#I'm sorry pram

[nero-neptune]

that disney+ peter pan and wendy trailer looks monochromatic and boring as hell. i say this as both a hater and a peter pan connoisseur. lost girls exist (bad And wrong). costumes look just ok. where's the whimsy? why is every color in that trailer some uglyass shade of green and brown? mary blair did Not paint dozens of works of art for the 1953 production of peter pan just for its next gen disney reimagining to be this bland. and ugly. i simply must reiterate how Butt Ugly it looks.

#im not even gonna get into how there's lost girls and that goes against one of the biggest aspects of the story #also sorry that yara shahidi is getting hate for playing tinkerbell. she doesnt deserve that #unfortunately she's in a color by numbers green tinted cgi hellscape of a disney remake and i cant help her #the Only thing i'll give 'em is that the lost boy hideaway is cool looking. but 2003 did it better idc #i'm just. so annoyed about the lost girls (who are canonically too clever to fall out of their prams and get sent to neverland duh) #god i am such a hater but that trailer looked Ugly. just color scheme wise. it looks uglyyyy #idk if they were going for a touch of gritty realism and a more 'big kid' take on the story #but when you think 'neverland' i really doubt youre thinking greyish green and yellowish blue and dirt brown #who did the color correction? i just wanna talk #and if its a remake of their 50s cartoon version why abandon all the Color? #peter pan #peter pan and wendy #rambles #i was honestly going into that trailer with an open mind and i can forgive a lot. but i cant unsee an ugly color scheme

[vonlipwig]

I think people are good, actually, on the whole

#like i think humanity is inherently good #i know it's a lot easier to think the natural order of things is that people are bad #but people are good you know #people are naturally friendly and silly and nice and kind and go out of their way to help others #i see people helping other carry their luggage or prams up and down stairs and escalators on the tube all the time #a man came up to us at our town's summer festival to give my kid a toy he'd won on the tombola bc he wanted to the support the charity #but had no need for the prize then saw my kid and just thought 'i bet that child would like this little pig soft toy' so he gave it to them #my colleague bought choc ices for everyone in our meeting on friday just because it was warm #every day i talk to my friends on the two funny servers I'm part of and they're kind and nice #my in laws came down this weekend and my father in law insisted on cooking dinner despite being the guest #people are good you know people are so good #you've just got to look around you #the nature of humanity is to care for each other #anyway sorry #i just like people #and i think when you're told constantly how awful people are the mos counter-culture thing you can do is to love your fellow human

[snekjoy]

they could step on me and i'd say sorry for being in the way (i get confused about where i am in relation to other people)

#i never know where i am i'm bumping into you i'm accidentally blocking a pram's path i'm turning the wrong way when you tap my shoulder #i'm in a state of constant confusion #and i say sorry bc i don't wanna seem rude!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what if it was my fault and now ur mad at me!!!!!!

[fangisms]

all of the girls you loved

A/N: i am a SUCKER for a good song fic and obvi a sucker for some good Taylor content (gif creds: @merakiaes)

Pairings: George Weasley x Fem!Reader

Summary: Every woman that he knew brought him here. You want to teach him how forever feels. 2.6k words.

Warnings: so much crying why am i in a mood, fluff mostly!, song fic, song lyrics, pet names (poppet, dear), heartbreak, brief angst, ONE FUCKING CURSE WORD. jealousy, being stood up

1984

"your mother brought you up loyal and kind"

You'd been chasing the little red haired boy through the train station for the better part of the last ten minutes. But only because he tugged at your hair and stuck his tongue out at you. He started it. He's got this worn grey sweater, and you can tell his jeans were hand-me-downs from the patchwork in the knees. Probably from the boy, his older brother, with the wavy red hair carrying far too many books and stumbling up the train's steps.

Your antagonist giggles and ducks behind the brick pillar in the center of the station. You roll your eyes and round the otherside, tapping on his shoulder with a grin. He yelps and skitters away behind his mother. She has a small baby tucked in her arm and another cooing from a pram decorated with ribbons, lace, and wicker.

"Georgie!" She scolds him for tugging on her skirt before looking down to see your little face staring back at her. "Hello, dear, what's your name?"

The boy peeks his head out from behind her leg, round cheeks flushed a soft pink from all the running. You fold your arms over your chest and scowl at him.

"Determined little thing, aren't you?" she says with a sweet smile and kind eyes, "Have you been terrorizing this young lady?"

"It's not my fault, mum! She looks funny!"

"George. That's not how we talk about other people, now, is it?" she warns.

"No, mum."

"No, of course it's not. Now, you apologize this instant. Your brothers give me enough grief as is."

His wicked gaze meets yours, and you scowl hard as you can back at him. He squints. You purse your lips.

"I'm sorry because my mum told me so!"

You pout, "apology not accepted! I hope I never see you again!"

And with that, he watched the little girl with the wild hair and the polka-dotted pinafore skip away. Never to be seen again. Until the next year. And each year following the last.

1994

"teenage love taught you there's good in goodbye"

George has got a mouth full of the loudest bubblegum in existence when he comes roaring up behind you in the hallway, laying his arm across your shoulders.

"Evening, poppet. I assume you've heard the news," he chirps, smacking his gum in your ear proudly.

"You're disgusting, George," you say, shrugging his arm away but still matching his pace, "and I don't care that you bribed Niamh Ward into being your date to the Yule Ball."

"I didn't bribe her! She asked me and I said 'yes'"—he blows a gummy bubble in your face, and it bursts with a ringing pop—"D'you reckon she'll kiss me if I dance well enough?"

He twirls off down the hallway, ending his mini routine with a flourish of jazz hands.

"I don't reckon any girl will ever want to kiss you with moves like that."

"Oh, you're just a cynic. I'm perfectly snoggable, whether I can dance or not." He takes your wrist and drapes your arm in the crook of his own, and you scoff when he leans in to pop another bubble in your face. "Who's taking you to the ball, anyway? That Durmstrang halfwit?"

You yank your arm away and stop dead in your tracks. It's a well-known fact that you'd been waiting for George to ask you to the Yule Ball since first year. You thought for sure he'd ask you. But the time came and went and you each found other dates, other outfits, other plans. And you hate that deep down, a small part of you is still waiting for him to ask you. But you'd never do that to Niamh. Not even for George.

"As a matter of fact, yes," you say, "and his name is Johan—"

"What kind of name is Johan?"

He's still smacking his gum like he knows exactly how to get on your nerves. And after all these years, it's no wonder.

"You're so immature. I'll see you later."

"Oh, come on—"

"No, George," you huff, not turning around until you clear the corner and wipe your wet cheek with the sleeve of your robes.

...

The Great Hall has never looked more decadent. Draped in glitz and the magic of the holidays. Everyone's absolutely buzzing with excitement, ever-present gossip, and the beauty of students dressed to the nines. And in the midst of it all, you still spot him from across the room.

Of course, Johan is the perfect gentleman. He even asked if you'd like to match your gown to his traditional red dress robes. It was a lovely idea, and it wasn't hard to pick out a lovely chiffon, maroon dress. He said you looked beautiful and danced with you most of the night, but there was still that sickly ache in your chest like flesh and tendon left split by two cold hands. George's hands.

After you told Johan you didn't feel well, he left you alone at one of the shimmering tables. You felt bad practically leading him on, but it's not like you'd been lying about your attraction to him. Just about your attraction to George.

You don't turn to face the person who plops onto the stool beside you. You're pretty dedicated to flicking the thin straw around the rim of your glass at this point.

"I left my date to come talk to you, so you better have a stellar reason for looking so glum."

George. You know he's trying to cheer you up. And he knows it's not exactly working how he'd hoped. "Come on, poppet. It's the Yule Ball. You've been looking forward to this for, what, six years?"

He hates that when you turn to face him, you've got tears dripping from your chin, jaw, nose, lashes. He hates that there's a small part of him that wishes he could have fixed it for you. 

"What's wrong?" he whispers, scooting closer and catching a slow tear slipping over your cheekbone. You flinch away and lean your head in your hand, closing your eyes.

"You have no idea."

George chortles and shrugs, "well, yeah. That's sort of why I'm asking." You land a hearty wallop on his arm, not even looking when you swing your fist at him. "Alright, that was deserved. Now, tell me. I don't like it when you shut me out."

"Why are you doing this, George? Why don't you just leave me alone? Go hang out with Niamh or something," you say. It's accusatory, sure, but that's the point. The inflection was aimed for the heart. Spear tipped with arsenic just to make it sting more.

He chews the inside of his cheek, rubbing the back of his neck when you dodge his gaze and sniffle.

"That might be a tad difficult seeing how she stood me up."

Shit.

"George, I didn't mean—"

"No, no, it's okay. She caught a... a stomach bug, or something. Spent all morning hunched over the girl’s toilet," he mumbles, loosening his tie. And you catch just the smallest smirk tugging the corner of his mouth. Like there's some kind of amusement in his own misery. "I feel bad for her, honestly."

"I'm so sorry, I had no idea." You grab his hand and lean closer. He looks tired up close. Like the light usually at home in his eyes as twinkled out and left him dimmed.

"You've nothing to be sorry for. Fate is fate, after all." He brushes his hair out of his face and takes a deep breath, squeezing your hand. "Dance with me?"

Yes, of course, you want to shriek. I'd love nothing more from the boy who used to yank on my hair and call me names and tell me he loved my sparkly shoes. An honor, you think, but the words don't reach. Just a smile.

"Sure," you say, letting him tug you in the direction of the crowd. The right direction, you think, the direction you've longed for. Then he spins you into his chest, and you feel the shallow rumble of his laugh in your fingertips.

"Was Johan a better dancer than me?" he says, swaying your bodies like tender obligation. You cock an eyebrow.

"Johan stepped on my toes every four steps and nearly tore my dress."

"...So?"

"Yes," you tease.

"Shut up. Let me make this dance a good one. For you."

You look up at him and he thinks he's never seen someone look so clueless and yet so completely beautiful. From the gloss on your lips to the gems on your shoes and even now, mascara smudged and hands shaky, he thinks he'd like to look at you for as long as you'll let him. And when you shuffle closer between songs, he has to catch his breath against your temple.

"Your hair's gotten so long, Georgie," you whisper, slipping your hand up and over his shoulder, to the back of his neck with a smile pressed to his warm cheek.

"Like it?"

"I’ll always like it."

He pleads to Merlin you can't feel the rattletrap pounding of his heart. His hand moves of its own volition, spread across the small of your back like he's seen in some romance films. The slow dance scene is always the most romantic. The pinnacle of their love thus far. The event to dissolve any prejudice leftover in their heads, and any pride hidden in the last cracks in their hearts.

"George, I have to tell you something important—"

"Shh, poppet, just dance with me a little longer."

And you suppose. It could wait that little while longer. Another dance. Another day. It'd come up again and break your heart, but it'd be too pressing to put off eventually.

So you let him hold your hand a little tighter, sway you in circles a little slower, and keep your heart beating a little louder.

1996

"every woman that you knew brought you here // i wanna teach you how forever feels"

The something important you had tried to tell George that night was that you'd be staying with your estranged aunt in Spain over the course of the next school year. Your final school year. You'd be leaving Hogwarts—leaving George—and spending the year homeschooling over in Spain.

You left that Spring to spend your days in the Spanish countryside, drinking in the sunshine and dancing to the music of the cicadas. It had devastated George. It had devastated all of the Weasleys. They were so used to housing you most summers, and the change was quite unwelcome. Less place settings, less baggage clunking up the stairs, less laughter. He could only hope you were happy. And that he'd be able to see you again one day in the future.

"Georgie?"

You caught him off guard. He nearly tripped and cracked a tooth on the steps when you called his name. He and his twin brother had made a spectacle of Ninety-three Diagon Alley in the time you'd been away. And you had just happened to wander in and find him hurrying up the technicolor stairs after his brother.

Nothing felt real when he met your eyes for the first time in a year and change. The sirens and bells and sparklers went fuzzy as he realized just how beautiful you'd gotten since he last saw you. Beautiful enough to make him wildly nervous. Enough to make him sweat.

"My Poppet." He says it gently, grinning when you bat your lashes and hold your arms out.

"Christ, I've missed you, George," you huff, burying your face in his shoulder when he wraps his arms around you.

"You have no idea."

You tease him with a laugh, "Well, yeah," pulling away to wrap your lithe fingers around his tie. "Look at your hair! It's so short!"

"Like it?" He runs his fingers through the scruff at the back of his head. You squint and pat the soft tufts at the top of his head.

"I love it. You know I do."

He sighs, ushering you to the back of the shop all while trying to conceal a giddy smile.

"I've had an entire year to reflect on all the reasons why you abandoned me, poppet. I made a list"—He takes your wrist and drapes your arm in the crook of his own—"Starting with that time I told you your unicorn shirt was quote, unquote, 'for babies'."

"You have to include my stunning defense, Weasley"—you clear your throat—"'I am a baby, and you're just a rotten little boy!'"

"How could I forget?" He pushes open a door to the very neglected office towards the back of the building. Papers stacked on the desk, a cobweb in the corner. Well-loved. "A little privacy, mademoiselle?"

"I'd be delighted."

He sweeps the dust off a brown leather chair by the desk, offering the seat to you with a shy smile.

"Oh, George," you whisper, fiddling with the clasp of your purse with watery eyes and a pout like the one you gave him the first time he saw you.

"Come here, sweetheart," he says, hurrying you into his embrace with the feeling of being gutted by your sad eyes weighing heavy on him.

"There's just so much"—you gasp and cover your mouth when you sob—"So much I've missed and so much I want to tell you and so much I wish I had seen and done with you..."

"I know. I know, I feel the same," he huffs, "I missed you more than words can describe. I didn't know what to do with myself."

"I'm so sorry, I never meant to hurt you, I thought—"

"No. No, poppet, of course not"—he holds you tighter, pressing you to the curves of his body, holding you like clay and hot glass—"You came back, that's all I could ever ask for."

You pull back and let him wipe the tears from your cheeks, leaving faint kisses on each temple. And when he finally tears himself away from your skin, he's only left desperate for the contact. His thumb brushes you cheek, and you hold his wrist, lashes fluttering to meet his soft gaze. Desperation. Exhaustion. Relief. It's all there in the palm of your hand, and just at his fingertips.

Twelve years is far too long to be loving anyone the way you love each other. Completely but without the parts of love we sometimes need most. The honesty and openness, the comfort, and more than ever, the kisses. He curses his wild eyes for sweeping the length of your parted lips. His wild eyes giving away his secrets and calling him a damned fool.

You catch his mouth with yours, innocent at first peck, but he kisses you back, unsure of where his hands should go, wanting perfection, especially when your nose bumps his and makes you smile into the wetness of the kisses.

"I want everything," you whisper, forced to choose between air and George, "I have loved you since the day we met."

"That's very cheesy, my dear." He rests his forehead against yours, cupping the side of your neck, thumb resting gingerly over the column of your throat. Just to hold something delicate. Fragile. His.

"Think you can do better?"

"Hmm," he clears his throat, "You stole my heart and... I don't think I want it back."

"Gross! You win."

"I meant it."

He winks and pecks your bottom lip sweetly, only to realize you're tearing up, head tilted back and hands fanning at your eyes. He holds your waist and you shake your head with a defeated laugh.

"I'm such a crybaby."

"My favorite."

"You're awful, Georgie."

"I know," he says, finally, "I know."

masterlist

#fanfic #fluff #hp universe #x reader #fanfiction #friends to lovers #george weasley fanfic #george weasley #george weasley fluff #george weasley x fem!reader #george weasley x reader #hp universe x reader #x fem!reader #Spotify

[russellsppttemplates]

Omg Carlos 😭😭😭 if you are doing blurbs I think dad Carlos fluff like kids making pictures and the twins are born but bigger and are giving him hugs and reader is just glad he’s ok 😭🥺

"Is papa okay?", Clara asked as he watched the red car lose the rear-end a bit before driving again.

"Yes, cariño, it seems he was able to control it", you rubbed her back soothingly as you watched the replay, the twins sleeping peacefully in their pram, blissfully unaware of the scare everyone around them felt for a couple of seconds.

"Papa! You're okay!", Clara ran up to Carlos once he came back to the garage, letting him pick her up into his arms, "it was scary when your car went like this", she gestured with a giggle of her body.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you", he kissed her cheek, "it was fine in the end", he assured as he walked up to you and the twins, "hey amor", he kissed your temple.

"Hey", you kissed his cheek, "that could've been worse, hm?", you checked with him.

"It's not an easy turn, but I got it now, it's all good", he answered before crouching down slightly to see the boys, "they slept all the way through that, hm?", he chuckled.

"They had to sleep some time in the day", you giggled, letting Carlos sit next to you so you could spend some time together before he had the debrief, Clara telling him all about the plans she had for the afternoon.

(Thank you for sending this in ✨️)

#carlos sainz blurb #inês writes blurbs #f1 blurb #f1 x reader

[albertasunrise]

Oops Baby - Juggling Act

Masterlist

Summary: Being best friends with Frankie meant movie nights, drinks with the guys and a shoulder to cry on when you got your hear broken. He is head over heels for you but you don’t feel the same… yet a drunken mistake will tie your lives together forever!

