of his beer, “So, how does it feel to be back up there?”  

“It's like nothing else, the freedom, the rush, the sense of control... It's fucking indescribable” He grinned, “I’ll take ya next time” I don’t mind the extra flight hours.

“Sign me up, but please, Fish, no more near-death experiences, alright? I had enough of that last time.” 

The men all burst into laughter and clink their glasses together, “to Catfish!”

Michele practically dragged you out of your apartment. She had agreed to meet a few of her coworkers at a divey bar in town and insisted that you meet them. The night was slightly cooler than most Florida nights but not drastically colder- it is Florida after all, prompting you to wear a thin green cardigan paired with a black mini skirt that highlighted your curves, sheer black tights, and your comfy black combat boots.

She gently clasped your hand, leading you through the bustling crowd, the melody of The Smiths' "This Charming Man" filling the air around you. Your heart nearly skipped a beat as your eyes locked onto Frankie, a beer in hand, making his way towards the illuminated jukebox.

The sight of him left you momentarily breathless. "Everything alright?" Michele's concerned voice breaking through to you.

You blinked, forcing yourself to focus on the present moment. "Yeah, umm... Frankie's here," you managed to reply, your voice tinged with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

Michele's eyes widened in surprise. "He's here?" she echoed, her gaze darting around the bar.

"Over at the jukebox," you informed her with a subtle nod in Frankie's direction.

Her eyebrows raised in approval “Damn, he is fine, but you better go over there before blondie wins him over.”

“Wait, what?” Heat surged in your chest, a stark reminder of the truth you could no longer hide. The thought of someone else with him sent a pang of jealousy coursing through you. Oh no, is that the barista from the coffee shop?

Your eyes were locked in, unable tear away from the scene unfolding before your eyes. When it dawned on you, Frankie was no longer looking at her, he was now looking at you. A subtle spark of recognition and excitement flashed across his eyes, fleeting but unmistakable. Frankie briefly introduced her to Ben, who immediately wore a bright smile, before heading toward you.

“Talk to him!” Michele urged with encouragement, “Have some fun.. And PLEASE have something good to tell me afterward!” She squeezed you tight and handed you her shot of whiskey, “I’ll find you later... if you want me to find you.” She added with a wink before disappearing into the crowd.

As Frankie drew nearer, a surge of anticipation swept over you. With Michele's words echoing in your mind, you took a deep breath, steeling yourself for what was to come. With a quick flick of your wrist, you downed the whiskey Michele had given you, its fiery warmth spreading through your veins, emboldening you for the encounter ahead. You turned around and nearly collided with Frankie, “Oh, Jesus!” You blurted, your heart pounding in your chest as you stumbled back a step, caught off guard by the sudden proximity.

Frankie smiled, appearing amused and slightly concerned, ”Everything alright?” the genuine concern in his voice already putting you at ease.

“Just needed a little liquid courage, I guess” A nervous laugh escaped you.

Frankie chuckled, his eyes twinkling. “Well it looks like you can’t go a week without running into me” He teased, a mischievous smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“I seem to have that effect on people” You chuckled, grasping the silver chain of the clutch you selected for the evening, “What are you doing here?”

“The boys brought me out to celebrate” He paused and leaned in closer, taking in the warm cherry scent of your perfume on the crook of your neck, his voice a hushed whisper, “I passed my pilot exam.”

“You passed the exam!!” Your eyes widened with excitement as you cheered, unable to contain the joy bubbling up within you. Without a second thought, you wrapped your arms around Frankie's neck, drawing him into a tight embrace. “Frankie, this is such great news! I’m so proud of you!” 

Frankie’s grin widened his arms wrapping around you in return, the warmth of your body against his causing his heart to race even faster. “Thank you” he said, his voice tinged with sincere gratitude, “It’s been a long time coming” His eyes lingered over you as he pulled away, your face mere inches away, "You know, I couldn't have done it without your encouragement. Our conversation at the coffee shop meant a lot to me"

Your cheeks flushed pink at Frankie's heartfelt words, a shy smile tugging at the corners of your lips. "Well, I'm glad I could help in some way," you replied, your heart swelling with pride and admiration for the man in front of you.

"What are you drinking?" Frankie asked, his eyes sparkling.

