#yes this is a day early but I want to see the special Rain Of Knives that Tumblr is apparently doing

[marlynnofmany]

[moronkombat]

Havik, Shao, Rain, Raiko, and Quanshi love at first sight with an earthrealmer?

It's just an ordinary day for Rain. Nothing special about it, nothing horrible about it either. Simply another day to pass his long lifespan. He's very much so absorbed in his studies of the arcane, intolerant for other distractions. That is until he comes across you. There's a rather quick glance as you walk by, thinking you to be a mere distraction. That all changes when his second glance to you lingers. Rain would stare quietly with his mouth agape. He watches you strut by wordless and without even noticing him. Eyes watch you until you have gone out of sight and Rain can feel the thunderous pitter patter in his chest. Perhaps his studies can end early today

General Shao has never really preoccupied himself with thoughts of relationships and love. There are are more pressing matters to concern himself with. Then he sees someone new, someone small. Much smaller than he is and Shao finds himself pausing. There is something so tempting about them and he cannot help but keep his gaze trailed to you. You are feeble and fragile...It'd be so easy to break you but never would Shao dream of doing that. No, he feels this urge to cherish you, protect you. Yes, this what he wants and if to do so then he must know your name. He will make sure to seek you out later, away from other prying eyes

It is when Reiko is training troops that he notices you. He is a tough and strict commander but he needed to be if his underlings were to survive. His arms would cross and a smirk is written on him while he watches the ensuing training. It is by chance that he glances your way but when he sees you, pale eyes widen. There you are, strong yet regal, taking down your sparring opponent with exceeding grace and vigor. His smirk widens and he continues to watch you move like a banshee while you continue to strike down your opponents. You are magnificent as you cut them down, strike them and Reiko's heart is pounding like the drums of war. He will be sure to compliment on your abilities before immediately wanting to take you under his wing which is a shock to all the other trainees

Quan Chi's life is mundane and full of hardship. He slaves away in the mines, sweat drenching his brow. There must be more to life than this, surely? Thoughts of such things are cutoff when, during his break, he catches a glimpse of you. You are beautiful, stunning and someone who is so pure. You don't belong here, far too grand for it and yet here you are. Perhaps related to the owner? He isn't sure but he wants to know more about you but how can he? You are from a different life than he is and yet he simply cannot stop thinking about

When Havik's eyes find you for that dreadful first time, he is consumed by your very existence. He feels a rise in his chest, something tingling. Thoughts twist and turn together into a mess of obsessions. Something wicked comes over him as he watches you from a distance and it is unfortunate that his gaze has caught you because now they will never let go. Oh how he looks to you from afar, a place you cannot see him. Havik thinks all he wants from you, all that he can take. You are perfect, you are art and Havik will have you. First he must find out more and more about you, he needs everything, all of it. Then, when that sweet time arrives, he will come to you in the night and devour all that he is enthralled with

i cant help but make Havik's creepy, sorry yall

[sixosix]

Eee happy early birthday🎉🎊❤ As a fellow Xiao xiao lover I must request him. For his prompt, Xiao, sappy fluff and journal. 💕💕💕 -Sarah

a/n wc 1.1k! hi thank u so much! :D and ty for requesting xiao… the moml(main of my life)

5K EVENT SPECIAL | EVENT MASTERLIST

During your travels with him, Xiao frequently observed you gathering every flower in sight. It didn’t strike him as odd; other mortals liked doing strange, mundane activities he could never understand the point of. Whenever he sees you crouching and plucking a Silk Flower, he moves forward and knows you’ll catch up to him eventually. It was none of his business—he didn’t want you to stop if he pointed it out.

But today, it was raining hard. Branches swayed, leaves were ripped off their stems, and the wind whipped around dangerously. One misstep could lead to slipping and a nasty bruise.

He rushed you inside the nearest cave. You pair were stuck there for however-long, at least until the rain would stop. Thunderstorms didn’t bother him, but they would make you cold, and he was pained at the thought of you shivering uncomfortably. You and Xiao sat by the far corner of the cave, furthest from the entrance and the drops of freezing water. Could he try taking you with him if he materialized into Wangshu Inn? He didn’t want to risk it—it was too far, and he hadn’t tried taking anyone with him at such a distance before.

He felt his protective instincts flared when you shuddered against his side. Xiao’s chin brushed against the top of your head. “Y/N,” he said.

“I’m okay, Xiao. I promise!” You sneezed, then frowned at the gray sky. A leaf retaliated and flew into the cave, slapping you on the nose. Your face scrunched up as you peeled it off. “Ahh, I should’ve listened to you when you said it would rain!”

Xiao sighed. “It was my mistake to agree.”

“We’re both going to take responsibility, then.”

Xiao couldn’t ever say no anyway.

You pouted. Your lip was a little colored from the way you were biting it to hold in the shivering. “The day is almost ending, yet we’re stuck here! This is so unlucky…!”

“Did you want to collect your flowers?” he asked. The cave had some sprouting on its surface—Violetgrass rich in its lilac color—but it was too unsafe to try at the moment.

“My flowers?”

“You collect them when we travel.”

Your eyes brightened as you caught up. “Oh! Ah, yes, I do collect them sometimes!”

Xiao shifted, prepared to move. 

Your hand latched onto his wrist, lightning quick. He would’ve reacted badly if it had been anyone else—but it’s you. “Don’t leave me, though!” you exclaim, wide-eyed. “Just stay here, okay?”

“Ah…” Xiao, stunned and unsure of what to do with his hands, settled back to your side. “Okay.”

The rain stopped, but Xiao’s quick-as-a-woodpecker heartbeat didn’t.

“Are you experimenting with herbs?” Xiao asked.

You were startled from where you’d been walking ahead. You and Xiao fell asleep in the cave—mostly you, because Xiao was wide awake, gold eyes visible in the pitch-black darkness—and woke up to birds chirping and the beautiful sunset of Liyue spread over the grass smoothly. From when you’d woken up until Xiao gathered enough courage to ask, you haven’t spoken, most likely feeling the remnants of awkwardness from last night’s strangely intimate moment.

You blinked. “Ah…?”

“The flowers.”

“Oh!” You waved your hands rapidly. “No, nothing as good as that. I’m filling up a journal.”

“A journal,” Xiao repeated, unable to determine the relationship between a journal and the flowers.

“Mhm.” You bounded to the nearest tree and laid your bag on the protruding roots. “Come here, let me show you.”

It was bound by a loose string, bursting at the seams. Xiao carefully flipped through the thick pages, curiously taking in the dried flowers pressed against them. Some had no flowers but a strangely colored leaf or a detached feather.

But each entry had something in common—

Xiao took me to Qingyun Peak—it was breathtakingly beautiful. Everything was colored orange during the sunset. We soared up with the current and flew all the way to Juyeun Karst! You had taped Mint on the corner.

Xiao and I went to Mt. Lingmeng, and wow! It had these stone carvings spread throughout; I came across one and touched it when it shot me straight up the air! I felt so light; it was incredible. Xiao’s face when I disappeared from his view was funny, haha. He caught me when I landed. Two flowers, one on each side of the page, all dried up but still there.

—His name was in each one.

Xiao got severely injured when we ran into Fatui. I feel terrible. But he takes such good care of me. Nothing was attached to that page but dried blood on the parchment. Xiao remembered that day—you closed off and hid somewhere, guilty. You must have been writing.

“Your presence is never a burden. Never for me.” Xiao really says a lot of things. Does he even know what comes out of his mouth sometimes? There were just wet stains on the space after.

Xiao still couldn’t quite understand, but with the way you looked so hopeful gazing up at him… he thought he could at least understand that this journal was important to you. 

You didn’t have an entry from yesterday, which made sense: you barely got to do anything at all. Xiao decided he would make it up to you.

“Stay here and eat,” Xiao said and didn’t wait for an answer.

He returned a few minutes later, eyes narrowed and hands cupped by his chest.

Emboldened by his idea, Xiao eagerly awaited you to notice what was nestled in his palms—an offering. How strange—an Adeptus presenting a gift to a mortal, yet nothing else has ever felt as right.

You blinked curiously, mouth agape. And then laughed.

Xiao wilted. “Did I misunderstand?”

You scooped up the crystalfly and beamed at him, rivaling the beauty of the moonlight behind you. Xiao had to squint. “No, Xiao!” you said, delighted. “No, no. This is just—this is so sweet!”

Xiao clicked his tongue. “Is it really unlike me?”

“No, I’m sorry,” you laughed, moving closer until your noses brushed. Xiao sucked in a breath, looking anywhere else but the pure delight on your face, feeling a little too warm. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s a little funny, though. I was expecting flowers, too, but I guess you wouldn’t be conventional about this, either.”

“You like it,” Xiao said, though it was fumbling for assurance.

“Of course I do, Xiao! It’s from you, after all.”

He nodded, pleased. Xiao felt like he could slice Teyvat in half. 

His mind wandered to ways of enriching your collection. A chip of a hilichurl’s mask? Or a delicate slice of wood for every newfound tree? Perhaps blades of grass Xiao would gather as you rolled around on it? With every journey, your journal grew thick, yet Xiao remained the focal point of your entries—nothing else seemed as fitting.

[rhoorl]

Delta Landscaping | Chapter 16: The Countdown

Series Masterlist | Chapter 16 A03 Link

Word Count: 8.8k

Previously on As the Mule Falls: Benny and Vanessa went on a date. We learned a bit about a woman from Santiago’s past. Frankie got things prepared for a little weekend trip up to Atlanta to celebrate a big milestone.

In this Episode: Another Benny-heavy episode as the guys get him ready for fight night. Similar to the last episode, we’ll jump through time and will end the Saturday before Benny’s fight. We also have another neighborhood party!

Chapter Warnings: This one is pretty fluffy, just some swearing. Special thot warning - Cousin Joel, Marcus being a sweet brother-in-law, the boys spending time at the gym. Frankie in his menace era. Benny is a flustered, adorable mess. David comes with his own warnings. 

*Cue the theme music and roll opening credits*

11 Days to Fight Night 

David: Ok since when has Will had a motorcycle?! Katie you have to keep us updated on stuff like this.

Megan: If we had a neighborhood newsletter it'd be the lead story this week 😂

Ty: Don’t give him any ideas…

Katie: Sorry…he just got it

Olivia: Have you taken a ride yet?

Melissa: 💀

Olivia: On the motorcycle

Oliva: Shit! 🫣

Ty: I thought for a second D took your phone 

Megan: 😆 aw Liv, we love you never change.

Oliva: Quick someone please change the subject. I am so sorry Katie!

Katie: 😘

David: Anyone up for another party? We haven’t welcomed the new neighbors yet.

Megan: Lulu and I were actually talking about that!

Lucille: Yes! I am happy to host! Maybe this weekend? 

David: Theme?

Megan: Do we need one? 

David: ….

Megan: The theme is Lucille is going to cook us a bunch of food and play great music. And dancing!

Ty: Ay dios mio. He’s already getting a mood board together.

Lucille: Megan - can you talk with Victoria? See what night works for them. 

Megan: Great idea! Katie you’re in charge of the boys!

David: I’m not jealous at all 🙄

Frankie propped his elbow up on the armrest and looked out the window as the plane made its descent. The early morning flight meant there were actually a few open seats, including the one next to him in the exit row, for which he was grateful.

His weekend trip reinvigorated him. It went as perfectly as he could have imagined it, save for the constant rain but even that wasn't a problem since it meant they got to stay in. All the anxiety he felt leading up to the trip about revealing parts of his past to Jo evaporated the second she took his hand, rubbing her thumbs across his knuckles. She appreciated Frankie's openness and willingness to share some of the deepest, darkest parts of his past. But what meant the most was when she said how proud she was of him for reaching his milestone. 

The distance was not ideal. All they wanted to do was spend every day, every moment with each other. He wanted to wake up to legs tangled and sheets rumpled. She wanted to surprise him at his job one day with lunch. They wanted to cook dinner together at night and settle in and watch a movie or play a game.

But for now, their physical time together would be relegated to a more sporadic schedule. She was gearing up for a busy time at work, but they made plans for the following weekend for Benny's fight. Frankie was already counting down the days when he could see her and introduce her to everyone. That thought brought a smile across his face; the pride he'd feel about showing off his girl.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't even realize they were landing until the wheels hit the tarmac. He quickly pulled out his phone, knowing exactly who his first text would be to. 

Frankie: Just landed. Miss you.

Jo: Good! I miss you too. Got to the office a little bit ago.

Frankie: You weren't late right?

Jo: Nope, all good! Gotta go to this meeting but tell Benny I said hi!

Frankie: Have a good day mi cielo. Talk later

Jo: xoxo

10 Days to Fight Night

“Fish, can you help me with something real quick?” Benny panted as he racked up the bar onto the squat rack.

“With what?”

“Can you…uh…take a picture?” He turned around, offering Frankie his phone.

Frankie furrowed his eyebrows. “A picture? Of what?” 

Benny’s eyes looked left and right. “Um…me?” 

“Can’t you just do like a selfie or somethin’?” Frankie leaned against the weights.  

“No…it’s more of an…action shot. C’mon Fish, it’ll take two seconds.” Benny walked over to an open space, peeling off his shirt so he was left in just his black basketball shorts. He flipped his baseball cap around and got into a plank. “Just take a couple of me doing pushups.”

“Por amor a díos, Benjamin. What the hell?” Frankie shook his head laughing.

“C’mon, Fish,” he grunted through another rep, the pendant of his chain hitting the floor each time. 

Frankie tried his best, even bending down on one knee to get a better angle. “Ok…see what you think.” 

Benny chewed on the inside of his cheek as he scrolled through the mostly blurry photos. He was about ready to prop up the phone against a dumbbell and try it again but managed to find a clear one that showed off the definition in his shoulders. “Good, thanks, man.”

“Hey…um…think you could… never mind, it’s dumb.” Frankie rubbed the back of his neck, walking back towards his water bottle. “Who’re you taking that for anyway?”

“It’s for uh…my Instagram…damn that sounds really fuckin stupid to say out loud. I'm a grown-ass man,” Benny chuckled. 

“Hoping that someone in particular sees it?” Frankie raised an eyebrow, lightly punching Benny in the arm.

“Yeah…kinda,” Benny blushed, eager to change the subject. “What? Like you don't send any pictures to your lady.”

“Uh…that’s actually what I,” Frankie sighed, shaking his head as Benny’s face lit up with the realization of what Frankie was trying to ask about earlier.

“Oh hell yeah, Fish! Tryna show off all that hard work aren't ya,” he winked, slapping Frankie in the stomach. 

Despite the focus on Benny and getting him in ring shape, Frankie reaped some benefits from their daily gym trips too. Recently he noticed his shirts fit a bit tighter across his chest and arms, a fact Jo was all too pleased about during his little weekend getaway. 

They'd exchanged photos over the past couple of weeks, but they had been pretty tame. Mostly silly selfies as they went about their day. This morning, however, Frankie did manage to send one of himself shirtless, brushing his teeth which seemed to get quite the reaction. He was having fun and feeling playful.

“Can you help me?” He looked over at Benny who sported a lopsided grin.

“Hell yeah!” He led Frankie back to the locker room. They stood in front of the mirror as Benny gave him tips on how to pose and hold the camera, taking a couple of his own to show as an example.  

“I dunno man, this feels kinda dumb,” Frankie winced, looking at himself in the mirror. 

“Stop it…she’s gonna love it. You’re lookin’ good these days, Fish, show it off!” Benny shook him by the shoulders, making Frankie’s shy smile grow more confident. “I’m tellin’ ya, send her one of those and you’re in for a good night later,” he winked.

Nine Days to Fight Night 

Will and Santiago finished the work on Melissa's backyard earlier than expected thanks to some extra help from Connor. It was perfect timing, with a little over a week before Benny’s fight. All the guys rallied around Benny, helping him prepare however they could.

Today started with an early morning jog around the neighborhood. Benny, Will, and Connor ran together, the younger boy pushing the older two to keep a faster pace. Frankie followed on a bike, barking out encouragement. Meanwhile, Santiago sat on the Millers’ front porch drinking a coffee and reading the paper, giving the guys a little wave each time they came around the block.

“Nice, that was your fastest yet,” Frankie stopped the bike and clicked off the stopwatch.

Benny stood bent over trying to catch his breath while Will took off his shirt to wipe the sweat off his brow, tucking it into the waistband of his red gym shorts. Santiago strolled down the driveway with some water bottles as David drove by, giving a polite wave. 

“It was all this guy,” Benny panted, patting Connor on the chest. “Your coach is gonna make you run the drills this season man,” he chuckled.

“Happy to help. You feeling good?” Connor asked as he took the cold bottle from Santiago. 

“Yeah. Cardio wise I feel great.”

“You testing out that cardio in your free time?” Santiago smirked as Frankie smacked him on the back of the head, cutting his eyes over to Connor.

“He hasn't even kissed her yet,” Will added before dodging out of the way and hiding behind Frankie to avoid a slap from Benny. The guys broke out in a fit of laughter as Benny blushed. 

“She’s excited about the fight,” Connor said as he took a long drink of water, eliciting confused looks from the guys. “What? She cut my hair earlier this week so it came up. Thanks for noticing by the way,” he teased as he removed his baseball cap and ruffled the top of his hair.

Santiago assessed Connor’s haircut with a sharp nod, approving Vanessa’s handiwork. “Looks good, kid. Maybe I’ll go and see what those hands can do.” He winked at Benny, getting a sense of glee at seeing his fist ball up and his nostrils flare.

Oblivious, Connor continued, “She gave an awesome scalp massage, she has long nails so it helps to…” He stopped when he saw all the guys looking at him with blank stares. Benny’s mouth twisted while the others tried to hold in their laughter. Finally, Will’s snort made them all bust out laughing. 

“Better be careful there C,” Will smirked. 

“Oh…ah…sorry Benny, I swear I didn’t mean it like that,” he winced, fearing he’d offended Benny.

Benny clenched his jaw, before taking a deep breath. “All good lil dude,” he patted Connor on the back. “I’m used to these guys being assholes…so…what did you guys talk about?” He raised his eyebrows.

More relaxed now knowing Benny wasn’t mad, Connor told them about how she seemed excited to watch Benny but a bit nervous too. “She mentioned something about how Victoria is going to be there to help too?”

Benny shifted from one foot to another, feeling butterflies in his stomach at the thought of her excited to see him in action. “She…uh…yeah, Vic’s gonna help tape me up before the fight, you’re off the hook, Fish.”

“Ha, I see what you did there!” Connor laughed as they all groaned.

“You've been over there every night this week,” Will observed, taking a long drink of water. 

“Vic has been doing some treatments…to help me with recovery. Now that I’m getting older, I'm feeling it a lot more than I used to…now I know how you all must feel,” Benny smirked.

“Vanessa hasn't been helping you with some extra um…treatmen-” Santiago could barely get it out before bursting into another fit of laughter.

“Hey, you boys are having too much fun,” Lucille joked as she wheeled her trash bin to the curb. 

“Lulu, qué estás haciendo? Trash comes tomorrow not today,” Frankie knitted his brows taking the bin from her and walking it back up her driveway. 

“I thought so, but David told us it was a special day and to take it out to the curb right away and…well never mind,” she shook her head. “You boys are coming over on Saturday, right?”

“Wouldn't miss it for the world, Lulu,” Will regarded her with a soft smile. 

“Are you cooking Lulu?” Benny's hopeful look made her laugh.

“Sí mi amor, I am starting today. And I'm making some extra empanadas just for you…although I hear I have some competition,” she winked.

“What? Someone else is making empanadas?” Benny scoffed. “Doesn't matter, I know where the best ones are made darlin’.”

“Ah well, vamos a ver, I think you may like these more…you boys going to the gym?”

“Yeah, one last hard workout today and tomorrow, and then it's all maintenance, right Benjamin?” Frankie clapped a hand on Benny's shoulder.

“You're coming next week to watch right, Lulu?” Benny's puppy dog eyes made the biggest smile come across Lucille's face. 

“Por supresto mi vida, I’m looking forward to it.”

Eight Days to Fight Night 

Today’s gym session was especially fun because everyone got into it. Connor and Benny started off alternating between jumping rope and running sprints on the treadmill. Of course, they had to make it competitive and see who could jump rope the longest without messing up or who could run for the fastest speed on the treadmill. 

Santiago and Frankie spent time lifting, getting a chance to catch up on each other's week. Will went off to a corner to do an ab circuit. When Benny finished his cardio, he and Will faced each other on the ground to do one of their patented Miller Push-Up Contests. They'd started doing this as kids and it became something Benny would do to lift everyone's spirits during missions. 

Each time they came up for a pushup, they extended one arm out to slap hands before going down for another push-up. Will rolled his eyes because Benny wanted to push the pace rather than go at the slow and methodical one Will set. Like always, they ended up play fighting, with Benny putting Will in some kind of WWE-style hold.

“Ok, ok you two break it up,” Frankie chuckled. “C'mon Ben, let's get some sparring in so we can all go eat.”

Seven Days to Fight Night

"Bean what the fuck is a 'thirst trap' and why did Sarah say she saw it on your Instagram? Jesus I don't even know what half of that shit even means," Joel muttered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose as he sat in his truck outside of Steph's house. 

“Oh…ah…I dunno man, you know the kids and how they talk, can't keep up,” Benny tried to laugh it off but Joel pressed on until he finally revealed what that phrase meant.

“What kind of picture you posting Ben? My daughter, your niece, is on that app!”

“No, no, it's just a selfie in the mirror at the gym. I had my shirt off, it's what she'd see at the beach, man, nothing worse than that.”

“Hmm…” Joel rolled his eyes, “It's not you I'm worried about…why'd you post that anyway? Not enough havin’ all those stay-at-home moms at the gym goin' crazy for you.”

Benny could practically see the smirk on Joel's face. He knew he could try and bullshit his way around this, but Joel would get the truth out one way or another. “I…shit this sounds so fucking silly, I'm almost 40 for fuck’s sake, but…I was kinda doing it hoping someone would see it.”

“Someone in general or some specific? Is it for Nox?”

“Who the fuck is Nox?”

“Your girl…you said she drove an Equinox, so I’ve been calling her that in my head,” Joel chuckled.

“Nox…” Benny tilted his head. “You never gave Amy a nickname...”

“You didn't answer the question, Bean.” Joel countered.

Benny leaned back in his dining room chair, pausing from the drawing he was absentmindedly shading as he talked with Joel. “Yeah,” he said softly.

“Ha, I knew it. Trying to remind her what she's missing when you're not around?”

“Ahh…well…”

“Y'all’ve done stuff right? Will said you've been at her place like every night this week.”

“No man…I…we almost kissed last weekend but her sister and brother-in-law got home from their date night,” Benny scratched his scalp as he continued, “I dunno…I haven't felt nervous like this around a girl like…ever.”

“Well, she sounds special Bean…I'm looking forward to meeting her.”

Benny sat up straighter in his chair, “when's that gonna be?” He eagerly anticipated Joel's response.

“Well, that's kinda why I called. Dropped Sarah off at Steph's for her two weeks and we got to talkin’…the county is draggin’ its feet on these permits and some of the materials we need for this job are back ordered so I'll have some downtime while Sarah is with Steph…looks like it's going to line up with your fight.”

“Holy shit! You're coming? Fuck yeah!” Benny pumped his fist in the air.

Joel chuckled, “knew that would get you excited. You actually have Steph to thank for this one, she made the decision for me…says I need to take a vacation.”

“I can't remember the last one you went on.” 

Joel shook his head, “Hey Tommy, Sarah, and I went tubing last summer…or was that two summers ago…”

“My point exactly J, plus that wasn't a vacation. So is Tommy coming with you too?”

“That's the plan, as long as he doesn't do anything stupid.” Joel rubbed his eye with the heel of his hand. 

“Oh shit, it's gonna be a hell of a week with you two down here.”

Joel smiled as he drove, listening to Benny go on and on about the different things he wanted to do while his cousins were in town. 

“...and Pope mentioned this cigar shop, we were thinking of getting some to celebrate but I dunno I don't wanna jinx anything and -”

“Ohhhkay Bean, gonna stop you there. I'm about to head in to grab some food. We'll chat later…try and I dunno dance with Nox at the party tomorrow night, put on that Miller charm.”

Six Days to Fight Night

“Mmm, it smells so good in here hermanita,” Victoria walked through the door with Nico and Mariella in tow. 

“Thanks, got the last batch going,” Vanessa said over her shoulder, careful not to take her eyes off the hot oil. 

“Oooo Tia you made empanadas?” Nico bounded over, getting his hand slapped by his mom for reaching for the tray Vanessa had already neatly assembled.

“It's ok Vic, he can take one. Here mi amor take from this plate, those are the guava y queso ones.”

“My favorite! Gracias, Tia!” He managed to say between bites. 

“Cooking up quite the storm huh?” Victoria regarded the counter which included a glass dish full of boiled yucca, a container of citrus-garlic mojo, two types of empanadas, and a tres leches cake.

“We can't show up empty-handed,” Vanessa fished out the last empanada and placed it on the paper towel-lined plate.

“Well you know what they say…fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach,” Victoria giggled as Vanessa rolled her eyes. “Speaking of his stomach, d’you see his Instagram? Ay Papi! She wiggled her eyebrows. 

Vanessa blushed as she started packing up the empanadas into containers. “Um…yeah…I mean, I think I saw it when I was scrolling.” In reality, Vanessa set up notifications for Benny’s posts, so she immediately saw yesterday’s gym selfie. Not wanting to seem too eager, she waited about an hour or so after he posted before she actually liked it. 

“Hmm…sure. Anyways, what are you wearing tonight?”