Relationships: Frankie Morales x Reader

Warnings: Like AO3 I choose to give none. Read at own risk. 18+ (So... I know this took a while. Just been so unmotivated lately so been struggling to write. Hopefully with this is worth the wait. I'll be introducing a new plot twist this chapter to look out for that 🙊)

Series Masterlist - Part 1

Two months had passed since you'd told Frankie that you were pregnant. He had been a little slow to forgive what had happened that night. You had hurt him. Taken advantage of his attraction to you and it was something that you'd never forgive yourself for.

The rest of the group had also been slow to forgive your transgressions. You hurt one of them. You hurt all of them. But as the weeks went by, you did your best to prove to all of them how truly sorry you were.

Ben had been your biggest supporter.

"So how are things?" Ben asked as he sipped at his black coffee "You and Frankie getting on better?"

"They're better." You replied as you placed your mug on its saucer "He's been helping me with a few things. Started looking at prams and cribs."

"That's positive." Ben gave you a warm smile as he leaned over to give your hand a friendly squeeze.

"Yeah." You conceded, nodding as you fiddled with the rim of your drink.

"But?" Ben pushed and you looked at him like a deer in headlights.

"But?"

"There's clearly something that you're not telling me." The blonde scoffed and you let out a long sigh as you leaned back in your chair and rubbed your bump.

"He uh… Well, he suggested that he move in with me after the baby was born." You stated, "To help with the baby and stuff."

"So?"

"So… What if his feelings for me start to cause issues?" You questioned "I want to have feelings for him… I mean he's what every woman dreams of but I dunno… Just don't feel the same way he does." You finished with a shrug.

"Frankie's a big boy." Ben chuckled as he downed the last of his coffee and motioned for the waitress to top him up "I'm sure he can handle himself."

"I guess." You replied, sighing as you leaned forward to take another sip of your own beverage "Just don't want to lose him again."

"Then don't fuck him again." Ben snorted and you glared at him as you flipped him off.

"Smart ass."

…

Frankie opened your front door with the key you'd had cut for him as he carefully balanced the takeout. He noted you were nowhere to be seen when he stepped inside so he called out to you whilst placing the takeout down on the table.

"In here." You replied from your office.

Frank placed the last container down before going in search of you. He could hear commotion coming from inside the spare room you had turned into an office a few years back so pushed the door open to you dismantling furniture.

"What the hell are you doing?" Frankie shrieked as he stepped further into the room.

"I wanted to get a head start on the nursery." You replied with a shrug.

"So you thought you would start dismantling heavy furniture on your own?" He growled, grabbing your attention.

"I'm pregnant Frankie… Not disabled."

"You shouldn't be doing this sort of thing on your own." He snapped "What if you hurt fell?"

"Frankie-"

"I'm just… I don't want you to do stuff that will risk the baby."

"Why would I risk the baby?" You scoffed and Frankie practically growled your name out as he replied.

"I get you are used to living alone and being independent but you are four months pregnant with our baby." He continued "If you would just read that book I got, you'd know that you shouldn't be lifting heavy shit like furniture."

You felt a pang of guilt at this statement. You deliberately ignored the book Frank had gifted you. You thought he was just being a know it all but now, seeing how he was pleading for you to listen to him, you realised that he was just trying to help.

"You're right." You sighed as you pushed yourself to your feet "I'm sorry."

"I got us take-out." He stated, changing the subject and you practically growled in delight.

"Thank god… I'm starved." Sprinted to the table, sighing in delight at the smells that greeted you.

"Got you your favourite." He piped up as he pushed the container towards you with some cutlery resting on top.

"Thank you, Frank."

The two of you then sat and ate as you showed each other different ideas for the nursery. You had found an all-in-one crib, the changing station at the end with drawers beneath it and the crib. Frankie showed you a chair he could that he felt would be great for you when you breastfed and a few dials he liked also.

"Helicopters?" You chuckled "What if we have a girl?"

"What… Girls can't like them too?"

You rolled your eyes at his statement but grinned when he stuck his tongue out at you in response. You loved how things were finally starting to ment. That you were starting to get the old Francisco back.

"You thought any more about me moving in here for a bit when the baby's born?" He asked between mouthfuls.

"I have." You replied simply.

"And?"

"And I just had one concern." Frank's brows pulled together in confusion as he looked up at you.

"Which is?"

"You have feelings for me Frankie." He went to say something but you stopped him in his tracks " I just… I don't want things to get weird between us."

"It won't be a problem." Frankie replied as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I'm seeing someone." He replied plainly.

"Oh." You replied, a little shocked at his this news affected you.

"Yeah, I uh… Well, I met her a few days after you told us about the baby." He elaborated as a love-sick smile filled his features "I uh… Well, I didn't tell anyone cus it's still new but… Well, things are starting to get a little more serious so-"

"And she's okay with you moving in with the random chick you knocked up?" You scoff.

"She knows the situation and respects the fact I want to be involved… Want to help… Also, you're not some random chick!"

"How heroic." You grumbled, taking Frank by surprise.

"What?"

"Sorry… Nothing, just the hormones." You grumbled, trying to swallow past the lump in your throat.

"Are you jealous?" Frankie scoffed and you snorted.

"No, I'm not." You snapped "Just surprised you started dating when you're expecting a baby is all."

"Well, it's not like anything's ever going to happen between us." He stated as he forked more food into his mouth "I need to move on so that's what I'm doing."

"Right…" You trailed off, feeling tears sting at your eyes as you finished the last of your food in silence.

When the plates were washed and cleared away, you answered Frank's question. You knew you were going to need help when the baby came.

"Yes." You said as you opened the door for him as he went to leave "I would appreciate it if you moved in for a bit after the baby comes."

"Great." Frankie replied as he beamed at you and kissed your cheek "It's gonna be great."

You watched him practically skip to his truck. Your fingers touched where he'd kissed you just moments before. You were so confused by these feelings you were suddenly feeling for a man that four months ago, you'd slept with and rejected. You blamed the hormones.

You couldn't suddenly have developed feelings for him surely?

…

In the month that followed that evening, you and Frankie managed to clear out the office and start to paint it ready for the baby. You had your 20-month scan and after endless arm twisting and puppy-dog eyes from Frank, you agreed to learn the sex.

You were laying on the examination table, staring at the ceiling as the examiner prepped the machine for the procedure. You weren't exactly sure why you were so nervous. The baby had been active all morning, much to your chagrin and everything had been perfect on your last scan. Yet you couldn't help but worry that something might pop up.

"So, we ready to see how baby's getting on?" The doctor asked as she squeezed the gel onto your swollen tummy.

"Definitely!" Frankie replied. He was practically vibrating with excitement.

The doctor got to work looking for your little miracle. Finding them quickly and turning the screen so that you and Frankie could see the life you'd created together.

"Looking good mummy and daddy." Said the doctor sweetly as she grinned at you both "Did we want to learn the sex today?"

"Yes." Frank rushed out and you smirked at him, knowing how desperately he wanted to know.

"Let's have a look then." She said as she started to move the probe around, taking measurements as she went.

"Please be a girl. Please be a girl. Please be a girl." Frankie uttered under his breath, his hands enveloping yours as he stared at the screen awaiting the verdict.

"Well. She's measuring perfectly." The examiner stated and your heads shot up like Meerkats.

"She?" You asked and the doctor nodded.

"It's a girl?" Frankie squeaked and the doctor grinned.

"I can say with 90 per cent certainty that you are having a healthy baby girl."

Frankie choked back the sob that threatened to escape him at the news that he was going to have a daughter. He'd hoped from the moment that you'd told him you were pregnant that it was going to be a girl and his wish had been granted.

"Happy?" You asked, pulling his attention away from the screen and to you.

"Elated."

The doctor printed some pictures for you and sent you on your way with more tips for the last leg of your pregnancy. Frankie couldn't stop staring at the pictures as you left the building and made your way back to his truck, narrowly missing a lampost as he walked.

"Eye's up Morales." You teased as you guided the man to the car.

"I just… Just look at her." He gushed. His eyes were the size of saucers as he studied the pictures in his hands.

You smiled as you walked up beside him, resting your head on his arm as you both admired the pictures together. She was so clear. Her hands waving in front of her and her legs kicking. The first scan had been emotional but this one had just brought it all into focus. In four more months, you were going to be a mum.

"Can't wait to show everyone at the bar tonight." Frank said, pulling you from your thoughts "Ben's going to be stoked."

After a few more moments of wonderous staring, Frank finally helped you clamber into the car before getting in himself. You had loved the fact your appointment had fallen on drinks night so when you had suggested to Frankie that you surprise them with the news that night, he'd leapt at the chance. You had come up with a plan for how you were going to tell them. You just needed to set it up when they were out of earshot.

Frank dropped you home before making his way back to work and so then, with the rest of the afternoon off, you started to put your plan in motion. Come 6 it was time to leave. All three of the boys had offered to pick you up but you had declined. Wasn't like you could drink anyway.

Arriving at the bar, you managed to avoid the Miller brother's gaze as you snuck over to Fish who was standing waiting for you. With a quick hug and a peck on the cheek, you relayed your plan to him, smiling when he then passed that onto the barman whose attention he shortly grabbed. Then, when everything was in place, you walked with Frank as he carried the tray of drinks over.

"Ahhhhhh, that's what we want." Ben cooed as he helped Frank unload the tray before pouring everyone a glass.

"Who's the extra glass for?" Will asked. Something you hadn't noticed until he had pointed it out.

"That would be for me." Piped up an unfamiliar voice and you turned your head to seek it who owned it.

The was a pretty woman. Medium height with dirty blonde waves and striking eyes. She smiled shyly at you all as Frankie stood to throw his arm around her shoulders.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Mary." He said proudly "Mary this is everyone." He chuckled "The blonde Labrador over there is Benny… The more reserved blonde there is Ironhead-"

"Will is fine." The older Miller interjected.

"And this lovely lady here is Titch." He finished with a smile.

You gave her a wave, trying your best to hide the turmoil you were feeling with a smile. At first glance, she seemed nice. A little on the shy side but pretty in a girl-next-door kinda way. She wasn't stick thin. On the curvier side but her dress sense did nothing but accentuate her best features in all the right ways.

"So this is mummy to be." She piped up and she held her hand out for you to shake "I'm so happy to meet you. Frankie's told me all about you."

"All good I hope?" You joked and she grinned and nodded.

"Of course."

"Here, sit with me, baby." He purred as he pulled a chair up next to him, smiling sweetly when she popped herself down and leaned in to kiss him.

"So why are we only meeting this lovely lady now?" Ben pushed, his eyes glancing at you and noting how uncomfortable you looked.

"Well, Frank wanted to make sure this was something serious before introducing me to you all." She teased "Y'all obviously very important to him."

"Damn right." Will piped up, grinning at the look he got from Fish.

The table erupted into twenty questions for the next half an hour. Everyone but yourself wanted to know everything there was to know about Mary. Glancing at his watch, Frank noted it was time so coughing to grab your attention, he changed the direction of the conversation.

"Well, I think Mary's had enough interrogating for one evening." He joked, noting that the barman was preparing their surprise "Don't you guys wanna know how the scan went."

"Oooooh!… I do I do I do!" Ben answered as he positively bounced in his chair "How was it? Everything okay?"

"Everything is perfect." You replied with a smile. Glad to be off the subject of Mary for a while.

"We actually have a little surprise for you all." Frank piped up when he spotted the barman walking towards them.

"What is it?" Will asked excitedly.

"Is it twins?"

"No, it's not twins." You chuckled "We would have known that months ago if it was."

"What is it then?"

"Special order for ya." Said the server as he placed three cocktails down on the table.

"There's gotta be a mistake." Ben started "We wouldn't order pink coc…" The younger Miller trailed off as he shared a look with his brother before looking up at you and Frank "Really?" He squeaked and you nodded.

"Someone mind clueing me in here?" Will piped up and you chuckled wetly.

"They're having a girl." Ben replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Shit, that's awesome!" Will cheered as he stood up to hug you both "Congratulations."

"This is great news baby." Mary cooed as she kissed Frankie sweetly "I knew that's what you wanted."

For some reason. The fact she knew he wanted a girl before you made you want to scream. This was supposed to be your journey to share with him. Yet you knew you had no right to be jealous of her.

Frank had offered himself to you and you had rejected him.

You didn't even feel like that for him.

"Ugh… This little princess is using my bladder as a trampoline." You pipped up as you pushed yourself to your feet "Back in a few."

With that, you made your momentary escape. Desperate to get away from the happy couple for a while. After relieving yourself, you snuck outside for a moment. Needing another few minutes before rejoining your party. You breathed in the crisp evening air and willed the tears that threatened to spill.

"Titch?"

Frankie's voice made you jump and your hand grasped your chest as you willed your heart to slow.

"Jesus Frank." You grumbled, "Nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry." He replied, "You okay?"

"Mhmm." You nodded, not trusting yourself to speak.

"Titch… What's wrong."

"Nothing I just…" You sniffed as you tried to pull yourself together "I just wasn't expecting you to bring her tonight of all nights."

"Why are you crying?" You growled at his question, not wanting to answer it but knowing he wouldn't drop it if you didn't "Titch?"

"Seeing her with you hurts!" You growled "There! Ya, happy? Seeing you with her has made me sad and I don't understand why."

"Titch-"

"I just hate the idea of you being together… This is supposed to be our journey and then I learn that she knew you wanted a girl before I did and…"

"You had your chance to share this journey with me Titch." He stated plainly and you nodded, knocking the traitorous tears loose.

"I know that." You growled "I just… I don't understand what I'm feeling right now."

"Come inside." You nodded, following him in wordlessly and rejoining the rest of the party.

"Everything okay Titch?" Ben asked when he noticed your eyes were red.

"Yeah… Just these damn baby hormones getting the better of me." You chuckled, leaning into him in a way you hoped would be reassuring.

"Man, those steaks look incredible." Will piped up as he eyes the food that had been delivered to the table across from yours.

"Fuck I miss steak." Frankie grumbled.

"Can't have it at all?" Ben asked, his voice taking on a sympathetic tone.

"Doc said to avoid it. I guess a steak once in a while won't kill me." Fish shrugged "I guess that's what you get for fucking up your heart with drugs." He joked, trying to lighten the tone.

"We all turned to shitty methods to cope man." Will said, remembering his own poor choices after he'd gotten out "Maybe save the steak treat for your birthday though."

"Sounds like a plan!" Mary agreed and she wrapped her arm around his and pulled him close "Your heart may be delicate baby… but you aren't where it counts." She finished with a wink, grinning at the growl this elicited from her boyfriend.

"Gross." Ben groaned, earning himself the finger from the happy couple.

"I should get going." You said suddenly, rubbing your belly and feigning a yawn "Baby is draining me, body and soul."

"Awe." Ben pouted, earning a kiss on the cheek from you.

"Night everyone."

You said your goodbyes and left. Glad to escape. You didn't understand why seeing Frankie and Mary together hurt so much. You should be happy that he found someone. He deserved to be happy and yet you found you couldn't be.

Then it dawned on you as you put your car in park.

"I have feelings for Frank!"

Next

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#frankie morales × reader #frankie morales × you #frankie 'catfish' morales #frankie morales fanfiction #frankie morales triple frontier #francisco morales triple frontier #francisco morales × you #francisco morales fanfiction #francisco morales #francisco morales × reader #triple frontier x you #triple frontier × reader #triple frontier fanfiction #triple frontier #pedro pascal character fanfiction #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal

[the-offside-rule]

Daniel Ricciardo (Alpha Tauri) - It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Prompt: It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Warnings: nope

The snow fell delicately to the ground in Woking as the Ricciardo children  ran around, gawking into each and every toy shop window and their parents Daniel and Y/n walking right behind them. "Mummy! Look at that one!" The oldest child, Gracey gasped, pointing in at a huge doll. "Isn't she so lovely? You could write to Santa and ask for it maybe?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Or daddy could buy it for me now! He has loads of money! He drives cars mummy!" Both Daniel and Y/n's mouth hung open. "Where did you get the cheek, Gracey Ricciardo?" Daniel asked, picking her up in his arms. "Mummy says I'm just like you so maybe you?" He laughed at her witty response. "Come on,

"Gracey? Can you be careful with Joey please?" Y/n asked as she took the little boy from his pram. "I will mummy. I'm his big sister now!" She announced proudly, taking his mittne covered hands and leading him out a bit to teach him how to make snowballs. Daniel and Y/n walked behind them, smiling on. "Don't you just love the Christmas holidays?" Y/n asked as she linked arms with her husband. He let out a sigh. "I just can't wait for school to start again." Daniel whispered. Y/n slapped his chest lightly. "I'm messing with you." Daniel laughed. "You better be! I hate seeing them going every morning." Daniel pulled a face. "And why is that?" he asked."I don't know, it means I'm all alone because you're either at the factory or at races."