"You're here to celebrate you, but you want to buy me a drink?" you teased, raising an eyebrow in mock disbelief.

"Just think of it as another coffee," he winked, his playful demeanor displaying no signs of surrender.

"A whiskey sour, please," you smiled, unable to resist his charm as you watched him effortlessly command the attention of the bartender. His presence seemed to fill the room, making everything else fade into the background.

As you observed him, a smile emerged from the corner of your lips, his hands made your glass seem three times smaller. "He buys me coffee and my drinks," you remarked with a playful sigh, adding a hint of dramatic flair. "A true American hero."

The widest grin spread across Frankie's face. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this at ease. Despite the complexities that could arise in whatever was happening between you both, he pushed those thoughts aside, not wanting to dwell on them, not tonight at least.

"Here," he said, handing you your drink, his touch sending a jolt of electricity through you. Without hesitation, he casually took your hand, his fingers intertwining with yours "Come on, I want you to meet the guys." 

“Well, well, well- would you look what the cat dragged back in” Pope revealed a mischievous grin after taking a sip of his beer, his gaze shifting between you and Frankie.

You smiled, “Nice to see you again too, Santiago” 

“I’m just messing, Hermosa” Santiago chuckled, getting up to hug you. “That was meant for Fish.”

“So this is Peech!” Ben exclaimed with a grin, pulling you into a strong and warm embrace, “I know the speech sessions are for our lil Camcam but I can tell you’re great! Fish hasn’t shut up about you since day one!” 

Your cheeks flushed pink, Frankie too smitten by your nervous laughter to pay Ben any mind, aside from a brief sidelong glance in his direction.

“You’re kind of a celebrity ‘round these parts, darlin” Will added sweetly, “It’s good to put a face to the name finally.” 

“Likewise!” you agreed, “Well since we’re all here to celebrate our pilot,” you lightly nudged Frankie, “Why don’t I get us the next round?

 Ben sipped the last of his beer, and set down his glass, “OH I like her!” 

The atmosphere was filled with laughter and positive energy. The men bantered and shared stories of their early days in the military with you. It came to you as a surprise to feel so effortlessly at home with the group. You would have never pictured feeling so at ease while surrounded by men. Your quick wit and charm drew them in. As the night wore on and drinks flowed, Frankie found himself becoming even more infatuated with you, displaying the palpable string of tension that existed between you both. It hung in the air, creating an undercurrent of anticipation and curiosity. The subtle stolen glances, lingering touches, traces of smiles. It all prompted knowing looks from those around the table. Santiago who of course, was the first to notice, wore a mischievous grin, earning him a swift kick under the table. 

“So” Santiago interrupted Ben who had been bragging to you about all the fights he’d won recently, “has Catfish ever told you about Truth or Spare?” Santiago’s eyes eager for your response.

Ben whistled, “oh, here we fucking go”

“Oh come on..its just a game” Santiago hissed.

“What is this? Highschool?” Ben shook his head 

“WhAt Is tHiS HiGhScHoOl?” Santiago mocked in return.

A hesitant look flashed across Frankie’s face,“I don’t know Pope” 

“It’s okay, I want to hear about this.” You chimed.

“He’s trying to get you to play this drinking game we all played when we enlisted in the army.” Will explained, directing a knowing look in Santiago’s direction, “But there’s no pressure.” 

“We all played when we joined the squad” Ben said with a reassuring smile “some supposed way to build trust but really it was our excuse to get drunk on our days off” 

You nodded, curious to learn more, "Hmm.. How do you play?" you looked at Santiago waiting for an explanation. 

"You have to choose between answering a personal question with complete honesty or taking a shot. It's all about testing your limits."

Frankie's hesitant expression didn't ease, but he spoke up nonetheless. "Yeah, but it can get intense. Some questions really push your boundaries, and the drinks add up quickly."

Will half smiled "Shit’s about to get real, but seeing that your drink of choice is whiskey, I take it you can hold your own" He added with a wink.

A mix of excitement and apprehension settled in your chest. "Alright, I’m in."

“Atta girl!” Santiago nodded approvingly. "Welcome to our circle of trust. Just remember, once you start playing, there's no turning back."