Vanessa sighed, “I don’t know…it’s a casual backyard party so nothing too fancy.”

“C’mon,” Victoria grabbed her sister’s hand and pulled her up the stairs holding Mariella on her hip. “Vamos, Nico…let’s help Tia figure out what to wear tonight.”

Frankie took a deep breath as he looked at himself in the mirror. Benny's words from the other day were in his head encouraging him to show off all of the hard work he'd been putting into the gym. As he contemplated which of his colorful, silky buttoned-downs to wear, a thought popped into his head. Earlier, Jo sent him a picture of her outfit before she headed out for the night with a friend. She looked gorgeous, but of course, she did. That photo would be in his head all evening, so he thought it would be fun to return the favor. 

He pushed back from the mirror and pulled the bill of his baseball cap down low so that just his mouth was visible. He checked the angle of his phone making sure he was in the frame before looking down and snapping a couple of photos. He sighed as he scrolled through them. This was so unlike him, but he had to admit, it was kind of fun. He got a little rush of doing this for her, curious what her reaction would be. Having fun like this, being silly and carefree and just being in…love? Is that what he was feeling? It had been so long.

“Alright, let’s see what you think baby…” he muttered to himself as he hit send, immediately putting the phone down on the counter and walking back to his closet to figure out which shirt to wear. 

Bucky enthusiastically greeted Katie as she walked into Megan's house. He was excited to see her, sure, but he was more excited about the tray of little Cuban sandwich sliders in her hands.

“Bucky, no no this isn't for you…maybe your mom can give me one of your t-r-e-a-t-s instead,” she winked as Bucky jumped up on her legs. “Ohhh ok, note to self, he knows how to spell,” she laughed, rounding the corner into the kitchen where Megan and Connor were getting their stuff packed up.

“He acts like we never feed him,” Megan laughed. “You've got it good my man,” she looked down at Bucky who gave her big puppy dog eyes. “Don't…ugh dammit it works every time,” she laughed as she grabbed a Milkbone. “Damn you Benny Miller. He got Bucky addicted to these damn things so I had to go to Costco to get more,” Megan gestured to the new treat container as Connor snorted.

“Speaking of Benny, how’s it going with the training, C? Katie leaned against the counter.

Connor sat at the kitchen table, “Oh pretty good. I feel like this week it's all really clicked for Benny. He seems to be having fun. Plus he got some good news, so that put him in an even better mood.”

“News? What news? Ooo something about Vanessa?” Megan asked.

Connor absentmindedly scrolled his phone, “Nah, no it's about his cousins from Texas they're coming to town.”

Megan and Katie looked at each other, a smirk forming across Megan's face. “Cousins from Texas huh?”

“Yeah, Benny was excited about it,” Connor added.

“I guess we'll see if all of Melissa's detective work paid off huh?” Katie tried to sound neutral but she knew Megan was onto her.

“You gonna give David that bit of news or am I?” Megan raised an eyebrow.

“I mean, your kid was the one who had that little tidbit, so it's all yours Meg,” she winked.

With Frankie headed to a party at Lucille's tonight, Jo finally took her neighbor Bea up on her invitation to join her and some friends for a trivia night at a local brewery. They finished the first round and awaited the results, so she had time for a quick trip to the restroom. She checked her phone out of habit, not expecting to see any messages from Frankie. Her stomach did a little flip when she saw she had a message from him – and a photo at that. Intrigued, she leaned against a wall and looked over her shoulder to make sure no one could see her phone. 

Frankie. Without a shirt. Wow, he looked good. And the part that made the slick start to pool between her legs was the little smirk she could see from under his baseball cap. It reminded her of a week ago, looking up at him as he was buried inside her, one of her legs wrapped around his waist. She pushed her thighs together for some relief before responding.

Jo: 🫦

Jo: Benny is teaching you well there Morales

Frankie: Thought you might like that

Jo: Call me later 

Jo: Actually, we should FaceTime 😈

Giving herself one last look in the mirror, Vanessa fussed with her hair before heading downstairs. She could hear Victoria going over the kid’s nighttime routine with their cousin Maria, who agreed to come over and watch them for the evening. She smiled when she saw Nico lying on the couch playing a game on his tablet, watching him as she turned the corner into the kitchen, she nearly ran into Marcus. 

“Vandy!” He narrowly avoided crashing into her and took a step back to take her in. “Wow…you look beautiful,” he leaned down to kiss her cheek. “He’s going to love it.” He whispered in her ear.

She shyly smiled, “It’s not too much?” 

“No, you look perfect.” He winked as he walked over to the kitchen island to help pack up the food they were taking to Lucille’s.

“You don’t look too bad yourself Buck, is that the guayabera Tio Gerardo got you?”

Marcus looked down at his black linen dress shirt, “Yeah this is the one. Some of the guys wear these to the office and now I see why, they’re comfortable as hell,” he chuckled.

Lucille hadn’t thrown a party like this in ages. It felt nice to have the house full of people, the music playing, and the aroma of food wafting throughout. She was thankful to the boys for helping her get the backyard in order. Frankie and Benny set up a beautiful display of twinkling string lights among her trees while Will and Santiago and Connor constructed a dance floor and moved furniture out of the way.

A group congregated in the kitchen, David holding court as he took stock of all of the delicious food Lucille had on the menu. He let out a loud whoop as the Delta Force guys arrived. All of the neighbors showered them with hugs and warmth. In their own ways, each of the guys relished this. It was nice to have people genuinely excited to see them. 

Everyone decided to take the party outside, helping to carry out various dishes and containers. Once everything was set, Benny reached into a cooler to grab a beer. He heard Lucille excitedly announce that the guests of honor were there. Turning around, he immediately locked eyes with Vanessa, like a magnet that found its other half. He let out a breath as he saw her. Fuck, she looks beautiful, no idiot, she looks gorgeous, he thought to himself. Will patted him on the back, but Benny couldn’t hear what he said. It was like everything was in slow motion. 

Vanessa wore a simple forest green wrap dress with a floral pattern that hugged her curves in all of the right places. The straps of the garment were delicate and the neckline formed a modest v, showing just enough cleavage to leave something to the imagination but also enough to make his mouth water. His eyes honed in on her collarbone, wondering what it would be like to pepper kisses along it as he moved his way up her neck to behind her ear and…

“Ben? Earth to Ben?” Santiago chuckled next to him.

Benny shook his head to bring himself back to the present. “Hmm?”

“You’re staring, Bean. Put your tongue back in your mouth and go over there and say hi.” Will added as Frankie smirked. 

“Shit. Yeah, ok.” Benny smoothed the front of his short sleeve blue button down, undoing another button because it suddenly felt like it was a thousand degrees outside despite it being a very pleasant evening. 

A crowd formed around the new arrivals with everyone eager to welcome them to the party. Benny made a beeline to Vanessa waiting impatiently but respectfully as David chatted with her. 

“Girl! Stunning. Tens across the board on this. I didn’t know you had this little figure on you mama!” David winked. 

“Aw thanks, you look great too!” Vanessa blushed as she caught Benny’s eyes from over David’s shoulder. 

David followed her gaze. “Ah, Benny! Hey, d’you hear we have more empanadas? Vanessa made some too, so now we don’t have to fight over all the ones Lulu made. Although if we did actually fight you’d kick my ass so…” David chuckled.

Benny snorted as David excused himself, taking the opportunity to ask Will about his new motorcycle. “Hi,” Benny looked at her with a soft smile, pushing the hair out of his eyes.

“Hi,” Vanessa replied, a bit shaky. 

For as much as he was in awe of her, she was equally as mesmerized by him. He’d been almost exclusively wearing a baseball cap since they met, so she hadn’t noticed that his hair was getting a little bit longer. His shirt fit him perfectly, showing off all of the hard work he’d put in at the gym. She looked down at his chest, appreciating the fact that he had a few buttons undone. His chain glimmered as it sat nestled into some sparse hair on his chest. He looked like a model and Vanessa couldn’t believe he was standing there talking to her.

“Y-you look absolutely beautiful,” he gave her a quick but appreciative up and down, trying his hardest not to let his eyes linger for too long.

“You clean up pretty good yourself Bun,” she smiled back, brushing some lint off his shoulder. Her stomach did a little flip when he chuckled at the mention of his nickname. 

Benny looked over his shoulder as Marcus and Will moved dishes and plates to make room for the newest additions to the buffet. “D’you make all of that?”

Vanessa nodded, looking down feeling her face getting hot as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Yeah…spent most of the day doing it.”

“Well, I’m excited to taste you…I mean your um…whatever you brought. What ah, what did you make?” Benny rubbed the back of his neck, thankful it was dark outside and she couldn’t fully see how red he was turning. 

“Want me to show you?”

“Absolutely, lead the way boss lady,” Benny winked, letting her walk in front of him so he could check her out, noticing that she put a little extra swish and sway to her hips.

Lucille stopped for a moment as she walked outside with another plate of empanadas and croquettas to refill the trays. She took in the sight of her backyard so full of people, of laughter, of music, it brought a tear to her eyes. She wished her Julio could be there to see how their little neighborhood had grown. With a deep breath, she set down the plate and turned to see everyone starting to hit the makeshift dance floor thanks to David who has commandeered the speakers.

“Vamos bailar Lulu?” Marcus winked, extending his arm out to her which she happily took. 

“Habalas español muy bien Marcus,” she complimented as he led her onto the dance floor.

“Well, I had to learn quickly. Had to know what my mother-in-law and her family were saying about me,” he chuckled.

On the other side of the backyard, David dragged Olivia onto the dance floor, to the cheers of everyone including her husband Chris. They didn’t get out much and were so thankful to Aria for coming over to babysit so they could have a night with their neighbors. Santiago twirled Victoria around, the two keeping up with the quick beat of the song.

In a move that surprised most of the neighbors, Will was eager to get out on the dance floor, bringing Katie along. Although she was a bit unsure of how to keep to the beat, she was pleasantly surprised to see Will take the lead.

“Where'd you learn to dance like this?” Katie giggled as she held one of his hands and lightly rested the other on his shoulder.

“Learned a few things from my exes,” he winked as she rolled her eyes.

“Didn't pass along those tricks to your brother?” She nodded towards Benny who was sulking in the corner nursing a beer as he watched everyone.

Will shook his head as he twirled her, “Tried…we finally found something he's actually not good at,” he chuckled before cutting his eyes over to check in on Benny. With a sigh, he added that Benny's ex used to make fun of him when he tried to dance, one of the countless ways she found to tear him down.

“Aww poor Bean,” Katie pouted, sneaking a look at Benny as Will spun her around again. She noticed Benny's eyes were glued to Vanessa who sat twirling her Solo cup and politely chatting with Ty at a table.

“He'll get his big boy pants on soon,” Will smirked.

“So…your motorcycle is the talk of the neighborhood,” she teased.

“Ha yea,” he twirled her before bringing her back in close. “I have to admit, it's been kinda fun, you should go with me sometime.”

“No way,” Katie shook her head. “Couldn't pay me enough money to do that…but I know someone who would,” she arched her eyebrow. 

“And who is that?” Will looked skeptical.

“Miranda, my coworker. She's been watching this show about a motorcycle gang and it's kind of a thing for her now,” she chuckled, noticing Will's ears getting red. 

Despite the fact that the two of them had moved on from anything romantic, Katie still had love for Will and wanted him to be happy.

“Oh c'mon, I think you'll like her. She's really sweet and super smart.”

“She been helping you with that big presentation for work?’

“Yeah! Poor thing, she's been juggling a lot because of…well, she has a lot of responsibilities at home. But yeah, we both are looking forward to Monday being over with,” she chuckled.

“You gonna dance with her or what?” Frankie leaned against the wall, turning his head to look at Benny who stood chewing on the inside of his cheek and looking down at his feet. He kept missing the occasional hopeful glances Vanessa tossed over her shoulder. Frankie sighed, shaking his head, “Well if you won’t, I will.” He pushed off the wall and strode over to Vanessa.

Vanessa heard someone clear their throat behind her and she felt a lump form in her throat. 

“¿Quieres bailar?”

She tried to hide her disappointment that the voice behind her wasn’t the one she was hoping for. Turning around she saw Frankie looking down at her with a soft smile. He looked so much like her ex she had to do a bit of a double take. “You’re sweet. It's ok, Frankie, I don't really like this song anyway,” she forced a tight smile. 

“C'mon,” he leaned down and lowered his voice, “show him what he's missing.” He offered her his hand with a wink.

Vanessa chuckled to herself and with Ty’s encouragement took Frankie up on his offer. She stood up from the table, smoothed her dress and placed her hand in Frankie's as he led her to the dance floor. Victoria cheered and Lucille clapped as she welcomed the newest couple to the dance floor.

Benny scratched the back of his head and took a long swig of his beer, wishing he could get past his insecurities. He watched everyone carrying on and having fun, but really he was only watching one person. He couldn't take his eyes off Vanessa. The way her nose scrunched as she giggled at something Frankie said, the way she tossed her hair, the way her hips swayed.

Frankie kept a respectful hand at her mid-to-upper back, but still brushed against some of her exposed skin making Benny’s fingers twitch. As she twirled around again he saw her smile, a smile he swore could light up a pitch-black room. He was so caught up in this trance it didn't even register that Megan had walked up next to him.

“You know, you strike me as the kinda guy who is the first one out on the dance floor no matter what the music. Didn’t peg you as the wallflower.”

“I…ah…I’m not a good dancer,” he pulled his lips into a tight line. 

“I don't think she'd care,” she nodded towards the dance floor.

As the song ended and another started, a musical chairs of sorts ensued as everyone switched partners. Marcus kissed Lucille's hand and passed her off to Frankie just as Victoria crashed into her husband's arms in a fit of giggles. Santiago danced with Olivia after Melissa walked away from him, while David whisked Katie around, leaving Will and Vanessa. Even though Will had been nothing but sweet to her, she was still intimidated by him, like she wanted to make a good impression.

“Wanna dance darlin'? I’m not as good as Fish but I can hold my own,” he chuckled, looking down with a shy smile that reminded her of Benny. 

“That's ok, as long as you're having fun that's all that matters,” she smiled, taking his hand.

Somewhere between the second verse and the bridge, Will’s eyes clocked Vanessa stealing a glance over at Benny.

“Dancing isn't really his thing, at least not fast songs like these. For as good as his footwork is in the ring, he's not the most coordinated on the dance floor...’specially when there's a pretty girl in his arms distracting him,” he winked, which made Vanessa's cheeks feel hot. “He just doesn't wanna look dumb, it's nothing on you sweetheart.”

“Thanks, Will. Hey, you know for a gringo you dance really well. Took Marcus forever to learn,” she giggled, making Will break out into a huge grin.

As the song neared its end, Will tried to subtly get Benny's attention while also making sure Vanessa was having fun. Finally, he caught his brother's eyes and gave him a stern look that said get your ass over here now and dance with her. 

Benny finished his beer and took a deep breath, willing his legs to move even though it felt like he had cement blocks tied to his boots. Thankfully, the tempo slowed down considerably for the next song, easing some of Benny's anxiety. 

Vanessa's back was to him as approached, which gave him another chance to admire her even though he could feel Marcus and Victoria's eyes on him. He cleared his throat and tried to muster some of that Miller charm, “S’cuse me miss, this guy bothering you?”

Will smirked, looking down to see Vanessa's face light up at the sound of Benny's voice. He let her go putting up his arms in surrender, “just keepin’ her company waiting for you,” he snorted. “Thanks for the dance darlin’,” Will kissed her hand and made his way over to Olivia since Santiago had bounced to Katie.

“Hi,” Benny smiled, suddenly feeling like a middle schooler who finally worked up the courage to ask the pretty girl to dance. 

“Hi,” Vanessa tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“I…um…” Benny's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, his mind went blank.

“Here, give me your hand, Bun,” Vanessa reached her hand out. She guided his hand to her waist, placing it lower than Frankie or Will's hands had ventured. She rested one hand on his shoulder and with her other she threaded her fingers with his. “There, now rock side to side. See? All good.”

Benny shook his head before a mischievous smile danced across his lips. “Not yet.” His fingers dug firmly into her back as he brought her closer, their bodies flush against each other. She let out a surprised giggle which was music to his ears. “There. Now we're good.”

Vanessa dropped his hand, seeing his brows slightly furrow before relaxing again as she wrapped both of her arms around his neck. They swayed side to side, completely off the beat but it didn't matter, they couldn't hear the music anyway. 

Benny willed himself to keep it together but his eyes fluttered closed when Vanessa started lightly scratching the back of his neck with her fingernails. He wanted so badly to feel her fingers through his hair, to feel her tug on it while he….he took a deep breath and tried to think about puppies or baseball, anything that would distract from the fact that his body was pressed up against hers. An abrupt inhale made Vanessa's eyebrow twitch.

“Are you ok?” She recoiled a bit.

Vanessa's words pulled Benny back to the present. “Hmm?”

“Did you just fall asleep on me?” She chuckled.

“No, no…I'm just really relaxed…the way you're scratching the back of my head, it's um…” He trailed off laughing to himself as he shook his head to rid his mind of the dirty thought that flashed through it. 

“Sorry, I…didn't mean to…” She moved her hands back to his shoulders.

He shook his head and with a smile gently placed her hands back around his neck as his hands then traced down her sides, before finally resting on her hips. “No, it's ok, I like it,” he licked his bottom lip, deciding to test things just a little bit. “You’re just distractin’ me a bit is all…” he looked down at his feet.

“Oh…well, I think you're doing a good job.” 

“You're a sweetheart, but you and I both know I'm shit at dancing,” he said with a lopsided grin.

Vanessa's eyes narrowed as she stopped, bringing her hands down to Benny's biceps. “Don't say that about yourself. I'm having fun. Aren't you?”

The corner of Benny's mouth curled up as he nodded. “Course I'm having fun. I somehow convinced the prettiest girl here to dance with me and my two left feet.” 

Vanessa tried to stay calm and coy, but inside she was exploding at not only what he said, but the way he was looking at her.

“Well, you can't get any better unless you practice right?” 

Benny smirked, feeling bolder seeing her reaction to his flirting, “You tryna help me then? Help me…practice.”

“Maybe,” she bit her bottom lip, their eyes locked on one another.

Benny took a deep breath through his nose as one of his hands snaked its way to the small of her back, resting at the top of her ass. Hearing her breath hitch gave him an extra boost of confidence to affirm he wasn't misreading this entire exchange. “Well, darlin' I wonder if I may bother you for some um…private lessons…you know, so I can get better,” he winked.

Vanessa could feel her heart pounding in her ear drums and the wet spot in her underwear growing. She gave him an up and down and leaned in, nodding so he'd lower his head toward her, “I tell you what, you win your match and,” she leaned in further and whispered in his ear, “let’s skip the lesson and I’ll give you a little private dance instead.”

“Fuuuuck,” Benny let out a shaky breath and Vanessa swore she felt him instantly get hard. His grip tightened on her. She smiled to herself seeing the effect she had on him. I've still got it. 

She giggled and leaned into Benny, resting her head on his chest and they continued to rock back and forth. Her mouth was dangerously close to his chest, thanks to the undone buttons. It took everything in her to remember where she was and who was around because all she wanted to do was grab his chain with her teeth and drag him to the nearest bathroom. She hadn't felt like this about anyone since the early days of dating Luce.

Benny cleared his throat and she looked up to see his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed, sensing he was a bit flustered. “Y’know, it's gonna be a hell of a long week till Friday knowing that’s what’s waiting for me darlin’, but I'm patient. I can wait,” he winked. “Do I get to pick the song?” He raised his eyebrow which made her giggle.

“Nope.”

They continued to giggle and talk in whispers, as one song bleed into the next and the next. They didn't even realize they were the last two on the dance floor. Looking around Vanessa felt a bit embarrassed, but she saw that everyone else was off talking or eating leaving the two of them in their own little bubble. A yawn escaped, the excitement of the day finally starting to catch up with her. 

“Tired?” Benny looked at her with some concern.

“Yeah a little…woke up early so I could start making the food.”

“You um…going to head home?” Benny asked, a little sad that their evening would come to an end. 

“I should…we're talking the kids to the aquarium, so I could use the sleep,” she smiled. 

Benny cleared his throat before locking eyes on her again, “Mind if I walk you home?”

Her first inclination was to say no, that she could handle walking a few houses down the street by herself. But seeing how earnest Benny looked, she thought she'd take him up on the offer. Plus, she knew Victoria would rip her a new one if she left this hanging. “Yeah, I'd like that.”

Victoria saw Vanessa give her the signal that said she wanted to leave. After 10 years of being in the family too, Marcus picked up and saw it too. 

“Should we start packing up since Vandy is leaving?” He asked.

“Not yet mi amor, I think she has an escort home. I still feel bad that we cock blocked them last week. C'mon let's get another drink,” she winked, squealing a bit when Marcus lightly swatted her ass. 

Normally a fast walker, Vanessa deliberately slowed down her steps to prolong the walk back to the house. She and Benny walked closely side by side, their hands occasionally brushing against each other until one time where Benny reached for her hand and she took it. They both struggled trying to mask the massive grins on their faces.

“I had fun tonight,” Benny looked over. 

“Me too. I really like it here, everyone’s so nice. Feels like it was the right decision to move here.” She whispered to herself.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, just enjoying each other’s company. Occasionally Benny’s thumb would rub up and down her hand.

When they finally reached the Pike residence, Vanessa turned around, still holding Benny’s hand. “Well … this is my stop.”

Benny looked up at the ceiling of the porch with a smile before returning his gaze to her, “Yes this is.” He stepped a little bit closer, hearing her breath hitch. All he wanted to do was cup her cheek and kiss her, but he didn't know if it was too soon…or if he'd be able to control himself because he wanted to do a lot more than just kiss her.

“Y'know I didn't have dancin' on my bingo card for tonight, but I'm glad I was able to check that off.”

“What else did you check off?”

Benny gave a mischievous smile, a playful glimmer in his eye. “Hmm, let's see. David made a comment about Frankie's hair. Check. Delicious food. Check. You played a big role in that last one by the way.”

She blushed at the comment, giddy that he enjoyed the food she made for the party. “I'm happy to cook for you whenever you want.” Her eyes darted back and forth between his as he stepped a little closer. “What…um…what else did you check off tonight?”

Benny snorted, “Melissa avoiding Pope, that counts for two.”

“Sounds like a pretty packed evening.”

“It was…pretty awesome night I'd say. But I am missing one thing I was kinda hoping for.”

“Oh yeah? What's that?”

It was now or never. Benny could hear Joel’s voice in his head telling him to go for it, so he took a deep breath. “A kiss.”

“Well, I'm sure the ladies would line the block if you’re offering,” she smirked.

He shook his head. “No, not just any lady. I had a…uh…very specific one in mind.”

She stepped a little closer as he sucked in a breath. “Tell me about her.”

“Well, she's smokin’ hot,” he said with a lopsided grin which made her giggle. “She's got the most beautiful smile, her laugh instantly makes me feel better, and her eyes…” he trailed off. “Yeah, I can get lost in them. But as beautiful as she is on the outside she's even more stunning on the inside,” he ran his hands down her arms and stopped to take both of her hands in his. “She’s smart and kind. Plus she's an amazing cook. She's kind of a catch.”

Vanessa steadied her breath and smiled, feeling like her heart was going to explode out of her chest. “Well, I didn't think Lucille was your type but I can see it,” she teased.

Benny threw his head back in laughter. She loved seeing the way his entire face lit up when he laughed. 

“No way I'm taking Frankie's girl from him,” he chuckled, licking his bottom lip and returning his gaze to Vanessa.

“Well, this…great catch…seems pretty special. I hope you're able to kiss her.”

“Yeah me too.” He looked down, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed and mustered up the courage. “Vanessa, I…” he let out a little chuckle, trying to suppress that nervous feeling he felt in his stomach before doing something that scared him.

Ever since he suggested walking her home he thought about kissing her. But seeing her now, the way the soft light of the porch glowed around her, she looked like an angel. And she was looking at him in a way that made him feel like the most important person in the world – a fact that made him feel both unworthy but also like he could conquer any obstacle.

He brought his hand to cup her cheek, his calloused thumb caressing her soft skin. He willed his mind to not wander to how soft she must feel in other places.

“Vanessa…I really like you. And I…” he closed his eyes, shaking his head with a chuckle. Composing himself, he decided to just take the plunge. “Can I kiss you?”

She enthusiastically nodded, knowing she couldn't trust herself to form a sentence. All she wanted to do was kick her feet and squeal with excitement.

“Yeah?” 

“Yes, please,” she whispered.

He slowly lowered his head, wetting his bottom lip with his tongue as he moved his hand from her cheek to her neck. Their lips softly touched, both of them stunned but utterly giddy that they'd gotten to this point. 

Benny pulled away, resting his forehead on hers and nuzzling her nose as they both smiled. “That was…wow…can I do that again?”

Vanessa tugged on his shirt, their lips crashing together. Benny walked her backward, his hand extending out behind her so he could catch the wall, guiding her to rest against it. With one hand still cradling her neck, his other trailed down her body. 

She opened her mouth a bit wider, giving him permission to test the waters further. He softly licked along her bottom lip as started to explore. A soft moan from her was all he needed to push himself right up against her groaning as her hands found his hair and tugged slightly.

From a distance, they could hear some whooping and cheering from Lucille's house, instantly transporting them back to reality and the fact that they were making out on a porch. Benny pulled away, his thumb caressing her kiss-swollen lips. 

“Can't believe we were able to do that without getting interrupted.”

Vanessa let out a soft giggle. “I know…Benny that was…”

“Perfect.”

“Yeah.” She brought her hands down his chest, stopping to play with the pendant at the end of his chain as his hands lightly rested on her waist.