Daniel looked at her worried. Back before they had two kids, they were always free to do whatever they wanted. She always had Friday to Sunday off work so they could always go to races together but now they had the kids, they had a life built for them in England so to bring them to different places every week could mess with them but maybe, just maybe, it was time to bring them along for once. "Do you think you should start going back to races then?" She looked up at him. "Well, I'm not sure. I-" Y/n was interrupted by her husband yelping as he felt a snowball hit the back of his head, the water trickling down his back. She giggled as she saw his face all scrunched up. "Which one of you threw that?!" The two children began laughing and before they could answer, Daniel was chasing after them.

Y/n sat on the bench, with the pram. She watched her little family running around, laughing. Their laughs reached up to the heavens and filled the skies. It was a truly merry sound. She spotted her little boy, Joey waddling towards her in his blue coat and mittens. "Aw, what's wrong my baby?" she asked, picking him and hugging him. "Th-now." He replied. He meant to say snow but he had a slight lispe. "Aw, does my baby not like the snow?" he shook his head. "Aw. Poor baby." she cradled him before looking back to Gracey and Daniel. He began rolling a lump of snow, presumably to make a snowman. "Look at that! Daddy and Gracey are going to make a snowman!" Joey looked over and blinked a few times before excitedly pulling away from his mother to run and join in building the snowman.

"Having fun?" she called over. Daniel showed her a mischievous grin. "Oh no, don't you dare!" She warned. Then, Daniel, Gracey and Joey charged at her with huge snowballs in hand. She began sprinting like her life depended on it but eventually, she got tired and Daniel caught up to her. "No Daniel! No-" She shrieked as the snow slammed onto her head and drizzled trickled her back and to add insult to injury, she felt two mini snowballs attack her legs. "Daniel." she whined. "That wasn't nice." He helped her shake the snow off. "You're alright, you're alright. We're sorry." She shook her head. "That was shocking behaviour Daniel Ricciardo." she said. "Come on, we'll go home. It's freezing." Daniel suggested, picking up Joey and putting him in the pram and Y/n taking Gracey's hand to start their walk home.

Once they finally did reach home, Daniel and Y/n closed the door and felt at ease at the warmth of the house made them feel better already. "You look quite handsome in that coat." Y/n said, pulling him in by the collar of the black funnel neck coat. "I might wear this coat more often then darling." He grinned as his lips met hers in a soft kiss. "Aren't you just so considerate?" Daniel hummed in response. "I'm pretending to be Santa." She pecked his lips again. "That would make me Mrs Clause, wouldn't it?" He thought for a moment. "I don't know, I like the sound of Mrs Ricciardo better." Her heart rate quickened. "That was smooth." she chuckled. "It was. I had to think about it too." The pair burst into laughter.

"Come to the first race of the season with me." She let out a sigh. "What about the kids?" she asked. "Bring them too." She looked at him. "Are you sure?" He nodded and curled his arms around her waist. "Of course I am. There's nothing I'd love more." "Okay, we'll go." He smiled, still holding her close. "Oh look." He pointed up, showing off a piece of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. "You know what that means." She nodded and slowly but surely leaned in further until their lips met. "I love you." Daniel whispered.

"I love you too."

#f1 blurb #f1 imagine #f1 oneshot #f1 oneshots #daniel ricciardo x you #daniel ricciardo x reader #daniel ricciardo one shot #daniel ricciardo imagine #daniel ricciardo #daniel ricciardo x y/n #daniel ricciardo x ofc #daniel ricciardo x female reader

[letarasstuff]

Borderline Dehydrated

(A/N): This is my second time writing for Star Wars and my first attempt to get a grip on the Mandalorian (writing wise). This is based on my headcanon that Din is borderline dehydrated at any given time. Be nice to me and this fic, I'm ready to bite unwanted haters (critic on the other hand always is welcome)

Summary: Din's older Foundling seems to care more for him than she lets on

Pairing: Din Djarin x Foundling!reader (reader is refered to with she/her pronouns)

Warnings: None (but please let me know, if there is anything)

Wordcount: .7k (she is a cute shorty)

✨Masterlist✨ _____________________________

“Here, for you”, (Y/N) puts down a dish with something akin to a stew on the co-pilot’s seat. Next to Din’s seat she places two bottles of water.

An aura of questions radiates off him, as he watches her pick up the Child from his pram. “Where are you going?” He inquires, confusion evident in his modulated voice. “I’m taking the little one to the hull and eat with him and the Frog Lady dinner. We’ll leave you alone until you come down and tell us you are done. And don’t you dare do it before you drink at least half of what I gave you.” (Y/N) fixes him with a pointed look while cradling the Child to her chest.

“Why?” The Mandalorian simply asks. “Because we went through the desert of Tatooine for several days and I haven’t seen you take a sip of anything during the whole time. I’m sure you are borderline dehydrated at all times. So just fix it and eat the krayt dragon stew and drink some water, ok?” A wee bit of worry is detectable in her voice during the explanation.

Din thanks her as she makes her way to the ladder. “No need to be grateful. I just took the meat Peli already cooked and threw a bunch of other stuff in. Just do me the favor and eat. I don’t want to drag your heavy and sorry ass through the woods or something on a strange planet, just because you collapse from dehydration. I’m doing all of this out of selfish reasons, I want you to know that.”

Both of them know that (Y/N) left her selfishness, something she adapted out of survival during her years as a stray on a backwater planet, long behind. Last, when she threw herself at a Stormtrooper, who tried to shoot Din from behind. Well, luckily the white armored soldiers are not a good shot and that (Y/N)’s brain hasn’t developed a rational sense yet.

“I know”, he replies with a smile audible in his voice, “You are purely acting out of egotistical reasons. Now go and eat, I know that you gave your most recent meal to the Child and if I remember correctly, you haven’t had anything in your belly for as long as I have.” Under his helmet, Din has a smug look on his face.

He can’t describe how much he feels for the foundlings he is caring for. It pains him already thinking about reuniting the Child with the Jedi and then finding survivors of (Y/N)’s species.

During the Empire, her planet was attacked for not surrendering to them. It was an important spot for trading, making it out to be a strategic asset. That’s something the Rebellion saw early on and used it to their advantage. When the chatter about an impending imperial attack grew louder as the Empire were unwilling to leave the innocent civilians out of the war, (Y/N)’s family sent her through a safety pod into the galaxy, hoping that some kind soul will save the child.

That’s all that Din knows about her life before he had found her. Or more like, the Child found her, as she was hiding in a clove of some building. He wandered off while the Mandalorian was negotiating with a merchant. It was like the green creature sensed her distress (which, with today’s knowledge about his powers, he probably did), cooing at the crying girl. When Din found them and realized that there is no one who is willing to take her in, he acted accordingly to his creed.

Just two hours later he regretted it, because he failed to recognize that teenagers in particular are a difficult species to handle. During their first day, he lived through more emotions with (Y/N) than he is able to count on his hands.

Luckily, everything has started falling into place, and now the clan of three is a better than ever team.

And so they continue their quest through the galaxies, looking for the Jedi and another species that probably has been erased.

#din djarin x reader #din djarin x female reader #din djarin x teen!reader #din djarin x female!reader #din djarin x foundling!reader #star wars fanfiction #din djarin fanfiction

[variety-fangirl]

Our Baby / Rafe Cameron x fem!reader

Part 1 here Part 3 here

Summary: Rafe has a change of heart after seeing his ex and son, his whole world changing.

Warnings: 18+ NO MINORS daddy Rafe 😉, gentle face fucking, oral (receiving and giving), unprotected vaginal penetration, swearing, fluff, and a bit of aftercare.

Author's note: I'm so glad everyone wanted a part 2, so here it is! This is definitely one of my favourites so far 🥺 hope you enjoy! Liking, commenting, and reblogging allows me to improve and gain feedback on how I'm doing. It is greatly appreciated. I stayed up till 4am to finish this, I was invested in writing I got carried away :D.

Word count: 2.3k

You spent the whole weekend at your parent's house, allowing them to spend time with both you and Hunter. You were expecting to have a quiet weekend with family but were surprised when the next morning came and Rafe asked you to go for breakfast with Hunter. You immediately agreed, wanting Rafe to bond with his son. You wanted your child to have a relationship with his father, even if you couldn't.

You were still in love with him, that was going to take a while to move on from. With time you hoped that your heart would heal and the feelings would fade. You went to a little café nearby, ordering breakfast for you both. Hunter was wide awake, curious about who this person was holding him. You couldn't help but smile as you watched Rafe interact with your son, he seemed a natural with him.

Although he didn't have the best track record when it came to being kind to others, you knew deep down he would be a wonderful father and would love his child unconditionally. Of course, he'd made mistakes in the past but everyone does, and you didn't hold that against him. He had always been kind and sweet to you, of course, you had the odd fight now and again like most couples did and would always be resolved by the end of the day.

Neither of you liked going to bed angry with each other, so you'd always make up and end up having hot make-up sex. Your relationship hadn't been perfect but it was pretty good and you balanced each other out perfectly. You weren't sure anybody would ever be able to top Rafe, he'd ruined you for anyone else.

"What are you thinking about?" Rafe asked with a smile as Hunter fell asleep peacefully in Rafe's arms, handing him back so that you could put him in his pram to sleep. You grab your son and tucked him in, "nothing really, I was thinking about what time to leave tomorrow." you lied, not wanting to know you were thinking about him.

He looked at you with a look you couldn't decipher, "hmm... you'll have to give me your house address so I can come by and see you guys." He smiled, seeming to push away his thoughts. You nodded, "sure. I'll text it to you later. Feel free to come by whenever." you weren't expecting him to come by much in all honesty, he enjoyed his drinking and partying too much.

-

"So how come you had a change of heart and came to my parent's house yesterday?" you questioned, taking a sip from your drink. "Something just clicked, I already felt terrible about how I handled that day but just couldn't figure out what to say to you. I am sorry for how I acted, you deserved better than that. But I'm here now and I want to be a part of Hunter's life, I've already missed so much." he explained thoughtfully, a look of regret flashing across his face.

You smiled gratefully, "I appreciate you apologising, thank you for that. Of course, I want you to be a part of his life. He deserves to have both parents in his life." Rafe looked relieved and happy at this, seemingly worried you would deny him seeing his son. You wouldn't do that to him, you wondered how often he would come by to see Hunter though.

Oh how you'd been wrong, Rafe ended up coming by four times a week for the past four weeks to spend time with Hunter. You thought he would come by every now and again but not as much as he was, not that you were complaining. Hunter would recognise and be happy to see Rafe if he kept this up regularly, the thought made you smile.

You were grateful that he was putting in the effort, your son having both parents around was extremely important to you. You quickly came to see how much Rafe had fallen in love with your little one, bonding with him quickly. Rafe adored the fact that he looked like a miniature version of himself, already talking about putting him in matching outfits.

During the first week, two days after having breakfast that first morning, Rafe dropped by (with your approval of course). He had brought a stuffed bear teddy as a present for him, Hunter immediately smiled and screamed in excitement. This made you both giggle at your son, enjoying his excitement. During the second week, Rafe wanted to go start going out for family days together, to do fun activities and bond more.

You took Hunter to the beach, to introduce him to sand and to get him used to being in busy crowds of people. Hunter ended up attempting to eat the sand so you had to move him onto your lap securely. During the third week, ended up staying for three nights to help you care for Hunter whilst you were a bit unwell. It luckily last long, only about four days but Rafe refused to leave you on your own. You had been so thankful and able to catch up on some needed sleep.

Hunter had started to get somewhat into a routine, before long you'd be able to start getting more sleep in the nights. The nights were the toughest, being on your own with a newborn and breastfeeding was hard and tiring but you wouldn't change it for the world. Sarah had popped over to see how you were doing on one of the days you were sick and was surprised to see Rafe there.

Sarah regularly popped over and met up with you to see both you and the baby, she adored her nephew. She had grilled you for an hour straight for details of how your relationship was, whilst Rafe put Hunter down for his afternoon nap. During week four, the weather was amazing, so you decided to have a lazy pool day. Rafe came over with swim shorts and a change of clothes for after, excited to see you both.

You put on a cute yellow bikini with your hair in a messy bun, you'd lost a little bit of baby weight but still had a little bit left over. You were comfortable in your skin, knowing Rafe wouldn't be judgemental of the extra weight, you knew he'd be understanding that it wasn't a miracle to lose it all straight away. Rafe had always made you beautiful no matter what you looked like, dressed up with make-up or first thing in the morning or on days you looks really unwell.

You stepped into the pool with Hunter in hand, a little bucket hat on his head and waterproof sunscreen to protect him. You looked up in time to see Rafe walk out in his blue swim trunks, abs on full display. "Fuck." you whispered to yourself, unable to tear your eyes away as you walked over to the ladder, not wanting to scare or splash Hunter by jumping in.

You quickly looked away as Rafe stepped into the pool and made his way over. Hunter happily smacked his arms and legs around in the water, you made sure to keep him above the water a decent amount. Rafe lightly tickled his sides, causing Hunter to squeal happily. You smiled at the two, feeling extremely blessed and lucky. The love you had for your son was immense, you never knew you could love someone so deeply with your whole being.

And you knew Rafe felt the same, just the way he stared at your son with a wide smile and played with him, you knew he felt the same. You could feel Rafe staring at you intensely, you looked up at him with a smile, "what's up?" you asked curiously. He shook his head with a smile, "nothing. I'm just admiring your beauty, you are an amazing mother." you instantly felt tears prick at your eyes and your cheeks burn red.

In the current, you had just taken a hot shower whilst Rafe put your son down for the night. It was around 7pm, which was his usual bedtime. You showered in the guest bedroom whilst Rafe put Hunter to bed in his cot in your bedroom. You were honestly so grateful for the help, being able to eat properly, get some sleep and shower because of Rafe's continuously regular help. You walked out of the bathroom in your towel, your pyjamas on the bed ready where you'd left them.

You stood in front of the bed and released the towel from your body, letting it fall to the floor. You'd already dried your body, you towel-dried your damp hair and let that drop to the floor also. You were just about to get dressed when the door suddenly opened, "hey he's finally do-" Rafe stopped, you span around quickly with wide eyes. You gasped, quickly grabbing your towel from the floor.

Rafe's eyes stared at you the whole time, trailing up and down. "Rafe!" You lightly called, careful not to be too loud. His eyes shamelessly trailed up slowly, finally meeting your eyes. He placed the baby monitor on the desk by the door, the light indicating it was on. One moment he was by the door, the next he was kissing you passionately and pushing you down on the bed.

Your towel was on the floor, your naked body on full display for him. You moaned into his mouth, pulling him closer to you. You yanked his shirt up, wanting it off of him. He pulled back to remove his shirt, your hands immediately went to his shorts and pulled them down along with his boxers. "Fuck, are you sure?" he breathily questioned, he was already rock hard. You leaned forward and grabbed his cock, and licked the head, "does that answer your question?" you looked up at him through your eyelashes and bit your lip.

He nodded, seeming unable to answer you with your hand slowly pumping him. You took him in your mouth, swirling your tongue around the head and traced the vein on the underside. Slowly bobbing your head up and down, you set a comfortable pace as quiet moans escaped Rafe. He stared down at you as he collected your hair into his fist and gently fucked your mouth, you moaned in agreement and looked up at him.

You watched as his mouth opened, watching in amazement as you sucked his cock perfectly. You still knew exactly how to please and tease him, nobody compared to you. His head went back in pleasure as you hollowed out your cheeks and sucked hard, a quiet "ahh" escaping him.

"Lie back, baby," Rafe ordered softly, stopping his delicious assault on your mouth. You instantly obeyed and lay back on the mattress, your damp hair fanning out around your head. Rafe pulled you by your thighs to the edge of the bed, his body knelt on the carpeted ground. He softly kissed your stomach, slowly making his way up and down each thigh. You moaned breathily as his mouth latched onto your clit, your hands fisting the duvet beside you.

Your back arched as he licked a long line with his tongue up your slit, sucking your clit as he reached the top. He gently added a finger, pumping in and out slowly while he sucked on your clit. You grabbed the hair on his head and pulled, a groan leaving him as you did so. He quickly added a second finger, a cry almost leaving your mouth as he did so.

His pace quickened, your walls clenching as you felt your orgasm build, the knot forming in your stomach. "Fuck!" you moaned quietly, your hips moving of their own accord. "Come for me, baby," Rafe mumbled against your core, attaching his lips to your clit again. That was all it took for your release to hit you, you covered your mouth to stop yourself from moaning too loudly. Rafe made his way on top of you once you were finished, easily lifting you and scooting you up the bed.

Rafe positioned himself at your entrance, his lips attaching to yours. You tasted yourself on him, moaning as his tongue entered. You both moaned as Rafe entered you, he began slowly thrusting in and out. He grabbed your hands and put them above you, interlacing his fingers with yours. Rafe placed his forehead on yours, staring deeply into your eyes, "I love you." he breathily moaned.

"Fuck, I love you too." You cried out softly, wrapping your legs around his waist. Rafe placed his head in the crook of your neck, kissing the area. You pressed your mouth against his shoulder, biting the area to keep your quiet. Rafe picked his pace a little, the only sound being loud mixed breathing and light skin slapping together. You could feel yourself get close, the knot forming once again.