You nodded, and met Frankie’s eyes with a playful smirk, "Okay, but Frankie goes first."

As the game kicked off, the group went easy on you. They couldn't help but laugh as you shared stories of your younger self sneaking out on summer nights and the satisfying moment when you finally stood up to your childhood bully after being pushed off your bike countless times. They absolutely loved that one. But as the game progressed, things got more intense. The questions became more personal, pushing boundaries and leading to more serious unearthing. You spilled the beans about that time you accidentally sent a sext to your grandma consequently making her blood pressure drop, sending her to the hospital earning “oohs” and laughs from the group. Pope begrungingly admitted to having a crush on one of Ben's exes. Ben got caught in the act during a threesome by one of the girl's ex-boyfriends, Will confessed to hooking up with the same flight attendant multiple times on different flights, and then there was Frankie, who got stuck in a janitor's closet for four and a half hours after hooking up with a girl at a concert and had to resort to peeing in a bucket (Yep, that was the last time he ever saw her). 

Then Santiago’s question changed the air around you, “Are you seeing anyone?”

“No” Your response quick and easy, too easy to satisfy Santiago’s agenda.

“Do you currently have feelings for someone?” He prodded.

A fiery warmth spread across your chest at his second question, rendering you to an absolute halt. His words seemed to pierce through the din of the crowded bar, leaving you momentarily speechless.

"Um, well, I... I mean, you know, it's complicated," you stammered, your words slurring slightly as you struggled to form a coherent response. Frankie's presence heighten your flustered state, making you feel more unsettled than usual. The alcohol coursing through your veins seemed to amplify your nerves, leaving you feeling jittery and out of sorts.

Desperate for a moment of reprieve, you took another sip of your water, hoping it would help to calm your frazzled nerves. But instead, it only seemed to exacerbate your unease. "I, uh, I just...I do," you blurted out, your eyes widening in alarm as the words escaped your lips. With a sudden rush of embarrassment, you instinctively covered your mouth, as if trying to snatch back the breath you had just spoken.

Ben whistled in response, “Whoever he is, he is a godamn lucky guy” his eyes flickering briefly towards Frankie who held back a smile and preferred to fidget with the corner of his napkin than to look up at you.

You stole a quick glance at Frankie, hoping to gauge his reaction, but he kept his eyes fixed on the table, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. Despite his attempts to appear nonchalant, you couldn't shake the feeling that he could see right through you. Before the awkward silence could stretch any further, a buzzing at your hip provided a welcome interruption, breaking the tension that had settled over the table. Grateful for the distraction, you quickly reached for your phone, hoping to find solace in the familiar glow of the screen.

"S-sorry, I gotta take this," you stammered, your voice trembling slightly as you hurriedly scooted out of the booth and made your way to the patio area.

Once outside, you fumbled for your phone, your heart racing with anxiety. With trembling fingers, you answered the call. "Michele... Jesus Christ, I-I've never loved you more," you breathed into the phone.

“Hey, I just wanted to check in, you doing alright?” Her voice tinged with genuine concern.

You breathed in, composing yourself, “Yeah, I’ve been having a great time.” The alcohol coursing through your veins making you increasingly aware of your intoxicated state

“Of course you are chica! you’ve been surrounded by four smoking hot guys practically all night!” she quipped with a sassy tone, “That’s right, I saw them!” 

You couldn't help but giggle at her playful remark as you swayed your way to the balcony.“Where are youu?” You asked, struggling to keep your balance.

“I’m out by the exit, heading out in a few but I wanted to make sure you’re good.” She giggled but not at anything you said. You thought you heard a male voice in the background, murmuring something and calling her "baby."

“Call me if you need anything, yeah? Except for condoms, I only have one of those in my purse” You could practically hear her mischievous smile over the phone.

“OH MY GOD!” You burst into laughter, “love you, I’ll text you when I get home”.

“Love you, bye!” Michele responded, her voice warm with affection before the line went silent. You ended the call and tucked your phone back into your purse, not yet ready to return to the company of your friends inside.

Just as you were about to gather your thoughts, a gentle hand landed on your shoulder, causing you to startle.You spun around faster than you realized you could handle in your current state, only to find Frankie standing there, his hands held out in a gesture of apology.