He let out a shaky breath, “I want to kiss you again darlin' but I won't be able to stop,” he smiled as she giggled. “I…um…I want to do this right.” He pulled back, both hands moving to rest on her waist. 

“Me too. I don't want to rush this.”

“And what is…this?” He arched an eyebrow.

“Well, I'd like to explore that, if you're up for it.”

“Yeah, I'd like that.” He kissed her again and he'd never felt more invincible like he could take on anything as long as she was by his side. He trailed kisses down her neck, lightly tracing her collarbone with his tongue, in a move that made goosebumps appear on her skin as she mewled. He kissed up the other side of her neck. “I really can't fuckin wait until I win that fight now,” he whispered in her ear as he grabbed a handful of her ass and grinding his hardened length against her.

It was a miracle she was able to remain standing and not dissolve into an instant puddle. Feeling his warm breath against her ear and hearing the need in his voice, it was intoxicating. They made out a little bit longer, neither one wanting it to end but knowing if they continued things would escalate to a place they both wanted to go, but weren't ready for yet. 

Benny kept trying to say goodbye but ended up kissing her, both of them giggling as they continued to explore with their hands and mouths.

Vanessa pulled back, cupping his face between her hands. “We are definitely going to get interrupted soon, I'm surprised we haven't yet.”

“You're right. Can I see you tomorrow?”

“I'd like that. You get home safely Bun.”

“Yes ma'am.”

Next Time on As the Mule Falls: Friends. The long-awaited arrival of Cousin Joel is here. He arrives in the next chapter oh my am I excited. We’ll also gear up for fight night. 

A/N: Hi! Woof that was a long chapter but we had a lot to get through, didn’t we? I mentioned this after the last chapter, but I’m experimenting with doing a few little side stories/extras for this main series. I’ve written two stories - Strike a Pose (Benny x Vanessa) and Weathered In (Frankie x Jo). You don’t have to read them to keep up with the main story, but they add a little extra to the whole experience. We’re gearing up for a storyline I’ve been tinkering with since the fall and am so excited about it and hope you all love it as much as I do. 

On a personal note, I’m headed out for a work trip and then vacation, so I’m hoping to get some writing done but we’ll see. Until next time! Thank you as always for reading, sharing, or sending me a message about this story!

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[xxsycamore]

𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬. . . Blanc X MC

↬ A rainy afternoon shouldn't get in the way of Blanc's sweet teatime with Alice!

Blanc Lapin x MC (Alice) • rating: G • tags: Fluff; Rain; Tea Parties; Kissing; Magic • wordcount:  1,481•masterlist

a/n: the weather outside provoked me to start off early with the challenge 👉🏻👈🏻 this is for day 8 of Spring Showers Spring Flowers by @aquagirl1978 & @violettduchess - Prompt: Rainy Days (fluff) - special tags for @vivifucksthevillian @viohasgoneintothewoods @katriniac

"Umm, Blanc… are you sure that we should be here?"

Despite the evident concern in her tone, Alice takes another sip from her cup, enjoying her tea. This impromptu tea party came out of nowhere, but she couldn't refuse Blanc's kind offer…

She'd just come to the Civic Center awhile ago to bring Blanc his lunch, seeing as her distracted White Rabbit had forgotten it again at home… She'd made it right on time for his lunch break, but was quite surprised when Blanc asked for her company. Exiting the office in flavor of finding some place more suited for having a meal, Alice's next surprise was seeing him begin to brew tea. And then the feeling grew tenfold as Blanc began climbing the stairs to the rooftop, where the Garden is situated.

"Why yes, we're merely having some tea, I don't see the harm in that. I'd hate to get you in trouble, dear Alice, I merely wanted to enjoy your company in a place that compliments your beauty…"

Blanc stirs his tea, smiling politely and prompting her to taste the food as well. She'd made enough for him to be sated and more, and a shared meal is always a tastier meal… maybe it's because of believing in this philosophy why Alice complies and nods, returning the smile. Oh, it really is tasty!

"The table looks even bigger when the seats are empty, somehow… there's this energy about this place even when we're alone here."

Blanc hums approvingly, gracious even in his chewing. He pats over his mouth with a handkerchief, manners on point as if this really is one of those special meetings of the top officers of the two armies. Their respective flags waver slightly in the wind, standing proud on their tall poles on either side of the table.

"Aren't you feeling calm in my company, Alice?"

The question gets her off-guard, the tea cup trembling for a second in her hands. She takes another sip.

"Uh-huh! I do. Thank you for bringing me here, it's not every day that I get to enjoy tea in such a place!"

While admiring the scenery, Alice notes how the grey clouds overhead add to the beauty of it, instead of ruining it, strange as it is. It's a pretty unique feeling. Gray days are almost never pretty, but from up here it's different. The budding nature enveloping the Garden adds enough color to contrast with the sky, and the temperature is not unpleasantly low at all. It's a typical spring day.

Well, it wouldn't be one without rain. And so the rain arrives.

Plop.

"Ahh, a raindrop fell into my tea… Haha…"

Blanc's beautiful white lashes flutter and show more of the pretty color of his peach-colored eyes behind the lenses of his glasses, as his attention is drawn to the cup, after Alice's comment. He's quick to react, much to Alice's surprise, as he jumps to his feet and opens his coat to reveal a foldable umbrella… so he predicted that this might happen?

"This is no ordinary umbrella, Alice. It's one of Oliver's newest inventions, you see. I think today makes the perfect chance for us to put it to the test."

Alice blinks but is just as curious as Blanc appears to be, scooting closer to his side. Of course Oliver makes poor Blanc his test bunny that is supposed to report obediently afterwards… she can only hope the invention is harmless. Considering how much of Fenrir's infamous guns are created where this umbrella came from…

"We unfold it like this, and the magic crystal in the handle does the rest of the job!"

Blanc explains, giving himself an aura of someone who knows what he's doing. Fortunately, it goes as he says, the crystal starting to shine as the umbrella is unfolded… and it starts to grow?!

The fabric held on the metal rods stretches out until it reaches the size of a sunshade, like the ones that can be seen in one of those cute outdoor cafes in central.

"Are those… balloons?"

The worries about Blanc suddenly having to hold the weight of that large thing start to disappear as Alice observes dozens of detached balloons inflate under the umbrella, making it float graciously in the air.

"Ahh, good, it didn't fly away! Oliver's main concern was that the balloons would either be too few or too many for its mass. As always, his calculations are top notch."

As more raindrops fall, Alice feels the need to snap out of her awe and take refuge under the parasol, along with her tea cup.

"And now, we can resume our tea time."

Blanc looks at Alice and they exchange a sweet smile. The food is finished and put away, and the rain becomes but a soundtrack to the tranquil afternoon.

"Ah, Alice, please come closer. I don't want the rain to get to you, and besides, you must be getting cold."

Blanc is… offering his lap. True, the parasol is large, but Alice really does feel the raindrops hitting her arm occasionally… oh well. Maybe it won't hurt, just this once.

"If you'd excuse me…"

Ah, this is bad. Her heart is going to explode, and her lips are remaining on a thin line as she attempts to drink as if nothing is happening. The lukewarm liquid is touching her mouth but she can't take in anything, fairly sure that she's going to choke the second she does.

Blanc is warm, especially his arm that wraps around her waist. That's why the invention is so clever, leaving him with two free hands… It's convenient for holding her in place, and nothing more of course, the gentleman that he is. Alice tries to concentrate on anything that is not him, in order to keep her sanity.

Nearby, the blossoming trees are standing tall in the spring shower as it starts to fall with more vigor upon them from the skies.

"Aww, I feel bad for the little buds. They're so fragile, and the rain is so strong."

Blanc follows her line of sight, chuckling softly. The sound of his laugher is more prominent when she's that close, and it sounds way more melodic too.

"They're going to be alright. Nature has its ways. Besides, they're just like you."

"?!"

Alice turns to look at Blanc, not realizing how he'd leaned closer to see better. Their faces are millimeters apart.

"Fate gave you strong rains, yet you held your head high and blossomed after each one. You're strong, Alice. And beautiful, too. You bring spring to Cradle."

Each word makes Alice's head spin more as she finds herself lavished with sweet words… she knows Blanc means each one of them deeply, his usual gentlemanly smile looking a tad more serious now. She's going to explode if he doesn't kiss her right this instant.

"Can I kiss you?"

Yes! Yes!

"Please."

Blanc's chuckle is barely audible, but she can feel it as he presses his lips to her. First, the stretch of his mouth in that sweet smile, then the parting of his lips. She eagerly answers, melting into the sweet-tasting kiss.

Blanc's lunch break draws to an end, much to their dismay. Raindrops start to fall seldom from the skies, like spring showers do, and Blanc outstretches an ungloved hand beyond the margins of the parasol to check. He then folds the umbrella, but still hurries inside with Alice, tea set safely collected as he insists he could take care of that.

"Ahh, I still worry about raindrops getting on the frames of my glasses… Do you think I can ask Oliver to create mini-umbrellas for them?"

Alice lets out a snort that grows into audible laugher, imagining how silly it would look like… but if she can find something charming in that, then the inventor surely wouldn't, and it won't go without some rude remarks. But oh well, maybe the kind heart he hides somewhere deep within would dictate the words "Fine, you stupid rabbit, ridicule yourself if you want to, I'll see what I can do."

"Anything that prevents you from taking off your glasses to wipe them and thus leaves you vulnerable is a good idea, Blanc…"

Going down the stairs with Blanc, the record keeper suddenly stops and looks and looks at her.

"I don't mind the rain, if it makes my dear little blossom show her beautiful, true colors."

With a finger behind his lips, a silent gesture to shush her, Blanc joins his colleague Mousse who seems to have used his own lunch break to its fullest, relishing in his favorite pastime of napping. At least that's what the lines on his face tell. Maybe Alice can too use a nap right now, because all that happened this afternoon felt like a dream, and it was one that ended too fast…

Taglist: @arsnovacadenza @ale-teodora @kimi00twin @otomelady @privilegedpancake @g-kleran    @pumpumnnnp @thesirenwashere @ravenarld @kimmy-banana @devonares @animeworldsposts @randomanimatedhusbandoseeker @galaxyprison @sadshaxk @starshards26 @pro-cat-stination @acethephoenix256 @ikevamp-shrine-2 @nad-zeta @crystal13unny @keen19thcenturygoatsstudent @lordsister @ikemen-banshou   @themysticalbeing @canaria-blackwell @otome-scribbles @rhodolitesrose @coornn @kpop-and-otome @queen-dahlia @kisara-16 @chaosangel767 @ikemenlibrary @queengiuliettafirstlady @aurora-morning @ikemenlover24 @mcofthemansion @tiny-wooden-robot @joy-the-reader @ikemen-writer @tele86 @psychodreamer666 @cilokgoang @moonstruck-writing Let me know if you want to be tagged/untagged!

[thegainingdesk]

Beach Body

Chapter 1

"So she does this every single year for her birthday?" I asked. "What if she wants to do something else?"

"It's a tradition!" Natasha insisted. "It's fun. No, really, it is! Oh, look out for a turning on the left."

"I hate these tiny country roads. And what if it rains one year?" I pointed out.

"It's the start of August, it doesn't rain. There it is, can you see?"

"It can rain in August." I wouldn't let go of this. I turned down the track she'd pointed out.

"There's a pub! We all go to the pub in the village and get pissed instead of having a barbecue on the beach, okay? And it's obviously not going to rain today." Natasha was obviously right about that, bright sunshine illuminating the Welsh countryside around us. "Look, I really don't know what you're worried about."

"I just don't know why I was invited. I've only - there's a car ahead, do you reckon they'll get past if I stop here? - I've only been working with you all for a couple of months, I basically only know you and Jackie." Even I had to admit that I was starting to border on whining at this point.

"But we really like you! And this is a great way to get to know people! Sun, food, a few drinks-"

"I'm driving," I pointed out, interrupting her.

"Well it's bad if you can only have fun if you've gotten drunk," Natasha scolded.

"That's not what I said at-"

"Here! Coming up! Do you see the car park on the left?"

I sighed and parked up, greeting Jackie and a large group of her friends, some familiar, some not. We grabbed various bags of food, drinks and blankets out of the car while we waited for the last few people to arrive. I greeted the few people I knew and introduced myself to some others, promptly forgetting half a dozen names.

Armed with a cool bag of meat slung over one shoulder, and a portable barbecue awkwardly tucked into the crook of my elbow, I joined the line of people making their way across the zigzagging tracks over the dunes leading to the beach. The dunes, while beautiful, were difficult to traverse, and the group split up into small parties, each determined that they'd found the easiest route around or over the steep mounds of sand.

"I'm just saying," I said quietly to Natasha after dropping the barbecue for the third time, looking around to check that Jackie wasn't close enough to hear, "that they are easier beaches to have a barbecue at, y'know."

A loud laugh from behind us, and I turned to see a handsome man I hadn't spoken to yet. "It is a really stupid beach, to be fair," he said, a wide smile on his face.

Jackie's voice came faintly from the next dune over. "What was that?"

"I said it's a fucking stupid beach!" the man called back. He caught my eye, and I must have looked taken aback because he explained: "I'm her brother, I'm allowed to tell her that her annual beach birthday's rubbish." I laughed. "Chris," he stretched a hand out.

I could see the family resemblance to Jackie - the same nose, the same dark blonde hair. Chris immediately put me at ease, with a thick blonde beard framing a constant smile, and deep smile lines around his eyes, despite looking like he was in his early thirties. His handsome face and deep voice set a tingle in my swim shorts.

I took his hand and shook it. "Adam. You must have been doing this your whole life then?"

He laughed loudly. "You'd hope so! No, this is actually a tradition she came up with at about twenty."

"Oh! I sort of assumed it was a childhood thing," I replied.

"That's what she wants you to think. I personally think twenty-eight is a little old to insist on being a special little birthday girl" he shouted this last part across the dunes, and a quiet "fuck off Chris!" came in reply, before he turned to me, and quietly now "but that's just me."

I laughed, his infectious good mood making me forget my earlier reservations about the day. By this point, Natasha was well ahead with some other people from the office and Chris and I were left alone.

"So you work with Jackie?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, just started a few months ago," I replied.

"Enjoying it?"

"Yeah! It's a nice company, people are really friendly." Speaking to Chris, even my boring job was sounding better.

"You're going to have to explain what it is you do, Jackie's never actually been able to make me understand."

"So I'm on the software side, I develop the algorithms that we use to…" I caught myself, realising I was being boring. "I do things with computers that make them make money," I joked.

"Oh my god, I love computers and money!"

"And what about you? What do you do?" I asked.

"Very similar. Computers, money. Sometimes meetings."

"Meetings! Exotic. Is that around Cardiff as well?" I asked.

"Edinburgh." My heart sank, my already slim chances of a date with a handsome, funny man disappearing to nothing. "As much as I think this annual beach birthday is silly, it at least forces me to come back and see everyone."

We walked on for a while, making easy conversation with each other. After a while Chris turned to me. "It's nice to have someone to chat to at this thing. Usually it's just Jackie's work friends talking about office drama and her uni friends talking about decade-old gossip, with me in the middle."

"Surely there's the rest of the family?"

"Nah, she insists on it being young people, but we don't have any cousins, so it ends up just being me. We always do a family thing another night," he shrugged. "Still," he caught my eye and smiled, "I reckon this one will be good."

We heard a small cheer of celebration up ahead as the people in front arrived on the beach, and we sped up, running awkwardly through the sand of the dunes. When we arrived, we dumped our bags in a small pile and helped to spread out the blankets.

I took off my shoes before hesitating, self-conscious of my body. I had a perfectly average body, maybe a little too tall and skinny, but I was always nervous of taking my shirt off in front of other people, lacking the washboard abs and bulging muscles of seemingly all of my friends. I looked around and told myself that no-one would pay me any attention, but I froze, fingers on my top button.

While the other men were wearing swim shorts in various lengths and colours, Chris had stripped off both his fun Hawaiian shirt and particularly short shorts to reveal a pair of bright flowery speedos. His shirt was hiding a subtly chunky body, with a roll of fat sticking out ever so slightly above the colourful lycra, and below, thick legs pooched out ever so slightly where the speedos cut into them. All of this was covered in a veritable pelt of hair, hiding the slight softness of his body.

Chris looked up and caught my eye, and I realised I was staring. I looked away quickly, but could have sworn he gave me a small wink. Emboldened by Chris' confidence and by the lack of notice everyone was paying him, despite the amount of skin he was showing, I unbuttoned my shirt and put it with my shoes.

A while later I walked up to Chris who was manning the various barbecues and settled down next to him. Droplets of salt water still clung to my skin and in my dark chest hair, and I thought the effect was quite sexy, if you ignored all the sand that was sticking to me as well.

"The sea good?" he asked.

"Fucking freezing," I replied.

He smiled and held out a beer to me.

I put up a hand. "Designated driver I'm afraid."

"Fair enough," he pulled the top off and began to drink it himself.

"Are you always in charge of the barbecue?" I asked.

He nodded. "And the beer cooler. It means I get to have more than anyone else without anyone calling me out on it."

I gave a small chuckle. "Good plan," I told him, and took a cheeky look sideways at him. Sure enough, his hairy stomach did look a touch more bloated than it had done earlier. "So your umm…" I cringed at the words even as I formed them, "your girlfriend couldn't make it today?" Smooth Adam. Real smooth.

"Ah, no. My, well my boyfriend had to work." My heart sank. Still, I noticed that his smile shrank ever so slightly when he mentioned his boyfriend.

"Oh! Sorry to assume, I didn't mean to-" I flustered.

"No! No, it's fine really. It happens. Do you? Have a boyfriend?" He held my eyes. "Or girlfriend? Or boyfriend?" His smile was growing again.

"Nope. Single. I broke up with my last boyfriend a while ago." I stressed the word boyfriend more than I meant to. Despite the 400 miles we lived apart, and his boyfriend, I still felt the need to make sure he knew I was gay as well.

"Oh I'm sorry," Chris said.

"Not at all, it was a while ago," I smiled at him. "Just, you know, enjoying being single."

"Yeah, I miss it a little sometimes," Chris said, and I detected an ever so slight sadness in his voice, but he quickly covered it up with his usual, unchanging smile. My heart leapt a little. He was probably just making small talk, sympathising with the lonely singleton, but a boy could dream, couldn't he?

Chris offered me a chicken drumstick. "Have you tried these? They've got like a Korean marinade thing, they're gorgeous. It's like bitter and sweet at the same time. I've had about ten."

I reached over and took it from him, taking a small bite. It was good, and I duly gave a small hum in agreement, but I wouldn't say they were exceptional. Chris picked up on my silence and laughed. "It's probably just me," he told me. "Jackie's always said I'm like a labrador when it comes to food. Food motivated." He beamed at me and picked up another chicken leg, his eyes closing in bliss as he chewed.

I readjusted my shorts ever so slightly. My attraction to Chris was growing as I got to know him - his constant cheerfulness, his small jokes, the way he didn't seem to care what anyone thought about him.

Later that day, I drove back in silence, Natasha passed out after a day of gin in the sun. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face, as I thought back to the day I'd spent mainly with Chris. Despite all the reasons I could never realistically go out with him, I was utterly besotted by the man. I found myself surprised that I was already looking forward to Jackie's 29th.

Chapter 2

"Adam!" Chris called, almost as soon as I'd come from behind the last dune before the beach. "Great to see you!"

I grinned, a little embarrassed. I'd never be able to be so open about being so excited to see someone, but then that's exactly what attracted me to him last year. Paul, a friend from the office, gave me a confused glance which I purposefully ignored. "Hey," I greeted Chris, "looking good man!"

This, I thought to myself, was very true. He was wearing the same flowery speedo as last year, but it now looked positively painted on. He'd clearly put on some weight, last year's roll of flab turning into a sack of fat, suspended above the tight swimwear. His thighs had faint criss-crosses around the tops, not quite hidden by the thick hair there, and his chest now stood ever so slightly forward and down - he didn't quite have moobs, but there were certainly small pockets of fat that weren't there last year. He'd shaved his beard down to stubble, showing just a hint of a double chin forming below his jawline. While I'd never particularly gone in for the overly-ripped, action-man physique, I was still surprised by how much I enjoyed the changes to Chris' body.

I followed Chris back to where some barbecues were already set up. "Got a beer for me in one of those boxes?"

He passed one over. "Not driving this year?"

I nodded over to Natasha, who had a small crowd around her cooing over a small bump at her midriff. "Natasha's pregnant so she's not drinking anyway."

"Handy!" He clinked his bottle against mine and took a swig. I took my shirt off and was pleased to see Chris' eyes rake up and down my body, taking it in. "Sun's out, guns out, eh? You're looking fit!"

I smiled at the compliment and thanked him. I'd taken advantage of the company gym a fair amount over the past year, and for the first time ever I felt like my body could be described by more adjectives than just 'lanky'. I gave a small, joking flex, quietly proud of my beach body and was surprised when Chris reached out and gave my bicep a squeeze. "Looking good," he repeated.

We caught up for a while, taking advantage of being in charge of guarding the beer coolers, Chris eating seemingly almost constantly. While I'd thought back again and again to last year, I'd forgotten just how easy Chris was to talk to, and how much I enjoyed his company.

A few beers in, my courage picked up. "Boyfriend not here again?" I asked bluntly.

He looked confused. "Boyfriend? What do you- oh, John? God, you've got a good memory. No, he cheated on me, I found out around Christmas-ish."

"Oh god, I'm sorry. What an arsehole." I clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, fuck him, y'know."

He laughed at this. "Fuck him! Funnily enough, that's what my mate Sarah did." He laughed again, clearly unbothered.

"Hey! Bisexual affair though! Very modern, very progressive," I joked

He nodded, still laughing, and I watched intently as his paunch shook. "That is a big comfort to me, that at least he cheated on me in a diverse way." His smile grew lopsided as he looked at me, and he shuffled a touch closer to me. "And you? Got a boyfriend on the scene?" He'd lowered his voice now.

"Umm, nope. No. No boyfriend. Some tinder dates, you know but umm," I looked down at his lips. "Single. You know. Available. For stuff."

He nodded and looked around at what everyone else was doing. "The dunes are lovely. To walk around. And stuff. If you wanted to-"

"I want to. Yep. Absolutely. Lovely dunes." I nodded furiously, the sudden movement making me feel more drunk. "The ecosystems and the, uh, crescent shapes."

"Fucking love an ecosystem," Chris said, standing up while he fished out another couple of beers to take with us and quickly grabbed one last hot dog to take with him.

We ran up the closest dune, laughing, and practically fell down the other side. Chris grabbed my hand and led me a bit further on, before pulling me towards him and kissing me, having to reach up slightly to account for the several inches of height difference between us. I melted into him, my shoulders immediately releasing tension I didn't know I was holding, and I ran my fingers through his hair.

The combination of beers, sun and arousal made us act like schoolboys having their first kiss. We stumbled again and again as we continued to walk through the dunes, not paying enough to where we were going, our hands grabbing at each other's bodies the whole way, and giggling breathlessly.

Chris' hand moved down to my swim shorts, and he pulled away slightly, his tongue briefly coming out to wet his lips as his hand rested on my straining cock. "Enjoying yourself I see?"

"Very much so," I replied, pulling him closer to kiss him again. My own hand moved down to his own crotch and I cupped his bulge through his speedos, running my fingers along his length before grasping his hard cock through the lycra. He exhaled shakily and I felt his body tense slightly as I stroked him, grabbing at the fat at his sides as I did so, kissing him deeply the entire time.

Chris stepped back and pulled me down onto the steep sand with him, grabbing my own cock beneath my shorts and began pumping his hand slowly. I pushed him back and pulled down his speedos and my shorts around our thighs. I sat up and straddled him before I grabbed both our cocks in one hand, my long fingers struggling around them both, and began stroking us off together. Chris gave a breathless laugh and laid back, his eyes rolling up into his head in pleasure. I kept my eyes open, watching the shaking of his beef with each small twitch of his body. Chris began to gently girate his hips and I sped my hand up, the fingers of my other hand probing into his flesh, the fat pooling up around them. I heard Chris' breath catch and I relaxed my body, letting my own climax come, so that we both sprayed thick jets of cum up his body at the same time.

I rolled off him and lay next to him, both of us catching our breath. He shifted his weight, rolling over slightly to kiss me. "That", he whispered, "was really fucking hot."

I laughed and nodded. "You know, I really feel like we haven't explored these dunes very much yet."

He took on a faux serious expression and nodded. "I personally don't feel I've seen enough of the unique flora and fauna endemic to Welsh dune ecosystems." He stood up, struggling to pull his too tight swimsuit back up his thighs, and I followed suit, my own swimsuit coming up easily. "There's a sort of cove-y inlet-y thing, that way," he said, pointing, "that's pretty secluded. We could clean ourselves up and explore a little more." He spread his arms out and motioned down at his sticky torso before wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Sounds perfect," I agreed, taking his hand.

A couple of hours later, we stumbled back onto the beach, Chris making a beeline for the barbecue. Thankfully, someone had taken over his duties so there was plenty of food for him to grab. My friend Paul sauntered over and raised an eyebrow suggestively. "You look like you've had a good time."

"We just went for a walk. It's very beautiful around here," I protested.

"Very beautiful," Paul nodded, his voice thick with sarcasm. "I wouldn't have had you down as a chubby chaser."

"What? I'm not a chub- nothing happened! And he's not chubby! That's very rude. And nothing happened anyway!" I could hear my voice go up too high as I blatantly lied.

"No, no, absolutely, I believe you," Paul said. "Your shorts are on backwards by the way."