You whimpered as your walls clenched around him as he began fucking you harder and faster, "shit. I'm close, come for me, baby." Rafe groaned, kissing you passionately. You moaned into his mouth as you came hard, this one was stronger than the first. The feeling intensified as Rafe came with a breathy groan, riding you both through your highs.

Taglist: @itsmytimetoodream @onmykneesforrafe

Rafe pulled out and made his way to the bathroom to get you a washcloth to clean you, he returned quickly and cleaned you up without complaint. "That was amazing" Rafe smiled as he helped you up, pecking your lips. You smiled and nodded in agreement. You both got dressed and made your way into your bedroom, snuggling into bed whilst Hunter stayed soundly asleep in his cot.

You and Rafe faced one another, "so does this mean we are back together?" Rafe asked with a smile. You smiled in return, "only if you want to." he pulled you in for a gentle kiss, the kiss holding more meaning and feeling. "Of course I do, I never should have let you go in the first place." You nodded, "then we're back together." a huge smile forming on his face. Now everything was the way it should be, you had never been happier. Your family was complete.

#rafe cameron x reader #y/n #fluff #outer banks #rafe x you #rafe obx #rafe cameron #rafe cameron smut #rafe fic #father rafe #mother reader #rafe smut #outer banks smut

[toomuchracket]

Noo imagine spring morning walks when he’s back from tour. (Not far cause you know pregnancy) but walking to little coffee shops for brunch and ahhh 😭😭😭

love this because when the spring sunshine starts to appear over the next couple of weeks you get to make him melt by kissing his cheek and saying "it was raining when you were away. you brought the sun back for me!" awwww!! anyway - he'll hold your hand or tug you into him while you wander down the street for breakfast, and hold the bump while he stands behind you in the cafe as you're ordering, and it's just the cutest. actually, no, what's cutest is matty getting distracted at the table just scrutinising the layout of the coffee shop; you're like "everything alright, baby?", and he goes pink and says "i'm just trying to figure out where the best place to sit would be if we had the baby with us in her pram. sorry, darling, please continue", but of course you can't keep talking because oh my god how adorable. you do get a little tired on the walk home, so the agenda for the rest of the day is to curl up together on the sofa to watch abbott elementary and have a little nap against matty's chest. lovely <3

#mads answers asks #matty asks #fluff asks #d word matty #literal d word

[smol4bluengine]

It was time for Gordon's check- up with Mr. Ramsfield. Sir and Lady Hatt walked up to the Ramsfield's office, Lady Hatt pushing Gordon's pram.

"Are you excited for your visit with Mr. Ramsfield today Gordon"? Sir Topham Hatt asked.

"Mhm." Baby Gordon simply replied.

"Is everything okay Gordon? You haven't been your usual happy self lately." Lady Hatt said.

"Boiwer ache." Baby Gordon replied.

"Poor dear, don't worry once we're done with Mr. Ramsfield, we'll head over the steam works and Victor can make you feel all better, okay"? Lady Hatt asked.

"Otay". Baby Gordon said.

Unbeknownst to everyone except Gordon, the baby engine had been hiding that he had regained his big engine memories quite some time ago. However, Gordon was loving his life as a baby engine and had planned on purposefully failing the big test to remain as a baby engine, but the weight of guilt had been getting to Gordon.

The Hatt family entered Mr. Ramsfield's office.

"Hello Sir and Lady Hatt and hey there little guy! How is everyone doing"? Mr. Ramsfield asked.

"We're doing fine thank you, but poor Gordon here has been having some nasty boiler ache lately." Sir Topham Hatt responded.

"I'm sorry you're going through that Gordon. I'll try to get through our meet up as fast as possible so that your mommy and daddy can focus on making you feel better, okay"? Mr. Ramsfield asked.

"Otay, mista Wamsfeeld." Baby Gordon agreed.

With that, Mr. Ramsfield began his examination. He first started by asking Baby Gordon some simple questions like asking him how he was doing, did anything exciting happened during the week, and reciting the alphabet and numbers. Finally, Mr. Ramsfield had Sir Topham Hatt place Baby Gordon down on the baby engine track he set out for some play time. On the track were some toys: stuffed animals, soft blocks, toy freight, and toy passenger cars.

Gordon stood at the switches looking at the two trains. The weight of guilt crushing him as Lady Hatt asked Gordon what he would like to play with.

A bad memory flashed in Gordon's mind, one where his mentor had him locked in a dark shed for weeks after he saw Gordon returning to the sheds singing happily while hauling a heavy goods train and giving a friendly whistle to passengers waiting on the platform.

"Please professor let me out, it's too dark and scary! I'm sorry I took a goods train, I just wanted to be useful"! A young green Gordon cried.

Young Gordon couldn't see a thing in the shed, he feared a monster would gobble him up or worse, he'd be forgotten in there forever. By the time his professor let him out, Gordon had lost count of how long he'd been locked up.

Before him stood his mentor, the engine was only a bit smaller than Gordon, but the way he had Gordon cowering in the corner, one would've mistaken the professor for being a Union Pacific Big Boy. The professor looked at the young express engine in disgust.

"Get out." He spoke.

"W..what"? Gordon stuttered.

"You've been bought by another railway, meaning you don't belong here anymore. Get out." The professor said bluntly.

Without another word Gordon rushed out of the sheds as soon as his crew got him up to steam.

As Gordon made his way to the big station, he passed by the smaller engines who immediately fled to hide once they saw the young big engine approaching. Gordon wheeshed sadly as he watched the small station pilot cower behind a short train of coal cars, but it wasn't just Gordon they were hiding from. From the other side of the tracks a group of three young big engines steamed up, pushing any small engine who hadn't been fast enough to move out of the bigger engines way. Gordon hoped they wouldn't notice him as he pulled into the station.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here"? Came one of the big engines.

"Looks like they finally let the big crybaby out, what a shame, we were enjoying the peace and quiet away from your obsessive sobbing." Said another.

"Wah, waaah! I'm Gordon and I don't have a single friend! Wah"! The third taunted.

"Not even those silly little engines want to be friends with a weirdo like me"! Mocked the second.

"PATHETIC"! The big engines laughed.

Gordon fought the urge to cry as he struggled to speak.

"I...I got sold to...to another railway..." Gordon struggled to speak.

"Yes, to a railway of failures."One said.

"I heard their controller fell for a silly trick and bought some sort of sick chimera of an engine." Third said.

"A rather perfect fit for a big baby like yourself." The first said smuggly as they pierced deeply into Gordon's soul.

By now a few tears had managed to escape Gordon's eyes as the bit smaller big engines passed him.

When he managed to calm down, his builders arrived to instruct the big engine to head to London, where he would meet his new controller at King's Cross. Gordon just hoped he could make some friends on this railway and maybe, just maybe, he could have a family with siblings and a mother and father like he always wanted.

Back in the present, Baby Gordon could no longer hold in his emotions and began to whail.

"ME WIED!!!!!!!!! ME WEMEMBA BEIN BIG"!!!!!!!!!!! Baby Gordon admited.

The adults in the room were shocked as Gordon continued to cry.

"Me sowwy! Me no wanna be big! Too scawy! Too many inny ouchies"! Gordon cried.

The baby engine feared and awaited the out lash from a very crossed Sir Topham Hatt. Instead, Mr. Ramsfield spoke.

"I understand." Mr. Ramsfield told Gordon and the still processing Hatt's.

The watery eyed engine looked up towards the younger man as he knelt down to the best of his abilities to be on Gordon's level.

"Engine phycology is just now starting to be seen as a serious issue and yet there have been many, many engines ever since "The Rocket's" era that are in need of help. I don't know what happened in your past Gordon and I can't imagine how scared you must have felt telling us you remember being big, but know that the place where you are right now is a safe area for you to be you and to talk about anything you need to talk about." Mr. Ramsfield gently spoke to the little engine.

Gordon felt the soft rubs on his boiler from Sir and Lady Hatt.

"Gordon, does being a baby engine make you truly happy"? Sir Topham Hatt asked.

"Yes." Gordon responded.

"Then I don't want you to change alright? If being a baby engine makes you the best version of you then you are a really useful engine." Sir Topham Hatt told the baby engine.

"Dada"! Baby Gordon cried happily as Hatt's held their little blue baby engine close.

#ttte #thomas and friends #ttte gordon #thomas the tank engine #gordon the big engine #ttte sir topham hatt #ttte lady hatt

[januaryembrs]

AD ASTRA - CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHPT. XIV THE DRAGONS

Description: amidst an untrustworthy source, a scorching planet and flying, scaled demons, you’re forced to do something drastic to protect your family. 

Length: 4.8k

main masterlist

AD ASTRA MASTERLIST

Din Djarin X Jedi!reader series. Friends to lovers, (Somewhat) slowburn, female!reader, JEDI!READER, possible smut, jealous!mando, reader has problematic childhood, fluff, saviour complex!mando, canon star wars characters mentioned, Obi wan x padawan!reader, dad!obi wan, general star wars bloodshed etc.

AD ASTRA PER ASPERA

“To the stars through hardships”

Your group had decided to ride the Blurgs seeing as the place the contact had requested to meet was in such a remote location, meaning you had a long day of walking ahead of you. Kuiil only owned three of the hulking, tadpole-shaped creatures, however, so Cara and you hopped on together seeing as you were both the unexpected and possibly unwelcome guests to this Greef Karga that Mando had been in contact with.

The leathery-skinned creatures plodded down the ramp of the crest and you immediately eyed up the four strangers of varying species waiting for Mando, noting the loaded blasters sitting at their hips.

"Sorry for the remote rendezvous, Mando. But things have gotten complicated since you were last here. It appears that introductions are in order. It seems we've both provided a security detail." The older human at the front, who you guessed was Karga judging by his leadership over the others, said. He eyed up the three newcomers that he had not been waiting for, yourself included, and pointed at Cara with interest, "I recommend the shock-trooper guards the ship, these lava fields are lousy with Jawas."

"She's coming with me," Mando said, and the tone in his voice clearly left no room for negotiation.

"But the town is now run by ex-Empire. If a rebel dropper is with us, they'll all get their hackles up." While what he said made sense, something about the way he was scrambling for an excuse to lessen your defence of the child made your nerves spark aflame of distrust. A terrible pit in your stomach only deepened with dread as your fears that this was a setup of sorts were satiated by his behaviour.

"She's coming," Mando repeated harshly, not moving from his statement.

Greef thought for a moment, looking at where you sat behind the rebel, staring holes into him viciously with cold eyes. "Fine. Fine. At least cover your tattoo. No need to flaunt it. And the beautiful specimen at the back, is she a rebel too?"

Din's jaw clenched at the man's words, the way he spoke about you as though you weren't there or was simply a porcelain object he had brought along for the ride.

"No, she's a friend. Best fighter I know. Anyone wishing to cross our path doesn’t stand a chance," Mando answered honestly, the compliment clearly being laced with a threat in case Greef had any ideas.  

"Now, where is the little one?" The man asked, now wary of the two women sitting on top of one of the ugly beasts. Mando flicked some buttons on his vambrace, which you had rewired to link it to the controls on the new pram, and the sleek egg-shaped crib floated up towards Greef who looked down in awe. You felt your heart leap into your throat, hand jumping to your blaster in distrust of the man.

"So this little bogwing is what all the fuss was about." Greef said, holding the child up out of the crib as he stared up at him in wonder with soft black eyes, "What a precious little creature. I can see why you didn't wanna harm a hair on its wrinkled little head. Well, I'm glad this matter will be put to rest once and for all." He placed the child back down, making you and no doubt Mando sigh a breath of short-lived relief. Mando drew the crib back almost immediately, back to the protection of the four beings atop the blurgs. You watched the lid shut firmly with the child inside it, and turned your attention back to the contact, satisfied that the baby was safe.

"Relax, Mama bear. Kid's safe" Cara muttered, trying to soothe your nerves as she felt your arm wrapped around her middle for balance tense up. You nodded to yourself, trying to coax yourself into reassurance.

"The sun drops fast on Nevarro. We can walk for a spell and camp out on the river bank, then make our way into town at first light." Greef Karga said, turning on his foot and heading in the direction you guessed the river was. You would certainly be glad to see some water, the hot air of the volcanic planet already feeling like a scorching, heavy blanket over your shoulders.

The group followed on the blurgs, you wrapping your arms around the woman in front of you for stability.

"Someone feeling cuddly today?" Cara teased, though she got no sarcastic quip in return as she had expected. That told her all she needed to know, that you were deep in your head, no doubt about the child and what you were about to walk into. You had never thought that you would grow to care about the child so much in the past few months you and Mando had been playing happy family, but looking back on it you really saw him as your own foundling. You were by no means a natural at it, but you found comfort in the fact you and Mando learned and figured it out together, as you did with most things these days.

You had felt so alone for so long, and now you had them. When you lay in your tiny, uncomfortable bed at night, sometimes you daydreamed of calling them your family; of seeing Mando without his armour, being his beloved. Cyare, that was what they called them, you remembered Shenzi teaching you. Just to be his, and have him as yours lulled you to sleep, alone and cold as you may be. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

You had been walking for a few hours by the time they came to a stop and, all things considered, you were quite enjoying the ride as your role as passenger meant you could sightsee. It wasn't a lively planet, not the part you were walking through anyway and you quickly got used to the vermillion lava pools and the charcoal rocky plains nevertheless, you took it all in with wonder. Having to watch over your back for so long meant you never really had time to explore, so seeing this new land was exciting, even if you still were on high alert for danger the whole time.

The group had brought down a small mammal and cooked it on a spit over a fire they had started seeing as the night took a cold turn despite the fact they were on a volcanic planet. You stared into the loud, licking flames, one of Karga's men adding a shovel of screaming hot coals to stoke the fire that he sourced from a nearby lava pool. There seemed to be a tense silence over the group, not that you cared seeing as the Child sat in between you and Kuiil who tended to him gently, Mando laying out to the left of you. You chewed at your food slowly, the smokey flavoured meat being one of the best things you'd tasted in a while. You and Mando really tried your best, but with limited resources, you were still short for the symphony of taste that meat and an open fire allowed.

In your peripheral vision, you noticed the child squirming in his seat, hands pushing away the food that Kuiil offered him despite barely touching it. His eyes were locked on where Mando lay down, and it became clear to the child's protectors what he wanted.

"Here, I got him," You offered, placing your makeshift plate on the floor with your food still steaming with freshness. The Ugnaught lifted the child out of the crib, holding him out to your expecting hands who collected him and put him on the ground in between you and Mando. He almost immediately waddled over to your plate of food, getting his greedy little claws on your share of the meal with a mischievous giggle.

"Hey! That's not yours." Din scolded the boy who looked up at him guiltily, sharp teeth already sunk into the piece of meat, "Cuyir jate par gar cabur," [be good for your guardian]

The baby took not much notice, however, instead practically inhaling the food even faster in case one of them tried to take it away from him. You simply chuckled as the child shuffled away from the plate. "Don't worry, I already had enough anyway," You said, watching the little menace move towards the Mandalorian, plopping himself to the floor next to him, leaning against the man's chest plate. "adiika shi copaanir kaysh cabur" [the child just wants his protector] You replied fluently, smiling at the privacy you had been granted from the ears of the rest of the group as Mando'a was a very niche language nowadays. It was comforting to have the familiarity of something you could share just the two of you, reminding you of the quiet nights on the crest when it was just your little aliit [clan] together; no imps, no potential traitors, just the three of you.

"Well, look at you three, playing happy families. I didn't think you had it in you Mando," You almost sensed a hint of sincerity in Karga's voice, but the fact remained that the whole group had a bad feeling about this man's intentions and instead left the comment feeling like a bitter jab towards you. Mando straightened up, almost trying to block the child from the man's view the way he moved, and you couldn't help but wonder if that was because he felt like your moment of privacy was being tarnished, because you certainly did. That much was clear in the underlying glare you sent towards Karga for invading your moment as a family.

Family? It felt sinful nearly for thinking of them that way when that arrangement had never been agreed with Mando, but that was what had sprung to your mind nonetheless. Nothing had ever progressed past the stage of protectors towards the child, but something between you and Mando was there, the way a dying fire still flutters with hot embers. You both felt the heat of it, the sensation bringing you both warmth on a dark night, but it wasn't a roaring flame that demanded your vocalised attention, so it had gone unacknowledged, unspoken. Not to be thought of until the fire became so hot it burned welts into your skin.

Still, just as the tiny blaze was flickering to life with your game of secrecy, Karga had trampled over it, effectively killing the mood you had both been in.

"Let's go over the plan again," Mando cut in, trying to take the attention away from the child and the way you let him nibble gently at your finger. He hated how Karga had taken an interest in his interaction with you, even if it was his own fault for being so out of character around you, but he didn't think twice about it these days.

Your situation was unusual, to say the least. Two adults traversing the galaxy with a magical baby causing chaos every step of the way. You behaved like its parents naturally, as to be expected in a position like that, and it didn't help that the two of you felt something between you, a connection running far deeper and warmer than you’d admitted, but Din hadn't thought it would be that obvious to everyone else how he felt about you. How you could feel about him.