 “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you”. He said softly, his eyes filled with concern as he steadied you with his touch.

You responded with a shy smile, mesmerized by the way his deep brown eyes sparked, even in the dim twinkling lights of the patio. “It’s okay” 

“I, uh, I wanted apologize about Pope.” His hands lingered on your arms, and you couldn't help but notice the way your heart fluttered at his proximity. “He can get intense”.

“Oh F-frankie, you don’t have to do that, itss all fun and games”. Despite your attempt to remain composed, you found yourself increasingly aware of the effect the game had on you, the warm, fuzzy effect of the drinks settling over your body. So much so that you nearly tripped on your own feet. "Oops!" you giggled, feeling the edges of your cheeks flush with embarrassment. 

“I think it’s time to get you home” Frankie smiled sweetly at your clumsiness before realizing the implication of his own words, “I uh, I mean, not like that. I just–”.

You placed a finger on his lips “Shhh..” quickly stealing a glance of his eyes and back to your finger, your voice soft but insistent “Jussst take me home”, Frankie’s gaze made you nervous “....there’s no way I can drive like this” 

The bar pulsed with excitement, even though it was well past midnight. Frankie's touch was like a gentle yet firm anchor as he guided you through the sea of people, his presence stirring a whirlwind of emotions within you. You'd often fantasized about what it would be like to spend a night out with him, but never did you think of a moment like this. Frankie opened the car door for you, his eyes filled with a subtle tenderness as he helped you settle into the passenger seat. His caring nature was warm and reassuring. As you glanced around the interior of his car, you couldn't help but notice how spotless it was. Of course, you thought. He did have a military background afterall.

The engine roared to life, the sound blending seamlessly with the melody of Gerry Rafferty's "Right Down the Line" playing softly in the foreground. It was a song you knew well, its familiar notes adding to the magic of the moment. Frankie loved night drives, particularly on nights like tonight when the air carried a hint of coolness. He couldn't help but steal glances at you, as the wind played with your hair, brushing it across your cheeks. He watched with a smile as you sang along to every word of the song without a care in the world. It was as though each lyric held a piece of your soul, released into the air with each heartfelt note. In that moment, under the starlit sky, Frankie found himself captivated by the raw beauty of your uninhibited joy, feeling a warmth spread through him at the sight of your carefree spirit. It was a moment he wished he could freeze in time, etching it into his memory as a reminder of the magic that existed in the simplest of moments spent with you.

Your hand reached for his, reminding him that this, whatever this was, was actually happening. There was this air of trust between you.

"Still feeling okay?" Frankie asked, his voice soft as he glanced at you, his eyes reflecting the dim glow of the streetlights nearby as the car came to a stop.

You nodded, offering him a reassuring smile. “I'm okay. Thank you for driving me home"

Frankie squeezed your hand gently. "Anytime. I want to make sure you’re safe, Hermosa."

A soft blush tinted your cheeks at his words, and you looked out the window, trying to hide your smile. 

Frankie stepped out of the car, and opened the door for you. He offered his hand, assisting you up the stairs that led to your front door. The yellow glow of the overhead bulb cast a warm hue over his features, accentuating the sharp lines of his jaw and the curls in his hair.

As you climbed the steps, lost in thought of his features, you stumbled, your foot catching on the edge. With a surprised yelp, you began to fall forward, but Frankie was quick to react, reaching out to steady you, once again.

"Whoa there clumsy," he chuckled, a smile playing on his lips. "wouldn't want you taking a tumble."

You both couldn't help but laugh at your own tipsy clumsiness, the tension of the moment dissolving into shared amusement. "Thanks," you said, flashing him a grateful smile. "Guess drinks and stairs don’t mix."

Frankie grinned, his eyes sparkling with humor. "No problem, but you know, I've never seen anyone trip going up stairs before. You've got talent!” He chuckled

Your laughter only grew louder at his quip, and after a moment of catching your breath, his eyes met yours and you decided to take a chance. 

You paused, liquid courage spurring you on. "Can I tell you somethin?" you asked, your voice tentative.

"Of course, Hermosa," Frankie replied, his expression curious.

You took a deep breath, gathering your thoughts before confessing, "I really should have kissed you that first night we met."