I felt my face go even redder, if that was possible. I was saved from my embarrassment by Chris returning with a beer for me, and we moved towards the sea for a swim.

"Listen, I know you'll be going back to Edinburgh, but if you're around this week for a drink or something…" I suggested, once we were in the cold water.

The smile on Chris' face completely faded for the first time since I'd met him, not even a joking undertone left. "I'm going back tomorrow morning. 6 am flight."

I forced a smile. "Yeah, of course! That's fine, of course. You'd have wanted to spend time with your family anyway."

"No, no, I'd love to, I would. I really would." Chris looked genuinely sorry. "It just didn't work out. I'm sorry."

Later on, I sat in the back of Natasha's car, exhausted from a mixture of alcohol, food, sun and sex. Natasha was explaining to Annie in the front seat about how she'd actually had so much more fun while not drinking, and she was so embarrassed for all of us, convincing no-one, when Paul leaned over from the other side of the back seat.

"He seemed nice", he offered.

"Yeah, nice," I replied distantly.

"You guys going to see each other again?" he asked.

I shook my head. "He lives in Edinburgh."

"Shit, I'm sorry. Will he be there next year do you reckon?"

I gave a small smile. "Yeah, next year maybe."

Chapter 3

I got to the beach first, the usual work group trailing behind me. I was desperately trying to seem cool and calm, but I knew I was failing miserably. I looked around for Chris but couldn't see him anywhere.

"Jackie! Hey! Happy Birthday! Thirty! The big one!" I ignored her angry reply about how she didn't want to be thirty yet. "Yep. Uh-huh. Absolutely. Got to hate the linear flow of time. Anyway, Chris not here yet? He usually comes to this, right? Can't miss the big day!"

"Oh, do you two know each other? Yeah, he's going to be late, he was visiting our grandma so he's coming all the way from St Davids," she said the name of it like a joke, and I duly laughed, never quite getting the hang of Jackie. Me and Chris had texted a few times in the past year, but I'd been too nervous to ask him directly about coming to his sister's birthday, so I was relieved to hear he was coming.

An hour and a half and a few beers later, I heard a wolf-whistle behind me. "You've joined the speedo club I see!" I turned around to see Chris approaching me, fat jiggling with each heavy footstep. I'd been inspired by his confidence and my own improving physique to opt for something skimpier this time, and was happy to see that he hadn't worn anything less revealing.

It was clear that last year's weight gain wasn't a one-off. While before, he might be able to get away with being charitably called stout or burly, he was downright fat now. His gut was now a heavy, near-perfect sphere, bulging out to the sides and slightly sagging down in front of him, with genuine tits, round, plump sacks of flesh that sat on top of his belly. His always present smile now pushed two chubby cheeks out like a hamster, and he'd regrown his beard, much thicker than before, in a clear and futile attempt to cover a rounding jawline.

I matched his beaming smile and walked towards him, grabbing a beer and a burger on the way for him. I handed them over and slapped a hand onto his gut, emboldened by the few drinks I'd had while waiting. "You've got some new speedos yourself I see," I said quietly.

He twisted and pulled his gut out of the way to look, before looking back at me. "Ah, yeah, the other ones," he looked away sheepishly, "don't really fit anymore."

I bit my lip. "I'm sure they don't," I said jokingly. He smiled nervously back at me.

"Listen, I'm going to have a swim, grab some food. I'll talk to you later, alright." I watched him walk away, deflated. Did he regret last year? Or maybe something had happened, to make him so frosty? A new boyfriend maybe?

I sat and drank on a large rock, until he walked over to me and sat down next to me. Despite my nervousness, I thrilled at the thick fat on his sides brushing against my arm.

"I've been thinking about you, this year," he said finally. I looked over, heart rising.

"Me too," I replied with a smile.

His face broke into its usual grin. "Good. Good. I was a bit nervous, since you didn't text or anything. I wasn't really sure if you'd come."

"I thought the same, honestly," I confessed.

"And then," he continued, "I arrived and saw you looking really fucking good," he reached over and squeezed my strong thigh, "and I thought maybe I'd gotten too fat for you." His face had become bright red as he said this.

I laughed at him. "I like it. Really. It works for you. You carry it really well." I reached out and squeezed his own thick thigh, the fat feeling like butter beneath the skin.

"So you're into fat guys, hey?" He was still smiling, but looked a little embarrassed.

I shook my head. "Not really. I'm into you though."

His smile grew even wider. "I'm into you too." He reached out and held my hand. "I tried to diet for a bit," he confessed after a while.

"I can't imagine you dieting. You're way too confident. Like, you don't care what people think. It's sexy," I told him

"Well it turns out I'm not very good at it. I didn't actually lose any weight. But, y'know, I had the thought. Downloaded an app and everything."

"What was the app?" I asked, quietly laughing.

He shrugged. "It counted calories, told me when I was being a fat arse. Turns out I was probably supposed to do something with that information."

"Probably," I agreed.

Eventually, I realised his cheeks weren't getting any less red. "You're burning," I said, jumping up, "I'll go get some sun cream."

"I'm fine! I'm fine, really, I don't burn" he grabbed my hand to pull me back down but I pulled away.

"You're bright red. I'll get you some food and beer while I grab it," I promised. He relented, pleased that eating and drinking would now be involved.

I came back with my hands full, and passed everything over. I sat behind him and squirted some sun cream onto his back while he ate, and started rubbing it in wide circles. I relished the feel of his soft fat under my fingers, sliding my fingers deep into the crevices and folds of his body, and grabbing thick slabs of beef, all in the name of his skin health. I repeated the process on his front, exploring his soft tits, and hefting his gut up towards his face before letting it go and watching the ripples move through his body. I lingered for far longer than was necessary, tangling my fingers into the hair that covered his body, down from his shoulders, spreading across his torso and arms.

A while later, we both lay sunbathing on the sand, Chris barely moving, while I'd periodically jump up to grab him a snack. I handed him a burger and he propped himself up on his elbows and looked at me. "Listen, I'm not going home for another few days, and I've got a room at the village pub. Did you want to come for dinner? Maybe stay the night?"

"Dinner? You've been eating all day!" I responded.

"I've been snacking all day, I'll need a proper meal," he explained. I could see why he'd put on so much weight.

"That sounds good though, yeah. We need to make sure you don't waste away."

We fell into bed that night, Chris' stomach stretched tight and even rounder than earlier. I pulled off his too small t-shirt, unaccustomed to seeing him in clothes at all. I watched him for a minute or two try to take his shorts off, the button pulled tight by his heavy gut above. I took pity on him and made him suck his gut in, which he managed to, with difficulty, just enough for me to free the button and pull down the zipper, to reveal his aching cock straining against his speedos, still on from earlier.

"There's some condoms and lube in my suitcase," he told me.

"Someone was confident!" I said, but fetched them nonetheless.

He struggled to sit up, his full gut getting in the way, so I pushed him back down. "Don't you worry big guy, I'll do all the work." I sat next to him on the bed and helped him rub his gut, filled with a day's worth of barbecue and beer, and topped off with a heavy dinner, including dessert. He groaned, and I kissed him deeply. I pulled off his speedos, and his dick sprung up, slapping against his distended belly, smearing it with a spot of pre-cum.

We spent the night fucking, being as gentle as possible with Chris' overfull stomach. We spent the next day together as well, lounging on the beach, and I called in sick to work on Monday so we could spend one last day together. As I got out of Chris' car outside my house, he got out and kissed me, making me promise to stay in touch.

Chapter 4

I walked out onto the beach and made a beeline for Chris, pulling my shirt off as I approached him. He'd continued to gain weight, and his ball gut had expanded out, retaining its spherical shape but sagging down, with a deep cavernous belly button at its centre. Thick love handles sat either side of the giant gut, and above it his ample tits sat thick, beginning to droop ever so slightly towards his sides. His thighs were like tree trunks and were easily larger around than my waist, and between them I could just make out a bright flash of fabric, his speedos almost completely covered up from the front.

"They still make those in that size?" I teased him as I reached him.

"Well I don't think they don't make them too much bigger," he laughed.

"You've got your bags?" I asked.

He nodded. "In Jackie's car. You're not driving anyone back?"

"Nope, free to go as soon as we're done here." I grinned at him, excited about our planned week in Cornwall. "You can have a drink though, if you want, don't worry."

He shook his head. "I'm happy just spending some time with you."

I smiled at him and gave him a kiss. Some work friends looked over curiously, but I saw Paul and Natasha lean over to fill them in on all the gossip.

"We'll be the talk of your office will we?" Chris asked.

"Oh, hardly. It turns out Greg might actually be the father of Natasha's baby, so we'll barely be a blip on their radar."

"Oh my god!" Chris said. "I don't know who any of those people are!"

I laughed and led him over to the barbecue.

As we drove away that evening to my house, I looked over at Chris, as he snored faintly. He'd not had anything to drink, but he'd eaten so much over the course of the day that getting back over the sand dunes had been a genuine issue, and by the time we got back to the car park everyone except Jackie and her fiancé had long gone. Jackie passed over Chris' bags and I put them in the boot while Chris collapsed into the front seat, the car dipping dramatically on that side.

That night lacked the urgency of the other times we'd met, not driven by lust, but rather just enjoying each others' company. We watched a movie while I snuggled into his side, sinking into his soft fat like a pillow. The next morning I made a large breakfast before we set off on our holiday.

Chapter 5

I walked out of the sand dunes and was almost immediately accosted by old colleagues. "How's Edinburgh?" Paul asked.

"Great! Really, really great! The job's basically the same thing, computers, money, meetings, you know," I replied.

"And Chris? How's he?" Natasha asked.

"He's great too, we've settled really well into living together, it just all works."

"Is he coming or…?"

I turned around to look at the dunes. "He's just taken the scenic route, he'll be here in a bit." For the most part I'd gotten used to walking at Chris' slower pace, and kept with him for most of the walk, but had run ahead at the last couple of dunes. Sure enough, after a minute or two he appeared between the bases of two dunes.

He'd put on more weight while we were living together, but he'd slowed down a little recently. Still, he was clearly bigger than the last time we were here, one year ago. While the changes might not be so obvious to a lot of people, just a fat man getting fatter, I noticed them all. His stomach stuck out just that bit more, his sides that much wider, his legs that much softer.

He walked over to me (waddled might be more accurate, I pondered, especially on the soft sand), and gave me a peck on the cheek. We put our bags down a convenient distance to the food, and stripped down to our speedos, Chris' once again new to stretch across his added weight.

"Fancy a swim?" Chris asked me, already walking towards the water.

"Sounds good," I said, quickly catching up to him. "Maybe afterwards we can go for a walk through the dunes?" I raised my eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh fuck off!" Chris said. "I'm not going back through those, I'm knackered after that walk. You're just going to have to wank me off in front of everyone, if it comes to it."

I laughed and kissed him on the cheek, admiring the plush softness. "Well hopefully it won't come to that."

"Why not?" Chris asked, joking. "Do you not think I'm beach body ready?"

[prettymrswright]

Harlem Nights

pairing: rosalie otterbourne x black!fem!reader

background: as a singer and musician growing up in the heart of New York, you constantly had people, places, and things to be inspired by. every chance you could, you were finding places inside those rooms you always desired to be in. there was nothing more you wanted to do but perform. most of your family wouldn’t be so ecstatic about your ‘unrealistic’ and ‘unstable’ ambitions. But you knew deep down that you had what it takes. You’d soon travel down to Harlem’s hottest club of the early 20th century, ‘The Cotton Club’, and an interaction with one of your inspirations would change the trajectory of your life, forever.

content: fluff, flirting, playful banter, intimacy. a lot of sweetness + sass. warmth. little explicit language.

word count: 6k

authors note: 2nd fic down. this one was very fun to create, making it fitting to the time. I have such a sweet spot for Rosalie, I had to dedicate this one to her and all her glory. as a singer and musician myself from NY, this was very special for me. I hope y’all smiling and blushing because I was smiling and blushing writing it! enjoy. p.s. chile i kinda wanna make a part two, this was teaaaa.

taglist: @inmyheadimobsessed @zayswriting @vixentheplanet @pinkwright @saintwrld @verachii @ventingfanfics @abenomeiiii @vampzxi @shuriszn @dejaonline @mysticalmarss @shurislover @msplayas @naomis-daydream @sweetalittleselfish-honey

pinned to my page is my new taglist form. if you wanna be tagged in specifics, go fill that joint out! thank you. (i also have an opt out option for those who no longer want to be tagged if they already are). <3

A warm, summer rain pitter-pattered across the glass of your bedroom window as you began cleaning up your space. It was a comfy afternoon, almost evening, the sun peaking through the clouds and beaming down on the town, preparing for its set. It was gorgeous outside. And despite it's rather saturating nature, many people were outside on their front porches. There were so many things to do in Harlem. So many places to see. And yet you felt you could die of boredom. If you weren't busy cleaning or babysitting the neighbors kids, you were receiving a 15-page verbal essay from your mother about how dangerous the city was and how 'there ain't nothing in Harlem but drugs, scams, and prostituting!'. I mean sure it could be dangerous at times. But where in the world isn't? You just knew that as much as there were frights, there were sights. Opportunity was left and right in this town. All your favorite artists and musicians grew up right here, and you wanted to join that list.

“Alright, Y/N/N,” your mom began, putting on her jacket, grabbing her things, and approaching your bedroom door. I’m off to work. Remember to drop the evening papers by Miss Jeanine after you finish cleaning. And no clubs!”

You sighed with immediate annoyance. “But Ma—“

“No butts!” She warned sternly. “Unless it’s yours in that bed there, immediately after. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.” You respectfully reply, feeling defeated.

You were 21, soon to be 22, but Mother didn’t believe in ‘legal adult decision making’. As long as you were her child and under her roof, you complied by her rules. You understood her always being protective over you; You even appreciated it. But at this moment and time of your life, it felt more like a hinderance than anything else.

“Alright now. I’ll see you later. I love you,” she says on her way out.

“Love you too Ma,” you reply faintly, and with that, the door shuts.

You fall back down on your bed behind you, with a big exhale, staring up at your popcorn ceiling. It was such a lovely day. You should be somewhere dancing, or hanging with your best friend Josephine. Even watching the neighbors kids wouldn’t be so bad right now. At least you’d be out in the backyard.

Tonight was also one of hottest summer nights to be at the Cotton. Billie Holiday, Ma Rainey, and Salome Otterbourne were all performing. It was certain to be a full house, for sure. The three black female jazz pioneers were on tour, and this would be the only time in a while that anybody would be able to see them all perform in one night. Dozens of people even travel from out of state on nights like these. That also meant that there’d be a bunch of travel scouts and agents, waiting on more talent to grab and take under their wing. You were nauseated at the thought of even missing it for a moment.

You got up to finish your cleaning, and halfway through, you heard the door open and shut, followed by a familiar voice that you knew and loved so much.

“Why the long face, sugar?” It asked, making sure you’d turn around to see their smile.

“Grandpa!” You ran to him with open arms, beaming with joy.

Your grandfather was your best friend. Since you were a little girl, he took you under his wing. Your dad left to pursue his music dreams when you were younger, so your grandfather was also the Dad you never had. He always spoke life into you, and made sure that no matter what, you knew that you were capable of any and everything. He also instilled you with the unwavering confidence to back that. Grandpa’s think-pieces were like gold. He was very wise, and had been through it all. He’d always say:

'Don’t let anybody take you for a fool! Not even me!' And laughed. But he was serious. "What's going on? Lorraine got you in this house cleaning all day again?" He says in your defense, as he often does. You let out an exhausting puff of a sigh before plopping back down on your bed. "Yea Pop. As usual." You shifted your body towards him and stared at the ground in deep thought, pausing before continuing. "I mean, life has got to be a little more exciting than this, don't it?" He laughed a low, hearty chuckle. "There's always more excitement, Y/N/N. You just gotta find it. Don't wait for opportunity, create it!" He says affirmably, allowing you to comfortably reveal what you've been thinking about all week. "I really wanna go to the Cotton tonight, Grandpa. Salome Otterbourne is performing tonight! And a bunch of other singers and talents and--well--I'm gonna be here, missing it." You look down and fidget your thumbs around each other. "Well why don't you go?" He asks. "You know Mama don't want me around no clubs, Pop. Besides, I told her I would take the evening papers down to Miss Jeanine." You reply in slight aggravation. "Ohhh," He scoffs and waves his hand down in dismissal. "Don't let that child stop you. I'll take the papers down to Jeanine." Your eyes lit up in pleasant surprise and excitement. "Oh you will?!" "Don't worry about it." He says, a confident smirk creeping onto his face. "Go on and enjoy yourself. I don't know where Lorraine gets all that strictness from anyway. Me and Betty ain't raise that child like that. Besides, she's seen and DONE worse." You both share a big laugh. "Thanks Grandpa. You're the best!" You jump up and wrap your arms around the big guy, holding the embrace for a while. "Anything for my favorite granddaughter." He says jokingly. "I'm your only granddaughter, Grandpa." You reply giggling. "I know. Now gone and figure out what you're going to wear. I hear that Mrs. Otterbourne is looking for another back up vocalist for her band." He tells you as if he just revealed the world's biggest secret. You, performing with Salome Otterbourne and her band. Your stomach turned and the mere thought of it. You kissed your Grandpa on the cheek before rushing to the bathroom to get ready for your highly anticipated night. Your mind rushed with all the possibilities of the night's events. You'd be in the same room with people and experiencing things you've once only dreamed of. Intimidating it was, but your desire to even just be in that energy was bigger. .. After lotioning up and powdering down, you slipped on a cool lavender silk midi dress, with spaghetti straps and a flowy, skirt-like bottom. You leaned into the mirror of your vanity, shaping up your thin brows, rolling on your winged liner, and coating your lips with a nude pink gloss, a shade brighter than your natural lip color. You used your same liner to add your infamous faux face moles; one above your lip, one at the tip of your nose, and one at the top corner of your cheek bone. You placed two diamond stud earrings into your ears, decorated your left wrist with a rose gold watch, and clamped your custom microphone necklace around your neck, gifted by your Grandfather. Lastly, pulling your look together, you peel off your bonnet and hair net, coat your fingers with oil, and take out each of your curls, wrapped around perm rods. You fluffed and shaped your hair into its short, curly and tapered state, much like Sheila Guyse. You stood and wrapped your mesh shawl around your shoulders. You walked over to your tall, door mirror and scanned your body, turning each angle, before spritzing your figure with Blue Grass, by Elizabeth Taylor. You always put effort into your look, but tonight was definitely a little extra. You needed to look and feel the part. Like you belonged there, just with everyone else. You grabbed your white clutch hand purse, matching your white pumps before walking out to the living room. "So," you say to your Grandfather, doing a quick and excited 360. "How do I look?"

"Oh, Y/N," Grandpa says swiping across and covering his mouth to conceal his emotional expression. "You look beautiful. Just like your grandmother." Grandma has passed when you were 7. You had faint memories of her. But one thing you did remember, was how madly in love your Grandfather was. You always said you'd want to be loved just like that when you were older. All the family would constantly remind you of how much you looked like her, and even carried a lot of her personality traits.

"Thanks, Pop." You reach down to hug him and wipe his tear before stepping back and giving him an 'It's okay' smile. "Alright, I'm heading out!" "Alright now, have fun and be safe! Be back by 11, and please, don't give your mother anymore reasons to kill me." He says, almost pleading. "You got it, Pop." You chuckled and walked out the door, closing it tightly behind you. You looked out at the busy block and took a deep sigh before walking down your porch steps and strutting down the street, on your way to the Cotton.

..

When you arrived, the scene was just like you imagined, only even bigger. Bright lights cascaded from all around the venue, and herds of people were beginning to gather. Cars were beeping and honking, forcing to navigate through traffic with all these people taking up the area, many cars stopping just to see what was going on. Above your head were the list of household names making an appearance tonight. Men and women all throughout the area were dressed up in their absolute best. Valet was working overtime & security was tight. It felt like something out of a movie.

You staggered in front the building, and before you knew it, it was your time to walk in. It was no turning back now.

There was a warm, dim but radiant tone to the room. You seen pimps, hustlers, singers, showgirls, every type of personality you could imagine.

Sounds of bass, saxophones, and pianos filled up the club with a soothing but strong undertone. You walked in, looking around in awe at the set up. The seats were almost filled. You were certain you had to sit in the back, but you didn’t mind. Being in the room was enough. Just as you turned to go back, you spotted your best friend Josephine, sitting in front with an older gentlemen.

“Y/N!,” She called out to you, waving you over and patting the seat next to her.

“Girl!” Overwhelm with excitement, you almost run to where she was and accepted her seat offer. “What are you doing here!”

“I didn’t tell you?” She questions. “My Uncle Johnny is playing bass for Mrs. Holiday. I tried calling to invite you, but your mom said you were busy.”

Typical mother. You really wish she’d stop answering for you. You rolled your eyes, but decided not to build on it.

“Oh, well good for him!” You say with sincerely, with a bright smile.

The two of you briefly caught up before the lights dimmed and the announcer came out to direct what would be one of the most riveting moments of your life.

..

A few acts had already performed, and you were completely enamored. Jazz and blues were your absolute favorite genre, but to hear it live and in person in all its emotion and vulnerability was euphoric. It was life changing. Entertained you were, but all in all, you felt a strong confirmation. You were certain that this was the path you wanted to take. Every strum of string, every note belted, sent chills down your spine. Singing and performing, especially with a live band felt so natural. It felt warm and welcoming— like a warm fudge brownie with cold ice cream on top. The contrast was clear, but together it went so well.

“And now ladies and gentlemen,” The announcer began. “I present to you, singer, musician, and hit phenomenon, Salome Otterbourne!”

He disappeared into the curtains, his presenting arm being the last thing to disappear as Salome approached the stage from the other end. The crowd erupted; cheers, claps, whistles. You turned to grab Josephine's wrists, that were wrested in her lap, the two of you looking at each other and exchanging an excited squeal. She was stunning. She stood tall above the silver microphone on its stand, wearing a powdered pink blouse and skirt set, with a hat and a flowered wrist garnish to match. She had on white silk gloves, covering the hands that held the stand, one up high and one down low, close to her lips and she began to sing her rendition of Bessie Smith's Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do. There ain't nothing I can do, or nothing I can say That folks don't criticize me But I'm goin' to do just as I want to anyway And don't care if they all despise me If i should take a notion To jump into the ocean 'Tain't nobody's business if I do, do, do, do If I go to church on Sunday Sing the shimmy down on Monday Ain't nobody's business if I do, if I do

She sang every word as if she wrote it herself. It was fitting, seeing that Salome was a confident, self-assured woman. You looked around to scan her band. There were two guys on strings. Another on the sax. One on trombone. And to the left of Salome, the pianist. A woman. She was the only other woman on stage besides the main singer, and she was playing for her. It was rare to see female musicians. And not only was she playing piano, but she was singing backup as well. She was gorgeous. She had pretty, cinnamon brown skin, narrow, sparkly eyes, and the prettiest smile you ever saw. She was on the taller side and had a slim but sturdy frame. Her hair was in a pin-curled bob, parted to the side, accentuating her sharp jaw structure. "Who is that?" You semi-whispered to your friend, intrigued. "That's Rosalie Otterbourne." She leaned in and whispered back, eyes still glued to the stage. "Salome's niece, if I'm not mistaken." "Oh." You reply back. The only thing you could say really. She was breath-taking, and seemingly just as talented as her aunt. As the song continues, she briefly averts her attention the crowd and her eyes are met with yours. Stopping and holding her gaze for a second, fingers still tap dancing with the instruments keys, she slightly tilts her head and flashes you a smile. You felt your heart begin to take on an unfamiliar arrangement of beats. Taken aback, you sheepishly smiled back, shakily lifting up your hand to give a small wave. She acknowledges it before returning her attention to her piano and back at Mrs Salome as they join in on the next verse. If my friend ain't got no money And I say, "Take all mine, honey" 'Tain't nobody's business if I do, do , do do If I give him my last nickel And it lives me in a pickle 'Tain't nobody's business if I do, If I do

“Holy shit, Y/N/N,” Josephine tugs at your side. “I think she just smiled at you.”

Okay so she saw that too. Surely it wasn’t for me directly. She was being courteous to her audience.

As the song came to an end, the crowd erupted once again.

“How y’all doing tonight New York? Y’all good?” She asks scanning out to the crowd. When answered by more cheers and whistles, she continued. “Alright, that’s what Salome Otterbourne like ta hear!”

“Tonight is a very special night for me. I’m back home and I have to say you all make me feel so welcomed.” She says with a sassy smile. She proceeds to introduces all the members of her band, leaving her for the end.

“And last but certainly not least, on the piano and back ground vocals, my lovely niece, manager, brain and backbone, Miss Rosalie Otterbourne!” She stands tall and blows a few two-handed kisses out across the room and seals her welcome acceptance with a big warm smile. For whatever reason, in the moment, it felt as if time stood still.

Time progressed as Salome and her band finished out their set. You were sad to see it end so soon. It was such a beautiful arrangement of music. People began to scatter; some leaving, some going to the bar, some going to dance. Some even went to ask for autographs and things of that nature. After awhile the chaos began to subside, and there Salome and her team was, alone, packing their things. You wondered if it was your time to approach. Even if she didn’t get to hear you sing, at least you could express to her how much her music quite literally saved you. As all these different thoughts browsed through your brain, your best friend, Josephine, took a page out of its catalog, as she often did, turning to say,

“Look there go Salome and them, finally by themselves. You should go say something!" She exclaimed, mid-chew of her olive that previously rested in the middle of her martini glass. You began to get sheepish. You had thought the same, but you now you were unsure. "Say what, Jose?" She turned to face you completely. "I don't know, but make your existence known. Tell her you sing or something!" "Yeah," you scoffed. "And embarrass myself?"