The world didn't get to see the side of him you did; he realised.

"We both enter the common house. We show the client the bait. We join him at the table, and you kill him." Karga said simply, the fire illuminating his oddly calm face as he spoke about a task that could land all involved in deep trouble considering the circumstances.

"Tell me about his reinforcements." Mando pressed, seemingly unconvinced it was as easy as he was making it out to seem.

"They're all ex-Empire. As soon as they lose their paycheck," Karga scoffed, finishing his last piece of meat and opening his canteen of water, "they'll all scatter."

"And if they don't?" Your mouth braved to ask. You didn't trust this contact one bit, something in the air between the lot of them was stagnant with the promise of lies. You were heading towards people who served the Empire, a fair few of them from what Karga was describing too. That only meant one thing; that trouble lay ahead for your little trio, though your life had been heading that way since the moment you saw that Beskar armour stroll into the cantina on Sorgan.

"They will." Karga replied after a beat, almost shocked to hear your voice through the twilight silence.

"That's not good enough," You said, a snappy tone in your voice at the secrets he was clearly keeping from you.

Greef sighed for a moment at your persistence. Din had to give it to you, considering he could tell how tense you were, you weren’t letting any bullshit slip past you, "If, for argument's sake, a few of them don't realise that I'm their best path to alternative employment, and they elect to react impulsively, then these three fine Guild hunters along with that battle-hardened shock-trooper and your Mandalorian will cut down anyone who bucks."

You dared a look at Mando when Greef referred to him in such a way, curious to see if he had any protest. If he did, he didn't voice it as he simply cut in where you left off.

"How many will there be?"

"No more than four," Karga replied, standing from the floor, but that sprung alarm bells in you almost immediately. Four? Certainly for such a highly sought-after prize, they would bring reinforcements. "He travels with, at most, a fire team. Trust me, nothing could go wrong."

Just as the devious man had reached over to the roasting animal skewered over the fire to collect a thick leg of meat, something moved in the shadows towards him. No sooner had a scream echoed loudly around the fire pit, two huge clawed feet lunged out of the darkness and snatched the food from his hands. Loud flapping sounds reverberated through the night, and they were big too.

You moved on impulse, grabbing the child from the floor and shoving him quickly into his new dome-shaped pram, shutting the lid on him to keep him safe from whatever the creatures swarming around you were. If they were interested in the meat in Karga's hands, a little boy like him would be a light snack to them.

The group scrambled to pull out their blasters, shooting blindly at any single noise they heard to no avail. The creature wailed once more, but for a moment after there was silence.

You stopped, waiting for any other sign of movement. They met you with a beat of stillness, and the small optimistic part of you hoped that that would be the end. 

Of course, you never got that lucky. you had never been a lucky woman.

The creature dived at the small group like a demon from the sky, and you now had the chance to get a genuine look at them. From what your eyes briefly caught in between shooting at the monstrous things, was the fact they were covered in darkish scales and they indeed had huge wings that blew sand up from the floor with every flap. 

You couldn't get a decent look at their face but you could bet all the credits you owned you would find a few rows of razor teeth you had no intention of getting close to. Your best guess; Dragons. 

Then, as you felt your blaster running low on charges, one beast, you believed there were two at least, swooped down and grabbed one of the Blurgs between its long talons. As selfish as it were, you couldn't help but be relieved that they had something to satiate their hunger that wasn't yourself, Cara or the man you cared for more than almost anyone.

"No! Let go of her! Drop her now!" Kuiil yelled, and you couldn't help but feel guilty of the horribly greedy thought you had had not two seconds earlier amid the shooting. The Blurgs were like a family to the little Ugnaught from Avrila-7 with them being the last remaining company he had on his moisture farm. You guessed they were to him what the child was to you and Mando, and the remorse at the idea of him being dragged away squealing so painfully was a kick to the gut.

The group shot at the dragon in vain, already knowing the animal was a lost cause but just to show Kuiil you would at least try fighting for his oddly amphibian looking family. But it was too late.

At least you thought.

Another moment of silence gave you a false sense of security, leading you to believe the dragons indeed would be satisfied with only one Blurg to chow down on. But no.

Within seconds, one of Karga's men was snatched in the claws of another one of the dragons, lifted off into the night, screaming for help. As if that wasn't enough, another of the Blurg's got targeted next by the huge reptiles. Luckily, thanks to the fact Cara had chosen a high powered semi-automatic from Mando's collection when she had the choice that morning, and the ex-shock trooper managed to hit the beast and kill it before it could drag away the poor, unsuspecting Blurg.

While there were obvious signs of blood pooling down the puncture wounds, the amphibian creature would live to see another Blurg day.

You had just about reloaded your twin blasters when the dragons dove an ultimate time. You didn't know whether it was the glint of the fire in the beskar that had caught their attention, but your gut twisted horribly when you saw one of the colossal beasts spring at Mando.

Your Mandalorian, as Karga had so well articulated.

Mando grunted with the impact of being thrown to the ground, and for a moment you felt your breath miss your throat in panic at the situation unfolding before you.

A snap second is all it would take for the dragon to wrap its talons around Mando, and in even less time they could beat their colossal wings and be off into the unknown with the man you felt more about than almost anyone in your entire life.

Maybe that was what made you do what you did; sheer fucking panic at the idea of him being snatched away from you when there was still so much you had to tell him. The kid needed him; you needed him.

Just as it had done earlier that day, the barrier between you and the force came crumbling down with much more vigour than you expected. Your breath was knocked out of your lungs at the power that overcame your whole body, but you paid no attention to it. This was a dumb, snap decision that had been your last resort to stopping the man you felt something so stupidly deep for being taken away from you.

You screamed out a protesting '"No!" as the dragon wrapped one of its talons under Mando's cuirass, lifting him off the ground all of two feet. You thrust your hand out in front of you, luckily seeming to the others as though you were simply reaching out of reflex to the action, and felt the dragon's force energy meet you right there.

It felt as though you had stuck your hand out into a cool field of energy, and that your own body's warm force met it right at the point of your fingertips, making them tingle with the difference.

'Hello, old friend', you thought to the force, feeling a wave of warmth rip in your stomach as it responded with glee. The force, as any wielder quickly learns, is just as alive as a visible being, if not more.

You felt your energy reach out to the dragon and squeeze, mangling the dragon's force signature in between your grasp and likely making the scaled beast feel as though its lungs were being crushed in on itself.

It let out a wail of a roar, luckily for you making it appear it was simply releasing a battle cry to the man beneath its grasp. You had a split second to decide whether you wanted to take it further, but the creeping feeling of lethargy of using your powers on such an enormous creature after so many years of malpractice hit you. But you would have pushed past it if someone did not already decide for you.

The dragon's cry gave Din the distraction he needed to reach onto his vambrace and flick open his flame thrower. Long tendrils of fire poured out of the arm piece, scorching the side of the best in its path and making it drop Din down to the floor unceremoniously.

Din left the flames to ward off the creature for a moment longer, alongside the blaster shots from the remaining people in the group. It seemed to work and finally fend off the creatures for good as they watched the two dragons fly off into the distance, their one successful catch of the first Blurg in tow.

Dropping your hand, you felt your force manipulation slipping away. Tiredness overcame you, and strangely achy all over at the feeling of the force buzzing through you once more. You couldn't believe you'd done that, opened the floodgates and let in something you swore would die with you. And you'd done it willingly too. Not like earlier where the child forced it upon you; no this time you had chosen to do it if it meant you could save Mando.

There was very little, if anything, you wouldn't have done to keep him safe.

Mando grabbed you from where you stood not a few feet in front of him, yanking you behind him so that they could watch each other's six for any sign that the dragons were coming back for a second meal. But, after a pause of stillness, it seemed they weren't and group visibly relaxed.

Cara looked over to where her other two companions stood on the other side of the fireplace, taking it upon herself to check on the child from where he sat safely inside his cocoon, oblivious to the fact his father figure was almost lining a huge lizard's insides.

Din turned back to where he'd almost thrown the woman not two minutes earlier to protect your blind spot. "Are you alright?" he asked, his breathlessness clear in his tone.

You surprised even yourself with what you did next. You hugged him.

It was very brief, and awkward considering his chest armour pressed against your face, but you paid no attention to it. He let out a sound of shock at your movement and had barely thought to bring his hand down to rest on your back gently as you squeezed his midriff tightly before you let him go. Your face burned from what he could see through his heat sensor, and he put it down to the fact you hadn't meant to be so openly affectionate in front of so many other people when they hadn't ever hugged before. Din couldn't remember the last time someone had hugged him, in fact, let alone while in his beskar.

"Idiot! Scared me half to death," you whispered, head-turning to the floor in embarrassment of your brash action.

"I just wanted to see if you cared," Mando found it in him to joke, and it worked judging by the smile that tugged at your features.

"Of course I care, dikut. Next time just ask rather than trying to make yourself dragon food,"

"Noted." Was all he said as they walked together to join Cara's side watching over the baby.

And you did. He would never know how much it had meant to you to have opened yourself up to the force the way you had, which you had managed to somehow coral back into its tiny box in your mind in the time they had spent talking. He would never know what you had done, but you knew he would be grateful if he had. And, were the roles to have been reversed, you could say with a deal of confidence that he would have done the same for you.

At least, you thought he would.

It hadn't been until they'd returned to the child that they noticed Karga cradling his bloodied arm from where the creature snatched the food from his hands.

"He's hurt badly," Kuiil informed from his place beside the older man. They moved to inspect the injury which, judging by the black veins spiralling out of the wound, was infected, probably some sort of natural defence system the dragons had developed.

"I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine. Ow!" Karga tried to reassure, unconvincingly judging by the pained hiss he released when Cara grabbed his affected arm. You would have laughed in any other situation, trust Cara to not waste time pandering to him.

Hold still. They got you good." You had to admit, the three long deep serrated wounds looked as nasty as Karga was finding them to be, and even winced when you saw Cara unclip a shot of Bacta and plunge it into the sensitive tissue.

"How bad?" Mando asked from beside you.

"Bad. The poison is spreading fast."

"So this...this is how it happens," Karga said, almost resigning himself to the pain coursing through his arm.

"Don't be so dramatic. I need another med-pack. Got any other med-packs? Anyone?"

You noticed the child toddling over to you from where he must have hopped out of his crib. He looked at the man writhing in pain on the floor, before turning his tiny body to look up at you who watched him, a good idea of what was running through that devious little mind of his. He seemed to look at you asking for permission.

Judging by the silence that met the request for more medical supplies, they were running out of options too. He could help. He wanted to help, having learned you could not reveal your own abilities like that.

"I'm guessing that's a 'no'," Karga said sadly, as anyone would think that their time was ending. You looked at the child's big onyx eyes that you knew shared the same thought as you had, and nodded to him slightly.

"It's still spreading. This isn't working." Cara said, being much more gentle as she lifted Karga's arm to inspect the dark veins protruding from them and getting angrier. The child had taken your confirmation and shuffled towards the injured man with an almost cheeky look on his face, to Cara's annoyance. "Get this thing outta here."

"Wait," Kuiil said before you had the chance to. The baby gently put one of his clawed hands on the man's cuts, with a slow grasp.

"He's trying to eat me," Karga exclaimed, and you would have snorted if the situation wasn't so pressing. You kneeled down next to the child knowing it would take a lot of energy for such a tiny being to heal the man's large wounds.

"No. He wants to help you." You said, and as if the child understood you, he squeezed his tiny glass eyes shut in concentration.

The black veins began winding in on themselves first before the marred, open tissue wound almost seemed to sew itself shut with little trace it had been there in the first place.

Karga looked from the child to you, to Mando in amazement. His arm was completely healed not a minute later, leaving the baby to sink back down onto his behind, a drowsy look in his eye.

You felt almost the same, having exhorted yourself with your own use of the force, and swiftly grabbed him up off the ground to tuck back into his pram.

Karga watched you put away the child as the Mandalorian shadowed the two naturally, before the adults settled down with little more than a foot between your resting figures, both of you settling near the pod protectively. Greef had noticed how odd Mando's behaviour had been around you, and who could blame him. All he had seen was the big, hunk of beskar armour and a personality just as cold to match its exterior. So seeing him and you enamoured by a tiny bean of a creature somewhat warmed his ageing heart.

But that begged the bigger question in Karga's mind. He knew what he was leading you into, and Greef wasn't sure he had the heart to hand you all over to the Empire's clutches anymore.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・

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Pedro Pascal

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authors notes: apologies for reuploading this, I had some issues with the taglists before and had the post taken down! I hope you enjoyed leave some love where you can please <3

#pedro pascal x female!reader #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal imagine #pedro pascal x reader #the mandolarian #mando angst #mando fanfiction #mando x reader #the mandalorian #din djarin x reader #din djarin x you #din djarin fanfiction #din djarin imagine #din djarin #mando x jedi!reader #din djarin x jedi!reader #dad!obi wan x reader

[daydreamtofiction]

Thou Shalt Not Covet // 4: Sacrilege

Contents | Part 3 | First Person Version [AO3]

Summary: (Priest!Benedict x Fem Reader) One-on-one time with the priest comes with its perks, some you weren't fully prepared for.

Word Count: 5K

Warnings: Strong language, irreverence, dark humour, adult & sexual themes, smoking (cigarettes), discussions of death, grief, religion and strained familial relationships. Readers must be 18+

Disclaimer: In this chapter, F. Benedict makes reference to a brother. I just want to stress that this is 100% my own fictional narrative and in no way based on/referencing the real life sister of BC.

Finally, sorry to anyone named Soleil - I actually really like that name, Ellis, however, does not lol.

"Posture." 

You peeled your eyes away from the computer screen to find Dawn, the studio receptionist, in the doorway of your office. She nodded her head towards you, raising an eyebrow in silent demand as she crossed her arms, waiting. You rolled your eyes and slowly began to sit up properly in your chair, feeling the curve of your spine straightening out, an ache at the base of your neck as your shoulders realigned. 

"That's better," she said, the same way a mother would commend a child. "There's a woman at reception asking for you." 

"Oh?" you replied with a furrowed brow. "Okay, I'll just be a second." 

She nodded and disappeared from the doorway as you returned your attention to the photo you were editing; a tiny baby curled up on a cloud, its bald head adorned with a fluffy white halo. You saved your progress and switched off the screen, thankful for the break. 

You made your way through the building to reception, pushing through a large set of double doors into the bright, welcoming foyer.

"Mara?" you asked, taking a few steps towards the front desk.

The woman standing there turned around, brushing her hair back to reveal a face you knew, a set of eyes you'd both inherited. 

"Hi," she said, her voice breathless and agitated as she struggled to hold a fidgeting baby in one arm. "I've got a session booked and you said I could use your discount. I told them I'm your sister but they need approval from you to put it through." 

"Oh, right, yeah." You turned to Dawn as she sat at the computer behind the front desk. "Can you-"

"Already doing it," she replied, typing and clicking with her long nails.

"Thanks." 

"Thanks," Mara echoed before turning around and walking away. 

You watched her for a moment, realising she had no intentions of sharing any more words with you. 

"Hey, so how are... How have you been doing?" you asked awkwardly as you followed her over to the waiting area.

She sat down, laying the baby back in her pram and beginning to roll it back and forth. "Yeah, okay," she replied with a shrug. "Soleil's been colicky so..." 

Soleil. Jesus Christ. Nine months of pregnancy and a torn vagina just to call your baby fucking Soleil. 

There was a long silence as you stood in front of her, hands behind your back, lips pressed together. She was nine years older than you, but you might as well have been born centuries apart, as good as strangers if it wasn't for the unmistakeable resemblance. She insisted she loved you, but she was better at doing so from a distance; in a way that made your differences easier to ignore. 

You gestured to the baby. "Is... she sleeping better?"

"A little. She still wakes through the night but she's eight weeks old, it's to be expected." 

You nodded. "I'm sorry I haven't been in touch much, I just thought you'd probably want your space with... Soleil." You gritted your back teeth, forcing the name out. "And after what happened at Christmas, I didn't want to..."

"Yeah, well I haven't been in touch either so don't worry about it." 

There was another long silence, the kind of silence that seemed to expand, consuming everything, begging to be filled. 

She was the first to give in to it, letting out a quiet sigh. "Will you be editing Soleil's photos?"

"I don't know. They assign them randomly, but if her files end up at my desk then yeah." You paused. "I can try and see if they'll make sure her pictures come to me-"

"No, no it's fine. I was just wondering." 

"Oh okay." You glanced up at the clock on the wall. "Well I better get going anyway, I'm going to miss my train."

"Now?" she looked at the clock too. "Where are you going?" 

"Yeah I'm finishing early. Meeting a friend." 

"Gina?"

You shook your head. "A new friend," you said as you began to walk away, before stopping and turning back towards her, like you couldn't help yourself. "He's a priest."

"Piss off."

"No, really."

"Why on earth are you leaving work early to spend time with-" she stopped suddenly, letting out a disappointed huff. "Oh, Ellis."

"What?"