For a moment, there was silence between you, the weight of your words hanging in the air. Then, Frankie's smile widened, a warmth filling his gaze as he reached out to gently cup your cheek.

"Then why don't you?" he murmured softly, his thumb brushing against your cheek.

Your heart skipped a beat as Frankie's words hung in the air, sending a thrill coursing through your veins. His touch was electrifying, his thumb tracing gentle circles on your cheek, sending shivers down your spine.

You could feel the heat of his breath against your skin, his lips tantalizingly close to yours, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still as you drowned in the intensity of his gaze.

"Maybe… I will," your voice barely above a whisper, hardly audible over the pounding of your heart.

Frankie's smile widened, a playful glint dancing in his eyes. "I dare you."

With a surge of boldness, you closed the remaining distance between you, your lips meeting his in a sweet, exhilarating kiss. It was everything you had imagined and more, a perfect fusion of passion and tenderness that left you breathless and craving more.

As you pulled away, a grin spread across Frankie's face, his eyes sparkling with joy and affection."Looks like dreams really do come true," he murmured, his voice filled with desire.

Your heart raced as he leaned in for another kiss, his lips crashing into yours. This time with an intensity that sent sparks flying, fueled by hunger and desire.

You melted into him, tangling your fingers in his curls as his kiss deepened, each touch sending shockwaves of pleasure coursing through your body. Frankie's hands reached for your thighs, wrapping you around him, as he carried you up the stairs and into your apartment with ease.

“Bedroom” you managed to breath out in between kisses “Mmm…to the…left”

You collapsed onto the cool sheets of your duvet when Frankie paused “Wait..” his chest rising and falling as he leveled his breath, his tone suddenly serious “let's…let’s slow down a bit”

“Yeah” you responded, a confused look flickered across your face, “Okay, you’re right. We probably should”.

"I like you, a lot," Frankie admitted, his gaze softening as he looked into your eyes. "But I want to do this the right way and–“ He stopped mid thought glancing over at your open bathroom door  “I also couldn’t help but notice that annoying leaky faucet!” 

A laugh bubbled up from your chest, you breathed in still catching your breath “I’ve been bugging the landlord about that for months!”

Frankie grinned, his eyes lighting up. "That's an easy fix! I can come by sometime and help you out with that."

A warmth spread through your chest at his offer, and you couldn't help but smile. "Oh really?” Your voice offering a tone of mischief ,”I'd like that," you replied, feeling a sense of anticipation building between you “I’d like that a lot actually”

Without hesitation Frankie leaned in and planted a quick tender kiss on your forehead before settling beside you. The warmth of his presence beside you filled you with a sense of comfort and contentment, and you couldn't help but snuggle closer, savoring the closeness between you as a comfortable silence enveloped you both. But soon, conversation resumed, flowing effortlessly between you as you discussed your favorite movies, swapping recommendations and sharing anecdotes about awkward date experiences.

Frankie's laughter filled the room as he recounted a particularly embarrassing moment from his past, and you couldn't help but join in, sharing your own humorous stories in return. The more you talked, the more you realized just how much you had in common, and each revelation brought you closer together.

At one point, Frankie leaned in close, his voice low with mock solemnity. "Well, now that we've shared all our embarrassing stories and secrets, what are we going to talk about on our first date?"

A blush crept up your cheeks at his teasing remark, but you couldn't help but laugh. "Guess we'll just have to come up with some new material," you replied playfully.

As the conversation lulled, Frankie glanced at the clock and sighed. "I should probably head home," he said reluctantly.

But before he could move, you reached out and gently grasped his hand, your voice barely above a whisper. "Please stay," you pleaded quietly, "For me."

For a moment, Frankie's expression softened, his gaze meeting yours with a mixture of surprise and tenderness. And without another word, he nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he settled back into bed beside you. 

But before sleep claimed you, Frankie's quiet voice broke the silence. "You know, you're half right about that first night we met."

"What do you mean?" you responded, now propping yourself up to look at him.

"I should've kissed you," he admitted, a hint of regret in his tone. "I should've made you put your number in my phone or something." He chuckled softly, his fingers gently playing with strands of your hair.