"Now, don't start that mess," She began, ready to get you together, as she often did. Not to mention she was the only one who could besides your grandpa. "You and I both know you're just as talented as anybody on that stage. And we always both know that you aren't shy." She was right. Being nervous about meeting an idol was regular, but you had prepared yourself for this moment over a million times. But you weren't sure why this specific time had you tucking your tail. "Besides," she continued. "Maybe you could introduce yourself to that pretty gal, Rosalie." She flashed you a smirk. Your eyes grew so wide they almost popped out of their sockets. Josephine could read you like a book. You never discussed or confessed aloud of your feelings toward other women. Not because you were ashamed, but you felt much like the song; ain't nobody business if I do. You choked out a breathy, nervous chuckle before you could began to speak. "Wha--" "Oh, save it. Now go!" She gave you a small but hefty push towards the direction of the stage. You stumbled forward, looking back to grill your best friend before straightening out your dress, dusting yourself off, and taking a deep breath. With that, you took all the confidence you did in that moment and used to it fuel your feet's motion toward the front of the stage. You'd been up there for all of maybe ten seconds before you were spotted. Her loud and heavy laugh drifting from off the end of her last sentence to her bandmate, she turned around from her kneeled position and gave you a small smile. "Hey Sugar. Can I help you?" "Oh n-no Miss Otterbourne I jus--" she shook her head and cut you off mid-sentence. "Please, child, Salome is just fine." You half-smiled at her correction. "Well, Salome. You were phenomenal tonight. Your voice and your arrangements are just what jazz has been missing." You say to her sincerely, hand in hand. "Aren't you sweet," She chuckles at your sincerity. "Well thank you, Sugar. I've worked hard for my sound. You know what they say, you want something done right --" "Do it yourself." You both say simultaneously and you laugh. "I'm with you on that one." You were pleasantly surprised how down to earth she was. "This is exactly why I'm in charge of keeping things together. Auntie where'd Ernie put that cas--" Rosalie came out from behind the stage, stopping mid-sentence once she'd seen you. "Who's this?" She points, asking what of your presence as if you weren't standing right there. You mentally laugh at her rudeness, knowing she didn't purposely mean to do it. "I'm Y/N." "She came to tell us how much she liked the show." Salome helped you finish your introduction. "Is that right," She asks rhetorically, raising her eyebrows, intrigued. "What part striked you the most?" You felt a wave of vibrations flow through your abdomen, immediately thinking of the glance the two of you shared in the midst of the performance. "W-well, I really enjoyed your rendition of T'aint nobody's business. I could relate on personal levels, but I felt that you could too. Especially that bridge. Salome, your vibrato is unreal. And with your tone, Rosalie, it blended perfectly." The singer and her accomplice looked at you with impressed eyes. "Well, well. That's some very specific terminology, Miss Y/N. Are we speaking to a fellow musician?" Rosalie asks, eager to hear your response. "Yes. A singer." You chose the confident route. You wanted to continue their interest. "Really?" Salome says matter-of-factly. "Well let us hear something, sugar!" You were having a hard time grasping that this was reality. You lived in the R.E.M part of your brain, playing out the different scenarios that would lead you to an interaction like this, but you never thought it'd be so soon. "You sure?" You ask honestly. "I know you're a busy woman." "Nonsense. Salome leave when Salome gets good and ready." She reassures you, speaking about herself in the third person once again.

"And if your voice is as pretty as you are, then we're in for a treat." Rosalie says, tossing a wink in your direction.

You felt a lump in your throat begin to form and hurriedly swallowed to force it to subside. You felt your cheeks began to heat up like a stove. Receiving a compliment was one thing, but receiving one from a woman of Rosalie's stature, successful, pretty, and poised, was another. You tried your hardest not to let it phase you, but you couldn't help but to let a flattered smile creep onto your face.

You briefly turned around to find your best friend across the room, smiling and giving you two thumbs up.

The band's bass player came over to take your hand and help you up the stage steps, directing you to where the mic was, still plugged in and hot.

Rosalie walked over to her piano and removed the cover she had just recently placed.

"Any preferences?" Rosalie asked.

"The Very Thought of You." You answered confidently, knowing how well the song complimented your voice. "Do you know it?"

"Billie Holiday." She says with a smile, proving her knowledge. "Like the back of my hand."

"Let's do it." You say, ready to take advantage of your moment.

Rosalie began fingering through the keys of her piano, playing up the intro of the song. As the melody began to fill up the venue, the people who remained in the building all focused their attention to the stage. You closed your eyes, let in a huge breath of air, and began to sing.

The very thought of you

And I forget to do

Those little ordinary things

That everyone ought to do

I'm living in a kind of daydream

I'm happy as a queen

And foolish though it may seem

To me that's everything

In this moment, it was you and the melodies that filled your ears alone. You sang just as you would if you were home in your room. Your voice was smooth and velvety. It could serenade you to sleep, or it could fill you with emotion. It was soft, two octaves away from breathy. It was easy to be attracted to your voice alone.

The mere idea of you

The longing here for you

You never know how slow the moments go

Till I'm near to you

I see your face in every flower

Your eyes in stars above

It's just the thought of you

The very thought of you, my love

You glanced in Rosalie's direction, secretly searching for a reaction, and was met by a dazed stare and watery eyes. Even outside of her usual, self-assured nature, she was so beautiful. You wondered what thoughts were flying through her pretty head.

You walked over to the piano and sat at the edge, close to Rosalie, and finished out the song beautifully, never breaking eye contact with her.

I see your face in every flower

Your eyes in stars above

It’s just the thought of you

The very thought of you, my love

Rosalie scanned your face with adored eyes as she played out the outro. You held your gaze, adlib-ing out the rest of the song and began to get lost in the pool of her pretty, chocolate brown eyes. The eruption of the crowd before you is the only thing that broke you from the hypnosis she placed you in.

You stood up again in front the crowd, placed your hands on your heart and gave a bow. You were so proud of yourself and simultaneously stunned. They loved you. The crowds reaction just confirmed all those nights you journaled about feeling called to be in the limelight. In the distance you could see Josephine, practically jumping up and down, mouthing “That’s my girl!”

It was a long, loud applause and standing ovation. At this point, people were beginning to get curious about who you were and where you even came from. With that, the cat-calling also began.

“Hold on, where you from, baby?!“ One man shouted.

“Can I take you home?” Another one followed.

You were too starstruck by your own self to be annoyed by men and their ignorance. In fact, it humored you in this moment. Once the crowd begin to subside, Salome ran up to you.

“Well I’ll be damned!” She says, clasping her hands together. “Sista you can blow!”

Nods and sounds of approval were given by the rest of the crew.

“Says you!” You say brightly. “Thank you, Salome. And thank you for allowing me to sing on your stage.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” She says, leaving you with slight confusion. “What does the rest of your weekend look like?”

Cleaning. Possibly babysitting. Absolutely nothing exciting.

“Nothing much, really.”

“Well, I have a couple more stops to make and perform at before we get back on the road. I want you to come perform with me.” She says sincerely.

You were there with a stunned look on your face. You were at a lost of words, and when you finally find them, they come out more blunt than you expected, “Quit playin’.”

The older woman laughed. “Serious as a heart attack, Sugar. Leave your home number with Rosalie, and stay by the phone. We have business to discuss.” She walked off to other side of the stage. You had to conceal your urge to scream your head off.

“Looks like you got yourself a job,” Rosalie began to walk up to you.

“Thanks to you. Where’d you learn to play like that?” you ask genuinely interested.

“Where’d you learn to sing like that? I thought you was just bull-jiving.” You both laugh.

“I’ve been singing since I was a little girl. My mother always put me in the church choir, and I enjoyed it, so I held onto it.”

“Well you definitely got soul.” She exclaimed.

“Thank you.” You say, blushing at her intense focus on you as she spoke.

“So tell me,” She moves closer to you. “Did you mean what you said?”

You tilted your head slightly at her comment. “What did I say?”

“I see your face in every flower, just the mere thought of you, my love” She speaks the lyrics of the song you just sang.

You weren’t expecting that at all, your body slightly trembling underneath the words her forwardness.

“It’s just a song, Miss Rosalie.” You professed, keeping as much ground as you could. “I am a performer, and I performed.”

“Ahh,” She says nodding sarcastically. “A performance, was it? A stunning one, might I add.”

You playfully rolled your eyes at her sarcasm and her witt. The girl was indeed charming. And she wasn’t buying that you didn’t feel the tension that was brewing between the two of you.

“Rosie,” Salome called out. “We going on out to the car, when you ready, we can be on our way.”

“You got it,” Rosalie responded.

“Y/N!” Your best friend came running towards you, and you kneeled down towards the edge of the stage. “Girl you killed it! Brought tears to my eyes, I love seeing you in your element girl, you gone be rich!“ She rambles, saying the last part through clenched teeth. She stops and looks up.

“H-Hi Miss Otterbourne. Rosalie. I’m Y/N’s best friend Josephine.” She introduces herself.

“Hello darling,” Salome smiles. Rosalie waves.

“Well, girl,” she was now whispering. “I gotta go, my man is outside waiting for me, but call me when you get home and tell me EVERYTHING.”

You erupted in laughter. Josephine loved her some him.

“You so crazy. Enjoy yourself, and get home safe.” You say back, momentarily reaching for your best friends hand and squeezing it caringly.

“I will girl!” She runs off and out of the venue.

“Well, Miss Y/N,” Rosalie turns to you. “Where do you live? We could drop you off home.”

“Oh that won’t be necessary,” You assured her. “I live right up the street.”

Rosalie paused for a minute. “Come with me,” she grabbed your hand and the two of you scurried out through the exit backstage.

The warm outside breeze grazed your skin as the two of you began to walk semi-dark, summer streets. It wasn’t freezing, but it was a slight bitter chill that left you feeling more on the cold side.

“Here,” She took off her black, furry jacket and placed it around your arms. “It looks better on you anyway.” You gave a toothless smile at her comment.

“Did you actually enjoy my performance tonight?” You ask, somewhat serious.

“Did I?” She scoffs as if you said the most outrageous thing. “Absolutely breathtaking.”

You look down in nervousness. “You’re not so bad yourself. I mean I always knew she had other talented people in her circle but you,” You paused. “You have such a melodic voice. I enjoyed it very much.”

“Well thank you. Much like you, I keep my accolades undercover. It’s like a pleasant surprise. You think you know me and then— boom.” She illustrates her sentence, flicking her hands open, emulating fireworks.

“Well I don’t know how surprised I’d be considering how confident you are,” You say with an instance. “People like that always have something going on.”

“It takes one to know one, right?” She looks at you through low lids, her figure standing a few inches taller than you. For a while it’s silent. Suddenly, you blurt out something you’d only ever think of to yourself.

“Rosalie have you ever loved a woman?” You ask, almost regretting it, but still wanting to know her thoughts. She furrowed her eyebrows in interest, waiting for you to finish instead of answering right away.

“In the way.. you ain’t ‘supposed’ to love a woman?” you continued emphasizing the quotes, finishing your thought.

She sighed in relief. You sensed that you possibly could’ve opened a safe place for her to speak.

“I have loved women since I learned to walk and talk. My aunt and my band family are the only ones who know. They’d say, ‘Ole Rosalie couldn’t catch a man if she put a bra in a net!’ But they knew I didn’t want to. They ain’t give me no trouble. But everybody story ain’t like mine.” She opens up to you and you look at her with soft eyes.

“What about you?” She then turns to you, returning the question. “I’m guessing you have.”

“Nobody knows about me. Nobody but my bestfriend Josephine. I’ve never even been in love before. Not with a man either. But tonight, standing next to you I- I don’t know. I felt kinda like a school girl.”

Rosalie begins to laugh at your confession. She thought it was sweet. Secretly, she felt the same.

“Oh, stop it, It ain’t funny!” You say defensively, tapping her shoulder, but she continues to laugh. And you continue to fall. Before you could pull your hand back, she grabs it, and pulls you into her. The two of you stop walking momentarily, and it’s you, her, and this lonely street. She places a hand on your waist, the other still holding your hand, and comes close enough to your face to separate the two of you with a single piece of paper.

“Dance with me,” She breathes into you.

“But we ain’t got no music,” You say back, smiling foolishly at her impulses.

“Yes we do.” She begins to hum The Very Thought of You, and the two of you sway side to side, your feet moving in a circle around each other. You begin to him with her, the two of you harmonizing on every chorus. In this moment time stood still. An overwhelming feeling of adoration and excitement washed over you. You felt like the only girl in the world. She had a way of building on your romantic tension, all while making you feel like you gained another best friend. It was the perfect night, and you never wanted it to end.

The two of you stop your tango, and she pulls you in, kissing you ever so slowly and passionately. You felt yourself melt into her, the heat of your bodies keeping each other warm. You finally pull back and share a long gaze, her arms still holding you. Your moment was interrupting by a loud honk from a car coming around the corner.

BEEP BEEP.

“You two ready?” Salome smiled, hanging out the passenger window. “Get in!”

Rosalie led you to the back seat, her getting in first and you following, closing the door behind you.

“What’s your address, sugar?” Salome asked. You gave it to her, and off you all were.

“Oh,” Rosalie began, “Before I forget,” She grabs a pad and a pen from underneath the seat to give you. “Can’t leave without your number.”

You smile and take the materials from her hand.

555-8269 Y/N. You wrote in its red ink, drawing a small heart next to it, and kissing the paper, leaving the mark of your now halfway glossed lips. You folded it up and handed to her, and she delicately placed it in her purse. She slid her hand over top of yours, which now rested on your knee, and interlocked your fingers.

“I’ll be expecting you,” You say softly.

“First thing tomorrow morning.” She affirms to you, holding her intense gaze. She lifts up your hand and places a soft, gentle kiss on the back of it.

Before you knew it, you were pulling up in front of your house.

“Thank you again, Salome. I had a wonderful time.” You express, full of gratitude.

“Don’t mention it, doll. I’ve had a great night myself. Now make sure you stay by the phone, hear? You gone be a star. And I’m gone make sure of it.” She says, turning around to face you from her passenger.

“And I think my Rosalie is very fond of you.” She looks at her niece with a proud and accepting smile. Rosalie gives one back.

“Yes ma’am.” You say, blushing of slight embarrassment but also appreciation. You step out the car and walk up your concrete steps.

“Y/N,” Rosalie says out the window. You turn around.

“Yes?”

“Goodnight.” She says, holding onto every moment she has left of this night with you.

“Goodnight, Rosalie,” You say sweetly, but teasingly.

You walked into your home and crept up to your room, careful not to wake anyone up. You run up to look outside your window and watched as the car drove off. You couldn’t believe this was your life. But you were glad that it was.

All night your head spinned, accompanied by thoughts of you and Rosalie. The instant chemistry between the two of you left you in such a fuzzy state. It was the beginning of something new. It felt warm and welcoming— like a warm fudge brownie with cold ice cream on top. The contrast was clear.. but together, you went so well.

[akuutagwas]

Akutagawa deserves more love. Could you maybe write for him x fem reader who's the complete opposite of him? (always-in-a-good-mood sweetheart)

a/n: Yes I love this so much! He deserves the world and more!! ♥️ thank you very much for requesting, please enjoy, I think I did an okay job. trigger warning for EXTREME WHOLESOMENESS!!

Let’s start this off with some headcanons.

As Akutagawa’s number one adorer, you always make him feel special in every way you can. He will take a little while to show it, but he loves the attention.

You cook for him, no matter your skill level. Not what he asks for, no. What he secretly wants but won’t admit. He’ll wonder how you read his mind so well.

Akutagawa just wants validation. You are here to provide it! And in return he will gently and shyly hold your hand when he gets comfortable.

You melt his icy cold heart lol

“Hello Ryu!” You say, standing in front of him.

Lord, it’s five in the morning. What are you doing at his apartment door?

“Hello… why are you here so early? You know I have work in like… an hour.”

Akutagawa works long hours and barely returns to his apartment at a reasonable time anymore. You noticed this, and planned things out very thoroughly to make sure you could get ahold of him. Getting up at 4:30 to walk to his apartment, bringing a basket full of tasty figs, and a big bright smile to boot.

“I came to make you pancakes. Fig pancakes.” You say, voice full of determination.

“But… it’s so… early…” You woke up just for me? He asks softly, not quite sure why anyone would want to interact with him in the morning.

“Aww Ryu, it’s because I love you!” You set your basket down and hug him.

He’s not even surprised anymore. You’re always hugging him. After a long day of work, after sleeping over, after seeing him in the grocery store.

“My… my little ray of sunshine. Thats what you are.” He says, letting the tiniest smile break through his usually cold mask.

“And you’re my… um… my rain cloud?” You chuckle. “And you know what rays of sunshine and rain clouds make?”

“Um… no?”

“Rainbows!” You say cheerfully. “Now let me in so I can cook you the best fig pancakes ever in your life!”

Yippee first request! Thank you so much! Keep them coming, I love writing sm

[majestichyuk]

Second Try

Pairing :- Johnny x fem!reader

Summary:- All she wanted was a good first date, and the least the other party could have done so well, was be there. 

Genre:- fluff, kinda angsty, strangers to friends (can be something more if you use ur imagination ;) 

Wc :- 1.6k

WARNING ⚠️:- NONE

NOTES: - it may be a little cringy or rushed idk, but it probably is lol. This is my first fic so critique is always accepted, I can improve. Wanted to write something and this was the idea, something cute. Anyway, hope you like it. Don’t be afraid to interact. 🙂 LIKE, FOLLOW & REBLOG.

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The light breeze blew against the rainy night, delicate drops of rain damping the side of my shoulder uncovered from the tiny umbrella. Nervousness is an understatement for how I'm feeling, I haven't been out as much and don’t put much energy into seeking a companion.

Today is different from my normal routine, other than going home from a long day of work to relax and prepare my dinner for the night I went into my closet and dug out all the repeated fits I’ve worn. Finally, I set my palm on a nicely wrapped box with a bow on it given to me by my mother who recently transitioned into an angel. She told me to wear it on a special occasion, the day I think will change my life, and today felt like that day.

I met the guy after my shift was done from work, he stopped me on my way home to ask for directions to a certain place. I don’t normally do this, but he felt like he could bring happiness to my dull life, we talked every day after that, but he wasn’t the best at conversations, he mostly talked about himself but It’s okay cause it’s better than being alone.

I don’t own a car yet, so I caught the bus on my way there. We agreed to meet at a peaceful little restaurant called ANL Cafe that recently opened. I've never been there so I was excited when he suggested it.

Wrapping the dainty jacket around me tightly I came out of the bus and walked towards the Cafe. The rain started to pour down a little more, so I quickened my step and eventually entered the warm environment. Shaking the water from out the umbrella I closed it and placed it in the provided bucket inside the cafe.

I saw an empty seat close to the window wall. I took my jacket off and placed it on the back of the seat. Before I sat, I looked around to see if I saw him but ended up with no luck.

“Maybe I came too early,” I said, a little unsure if that was the case. I checked my phone to look back at the conversation we had on the time we should meet here, and I was exactly on time.

I brushed it off and waited, there’s nothing wrong with being a few minutes late.

“Hello there, and welcome to ANL Cafe! What can I get for you today?” an overexcited employee greeted me with such enthusiasm, that I found it cute.

"Hi, I'm actually waiting on someone, but a glass of water would be nice," I assured him as I gave a polite smile, which he quickly returned.

"A glass of water, coming right up!" He winked at me with a cheeky smile and left to return a minute later with the glass in hand.

"Here you are, ANL's finest tapped water," he laughed at his joke, and I couldn't muster up the strength to not laugh as well.

"Thank You..." I looked at his name tag. "Jaemin?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, that is correct, is there anything else I could get for you?" Jaemin politely asked but I shook my head, so he bowed and walked away.

15 minutes passed and I still don't see any signs of him showing up after calling and messaging him a couple of times with no response. I wasn't overly excited about moving to the next stage of our relationship, but I assumed that If I gave it a try, I wouldn't regret it, but the more I sat here and thought about it the more disappointed I became with myself. 

There wasn't much of a spark between us, but I settled for it because he wasn't a bad guy, he was quite respectful and sweet but if I'm being honest, he's a 20% type of guy, a choice made in the moment, an open opportunity taken. 

Many would have gotten up and left after probably 10 minutes but after the half an hour mark hit, I decided to order my food and treat myself. I exchange words with Jaemin here and there, he's sweet and he also told me he's working for his older brother because he looks up to him and I thought that was quite admirable. 

After I paid for my meal, I left the cafe and surprisingly the rain was still falling. I took up my umbrella, put on my jacket, and headed back outside.

I found a nearby bus stand and the seat was shockingly dry. I sat down and waited for the bus to arrive. 

I see a figure at the corner of my eye as they sit beside me but not too close. I kept my head straight, not daring to look in their direction. 

"It's raining quite a lot, isn't it?" The gentleman beside me asked in such a soothing and deep tone.

"Yea...I guess" I replied quite uneased, wondering why he was trying to start a conversation with me.

I looked at my side to see he braced his head on the headrest, looking up at the bus stop roofing, with a hat and umbrella in his left and right hand. 

"Would be nice to be at home right now cuddled up in my bedsheet with this weather, you know?" He turned his head to look at me with a look in his eyes that had me more intrigued than I actually wanted to be.

"You're not wrong," I scoffed "I'd rather be there more than anything right now,".

"So why aren't you there?" He asked me and seemed more interested then as he turned his body towards me. 

"If you don't mind me asking, that is," he reassured me so that I wouldn't feel pressured, but I brushed it off.

"It's fine really, I was actually supposed to be on a date with a guy I have been talking to for 3 weeks now, but he stood me up, so I had my dinner and left," I laughed a little when I saw the concerned expression on his face.

"Don't pity me, I'm okay, really, I'm actually happy he didn't show up," I looked up at the bright stars peeking through the dark clouds of the rainy night. He did the same and relaxed in the seat.

Silence took over us as the windy breeze passed by.

"I'm Johnny by the way," he put his hand out for me to shake. 

I looked at him and realized how beautiful he was, I shook his hand and felt something between my fingers.

"I actually saw you at the cafe and you left this on the table" He chuckled lightly. I looked in my hand to see my bracelet that I had the habit of playing with and sometimes taking it off when I’m eating.

"And here I thought you wanted to be friends," I playfully pouted. 

"Well, I had to make sure you were worthy of receiving back such a valuable item," he said in a snarky tone. 

"So, you were going to steal my shit?!" I smacked his arm. "I would have definitely done some investigation work and jumped you if I saw you in the street," I smirk and place my bracelet back on my wrist.

"Oh?" Johnny opened his hand towards me. "Give me it back and let's see how good of a tracker you are," he said in a challenging manner inching his hands closer.

I thought about it reluctantly, I don't know why a decision like this has to have a second guess, the first obvious choice would be to laugh it off and decline but he's quite interesting and had a weird cozy aura around him. So, I placed the bracelet in his palm and looked him deep in the eyes and he held the gaze with such confidence.

I removed my hands and placed them to my side, resting them on the seat. Johnny put the bracelet on and chuckled lightly.

"I like this game," he pushed his hair back and placed his hat back on. "A game of cat and mouse?" he tilted his head towards you as he asked curiously.

"More or less, you make me want to step out of my comfort zone," I wiped my face with my handkerchief as the wind blew the rain toward me.

"So, you felt the connection too? well ever since you stepped into my Cafe, I was intrigued by you actually," He crossed his arm over his chest and as I looked towards him, I realized he was gently gazing at me awaiting my response, but I looked at him confused.

"You own ANL Cafe?" He laughed and nodded his head. "So, you're Jaemin's older brother I assume?".

"I guess you'd have to go to the cafe with me and find out over a better meal that's actually paid for," he said in a flirty tone that made me break into a smile.

I laughed and looked at the road to see a bus arriving and quickly stood up.

"Oh, what a shame, the damsel has to leave to return to her exciting life of wonderful joy, happiness, sunshine, and prosperity," I dramatically placed the back of my hand over my eyes. Johnny burst out in laughter at my unexpected action.

"Well, I guess this bracelet is your diamond slipper," he looked up at you with starry eyes. "I never caught your name," he stood up and gently touched my elbow.

"Maybe I'll tell you If we happen to see each other again," I looked up at him, he was tall and even more gorgeous up close as the moonlight shaped his features.

The bus stopped in front of us. "Next time, Johnny?" I asked, waiting for his reply before I stepped into the bus.

"2 is my lucky number, so I'll make sure our second meeting leads to me getting your name and giving you your bracelet back in exchange for a continuous friendship," Johnny smiled brightly as we waved goodbye.

[thehollowwriter]

Summary: Finn, Floyd, and Jade celebrate Azul's birthday. I'm too tired to edit so it'll probably be full of errors

(Pls reblog and leave a comment ❤️)

Birthday

"Azul. It's time to get up, darling."

Azul shifted, the comforting warmth of his soft blankets enticing him to simply roll over and stay there, to just give in to the sleepiness weighing over him.

Sky blue eyes fluttered open, wincing at the unexpected light flooding the bedroom. Azul sat up and rubbed his eyes, grasping at his side table for his glasses.

To his surprise, someone else slipped them onto his face, and his blurry vision cleared to reveal the smiling face of Jade Leech peering down at him.

"Jade..?"

Jade's teeth glinted, and his smile stretched wider. In his hands was a teatray on which was a cup of steaming tea, a bowl of sugar cubes, and honey.

"Happy birthday, Azul~" The eel sang, placing the teatray on Azul's lap and trying not to laugh at the octopus' sleepy, confused face. "Tea."