"Of all people, a priest, really?"

Your brows scrunched together. "I'm n- I'm not... Mara, I have a boyfriend-"

"Mm, doesn't seem to stop anyone nowadays." She sat back in her seat, crossing one leg over the other. 

You rolled your eyes. "I have to go. Enjoy your shoot." 

You were expecting the scent of baking bread. Cookies perhaps, maybe even coffee. But instead, the shop smelled like fresh paint, sawdust and window cleaner. You didn't mind it, actually, finding it oddly pleasant, like when you were a child and you would hang your head out of the window of your father's car, inhaling the smell of fuel as he filled up at the petrol station. 

There was a healthy crowd inside; a long queue at the shiny new counter, people sitting at spotless tables in kitschy, pastel coloured chairs. You looked around in search of Father Benedict, wondering if you'd somehow managed to beat him there. You hoped not. 

"Ellis!" his voice called over the crowd. 

You glanced around, trying to decipher where it was coming from when you finally saw him. He was sat at a small table, tucked away in the corner beside the window. You hurried over and sat down, gesturing to a cup of coffee on the table. 

"Is this for me?" 

"Yeah, it's just a cappuccino, I hope that's alright." 

"It's fine, thank you." 

You lifted the large, round cup to your lips, sipping on it politely as you eyed him over the rim. He was leaning back in his chair, hands resting gently on his thighs as he peered over at the bustling queue, providing you the perfect view of his neck, his jawline, how it tensed and softened as he moved. 

He was wearing jeans and a grey jumper, the cabled wool clinging like armour to his body, sleeves pushed up to his elbows to reveal his forearms. You'd never found yourself attracted to someone's arms before you met him. It seemed strange, to find limbs sexy. But it was the thoughts they elicited; how you could picture them holding you so firmly. 

"It's a lot busier than I thought it would be," he said before turning his attention back to you. "Now it looks like I lied just to get you to come." 

"Mm." You placed the cup down. "If you were that desperate to spend time with me, Father, all you had to do was ask." 

There was a moment before he laughed, a split second where you could have sworn you saw his gaze turn dark, a primal look in his eyes. But it was fleeting, so evanescent you doubted if you'd seen anything at all.

"Maybe next time I'll suggest somewhere a bit closer to home," he said, still smiling as he took a sip of his own coffee. "And please don't feel like you have to call me Father today, This is... we're just- we're here as friends, so..."

"Thank you, but I'm not sure my brain would even allow me to call you Benedict. Feels... sacrilegious." 

He smirked, looking around for a moment before leaning in and lowering his voice. "What feels sacrilegious is strangers with no idea I'm a priest overhearing the woman I'm with calling me Father." 

"Oh you're fine. It'd be a different story if I started calling you Daddy." 

He dropped his head and breathed out a stunned laugh. You cocked your head to get a glimpse of his face, assessing his bashful, flustered reaction with an intrigued smile.

"So the clergyman knows what that means," you said, propping your chin on your hand, elbow resting on the table. "Interesting..." 

"Of course I know what it means; I live in a rectory, not under a rock." 

You raised an eyebrow, bringing the cup back to your lips. "Ah, so you get full internet access then?" 

He paused, eyes narrowing as he tried to figure out what you meant. Then it clicked, and you watched as he fought another smirk. 

"Priests aren't allowed to do... that," he said simply, his voice dark, low. 

"Which bit? The watching or the taking part?" 

"Any of it." 

"Not at all?" you asked, lip curling in disbelief. 

He laughed quietly. "Not supposed to. I don't." 

"Never?" 

"Well of course I've- You know there was a time before I took my vows...?" 

"So you went from being... active, in that way, to now just not even thinking about it? At all?"

"I think about it constantly," he replied bluntly. "But that's part of this whole gig, isn't it; resisting, choosing to remain faithful to God, not giving in to temptation. It's literally in the Lord's Prayer - 'and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'" 

"Sex is far from evil, it's fucking amazing." 

"Not the sex you're having by the sounds of it." 

Your mouth fell open with a scoffing laugh. "Touché." 

He chuckled into his coffee. "Sorry, that was a low blow. You confided in me, I shouldn't use it against you."

"No, it was funny. You said yourself, we're just friends today." 

He smiled, leaning back and crossing his arms comfortably over his chest, looking out the window at the busy high street. 

"Oh, speaking of," he said. "Did you get a chance to look at the bible passages I annotated for you? I thought they might help with your... situation." 

"Friends today," you repeated, pressing your mouth into an unamused smile. 

"Right, sorry." 

The truth was that you had looked at the passages. You'd taken the bible home, its pages adorned with small post-it notes of his analysis and interpretation, advice on how to implement the teachings into your life. 

You'd lay down on your bed and began reading them, but somewhere down the line, musing over his writing turned into musing over him. And before you knew it, the book was closed beside you, your hand slipping down the front of your trousers as you pictured his fingers there instead of your own.

"Thank you so much for coming!" a voice appeared beside your table. 

You looked up to see a woman smiling down at you both, an apron tied around her waist, hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. You assumed it was Catherine, her sweet, soft voice a perfect fit for the cutesie decor. 

"I can't believe you came," she said to Father Benedict. "I really thought reaching out to you would be a shot in the dark." 

"Of course I came," he replied as he gestured to you. "And I brought reinforcements. Though clearly it wasn't needed; this place is booming." 

"Ah well, we have a really great community here. And a lot of gluten free people, apparently." 

They both laughed as you sat there awkwardly, suddenly forgetting how to act like a real person. 

"I have to tell you it's wonderful to see you," she continued. "The parish has been a shambles since you left."

"Oh, stop, don't be silly." He waved his hand shyly. 

"No really! Father Martin's great but he's a bit of a stickler, y'know. Not as approachable as you were." 

Approachable or fuckable, Catherine? Be honest. 

"Oh well that's very kind," he said as you caught his eye, making him shake his head apologetically. "Oh, sorry, Catherine, this is Ellis. She's an aspiring member of my new parish." 

"Hi, nice to meet you," she said with a smile, before leaning in towards you. "Aspiring member or just another sucker for this one's charming smile?" 

She nudged him jokingly with her elbow and you gave a weak, unconvincing laugh. 

Fuckable. She definitely meant fuckable. 

"Anyway," she said, turning her attention back to him. "There's a few people from choir over here if you want to say hi?" 

"Oh, yes, absolutely!" 

You watched as he rose from his chair and shuffled out from behind the table. 

"I'll just be a second," he said, reaching out and placing a hand on your shoulder. 

You almost melted at his touch, immediately feeling ridiculous for it. It was a pat, a quick, reassuring squeeze, and yet the contact was enough to make you blush, having to hide your face behind another sip from your giant cup. 

You watched from across the shop as he stood talking to a group of people, finding yourself zoning in on the way he interacted with Catherine. She seemed sweet, friendly and naturally tactile, like she was unable to talk without touching him. 

You began to wonder if she was the temptation, if she was the thing that made him question his faith. You wondered if he'd found himself fantasising about her the way you did about him, if he'd left this parish because he could no longer bear the weight of his own desire. 

By the time he returned to your table, you'd finished your coffee, staring down at the remnants of foam and speckles of cocoa powder at the bottom of the cup like you were reading your tea leaves. 

He sat down, placing a pastel pink box on the table between you. "Sorry about that," he said. "Got you some pastries to make up for it." 

"Really?" 

"No."

"Oh."

"Catherine gave them to me. I offered to pay but she said they were on the house; a 'thank you' for coming." 

"Wow, business must be doing well if she's giving away free stuff on the first day." 

He laughed. "I literally just said the exact same thing, word for word-"

"So how do you know her?" 

He paused, taking a moment to register your interruption. "Hm? Oh, she's involved in the church here."

"And I take it you were close?" 

"Erm, well she was a 'regular', if you will; got pretty involved in all the..." he trailed off, narrowing his eyes at you with a slight smile. "Are you jealous?" 

"Jealous of what? The fact that I'm not the first weird woman you've met in a church?" 

"Oh, you're definitely the first weird woman I've met in a-" 

You kicked him gently under the table and a laugh resonated in his throat. It was deep, warm, the kind of sound that elicited tingles, raised the hairs on your arms. If this was his voice in the middle of a busy bakery, you thought, then you could only begin to imagine the sounds he was capable of behind closed doors. 

He scrunched his nose and looked out the window, then back to you. "Fancy stepping outside with me for a second?" 

"What for?" you asked as you felt your heart flutter with nerves, like your body was making assumptions before your brain had even processed his question.

"I could do with a cig," he replied quietly. "Disgusting habit, I know, but-"

"No, it's- Yeah, I'll come." 

You followed him outside, hugging your coat closed to shield yourself from the wind. He slipped down a side street next to the bakery, leaning against the wall and placing a cigarette between his teeth. You watched as he snipped his lighter over and over again, the wind snuffing out the flame each time.

"F'cking hell," he growled, cigarette still in his mouth. "Sorry, shouldn't have said that." 

You exhaled a soft laugh and reached into your pocket. "Would this work any better?" 

He glanced down at the heavy zippo lighter in your hand. 

"I got it for you," you said. "The 'G' stands for 'God'."

He took the cigarette between two fingers and moved it from his mouth, looking down at you in bewilderment. "Are you fucking with me?" 

"Of course I am." 

He rolled his eyes and took it from you. "See, I still can't tell when you're joking," he said, successfully lighting up and tilting his head back to blow out a long plume of smoke. 

"It's my friend's," you said. "She keeps leaving things in my coat." 

"My brother used to do that. Not with my coat, with my car." He laughed, still staring up at the sky as he took another drag. "I'd get in it and his music would start playing, the seat'd be moved forward, stuff all over the passenger seat. He was borrowing my car without asking but not bothering to cover his tracks. Probably because he knew I could never be mad at him for more than five minutes." 

"You have a brother?" 

"Mm." He fell quiet for a moment, a contemplative look on his face, before snapping out of it and smiling at you. "He was quite... troubled, then towards the end he found God. Which is what made me start connecting with my own faith after he-" Another pause, followed by a gentle laugh. "I was so anti-religion back then, if he could see me now, a bloody priest, he'd lose his mind."

You forced a smile, trying to disguise your discomfort as you pressed your mouth closed, teeth digging into the backs of your lips. "So... we're both part of the Dead Brother Club then." 

You grimaced to yourself immediately and looked away, anywhere except directly at him. The Dead Brother Club? Really, Ellis? But like always, he seemed happy to take you in his stride, understanding your intentions without making you explain. 

"I prefer the Surviving Siblings Society," he said dryly, the corner of his mouth twitching with a smile.

"I'm sorry," you began, pausing to clear your throat. "I say things I shouldn't when I'm- Well I'm just not good with knowing what to say or do when people... divulge their... I'm not a very comforting person." 

"That's alright. Because I, on the other hand, like to think I'm a very comforting person. So I can comfort us both." 

"I don't really think I need to be comforted." 

"Then what do you need?"

You. 

"Nothing."

"Everyone needs something." 

You were holding your breath as your gaze held his, and despite the cold weather, the air between you suddenly felt warm and heavy. But you weren't sure why, unable to decipher the look on his face and reluctant to mistake it for something it wasn't. Again. So instead you remained quiet, waiting. 

He took a final drag of his cigarette before stubbing it out on the brick wall behind him. "Shall we go somewhere?" 

"Where?" 

"I want to show you something." 

He made his way back around the corner onto the main high street. But instead of going back inside the bakery, he walked straight past it. You began to follow but stopped for a moment near the window, glancing inside at the table you'd been sitting at, the box of untouched pastries he'd left behind.

You were convinced that once you'd seen one church, you'd seen them all. The greys and browns, stone and wood, old carpets and tall, vaulted ceilings. They all smelled the same too, echoed the same, filtered in the sunlight through multicoloured glass. 

When Father Benedict walked you inside, you felt a pang of disappointment in your chest, the urge to tell him just how similar it was to the church back home. But when you looked up at him and saw his smile, you refrained. 

He wandered around the chapel, his footsteps echoing, fingers grazing over the pews as he passed them. "This was my church," he said. "Before I took my sabbatical. I was the priest here." 

You looked around. "It's... Nice." 

"It's changed. Well, some things have changed - that's new." He pointed to an obnoxiously large statue of Jesus nailed to a cross, the thing crudely lying on its side waiting to be mounted on the wall. 

"Subtle," you said. "I like the artistic choice to lie him on the floor like that."

"Artistic choice," he scoffed out a laugh. 

"Yeah. Really makes you think." 

"About what?" 

"About why he didn't just stand up and run away if he was so close to the ground." 

"Fuck off-" He clamped a hand over his mouth and looked around to make sure no one else was there.

You bit your lip to suppress a laugh, but still it tumbled out of you in a mischievous giggle. 

He took a few steps towards you, speaking slowly and quietly. "You, Ellis, are going to get me defrocked." 

"With any luck," you muttered under your breath as he walked away. 

"I heard that." 

Your heart stopped, your eyes snapping up to meet his as he glanced over his shoulder at you. 

"I... It was a joke." 

"I know," he said softly, simply, turning around and making his way up the steps to the altar. 

"So," you began with an awkward cough. "Saw my sister today for the first time since Christmas. Was just about as awkward as you can imagine."

"I take it there's been no improvement since you came to the grief support group?" 

"It's hard. It's like she knows that she's the one to blame for the tension between us and she feels guilty for it, but she doesn't know how to fix it." You wandered slowly up the aisle as you spoke. "Then every time she does start to soften towards me, I do something that pisses her off and we're right back to square one."

"That being Christmas."

"Yep."

"What did you do?"

"Sat in Cain's chair."

"Cain...?"

"Dead brother."

"Ah."

"It was mum's turn to host. She still lives in the house we grew up in, and she always leaves a chair open for Cain at the dining table so it feels like he's there with us or whatever. Anyway, we were sitting down for dinner, and I wasn't really paying attention and I accidentally sat in his chair instead of mine. Mara went mad."

"Could she not rationalise that it was a mistake?"

"Obviously not," you sat down on the bottom step leading up to the altar. "Cain was her best friend, favourite person in the world. I was just the annoying little 'oopsie' our parents had almost a decade after they said they were done having kids. Plus, she was probably a bit extra sensitive, what with all the hormones."

"Hormones?"

"She'd just given birth five days earlier, so..."

"Oh." His tone brightened as he continued to wander around. "So you have a niece? nephew?"

"Niece."

"What's her name?"

You turned your head to look at him, before returning your gaze to your lap. "I'd rather not say."

"Why? It's stupid isn't it."

"Maybe a little bit."

"Go on."

"No."

He began making his way towards you. "Go on." 

"No, honestly it's-"

"Just tell me," he laughed, plonking himself down right beside you.

"Soleil," you finally said, like his closeness made you weak, including your mouth. 

"I think that's pretty."

"Fuck off."

"I do! Makes me think of... sunshine, grace, warmth... It's better than Benedict."

You smiled at him. "What does my name make you think of?" 

His expression seemed to soften, his eyes flitting across your face for a moment. "It just makes me think of you." 

There was a long silence, the enormous space around you somehow feeling so small, so intimate. You broke eye contact first, looking around, as if making sure it was all still there.

"How long ago did you work here?" you asked. 

"I left last year."

"And how long were you... between places?" 

"A few months. Not that long." 

"What did you do? Y'know, while you were... away from it all." 

He took a deep breath, resting forearms on parted thighs. "I went home to my parents'. Stayed in my old childhood room. I helped my mother with the garden, cooked dinner with my father almost every evening, caught up with people I'd left behind when I chose this life." 

You were hanging on his every word, the way everyone always did during his sermons. 

"I read books and watched films and listened to music. I cried, I got drunk, I talked to God and I, I doubted if he was even there." 

"Did you sin?" you asked, almost whispering.

"Everyone sins," he replied with a shrug. "I just sinned two minutes ago when I said 'fuck' inside a church- Oh, there we go, just did it again." 

You smiled before leaning your body towards him. "I mean did you... sin. Like, sin sin. Proper sin.”

He eyed you curiously. "Why do you ask?" 

You paused. "I don't know. Maybe because... If I know a priest can commit sin and still consider himself good, I might be able to forgive myself too." 

"Forgive yourself for what?"  

"For sinning. Keep up, Father." 

He smiled, then swallowed, his jaw flexing as he was thinking. 

"I suppose it's subjective," he finally said. "The bible says if you repent, you can pretty much be forgiven for anything. But forgiving yourself, that's... different. I mean, it depends what you did; if I break commandment three then of course I can forgive myself. Six, on the other hand..." 

You stared at him blankly. 

"The ten commandments...?"

"Rings a bell." 

He dropped his head and laughed, before throwing it back and looking up at the ceiling. "Okay. One: You shall have no other Gods before me." 

"Self explanatory." 

"Yep. As is two:  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images. Don't worship false idols. Three: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. And four: Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy." 

"What's five?" 

You couldn't believe you were actually finding this interesting. But perhaps it wasn't the subject itself, but the way he spoke about it. How easily the knowledge poured off his tongue, how you were so close you could practically see the words coming up his throat. 

"Honour your father and mother." 