Your heart skipped a beat at his confession, "Well, lucky for you, it's not too late," you replied, reaching for his phone on the nightstand, a smile tugging at your lips.

And as you melted into each other's embrace, the world outside faded away, leaving only the two of you wrapped up in the quiet stillness of the night. With the gentle patter of rain as your lullaby, you drifted off to sleep. 

Chapter 3 / Chapter 5

Taglist:

@aquanatalie @spookyjamie333 @casa-boiardi @gaypoetsblog @jitterbugs927 @leed-bbg @kittenlittle24 @your-voice-is-mellifluous @jedi-in-crocs @bitchwitch1981 @pastelnap @pimosworld @76bookworm76 @littlemisspascal @southernbe @missladym1981 @anoverwhelmingdin @inept-the-magnificent @harriedandharassed @brilliantopposite187 @partyofone3413 @bunniboo0015

[steveshairychest]

Steve's very self conscious of his Christmas present wrapping skills because he's never had to wrap presents for people before. They don't do Christmas trees, stockings and presents in the Harrington household, they do Christmas parties with food platters and wine and with Steve banished to his room so he doesn't embarrass his parents in front of their rich friends.

He considers not giving Eddie his gift when Eddie hands him the most perfectly wrapped present Steve's ever seen. There's not a single crinkle, tear or poorly folded corner. It looks like fucking Santa himself wrapped the present.

They'd agreed to open their presents at the same time before everyone else arrived so Steve pulls out his haphazardly wrapped present and anxiously hands it over to Eddie.

"Jesus, Stevie, did you wrap this in the dark- " He immediately stops talking when he notices Steve frown and look away from him, his fingers tap an unsteady rhythm on his thigh as he avoids Eddie's eyes, which Eddie knows means he's upset. "Shit, Steve, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I love it, I really do! Baby, look at me."

He leans forward and tries to meet Steve's eyes, which are stubbornly fixated on the perfectly wrapped present in his lap. "Will it make you feel better if I tell you that Wayne wrapped that present, because he did. I am rubbish at present wrapping! I wanted your present to look nice so I asked him to do it for me." He'd actually wrapped it himself but Wayne had taken one look at it and told him to 'Hand it over, son.' He'd thought he'd done a great job.

Steve sniffs and reaches up to wipe the tears that fell down his cheeks and dripped onto the present from Eddie. "Fuck, sorry, I don't know why I'm crying. Christmas is just, uhm, a sensitive holiday for me. Never really done it before." He shrugs and gives Eddie a weak, wobbly smile. "I didn't even know giving presents on Christmas was a thing until I was a teenager. I'm sorry, I've ruined it."

Eddie carefully puts the present from Steve on the floor beside him and then gently pulls Steve into his arms. They're sitting on the floor in Steve's living room, the Christmas tree is only small because Steve hadn't read the dimensions correctly and there's mismatched tinsel and baubles hanging off it. Eddie doesn't know how all the presents from the party are going to fit underneath the tiny tree but they'll make it work. They'll make it work for Steve.

He rocks Steve gently as he cries and buries his face in the ugly sweater Joyce had made everyone. "You haven't ruined anything, sweetheart. I should have known better, I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I should have said something." Steve mumbles into his chest.

"Well, we know for next time. Maybe we'll get Wayne to wrap all our presents next year because we are both shocking at it." Steve laughs and pulls away from the hug to kiss Eddie softly, his lips taste a little salty from his tears but there's also a hint of candy cane and gingerbread. "You should open your present before the kids get here." Eddie whispers against Steve's now smiling lips.

"Why? Is it inappropriate?"

"Very."

"You got me something nasty and you let Wayne wrap it?!"

[littledata]

in your new fic (love by the way) just wondered if you could elaborate what Ava and Bea discuss when they call each other and realise they’re gonna be a couple.

Really interested to know when they both realised and how Bea discussed the beach night to her?

Thanks if you can

“It’s stupid because it’s not here in front of me,” Ava says, grinning stupidly. She can't seem to wipe it from her face, her mouth doesn't seem capable of doing anything else. “Four months, oh my God.”