Azul blinked and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Yes, I can see that. Thank you, I suppose, I'll be sure to repay you."

There was a pause, and Azul gently placed a cube of sugar into his tea. "I am noticing a mysterious lack of scaring the ink out of me this morning. What do you want?"

Jade's face twisted to form an expression of hurt, and he placed a hand on his heart. "Why, Azul, you wound me. Can I not do something nice for my darling boyfriend on his birthday?"

"...This was Finn's idea, wasn't it?"

Jade sighed. "Caught out so quickly... yes, it was. He insisted we give you a calm, peaceful day, which unfortunately means no 'birthday shenanigans', as Floyd would put it. The other two are making you breakfast."

"Hmm. I see." Azul hummed, adding a dash of honey to his tea and stirring it. For a cannibalistic shark, Finn was a saint. No, not really, but close enough. "I imagine you are quite dissatisfied, then?"

Jade shook his head. "Not at all. As much as I adore your annoyed face, it's nice to spoil you. Besides, I got to make you special tea."

Azul paused mid stor and stared down at his tea. His brows furrowed, and he glared at Jade. "What did you put in my tea, Jade?"

"Oh, relax, it's just mushroom tea." Jade said happily. "I brewed it myself. It's perfectly safe, I tested it on the prefect."

Azul briefly considered visiting Yuu in the hospital before against his better judgement, taking a sip.

It... it tasted surprisingly good. Profitable, even. Find, maybe he won't ban mushrooms and all mention of them (not that that would do anything). He'd be cruel to dismiss Jade's little sales pitch.

"It's good." Azul said, raising his eyebrows. "I'll consider it for a seasonal menh. I'm sure it could be popular if even I can enjoy it."

He would be lying if he said the way Jade's eyes lit up didn't make him smile and sip his tea to hide it.

It was nice, relaxing in bed on a Saturdsy morning with a cup of freshly brewed tea. He was up early enough not to feel rushed, free to take his time.

"You said Finn and Floyd are making breakfast?" Azul asked once he finished his cup, setting it down with a gentle clink.

Jade nodded.."Yes. We can go to the kitchen when you're ready. They're quite excited to see you."

Azul huffed. "Really now..."

He never understood that sort of thing. They see him every day. They spend a lot of time with him. Well, he wouldn't rain on their parade.

There was a comfortable silence for a moment, and then Azul handed the teatray to Jade and got out of bed.

"Alright, let me get dressed and -"

"Ah, ah, ah." Jade took Azul's hand and pulled him close. "Breakfast first. Then we can help you with your makeup and birthday suit."

Azul narrowed his eyes. "I look like I crawled out of a pit."

"You don't."

To Jade, Azul looked positively delightful. Hair rustled, eyes bleary with lingering sleepiness, no makeup, and dressed in lavender and white pyjamas.

Not NRC student Azul, not Mostro Lounge owner Azil, and not Octavinelle dorm leader Azul. Just Azul. It was his birthday, he was seventeen, and his boyfriends were celebrating with him.

Azul rolled his eyes and let Jade lead him down the halls of Octavinelle towards the kitchen. The only reason he allowed himself to leave his room in such a state was because it was too early for other students to be awake, and if they were, they knew better than to wander.

When they arrived, the unmistakable smell of food hit his nose, and he couldn't help but feel excited, and the sight of Finn and Floyd working in the kitchen in tandem only made the excitement grow.

Finn noticed them and lifted his head to smile at Azul. "Morning, Azul. Happy birthday."

Floyd waved, his eyes fixed on the airfryer. "Morning, 'Zul. How was the poison birthday tea?"

Azul chuckled. "Surprisingly good. We should slip you some, Floyd. Maybe you'll enjoy it. "

Floyd gagged. "Hell no. Don't threaten me while I'm making your birthday breakfast. It's rude."

"We're almost done!" Finn called. "You can take a seat."

Azul let Jade guide him to the kitchen island and patiently sat down to wait, excitement gnawing at him as the smells and sights only seemed to become more saliva inducing.

"Order up!"

Azul's jaw nearly dropped at the large number of dishes placed in front of him with magic.

Stuffed crab, seaweed wraps, sushi, a variety of sliced meats (similar to ham), fish sticks, stewed clams, raw mussels... so many foods from their home, all placed right in front of him. And... what's that? Deep fried chicken! Oh, he really was being spoiled today...

Maybe a bit too much.

Azul sucked in a breath. "Thank you, you two, but I can't. The... the calories..."

"Consider it a cheat day." Finn said softly. "It's your birthday, after all. Of course, if you really don't want it, we can eat it."

Azul sighed. "I'll... see how I go. I'm sure it won't hurt to eat a little more than usual, and apart from the chicken, it's quite healthy."

Things went quiet as Azul compiled a plate of food for himself. There was so doubt, no doubt the other three were taking advantage of his birthday to make a large array of delectables to devour.

He ate slowly, savouring the taste and appreciating the skills his partners had. Truly, they had a gift.

"This is amazing." He said, nodding his head at Floyd and Finn. "Thank you for your hard work, I'll be sure to make you something just as wonderful in return."

Finn smiled and kissed Azul's cheek. "Thank you, but you'll have to save your plans for payment until tomorrow. We have a whole day planned for you. I know you're going to enjoy yourself."

"But the Lounge-"

"We've taken care of that." Floyd said with a grin. "Don't worry about it. Ah, here, we got some stuff for you when you're done."

An array of gifts were placed on the table, wrapped with varying degrees of success.

"Happy birthday, Azul."

...........................................

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this spontaneous bit of fluff!

Tagging: @distant-velleity @krenenbaker @cynthinesia @theleechyskrunkly @cyanide-latte @officialdaydreamer00 @whspermy-name @kitwasnothere @oya-oya-okay @skrimpyskimpy @boopshoops

[arteastica]

early in the morning, especially when it rains, and a little before noon. (3)

erwin x fem!reader

chapters: (1) | (2) | (4) | (5) | (6) | (7) | (8) | (9) | (10) | (11) | (12) | (13) | (14) | (15) | (16) | (17) | (18) | (19) | (20) | (21) | (22) | (23) | (24) | (25) | (26)

summary: I basically took Isayama’s work, forced it into a romance story, and made Erwin the love interest. Commander meets cadet and they fall in love (not instantly though)

notes: very berry canonverse (but some events were modified to fit my narrative), wasn’t intended to be this long, but it all is in the details right?

content warnings: smut where it fits (or where I make it fit. Also, reader is NOT underage, so likewise, MINORS DO NOT INTERACT, please.) slow burn (I really mean it. I’m not olympic diving into any form of smut for the first chapters). no angst. I dislike angst. I would never. I could never. (Although angst can be somewhat subjective so take it with a grain of salt?)

wc: 2k

“Your academic performance was impeccable, indeed” your superior concluded after reviewing your profile for the second time “Your previous instructors all have good things to say about your abilities to manage tasks. Let’s see… aha… it says… displayed talent for organization, scheduling, prioritizing…” the man repeated as he skimmed over the piece of paper he held on the morning the new recruits were being assigned to their respective tasks. “Soldier, it’s been decided that you will work directly with the commander. He always has his hands full, so he could use the extra help. Think of yourself as an assistant. You start tomorrow.”

-

“Please take a seat” Erwin Smith stood up and offered you a warm smile that contrasted with the glacial hues present in his irises.

Hair, well-groomed. Clothes, well-ironed. Beard, clean-shaven. Oh, and a bolo tie to bring it all together. Yes, he just so happened to look exactly like the last person you would want to disappoint. It looked as if his presence alone would be enough to make incompetence and ineptitude offer to show themselves out. And as sudden as it had come, your previous optimism had started to dissolve. Your brain, however, had started to ask questions. What if I can’t d-

“Now, I would like to apologize in advance for how boring and repetitive your days are about to get. I assume you had slightly more exciting prospects in mind when you decided to join us.”

No, sir. Boring and repetitive are a far better prospect than what I had in mind. You replied in your head, trying your best to pay no mind to the sensation of inadequacy that you could already feel taking over you. What if the expectations he-

“I would also like to apologize for the fact that you happened to arrive in one of my busiest days. This, although unfortunate, was completely coincidental. I promise.” He tried to reassure you, a gentle smile never leaving his lips. And you found it rather comforting, so you smiled back.

“Today, some of the squad leaders will be joining us to discuss next month’s expedition beyond the walls. We’ll be meeting them soon in the room next door.”

As he filled you in on details about both the meeting and your new job, you found yourself growing a little more comfortable in your chair. You noticed that, despite his towering height, in the daylight your new boss looked far less intimidating than you remembered he did a couple nights ago.

“Oh, and I almost forgot to mention” he said while heading towards the door “unless I’m in a meeting, you don’t need to announce yourself before coming in. You first.” He added, making way for you.

“Yes, sir.” you replied, feeling a little lighter than before.

-

“The support teams will only accompany us to the old city area”

While the commander spoke, you scanned the people in the room. The short man to his right could be none other than the legendary Captain Levi himself. And he was certainly special, not necessarily because they called him ‘humanity’s strongest’, but because he was the only person you had never heard people in the capital bitching about. To his left was a short woman with strawberry blonde hair who had come with him and Captain Zoë, whom you already knew from that one lecture about titan physiology she had given your class a few years prior. And beside you was a man who hadn’t stopped sniffing you since you came in, and you wondered if you had done a poor job of showering that morning.

“Once we’re past that, it’s completely titan territory. And once we’re past here” the commander said pointing at a mark done in red ink “we’ll go into long-range scouting formation”

The Long-Range Scouting Formation, from the little information you had gathered so far, was a strategy devised by the commander himself.

“The vanguard is to spread out in a semi-circle, but staying within visual range from one another” he explained as he pointed to the intricate and rather messy schema of dotted lines and geometrical shapes that had been laid in the table before them. Each geometrical shape had numbers and letters scribbled on them: the peripheral relay, the center command, the center on standby, center communication. This jargon was all too familiar to you from military science class. But one thing was to design questionable battle plans that you knew would end up crumpled up in the dustbin anyways, and another entirely different thing was to actually come face to face with a strategy devised by an expert like Erwin Smith. One, who had so many lives depending on the efficacy of his plan. And it was definitely so much more interesting here than it ever was back in the classroom.

“Hange, how are things with Eren Yeager coming along?” once he was done reviewing the formation, he turned to Captain Zoë.

“Eren is still unable to transform at will, so we’re mainly focusing our efforts on identifying possible triggers” there was a glow in her eyes as she spoke, one that evidenced that she had been waiting all morning for the commander to ask that question. “I have reasons to suspect that in order to transform he needs a clear purpose, but more testing is required” her boss looked pensive, but gave her a nod of approval “In the meantime” she cleared her throat before continuing, and it looked as if she was getting ready to make a big reveal of some sort “the experiments have been providing lots of new information about titan anatomy. You see, the hypothesis I was working under before was that quadrupedal ti-”

“Yesterday he transformed during lunch while trying to pick up a spoon. But luckily no one was hurt” Captain Levi interrupted in a flat voice that contrasted Captain Zoë’s excited tone.

The commander quickly turned his head to the short man, concern gradually taking over his features. He seemed to study the situation for a moment and then said calmly:

“I see. Report to me any new developments. Everyone is doing a great job. Today, we’re one step closer to the truth than yesterday”

When you turned your attention to the others in the room, you only saw trust and reliance in their eyes. They clearly found something reassuring in their leader. And you believed you knew why. He struck you as the type of person to whom no mistake would ever be grave enough. And you didn’t know why, but in that moment, your imagination started to provide you with mental images of yourself getting swallowed whole by a titan, and the commander calmly suggesting to ‘just be careful next time.’ And although terrifying, something about that made you chuckle to yourself.

-

On your second day as the commander’s assistant, you opened the door to his office to find a giant map spread out on his desk, and next to it, the candle you had personally replaced at the end of your shift the night before, now almost totally spent.

You eyed the map. It was your first time seeing such a comprehensive representation of the territory beyond the walls. It looked rather overwhelming and, truth be told, chaotic. There were several words scribbled all over, intricate lines either tangled with each other or connecting areas marked by symbols that you couldn’t understand at first, but that made sense once your eyes found the small black notebook that was lying beside the paper. It was opened in a page that contained the map legend, written in hasty cursive. And suddenly it occurred to you that the notebook looked like the kind one would use to record one’s personal business, so you quickly turned your attention elsewhere.

Taking advantage of the commander’s absence, you scanned his office. He was an avid reader, there was no doubt, as told by the countless books that decorated the walls. Also, there was an antique looking chessboard situated by the fireplace, and not too far, on a crystal table, a phonograph. You had only seen a few of those before. They were quite rare, even for the wealthy folk in Mitras.

Then, when your curiosity seemed satisfied enough, you decided it was time to get to work. So you refilled the inkwell, disposed of the candle, and after placing a bookmark on the texts he had been consulting, you piled them away neatly in a nearby table, unsure if you could yet return them to their respective homes.

Finally, you rolled the large map carefully, only to uncover another giant piece of paper. This one you knew: the formation plans you had seen in the previous day’s meeting. It was full of scribbles and annotations that you were sure weren’t there the day before. And the sight was enough to take you back to the military science classroom. You, sitting at your desk, trying to come up with some lousy strategy that would please your instructor even just a little, just enough so that she would let you go home for the day. How many nights did it take him to complete such a strategy? Moving all the pieces like playing chess, contemplating all the possible scenarios over and over in order to come up with the optimal structure. All this while carrying the weight of humanity’s survival on his shoulders. And suddenly you understood.

You understood that what rumors called insanity was actually called creativity. What they labeled as absurdity was actually intelligence. And recklessness was, most likely, leadership. And in the presence of such skill, you started to feel small. You realized it: this was not just any man you were working for. It wouldn’t take long for someone like him to figure out someone like you. You looked at the plans once again, he was a seasoned military strategist, years of experience under his belt; you eyed the bookshelves that covered the walls, an individual of high intellect; you remembered yesterday’s meeting and the looks on everyone’s eyes, one who everyone trusted. And you, you weren’t even sure you trusted yourse-

“You’re early” a husky voice pulled you out of your rumination. It sounded raspy, as the first words one says in the morning usually do.

“Commander” you immediately assumed an upright position “I thought I’d come early in case you needed me to clear your desk before y-” you tried to explain “if you find it inconvenient, I-”

“Quite the opposite actually. Thank you.” He gave you another one of those gentle smiles of his “Today we’re taking advantage of the weather to test the visibility of the signal flares under heavy rain like this one. So I’ll be on the field. You’re not required to come.”

“Yes, sir.”

You observed him as he stared out the window. And your insecurities almost brought themselves up, but that was before he started to talk about how pleasant the rain was, and you found that you wanted to hear more about that instead.

-

The sun had already begun to set when he returned. As he dismounted his white horse and headed towards the entrance where you stood, you couldn’t help but appreciate how fitting the elegant creature was for his owner. And you wondered if that had been intentional.

“Commander, a letter came from the capital while you were gone. Premier Zachary is requesting updates on Eren Yeager” you trailed behind him as he made his way into the castle.

“Send word to Hange and tell her to provide them with the reports.”

“Already did, sir”

He looked back at you briefly before continuing.

“Good. Also tell her not to be too specific about the silverware incident.”

“Already included a footnote suggesting so, sir”

The commander stopped in his tracks and turned his head to the side, just enough so that he could glance back at you. You had remembered the troubled look on his face when Captain Levi had mentioned the accident during the meeting, so you figured it was something the higher-ups didn’t need to know all the details about. Had that been a mistake?

But then he smiled, seemingly satisfied “Good. Very good.” and your chest swelled with something that felt a lot like pride, as you followed him down the halls that led to his office.

-

next chapter

[kittievampire]

Hey I just discovered your blog and I love your writing! I was wondering if I could request some HCs of the demon bros reacting to a MC who rescued two kittens that started off chill and cute but as the little guys got comfortable in the house of lamentation they start being chaotic and doing rowdy kitten stuff. Thank you so much and I hope you have a stellar day! ✨️

As a cat-owner, I have a lot to say about this.

My cat's a bitch, too, so this'll be fun 😤

Lemme see what I have in my bag, my dear~

Click here if ya wanna request!

Cat Chaos

Warnings: Cursing, Cats being cats, MC being a crackhead cat-parent, GN! MC

Enjoy.

You found the two little guys on the side of the road during a very stormy night in the Devildom. You were walking home, coat over your head to shield you from the merciless downpour, when you heard faint meows and yaps from an alley. You turned your head, noticing a box, dirty and wet. The cardboard barely kept its shape under the pressure of the heavy rain, and you could see a single pair of fuzzy ears poking out of the opening at the top.

You walked forward, pulling open the two flaps at the top to reveal two kittens, cold and shaking, meowing at you.

Seeing that the box was rendered useless now, you covered the kittens in your coat, banging at the door of the House of Lamentation. "Come on, come on," You whispered to yourself, not wanting to get any more drenched than you already were. The door swung open, Lucifer standing before you with a stern expression on his face. "MC, why are you—" You stepped forward, almost pressed against him. "Please let me inside, it's pouring!"

You and Lucifer had a conversation about the animals, and eventually, he sighed, pinched his brows together, and reluctantly said "Yes."

The cats were so cute. Everyone in the house was quite fond of the animals.

That was until chaos began to ensue.

Lucifer

Absolutely fucking irritated.

The thing about Lucifer is he was a dog person.

That's it.

He only dealt with Cerberus because he wouldn't be much of a fuss to take care of.

Cats on the other hand?

Since the incident with Satan summoning multiple cats, he had a special distaste for the creatures.

One morning, he found a turd in the kitchen. Not very happy.

Lucifer immediately went to your room and knocked on the door. The moment you opened it, the two plausible culprits jumped off of your bed and meowed at him.

"MC," He sighed out, making you shoot up from your bed. "Shit, am I late?" You ask, still half-asleep.

You pushed the covers off of you in a sleepy panic, making him shake his head and hold out a hand of reassurance. "No, you're not late, it's still quite early in the morning. I just... Wanted to let you know that..." He looked into your sleepy doe eyes and felt one of the kittens brush up against his leg.

Lucifer suppressed a groan of frustration. "I... Just wanted to let you know that... I was going out to get coffee, and..." He trailed off, a blush highlighting his face. You couldn't see it though.

"Oh, that'd be great, thanks, Luci," You said with a yawn, patting your bedside and calling out the names of the two felines. "Wake me up again when you're back, please. I'm gonna get a few more minutes of sleep in."

He begrudgingly cleaned it up himself.

He'd have to clean up after Cerberus occasionally, but the difference is, he couldn't exactly punish your kittens.

They weren't his.

The three of them would have standoffs every now and then in the hallway though.

Mammon

Bro is so over your cats' shit. A little less than Lucifer, but it's the fact that they continue to get into his stuff when he leaves it lying around.

Asmodeus will leave around a whole fur coat, yet instead of that expensive, comfort-guaranteed, five-star, premium bed-material-like coat, they decide to snuggle up with his favorite leather jacket with studs. STUDS.

He'll usually try and catch the little guys, but they're too fast for baby boy.

He usually ends up tripping and falling on his face while shouting curses at them.

When you came over and asked what was wrong, he was quick as hell to snitch.

"Those little color-palette faces o' yours got their fur all over my favorite jacket! D'ya know how much grim I had to save up for that?" Mammon was nearly sobbing.

You sighed, got on the ground near him, and started comforting him with an embrace and head pats.

Definitely flips them off whenever he sees them in the hallways now, it always seems like they're smirking at him though.

Fucking felines.

Leviathan

Levi didn't have a problem with them at first

He was worried that they'd try to get to Henry 2.0, but they didn't seem very interested in him, so, eventually, he started letting them into his room whenever they'd scratch at the door.

He actually didn't mind their company.

It was nice to have those two laying down in his lap while he played his video games.

They'd even hiss whenever someone killed him!

They were his best friends!

Until the day it happened.

He was grinding really hard on a game from the human world that you recommended he played, and he was loving it so far! Though, because he was grinding so hard for seven hours straight, the kittens ended up falling asleep at his side.

He was so close to beating this really difficult boss! This wasn't even the final stage, why were these bosses so hard?

But he enjoyed it nonetheless because you recommended it of course.

"Yes! Now all I have to do is use Black Viper to inflict all-mighty damage and I'll finally be done with this palace!"

Bro is near tears of joy.

However, a small paw bapped at his controller, hitting the melee button that dealt 50 damage to the boss that had 98 health.

When the boss killed him for the nth time in a row, he dropped his controller.

Barged into your room with kittens in hand and tears streaming down his face. "These are anti-gamer feline monsters, MC!" He sobbed, making you shoot up from your seat.

"Oh no, what did they do this time?"

"They made me restart the boss battle when I was this close to beating him! I thought we were friends!"

You had to comfort him the whole night and help him defeat the boss afterward.

Satan

Absolutely in love with the kittens.

They could do no wrong in his eyes.

They made him lose a page in his book?

That's okay, they just wanted to play.

They knocked over his mug?

They're cats! It's only natural for them to learn how to do that!

If anything, he encourages their naughty behavior when they act out in front of the other brothers.

And you end up the one to complain about the cats, though you talk to them as if they're humans.

"When I said you give me shit, I didn't mean to actually drop one!" You practically shouted at one of your kittens, causing Satan to look up from his book.

You pointed to the other kitten accusingly. "You were fucking watching too, weren't you? You fucking cuck, you cat-cuck, you-"

"Woah, woah, woah, they probably couldn't make it to the litterbox in time, MC," He said, closing his book.

You deadpanned at him, looking down at the turd that sat right next to the litterbox.

Both of the kittens jumped into the blond's lap, purring and nuzzling against his hands.

He started cooing at them about how "mommy/daddy was so mean" and how the kittens "could never do something so vile on purpose."

Asmodeus

They made great selfie buddies!

His follower count and likes shot up once he started taking selfies with the cute little felines.

He tolerated them a lot, though he was still wary of their shedding.

One day, they were in his room while he was painting his nails.

He used them to pick colors for the new nail look.

"I'm not sure orange and pink go well together, silly feline." Asmodeus giggled, gently booping one of the kittens on the nose as he set down the orange nail polish container.

"However, I'd say pink would definitely go with my outfit wardrobe for this next month!"

He hummed to himself and cooed at the kittens as he started painting his nails, movements precise, hands still as if he were a surgeon.

"Honestly, I'd look good in any color, won't I? That's why you gave me orange! You know I can pull off the colors, don't you? You two are so adorable!" He flustered himself with compliments.

The kittens meowed sweetly at him as he waited for his nails to dry

Suddenly, one of the kittens nuzzled his cheek against his hand, getting nearly dried nail polish on his fuzzy cheek and whiskers and smudging the pink nail polish on Asmo's finger.

There was silence.

Asmodeus looked at the tiny hairs that stuck out of his clumpy, mildly wet polish, processing what had just happened.

His screech was what alerted you to his room, and you had to hold him back from throwing the little felines across the room.

Beelzebub

Second most chill about it.

Whenever he'd see the kittens getting yelled at by you for doing something bad, he'd slip them a piece of his meaty snack to make them feel better.

He may get mildly irritated when they would beg him to share a snack with him, but that's only on rare occasions.

"Oh, did you want some jerky?" He asked softly to the kitten that had jumped onto the table and sniffed the meat in his hand.

He gently handed the meat to the kitten, who sniffed and started to lick it.

Beel scarfed down most of the bag but ended up leaving some for the kitten.

He gently pat the kitten on the head and allowed it to finish the rest of the jerky.

Belphegor

Third most chill about it.

He most likely encourages chaos like Satan, too.

You catch him trying to coax your kitties to knock over Lucifer's fragile belongings and make messes of his clothing.

You'd been scolded a few times by Lucifer, but he eventually found out that it was the youngest's doing, so you got off easy.

Belphie loved to cuddle with your kittens when he slept.

He'd get a little irritated when they'd wake him by clawing at his door at night, but he had to deal with his twin's loud snores, so it didn't bother him that much.

It's surprising he can hear the scratches and meows over the snoring, though.

"Hey, you two. You wanna cuddle with Uncle Belphie?" He'd chuckle softly as he let the cats into the room.

Loves the warmth that their fur provides, and you definitely caught him with one of the kitten's butts in his face when he was napping at least twice.

Hope you liked it, anon!

Masterlist

[gretavangroupie]

Crave (Chapter 4)

Word count: 8.5k+

Pairing: Josh x Female Reader

Summary: After pushing the girl you love into the arms of your best friend, you're left regretting your choices.

Warnings: 18+ as always, language, drinking, sexual situations, smut, fluff.

Crave Playlist

A/N: Special shoutout to my beta, my co-writer, and my dear friend @gvfjess none of this would be what it is without her touch.

HER POV

The next morning as you wake, you reach for Josh, but he’s not there. 

Hmmm, he must have woken up early…

You stretch your legs out and grab your phone off of the nightstand, seeing you have a text from Josh.

Josh: Good morning, stepped out to run a quick errand. Be back soon, with coffee of course.  

You: Oh a secret morning errand? See you soon. 

You set your phone back down on the table and stand up, walking over to your bag to retrieve your toothbrush and head into his bathroom. You open the little cabinet and find his toothpaste. You brush your teeth and stare at yourself in the mirror, dressed in his t-shirt and sporting major bed-head. 

You turn the shower on and let the water warm up while you find the outfit you packed for the day in your bag. A pair of jeans and a weathered band tee that has seen better days.

You strip off Josh’s shirt and your underwear and step into the shower spray, letting the hot water rush over you. Looking at the line of products in front of you, you realize he has a lot of different options for a guy. You take your time smelling each one, picking the one that smells the most like him, and washing yourself with it. Turning the water slightly hotter you wash your hair and enjoy the heat on your shoulders. Stepping out of the shower, you wrap yourself in a towel and head back into the bedroom. Heading into the room you are met with the sight of Josh sitting in the chair in the corner, reading a book.