You rolled your eyes and blew a raspberry, making him chuckle. 

"Six is thou shalt not kill, and seven is-"

"Seven is...?" 

He cleared his throat, glancing at you, then down to his hands. "Seven is thou shalt not commit adultery." 

Suddenly, seven was your least favourite number; sharp and angular like a blade. The words hung in the air between you, and you could almost feel Alfie's lips on your skin, like a bruise, an entirely unwelcome souvenir. 

"Eight is thou shalt not steal," he continued. "Nine is thou shalt not bear false witness. Which just means don't lie." 

Now you hated the number nine too. 

"And finally ten: Thou Shalt Not Covet." 

"Covet like... want something?" 

"It's a little more specific than that. To covet means to desire something that belongs to someone else."

You bit the inside of your cheek before looking at him. "Does it count if the thing you desire... belongs to God?" 

He met your gaze, from the corner of his eye at first, before turning his head to face you properly. "You desire something that belongs to God?" 

You had never met anyone so all-consuming before, so utterly captivating that you could feel it in your bones. Drawing you to him. It was in the way he spoke to you, like he'd figured out exactly how you worked; cracked you open and found an instruction manual carved into the wrong side of your skin. You wanted to do that to him; to know him so well that he could feel you in his marrow. 

"Ellis," he said softly, snapping you out of your daze. "You have to stop looking at me like that." 

"Like what?"

"Like I'm not a priest. And like you don't have a boyfriend." 

The air seemed to evaporate from your chest, your mouth falling open slightly with a gentle gasp. "I- I didn't... I was- I'm sorry I- I didn't even realise I was- I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable-"

"You don't. It doesn't." He rose to his feet. "Therein lies the problem."

"Problem?" 

He turned to face you and began walking backwards down the aisle. "You came to me seeking salvation. That has to remain at the forefront." 

You stood up too and began to follow him. "As opposed to...?" 

He stopped when you caught up to him, causing you to bump into his chest. The last time you were face to face like this was at the boot of his car, when you could have sworn he was going to reach out and touch you, perhaps even lean in for a kiss. You'd been wrong then. But this time you weren't so sure. 

"As opposed to what, Father?" 

He inhaled slowly, looking down at you with heavy lids. "The Lord can be cruel, and it's not always clear why. Sometimes it's up to us to forgive him." 

You furrowed your brow in confusion. "What passage is that?" 

"That wasn't the bible, that was me."

"Oh." You shook your head. "Okay, well, what do you mean by that?" 

"I mean I think he sent you to me. God."

"Why?"

"Because of all the churches, you just had to walk into mine."

"Do you wish I hadn't?"

"I'm starting to."

You had never felt such a guttural urge to scream before, but when your phone began to ring in your pocket, it took all your might just to keep your mouth shut. You shoved your hand into your pocket and ripped out your phone, looking down at the screen, then back up to him. 

"It's my sister," you breathed. "I- I can't ignore this, she never calls..."

He held his hands up in surrender before gesturing to you to take it.

"Hello?" you said, pressing the phone reluctantly to your ear. 

"Were you being honest this afternoon when you said your friend was a priest?" 

"Yes, I was," you replied with a frustrated sigh, glancing up at him, like you were scared he would disappear if you took your eyes off him for too long. 

"The priest at St Augustine's?" Mara asked, her tone as snippy as ever. 

"Yes." 

"Could you ask him if he'll christen Soleil?" 

"Could I- You're calling me to ask if- Are you jok-"

"I can," said Father Benedict, able to hear her on the other end, interjecting before you completely lost it. "I can do that. Just have her come to mass on Sunday and I'll talk to her about it then." 

You let out a huff. "Did you hear that, Mara?" 

"I did. Tell him I said thanks. Oh and-" 

"Yeah, okay." You hung up and stuffed the phone back in your pocket, able to feel the annoyance heating up your cheeks. "She only wants her baptised so she can put her in that fucking catholic school by the town centre. Fucking hell! Of all the moments to-"

"It's okay," he said softly. "We should probably go, anyway." 

"But we-"

"We should probably go," he repeated, slightly more sternly, before turning on his heels and making his way towards the exit.

Part 5: Sacrifice

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[ironychan]

Scary Monsters

@dysphoria-sweatshirt @30spiders @sweatersexual @angrylittlesliceofpizza @writer652

Part 1/? - Rocco’s Closet

Part 2/? - School for Monsters

Part 3/? - The Waternoose Family

Part 4/? - The Terrifying Humans

Part 5/? - Hiding Places

Part 6/? - Nobody’s Fault

Part 7/? - Edge of Disaster

Part 8/? - Caged Monsters

Part 9/? - The Journey Home

Part 10/? - Portorosso

Harry didn't want to get back in the pram, so he scurried along the cobbled street with the rest of the group as they made their way downhill to the Pescheria and harbour. Luca and Alberto were busy telling their families about the monster world, but they did their best to keep an eye on their unwanted companion. This was not easy. Harry was like a curious puppy on its first walk, dashing back and forth across the street to take a closer look at everything.

“Mamma mia!” the woman who ran the laundromat exclaimed, dropping a pile of sheets as Harry dashed past her to look in the window. She stared for a moment with one hand over her heart, then took in the presence of Luca and Alberto and made herself calm down. “I'm sorry, young... man,” she managed. “You startled me.”

“I'm a monster,” said Harry smugly. “I'm supposed to be scary.”

“You certainly are,” she agreed, gathering up her sheets again – these had been clean, and were now covered with dust and would need to be done again. “Lovely to have met you. I'm sure I'll see you again.” She hurried back inside and shut the door.

A minute or so later, a man driving a truck loaded with boxes of fruit stopped to watch them go by. Harry grinned and waved to him. The man waved back halfheartedly, and waited until they rounded a corner to start his truck again.

“It looks like the humans here are scared of me,” Harry said suspiciously. “You said they wouldn't be.”

“They're not screaming and running away,” Alberto pointed out. “They're just not used to you yet.” Humans in Portorosso had mostly accepted the idea that just because something looked frightening didn't mean it necessarily was, but that didn't mean they liked scary things, even ordinary sea monsters.

“I think they're a little scared of monsters,” Harry said. “If they weren't, we wouldn't even have any doors to this town.”

“It depends on the monster,” said Luca. He glanced back over his shoulder at Rocco, who was still scowling into his gelato.

They arrived at the piazza. As usual there was a gaggle of children here, kicking an old volleyball in order to get around the local legislation that forbid playing football in the streets. Harry watched for a minute, bouncing up and down in excitement, then ran up to them.

“Can I play?” he asked eagerly.

The boy who had the ball snatched it off the ground and backed towards his friends, who gasped in horror.

Luca quickly reassured them. “It's okay! This is Harry. He's with us.”

Harry smiled hopefully.

One of the taller kids, a girl, spoke up. “You can't,” she said. “You've got... too many legs. Rules say only two is allowed.”

“Oh,” said Harry, though he looked at them suspiciously.

“Come on, Alberto lives over here,” Luca said, gesturing towards the Pescheria.

One of the teenagers in the town, a boy called Amerigo, had been hired to mind the shop while Massimo and Giulia were waiting at the train station. He smiled as the group approached, then his eyes widened when he saw Harry among them. Like the others, though, he reasoned that if this strange creature were with Luca and Alberto, then it must be all right, and that was enough to keep him from panicking.

“You've got a new friend,” he observed.

“This is the Pescheria,” Alberto told Harry. “Massimo catches fish, and Giulia and I sell them here or deliver them to people's houses.”

Harry examined a basket of bream on ice. “Weird fish,” he said. “They all look the same. Where are the ones with two heads?”

“We don't have any two-headed fish,” Luca said.

Harry moved on down the length of the shop, while Amerigo watched cautiously from behind the counter. “Oh, these look more normal,” said Harry, pointing at another creature. “What's that?”

“Those are squid,” Alberto said. “We cut them into rings and fry them. It's called calamari. Much nicer than eating them raw and getting ink all over you!”

“What about that?” Harry pointed to a black-and-white photograph of a group of people posing with an immensely long silvery fish, at least four metres, in the piazza.

“That's a regaleco,” said Giulia. “Papà caught it by accident. See, there's me.” She pointed to herself in the photo, a very small child of four or five standing by Massimo's side.

Harry continued to scuttle around the shop, examining the merchandise and decor, while people from the piazza began to gather in the doorway to stare at this new and bizarre arrival. Nobody said anything, as they did not want to be rude, but there was a general feeling of unease in the air. Luca and Alberto could feel it keenly, but Harry seemed oblivious, and upon noticing the crowd, he went up to greet them.

“Hi, everybody!” he said. “Wow, I didn't know there were so many humans. Kids' rooms only have maybe one or two at a time. Hi,” he said to one kid. “How are you doing?”

The girl gave him a sideways look and did not reply.

Not at all discouraged, Harry looked up at Old Tomasso, who was staring back down at him. “Hi! Do you need a son?” he asked.

“Ah, I'm a little old to be raising children,” Old Tomasso replied. “You might ask my daughter, Viola, though she and Giacomo already have a couple kids of their own...”

“Is she here?” Harry asked eagerly.

“Well, I'm starving!”s aid Alberto loudly. He grabbed Harry by the shoulders and steered him towards the interior door. “Time for you to try some human food! We'll treat you to the most delicious thing our world has to offer – trenette al pesto!”

They dragged Harry up the stairs to the living spaces above the shop, leaving Amerigo to deal with the curious onlookers. There, Massimo and Alberto got to work on dinner, while Daniela, who'd been learning some human cooking, declared that she would make dessert. Harry had looked exciting as they climbed the narrow stairs, but the kitchen itself was obviously a disappointment to him. He looked around the cramped little room dubiously as people got to work.

“Do you live here?” he asked. “Or are you the servants?”

“This is our house,” Giulia said, insulted. “We don't have servants.”

Harry frowned. “Well, who cleans up after you cook?” he asked. “Who scrubs the floor and cleans the windows?”

“We do,” she told him. “We do everything ourselves.”

“Where do you sleep?” he asked next.

“Upstairs – there's one room for me and Alberto and one for Papà, and the bathroom.”

Harry examined her face, trying to figure out if she were joking.

“Nobody has servants,” Giulia added. “That's from, I don't know, medieval times.”

“Farmhands might count as servants,” Lorenzo Paguro mused. “Like those two boys Atinnia Trota has working at her place since her husband died.”

“Are all humans this poor?” asked Harry. “Where are the normal people?”

“We're not poor!” Giulia huffed. “This is normal! If you want rich people, the richest ones in town are the Visconti family, and even they don't have servants. They've got some employees who work in their vineyards, but that's not the same. Signora Visconti does her own cooking.”

Harry sat down on the bench below the stairs, where he watched thoughtfully as everybody else pitched in to get food on the table. He appeared to be re-thinking this whole expedition, as if he didn't want a new family if that were necessarily going to come with work. Luca kind of hoped that was true. Harry's father wasn't very nice, but Harry belonged in his own world and they needed to get him back there as fast as they could.

There was no room for so many people to sit down around the tiny kitchen table, so they headed out to the yard to eat as the sun set and the first stars began to come out. Daniela and Luca set the table, and Massimo brought out the extra-large pot that could hold enough pasta for everybody. Seeing all this made Luca so happy to be home he nearly cried – it reminded him of the evening after the race last year, when the sea monsters had first been welcomed to Portorosso. Even Alberto was getting a bit misty-eyed, although he'd never admit it. The two boys dug into their favourite dish with gusto.

Harry didn't look so excited about it. He tried the trenette al pesto, but just shrugged.

“We need to figure out how we're going to get back into the monster world,” Luca announced. That was a problem he wasn't sure how to solve. Any door they might go through was just going to lead into the factory, and that was the last place they wanted to arrive. He frowned, chewing on a mouthful as he considered it. “What happens to the doors when the kids get too old to be scared anymore?”

“They go to storage,” said Harry. “They check them out every couple of years, but you can't open them from this end. You need the equipment.”

“So we'll have to find somebody else who's got a monster and wait there... but then when we get into the monster world they'll grab us right away,” said Luca. That wouldn't work at all. Mr. Waternoose might even have a special watch on doors from Liguria in case they tried to come back.

“Aren't there any doors anywhere else?” asked Alberto. “I mean... there's other scare companies, right?”

“Yeah,” said Harry, mouth full. “And there's a few at universities and stuff for research purposes, but they don't lead to kids' rooms.”

That sounded promising. Luca seized on it. “What doors are those? How do you find them?”

“I dunno, they're closet doors,” said Harry.

“There are other kinds of closets besides bedroom ones,” Helena observed thoughtfully. “There's linen closets, storage closets, broom closets...”

“Signora Marsigliese has a storage closet in her grocery store,” Giulia offered. “It's where she keeps stuff when there's no room for it on the shelves yet.”

“Oh, they won't use one in a shop,” said Harry, “especially if somebody lives there. The researchers don't actually want to meet any humans. They just want to find ways to stabilize the link, make it more energy-efficient, improve door matching, that kind of thing.”

“So nowhere there's people at night,” said Luca. “Where's got a closet that's closed at night?”

“Somewhere like a museum?” asked Helena.

“There's no museums in Portorosso,” said Alberto.

“No, but they've got lots of them in Genova,” said Giulia. “There's the Museum of Natural History, and the Maritime Museum, and Mamma does work sometimes at the Palazzo Spinola, which is going to be a museum someday but they have to restore it first because it got damaged during the war.”

“That's the one I'm thinking of,” Helena said. “There's one of the former bedrooms where I've helped touch up the frescoes, and I've never seen anything myself but there people working there full-time who swear it's haunted. They hear footsteps and see lights in the middle of the night.”

Luca did not believe in ghosts, but if closet monsters were a real thing then they might well be the explanation. “That's gotta be it!” he exclaimed. “There's a closet in there, right?”

“There's one where they keep paint and tools,” Helena agreed. “It's got a big sign on it that says solo personale autorizzato.”

“A lot of the ones the researchers use have signs like that,” Harry confirmed.

“Perfect!” Luca grinned. “So we just have to go back to Genova!”

“Now wait a moment, young man,” said Daniela. “I'm not sure I like the idea of you going back there, no matter how you get in. This monster world is obviously dangerous. Back me up, Lorenzo,” she said to her husband.

Lorenzo nodded. “Your mother is right, Luca. This really isn't your problem.”

“Yes, it is!” Luca insisted. “Louise and the others need our help. We're the ones who got them in trouble in the first place. Right, Alberto?”

“Right!” said Alberto through a mouthful of pasta.

“Well, you certainly can't go by yourselves,” Daniela said. “You have to at least take a grownup with you.”

“Oh, that's a good idea,” Giulia put in. “Like I said, Luca, your Mom's scary. The monsters will respect her.”

It was hard to say whether Daniela had really meant herself when she'd said a grownup, but that didn't seem to have been the part of the suggestion that startled her. “I'm not that scary!”

“Yes, you are,” chorused Alberto and Luca.

“No, you're not,” Harry scoffed.

“You haven't seen her get mad,” Luca told him.

Feeling like they had at least an approximation of a plan made Luca feel much better, and although he wouldn't have said it he was very reassured by the idea of taking his mother along. They wouldn't feel nearly so adrift and terrified in that strange world if they had a proper grownup with them.

After supper it was time for the kids to get into their pyjamas. Harry didn't have any with him, and nobody else's would have fit him, so he was given one of Massimo's extra shirts. It was as huge and awkward on him as Louise's monster-sized nightshirts had been on Alberto and Luca, but he didn't seem to mind.

The person who did mind was Giulia. Although she was too polite to say so, she was clearly uncomfortable with the idea of Harry sleeping in her room, so the boys offered to also sleep over so it wouldn't just be the two of them. Luca had hoped this would avoid any arguments. It did not.

“You don't like me,” said Harry accusingly, as they rolled out sleeping bags on the floor.

“No, you're fine,” said Giulia, without looking at him.

“Alberto and Luca said you'd be cool.”

“I am cool,” Giulia insisted, annoyed. “It's just that I haven't known you very long yet.”

Harry wasn't at all impressed. “You're scared of me. They said you'd be fine, but you're scared of monsters. I bet you're scared of them, too. Everybody here is, even if they try to be nice about it.” He smiled to himself. “I bet I could be in charge of this place in no time.”

“Giulia isn't scared of anything,” Luca said loyally.

“Sure,” Harry said, “so why doesn't she have a closet, then?”

“Because there isn't room for one,” said Giulia. “This house is very small.”

“I noticed.”

“And I don't need one anyway,” she added. “I keep all my stuff on my shelves, and my clothes go in the drawers. My school stuff mostly stays at Mamma's house in Genova, because that's where I use it.”

Harry considered that as he built a little nest for himself out of blankets. “What do human kids learn at school? Do you learn about monsters?”

“No,” said Luca, “because humans mostly don't believe in monsters, not even sea monsters like us. Nobody knows about us except the people in Portorosso and some of the ones at school.”

“And a lot of them think it's a joke,” Giulia added. “I didn't even believe in sea monsters until I met Luca and Alberto, and I didn't believe in closet monsters until I met you today.”