On the other end of the phone, she can hear the wind rushing past Beatrice, and she half feels like it might sweep through the line and blow her way. For years she's carried the weight of loving Beatrice and believing she couldn't - or wouldn't - love her back, has borne the endless cycle of soaring hope and crushing disappointment with relative dignity and minimal crying into Mary's shoulder.

Now that Beatrice has said it though (I feel very deeply for you - she'll relive those words again and again) she's sure she could float away with the slightest breeze.

"Did you - would you have said anything? If I hadn't..." She doesn't want to say 'got down on my knees and begged you to love me in the middle of a train station' although that's certainly how it had felt; how it felt driving home in Lilith's car wondering if Beatrice would ever look at her the same way again.

"I don't know," Beatrice tells her. "Maybe not. I felt very muddled about all of it. I tried hard to resist it."

"How long?" Ava asks greedily. Now that she's had a taste of Beatrice wanting her, loving her, she can't get enough, will gladly drink it all down and ask for more.

"Hm." Beatrice says. Ava can't see her but she knows Beatrice's noises and silences well enough to understand that she's thinking about it. She's found, over the years, that where her own emotions are often clear and straightforward to her, looming large over everything she does, Beatrice's tend to be more subtle, more textured. Often, she has to sort through them before she's able to express them at all.

"Do you know that lots of girls smoked at my school?"

Ava's brows furrow, confused by the apparent non-sequitur, "Huh?"

"I mean, that lots of girls smoked, and I always refused to join in them. I didn't like it, I thought it was smelly and unpleasant."

"You smoked with me," Ava reminds her, "The first time we met." Ava thinks of it often - wonders regularly the path her life would have taken if she hadn't sneaked out of the tour of the rich asshole boarding school and found Beatrice crying behind the kitchens.

She hears the smile in Beatrice's voice, "That's what I mean. You offered me a cigarette and I accepted, even though I never had before. I think I wanted to impress you."

"Impress me?" Ava lets out a startled laugh, "You're like, the most impressive person ever."

"We'll have to agree to disagree," Beatrice says, amused. Ava wishes very badly she could see her, pull her close. "But I think that's when it started - although I didn't know it then, of course. I only realised it in little bits over the years. Coastal erosion, you know."

"I know," Ava agrees. She's so in love with this ridiculous nerd. "You remember when you came to the hospital to see me? When you were in university and I took those - uh. Well, when I ended up in hospital, anyway. As soon as you walked in, everything felt better, and I just knew."

"That long?" Beatrice asks softly.

"Yeah, that long." Ava agrees. It isn't that she's spent the last ten years pining: she's had boyfriends, girlfriends, even fallen in love a couple times over. But quietly, in the very back of her mind, it's always been Beatrice. Just Beatrice.

"I'm sorry I didn't act sooner," Beatrice says regretfully.

"Don't be sorry," Ava tells her immediately. "Don't. We got here. I didn't think we ever would. That night on the beach trip I kind of felt like I'd fucked everything up, like we'd never be friends the same way again."

"I think if anyone fucked up then it was me." Beatrice sighs, "I felt like I'd taken advantage of your desire for physical affection."

Ava pauses, decides she isn't going to say it and then says it anyway. "So I did turn you on, right?"

"Oh God." There is a smothered laugh and Ava imagines Beatrice is covering her face with her hand, "Do we have to get into that sort of detail?"

"So that's a yes." The grin is back on her face and bigger than ever.

"It's a yes," Beatrice admits, "And I'm sorry I didn't handle it very well. I was embarrassed, I think. And angry with myself."

"Angry?" Ava asks, "Is the thought of me touching you that bad?"

"No, of course not." Beatrice is quick to correct her, "The opposite, really. I was angry at my own lack of self-control in maintaining the boundaries of our friendship."

"Hm." Ava considers this for a long time, "You know, you should probably go back to therapy."

"I'm going to allow that comment only because it's you."

There's something in the way that Beatrice says you that makes Ava's heart flutter and dance in her chest. She wants badly to hug her, pull in her and tell her it's okay, feel the warmth and the strength of her. She wants to touch her again and see if she can make her gasp, hold her hand and run her fingers through her hair.

And she can say it, now, doesn't have to keep it inside anymore. So she does. "I want to kiss you really bad right now."

Beatrice inhales a shaky breath. She says, "I want to kiss you too."