“Oh gosh, you scared me!” You squeak.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to scare you while you were in the shower! Coffee is on the dresser for you.” He smiles.

“Thank you.” You smile back, clutching the towel around your body. 

“I’ll step out so you can get dressed, then I thought maybe we could go for a drive? I have one more errand to run.” He asks.

“Okay.” You giggle excitedly.

You quickly dress and run a brush through your hair, braiding it down your back.

A few minutes later you step out of the bedroom with your coffee and find Josh sitting on a barstool in the kitchen looking at his phone. When he hears you approach he immediately turns to you with a smile.

“Well don’t you look cute? Hmm... you smell good too.” He says knowingly, before reaching his hand out to you. You grab it as he pulls you in, resting his hands in the back pocket of your jeans and pulling you in for a kiss. The butterflies begin stirring in your stomach. 

“What do you think? Wanna go for a drive? I have to drop off this signed contract to our agent, he lives a little outside of town. There could be more coffee involved if you're good…” He says cheerfully.

“Yes! That sounds nice!” You reply walking over to the door to put your shoes on. 

“Tonight I have a surprise for you, and then I am taking you out on that date.” He smiles devilishly. The inflection in his voice sending a shiver up your spine. 

He stands up and walks to the door, grabbing his keys and ushering you outside. 

As you get into the car you agree with him about it being a pretty day. With so many days of rain lately it’s nice to see the sunshine. 

“Okay, connect your phone to the bluetooth. You are going to be our DJ.” He smiles.

Oh gosh, no pressure….

You click through the process of connecting your phone.

“Alright, let’s see…. Did that work?” You say, clicking the button. 

“Yep, okay you’re up.” He replies with a smirk.

You scroll through Spotify, looking for something to fit the mood. Smiling when you see the right song. 

You hit play and ‘The Air That I Breathe’ by The Hollies begins to play through the car speakers. 

Josh turns his head to you, a smile plastered across his beautiful face. 

Oh thank god, he approves. 

“What a choice...” He says, still smiling, returning his eyes to the road.

He begins to sing along to the chorus, rolling down the windows and sticking his arm out into the cool air. The wind is blowing his curls around and his smile is so infectious and warm you find yourself smiling too. You capture this image in your mind. Your heart couldn’t be more full than it is right now. 

As the next song begins to play, he turns to you when he hears them begin to sing. “Oh, they were on the road with us a little bit this year.” 

You smile and laugh at the insanity that is his life. Just traveling around the world with his brothers and other talented artists. He turns down the volume and places his hand on the back of your neck, playing with your braid.

“We are leaving in a day or two, going on a quick press tour for the album. I think it will only be a week. Maybe a week and a half? We only finalized the plans a day ago….” He says nervously.

“Oh…. are you gonna miss me?” You say playfully.

“Of course, except this time when I’m gone and dreaming about you, I can think about the real thing and how you’re all mine.” he smiles. 

“Oh, you’re such a suck-up.” You laugh.

He pulls into a driveway a little while later and grabs the paperwork out of the back seat before dashing up to the front door. You can see him talking and laughing with the guy, pointing back at the car with his thumb before patting his shoulder and heading back to you. 

“Okay, work is done for the day. I’m all yours now.” He smiles, kissing your cheek. He backs out of the driveway. “Do you want another coffee? There is a cool place over here.” he asks. 

“Is there a drive-thru?” You ask.

“You read my mind.” He smiles swirling your hair around his fingers.

A few minutes later you have ordered and are waiting to receive it at the window. As the barista slides the window open you can tell she recognizes Josh, her eyes growing large. 

“Uh…. Here you go…” she says nervously, reaching her arm out the window. 

“Thanks,” he says, flashing her his signature dazzling smile. 

“My friends are not going to believe me when I tell them you came through the drive-thru.” She says, laughing.

“Well it’s so nice to meet you, maybe I will see you here again sometime. Thanks!” He says, pulling forward.

“Wow… Mr. Celebrity, huh? Ahhh the life of a rockstar…” You say coyly, sipping your coffee.

He digs his fingers into your rib cage, tickling you. “Hush it up baby, you are part of that life now.”

The sentiment warms your heart. 

A few songs later you are arriving back at his house. He is flitting about the house, doing random things while you scroll your phone on the couch. He walks out the front door, returning a few moments later with a bag and wiggling his eyebrows at you as he heads to the bedroom.

He returns a minute later and sits next to you on the couch, throwing his arm over your shoulder. 

“What was that?” You ask questioningly. 

“You’ll see later.” He says suspiciously. 

Hmmm… he is up to something.

His phone buzzes in his pocket. He pulls it out and clicks on the text. He shoots his eyes at you. 

“Ummm….Jake wants to stop by…. How do you feel about that?” He asks.

“Uh… does he… know?” You ask.

“Kind of…? He knows something is up. He is my twin after all.” He jokes.

“If you are comfortable with it, then I trust you.” You reply, grabbing his hands. 

He leans in and presses his lips to yours softly, “He won’t say anything baby, I promise.”

You nod your head, and he texts him back.

A little bit later as you scroll through social media, a knock sounds out on his front door and suddenly you are nervous and your body goes rigid under his arm. 

“It’s all good, just relax, okay?” He says reassuringly rubbing your shoulder. He gives you a kiss on the cheek and stands up to walk to the door. 

As he opens the front door, you make eye contact with Jake almost instantly, his eyebrows raising slightly in surprise. He smirks at Josh and makes his way inside. 

“Hello doll….” He says with a smile.

“Hello Jake.” You reply. 

“Fancy seeing you here.” He says, walking further into the house, placing his sunglasses on top of his head.

“Jake, stop.” Josh quips.

“Ok, ok, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt, I didn’t know you were here.” He says.

“You’re not interrupting anything, we are just hanging out.” You reply nonchalantly. 

“So Joshua, I was coming over to harass you about that riff I sent you earlier. You read my text and didn’t reply. Did you listen to it?” He asks.

“Nope.” He says popping the P. “Been busy. Went and dropped off that paperwork this morning, we just got back a little while ago. I will listen to it. Promise.” He replies, but Jake doesn’t like that answer. 

“Do you mind if I steal him away for a few minutes?” Jake asks, looking at you. 

“No, be my guest.” You smile, knowing Josh is going to pitch a fit. 

“We have to do this right now Jacob?” He sneers, knowing that he hates being called by his full name.

“Yeah, pretty much.” He laughs throwing his arm over his shoulder basically pushing Josh into his office. 

A few minutes later you hear a guitar playing through the closed door. It goes silent for a few minutes and then again it starts back up, this time slightly different. 

The door reopens and they both come waltzing out. 

Jake cuts his eyes to Josh, “Alright now that that is taken care of… what’re you two getting into this evening?” He asks.

“I am taking her down to Franklin, we are going on a date.” He replies.

“Ahh, a date, huh? Well, have fun you two.” He says raising his eyebrows at Josh, who nods his head in response. 

They are doing that twin telepathy thing….

“Was a pleasure as always…” He says, walking out the door and nodding his head to you. 

“I’ll be right back. ” Josh says, following him out the door.

A few minutes later he walks back in, smiling to himself. You love seeing him interact with his brother, their relationship always warming your heart. 

“Okay, sorry about that. He isn’t going to say anything. He knows better.” He says.

“All good.” You smile. 

The rest of the afternoon is spent lounging, snacking, and starting a movie. When you both start to get tired you decide to turn it off and put an album on instead. A while later Josh turns to you excitedly. 

“Are you ready for your surprise?” He asks and you nod your head in anticipation. 

He motions for you to follow him to the bedroom. As you step up to the door he stops you and grabs your face, giving you a long and slow kiss. 

“Okay, don’t feel obligated by any means…. I just thought maybe….ah I need to stop talking. Okay go ahead.” He says, opening the door.

You step into the room and on the bed there is a whole outfit laid out for you. You look over your shoulder and he shrugs, smiling.

“Josh when did you… when did you have time to go do this?” You ask, shocked.

“This morning, while you were sleeping.” He smiles proudly.

Ahhh so that’s where he was…

You walk up to the outfit, a black long sleeve sweater wrap dress with a deep V neckline and a bow that ties right at the waist. On top of the dress is a long gold chain necklace with a pendant at the end, and a navy blue silk lace bra. Arguably one of the prettiest pieces of lingerie you’ve ever seen.

“Josh, it’s gorgeous…I love this…” you say, holding up the bra. “But there are no panties….” You say suspiciously smirking at him.

A devilish smile crosses his face, “Oh, I know…get ready, we will need to leave soon.” He walks out of the room and shuts the door. Your cheeks flame at the thought of what he might have in mind for tonight.

Maybe he is a little more naughty than I thought…

You immediately strip out of your clothes and put on the new outfit, shocked at how good it looks and how perfectly it fits. The bra is just… breathtaking. You tie the black bow at your waist, the dress hugging every single curve just right. You pull your curling iron and makeup bag out and head for the bathroom. After about twenty minutes your hair is in big blown-out curls around your face and your makeup is done. You spray a little perfume and step back into the bedroom grabbing the gold necklace, the thin chain falling perfectly down the center of the low cut dress. 

You slide on the shoes he picked out, somehow knowing your exact size, and they complete the outfit flawlessly. He has great taste. You look hot and you know he is going to lose his mind when you step out of the bedroom. 

You swallow and open the door, walking down the hallway. He lets out a long breath when his eyes land on you. 

“Oh my god, you are the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen.” He says, mouth open. 

“Josh….” You say bashfully tapping your shoes on the floor.

“You know what, I changed my mind. We are staying here. No one else gets to look at you. You’re mine.” He says playfully, but his eyes have a dark gleam.

“Stop it…. It’s all you. You picked it out…you have really good taste. I love it. So much. Thank you.” You say, lovingly.

“Anything for you, my girl.” He says, reaching out and pulling you forward while kissing your hands. “Okay, there is a glass of wine for you on the counter. Give me 10 minutes to get a quick shower and get changed and then we will go.”

He walks down the hallway and into the bedroom. You hear the shower turn on and you smile, walking over to the glass of wine. 

How does he know your favorite? 

You sit on the bar stool, just enjoying the music playing on the turntable and sipping your wine. The alcohol already loosening up the nerves in your stomach. Josh knows exactly how to set the mood, spinning The Little Dippers song Forever on the turntable. He even has a candle lit.

Such a romantic.

Right on time, Josh steps out of the bedroom. He is in a pair of light tan denim pants, a white t-shirt with an olive green button down left unbuttoned over top. His hair looks soft and he smells divine. 

He’s perfect. So effortlessly perfect.

You snake your arms around his waist as he approaches you. He leans his forehead down against yours and you take the opportunity to press your lips to his. So soft and warm. You almost take him up on his threat of not leaving the house, just so you can have him to yourself. 

“You ready to go, love?” He asks.

You nod your head and he places his hand on the small of your back, leading you to the door. He blows out the candle and and turns off the record before he grabs his keys and locks the door behind him. He opens the car door for you with a smile.

Such a gentleman….

 As you roll down the road he turns on a playlist that he knows you’ll like before grabbing your hand in his, holding it over the center console. He rubs his thumb over the soft underside of your wrist, causing goosebumps to cover your body. 

“So where are we going?” You ask, breaking the silence. 

“There is a restaurant I want to take you to. I think you’ll love it. The food is amazing and the drinks are even better. There are a lot of places I want to take you, but this one first.” He says, bringing your hand to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to the top.

A lit bit later you are stepping into the door of the restaurant. Josh is very prepared and of course made a reservation. He was really serious about the whole ‘real date’ thing. He is doing everything right. 

The vibe of the restaurant is very cool, definitely a ‘Josh’ place. It’s got luscious green wingback chairs and modern wooden decor. A modern eclectic vibe. 

As the host escorts you to your table Josh places his hand low on your back, almost too low for the public eye.

You look over to him and give him a smirk. He looks back, running his tongue over his bottom lip and biting.

A tingle down below takes you by surprise.

Josh pulls your chair out for you, pushing you in as you sit down. He takes his seat across from you and hands you the drink menu. 

“What would you like baby? We can get a bottle, your choice.” He says.

“Red or white?” You ask him.

“Red for me.” He smiles.

“Settled.” you reply flirtatiously. 

Soon after ordering the waiter brings the bottle, pouring two glasses of Malbec. He takes your order and leaves you and Josh alone to enjoy each other's company. 

“Thank you for everything tonight, Josh. It means a lot to me that you have put so much thought into this.” You say, holding his hand across the table.

“I told you, you deserve everything. And I intend to give it to you.” He replies, lowering his voice with that last sentence. You feel a familiar ache in your lower stomach and adjust in your seat. 

You sip your wine as you wait for your meals, the wine letting both of you relax and laugh about little things. Josh’s lips slightly stained from the red wine, and his beautiful smile out on full display. You love how talkative and giggly he gets when he drinks.

A girl nervously approaches your table, clearly one of Josh’s fans.

“Um, hi! I am so sorry to bother you but I just couldn’t leave without saying hi to you. I’m a really big fan, I love your music.” She gushes.

“Hi, nice to meet you! Thanks so much for your support, it means a lot to us.” He smiles at her. “Would you like to take a picture?” He asks her.

“Really? Are you sure?” She asks.

“Absolutely.” He says. He looks to you, “would you mind taking it, love?” He asks. 

“Sure!” You reply with a smile.

You snap the photo on her cellphone and she is elated. “Thank you! It was so nice to meet you and I can't wait for your next album!” She says.

“It was so nice to meet you too. Have a great night and hopefully I’ll see you at a show sometime!” He replies with a smile.

She walks off and he sits back down with you. You smile at him, like the cat that ate the canary. 

“Oh, hush….you know you’re my girl.” He says patting your hands. “Or do I need to remind you?” He says, giving you a look that sends a shiver down your spine.

“Maybe so, Mr. Kiszka.” You say in a sultry voice.

Your food arrives at the table and you are starving. Josh refills your wine glass and raises his glass for a toast. 

“Thank you for coming with me tonight, there is no place in the world I would rather be than right here with you. To many more perfect nights together.” He says.

You blush and clink your glass with his. His eyes sparkle in the dim lighting and you feel a flutter in your chest.  

You chat over your meals, his leg rubbing up against yours under the table throughout the entirety. The wine has elicited a sense of arousal in both of you. 

Your legs are crossed under the table and a thought runs through your mind... You lift your foot to gently graze his inner thigh.  

“Oh… sweetheart that is a dangerous game.” He says in his quiet lower register.

“I like dangerous games….” You reply, continuing the motion and getting dangerously close to the bulge that you’ve created.

“I know you do. But trust me, baby….” He says grabbing your ankle forcefully in his grip, “This game has its consequences.”

“Oh yeah? What kind of consequences?” You ask, licking the edge of your wine glass.

“Oh, keep it up…you’ll find out.” He replies pointedly.

“Maybe I want to find out….” You say, taking a sip of the wine and keeping your eyes locked with his.

“Then, by all means. Please continue….” He says throwing back the rest of his wine.  

You bite your pointed finger between your teeth, before running it down your chin, over your neck and stopping as you reach the thin gold chain laying perfectly between your tits.

He bites his cheek and shakes his head, smiling. He reaches down to adjust himself as discreetly as possible. Your arousal pools between your legs, reminding you that you are naked underneath your dress. You aren’t sure what these consequences are, but you can't wait to find out. 

You rub your legs together, desperate for some kind of friction. “I think I’m going to go to the bathroom before we leave…” you say, looking at him with telling eyes.

“That’s fine, but don’t you dare touch yourself in that bathroom, gorgeous, or the consequences will be doubled. I will know, trust me.” He replies.

Taken aback by his sudden cockiness,  you nod your head with a smirk and excuse yourself.

How would he know if I just….

I better not… 

Unless…. 

No.

Minutes later as you make your way back to the table you see a smirk flash across his face. “I see you heeded my warning. Good girl.”

You feel the arousal creeping down your center. 

Good girl? Oh, I like this side of Josh…

“You like that? You like to be my good girl?” He asks seductively, noticing the change in your demeanor.

A side smile crosses your lips. You can’t hide how much this is turning you on.

“Oh, you do….” He says, nodding his head. His finger tapping his jawbone. 

“I’m not always a good girl, Josh.…” You reply.

“Oh, I am well aware, beautiful.” He says, as the waiter brings the check. He doesn’t even open it or look at it. He slides his card in the top sending it back with him.

“You know, come to think of it… you have been kind of bad tonight…. Teasing me under the table….trying to touch yourself… What should I do about that, do you think?” He asks.

“What do you want to do about it, Josh?” You ask, almost whispering.

“I think you’re about to find out.” He says licking his lips. 

You swallow nervously, but you’re extremely intrigued by this side of him that you haven’t seen before. 

“I didn’t know you-” you start as he cuts you off.

“What? Didn’t think I could play this game too? There’s still a lot you don’t know about me.” He replies, signing the check before flicking his eyes back to yours, now dark with lust.

“Let’s go, baby, I have plans for us.” He says, pulling you out of your chair.

You bite your lip and quickly stand, grabbing your purse and pulling your dress down.

“Oh don’t bother sweetheart, it’s not going to matter in a few minutes.” He says, whispering in your ear as he escorts you out the front door. His hand slides down the swell of your ass. He looks over his shoulder to see if anyone is behind you before sliding his hand down to the hem of your dress, letting his fingers hook underneath the fabric tugging upward as his fingertips glide across your skin. 

“Josh! Someone could see us!” You say, nervously.

“Let 'em. I told you this game had consequences, and you so willingly agreed.” The words rolling out of his perfect mouth. 

You reach the car in the now almost empty parking lot across from the restaurant. To your surprise, he opens the back door of his car. 

“After you…” he says, motioning you to climb in. You look at him with a suspicious look and he just smirks. Looking around before climbing in after you and shutting the door. 

He grabs your waist and pulls you on top of him, straddling him in the backseat. His hands are all over you and your mouths connect, harsh and passionate. You grind yourself into him, feeling his rock hard erection on your bare center.

He kisses your neck, sucking on the sensitive flesh and lightly biting you, eliciting a groan from your mouth. Suddenly he releases you, putting you down in the seat next to him. He slides over to the opposite seat and leans into the window. 

“Go ahead.” He says, folding his hands in his lap.

“What?” You say, panting.

“You wanted to touch yourself so bad in the restaurant….well… now you can. Go ahead. I’m going to watch you.” He says. Your eyes about bulge from your head. 

Who is this, and what has he done with Josh? 

Why is he so fucking hot?

“Lean against the door and face me. I am going to watch you touch yourself, gorgeous.” The words dripping from his lips like honey.

“Josh…” you say bashfully.

“Don’t act all shy now…. Rubbing your foot on my cock right in the middle of the goddamn restaurant. It’s a wonder I didn’t drag you to the bathroom and fuck you right there. Alas, here we are. I’m waiting.” He says, licking his lips.

You stare at him shocked, but you aren’t one to turn down a challenge. You like this side of Josh. You want him to stick around for a while s you press him further.

“And if I don’t?” You ask, leaning back against the door, running your hands up your thighs, lifting your dress up just a little higher on your legs, teasing him.

“Oh, you will. I know you will. You’ll do whatever I tell you. You want me to tell you exactly what to do. Look at you already pushing your dress up. Needy girl… You want me to watch you. You’re getting off on it aren’t you baby?” Josh asks.

He knows you. 

He knows exactly how much it’s getting you off because he’s getting off on it too.

You shrug your shoulders and lean back further resting your head on the window. You slide your hand through your thighs and up your center.

“Pull your dress up.” He snaps.

“Now that wasn’t very nice, Mr. Kiszka.” You say, pulling your dress up and around your hips, leaving yourself exposed to him.

“In fact, take the dress off. I want to see that gorgeous blue lace on your skin. The dress was just a formality anyway. I have been thinking about what was underneath, and what…. wasn’t… this whole time.” He says.

“You are very demanding you know.” You say, pulling the dress over your head.

“Fucking stunning.” He breathes. “Now touch yourself, my patience is growing thin.”

You flick your eyes to him and slide your hand down as you begin to circle your clit. Your mouth opens as you finally feel some relief. A hiss escapes from his mouth and you slide your fingers through your center, collecting your wetness and returning back to your clit. You notice his breathing become heavier, his gaze never leaving you.

“You wish it were you don’t you Joshy…” you say.

He doesn’t respond, just biting his lips as he watches you work yourself for a minute or two. A moan escapes your lips as your hips gently bow upward. You are close.

“Stop.” He says.

Your eyes flick to his. You don’t stop.

“Don’t make me say it again. You aren’t going to cum yet. Not until I say so.” He demands, effectively denying your release.

Your hand stops, and you bring your fingers up to your lips. Sucking on them slowly, challenging him with your eyes. He chuckles and shakes his head.

“I’m going to fuck you, but it’s going to be quick. Can’t get caught like this.” He says, grabbing your arms and pulling you back to him. He fumbles with his belt buckle, quickly unbuttoning his pants and pushing his boxers down. He pulls you to straddle him.

You press your lips to his, entangling your fingers into his hair like you have imagined all night. 

He grabs his cock and lines it up with your center, grabbing your ass and lifting you up. You feel the tip of him pressing at your opening. Neither of you able to wait any longer you both move toward each other, groaning at the mutual sense of relief as he fills you.

He presses kisses to your neck, his hands slamming your hips into his at a rapid pace. You hear him whisper, his hot breath against your neck.

“You’ve been a bad girl tonight…you think you deserve this cock?” He asks.

“I think all bad girls need a reminder of why they should be good.” You say. You feel him twitch inside of you, clearly enjoying your response.

“Well let me give you that reminder….” He says, thrusting into you impossibly hard, a scream leaving your chest.

“That’s right baby, scream for me. Tell me you’re sorry. That you’ll be a good girl from now on.” He says, continuing to thrust into you.

“I’m waiting….” He says, his hands releasing your tits from the silky blue fabric. 

“If you’re gonna fuck me like this when I’m bad, then I’ll never be good…” you cry out between breaths.

“Wrong answer baby… try again.” He says hitting your g spot, continually. His hand reaches up and wraps around your throat.

Holy fuck, I never thought I’d see the day…

“Josh, I’m gonna cum…” you cry out.

He stops moving and releases his hand. “No, you’re not. Not until you apologize for being such a tease.”

“No, you’re edging me. You’re being the tease.” You reply, lifting yourself up and down, begging for him to continue.

“If you don’t like it, why are you moaning?” He whispers into your ear, resuming thrusting into you. You throw your head back and you clench around him.

“God damn it, you feel so good.” He grunts. “Say it. Say it so you can cum baby.”

Desperate for release you admit defeat. “I’m sorry, fuck Josh…. I’m sorry I was such a tease. I’ll be a good girl, I promise….” You cry out.

“Fucking right you will. My good fuckin’ girl. Come for me, angel.” He says.

Like magic his words send your head spinning as your body is flooded with the high of your orgasm. You clench around him as you max out on pleasure. His name leaving your lips. 

His hips falter and his breathing becomes erratic as he reaches his own release, spilling inside of you with a final thrust of his hips. His hands tighten on your hips, pushing himself as deep as he can reach.

He rests his forehead on your shoulder, pressing a kiss to your collarbone. “That was…” he struggles to find the words.

Instead of letting him finish his thought, you press your lips to his letting your tongue swirl with his for a few seconds before pulling back. You lift yourself off of him and find your dress.

“Get yourself together Mr. Kiszka, you still have to drive us home.” You say, pulling the dress over your head and opening the door, walking to the passenger side, and climbing in. 

The drive home is relatively silent. Both of you knowing that if either one of you speak you would never make it home, instead pulling off on a side road and going at it again. Your hands tease each other the entire way home. His rubbing circles on your inner thigh, you gently grazing his hard length over his pants. A groan leaving his mouth every so often and his knuckles white gripping the steering wheel. After what feels like an eternity you are pulling into his driveway, you both collect your things and rush inside.

Josh barely lets you walk through the door before pushing you up against it, furiously kissing your neck, his hands pulling up the bottom of the dress. 

“Josh…” you breathe out.

“Hmmmm…” he groans against your skin.

“Let’s go into the bedroom.” You whisper.

He pulls away from you and grabs your hand. He locks the front door behind you before pulling you down the hallway. As you reach the bedroom door he pushes it open and flings you inside.

“Get undressed. I will be right back.” He says, walking back out of the room.

You pull off the dress and the bra before taking off the necklace and slipping into the bed. He returns a few minutes later with two glasses of what you’re pretty sure is Whiskey, offering one to you.

You throw back the entirety of it, ready to have him on you again. He watches and throws his back as well, following suit.

“Thirsty?” He asks.

“Are you?” You quip back.

“For you? Always.” He answers.

The alcohol is warming your skin, your cheeks growing hot and flushing pink.

He leads you to sit on the bed next to him and takes your glass from your hand, placing it on the nightstand with his own.

Josh grabs your face between his thumb and forefinger. “You tell me to stop if it gets to be too much.” He demands.

“I won’t.” You reply quietly.

His lips press to yours, biting your lip and pulling it between his teeth, drawing blood. A gasp leaving your mouth at the sting of his bite, and the irony taste in your mouth. 

You kiss him back harder, digging your fingers into his scalp. He grabs your wrists from behind his head and pins them down to the bed, above your head. 

“No, we are going to do it my way. You had your fun earlier.” He says.

Your eyes widen staring directly into his, desperate for more of him. 

“I want to try something, do you trust me?” He asks, his eyes searching yours for permission. You are intrigued, immediately nodding your head feverishly. 