Harry frowned. “See, that's what Dad says – he says humans shouldn't know about us, because what you don't know is always scarier than what you do.”

“That's probably true,” Giulia observed. “Now that I know about sea monsters, they're not scary at all.” She looked at Alberto and grinned. “In fact, Alberto is the least scary monster I've ever met.”

Alberto stuck his tongue out at her.

“I think he's scarier than I am,” Luca said.

“Now, I think if humans knew about us, they'd be even more scared,” Harry went on, “because then they'd know we could be lurking there, waiting to jump out at any moment.”

“Or we'd just take the doors off all our closets,” said Giulia.

That clearly hadn't occurred to Harry. He blinked, then scowled, annoyed at being outwitted.

Harry couldn't lie down flat like a human or a sea monster, so while the other kids bedded down, he nestled into the pile of blankets he'd built, looking rather like an egg in an Easter basket. Everybody else began to drift off, only to discover that Harry snored. It wasn't loud, but it was a whistling sort of noise that was impossible to ignore. Giulia had to stuff her head under her pillow in order to block it out.

Halfway through the night, Giulia woke up again, as she sometimes did, and rolled over to get more comfortable – whereupon she found herself looking into multiple glowing eyes that blinked in unison. She inhaled sharply and sat up, clutching at the covers.

Harry started laughing. “Boo!” he said.

“Harry!” groaned Luca from his bed on the floor.

“I knew it! I knew you were scared of me!” Harry cackled.

“It's the middle of the night,” Alberto scolded. “Go back to sleep!”

Harry continued to giggle to himself as he settled down in his little nest again. Luca gave him a disapproving frown and looked at Alberto, who wasn't going to stop at frowning and had gone all the way to a nasty scowl. The two silently agreed that the first thing they were going to do when that haunted closet at the museum opened was to shove Harry in, and after that they wouldn't take any more help from him.

In the morning, Giulia got up first, and noticed that Harry was still asleep. She crept over and knelt next to him, leaning in so her nose was only an inch from his face. It took him a moment to realize she was there, and then a couple of his eyes flickered open, and he screamed like Signora Brugnole did when she saw a mouse.

“Now who's scared?” asked Giulia, and got up to go brush her teeth while Harry sat there panting.

Luca and Alberto had already been half awake, but were jolted to full alertness by Harry's cry. They yawned and rubbed their eyes and looked at him, then both lay down and pretended to go back to sleep. He'd deserved that.

Helena had crespelle ready when they came downstairs for breakfast. They were thinner than Louise's pancakes but were served with ricotta and nutella, and she'd also sliced some bananas to put on top. The kids sat down and dug in, and Massimo came to sit with them and sip his espresso.

“Giulietta,” he said, as his daughter put bananas on her breakfast. “Your mother and I have been talking about money.”

“Uh-huh,” Giulia said, then whacked Alberto's wrist with her butter knife as he reached across the table. “How about pass the nutella?” she suggested to him, as he shook the stinging joint.

Harry, meanwhile, looked down at his own plate dubiously. “Is this it?” he asked.

“What more did you want?” asked Giulia. She passed the nutella and knife to Alberto, and gave him a plate for Luca.

“How about bacon?” asked Harry. “Or eggs? Or waffles? It's just tiny pancakes with cheese, and some coffee?”

“You don't want to eat heavily first thing in the morning,” said Helena firmly. “It's not good for your stomach.” She poured her espresso into milk, and added a little bit of cocoa. “As we were saying, kids, I didn't think we'd all be heading back to Genova. I have enough money to pay for my own ticket, but not for the boys or Signora Paguro.”

That wasn't what any of the kids had expected to hear, least of all Harry. “How can you not have money for train tickets?” he asked. “They cost nothing.”

“Obviously they cost something,” Giulia told him, “if they were free we wouldn't be worried about it.”

Luca was not discouraged. “We'll have to earn the money, then,” he said.

“How?” asked Massimo. “I cannot hire all three of you for extra besides your pocket money.”

“I've got some I've saved,” said Alberto. “And we can do odd jobs around the town. I've done that before!” Sometimes he'd even managed not to break anything.

“So have I,” Giulia agreed.

“And I can help,” said Luca.

“How much money will we need for the tickets?” Giulia asked her mother.

Helena did a brief bit of math for one adult and three youths, assuming Harry would go in the pram again. The figure she came up with wasn't too daunting, so after they were done eating, the kids got dressed and set out to do some work.

“I'm gonna head up the hill to where the older people live, and ask if they need anything done in their gardens,” Alberto announced. They almost always did, and while pulling weeds and turning over soil were tedious, there were very few ways he'd found to do them wrong.

“I'll do deliveries, and keep the tips,” Giulia said.

“I'll go with Alberto,” Luca said.

“Great!” Alberto nodded. “You can do your big eyes thing, and they'll pay us extra.”

“How about me?” Harry asked, scuttling out into the yard to join them. Helena had decided to wash his little sailor suit while the kids were out, but that left the problem of what he would wear in the mean time. Massimo had gone through some old things and found a shirt he'd worn as a child and had kept to use as rags someday. It was a bit too big on Harry and had to be pinned so he wouldn't step on the hem, but it was clean.

“You want to help earn money?” Alberto asked, a bit suspicious. Harry clearly wasn't interested in work – he seemed to think money was just something people had in infinite quantities.

“No,” said Harry. “I need to find a new Dad, remember? Where are these Visconti people you mentioned?” He had evidently decided that he wanted not just a new family, but a new family with money.

“They live over the hill in the vineyards,” said Giulia. She checked her list of deliveries. “They've ordered some naselli... they must be having visitors because it's quite a few. Signor Visconti likes to schmooze people who are thinking about buying his wine.”

“I'll go with you, then,” Harry decided.

Giulia tried not to groan. “All right,” she said, “but you have to help. Do what I tell you to do, and don't wander off, you got it?”

“You're not my mother,” Harry told her.

“Do you want to stay at our house, or not?” Giulia asked. “Because if you do, you have to do what I say, got it?”

Harry snorted. “Fine.”

The boys headed up the hill to find some work to do, and Giulia attached the cart to her bike while Harry, under her direction, brought out boxes of ice and fish for delivery. He made a face as he handed her the first one.

“It smells,” he said.

“It's fish,” she told him. “Don't fish smell in your world?”

“I dunno, I've only seen them when they're already cooked,” Harry said. “And the ones in the pond at the zoo, that you can feed. Those don't smell.”

“They're not dead,” Giulia said. She climbed onto the bicycle. “Keep up, I'm not slowing down for you.”

She wasn't training for the race yet, not so early in the summer, so despite her words Giulia didn't hurry as she cycled up the hill to the first of her day's deliveries. Harry scuttled after her, looking around at the town and the people as they went. His many legs seemed able to carry him quite quickly, so she sped up a little.

Their first stop was the home of Signora Tarasco, where Giulia knocked on the door with a box of fish in her hands. The door opened, and Giulia proudly held out her merchandise. “Sardines, as ordered!” she announced. “Fresh from Papà's nets!”

“Ah, thank you, Giulia,” Signora Tarasco said. She took the box from Giulia, and then her eyes went to the waiting bicycle and cart, and she saw Harry standing next to it. For a split-second she just blinked at him, trying to figure out what she was seeing, then she screamed. She almost dropped the box, but grabbed it at the last moment, only for it to tip and pour dead sardines all over herself. Giulia dived to catch the fish, but could not grab them all, and ended up with two in her hand while the rest splattered on the pavement.

“Oh, my goodness!” the woman exclaimed, with a nervous giggle as she clutched the now-empty box. “You gave me a start! Wha... um... is that another of your friends, Giulia?”

“That's Harry,” said Giulia, picking herself up. “He's the monster from Rocco Marsigliese's closet.”

“No, the monster from Rocco's closet used to work for my Dad, but he fired her,” Harry corrected. “But he's a jerk, so now I'm looking for a new Dad, like Alberto.

“I saved these,” Giulia added, offering the fish she'd managed to grab.

“Oh... oh yes.” Signora Tarasco reached out and took them, her eyes locked on Harry. “I just... oh, dear, I ruined the rest of them. Let me... let me pay you for those.” She fumbled for her coin purse.

“You don't have to do that,” said Giulia, looking at the rest of the order, scattered on the cobblestones.

“No, no, it's only fair,” Signora Tarasco said distractedly. She gave Giulia a handful of coins without bothering to look at or count them. “Keep the change, dear,” she added, and shut the door, her only objective being to put something between herself and Harry as quickly as possible.

Giulia scowled and shoved the coins in her pocket. “Okay,” she told Harry, “you're going to have to stay behind the cart while people answer doors.”

“Luca and Alberto said the humans here would be fine,” Harry said, arms folded. “I'm starting to think they lied to me.”

“People will be fine once they get to know you,” Giulia told him. “Until then, you're scaring them. You're never gonna find a new family like that.”

Harry just sniffed. Evidently he thought if the humans were scared, that was their own fault.

They moved on to the next house. Harry would stay back with the cart while Giulia handed over the deliveries, but he refused to hide behind it. In fact, he seemed quite interested in people's reactions to him. Giulia explained who and what he was over and over, and people were polite but clearly uncomfortable with his presence. At least he didn't go around asking people if they wanted a child, like Luca and Alberto said he'd done in Genova, but she suspect that was merely because he'd already decided who his first choice was. If so, he was destined for bitter disappointment.

Giulia saved the Visconti family's fish for last, partly because it was furthest from home, and partly because she dreaded what Harry might do. She was sure it would be embarrassing at best and catastrophic at worse.

Harry himself perked up considerably when he realized there was only one box left. “Are we going to the Visconti house now?” he asked.

“Yeah,” said Giulia. “Although... how would you feel about having an older brother?” Maybe she could discourage him in advance.

“An older brother?” he asked.

“Yeah, they already have a son,” Giulia said.

Harry thought about that a little. “What is he like?”

“He's the biggest jerk in the world,” said Giulia. “Even worse than your Dad, I'm sure. He kept this town under his evil empire of injustice for years.”

“He did? How?” Harry wanted to know.

“Because everybody was scared of him!” Giulia said. “You never knew when he was going to show up and make your life miserable, just because he could! We finally kicked his butt last summer, and nobody takes him seriously anymore.”

They crested the hill and coasted back down it into the valley, where the vineyards were spread out around the big house where the Visconti family lived and ran their business. The villa had originally been built in the 18th century by their wealthy ancestors, with yellow walls and big cypress trees out front. It was now in rather poor repair, with the plaster flaking and cracks in the wall from the earthquake that had happened before Giulia was born, but still imposing. Harry grinned when he saw it, and would have gone right up the double staircase leading to the front door, but Giulia shook her head.

“Deliveries go around the back,” she said.

She led the way around the gravel path to the back garden, where the kitchens were. Harry frowned.

“This looks like a servants' entrance,” he said.

“It used to be,” Giulia said, “but I told you, nobody has servants anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Because it's snooty. It's like you're saying you're better than anyone else. The Viscontis don't need servants – they do that anyway.”

They passed the garage. Giulia had been hoping Ercole wouldn't be there, just because she didn't want to see him, but he was, checking the air pressure on his Vespa's tyres. He looked up as she passed, then did a double-take.

“Porca paletta! What is that?”

“Is that him?” Harry asked excitedly. “Their son?”

“Yes. Ignore him,” Giulia instructed.

But Harry scuttled right into the open garage. Ercole crab-walked backwards, then scrambled to his feet as if to flee. If that were his intention, he changed his mind when Harry got too close to his precious Vespa. “Hey!” he exclaimed. “Don't touch that!”

“Are you the one who used to have the whole town under an evil empire?” Harry asked eagerly.

Ercole knew exactly where he'd heard that. “For your information,” he said, moving his Vespa aside so that it wasn't too close to this odd little creature. “People in this town used to love me until those sea monsters came along. Now it's sea monster this and sea monster that, and nobody has time for real people anymore.” He peered suspiciously at his visitor. “What are you?”

“Aren't you scared of me?” Harry asked.

“You can't be scary if you hang out with Spewlia,” Ercole replied. “You're just a little bug. You should mind you don't get squashed like one.”

Giulia rolled her eyes, but on the whole this wasn't as bad as she'd feared. She knocked on the kitchen door. “Signora Visconti!” she called out. “I've got your fish!”

#fanfic #pixar luca #luca 2021 #monsters inc #monsters university #luca paguro #alberto scorfano #giulia marcovaldo #ercole visconti #scary monsters

[outcastpack]

teen wolf crossover with 911? sounds fun! so, i kinda wanna ask for both...cuz i want the morning after (thiam as dads) but also jasher... u get it jdjfkfkfj

I do so here's all three

Liam's Bi crisis

Liam braced himself as he held his uncles phone to his ear after Buck had finally past him the phone. Wincing as his mom immediately began shouting about how worried she had been after he had just up and disappeared again with no note or message saying where he was going or if he was safe.

“I know.... I’m sorry.” He sighed, closing his eyes as he listened to her words. He hadn’t meant for her to worry, but he needed some space to clear his head. He had no one to talk to about what the hell was running through his head – he knows he could of spoken to Mason or Scott but this wasn’t something he knew how to even try and explain.

“We’ve all been worried sick – I thought that sick wom-“ His mom cut herself off a choked sob like sound just barley making it’s way through the phone, guilt wormed it’s way through Liam’s gut. He hadn’t even thought about that, about Monroe still being out there somewhere in his haste to get some space between him and Beacon Hills.

“I’ve had Scott going out of his mind, Mason too and don’t even get me started on Theo.....” At the mention of Theo’s name, Liam slipped into that same memory that had been on his mind for days now.

Green gentle eyes listening to him ramble about nothing at all. A laugh that sounded like music to his ears. Lips slowly pressing against his own, effectively cutting him off, almost immediately pulling away, and Liam wanting nothing more than to reach out and do it again and that fact confusing him above all.

He had liked it. He wanted to do it again, but he also didn’t understand any of what was running through his own head. His thoughts consumed with Theo, Theo, Theo.

Now Thiam as dads

Liam set Theo’s plate down on the table, taking his own seat opposite once again. He himself had ended up eating his own once he realised Theo had been roped in by Mason. Theo was still telling him about how the pickup had gone and how Mason had instantly known where Theo was coming from as Tracy lived in the opposite direction than that.

“So yeah.... an interrogation vier Mason and Corey was not something I expected for this time in the morning.” Theo was saying, eyes occasionally glancing towards Seb in his pram while he ate.

The scene in the kitchen looked very domestic to Liam. Almost very family like and Liam found himself loving every second of it for some reason.

He couldn’t stop staring at Theo as he talked. Unable to stop the warmth of his home feeling like a home again with them both back in it and together with the seven month old baby as an almost added bonus.

The chain wrapped around Theo’s neck glinted in the light.

Liam’s hand shot out across the table before he could stop himself pulling Theo and the chain as close as he could. His finger stroked across one of the two rings ever so slowly. He glanced up with a smile at wide green eyes flickering between the hand on the chain and Liam’s face.

“I want these back where they belong.” He whispered softly, but loud enough that Theo heard him. Hearing Theo’s breath hitch at his words, letting him know that the chimera also heard what he actually meant - the underlying meaning.

Theo slowly nodded, looking completely dumbfounded and awestruck.

And last but not least the one I'm still slowly getting back into the groove of.

After his fourth class of the day and the fourth class of hearing nothing else but prom prom and prom. Liam decided to take his chances to get lunch somewhere else so he didn't have to hear it again while he ate.

He knew he would be able to get free food too from his mom’s restaurant, so the situation would be a win-win for him - no prom and free food.

"Please tell me my mom isn't around?" He asked Kara - one of the chefs - once he had managed to sneak in the back of the kitchen.

"Nope, she took the day off. Something about your Pro-" Liam cut the girl off with a loud 'Ahh' noise, waving his arms around in a nope gesture. He knew the staff were just staring at him like he was crazy - one of the waiters that had walked in the back snorting at him while leaning against the wall waiting for his next order.

"Please do not mention that to me right now." He groaned with a huff, climbing up to sit on the edge of one of the counters.

"Bad day?" Now it was Liam’s turn to snort, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Something like that." He muttered. Kara shot him a sympathetic smile while staying focused on the chicken she had been dicing up.

"Well, corner booths open, and I'll get Theo to bring you over a chicken burger or something." She said, motioning her hand towards the waiter that had been leaning against the wall.

Liam followed her hand, finally taking in the image of the waiter. He had seen the guy before, but this was the first time he had actually looked at him.

Green eyes that somehow looked slightly blue and hazel at the same time. Brown, slightly messy curled hair, and the hints of a tatoo just peeked out beneath the sleeve of the waiter shirt. From what he could tell, .... he was ripped as fuck too.

"Gee, thanks Kar, not like I have twelve other tables to serve." The waiter remarked, sarcasm laced in his voice as he loaded up his board with food.

"Love you too, Tee." Kara shouted back, not even turning away from her food preparation, but Liam could hear the smile and amusements in her voice.

#WIP #my writing #liams bi crisis #thiam as dads #club verse #IWDIAOOY