“Of course, Josh. I’m yours. However you want me...” He smiles at your words and lays you down on the bed, positioning your head on the pillow leaving you slightly propped up. He climbs over you, positioning his knee so it is pressed right against your clit. You grind your hips forward, hoping to feel a bit of relief. 

“So needy already, we haven’t even started.” he whispers in your ear. Your eyes flutter closed as you try to center yourself and relax. You open them again when you hear glass clinking, finding Josh fishing out an ice cube. You shiver in anticipation, mind racing at what he has planned. You had no idea he could be so adventurous in the bedroom but you’re loving every minute of it.

“Okay baby, this might be cold at first. But I promise I will warm you up.” He reassures you, taking the ice cube and dragging it down your neck towards your chest. The cold sensation causes goosebumps to rise on your skin.

He follows the path he is making with his tongue, the mixture of the icy water and his hot breath feels intense but in a good way. It makes you hyper aware of his mouth and how it feels against your skin. He trails the cube down your sternum and then onto your breasts. He does this painfully slow, watching intently at his own movements, and you are writhing in anticipation. You whimper involuntarily, hoping he will take the hint and give you some relief with his mouth. His eyes snap up to yours and he laughs lightly. “Do you need something, baby?” 

“Josh, please. I’m freezing. Need you.” You sound pathetic at this point but you don’t care. “I could get used to you saying that.” He smirks and lowers his head. He begins working his tongue over your nipples, flicking it over them rapidly and causing the ache between your legs to intensify. You buck your hips up, desperate for any sort of touch where you need him most. He brings his hand to your hip and firmly holds it down. 

“Uh, uh. Patience, darling.” he narrows his eyes and starts to lower himself down your body. You groan at the loss of contact between your legs as he takes his knee away.

He trails wet kisses down your torso and stomach, taking his sweet time to drag his tongue with each kiss. After what feels like forever he is finally hovering right above your center. He takes the ice cube that is now melting rapidly in his hand and slides it up and down your slick center. The feeling causes you to squirm under him. His eyes watch every move he makes, and his fixation with your body mixed with the cold of the ice makes you feel out of your mind with need.

After a few seconds, the ice cube is gone and he lowers his head to you, licking a hot stripe from your core to your clit. You groan at the feeling, the temperature change causing the sensation to be more intense than usual. You whine his name again, hoping he is ready to show you some mercy.

“Beg all you want, sweetheart but no cumming until I say so. You still have a lesson to learn.” He looks up at you as he laps his tongue against your sensitive bud. Licking it gently and slowly, knowing it is driving you crazy. It’s almost painful how bad you need to feel more. You grasp at his hair, pushing his face deeper into your groin. He removes your arms and pins your wrists against the bed. 

All of a sudden his tongue picks up the pace, he moans against you, and the vibrations cause you to lift your hips again. This time he lets you, taking the opportunity to use his fingers on his now free hand. He slowly pushes two fingers inside of you and you gasp as he curls them up, hitting the perfect spot immediately. You start to bounce up and down, too impatient to wait for him to move faster. 

“Fuck, you look so hot getting yourself off on my fingers. Does that feel good, baby?” his words only push you closer to the edge you are barely standing on.

“Josh, please?” you make eye contact with him and bite your lip, silently asking for your release.

“No.” he quickly pulls his fingers out and flips you over so you are on your knees facing away from him. He roughly grabs you by your hips and pulls you back so your ass is against his pelvic bones. He drags his cock up and down your folds, teasing you by entering the tip with each pass over your center. You back yourself up, trying to take matters into your own hands.

“You want it that bad, baby? Aching to feel me inside you? Such a needy little thing. Fuck I love it…” his voice is so low, and your lower stomach is absolutely on fire with desire.

Finally, he pushes into you, and without any time for adjustment, he is thrusting at a fast and hard pace. Your breath is taken away at the sudden fullness. His dick hits the spot you need each time, and you can feel yourself getting close once again. Your breath is loud now, and he can tell you aren’t going to last much longer. 

“Already ready to cum for me, baby? Go ahead, you’ve waited long enough. I want to feel how good I make you feel.” he wraps his arm around you and begins circling your clit with the pad of his middle finger, coaxing you to your climax. Within seconds your vision goes white and you’re riding the wave of euphoria as your orgasm rushes over you.

“Fuck, you’re so beautiful. Feels so good. I’m right there too, going to fill you up.” his voice begins to trail off and his breathing gets erratic. He moans your name amongst other expletives and you feel his release pulsing inside of you. 

Pulling out slowly, he slides your hair over your shoulder and peppers soft kisses up your back. You flip yourself over and lay your head on the pillow, grabbing his arm and pulling him down next to you. 

Enjoying the post orgasm glow you both lay there in each others arms, both panting trying to catch your breath.

A few minutes later you go to stand to head to the bathroom, and he pushes you back down and tells you he will go and be right back. He returns with a warm washcloth and lets you finish the job after his initial attempt. He grabs it back from you, walking to the bathroom and then returning to you.

“Want your normal shirt?” He asks, holding it up.

“Yes....” You smirk back. 

He reaches into your bag and then throws you a pair of panties and the t shirt. He pulls on a pair of sweatpants and rejoins you in the bed. You are both absolutely exhausted and immediately curl into each other's arms. He turns off the light and sighs into your neck.

“Thank you for taking me out tonight Josh, and for everything before and after. It was perfect. I love it.” You say, barely a whisper.

“I would do anything for you, love.” He replies, turning your face and kissing your lips. “Anything.” He repeats pulling you into him closer.

“I didn’t know you could be so... you’re always so sweet and gentle. I didn’t know if you would ever… be with me in that way.” You stammer.

“I told you, baby, there is a lot you still don’t know about me. But you’re right. I typically like the gentle passionate sex more, or at least I thought. Tonight was… different. I liked it. No. I loved it. I don’t know if we will be able to have gentle sex again any time soon. The look in your eyes? Fuck me… When we both came in the car like that?  You’re just so… sexy and confident and… breathtakingly gorgeous… I was always afraid of hurting you but, now I know you like it to hurt, and so do I.” He says. 

“I loved it too, Josh. But I love our gentle sex too. I like both. Love both.” You reply. 

“Me too, my love.” He whispers.

You’re unsure if it was the wine, the sex or the whiskey, but you are exhausted and already drifting off to sleep.

 The warm fuzzy feeling in your chest? That is from Josh. Without a doubt.

JOSH POV

Pain. Massive headache.

Groaning as you force your eyes open you are met with the blurry sight of hair in your face. Neither of you must have moved last night, both exhausted. You remove your hand from her hip and swipe her hair out of your eyes smoothing it over her pillow. She is still sleeping, her breathing is deep and even. 

You roll slightly to grab your phone from the nightstand it shows 2 unread texts. You open the messages and see it's Daniel, having texted you at 3 in the morning.

Daniel: IMAGE

Daniel: Well isn’t that sweet…

What the hell?

You click on the image and it’s a photo from last night, taken from across the restaurant. Pictured is the both of you at the table, her hands interlocked with yours over the table and her foot twisted with your leg underneath, a smile on your faces. 

Shit. Where did he get this?

You immediately open Instagram and are met with hundreds of notifications. You swipe them away, looking at your tagged photos and you see it. The girl you met last night. She posted the photo of the two of you, but as you swipe through you also see the offending photo of you and your beautiful date.

Shit. Have they already found her? They are going to attack her. You have to get out ahead of this. This is not how you wanted anyone to find out. 

Realizing that there really isn’t anything you can do at this point, you close the app and go back to your texts with Daniel. You sit there, heart pounding trying to think of something to say that would explain the situation, but you can't.

You: I was going to talk to you about it soon.

To your surprise, he replies quickly.

Daniel: How long?

You: A week or so, we were going to just keep it to ourselves for a while. But apparently that wasn’t in the cards. I’m sorry dude, I would have much rather told you myself than have you find out like this.

Daniel: I can’t say I’m surprised and it’s okay, I get it. I have always known there was something with you two. Just take care of her. 

You: I promise I will. Bigger issue is the shit storm she’s about to get when people figure out who she is. She is grossly unprepared.

Daniel: Yeah I would make that priority number one this morning, people are already talking.

Josh: Great…I’m on it. Thanks for the heads up. Thankfully one of us knows how to use social media…

Daniel: Lol, of course.

She stirs next to you, you lock your phone and set it back on the table. 

She rolls over to face you, “Good morning…” she says placing a soft kiss to your ribs. A shiver runs through your body at the feel of her lips on your skin.

“Good morning beautiful girl.” You reply kissing her forehead.

“I know you just woke up but I need to talk to you…” you say nervously.

You see a look of panic cross her face. 

“No, no, nothing like that….The girl that we met last night…. She posted photos.” You say.

“Yeah, I took them, they were good!” She says confused.

“No, baby. Of us. Together. They are on socials.” You say softly.

Concern crosses her face. “Oh…” is all she says.

“I have already been texted about it this morning, Daniel sent it to me at like 3am.” You say. “Not exactly how I wanted him to find out… but he seems to be okay with it.” You say reassuringly.

She nods, unsure of how to respond.

“But that's not the issue… fans are going to start speculating. I just want you to prepare yourself. Most are sweet and really are the greatest people but sometimes they can be cruel for no reason and say things just to get at you.” You say rubbing her arm. “Just wanted you to know. Do you want to see the picture?” You ask and she nods her head yes.

You grab your phone and pull up the photo, showing it to her.

“At least we look cute together.” She says smiling up at you.

“We do.” You kiss her face and set your phone back on the table.

“Just don’t want anything to ruin this. I wanted to keep you to myself, but it seems the universe has other plans.” You say. 

“Always does…” She hums.

“Coffee?” You ask her and she nods eagerly.

.

.

.

HER POV

“Okay, beautiful. I will be back in about a week or so. I will miss you!” He says, pressing a kiss to your lips. 

“Have fun, be careful. Come back to me in one piece!” You giggle.

“Be back before you know it.” He says smiling, his car pulling out of the parking lot of your apartment complex.

You wave goodbye and head back inside to start getting ready for work. A few hours later you find yourself standing behind the bar, wishing your favorite guys would walk in. It's so quiet when they aren’t here. Just hushed conversations and the sound of billiards balls smacking together. Luckily this shift and the next 3 shifts go by quickly and easily. There would only be a few more days until they came back to provide your nightly entertainment.

Each day that they have been gone Josh has texted you cool photos of the places they were, texted you that he misses you and can’t wait to get back to you, and called you each night as he goes to bed. He is really putting in that 100% effort he promised and you feel a sense of happiness that it wasn’t an empty promise that you have become so accustomed to.

As you stand behind the bar tonight the bell rings over the door and a new face walks in. You haven’t seen her before, and you’ll definitely need to ID her. 

She looks young…

A few minutes later another girl walks in to join her, and they are sitting at a table in the corner, talking and looking back at you.

God, what are they looking at?

A few minutes later they approach the bar.

“Hi, can I ask you a question? It's gonna sound crazy…” one girl asks.

“Go ahead…” you reply cautiously.

“Have you heard of Greta Van Fleet?” She asks.

Your eyes widen and you realize they are here looking for the guys.

“Yeah, I have…” you say.

The other girl begins to talk, “So… we heard they hang out here sometimes. Is that true?”

Unsure if you should out their nightly routine you avoid answering the question and shake your head dismissively.

“So they do come here….” One of the girls says pointedly.

“No, I didn’t say that.” You reply harshly.

“You didn’t answer?” She says.

“Because it’s not your business.” You reply. “How old are you two? If you’re not over 21, you both need to leave.” You say.

“Oh my god, she's the girl from the picture.” She says, hitting her friend on the arm.

She grabs her phone and pulls up the photo and they both quickly realize that it is in fact you in the picture.

“You’re dating Josh Kiszka?” They both ask shocked.

“What? You two should go…” You reply.

“This is you in the picture, is it not?” She asks showing you the photo.

Flicking your eyes to the photo, you look away after you see it.

“Again, it’s not your business and this is inappropriate. I think you should both leave.” You reply harshly.

“You know, you don’t seem like someone Josh would date. You’re kind of a bitch.” She quips back.

“Excuse me? And just how would you know what kind of person Josh would date? It's sad you think you know anything about him....You're pathetic… get out.” You demand.

The girls stare at each other for a second before turning back to you.

“You’re gonna wish you never said that…” she says, stepping away from the counter and walking out the door.

.

.

.

.

[hellcatinnc]

Day 8 Victor/Zen - Mr. Love: Queen's Choice

I felt like this man needed some recognition whether you know him as Victor or his Japanese name Zen either way this is one fine man, now let me tell you why he is husbando material.

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He Is All About You

You are his everything, his number one need and he will do anything for you. Yes he has his dominates side to him but he will always treat you with tenderness and kindness. He is still the guy who will wait until you tell him what you want and once he knows then his dominate streak kicks in but he will never make you do anything you don't want to. He knows he doesn't want to lose you at any cost.

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Loves To Cuddle

Any chance you get your welcome to fall asleep in his arms. He will read you a bed rime story, or just hold you and keep you warm. After a long day he might even snuggle you and fall asleep in your arms. You are the only one he has let his guard down and can rest peacefully next to you without worrying about anything bad happening to him. He knows you take care of his heart same way he takes care of you. He likes to watch you sleep at times, pushing your hair back off your face so he can see how beautiful you are as you dream. He loves to watch you breathe knowing the woman he loves is in his arms.

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He Is Very Passionate

It doesn't always have to be sex but he has no problem pulling you in as your putting up your hair before you go out or grabbing you and kissing you while your at a fancy party. He doesn't care where it is if the notion strikes him and he knows he wants your lips he will grab you and pull you into him crashing his plush lips against yours and embracing your whole body as he does so. Its not hard to see in a moment like this his whole body will be pushed against yours and if he doesn't make you wet from just a simple gesture like this trust me he will do it again before the nights out until you want him and can't think about anything else.

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He Has A Softer Romantic Side

He is the guy who will hold you all night long if you tell him your scared or hold a umbrella over your hear while he stands in the rain to protect you from getting sick. He will open your door for you and carry your purse and items if your hands are full. He is a gentleman to you and loves sharing romantic recipes with you when he wakes you in bed. He will throw rose petals all over the floor before you come home leading you to a bubble bath with soft music, wine, bubbles and him waiting for you to join him. He knows how to make you feel special.

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He Is Your Prince Charming

Consider him your prince charming because he will ride in on a horse sweep you up off your feet and carry you in his arms with him. He even looks sexy as a prince too so its a win/win. He is very charming and knows all the sweet little things to whisper in your ear as he has you in his arms as you ride the countryside.

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He Will Bring You Flowers

He loves to bring you flowers whether a single rose on some occasions or bouquets on others. He even likes to bring teddy bears to go with it sometimes just to give you something to squeeze when you can't squeeze him. He loves bringing you flowers based on his wants and needs. So red for passion is his favorite to buy for you though.

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He Is A Tsundere

Yes this man is such a tsundere to everyone who meets him or works under him they see him as a very dominate and strict man your the only one who tore those walls down and got his softer side, and it was well worth it. Sometimes watchin him treat others the way he used to do you brings back nostalgia but also turns you on a bit how dominate he can be.

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He Is Sexy

This man drips sex appeal. He loves to walk around the house with nothing but a towel on after a shower or leave his pj's open as he shaves. Anything to bring your notice to his perfectly chiseled body. He likes to make sure he is wet or dripping any chance he can get thats when he knows you find him the sexiest.

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He Can't Take His Eyes Off You

No matter what your out doing he has a habit of stopping and watching you. Your beauty captivates him he can't look a way at times. He loves watching you when you get excited and when your happy. He loves it even more when he watches you get happy over something he has done for you and know it makes your world brighter.

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He Knows How To Please A Woman

click video to watch it on tiktok

Trust me he will keep your sexual needs satisfied in every way. He loves to make passionate love every time he gets a chance to seduce you. He won't stop until he has you begging him to. Being a very dominate man he likes to control every part of you including when he makes you cum and when makes you scream his name. He likes to make you strip for him then after you have been a good girl he rewards you from top to bottom. If you want him all you have to do is tell him he doesn't care where you are at he will take you in a bathroom, at the beach, or even in the car if he wants you bad enough and knows you want him.

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He Will Protect You

He will stop cars, time and even break the world if he needs to so that he knows your protected above anything else. He has a temper when someone tries to hurt you but its the only time he shows his anger because you are everything to him. His jewel you are and no one will take you from him without going through him first.

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He Will Take Care Of You

He will tuck you in bed when your sick and won't take no for a answer, if he has to he will pick you up and put you in bed himself. He will make you your favorite foods and soups and then go the extra mile and feed them to you. He will monitor your fevers and hold your hair when your sick. He plans to take care of you until the end of time because he loves you.

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[abyss-presence]

Note: headcanoned to hell; Yellow cat is called Nael and uses he/they; 3rd person pov; can be interpreted as both romantic and platonic (same goes for this entire "story"); pretty short 🤷

@aniflowers

The Promised Day

The previous day was a roller-coaster of emotions and feelings. And yet, today Nael and Leshy both woke up feeling quite refreshed.

After that talk in the medical bay, Leshy and Nael spent some more time together, simply hanging around the cult grounds and chatting some more. When night has fallen upon them, they were the last to go to bed, since they just couldn't get enough of one another.

The Leader has thoughtfully placed their beds together, so the two of them held hands throughout the night until they eventually fell into a deep slumber (this time without nightmares on Leshy's side).

It was still quite early in the morning, the Lamb still hasn't returned and the rest of the cult was still sleeping peacefully. Rain adorned the dark sky up above, watering the farms Glorious Leader has set up around this piece of land.

Leshy turns his head upwards, taking in the wonderful scent of the humid grass and Camellia flowers that fills the air.

"It's so... quiet. I like it."

"Never thought the God of Chaos would love the peace and quiet," Nael said with a smirk as he tugged Leshy towards the Temple. They hid beneath its roof, sitting down on the floor in front of the entrance. They were decorated with special tiles of the Old Faith, the crowns of the siblings standing to the left of the building on four cobblestone pedestals, like trophies.

Leshy could feel the magnetic pull of his own crown calling out to him like some sort of siren. And yet, he knew that it no longer belonged to him, to this strange mortal body he still wasn't used to.

"I was the God of Chaos. But now I'm a simple mortal who goes by the name 'Leshy,' as much as I hate to admit it."

"I think you look cute as a mortal." Leshy was so stunned that he managed to accurately turn his head towards Nael in surprise. "Even so, I can't help but be curious about your divine form and how you looked like before..."

"Before the Lamb tore the heart out of my corpse?"

"Yes. You didn't have to say it."

"But I did."

"Insufferable."

"Same to you."

Both of them smiled at this silly exchange, not even once letting go of each other's hand as they covered away from the early morning downpour. Appreciating the beauty that surrounds him through his senses, Leshy speaks up once again:

"You know, I used to favor my brother Narinder above everyone else, because I thought that death was the most beautiful thing ever. But now, sitting here with you, I can't help but feel like... maybe life is what truly beautiful." At first Nael wanted to say how uncharacteristic such talk is for Leshy and how cheesy it sounds, but he quickly stops himself. No no, he shouldn't say anything of the sort when Leshy is being so sincere and open with him. So, instead, he answers:

"Maybe the fact that death is a part of life is what made it so beautiful to you." Lehsy was honestly expecting to be made fun of, but that didn't happen, which surprised him.

He could feel the divine energy of the Temple behind them, and it attracted his attention for a moment.

He knows for a fact that Lamb can hold marriage rituals for themself and a lucky choosen follower, but would they agree to...

"Nael? Would you ever consider... you know, marrying someone?" The words came out of his mouth before he could truly think over what he was saying.

"Marrying someone? Why? Are you proposing?"

"Maybe."

"Then, if 'maybe,' then maybe I'd say yes."

"Really?" The cat was willing to marry him this easily and without question? Does that mean that they... perhaps they share his feelings?

"Yes, really. I don't see a single reason not to agree."

"Then... Nael..."

"..."

"...Will you marry me?"

[mistertf2xreaderfluffballcake]

~How they react to a reward Kiss~ *first part* This is long lmao (I was going to do poking checks part 2 but this happened)

Scout

Scout was helping you finish the task soldier told you to do. The task was to deliver some crates to the storage house. That day he finished his takes early so he was able to help you!

And of course, he made this also a game! Ok! s/o new game! You always seem to have new ideas huh? Well of course babe! SO! The game is you are going to pick up a crate randomly! And then we are going till med bay! Ok! AND THEN~ whoever wins gets a reward from the loser! ok?

This was particularly interesting since was based on luck. All the crates had different things inside which could change the weight. Some have pillows inside some have heavy's extremely heavy dumbbells inside. SO even though scout is faster this definitely had a chance for you to win!

Ok, pick one random box! Hmm, this one! *puts a black marker on to mark yours* I will pick this one! *puts a red marker on it* Ok are you ready? YES! READY SET... G O !!!!

You picked yours up and it was pretty light...!!! It was a crate full of pyro's crayons and colored pencils! YES! Scout picked up his and... OOF. Scout instantly tell that it was full of medical-related books! DAMN IT!

The race was going pretty good! You were ahead by a little and scout was right behind you!!! A...Almost there!!!! See ya babe~! !!!! Wait no wait! No can do toots! *dashes* Nooooooo

Scout is the winner~~~~!!! Scout was puffing his chest out and doing a happy dance! *you just laying on the floor breathlessly* Nooooo Little fast boy has one hehe! HELL YEAH!

So s/o! hm? what's my reward? ...? Oh right! (ehehe) Scout! yea? You're reward is...!!!

*smooch* ...WAIT WHAT!? *scout is just absolutely shocked* the reward is a reward kiss! !!!!

Scout's chest began to bubble...bubbling absolutely pure happiness! S/o~! *hugs s/o tight* Y-you like the reward? HELL YEAH! It felt special! Normal ones are good but this one felt extra special! hehe *both giggle and look deep into their eye*

*sound of door opening* WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TWO DOING!!!! (medic) I MESSED UP BECAUSE OF HOW FUCKING LOUD YOU TWO ARE! uh-oh. LEAVE NOWWWWW!!! We gotta go, babe! *hold s/o hand and runs off in a distance* Let's do this again babe! Yeah! BUT~Maybe not near med bay next time! hehe of course of course!

Soldier (he loves reward kiss just sayin)

Soldier was on a roll with winning! It was the 9th time soldier has won the battle! That is what soldier calls a proud soldier!

It was the 10th time now! The administrator and Miss Pauling announced that if their team won this. They would get a special reward and some extra cash! The whole team was fired up!

Since soldier was the leader even though it didn't seem like it but soldier felt some pressure. Soldier was pretty nervous but he felt his heart burn with soon-to-be victory!

And...He WON! Their team won!!!! He felt so proud! As soon as he won he looked for you! CUPCAKE!!!!! CUPCAKEE!!!! Yes yes I am here! Cupcake!! We won!! Victory is ours!!!! AHAHAHAH! Congrats soldier! I and America are proud of you :) *soldier almost melts* Anyway cupcake! We have to go meet the team! They would be worried if the leader is gone!! *holds s/o and almost leaves* Oh um wait soldier! What's wrong cupcake? *s/o blushes a little* C-can you lend an ear for a moment? *gasp* A SECRET!? *immediately comes down to s/o's level* *smooch on cheek* !!!?!?!?!?!? I-I want to give you a reward kiss... *soldier just explodes flustered* I- HERE IS A REWARD KISS FOR YOU TOO!!!!! *bonus reward big smooch* *both giggle*

S/o. Yes? I LOVE BOTH AMERICA AND YOU SO MUCH! I love you to soldier!

Pyro (sweetheartttt)

Pyro was looking for your accessory/keychain you lost! You lost it 2 days ago, and was feeling really down about it since it was important to you.

You already gave up on looking for it. You and pyro looked for HOURS! Yet that thing did not appear. Besides it rained the next day so you just thought for sure it was now gone.

BUT! Pyro did not give up! Their lovely lover shall not be sad!! Pyro knew how important that thing meant to you!! So they went searching! Pyro looked EXTRA carefully. Pyro was going to make s/o proud and happy >:)

*After serching for many many hours*

The sun was almost about to say goodbye and the moon was going to say hello to pyro. Hudda...

BUT! Pyro has not given up! Huddaaa!!!! *pyro then grabbed a flashlight that they borrowed from engi's workplace* mmph!

Something then sparkled in pyro's eyes. hudda? *looks closer* HUDDA!!!! Pyro found s/o's missing thing!

But...it was up on a tree...pyro didn't know exactly how but it happened.

Since pyro's knew they wouldn't be able to climb it *too slippery and just thin* HUDDA! *gets an axe out*

Yep, they began to chop the dang tree down :)

After pyro's epic tree-cutting moment, it fell down, and successfully got s/o's thing! Pyro soon ran to the base! MMPHHHH!!!

*arrives at the base, and heads to s/o! MMPHHHHHHHH! !!! pyro?! HUDDA! *hands the thing* *gasp* Pyro! mmph? You found it? *nods* But how! I thought we both gave up on it! Besides, it was probably long gone after the storm! mmphh! pyro... n?

*hugs pyro* Thank you so much! Thank you. *pyro freezes* *happiness explodes!* MMMPHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! *hugs tight and lifts s/o off the floor* woa! Pyro. mm? *head pat* mmph :)) *head boop* mmph :D *forehead kiss* MMPHH!! >:DDD *both of you just having an absolute happiness moment like in a fairy tale :) *

YES! I finally got this done!!!! Part 2...? YES! Do not worry hehe! Once I get this series done I will do the requests. Do not worry :)